Disclaimer:      I do not own Sailor Moon. I am, however, a devoted fan to the show and have been for the longest time possible. However, I bet a lot of people are wondering what I'm basing my work on…the Anime or Manga version. I'm widely basing my story on how the Anime ended but bringing up details and info on the Manga.

Also, I am an American and therefore have no idea what goes on in Tokyo University, though I do know it exists (right?). So please don't mind my own ignorance as to how things are run over there as I have no clue whatsoever and am grasping for school's names here. Also, this is gonna be another long one.

Looking Back

Part VII

Location: Chiba residence

            "Ready to go, Chibi-Usa?" The pink-haired wonder held her hands up high and squealed. Hotaru laughed and carefully adjusted the baby in her stroller. She scanned over the supplies she would need for their walk in the park. It was a regular thing for Hotaru now. She understood the exhaustion Usagi must currently be under. After the birth, Usagi had cut down on her modeling shoots to spend time with Chibi-Usa. However, it was one of those days that both parents were incredibly busy. It wasn't that they didn't want to take care of their child, it's just that they were important people with important jobs. But that was okay since a majority of their time lately was spent on Chibi-Usa. Hotaru had seen them at the park on weekends having picnics in the past months and had no doubt that Chibi-Usa was being spoiled to death by their love and affection.

            She stepped out of the house and locked the door behind her, Chibi-Usa right in front of her. It was about a few block's walk to the park. Hotaru had placed her purse and blazer in the basket beneath the stroller.

            Thinking of the Tsukino family, Hotaru couldn't help but feel somewhat envious of the giggling babe in front of her. It wasn't the best of memories to enter her mind, but like Hotaru could do much to block out the memory of her parents…or their deaths. She had occasional nightmares about both events. She would see her mother, crawling out from the pits of her parents' laboratory, her flesh burnt, exposing the bloody muscle tissues beneath. She would crawl her way to a young Hotaru, shaking hands reaching out, helplessly begging for help, and then suddenly, her demeanor would change and she would begin vehemently blaming Hotaru for her death. The dreams of her father were worse. He would appear in her monstrous form, grasping her body within his dark hand. Then, she would see her father within the huge monster, dying, and begging her to save him. Then the monster would begin to burst into flames and her father within the monster would scream along with the monster, also blaming Hotaru for his death and cursing her for being a spoiled and uncaring daughter.

It was horrible for her.

She would wake up some nights, gasping for breath and eventually make herself fall asleep despite the fact that her pillows felt like they had been recently soaked in a pool. But on other nights…

She would awaken, screaming and crying fitfully. Thankfully, however, at least one of her surrogate parents would be there to wake and hold her. But recently, since Haruka and Michiru broke up, it was like Hotaru was passed along to each parent. She spent a about a week or so with Haruka, a week with Michiru, and sometimes, she would stay at Setsuna's apartment. Neither Haruka nor Michiru approved of Hotaru living alone. Setsuna was still taking on her Time Gate guardian duties but the apartment was supposedly still leased by Setsuna (secretly funded by Haruka and Michiru) as a cover-up place for Hotaru to stay at since neither of her real parents were around to take care of her. It wasn't like Setsuna had much use of the apartment, taking into consideration of her duties. But Hotaru liked it. It made her feel independent without being really independent. She had heavily suspected that Haruka and Michiru were tipping the people at the front desk to keep an eye on her. Then again, it wasn't like she couldn't take care of herself.

            Hotaru was attending Tokyo University and aiming for a medical career. She had grown a bit more social now. She had a close-knit group of friends that she could truly consider her best friends since several of them had been with her through a lot. Not to mention, they had accepted Hotaru for being sometimes weird and 'out-there' and, and even more, they had stood up for her when others had ridiculed her. Yes, she had a very fine group of friends. However, she often felt guilty as she had been holding back a certain secret from them.

