Disclaimer: No, I don't own Sailormoon or any of the SM characters used in this fic, thankyou!

A/N: It's been two years since I've even so much as looked as this fic, so I guess I'm using it as my guinea pig to see if I've still got my skills. Bear with me, and enjoy this chapter!

Haruka groaned as she sat up in bed, her crazy antics from last night were catching up with her and she was basically sore in just about every area. The thief alert had been called off after one of the maids had said that she had taken the Uranian vase in fear of Haruka's wrath. The guards then simply assumed the body they saw fleeing was Princess Uranus going for a run after she broke the vase to clear her mind as well as avoid her parents wrath for the second time that night. They were half-right. She realized she had cuts and bruises all over her long legs and arms but id didn't matter, she was going to be a knight and in the light of that revelation all pain just faded away. Haruka never knew exactly why she wanted to be a knight, but she knew one thing - She loved having something to protect. Something Saturn had said a long time ago struck her pretty hard and she'd remembered it ever since, "A man has not begun to live until he can live his life for someone else." In becoming a knight those men gave their lives silently to protect the royal family, for that was their duty. But Haruka obviously couldn't solely protect herself so she'd just have to keep searching, keep searching for that cause that she was willing to give her life for. Haruka turned and looked at tht ime, it was late! It was hours after sunrise and she had a lot she needed to do before the castle began to wake up, so she silently slipped on a simple day dress and after a hesitating look at her shoes - all containing heels - she decided to go barefoot. She was only going to the gardens after all. Picking up her Plants and Their Uses textbook, her sword, and her bag she slipped out the window without so much as a sound and ran to the gardens, she would have to do this fast.

"Red rose, white roses, silver roses... Where are the damned golden roses?!" Haruka could feel herself getting frustrated and took a couple deep breaths. She referenced her textbook again and this time let her eyes travel to the very bottom of the page where it read 'The Golden Rose is a very rare and powerful Uranian plant. It is rumored that it is only grown in the royal castles but out of a survey most castle inhabitants have confessed they've never so much as seen one.' Haruka's eyes lit up, of course! She should have known that what she was looking for wouldn't have been here, it was too risky. If it were anywhere it would be in the sanctuary where only the royal family was permitted. She looked down the gardens and saw the giant stone wall covered in ivy. She ran up to it fumbling a little with all the trinkets she was carrying weighing her down. She pulled her castle key out of her bosom - basically the only pocket allowed to her in such a dress - and put it in the key hole. A gap opened in the stone and Haruka stepped through, the stone wall closing immediately behind her. She looked around and gasped. She had only been in here once before but she had forgotten how beautiful it was. There was a fountain that had a Uranian goddess of mythology in the center, it was kind of funny because when you think goddess you would think a graceful, gentle women with gorgeous hair and a long dress. You couldn't be more wrong about this goddess. Oddly, she was wearing a miniskirt, had very short cropped hair, and was in a fierce fighting stance with water being thrown up all around her. Very odd indeed. There were all sorts of exotic plants everywhere that dazzled your eyes, but Haruka was on a mission. She squinted and looked around for a tiny twinge of gold. There was pink, purple, silver, a color she'd never seen before, rainbow, bronze, white, gold, yellow, orange - Wait! Wait! Gold?! She ran up to the flower that she had almost missed in passing and picked it up, it was a long-stemmed beautiful golden rose in full bloom and it had not a single thorn. She jumped in excitement but kept her mouth shut, the maids were starting to awaken so she decided to do her deed here rather than in her room where someone might accidentally walk in on her. She opened her textbook and read through it quickly :

The Uranian Golden Rose holds great power. Once picked from it's bush they become a material similar to crystal, yet they are unbreakable unless the owner wishes them broken and they never wilt nor fall apart. The Golden Rose has the power to allow someone to transform from one identity to another by simply holding it out and twirling it around with one's fingers. The roses are illegal to possess unless approved by the king or queen of your planet. If, by chance, you are allowed to possess a Golden Rose the way in which you activate it is by dressing yourself up as you normally would and this would be your main identity, the appearance as the rose would recognize as the true you. This appearance will change as you change, with age, height, etc. Spin the rose twice to the left and then set it on the ground. Now change into your other appearance or your secondary identity, this appearance the rose would recognize as the Other You, or the person you wish to become temporarily. This does not change as you change, meaning it is irreversible and does not change with age, height, etc. Notice, any physical changes made in this phase will be reversed after the magic is finished. For example, if you cut off a limb it would be replaced once you change back to your main identity and severed again once you change to your secondary identity. Twirl the rose twice to the right in this appearance and a strong golden light emitted from the rose will tell you the process is complete. After the initial process, no change is necessary on your part other than twirling the rose either to the left or the right to assume the appearance you wish as the moment.

