"NATURE LOVER"
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic Chapter 5: "Family Tree"

By Bill K.

Lost in the arms of her Gallan, Cere-Cere found it very easy to lose track of time. The feel of him against her skin, the security of his strength around her upper body and the pleasant nuzzle of his mouth against her neck and ear was the perfect recipe for paradise. In addition, the shade of the towering tree they nestled against - - Gallan's host, for he was a tree spirit - - and the sweet aroma of the tree's pollen made paradise just that more perfect. Cere-Cere sighed in contentment.

If only life could be like this forever.

"Seeing you happy is the greatest gift I could receive," Gallan whispered into her ear.

"Giving that kind of gift is really easy when you're around," she whispered back. "I love you, Gallan. When I first met you, I didn't think I could love a tree spirit. Then when it happened, I didn't think it would ever work, given how different we are." She sobered. "I'm still not sure if it can work, but when you hold me like this, it's what I want more than anything else in the world."
"This love we have will work," he reassured her.
"How do you know? We have so many things against us."

"A love such as ours can't be conquered. It will persevere and outlast everything that opposes us."

"You're so sure."

"I'm a tree," he smiled, nuzzling her ear. "Our kind learns patience and perseverance very early." Cere-Cere giggled. Gallan could make her giggle at the slightest provocation.

"So," she heard Rei Hino say off to their left, "are you going to introduce us?"

"S-Sensei Hino-sama!" Cere-Cere gasped. She flushed with embarrassment and scrambled to her feet. Rei stood there placidly, with Ami, Makoto and Minako on one side of her and Palla-Palla, Jun-Jun and Ves-Ves on the other. To her minimal relief, Gallan stood up with her and remained by her side. Then a realization penetrated the red haze of mortification. "Y-You can see him?"

"Of course she can," Gallan said, respect in his tone. "She can see many more things than most humans." He bowed respectfully to Rei. "I am Gallan, Sensei. This is my tree."

"Gallan," she nodded, her bow less pronounced because of her superior status. "I am Hino Rei, priest of this area. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Palla-Palla is please to meet you, too, Mr. Gallan-sir," the impish blue-haired girl said,
scampering to the front of the group. She bowed adorably, drawing a smile from Gallan. He returned her bow genially.

"You can see him, too?" gaped Cere-Cere.
"Sure," Palla-Palla grinned.

"How?"

"Because Palla-Palla isn't as stupid as you think she is," the girl replied smugly.

"No, but you're even more embarrassing," muttered Cere-Cere.

"So what's he look like?" Minako whispered in Rei's ear.

"You'd probably wet yourself," Rei whispered back.

"That good, huh?" Minako replied, a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.

"Rei, ask him where he lives," Ami said excitedly. "Ask him what his species is like. Are there family units? Are there differing sexes? How long has he lived here?"

"Ami, he can hear you," Rei told her patiently. "You just can't see or hear him."

"So what does he say?" Ami asked impatiently.

"I'll fill you in later."

"But Rei!"

"Later," Makoto whispered insistently. She snaked her arm around Ami's waist to keep her under control.

"But this is a new life form! I may never get this chance again!"

"Later. He's not going anywhere." Ami still seemed insistent. "I'll make you a cheesecake."

Ami grimaced. "One day your bribes aren't going to work.

"Wait a minute," growled Ves-Ves. "There's nothing here!"

"Just because you can't see him doesn't mean he isn't here!" her sister shot back defensively.

"OK, even if there is someone there - - which I doubt - - he's a tree!"

"So?"

"So? He's a tree! You're a human! How much plainer do I have to make this? You're in love with a tree!"

"Would you stop judging things you know NOTHING about!" Rei snapped. She glared at Ves-Ves with all the usual venom brought on by her memory of the girl's attack on Usa, plus some for this confrontation. Ves-Ves glared back.

"Please," Ami interceded. "There's no need for a fight here." Because it was Ami saying it, Ves-Ves backed down.
"Don't rebuke her," Gallan offered. "She only gives voice to thoughts both of us have already entertained." He grasped Cere-Cere's hand and brought it to his bare chest. "We are different. We know this. And while it is not unprecedented for one of my kind to fall in love with a human, it is extremely rare - - and has not always ended well." He glanced over to Cere-Cere and she blushed. "But what we feel for each other is strong enough to overcome the many obstacles ahead of us. I only plead with you and your friends that you not place more ahead of us." He squeezed her hand. "I would give my life to make her happy."

