"Chiyo, calm down. Sora, Kohana and Yodume are all with her. She'll be fine." Ken held Chiyo's hands together in front of him as he spoke. Chiyo looked startled and uneasy. Umi and Koushi stood to each side of her, listening intently.
"Are you sure she'll be alright, Ken? That's never happened before." Umi inquired, worried.
"I know Hakeru. She can get through that." Ken surprised even himself with how assertive he was.
Koushi shook her head a little. "I'm glad I came to check. I had better go fill in Mikomi."
"I'll go find Kei." Agreed Umi. But as she turned to leave she smacked into Kei herself.
"Did we miss something?" Kei asked seriously. Mikomi stood, very petite, next to Kei.
"Found her," Umi muttered.
"Hakeru apparently had some sort of massive prevision. The other three took her back to Triton to the temple."
Mikomi gasped. "That's why Sora was in such a hurry!"
"How'd they get there?" Kei asked suspiciously.
"They transformed. They used the lockets' teleportation powers to get her there more quickly," Koushi explained.
"I heard their phrases from the hallway," Chimed Umi. "I walked by just in time to see them transform."
Ken nodded. " I saw them go."
The girls blinked, and stared at Ken.
"You watched them transform, Ken?" Umi almost shouted. "You saw them na-" Kei put her hand across Umi's mouth and winked at Ken.
"They weren't. . . you know. . . They were glittery, sort of. . . and colored." Ken, his face growing progressively red, promptly stopped talking.
Chiyo sighed and closed her eyes. She was silent for a few moments, and then slowly opened them again. "They're okay. I just saw them. Hakeru is in the temple and she is fine." Umi and Mikomi breathed out as if they had been holding their breath, and Koushi leaned her head back. Kei got more serious.
"I don't like this very much," she whispered. Mikomi was the only one who had heard her, and she began to understand what Kei was thinking.
"With the Outers distracted, the Moon Kingdom is in more danger of attack. Especially with so many people here."
Ken nodded. "I agree. We have to be alert." Chiyo looked at the ceiling and sighed quietly.
"They won't be much longer. We don't have to get to worried."
Mikomi suddenly turned her head to the right and gasped. Kei looked at her oddly.
"Mikomi?"
She looked back, wide-eyed and bit her lower lip. "Koushi!" She said suddenly.
Startled, Koushi stared at Mikomi. "Um. . yes?"
Mikomi looked around frantically. "I. . . uh. My cat! I lost my cat! You all have to come help me find her!"
The group stared at her blankly. To frustrated to speak, Mikomi grabbed Kei and Koushi, as they grabbed Umi and Ken. Trailing a large group of protestors Mikomi marched back to a table, shoved them into seats, sat down and stared towards a very confused Chiyo.
"What in the world. . " Chiyo said quietly, staring back at Mikomi.
"Princess Imbria?"
The voice poured over her like warm water and roses, seeping through to her bones. She slowly turned around and placed the voice with the body.
"Lord Rakuen," the way she said it made it sound like she was going to say something more, which she had intended too, but her throat was suddenly tight.
He seemed not to notice, and went on smiling as he talked to her. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a fully bloomed red rose in his breast pocket. His short black hair was spiked up as she had seen earlier, but he looked even more stunning in person, with his rich green eyes shining at her alone.
"It's been a while since I've seen you. You've grown up to be an amazing woman. I never told you how much I appreciated your help after that earthquake, visiting all those hospitals."
Chiyo willed herself not to blush. "I just visited. Kohana was the one that could heal them."
"Princess Kohana can heal them physically. But you were the one that read stories to the children at night. That helped them more than anything she could have done," he replied.
Chiyo was vaguely aware of Mikomi still staring.
"WHAT IS HE WAITING FOR?" Mikomi practically growled. The others had since dispersed and were now back to making chitchat with other guests, but each had their eye on Chiyo.
