"NATURE LOVER"
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic Chapter 4: "Sprouting Doubts"

By Bill K.

"What are we going to do?" Cere-Cere asked, her arms around Gallan's neck and his secure around her waist. The very feel of his lean body against hers made the thought of life without him abhorrent. But the possibility of them being together for the eternity that she wished for seemed to wither with each passing moment.

"They are your family," Gallan said softly, nuzzling her as he whispered into her ear. "You must be honest with them."
"No!" she wailed. "They won't understand! They can't!"

"Surely they would," he persisted, "for you?"

Cere-Cere pulled back and looked into his deep, warm, kind brown eyes. She wanted to believe he knew what he was talking about. She wanted it desperately. But Gallan didn't know this world like she did. He was - - too innocent. A stab in her heart told Cere-Cere just how much she longed for him to stay so innocent. Impulsively she hugged him to her, suddenly afraid that this was the last moment they could spend together in innocent bliss.

"Gallan!" came the sharp bark of a voice to her right.

The couple turned and found a man walking up to them. He was tall and willowy, with brown hair slicked back from his forehead. Cere-Cere instantly knew he was of Gallan's kind. His utter nakedness was one clue, though there were others. As he approached, she noticed a faint resemblance to Gallan.

"Ailwoode?" Gallan asked, surprised by the stranger's appearance. "You know him?" Cere-Cere asked, noting Gallan's familiarity.

"He is my brother," smiled Gallan. "Ailwoode, please meet Cere-Cere."

"Gallan, this has gone far enough!" Ailwoode said sternly, his features pinched into frustration and anger. He snubbed Cere-Cere, perhaps deliberately. "This farce must end - -
NOW!"

"Ailwoode?" Gallan gasped. "Farce? What do you mean?"

"This," sputtered Ailwoode, "absurd tryst with this female! You must come back - - back to your kind!"
"Brother, what has possessed you?" Gallan asked in astonishment. "I could ask you the same thing, brother," Ailwoode replied wearily. Then he cast a critical eye at Cere-Cere. "But perhaps I already know."

"Brother!" Gallan gasped.

"You did this to him!" he snapped. "You have him under some spell so he won't listen to reason!"

"Gallan loves me!" spat Cere-Cere. "And I love him! That's the only spell working here!"

Gallan interceded himself between his brother and Cere-Cere.

"Have you lost your mind?" Gallan demanded. "How can you say such hateful things? Don't you understand? I love her!"

"Don't YOU understand?" pleaded Ailwoode. "I sympathize with you, Gallan, I do. But this cannot be. Your pairing is doomed, Gallan. It can never be, no matter how much you wish it so. You are what you are." He glanced contemptuously at Cere-Cere. "And they are what they are."

"No!" snapped Gallan. "It can work! It will! We love each other! Nothing else matters!" He grasped Ailwoode by the shoulders. "Brother, please. Be happy for us."

"They said you wouldn't listen," Ailwoode sighed helplessly. "I had hoped they were wrong. This will end badly for you, brother. Please, please listen and heed my warning."

"Unless your words are ones of congratulations," Gallan replied, hurt and betrayal etched on his face, "I care not to hear them."

With a huff of frustration, Ailwoode turned to leave. He lingered a moment to cast a vengeful stare at Cere-Cere, then left. Sadly Gallan turned back to Cere-Cere and gathered her hands in his.

"I now understand your reluctance," Gallan whispered. He brought the girl's hands up to his mouth and kissed them. Cere-Cere freed her hands from his grasp. She gathered his head in her hands and pressed it to her breast, then kissed the top of his head as he held her.
- - - -
The door to the quarters she shared with her adoptive mother and father hissed open and Hotaru entered. She put down her hand-held computer terminal and flopped onto a chair. A faint smile came over her. Thinking about everything that she did to assist Ami gave her such a feeling of accomplishment and pride. If ever she'd had doubts about her desire to go into medicine, they were gone now. If she could be one-tenth the doctor Ami Mizuno was, she'd be fulfilled.

"Oh, you're home," Michiru said, spotting Hotaru. She leaned out the serving window between the kitchen and the dining area of the moderate size living quarters. "I didn't hear you come in. You usually announce yourself."

"I'm sorry, Michiru-mama," Hotaru said, bouncing up and over to the serving bay. "I guess I was lost in thought."

