A Change in Plans: Chapter Three







The next morning was a Monday, and every child or teenager on the planet of Kinmoku

had an obligation to attend school. Even the Three Celestial Stars, who had just waken up in the

early morning hours of the day before the sun rose, were out of bed. Usagi gladly accepted the

chance to wake up, for her dreams that night had been nothing but disturbing and troubling. She

had constantly woke up in the night, even after Minako had visited her, always crying from the

same thing. Her memories.

Usagi hurriedly hopped out of her soft bed and rushed to one of the two bathrooms

located in the apartment. It was always a good idea to get there before the crowd, because with a

household of five people, the hot water was quickly used up. After locking the door, she pulled

the sticky nightgown off her sweaty skin and placed it in a hamper close to the door. Then,

naked, she stepped into the small shower and turned the water on. She wished she could have

taken a bath, but there was hardly enough time for that.

After adding shampoo and conditioner to her hair and applying the soap to her body, she

rinsed and turned the water off. Already she could hear footsteps outside the door, as well as an

impatient sigh coming from someone outside. Clothed by a single, long pink towel, Usagi

stepped out of the bathroom, leaving Minako to scamper in and shut the door. She went back to

her room and proceeded to dress.

Meanwhile, both Setsuna, Haruka, and Ami were sitting at the kitchen table, either

drinking a cup of coffee, tea, or juice. Haruka was flipping through the morning paper, reading

the various news items of the day. Setsuna, however, just sat there drinking her coffee and staring

out the window at the already rising sun. Both were fully clothed and had used the bathroom on

the other side of the apartment, while Ami was still waiting for her turn. She was only reading a

book and sipping her juice.

Usagi walked in from the hallway and headed straight for the refrigerator, and took out a

frozen breakfast out of the fridge. Since hardly anyone could cook, except a little from Ami and

Setsuna, they usually went out or took to making mixes or heating frozen dinners. As she placed

the meal into the microwave for two minutes, Usagi sadly remembered the numerous things her

friend, Makato, used to fix. She could almost remember tasting Makato's starwberry cheescake

or large packed lunches in her mouth, and the eagerness the cheery, brown-haired girl sounded

whenever she offered one of her treats to her closest friends.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the impatient beeping of the microwave, and so Usagi

fumbled with the now hot dinner as it warmed her hands before she placed it on a plate. She

carried it to the occupied table and slowly consumed it. The others gave her a small glance, but

quickly turned their attention away as she gave them a glance back. Usagi was getting a little

tired from all the worrying they went through over for her since they had come to Kinmoku.

Everytime she did something different that seemed out of character, they always stared at her.

Impatient to leave the stuffy atmosphere, she quickly ate it and then got up.

After thirty more minutes of making sure everyone was ready, Usagi, Minako, and Ami,

now showered and changed, left the apartment for their half mile walk to the neighborhood high

school. The air was nicely cool as they set off, and it helped cool off the hot sun which was still

rising in the sky. Like school chums, they chatted happily about upcoming events, new and old

crushes, and tests and cranky old teachers that were constantly made fun of. For the moment,

they forgot about their troubles and settled into the relaxing mode of normal life.

"So, Ami, is that field trip over at the Kinmokian Royal Palace still scheduled for

today?," Minako asked, beginning to toy with her long, blond hair.

Ami nodded and replied, "Yes, it's still scheduled."

"I heard rumors that the Palace was too busy for school trips due to too much work,"

Usagi said as she entered the conversation. "I wonder why?"

Both Minako and Ami shrugged and dwelt on another topic, which lasted till

they approached the High School. Usagi stared up at the white-plastered walls of the three-story

school. Beside the building was a large flagpole supporting a flag with the colors red and gold

with the Kinmokian symbol in the middle. There was another one below it that displayed the

school's insignia and school colors. They both flapped in the breeze as it passed by.

Around the school, many students were milling about in their uniforms. The girl's

uniform was a light blue shirt underneath a navy coat with several pockets on the front. The skirt

was also navy, matching the coat exactly. As for the boy's, the coat was navy blue with a large

zipper instead of buttons fastening it, with three zippers on each side set off by light blue

material, and the pants were navy. They belonged to the best school in the Kinmokian public

school system, and it was almost a honor to be there.

Just as the three stepped into the schoolyard via the gates, they were surrounded by a

crowd of people anxious to be part of their inner group. It was like this every morning, so the trio

knew what to expect. Parting through the crowd in a swift break, all three bounded towards the

three steps leading to the entrance, opened the glass doors, and retreated to a small janitor's

closet on the left side of the entrance hall. For fifteen minutes they waited for the bell, and when

it came, they were quite great full. Now all they had to do was avoid being seen on the way to

homeroom.

***

"Remind me the simple basics of this plan again," Sailor Starhealer said as she walked

down the hall with her two other Starlight comrades. All morning she had been staring at their

more slightly confident faces, and it had slowly been getting on her nerves for the last few hours.

Fighter pulled out a shiny-looking key stuck on a chain and dangled it in front of Healer's

face with a large grin. "Why Healer, we just use the keys to our freedom."

Healer was just about to snatch the chain out of Fighter's grasp, but their other

companion did it first. Maker hurriedly shoved it down one of her high black boots as the other

two gathered around her. A guard and his friend happily passed by, talking and laughing over

some funny show on TV, and then turned the corner, out of sight. The group dispersed seconds

later.

Then Maker faced Fighter and almost shouted, "Don't do that again! If those guards had

seen that key, we'd be finished immediately!" The slightly shorter girl cringed a little, but then

waved off the shouting of her friend. Maker then took the key out from her boot and handed it

back to Fighter.