"Well, I hope you are enjoying yourself tonight, Lord Rakuen. I'm sure that there are many women wanting to dance with you. You're most popular with the young ladies here in the Moon Kingdom." She secretly hated making this dull conversation, but wasn't quite sure what else there was to talk about.
"Please, princess. No titles. You may call me Tasuke. We've grown up together, and you don't have to use a title for me." He leaned a little closer. "And, you don't have to speak formally, either. I personally think it's a pain."
Chiyo laughed with relief. "You can call me Ch-" she hoped he wouldn't notice that- "Imbria. No titles." She said with a smile. No one except her family and the other Senshi knew her mother's name for her, and that's the way she liked it.
Tasuke smiled and nodded. "Well, Imbria. It was great to talk to you. I know we hardly ever do, but I'd like to talk with you more. You seem like person I could be great friends with." He spoke somewhat hurriedly, and Chiyo noticed that he looked over her shoulder once or twice. Tasuke bowed politely and stepped back, away into the crowd.
Chiyo was struck.
Great friends.
She swallowed hard and licked her lips. So that was it. She smoothed the stomach of her dress nervously and headed up towards her throne, not looking back towards where Mikomi had been sitting. In a sort of trance she sat down, staring out into the crowd. A few men wandered up to ask for a dance, but she turned them away gently, telling them that she needed a "moment of rest".
"Hey," said Umi softly from behind her. Chiyo straightened and took a deep breath. "You gonna be okay?"
Chiyo nodded slowly. Umi noticed that Chiyo was holding both arms of her throne tightly. Umi kneeled down next to her friend and rested her arms across one of the arms of the throne. She set her chin down on her arms and peered up to look at Chiyo.
She was still just staring, an unreadable expression on her face. But Umi had known Chiyo to long to be fooled. Sure enough, a few moments later a single, small tear dripped innocently from the corner of Chiyo's eye and traced a thin path along her jaw. Umi reached up and wiped it away, then looked out into the crowd.
She saw Tasuke's face looking towards them and slowly turn away. She narrowed her eyes and glared at him hurtfully.
There was a sudden flash of light from behind the thrones, and Chiyo and Umi leapt from their seated positions to look behind them. Kei, Mikomi and Koushi burst out of the crowd and joined them. A few of the closer guests noticed, but the party went mostly uninterrupted.
"Hakeru!" Chiyo announced, running forward. Sure enough, it was all four of the outer senshi, all in their fuku. Chiyo embraced Hakeru happily, who laughed gently.
"It's alright, princess. We're all fine." Hakeru assured her. Yodume, Sora and Kohana all came forward and greeted the other Senshi, whispering quietly.
The guests had mostly gone back to dancing, though a few still stared at the Outers in awe. Chiyo was anxious. "The new prophecy. . . what was it?" she asked.
"Nothing that can't wait until after your party, Princess." Sailorneptune informed her. But Chiyo seemed to be the only one who didn't notice the uncomfortable looks that Saturn, Pluto and Uranus gave each other.
The other senshi eventually got Chiyo to lighten up as the night wore on, but Chiyo couldn't help but wonder why the Outers stayed in their fuku for the rest of the evening.
At 10:00, King Atlas announced that any gifts for the Princess that successfully made it through their screening process could now be opened. So Chiyo sat on her throne and opened the piles of gifts that had been brought for her. Some of the highlights were a beautiful silver dress from Hakeru, a colored crystal sculpture of a Pegasus (Chiyo's favorite mystical animal) from Umi and a shopping trip on Phobos, courtesy of Kei and her father. After all the gifts were done everyone settled down and guests began to leave. The Senshi had all decided to stay at the moon kingdom overnight, but Chiyo didn't ask why. She hugged her guests good bye and thanked them for coming, and after the last ship left she sighed with relief and started back towards her room. She passed the Grandfather clock on her way and saw the time-11:45.
Fifteen minutes until I'm eighteen, she thought. The guards bowed at her as she passed them and she said goodnight to them all, sleepiness setting in quickly. She walked past the ballroom and had an idea.
