Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. So there.
Alrighty, this chapter is probably going to be pointless, but....wait 'til the end! Hee,
hee....oh, and there are a handful of made-up characters in this. They're not HUGE characters,
but I needed more than just the Inners & Starlights. ^_^ Plus, there's a few little things in this
that I'm leaving semi-explained and that are probably not accurate. I don't care. I'm just writing
this as fluff to get all the craziness of "Umbroso Estrella" and some of my other stories out of
my head. I can't write horribly serious stuff all the time, ne? I'll go back to the other stories and
write more in them after I'm done this chapter....
"Ta-da!"
Everyone looked up when Minako presented herself at the sliding-door to Rei's room, backpack in hand and Artemis hanging over her shoulder. The blonde winked brightly and stepped inside, dropping her bag at her feet and looking around- Rei was just finishing writing a long and intricate set of instructions to the Temple help on things-to-do while she was gone, Makoto and Ami were sitting at the low table, engrossed in a game of chess, and Usagi-
-Usagi wasn't there yet.
Sighing, Minako grinned, "Usagi-chan's late even for this?"
"Oi, oi," Luna nodded tolerantly.
"You expected something else?" Rei snapped, looking up from her note. She scribbled her name at the bottom and folded it before stuffing it into an envelope and addressing it to her Grandfather. "Odango-brain would be late for her own funeral." A snort and she crumped one of the extra pieces of paper in agitation, dropping the pen onto the table. "....but that's Usagi for you, I guess."
"Hai!" Makoto agreed.
Ami shook her head; "she's hopeless."
"Ne, minna?" Usagi's overly-sweet voice sounded from the door, "I heard that."
"Usagi!"
"Usagi-chan!"
"Odango Atama!" Rei growled, chucking the paper ball at her, "you're LATE!"
The paper bounced off of the blonde girl's forehead and she winced; "itai, Rei! That hurt!"
"It was PAPER for crying out loud-"
"It still HURT!"
"Don't be such a-"
"Ahem!" Luna cleared her throat, even as the others giggled nervously. Eyeing her mistress, she shook her head. "Despite Usagi-chan's chronic tardiness, we're all here so if everyone has what they want to bring, I guess let's go."
"Yosh!" Minako shouted, beginning to star-eye again. She would be difficult to handle once they reached Kinmoku, that much was obvious already; but at least Yaten had some warning this time before the blue-eyed hurricane descended on him. "Let's go! Sailor Teleport away and all that!" Whipping out her henshin wand she held it up dramatically; "Venus Crystal Power! Make-Up!"
The flash of light that signified her transformation died down instantly and the energetic Sailor Venus struck her V-For-Victory pose. When they all stared at her without transforming themselves, her lips curved into a half-snarl and her hands flew to her hips. The motion threw Artemis, who up until then had managed to keep a tenuous hold on her shoulder, onto the floor with a thump. "Hurry up!" She told them; "Yaten-kun isn't the kind to wait all day! If we're late he'll just leave and then I'll have to hunt him down and find him! Oh but...." she trailed off, her eyes sparkling mischievously and her voice lowering to a whisper, "....then we'd be alone...."
"Minako-chan!" Artemis groaned from the carpet.
The blonde continued rambling under her breath, her hands clutched to her chest and her eyes filled with what could almost be seen as hearts. The others all watched her with amusement. Sometimes, no matter how tactless Yaten had been and would certainly be in the future, they just had to feel sorry for him....
Makoto sighed with a giggle, "she does have a point- we shouldn't keep Kakyuu-hime waiting any longer than we have to."
"It wouldn't be polite." Ami agreed.
Rei eyed Minako, "are we sure we want to take her?"
A nod from Makoto, "Yaten-kun would probably appreciate it if we left her behind-"
"-oi!" Venus' string of babbling cut short at that and she glared daggers first at Rei and then at Makoto. "Transform already!"
A general sigh of acceptance.
"Mercury Crystal Power! Make-Up!"
"Mars Crystal Power! Make-Up!"
"Jupiter Crystal Power! Make-Up!"
"Moon Eternal! Make-Up!"
The transformations, as with Minako's, looked to normal eyes like bright flashes of light. To the senshi themselves, however, the process seemed to take longer; it was more a ceremony than anything else. The time to transform was relative, though. The senshi noticed because it was something important to them, while an onlooker would only care about the result....