Since it was still in the early hours, the three still had time to catch breakfast from the

royal kitchens. They took to going in through the back way, and helped themselves to some

leftover ham and cheese sandwiches. Choosing a small table in the corner, they sat down and

started to devour their food.

To their surprise, the kitchen door opened slowly from the front way. Fighter stood up

first in a hurry, followed by Maker and Healer, expecting the royal cook to scold them for eating

his leftovers. Instead, it was only Nanu with a small bucket full of washed sheets that obviously

belonged on the small kitchen. She gave them only a suspecting glance, but went to her work.

The Starlight sat back down to eat the rest of their sandwiches.

"You're going somewhere, aren't you?," Nanu asked suddenly. Fighter looked up with

the others at the linen cleaner. She had her back turned to them, and was just reaching down into

her basket for the first small curtain to hang on the window. She picked up a clean, white sheat

with a few flowers adorning the fabric, and fastened it to the window. As she was working, there

was a long silence. The Starlights didn't want to say where they were going, and Nanu was

waiting at least for a small reply.

Nanu moved to the next window. In the process, she caught a good look at Fighter's

eyes, which were closer to her face then Healer's or Maker's. They held a faraway look, and even

though Fighter looked alert, she seemed to be dreaming of something far better then what she had

now. Nanu left the small basket and the window behind her to place her hands on the girls

shoulders. Fighter was tense as well, but Nanu just kept her hands there and gave her a small

massage.

Fighter relaxed as the older woman seemed to relieve the stiffness from her back while

her friends ate. As Nanu finished, she stuck a small piece of paper into her hand and gently, but

tightly, clasped it. The linen cleaner returned to her work, leaving Fighter to gaze at the scribbled

writing edged on with pen. She quickly figured it was an address, and then knew that Nanu

thought they were leaving.

As if to back Fighter's thoughts, Nanu said, "That's my son's address. He lives about five

miles from the palace. If you show him the note, he will let you stay with him." Following her

words, Maker sighed with relief, and Fighter realized that the taller girl had been worrying about

this for some time. She passed it to her friend, who stowed it away in a safe place. Nanu left the

kitchen while they were looking over the note, as if nothing had happened.

Maker stood behind a large, potted plant, trying to bend down to hide herself from the

several guards milling around the halls. At this time of day, she and the other Kinmokian senshi

would have been out in the enclosed fields for training or sitting in the shaded gardens for their

lessons. Instead, one of the servants was spreading the message that Healer had come down with

a nasty cold, and that the other Starlights would not leave her.

A finger poked itself against Maker's back as she gazed from her hidden position, and so

she looked behind her at the supposed invalid, who looked very impatient. Healer hated staying

in any place too long, as constant experience had taught Maker. She sighed and scurried across

the hall towards a statue, leaving Healer to her new perch. As if the group was rounding the bases

in a game of kickball, Fighter moved right into Healer's old position.

They were coming close to a large open room, and by the volume emitted, there were

people inside as well. Maker inched just a little bit closer from her spot behind the statue, only to

rest beside the wall separating her from the crowded room. Inside, a large group of teenage boys

were in small groups, looking at the priceless artifacts scattered throughout the room. Some were

also sitting on the soft and ornate couches instead, deeply engaged in their conversations. For a

moment, Maker could not help but just stare. Yes, there were several servant boys who worked in

the palace, but they had never acted in the particular fashion these boys displayed. These boys

laughed quiet a lot, and acted quite strange in the company of others. Maker turned behind the

wall again and gathered by the other senshi, to discuss her findings.

"Well?," Healer asked eagerly, pure curiosity etched on her face. "What did you see?"

For a moment, Maker was silent. "I saw a large group of students."

Fighter slammed her fist inside her palm in a triumphant way and grinned with it. "Then

we found our escape! I say we disguise ourselves right now!"

The slightly taller person seemed to have a problem with that though. Maker felt just a

little bit uncomfortable, but didn't exactly explain it. Instead, she said, "Then why don't you take

a look at them, Fighter, and analyze the certain factors we need in order to make this work."

Eager to do so, Fighter stuck her head out of view of the large room, though still having a

clear view of the commotion inside. She turned around and asked, "What's bugging you about

them?"

"Think, Fighter, the palace is permanently closing the place to all visitors, and all the

workers have to stay here as well. This school field trip is the very last visitor function that the

palace will allow before they ban the whole population of Kinmoku from here. Also, this

is the very last group inside this place, and the rest of the students are outside. What I'm trying to

get at is this group is our last chance to get out of this prison," Maker said in one long breath. She

watched as Fighter took one more look behind the wall, followed by Healer so she could also get

her close glance, before she started up the question, "Now how do you look at it?"

A cough from Healer and silence was all she received from the others. Yes, they would

do anything to get out of the Kinmokian Palace, but they thought everything would be as easy as

pie, or as they worked out after lunch.

"Why can't we just walk in there as if we separated from another group?," Healer asked,

trying to find any way to avoid what would have to happen in order to make their getaway. "We

can just say we got lost during the tour."

Instead of Maker answering, Fighter did her own explaining, even if Healer already knew

deep down. "Because we don't even have a clue what the girl's uniform looks like, and second of

all, we'd get noticed pretty quick. The one thing we don't want is attention."

Healer sighed, faced by the inevitable circumstances. "Who wants to go first?," Maker

asked cheerfully, only to sigh right after the words came out of her mouth. Nobody ever thought

they'd have to go beyond the line of comfort in order to escape.