"You seem to be doing that a lot lately," Michiru smiled. She was leaning on her cane next to a stove with a wok on it. "What were you daydreaming about now: your part-time job with Ami or that nice young man you're seeing?"
"My job with Mizuno-sensei," Hotaru admitted. She eased up on one of the stools at the serving bay's counter. "Mama, it's so great! Every day I'm with her I learn something new. I'm learning three times as much from her as I do in school. I wish I could assist her full-time."

"I had a feeling that was it," Michiru smiled. "I could tell by the glow. You get a different glow when you're thinking about your young man."

Hotaru flushed.

"Well I can certainly understand. I've always respected Ami's intellect and her manner with people. Do you think this is what you want to do with your life?"

"Oh yes!" Hotaru nodded. Then her features clouded. "I just don't know if I can."

Michiru's hand folded over Hotaru's.

"Why not?" the woman asked.

"There's so much to learn," Hotaru replied.

"You're a good student."

"But coming to the thirtieth century put me so far behind. There are so many advances just in life that I have to learn about, not even counting medicine. I try my hardest, but my grades just don't seem to want to come up. Sometimes I think I'm never going to get it."

"I'm sure it's hard," Michiru said, lightly caressing the back of Hotaru's hand. "It's a lot to overcome. You do have time, you know. If it doesn't come instantly, that doesn't mean it's not going to come. I have faith in you. You're smarter than you think you are, Hotaru-chan, just like you're stronger than you think you are. You've proven that to me, and I'm the original skeptic. The sooner you accept it, the easier things will be for you."
"If you say so," Hotaru said, the diplomatic skeptic.

Michiru smiled maternally. "What would you like for dinner?"

"Um, something quick? Yutaka and I are going out."

"You are?" Michiru asked, an eyebrow raised. "Since when?"

"Didn't I tell you? I'm sorry, Mama!" Hotaru gasped anxiously. "I'm taking Yutaka to Aino-san's show tonight." Hotaru shrunk with embarrassment. "Since he showed me the music he likes when we went to the Synthezoids show, I thought I'd show him the music I like."

"Perfectly acceptable," Michiru said evenly. "If you'd cleared this with me in advance,
there wouldn't be a problem."

"Mama, I forgot! I'm sorry! It's just Aino-san's show! Please say I can go, Mama!"

Children - - they had that unique ability to make you seem like an autocratic dictator for doing the right thing.

"Very well," sighed Michiru. Then she pointed a finger at Hotaru. "But if it happens again . . ."

"It won't! I swear! Thank you, Mama!"

"Is Hotaru . . .?" Haruka began, popping her head out of one of the inner rooms. "Oh,
there you are. Didn't hear you come in. 'That boy' is on the vid-com for you."

"Yutaka!" gasped Hotaru. Instantly she was off her stool. She buzzed past Haruka at high speed. "I'll take it in my room!"

"Why can't you talk to him out here?" Haruka wondered, slightly annoyed.

"Papa!" Hotaru gasped indignantly, then fled to her room. Haruka shook her head and ambled over to the serving bay and a smirking Michiru.

"What's so funny?" Haruka asked.

"You," she giggled. "You play the over-protective father so well."

"Who's playing?" Haruka grumbled. "And why couldn't she take it out here?"

"Haruka, no teenage girl wants to talk to her boyfriend in earshot of her guardians. I thought you knew that."

"Why? Has she got something to hide?"

"Haruka, privacy is important to a teen. It won't hurt to let her have some. And naturally she's going to want to keep us at arm's length concerning this. After all, what do two old people like us know about the passion of first love?" As she talked, Michiru lightly traced a pattern on the back of Haruka's hand with her fingernail. It was just light enough to be noticed.

"You know what that does to me, don't you?" Haruka asked, passion building in her voice as she locked eyes with Michiru.

"Um hmm," Michiru smiled, affecting her best coquette expression.
- - - -
Minako sat in one of her favorite spots in the universe - - before her mirror - - primping with a practiced hand. She was trying to get her look just right, the way she had before a show for the last thousand years. She hadn't changed in a thousand years, thanks to the magical ability senshi had not to age. She was the same as she'd been that first day of that first show. And all at once the actions seemed just a little absurd.

"Face it, girl," she smirked at her mirror. "You have an ego." Playfully she feigned shock at her reflection. "Me?" she gasped. "The idol of billions? I'm doing this for my fans!" Then Minako twittered her amusement at herself.

