Disclaimer: Didn't, don't and won't ever own Sailor Moon!
I also don't own Kira-san (Star Striker) and Aoi-san (Star Keeper), the two other new Starlights that appear in this chapter; they belong to Cassandra Sisenta. I just asked if I could borrow them for parts of this story. (Gomen Cassandra-san! I said Kira and Aoi would be in the last chapter, but they weren't. This chapter for sure!)
Ah, but I DID make up Hikaru (Star Hunter), Josei (Star Dancer) and Amai (Star
Dreamer) so if you happen to like them enough to want to use them, just ask and it's really no
problem. I just want to know where they're going. ^_^
"There!" Seiya stepped back, a very accomplished look on her face, to regard Usagi's new ensemble. Frowning, she considered and then looked around the store they- as well everyone else, making the place rather crowded- were standing in. Her eyes landed on a large vase and she grinned. "Wait one second." Pulling a rose from the center of the vase, she broke off the majority of the stem and stuck the flower into Usagi's jacket pocket. "Now THAT's more like it!"
"You guys and your rose obsession...." Josei chuckled.
Turning a bit to the left, Usagi regarded himself in the full-length mirror in front of him; the outfit he was wearing was suspiciously similar to what Seiya had worn during concerts on Earth- a red suit with a black shirt underneath and a matching red tie. The rose in his pocket was red as well....not that he was all that surprised, though. Red was Seiya's favorite color, and this was what he got for letting the Star Senshi pick his clothing for him.
Of course, the others weren't all that far off from Usagi; Yaten had dressed Minako in a similar suit of navy blue, while Ami chose one in a lighter shade of blue. Makoto was dressed in hunter green, which brought out the color of his eyes, and Rei- after much arguing- had allowed Josei and Amai to dress him in black to match his hair.
Usagi was the only one with a rose, though.
"Now," Seiya announced, tossing her ponytail back over her shoulder; "we have to do something about your hair."
"My hair?"
"Hai!" Yaten agreed from across the room; "no man in his right mind would wear his hair in odangos....okay, so no WOMAN in her right might would wear HER hair in odangos, either, but that's beside the point."
Usagi glared.
"Well, come on."
"Huh?" A blink as Seiya reached up and tugged the elastics out of his hair, freeing it from the odd-looking odango hairstyle. Once down, it hung nearly to his ankles; as a girl that had been fine, but as a guy Usagi felt strange with it. The black-haired senshi pulled at the blonde locks, frowning in concentration. "Uh, Seiya....what are you doing?"
"One sec." Seiya replied, wrapping the elastics back around Usagi's hair and pinning it in a low ponytail that was reminiscent of the Starlights. The tail was longer than her own, but Seiya shrugged that off. "There ya' go!" She grinned and pointed at the mirror; "see? Ne, Odango, you make a pretty cute guy!"
Usagi blinked at himself. Oi, this is weird.
They had been in a small shopping district near the Palace for nearly two hours. It had taken most of that time to convince the Earth Senshi that it was alright to simply choose clothing that they liked; the economy on Kinmoku was different than on their planet, and being with the Star Senshi (who were somewhat of celebrities on Kinmoku) meant that their outfits were absolutely without cost. None of them were comfortable with just walking out of a store without physically PAYING, so they were hesitant to try anything on.
Seiya's insistence- as well as the assurance of the others- was the only reason they had actually begun to shop.
Normally, any of the Earth Senshi would have jumped at the chance to do what they were doing. Shopping with the Lights, that is. And not having to pay for the things that wanted? It was a dream come true!
Or would have been, had they not been preoccupied by the changes to themselves.
Rei was the one who seemed to be adjusting the best, and Makoto came in a close second. The raven-haired senshi already had the perfect attitude to go with the new body, and Makoto was just very accepting. Usagi and Ami were on a par, both still uncomfortable, but not particularly upset anymore, and Minako....well, Minako was getting a taste of what Yaten's life had been like on Earth.
At that moment, the silver-haired Star Senshi was fighting with him over the bow in his hair-
"You can't wear that! Jeez, are you stupid or something?"
"Oi, Yaten! Give that back! I always have my bow on!"
"Minako-KUN, you're a guy now, remember?"
"Ne, Yaten-CHAN! I don't CARE! Give it back!"