"Wai!" Venus grinned and hefted her bag over her shoulder. Plucking Artemis from the floor where she had dropped him before, she slung him across the opposite shoulder and turned back to her friends. "Let's go!"
Jupiter chuckled at the blonde senshi's enthusiasm. As Minako's best friend, she was the one who had to deal with her star-struck outbursts on the most regular basis, and she continued to find it terribly amusing. "Hai," she nodded and picked up her own bag. "Where are we Teleporting to?"
"The main courtyard of Kakyuu-hime's Palace," Luna responded as she climbed up to sit on Sailor Moon's shoulder. "Kakyuu-hime plans on being there with Fighter, Maker and Healer when we arrive." A pause, then; "she also knows how long-distance Teleports can drain you, so she has already prepared rooms if you need them when we land."
"Kakkoii!" Venus squealed. She was practically FORCING them into a circle and placing everyone's hands into everyone-else's-hands. "Come on, come on!"
"Ne, Venus, be a little MORE excited, will you?" Mars shook her head.
"Hey!"
Mercury laughed, "well you ARE overdoing it just a little," she smiled, "but I have to admit that I'm excited about visiting them, too...."
"See?" Venus demanded, "it's not just me!"
Sailor Moon, who until then had been remarkably quiet and thoughtful, sighed. "Let's do this."
Luna nodded, agreeing with her mistress. Inside, however, she was worried about the girl. Usagi had been very out of character since the Moon Cats announcement that they had been invited to Kinmoku; Luna suspected that the odango-haired princess was thinking about Seiya. Privately, she agreed with Haruka that- even though Seiya had accepted Usagi's love for Mamoru- they had to be careful. That was the reason that Luna, as well as the senshi of Uranus, had been reluctant to let them leave Earth....
But, she thought, red eyes watching Sailor Moon thoughtfully, she HAS grown up a lot....and Michiru was right that she does have every right the others do to visit her friends....I'll just keep an eye on her while we're there and everything will be fine.
Or so she hoped.
Shaking her black-furred head, she waited as the Inner Senshi clasped hands and then called out; "Sailors! Teleport!"
At her shout, the senshi that she had brought together and trained (with a little help from Artemis, she would admit, though not as much as he liked to try to tell her) closed their eyes and concentrated. It had been a long time since they had attempted the Sailor Teleport technique, as there had been no need for it; after a few seconds, much less time than it would have taken them a year ago, their auras began to glow brightly around them.
Red for Sailor Mars of Fire.
Yellow for Sailor Venus of Love.
Green for Sailor Jupiter of Thunder.
Blue for Sailor Mercury of Ice.
And Pink for Sailor Moon, whose power came not from an element, but from her own heart and Star Seed, the Ginzuishou which was carried in her brooch and next to her heart at all times, and her belief in the dreams with which she carried herself through life.
The air around them grew brighter as the gravity became next to nil.
And a split second later they vanished from the Temple to find themselves standing in the middle of a huge flower garden.
"Whew!"
They fell back, releasing each other's hands, to catch their breath. A Teleport that far- assuming they were where they were supposed to be- took a lot of energy, and it would take a few hours to regain it. But as long as they had no fighting to do, there was nothing to worry about.
The courtyard that they had landed in seemed to be the correct one; at least, it was large enough that they ASSUMED it was the right one. Everywhere they looked there were brightly blooming flowers, cobblestone paths ran throughout the garde, and in the center of the yard itself sat a huge stone fountain.
"Wow!" Jupiter exclaimed as her eyes took in the rows and rows of flowerbeds. It was the gardener in her speaking now, and everyone knew it. "I've never seen so many flowers! There are roses here of every color!"
"All but one, actually." A familiar voice told them with an almost-laugh, "for some reason, white roses don't grow very well here on Kinmoku."
They all looked up expectantly, already smiling, to face the speaker.
Standing near a set of wide silver doors, which probably lead back into the palace, were those they had come to see; Seiya, Taiki and Yaten in their senshi forms of Sailor Star Fighter, Sailor Star Maker and Sailor Star Healer, and beside them was the beautiful Princess Kakyuu. Kakyuu-hime was smiling serenely, obviously quite pleased that they had made it safely; Star Maker's smile almost perfectly echoed hers- it was Maker who had spoken before. Star Fighter was grinning widely, but that was no surprise. It was also no surprise to see the half-smirk that Star Healer passed for a smile; she was glad to see them as well, though she never would have said so.