"And that's the one thing that would make me saddest," Cere-Cere said. She reached up and brushed a lock of his brown hair from his forehead.

"Oh my," whispered Palla-Palla. "That was beautiful."

"You two are serious about each other?" Rei asked as Ami and Minako watched her and then Cere-Cere.

"Oh yeah," Cere-Cere nodded.

"I would spend my life with her," Gallan nodded.

"I pray it comes to pass," Rei said, touching Gallan's hand as well as Cere-Cere's. But deep in her heart, the priest worried. The king, the queen and their princess were enjoying a quiet dinner by themselves in the royal dining chambers. This was a particularly unique occasion, in that Usa's appearances at the dinner table were growing fewer and farther apart. As such, her parents were reluctant to comment on that fact or anything else they feared would drive her away from the table.

Yet their pink-tressed progeny seemed unusually sedate at the table. Endymion resisted commenting on it, content to enjoy his daughter's company. Serenity, though, couldn't resist trying to draw her daughter out, just as she couldn't resist chatting with anyone.

"Were you and Hotaru going out tonight?" Serenity asked.

"No," the princess replied. "She's going out with Yutaka."

"Oh," the queen nodded. "That doesn't bother you, does it?"

"Of course not!" Usa frowned. "I don't have a monopoly on Hotaru's time just because I'm the Princess!"

"I never said you did," Serenity replied. "I always thought you two spent so much time together because you were such close friends, that's all. Yutaka is a nice young man. I'm glad he and Hotaru have formed a friendship." She watched her daughter for a moment. "You don't resent him, do you?"

"Mother!" huffed Usa. "How much of an emotional cripple do you think I am? I think it's great Hotaru's found a boy that likes her! She deserves all the happiness she can find! And the way she's found the job of her dreams helping out Ami-san - - it's great! Of course I'm happy for her! What kind of friend would I be if I wasn't?"

Usa felt both of her parents staring at her, surprised and amazed at her outburst. Her gaze dropped back to her plate.

"Well," Serenity began awkwardly, "I'm glad things are working out for her."

A tense silence filled the room.

"So what is bothering you, honey?" Serenity asked. Endymion clenched his teeth.

"Excuse me," Usa growled. She pushed back from the table and headed for her room.

"Usa!" Endymion said sharply. The girl stopped reluctantly, then turned and gave her father an impatient look. Intuitively Endymion knew that to force her back to the table might cause what was now just a petulant mood to become bitter. "We were just concerned. You can go now if you really want to."

Her impatient expression softened a little. Without a word, Usa turned and headed for her room.

"Endymion, what's wrong now?" whimpered Serenity.

"I don't know," he sighed. "That's the trouble with teenagers: everything's a crisis to them. It's hard to know the legitimate traumas from the imagined ones sometimes." He thought a moment. "Maybe she's feeling lonely and abandoned again. I suppose it fits, given Hotaru's new interests. Those old fears may still run deep in her, despite her protests otherwise."

"Oh, I'll never forgive myself for not paying more attention to her when she was younger," Serenity sniffed. Endymion reached over and caught her hand.

"Despite your power, you're still just one person," he said, "and even you can only do so much. There's more on your agenda than just wife and mother. Someday, hopefully, Usa will realize that."

Serenity nodded and went back to eating. Endymion noted that she began eating faster,
literally shoveling the food into her mouth the way she always did when she was upset.

"Careful you don't take a bite out of those chopsticks, Odango Atama," Endymion smirked.

Serenity shot him a withering glare, the sort of petulant anger that so reminded him of their sidewalk battles when they were teens so long ago - - expressions he was beginning to see more and more in Usa's face. Then his wife realized why he said it and her mouth curled into a little smile.

In her room, Usa lay across her bed, a pillow clutched to her middle. She was happy for Hotaru - - SHE WAS! She knew what being in love felt like and if Hotaru had a chance at it with Yutaka, it was wonderful. And she knew what finding your niche was like, too, of finding that job or pursuit that excited you and made you feel like you were contributing to society and not just living off of it. Hotaru wanted this - - Usa could see the light in her eyes every time they talked.

When they talked.