-but Yaten was more determined than Minako had expected, and within a minute or two she had managed to yank the strip of red ribbon out of the blond's hair. With Minako still glowering at her angrily, she did much the same as Seiya; she tied Minako's hair back in a low ponytail, binding it with the ribbon she had stolen from him. Once she was done, she surveyed her work.
"It'll do for now, I guess."
And at that she clamped herself onto Minako's right arm. She had been doing that ever since the senshi of Venus had managed to get into his suit, and showed no intention of stopping any time soon; giving Minako a taste of his own medicine, everyone assumed.
"Here-" Josei removed a length of black ribbon from her own violet hair and held it out to a surprised Rei. "You need to at least tie your hair back, too."
Rei growled, but snatched the ribbon and quickly pulled his hair back.
Makoto had already done the same, simply lowering his ponytail and pinning it at the base of his neck with the same bobbles that he had always used. Somehow, they didn't look at all strange on a guy.
"Well," Taiki sighed, "where to now?"
"I'd say to the hairdresser," Seiya grinned; "but I might get lynched."
Usagi gave her a sharp look. "I'm NOT cutting my hair."
"Ah, well, that's alright." The black-haired senshi shrugged nonchalantly, "you look fine like this."
"So I repeat," Taiki raised an eyebrow, "where to now?"
"Shoes."
"Um, huh?"
"Shoes." Josei repeated, blinking when everyone stared at her blankly. "I mean....you guys need shoes, too, right? You can't wear those-" she nodded, indicating the school-issue-shoes they were all still wearing; "-around, especially with those suits, ne?"
Hikaru chuckled, "it DOES look kind of funny."
"Hikaru," Amai said softly, "they're trying."
"I know, I know." The aqua-haired girl waved her friend away, "don't worry about me, I'm just an idiot." She stretched her arms over her head and then clasped her hands behind her neck. "Anyhow," a yawn, "no offence, but once we've got some shoes can we go and do something FUN? Shopping is NOT my thing...."
That much had become obvious to the Earth Senshi within ten minutes of getting to the shopping district when Hikaru had uttered her first yawn. She had been looking particularly bored for most of the time they had been there; a look that Yaten echoed, except for when she was bothering Minako.
"Like what?"
"I dunno'." A shrug, "ANYTHING!"
"Oi," Amai sighed, "Hikaru...."
"Ne, Amai-chan?"
"You're a pain."
Hikaru stared at the soft-spoken Starlight beside her and then feigned a hurt look. "I always knew you hated me." She pouted for a long moment before giving the other girl a wink, "but somehow that doesn't bother me in the least!"
"I know."
"Um," Ami interrupted, rubbing the bridge of his nose; "shoes?"
Taiki chuckled.
"Right!" Seiya smacked her forehead with the heel of her hand; "I almost forgot. Um, let's see....ne, Josei, where's there a good shoe store around here?"
Josei blinked, "why are you asking me?"
"You suggested shoes!"
"Y-yeah, but-"
"Down the block." Another voice told them. "The second last store on the right."
Seiya bristled visibly, turning to look at she who had spoken with an only partially-concealed frown on her face. Her arms crossed over her chest and she stared at the two figures who were standing just-inside the shop doors.
One was a tall, full-figured woman with firey red hair, a cross between wavy and curly, that was pulled back into a Starlight ponytail. Her silver eyes were terribly intense and nearly impossible to read, and she regarded Seiya with a semi-smirk.
The other was a blonde woman, quite a bit shorter than her companion, with straight hair- like with the red-head, it was pulled into a low ponytail, with the exception of whispy strands that hung in front of her ears. The depth of her blueish-green eyes was amazing, and she gave off a calm aura to contrast that of the taller woman.
Usagi, at least, was struck by the resemblance they bore to Haruka and Michiru. Not in looks but in the way they carried themselves, the way the stood, and the impressions they gave at first glance. The height difference was even relative to that of the two Outer Earth Senshi that he was thinking of.
More Starlights?
"Where was I when shopping was decreed part of senshi training?"
Seiya glared at the red-haired woman. "Can it, Kira."
"Well? I thought you three were training the new recruits."
"We are, just not today!"
A snort. "Oh? You take days off from being a senshi now?"
"You should try it."
"And loose my edge?"
"You never had one to begin with."
The redhead narrowed her eyes at Seiya. Seiya, for her part, was fuming.
"Kira," the blonde rested a hand on her friend's arm and shook her head, then looked around at the rest of the group. Her eyes landed on Yaten and she smiled. "Ne, Yaten, since when do you cling to men?"