She walked into the middle of the room, now silent and completely dark except for what starlight came in through the windows. She looked around, making sure she was alone, and then made her way towards the tall glass doors behind the thrones. She opened all the drapes and doors, and stepped out onto the balcony.
It was the most peaceful night she could remember. The slightest breath of wind in the cool air ruffled the edges of her dress and her hair. It was then that she realized her head hurt from the two ridiculous pigtails. She promptly took them out, letting her strawberry hair fall free around her, thankful to be rid of at least that tension. She shook her head and laughed out loud to feel her hair in face again. It was then she saw a small golden box sitting on the balcony ledge.
There was no label, to or from. There were no identifying marks at all. It was just a simple golden box. Her manners told her that she should leave it for the person who was meant to have it. But her eighteen-year-old curiosity won her over.
She picked it up and looked around for anyone who might have left it, but there were no signs of life. She held it carefully in her hands and slowly lifted the lid.
The first thing she saw was a small handwritten note:
Imbria-
I'm sorry about how I treated you earlier. You should know that I acted the way I did because of the amount of prying eyes in the room. I'm sure you noticed them, also. (Chiyo thought back to Mikomi's strange behavior and smiled.)
I really do think you are an amazing person. You're a beautiful woman, a caring friend and a wonderfully strong leader for your kingdom. I meant what I said about you being a great friend to me. But with any friendship, there is always room for more.
I designed this necklace for you. I worked on it a little bit each day for months in a row to get it as close to perfect as I could. I tried to make it as magical as you seem to me. But I can't capture that.
I know I owe you a dance. I'll take care of that next time I have the opportunity.
Tasuke
Chiyo's heart soared higher than ever. She picked up the thin silver chain and looked at the charm-a carved quartz rose, no bigger than the end of her thumb. The detail was amazing, right down to the curl of the petals.
It was then that she looked out into the courtyard and saw Tasuke standing there, looking up at her, watching her. In the faint light she saw him smile, turn and walk towards the ship docks.
She unclasped the necklace and attached it around her neck, promising to wear it always. In the hallways the Grandfather clock struck midnight, and she walked back into her palace with a light heart.
"Are you sure she'll be alright, Ken? That's never happened before." Umi inquired, worried.
"I know Hakeru. She can get through that." Ken surprised even himself with how assertive he was.
Koushi shook her head a little. "I'm glad I came to check. I had better go fill in Mikomi."
"I'll go find Kei." Agreed Umi. But as she turned to leave she smacked into Kei herself.
"Did we miss something?" Kei asked seriously. Mikomi stood, very petite, next to Kei.
"Found her," Umi muttered.
"Hakeru apparently had some sort of massive prevision. The other three took her back to Triton to the temple."
Mikomi gasped. "That's why Sora was in such a hurry!"
"How'd they get there?" Kei asked suspiciously.
"They transformed. They used the lockets' teleportation powers to get her there more quickly," Koushi explained.
"I heard their phrases from the hallway," Chimed Umi. "I walked by just in time to see them transform."
Ken nodded. " I saw them go."
The girls blinked, and stared at Ken.
"You watched them transform, Ken?" Umi almost shouted. "You saw them na-" Kei put her hand across Umi's mouth and winked at Ken.
"They weren't. . . you know. . . They were glittery, sort of. . . and colored." Ken, his face growing progressively red, promptly stopped talking.
Chiyo sighed and closed her eyes. She was silent for a few moments, and then slowly opened them again. "They're okay. I just saw them. Hakeru is in the temple and she is fine." Umi and Mikomi breathed out as if they had been holding their breath, and Koushi leaned her head back. Kei got more serious.
"I don't like this very much," she whispered. Mikomi was the only one who had heard her, and she began to understand what Kei was thinking.
"With the Outers distracted, the Moon Kingdom is in more danger of attack. Especially with so many people here."
Ken nodded. "I agree. We have to be alert." Chiyo looked at the ceiling and sighed quietly.
"They won't be much longer. We don't have to get to worried."