            Her surrogate parents and the other scouts had already given her the speeches about how their secret identities should remain that way— secret. It was hard, but she had managed. In fact, she had been undergoing training from her fellow scouts a while back. She, along with Haruka, Michiru, Rei, and sometimes Usagi, kept the peace in Japan. She didn't really understand the full circumstances of the other Inner scouts but Hotaru doubted that they would have many opportunities to actually transform and do any good. Ami had Isis to take care of and the senshi of ice appeared as if she had lost her thrill for battle ever since the death of her husband. Makoto would probably have an opportunity here and there to help out but not much by looks of the success her restaurants were having. Minako, with all her fame and glory, couldn't risk public exposure because it would not only raise the paparazzi's attention, but the military's as well. Quite frankly, after dealing with the crap that they had, the Scouts could've probably dealt with the media, but they would rather not. From the looks of things, the era of Crystal Tokyo was approaching. Chibi-Usa's birth was one of the signs. When the whole world would undergo the changes that would pave the way for Crystal Tokyo, then everyone would learn of the Sailor Scouts that had protected them from several evils.

But for now…

When she did get to the park, she picked out a spot beneath a heavily shaded tree. She pulled out a book and began reading to Chibi-Usa. After a while, the girl soon faded off into a nap and Hotaru was left to her own thoughts. She glanced about her. It was a beautiful summer day with the sun partly hidden by puffy clouds and soft breezes leaving their fading imprints on the leaning grasses. Families, friends, and couples walked on the walkways. Hotaru eyed the couples enviously. She was pretty busy with college but it really wasn't an excuse for her not to start going out. Then again, Haruka had already expressed her own views about Hotaru dating. Hotaru sweat dropped laughingly at the thought of bringing any guy home. As the youngest and most active scout, it was no wonder that her teammates would want her to be safe. But it wasn't just because she was another tool in keeping the peace. Usagi, Haruka, Rei and everyone else cared about the girl and each other a good deal. It was almost like being in a sorority, having sisters who supported, loved, and protected you like your sisters but the thing was they weren't your sisters. Hotaru looked up at the sky.

            I've suffered so much:

Losing mother, then father

Being shunned because I was different

Then there's always the time that I almost destroyed the entire planet, not to mention the future princess of the planet, let alone my own future substitute family.

She smiled softly at the thought. How ironic. I end up living with the people I almost killed and the same people who wanted me dead. An evil thought crept into her mind. She began thinking that perhaps it was okay that both her parents were lost. In the end, she had gained a new family. Images of her fellow scouts, surrogate parents, and her friends flashed through her mind.

My past both in this time and my history in the Silver Millennium were darkened with misery and death. Now, I have a stable life with people I love and who love me just as much. As for my future…

She glanced down at the sleeping Chibi-Usa beside her and smiled.

The future is coming soon…And I will be here to protect it. That is my duty.

She leaned back, getting comfy and closed her eyes.

Yes. That is my duty. It may seem like it's nothing much of a future. But I understand what it's really about. I know the consequences I'll probably have to face.

Unbeknownst to the senshi of death and destruction, a pair of blue eyes was glancing in her direction attentively. The eyes watched as she positioned the babe onto her lap and made herself more comfortable against the tree behind her. When Hotaru's eyes slipped close, the body attached to the blue eyes stood up, about ready to make its way to the half-asleep teenager. The boy was stopped by a hand that grabbed his sleeve.

"Trey."

The teen fixed his gaze at his companion, confused. "What?" His female counterpart shook her head.

"Don't." She stated. "It's not her." His brows furrowed even further.

"What are you talking about?" She sighed, unleashing her grip on his arm as he continued. "She fits the description: Black hair, violet eyes, about what? Late teens or early twenties now right? It's her, Trini." He insisted. "Plus, can't you feel those vibes from her?"

Trini shook her head. "I know you want to get this mission down and over with and be able to head home," She began, noticing the tinge of sadness that twitched in his eyes. "But you just can't overlook such obvious facts."

She nodded over to the girl. "She's one of them alright." She agreed seriously. "But she's not our target." When he looked at her confused once more, she sighed, leaning against the tree behind her. Trini brushed aside several strands of long curly black hair. She had ditched her earlier clothing, opting to at least look like she belonged at this time and place. Trini made a mental note to thank Aya and her technology skills for creating that little device that helped them to acquire clothes to blend in with these people.

She was now wearing a white, button-up, long-sleeved, collared shirt. The first two buttons were undone and she wore a black skort and simple black sandals. Her partner was now wearing a white-long-sleeved jersey shirt with a red stripe going through it and dark-blue baggy pants to go with them and what these people called 'tennis shoes'. Personally, he didn't know why they called them that. He wasn't playing this 'tennis' sport, after all. Trey saw no point in bouncing a small ball over a low net across a court back and forth and back and forth and…the mere thought bored him to death. After all, he was far more impulsive than Trini. She nodded over to the sleeping duo.