"Oi, Odango!" Fighter called, "long time no see!"
Sailor Moon stuck her tongue out, but instead of telling her 'my name's not Odango' as everyone expected, she grinned back at the Star Senshi. "Only a year and a half, but who's counting?"
Fighter chuckled and looked around for something.
"Ne, Fighter?" Sailor Moon blinked. "What are you looking for?"
"Is it possible?" Fighter asked with a mischievous smile, "did Haruka-tomboy actually let you come here without her?"
Sailor Moon opened her mouth to say something and then thought the better of it. Instead she glared halfheartedly at Star Fighter before turning her attention to the others. "We know that Fighter's the same as ever, but what about you guys?"
"We're better now that we don't get mobbed wherever we go." Healer told them. "All those stupid Three Lights fans aren't here to-"
"YATEEEEN!"
"I spoke too soon," she muttered under her breath, glaring at the blonde senshi-of-Love who had launched herself from several feet away and was now latched onto her arm. It apparently didn't matter to Venus whether it was Yaten or Star Healer; either way she was going to be wrapped around an arm for quite a while. "Oi, Aino-san!" She snapped angrily, "get off of me this minute!"
And Venus effectively ignored her.
Maker watched with half-amusement and half-pity as Healer attempted to pry the blonde off of herself. She wasn't making much headway. "We're doing well," Maker told them, "KINMOKU is doing well."
"And we're happy to welcome you to our home," Kakyuu said warmly, "please, come inside! I have rooms already prepared, as I'm sure Luna has told you, and there are people we wish you to meet."
There was no hesitation as the Earth Senshi fell into pace beside the Starlights and their Princess. Things were as they should be; a happy reunion after not seeing good friends for so long, and the conversation was bright as everyone tried to catch up on events that they had missed.
"You know," Sailor Moon told Star Fighter, who was walking beside her. "Everyone thinks you died."
"What?"
"Oh yes," Mercury nodded from ahead, where she was walking with Mars and Star Maker; "after Three Lights disbanded, none of you were seen anywhere. Then there was a plane crash a month or so later." She smiled softly, "so naturally rumors started to circulate that you had been on the plane when it went down."
"Everyone at school was mourning." Jupiter added.
"Hai." Mars agreed, "it was hard to go and see everyone practically in tears and not tell them they were being stupid."
Star Healer snorted, "I would have told them they were- shimatta! Aino-san!" She again attempted to pry Venus off. Venus simply giggled something incoherent and continued to clutch at her arm. "Get off of me, damn it!"
"We all KNOW what you would have said, Healer." Maker raised an eyebrow, "which means it's good thing you weren't there."
"If Yaten was there they wouldn't have been sad," Jupiter pointed out, "because they would have known you weren't dead."
"Touche."
Kakyuu was quiet, simply enjoying the banter between them. She was glad to see her Starlights to happy. They had missed the Earth Senshi a lot after returning to Kinmoku, which was one of the reasons she had invited them to visit; it was good that they were happy to see their friends.
"Ne, Fighter, who are we supposed to meet?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Hm?" The tall black-haired senshi grinned, "we're training more Star Senshi right now, Odango, and Kakyuu-hime wants them to meet you."
"You agree with her?"
"Oh course she does!" Healer piped up, "Fighter thinks EVERYONE should meet you-"
"Healer!"
"Well, you-"
"Shut up!"
Healer smirked but wisely kept her mouth shut as they continued through the Palace.
In many ways, the Inner Senshi were reminded of the Moon Kingdom by what they saw; the Palace in itself was much the same, but the style of dress was also similar, as was the music. It struck each of them at least once that Michiru would have fit in beautifully with the elegant clothing and classical songs.
"Ah!" Kakyuu smiled happily when they reached a set of large doors, soft music floated from beyond them. Maker and Fighter pushed them open for her and once they were all through them, the Star Senshi also shut the heavy silver doors as well.
Healer would have helped had her arm not been taken over by the Goddess of Love.
"Now here," the Princess said, gesturing around the room, "is the Ballroom!" Even as they were taking in the grandeur of the great hall, though, she was sweeping them toward a grand piano that sat at the far end. "Come, come-"
At or near the piano sat three figures. From across the room they were impossible to identify, but as their group drew nearer their clothing could be recognized as Kinmoku senshi fuku; two of them glanced up curiously at their approach. The third, who was playing a soft song on the piano, had her eyes closed and seemed oblivious to the world.