Mikomi suddenly turned her head to the right and gasped. Kei looked at her oddly.
"Mikomi?"
She looked back, wide-eyed and bit her lower lip. "Koushi!" She said suddenly.
Startled, Koushi stared at Mikomi. "Um. . yes?"
Mikomi looked around frantically. "I. . . uh. My cat! I lost my cat! You all have to come help me find her!"
The group stared at her blankly. To frustrated to speak, Mikomi grabbed Kei and Koushi, as they grabbed Umi and Ken. Trailing a large group of protestors Mikomi marched back to a table, shoved them into seats, sat down and stared towards a very confused Chiyo.
"What in the world. . " Chiyo said quietly, staring back at Mikomi.
"Princess Imbria?"
The voice poured over her like warm water and roses, seeping through to her bones. She slowly turned around and placed the voice with the body.
"Lord Rakuen," the way she said it made it sound like she was going to say something more, which she had intended too, but her throat was suddenly tight.
He seemed not to notice, and went on smiling as he talked to her. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a fully bloomed red rose in his breast pocket. His short black hair was spiked up as she had seen earlier, but he looked even more stunning in person, with his rich green eyes shining at her alone.
"It's been a while since I've seen you. You've grown up to be an amazing woman. I never told you how much I appreciated your help after that earthquake, visiting all those hospitals."
Chiyo willed herself not to blush. "I just visited. Kohana was the one that could heal them."
"Princess Kohana can heal them physically. But you were the one that read stories to the children at night. That helped them more than anything she could have done," he replied.
Chiyo was vaguely aware of Mikomi still staring.
"WHAT IS HE WAITING FOR?" Mikomi practically growled. The others had since dispersed and were now back to making chitchat with other guests, but each had their eye on Chiyo.
"Well, I hope you are enjoying yourself tonight, Lord Rakuen. I'm sure that there are many women wanting to dance with you. You're most popular with the young ladies here in the Moon Kingdom." She secretly hated making this dull conversation, but wasn't quite sure what else there was to talk about.
"Please, princess. No titles. You may call me Tasuke. We've grown up together, and you don't have to use a title for me." He leaned a little closer. "And, you don't have to speak formally, either. I personally think it's a pain."
Chiyo laughed with relief. "You can call me Ch-" she hoped he wouldn't notice that- "Imbria. No titles." She said with a smile. No one except her family and the other Senshi knew her mother's name for her, and that's the way she liked it.
Tasuke smiled and nodded. "Well, Imbria. It was great to talk to you. I know we hardly ever do, but I'd like to talk with you more. You seem like person I could be great friends with." He spoke somewhat hurriedly, and Chiyo noticed that he looked over her shoulder once or twice. Tasuke bowed politely and stepped back, away into the crowd.
Chiyo was struck.
Great friends.
She swallowed hard and licked her lips. So that was it. She smoothed the stomach of her dress nervously and headed up towards her throne, not looking back towards where Mikomi had been sitting. In a sort of trance she sat down, staring out into the crowd. A few men wandered up to ask for a dance, but she turned them away gently, telling them that she needed a "moment of rest".
"Hey," said Umi softly from behind her. Chiyo straightened and took a deep breath. "You gonna be okay?"
Chiyo nodded slowly. Umi noticed that Chiyo was holding both arms of her throne tightly. Umi kneeled down next to her friend and rested her arms across one of the arms of the throne. She set her chin down on her arms and peered up to look at Chiyo.
She was still just staring, an unreadable expression on her face. But Umi had known Chiyo to long to be fooled. Sure enough, a few moments later a single, small tear dripped innocently from the corner of Chiyo's eye and traced a thin path along her jaw. Umi reached up and wiped it away, then looked out into the crowd.
She saw Tasuke's face looking towards them and slowly turn away. She narrowed her eyes and glared at him hurtfully.
There was a sudden flash of light from behind the thrones, and Chiyo and Umi leapt from their seated positions to look behind them. Kei, Mikomi and Koushi burst out of the crowd and joined them. A few of the closer guests noticed, but the party went mostly uninterrupted.