"Look at the baby with her."

Trey's eyes widened in shock. "'Baby'? But our target isn't supposed to…"

"That's what I meant." She interrupted. Trini smirked. "By the way, take a closer look at the kid."

He squinted slightly at the tuft of pink by the sleeping woman and his eyes widened even further. "Is that?"

            "Yup." Trini nodded her head. "But as I was saying, that girl, she isn't our target. However, it's probably some weird coincidence that we run into both of them, considering their positions in this place. I'm guessing that there are more of them in this area since this is where they originated from. In any case, both of them are asleep and both have the gifts. Their vibes are considerably lower when they're not conscious. Apparently, both are very powerful, despite their young ages. Having them both in the same place, both at one of their more unguarded and lower power states, combine together to make that incredible aura you're getting."

He scanned over at them, perplexed. Her gaze softened and she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I want to go home, too, Trey." He covered her hand with his own and gave her a forced smile.

"I know." He sighed. "I guess I just really want to get the hell out of this place." His face darkened. "I-I just can't help thinking about how things are going on back there, you know? Like, if our families are okay…"

His voice trailed off as both thought of the unthinkable. Her grip on his shoulder tightened. He looked over at her, concerned when he noticed the moisture trickling down her cheeks.

"Oh Trini," He muttered. "I'm sorry."

She chuckled and waved off his concern with one hand, rubbing away the tears with the other. "Don't apologize. You're just worried." She smirked. "That's what makes you an excellent second-in command, Trey. You care when Leo can't."

He smiled genuinely at her. "Leo can care." He replied. "It's just taking him a while to understand that even he can feel emotions."

She smiled in return. "And that's why I love you about you."

"What?" He asked. "My impulsiveness?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "All of us have had their moments of impulsiveness." She smirked. "It's just that you tend to have more of those moments than the rest of us combined."

He laughed. "And that's what we love about you, Trini. You're able to analyze things before I rush into them head-first."

            Trini smiled laughingly. "So true. After all, what kind of a partner would I be if I let you make an idiot of yourself every time you had the sudden urge to do something stupid?"

            They both laughed.

            Trey began to stretch. "Well, I guess we ought to continue on our merry way to find that woman."

Trini lowered her head, eyes closed. When she did open them, blazing red looked back at him. "Shouldn't be that hard." She held out an outstretched hand and Trey came over to her. A flame began to produce over her outstretched hand, taking a shape of what looked to be a bird. The tiny flame bird then began to turn side to side before resting its pointed head in the direction the black-haired, violet-eyed teen come from.

            Hotaru blinked back sleep at she looked around her. She realized it had been someone laughter that had awoken her. She turned her head side to side, looking for the source. She found it, in one of the groves of trees. It was a duo, one boy, and one girl. The girl had just bowed her head down and her partner moved towards her, obscuring the girl from Hotaru's view. They seemed to be consulting over something but when the young man did move away, Hotaru had to blink her eyes once more. She thought she had seen smoke coming from the girl's hand. It was then that the duo looked over at her. The girl gave off a smile and nodded. Hotaru had the feeling that the girl was looking at her but not really seeing her. The boy then touched her shoulder and said something. She abruptly turned around and followed, casting a blue-eyed glance at Hotaru.

            Hotaru shivered slightly. That was strange. She thought. I could've sworn her eyes were some hazel, reddish color just a few seconds ago. She shook her head forcefully. Chibi-Usa was starting to wake up. Hotaru adjusted her hold on the child and glanced over to where the duo was. To her surprise, they had completely disappeared.

            A foreboding darkness overcame her heart as she brought Chibi-Usa closer to her, as if protecting her from some unseen force.

            What on earth?

~*chickay*~

Woo-Hoo! We got two names in! YAY! *ahem* Anywhos…I am so happy people actually read this! So happy happy. ::does a happy dance:: Anyways…I don't feel like I put enough of Hotaru so far in this chapter…I'm prolly gonna add more of her later on. Well, I'm pretty sure you guys should know who's Trini's and Trey's target…I hope. Until later, good night! (Or good morning actually…it's like 2 am right now)

BTW: I am going to be out-of-town for quite a while. Hell, I'm gonna be gone from the whole eastern part of the U.S. So I won't be updating for at least two weeks or so... If I'm lucky, I'll find some way to upload new chapters to you guys. Please review and keep me alive! Hehe