"Oh! Kakyuu-hime!" One of them exclaimed with a smile, "we didn't expect you back so soon-"
The one who was playing sighed and the song stopped.
"Oh no, please don't stop on our account!" Mercury told her, "that was lovely!"
She looked up at the blue-haired senshi, "arigato."
"Ne, Kakyuu-hime, are these the senshi you wanted us to meet?" The third asked brightly from her seat on the top of the piano. She surveyed the group; her eyes landed on Fighter and then drifted to Sailor Moon, who was standing close by, "I'm going to go out on a limb and say the one that Fighter's standing over protectively is Sailor Moon."
Healer laughed at that, only to receive a harsh glare from Fighter.
"Hai, these are the senshi from Earth." Kakyuu agreed.
"Well," the Star Senshi who had already identified Sailor Moon hopped from the top of the piano and paced over gracefully. Her blue-green hair was pulled back into the traditional Star Senshi ponytail and her matching eyes sparkled. Holding her hand out to the odango-haired-senshi, she said; "I'm Sailor Star Hunter." A wink, "of course that's not my REAL name."
Sailor Moon took her hand, "I'm Sailor Moon-" a giggle and she added; "Usagi."
"Hikaru." Star Hunter told her, "nice to finally meet you after all of Fighter's babbling-"
"Hunter!" Fighter snapped.
"Okay, okay." Hunter waved her off, "I'm just joking." She looked at Sailor Moon again and then around at the others; "what about your friends?"
"Oh!" Sailor Moon smiled and patted Luna's head; "this is my guardian cat, Luna. The white cat is Artemis- he's Venus' guardian. Um, Venus- Minako- is the one that's trying to become a part of Healer's arm." A nervous giggle as everyone turned to regard the blonde senshi, whom Healer was STILL trying to get away from. "Anyway," Sailor Moon continued, "Mars is the one with black hair who looks mean-"
"Sailor Moon!"
She cringed at the tone in Mars' voice and chose not to look at the raven-haired girl; "her real name is Rei. Jupiter is the one with brown hair over there, her name's Makoto, and Mercury is the one with blue hair who's standing with Maker. That's Ami-chan."
"Nice to meet you all, too." Hunter told them. Looking over her shoulder, she regarded her comrades. "These are my friends, the people I'm training with. Come on, people, introduce yourselves already!"
"Alright, alright," the one who had been playing the piano sighed, shaking her head. She looked at them with pale hunter green eyes from under light brown bangs. "I'm Amai, also known as Sailor Star Dreamer." She smiled softly, "pleased to meet you."
"And I'm Sailor Star Dancer." The final senshi- who had been the first to greet Kakyuu- announced. Standing from her seat on the piano bench next to Dreamer, she brushed a stray strand of violet hair out of her deep purple eyes, "but my real name is Josei."
"There now!" Kakyuu clasped her hands together in satisfaction, "now we all know each other!"
"Oi," Hunter said, "why don't we all de-transform?"
"Hai!" Kakyuu agreed, "you can settle in and then get to know each other!"
"Good idea!" Venus nodded, still clutching Healer's arm tightly, "I wanna' spend some time with Yaten!"
"Aino-san...." Healer grated in warning.
She was, again, completely ignored.
Sailor Moon shrugged and began to de-transform, along with the other Earth Senshi. Their transformation ribbons started to reverse, effectively leaving them in what they had been wearing when they transformed in the first place.
"Ne, Odango!" Fighter called, "there's something we should warn you about before-"
But she was too late.
"Ahh!" Usagi stretched, "it's good to be back to normal."
"Normal...." Healer snickered, catching their attention. The silver-haired Star Senshi was beginning to laugh....
"What?" Rei demanded.
"Iieeeee!"
A shriek from Minako made them all spin to look at their friend with alarm. Healer, meanwhile, had begun to roar with laughter; the other Star Senshi were giggling as well, including Maker. What-?
"Minna!" Minako cried, "look at me! Look at us!"
And everyone echoed their friend's sentiments as they followed crystal blue eyes that
looked down at herself....or rather, HIMSELF, in absolute shock....
____________
Me: See? There really is something happening besides a lot of talking. ^.^;; Totally pointless....