Yaten grinned, "try women, Aoi."
"Pardon?"
"These would be the Earth Senshi we've mentioned." Taiki told them, "you remember?"
The blonde blinked a handful of times, obviously trying to wrap her mind around what Taiki had just said. Beside her, the woman who had been bickering with Seiya raised an eyebrow doubtfully and glanced around.
"From what you said-"
Taiki cut her sentence short; "it's a long story."
"Anyway," Yaten separated herself from Minako, who rubbed his arm lightly and grimaced. The silver-haired girl snickered at that and waved her hand in a vague gesture; "the one in red who's standing with Seiya is Usagi, the one in black is Rei, the one in green is Makoto, the one Taiki's with is Ami and this-" she tugged at Minako's ponytail. Minako shot her a look and crossed his arms. "-is Minako."
"Everyone," Taiki continued, "meet Kira and Aoi."
"Um-"
"Kira's the one that Seiya is glaring at."
"I am NOT glaring." Seiya snapped at Yaten.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
"Are they Starlights too?"
Aoi smiled at Ami; "Sailor Stars Keeper and Striker, at your service."
"Ne, I thought there were only three Starlights-"
"-six!" Hikaru interjected.
"Six." Makoto corrected himself. "So...?"
"Striker and Keeper are reminiscent of your Outer Senshi," Taiki offered.
"I THOUGHT they reminded me of Uranus and Neptune."
Kira looked toward Usagi, "from what I've been told, there are similarities, yes."
"Oh."
"Usagi, was it?"
Usagi nodded.
"An odd name of a man...."
A suffering sigh, "I know. I never used to be a man."
A careful smile graced Kira's face and she glanced toward Seiya before continuing; "ah, but you make quite the handsome one."
"Uh-"
Seiya's hands clenched into fists and she tapped her foot on the ground, openly scowling at Kira. "Look, if you don't mind, we're kinda' busy right now."
Kira smirked, "so I see."
"Now, now," Aoi shook her head at her friend, "we should be going anyway, Kira."
"I suppose." Kira nodded even as Aoi was turning to leave. Pausing at the door, she waved to the group and winked lightly at Usagi, making Seiya see red. Male or female, whether Usagi was a guy or a girl, jealousy still reared it's ugly head. "Well, my friend, see you later, shall we?"
"Sure...."
"Ja!" She vanished out the door after Aoi, leaving them to stare after her.
There was a moment of silence as the Earth Senshi considered what they ad just witnessed- all of them were feeling an odd deja vu. The likenesses between Kira and Aoi and Haruka and Michiru were somewhat unnerving. The five of them were also struck by the obvious rivalry between Seiya and the redheaded Kira.
"Ne, Seiya?" Usagi asked, eyeing the fuming girl; "are you alright?"
"Yes."
Hikaru began to laugh. "Seiya and Kira have never gotten along."
A snort from Yaten as she re-attached herself to Minako's arm, despite the blond's attempts to dissuade her. "Thank you Hikaru," she said sarcastically, "for the understatement of the year." A pause. "It's my opinion that Seiya suffers from a terrible case of hero-envy-"
"Yaten!"
Taiki had to physically stop Seiya from throttling the other girl. "I do NOT envy Kira!"
"Yeah, okay."
"Look," Josei sighed from a few feet away, where she was standing with Amai. "We still have things to do before we go back to the Palace, right? Let's get going."
"Aw, MORE shopping?" Hikaru whined.
Everyone ignored her.
"As it is, we're just crowding the poor store owner." Ami agreed.
There was a collective nod and- much to the shopkeeper's happiness- they all piled out into the street. Taiki guided Seiya, who was still staring at Yaten as if her glare could cut the other girl in half. Usagi followed after them, trying to figure out what it was about Kira that Seiya didn't like. They both had the same stubborn, dominating personality.
Plus I think she hit on me.
A sigh. That would be the problem.
I should let her know that she has nothing to worry about.
"Ne, Seiya?" Usagi said, catching the black-haired girl's attention.
"Yeah?"
"I-"
And he was interrupted by a scream.
_______________
Me: Okay, see? Kira-sama and Aoi-sama were in this. Um, they weren't in it for a lot, but they're going to make cameos in most of the rest of the chapters, too. I hope I wrote them well enough for Cassandra-san's liking; if not then I'll have to change some of it and re-post this chapter. Ne, Cassandra-san? Whatta' ya' think?