"You're the only person I know who could lose an argument with herself," came a familiar voice from the dark corners of the room.

"Artemis!" she roared. "When are you going to stop doing that?"

"When are you going to stop talking to your reflection?" the cat asked. He stretched as he emerged from her dressing closet.

"You know, sometimes I think you have a fetish for women's clothes," Minako grumbled.

"Your closet is dark and private," Artemis replied indignantly. "When you're not here, it's quiet, too."

"Why don't you sleep in your own quarters?"

"And get a lecture about what a lazy, slothful wretch I am? Why do you think I sleep here?"

"I'm beginning to wonder," Minako said, raising an eyebrow. "I've always suspected that you like peeping on gorgeous women when they change clothes, you old hentai."

"I don't look at older women," Artemis replied. Then he jumped over the flung hairbrush he knew was coming. "It's just a small show at a dinner club. What's the big deal?"

"I ALWAYS look my best for my fans," Minako huffed. "Sure I don't do big concerts anymore - - because today's youth wouldn't know good music if they were slapped in the face with it - - but I do my best for a show no matter what size it is. You have to - - otherwise you won't have any fans pretty soon. And they come with an image of me that I have to live up to."

"You look fine," Artemis told her. "You've always looked fine."

"Thanks," Minako grinned. "But 'fine' isn't good enough. I have to be perfect - - for them."

The computerized door lock chimed. "Ves-Ves desires entry," it reported.

"Let her in," Minako said, turning to the door. Ves-Ves entered, looking like she was bearding a lion in its den. Once again Minako regretted the distance that was between them. Still, if Ves-Ves had ventured here at all, it must be important. "What's up?"

"Um," Ves-Ves began cautiously, "M-Minako? I've got a problem and I need some advice."

"Sure," Minako said, gratified that she was coming to her. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, there's something weird going on. You see, Cere-Cere's got this new guy - - his name's Gallan, I guess - - but she wouldn't introduce us to him at all, even when we found out. It's like she's trying to keep him a secret or something."

"Uh huh," Minako nodded. Artemis was listening with interest, too.

"So I, um, followed her," Ves-Ves admitted, "to try to get a look at him, you know - -
because I was worried he might be bad for her or something!"

Minako and Artemis exchanged amused glances.

"Only thing is, when she got to where they usually meet, it looked like she was talking to the air! I couldn't see anything!"

"That is odd," Artemis noted.

"It gets worse," Ves-Ves continued. "Palla-Palla can see someone! She says he's about fifteen with brown hair and really cute. So I don't know what to think now! Is something weird about him or is it me? What do you think?"

"Artemis?" Minako asked, because she was clearly stumped.

"Well, we've met so many strange things over the years," the cat began. "It could be anything: mental projection, alien life form or even a spirit form. Does she meet this Gallan in the same place?"

"Every time," nodded Ves-Ves. "Down in those trees just next to the garden. You think he's a ghost?"

"It's too early to jump to conclusions," Minako said. "But this is clearly more than just two teenagers in lust." Minako thought a moment. "Tell you what - - you get Palla-Palla and meet me in Ami's office. I'll round up Rei. Between the three of us, we ought to be able to figure this out." She turned to the white cat. "Coming, Fuzzy Butt?"

"Wouldn't miss it," the feline grinned.

"Um, what about your show?" Ves-Ves asked.

"How'd you know about that?" Minako inquired.

Ves-Ves flushed. "I've, um, got tickets."

Minako grinned. "Have I ever let a fan down yet? I've still got an hour. I can set Ami and Rei onto the problem, do the show and be back before Ami finishes her dissertation on the possibilities."

As the pair headed out the door, Artemis just shook his head and followed.

In Ami's office, Makoto was forcing the workaholic Dr. Mizuno to close down for the night. As usual, Ami was resisting.

"Just let me finish this report, please?" Ami pleaded, trying to read the words on the screen.

"That's what you always say," Makoto replied. She tried for several moments to eject the memory crystal from the viewer while Ami tried to push her hands away. "Ami, don't make me put you in a hammer-lock!"

"You wouldn't!" gasped Ami. This allowed Makoto to strike. Her hand popped the crystal out of its holder. Ami lunged for it, but Makoto held it over her head, out of reach. "Makoto!"

"No," the tall brunette said.