But Hotaru didn't seem to ever have time for her anymore. Sure she had other friends, but Hotaru was her best friend. And she missed the girl with the sad eyes and the huge heart. It was like someone had poured molten steel into her chest and it had hardened around her heart. She recognized the feelings from the old days, before she'd met Hotaru, when she sometimes felt like she was the only person in a cold, vast, uncaring universe. Hotaru had done so much to drive those feelings away. Feeling the isolation creep up around her again scared her - - but it didn't give her the right to intrude upon Hotaru's new life and new interests. Being the princess didn't make her special.

Unconscious of the sudden feeling she had motivating her, Usa got up and crossed over to her computer station. Pulling up the text composition program, she began writing her feelings down in verse. This went on for forty-five minutes, stopping and starting, erasing, correcting and adjusting until she had the lines of a song. The file was then transferred to a program that converted audio input into musical notes.

Usa sat back in her chair and thought a moment. Then her mouth opened and her lovely voice began randomly emitting a tune. The computer dutifully copied it. "What are you doing?" Ves-Ves asked. Jun-Jun was rifling through computer files at a furious pace.

"I'm reading up on tree spirits," Jun-Jun replied. "I figure if my sister is going to be in love with one, I should know all I can."

"How much beyond 'it's weird' do you have to know?"

"You know, maybe you wouldn't have such a temper if you had a more open mind,"
Jun-Jun scowled.

"Why can't anybody get this? He's a tree. She's a girl!"

"So? The King and Queen are a thousand years old and the Princess is in love with a horse. Sounds like business as usual for this place."

"Well at least you can see Helios," grumbled Ves-Ves. "I mean, how are they going to,
you know - - do it?"

"Why, did you want to watch?"

"I'm no pervert!" Ves-Ves barked. "I just, you know, wonder. And if they can, would she get splinters?"

"OH THAT'S JUST GROSS!" snapped Jun-Jun. "You know, Ves, you can have love without sex!"

"Yeah, but it's a lot more fun 'with'," Ves-Ves replied. She wandered over to her sister's workstation. "So what's it say?"

"Well, there are a lot of myths," Jun-Jun said. "Mostly they involve humans coexisting with trees, worshiping them and stuff. One tale says you can create a demon spirit if you cut down a tree without asking its permission first. Other stories say tree spirits are dead people who inhabit the trees because they can't pass into heaven."

"Any threatening stories?" Ves-Ves asked.

"A few. Mostly tree spirits are presented as benevolent, but there are a few stories about angered spirits taking retribution on the humans who wronged them." Jun-Jun turned to her sister with a wicked smile. "So watch your mouth around Gallan or he's liable to take retribution on you."

"Hmph!" snorted Ves-Ves, arms folded over her chest. "I'd like to see him try."

"Hey, weren't you going to Sensei Aino-sama's show tonight?"

"OH, CRAP!" Ves-Ves yelled. The girl tore into her room and emerged five minutes later in an artificial red leather jumpsuit with black boots and gloves. "I hope I don't miss the opening!"

"My, that's a conservative outfit," Jun-Jun commented.

"Well I don't want Minako . . . Sensei Aino-sama to be insulted!" Ves-Ves gasped in horror. She raced for the door. "Don't wait up! I'm probably going to be late!"

"Don't forget we have," Jun-Jun began, but the door closed. "Curfew," she scowled. Cere-Cere closed the history program and pushed away from her computer station. She was going to fail the test they had coming up - - which was nothing new. History bored her to tears. But she wasn't going to remember what she just studied for a different reason this time. The girl with the scarlet tresses done up in huge rings on either side of her head was concerned about her relationship with Gallan. Could they make it work? Were they doomed to fail as a couple? Cere-Cere didn't want to believe that, because she couldn't spend two minutes alone without missing Gallan's gentle touch. But her chat earlier with Jun-Jun had imprinted too many of the rational senshi-in-training's thoughts and concerns on her brain. The possibility hung over them both like a mythical sword of Damocles.

"Cere-Cere?" she heard Palla-Palla say and turned to the girl. The little blue-haired girl was in her pajamas, holding her stuffed bear. Cere-Cere glanced at the chronometer and saw it was twenty-two hundred hours. "Can you tell Palla-Palla her bedtime story?"

"Doesn't Ves-Ves or Jun-Jun usually do that?" Cere-Cere asked. She really wasn't in the mood to do anything other than mope unless it involved contact with Gallan.

"Ves-Ves is at her concert and Jun-Jun is visiting Miss Makoto-ma'am," the girl said. "Please?"
"Palla-Palla, you're fifteen. Isn't it about time you outgrew bedtime stories?"

"Please?"