Haruka's eyes lit up, that's it! That's it! This is truly perfect for her to change to Hiroko from Haruka and back again, because, to be honest, all that changing of clothes was exhausting. She dusted off her dress and picked up the rose, she twirled it twice to the left and placed it on the ground, she could feel power surging through her body already. She quickly removed her dress after a quick look around and pulled Neptune-chan's brother's outfit out of the bag. She put it on, careful to flatten her breasts just as Neptune reminded her last night and to button everything correctly. When she was satisfied she picked up her sword and put it in her belt. Slowly, she bent down to pick up the rose when a lock of blonde hair fell over her shoulder. Haruka winced, she had forgotten the barettes! Well what was she going to do now? She couldn't go back to the castle because the maids would have seen her and who knows when would get another chance like this?! She groaned and started thinking about what to do when her eyes fell back on the page 'Any physical changes made in this phase will be reversed.' Haruka gulped, she looked at her hair, at her sword, and then at her hair again. If she screwed up there would be no other chances because this kind of magic could only be performed once. She gripped and her nerves settled down when she heard the customary 'schwing' of metal on metal, she knew she could do this - even without training she was a pro with this thing. She quickly pulled the sword through her hair before there was time for any second thoughts and watched them fall to the floor behind her. She looked at her reflection in the sword. She looked exactly the same as when Neptune had fixed her up but she knew if she rotated the sword to the back of her head there would be no collage of metal barettes, nothing. She looked at the fountain at the statue of the Uranian goddess and noticed at that moment that she looked remarkably similar to the work of art. Who knows, she thought, maybe I'll be like her some day. She resheathed her sword and slowly bent down to pick up the rose. "Here goes nothing," she muttered as she twirled the rose twice to the right. She was thrown to the floor by a powerful burst of gold energy but she was so happy she allowed herself to laugh out loud. She stood up and laughing started playing with the rose, twirling it this way and that and staring at her body in amazement. Hiroko this moment, Haruka the next, Hiroko, Haruka, Hiroko, Haruka, Hiroko. She grinned and stuffed her bag into one of the nearby bushes along with her textbook. She hid the rose in the pocket of her pants and looked at the sunset, I have to hurry, initiations is about to start!

"As knights you will be trained one-one-one by one of the current knights, that is, if you pass the initial test. A burly old man walked back and forth in front of Haruka and several other men. It was all Haruka could do to keep a hard, straight face and not squirm in excitement. The anticipation of a knight's training along with the exhilaration that, with Neptune's help, she was doing something her parents would forbid her from was almost too much. She had registered under the nickname Hiroko, not telling anything about her past or even so much as saying she was a man. This was she wasn't TOTALLY lying, everyone else was simply assuming. Or, this is what she tried to convince herself of at least. "The initial test will involve you showing us some of your best sword work and from there we will decide whether or not you are worthy of the training to become a Uranian knight. First up, is Keiichi. Everyone else setep back and watch." Haruka watched as several nervous, bumbling knight wannabes went through their sword form. Haruka grinned, she had been practicing since she was eight years old, this was going to be a piece of cake. "Hiroko!" Haruka snapped to attention and stepped up to the center of the ring. She took a couple breaths to steady herself and pulled out her sword. As soon as she felt that well-worn hilt in the palm of her hand, she knew she could do this. With great precision and focus she went through her form and finished with a little bit of free styling just to see what she was capable of without worrying whether or not she would break a vase. When she was finished, she smiled satisfied and went to the back of the other men. A short blonde man leaned over and whispered, "Hey man! That was really nice, you got to teach me that someday!" Haruka was a bit taken a back at how informally this little man was speaking to her, but then she remembered, she was no longer a princess - just a common boy. "Thanks, maybe someday I will." She answered and returned her attention to the instructor. "Alright men, you've done very well. I believe you all have potential so I shall pair you up with a knight that will instruck you and from there on we will eliminate as needed." Haruka bit her lip in anticipation as he started reading off the names on the list. "Akuri and Xioxing, Rei and Touji, Hiroko and Ryouchi." Haruka looked up, a man wearing an aqua blue uniform was walking towards him. He had long black hair in a low ponytail, startling green eyes, and he seemed to be about nineteen. His gaze was so fierce and, almost sinister, that it caused Haruka to feel off-balance. This was going to be a nightmare.

Ryouchi stared at his partner, Hiroko. I've seen him before.. I know I have, even if at a distance. He set his jaw, well one thing is for sure. This boy seems way too delicate to be a knight, he was going to have to make Hiroko's training hell in order to toughen him up for what really happens out here. Plus, the mere sight of the boy somehow made him angry. He got very close to Hiroko and muttered, "Listen and listen well. You're not ready to be a knight, you need to toughen up and you need toughen up fast. If I have to, I will make this training hell for you. I will make it hurt and I may even make you cry, so quit now before you get in too deep." The boy stared back at him for awhile before answering in an, even though Ryouchi hated to admit it, equally scary voice. "I can take hell. I don't cry. And I'm going to be a knight even if it kills me, so you'd better watch yourself because you never know when a student will overpower his teacher." Ryouchi clenched his fists, he couldn't put his finger on why this boy infuriated him so, but he knew the fact that he found the kid attractive REALLY pissed him off. Maybe if I scratch up that pretty face a little bit he wouldn't look so beaut- I mean feminine! "Alright then tough guy, let us begin."

A/N: This was basically an explanatory chapter that way I don't jump the gun and put all this stuff in there that will confuse you without giving you details. ; If you liked it, please review! More romantic chapters coming in the near future. Jaa!