"Honestly, I don't know how you expect me to get any work done around here," Ami groused.

"It'll keep. Besides, I thought that's what you had Hotaru around here for. Isn't she working out?"

"Yes, she's a great help. In spite of what she thinks, the girl has the potential to be quite brilliant. And she certainly has the enthusiasm for the job. One might almost say too much enthusiasm. I worry about her devoting so much time and energy to work at the expense of her other interests."

"Sounds like someone I know," smirked Makoto.

The office door hissed open. Entering were Jun-Jun and Palla-Palla. The elder amazon bowed to her elders, while Palla-Palla put her hands behind her and looked adorable.

"Hey, kids," Makoto smiled. "Something up?"

"I think so," Jun-Jun nodded. "Apparently Cere-Cere has a boyfriend."

"What's so unusual about that? I sure had my share when I was her age."

"Well, Ves-Ves and Palla-Palla were spying on them, trying to get a look at him. Palla-Palla could see him, but he was invisible to Ves-Ves." Makoto and Ami traded surprised looks.

"That's intriguing," Ami said, her brow furrowed with thought.

"Where were they meeting?" Makoto asked.

"Just outside the palace, by that patch of trees," Jun-Jun told her.

"OK." Makoto turned to the nearest computer station and called up the surveillance records for that area. The others crowded around to watch. "Well, there's Cere-Cere, but I don't see anybody else."

"But Miss Makoto ma'am, Palla-Palla really saw him. Honest."

"We believe you, Palla-Palla," Ami said. She pointed to Cere-Cere on the screen. "You notice Cere-Cere is conversing with someone. Either she's having a dialog with an imaginary person or with someone whom the surveillance cameras can't record."

Just then the door opened behind them. The group turned and found Ves-Ves and Minako entering.

"Let me guess," Minako asked, noticing the display screen. "Cere-Cere's mystery boyfriend?"

"Ves-Ves told you?" Ami asked. She motioned Ves-Ves to the screen. "Is this what you were looking at earlier?"

Makoto eased over to Minako. "Nice to see you two are on speaking terms again."

"Yes, ma'am," Ves-Ves nodded. "It looked like she was talking to herself. But Palla-Palla says she saw something. What is it, a ghost?"

Artemis hopped up on the desk and looked the image over.

"It would be one explanation," the white cat said.

"Certainly there's something more plausible?" Ami frowned.

"I'm sure there is," the cat replied. "I just don't want to eliminate possibilities. You tend to discount supernatural explanations a little too quickly, Ami."

"In that case, we also can't discount the possibility that Cere-Cere is hallucinating from either an external agent or some form of psychosis," Ami countered.

"But Palla-Palla saw it, too," argued Makoto.

"And she could have unconsciously picked up on the hallucinatory imagery in Cere-Cere's mind through telepathy," Ami retorted.

"I told you Cere was nuts," Ves-Ves whispered to Jun-Jun.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Ves," Jun-Jun whispered back.

"Yes, there are at least half a dozen different explanations that jump to the top of my head," Artemis added. The girls looked at him strangely. "Sorry - - good hearing. But it's hard to tell one way or the other from this surveillance image."

"Then how about we stop relying on machines and use our eyes," they heard Rei say. The priestess was framed in the doorway of the office.

"Took you long enough," needled Minako.

"When THEY call, I come. When YOU call, I think twice."

Four elder senshi and three junior senshi, plus one curious cat, walked down the hall and into the now empty playroom adjacent to the orphanage. They approached the window overlooking the garden and the patch of trees and peered out. Below them, nestled against the trunk of a tree, sat Cere-Cere.

"Is she sleeping?" Artemis asked.

"Looks like she's talking to someone," Makoto said. "But I can't see anyone."

"I told you," Ves-Ves said quickly. "What's wrong with her?"

"I'd have to give her an extensive physical and mental evaluation to answer that question,"
Ami told the girl.

"Relax," Rei said, peering over Jun-Jun's shoulder. "She's not hallucinating, if that's what you're afraid of."

"You see someone?" Ami asked in astonishment.

"Um hmm," Rei nodded.

"So how do you rate?" howled Minako. Rei gave her an acid glance.

"There's a very simple explanation why you can't see him and I can. You're ordinary humans. You don't have the sight. And ordinary humans usually can't see tree spirits."

Continued in Chapter 5