And Palla-Palla used "the eyes", the look that instantly made you feel cruel and heartless if you didn't do exactly what she wanted.

"Oh, all right," Cere-Cere sighed helplessly. Palla-Palla happily scampered to bed.

Once inside her sister's room, Cere-Cere pulled up a chair. Palla-Palla was snuggled in bed, her face awash with happy anticipation.

"Once upon a time there were three bears . . ." Cere-Cere began.

"Palla-Palla knows that one!" the girl whined. "Tell her a new one!"

"You can be SO aggravating sometimes!" fumed Cere-Cere. She thought a minute. "OK. There once was a lonely princess in a castle of diamond. Though she had family who loved her,
she didn't have that special someone who could love her and make her happy and make her feel like a woman." Cere-Cere paused to think. "She had dozens of boys who thought she was very beautiful and wanted her hand, but she found they were all beneath her and unworthy of her love. She wondered if someone would ever come along and be the one for her."

She glanced at Palla-Palla. Her sister was watching her with rapt attention.

"Then one day she met a prince from a different land. He was very handsome, so handsome that she ached to touch him the moment she looked upon him. But the others had been handsome, too, and they proved to be inadequate. So when he professed his love for her,
she wasn't sure if she could return his feelings. However his gentle manner and his earnest affection - - and the fact that he was stone gorgeous - - weakened her resolve and made her give him a chance to see if he was worthy."

"Was he?" Palla-Palla asked.

"He was," Cere-Cere smiled, almost embarrassed to admit it. "He was a very intelligent prince. He told her things she never knew before and showed her ways of looking at the things she did know that made them new again. He made her laugh and he made her sigh. He made her feel like she was the reason the universe existed. He made her feel like a mature woman instead of the little girl that she had been before, playing at love and courtship without really knowing what it was. But mostly he gave her reasons to love him, reasons none of the other boys could come up with. And when she finally did fall in love with him, it made him the happiest prince in all the lands. And seeing that he was happy made her the happiest princess in all the lands."

"And they lived happily ever after?" Palla-Palla asked.

"Well," Cere-Cere whispered, "no - - because he was from a different land and couldn't stay with her. And she couldn't stay in his land because - - because they were different. But they never stopped loving each other. They visited as much as they could. They were happy when they visited. It almost made up for the sad times when they were apart."

"That's not a very nice story," Palla-Palla whimpered.

"Yes it is," Cere-Cere smiled. "The princess was better off for meeting the prince, even though they couldn't be together all the time. Having love some of the time and wanting more is way better than never having it at all."

Palla-Palla settled back into her pillow.

"That going to hold you for the night?" Cere-Cere asked.

Palla-Palla nodded. Cere-Cere got up and headed for the door.

"Cere-Cere?"

"Yes?" Cere-Cere replied, trying to hide her frustration.

"Palla-Palla hopes things work out between you and the prince."

A lump formed in Cere-Cere's throat.

"Thanks," she choked out.

The door hissed closed behind her. Cere-Cere stood against it for a moment, wondering about the strange chemistry in her sister's brain that made her so juvenile one moment and so incredibly perceptive the next.

"I hope you get your wish, Palla-Palla," she whispered.

She turned - - and ran directly into Gallan's brother, Ailwoode.

"W-What are you doing here?" she sputtered.

"You know a love between a human and a spirit of the trees cannot end in anything but tragedy?" he asked pointedly.

"It's not preordained," she argued.

"You will cause him nothing but heartache and misery," Ailwoode countered.
"Are you that selfish?"

"You're the one who's selfish! Gallan is happy, as happy as he's ever been in all of his existence, and you want to break that up! Why do you hate me?"

"I do not 'hate' you, personally. I hate what you are. And I hate that you cannot see. Gallan is young. So, I surmise, are you. You both do not understand that this cannot end well. I wish to spare him that. He will hurt now, but he will get better. The longer this lasts, the more cutting the hurt will be when you eventually part."

"We're not going to part!" Cere-Cere hissed, fearing she'd alert her sister. "We're going to be together forever! You'll see!"

Ailwoode looked at her. Cere-Cere could see the skepticism in his eyes, the tension in his naked body. Then she noted something else: the sprout, perhaps, of an idea.

"Perhaps you do see more than I thought, human," Ailwoode said. He turned and passed through the wall. "Perhaps you have vision that I lack."

Cere-Cere didn't like the tone of that at all.

Continued in Chapter 6