"Hakeru!" Chiyo announced, running forward. Sure enough, it was all four of the outer senshi, all in their fuku. Chiyo embraced Hakeru happily, who laughed gently.
"It's alright, princess. We're all fine." Hakeru assured her. Yodume, Sora and Kohana all came forward and greeted the other Senshi, whispering quietly.
The guests had mostly gone back to dancing, though a few still stared at the Outers in awe. Chiyo was anxious. "The new prophecy. . . what was it?" she asked.
"Nothing that can't wait until after your party, Princess." Sailorneptune informed her. But Chiyo seemed to be the only one who didn't notice the uncomfortable looks that Saturn, Pluto and Uranus gave each other.
The other senshi eventually got Chiyo to lighten up as the night wore on, but Chiyo couldn't help but wonder why the Outers stayed in their fuku for the rest of the evening.
At 10:00, King Atlas announced that any gifts for the Princess that successfully made it through their screening process could now be opened. So Chiyo sat on her throne and opened the piles of gifts that had been brought for her. Some of the highlights were a beautiful silver dress from Hakeru, a colored crystal sculpture of a Pegasus (Chiyo's favorite mystical animal) from Umi and a shopping trip on Phobos, courtesy of Kei and her father. After all the gifts were done everyone settled down and guests began to leave. The Senshi had all decided to stay at the moon kingdom overnight, but Chiyo didn't ask why. She hugged her guests good bye and thanked them for coming, and after the last ship left she sighed with relief and started back towards her room. She passed the Grandfather clock on her way and saw the time-11:45.
Fifteen minutes until I'm eighteen, she thought. The guards bowed at her as she passed them and she said goodnight to them all, sleepiness setting in quickly. She walked past the ballroom and had an idea.
She walked into the middle of the room, now silent and completely dark except for what starlight came in through the windows. She looked around, making sure she was alone, and then made her way towards the tall glass doors behind the thrones. She opened all the drapes and doors, and stepped out onto the balcony.
It was the most peaceful night she could remember. The slightest breath of wind in the cool air ruffled the edges of her dress and her hair. It was then that she realized her head hurt from the two ridiculous pigtails. She promptly took them out, letting her strawberry hair fall free around her, thankful to be rid of at least that tension. She shook her head and laughed out loud to feel her hair in face again. It was then she saw a small golden box sitting on the balcony ledge.
There was no label, to or from. There were no identifying marks at all. It was just a simple golden box. Her manners told her that she should leave it for the person who was meant to have it. But her eighteen-year-old curiosity won her over.
She picked it up and looked around for anyone who might have left it, but there were no signs of life. She held it carefully in her hands and slowly lifted the lid.
The first thing she saw was a small handwritten note:
Imbria-
I'm sorry about how I treated you earlier. You should know that I acted the way I did because of the amount of prying eyes in the room. I'm sure you noticed them, also. (Chiyo thought back to Mikomi's strange behavior and smiled.)
I really do think you are an amazing person. You're a beautiful woman, a caring friend and a wonderfully strong leader for your kingdom. I meant what I said about you being a great friend to me. But with any friendship, there is always room for more.
I designed this necklace for you. I worked on it a little bit each day for months in a row to get it as close to perfect as I could. I tried to make it as magical as you seem to me. But I can't capture that.
I know I owe you a dance. I'll take care of that next time I have the opportunity.
Tasuke
Chiyo's heart soared higher than ever. She picked up the thin silver chain and looked at the charm-a carved quartz rose, no bigger than the end of her thumb. The detail was amazing, right down to the curl of the petals.
It was then that she looked out into the courtyard and saw Tasuke standing there, looking up at her, watching her. In the faint light she saw him smile, turn and walk towards the ship docks.
She unclasped the necklace and attached it around her neck, promising to wear it always. In the hallways the Grandfather clock struck midnight, and she walked back into her palace with a light heart.