Author: Abigail aka Drive Me Mercury
Email: abigail@makenai.org
Rating: PG-13
Chapter started: 9-2-03 Chapter ended: 12-2-03
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all characters and settings belong to the one-and-only Naoko Takeuchi. All created characters and plots within this story are my own.
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*Chapter 11*
-Girl's Day Out-
"Yo…"
Seiya found Miya near the front gate standing on a boulder to examine a tall bush that bloomed wide, disc-like yellow flowers. She jumped down at the sound of Seiya's voice "I'm ready, let's go!" the child announced, and skipped ahead toward the gate with her endless energy and proceeded to pull it open. Was I this excitable when I was young? Seiya wondered.
"Okay, but listen," Seiya took hold of the gate and opened it fully. "Don't be running off or anything like that. I'm not gonna search all over the city for you if you get lost."
"Hai, I promise."
"And take that ponytail out of your hair, will you?"
"Why?" Wide eyes blinked their confusion.
"Because it's damn freaky, that's why! You look like a midget version of me." A toothy smile was the only response she got, to Seiya's mild annoyance. "You're too cute for your own good, you know?"
Small giggles emerged from the child who skipped backwards, always keeping one step ahead of the older woman. She turned her face up impudently. "And what if I don't take it out?"
Wow, not only was she cute, she was a sassy little runt too. Seiya couldn't help smiling wickedly. "I guess I'd just have to cut it, then!" She made a grab for the long black ponytail, which sent Miya fleeing ahead with a shriek, pulling her hair protectively over her shoulder. Once a safe distance away, playful eyes glanced back, lest her long locks should still be in danger. Seiya strode forward at her own unhurried pace still smiling, keeping Miya wary of what her next move would be. Suddenly she broke into a run again, chasing the giggling girl across the brick pavement. Miya let go of her hair and simply ran, caught up in the thrill of not letting herself get caught. She jumped atop a low garden wall to take a shortcut as Seiya drew closer in pursuit. Seiya hopped after her and they danced across the wall, around a decorative statue, and over the stone platform it was displayed on. She let the girl have a lead but soon enough had caught up enough to capture her. Miya squealed and squirmed as Seiya's arms snaked around her. Already teetering precariously on the brink of the platform, Miya twisted just enough in her attempt to escape to send her center of gravity swaying irretrievably off the edge. Seiya's balance wasn't in much better state at this point – she tightened her grip around the child as they toppled over the three-foot drop. Somehow she managed to land on her feet with cat-like agility, barely preventing Miya from slipping through her grasp.
Seiya straightened let the girl drop unceremoniously to the ground. Playfulness still sparked in her eyes. "I win," she stated.
"That's not fair!" Miya pointed accusingly at her parent. "I lost my balance."
"Ha! Your loss, Shorty." Seiya didn't give in to the girl's angry pout.
"Hey…" she whined with an obligatory stomp of the foot. "Just because you're bigger!"
Arms crossed, Seiya laughed. "You're lucky I don't have a pair of scissors on me."
At that, Miya grasped her hair protectively again and shot Seiya her best glare, but it was spoiled by the smile that threatened to break through.
"You know, you're still the same featherweight you were back then, too." The smile faded as Seiya's words caught Miya's full attention. "We've met before, haven't we?" Seiya gently met the girl's wide blue eyes. "How were you there at that concert in 1997?"
Miya shifted and shrugged innocently, not readily willing to admit to stealing the Time Key. "Well… I wanted to find you, so I used Setsuna-san's Time Key to travel to the past."
Two of Seiya's eyebrows lifted in reaction. Well, she had figured time travel had to be the logical explanation. "Really? Remind me to hire Setsuna as my travel agent."
"Ne, ne! I want to see the chikas now!"
"The chinaku? Well, that's where we're going. At least, that's where we're gonna end up eventually. Come on."
Seiya began strolling toward the city, letting the girl wander farther ahead of her. Before long Miya's interests were caught up in the city around them, as the small plaza in front of the palace entrance began to melt into the unique blend of old world and modern construction that was Kinmoku City. By mid-morning the day was in full swing for most of the residents of these streets. Softly illuminated signs beckoned customers into the shops that lined the sidewalks. At the stalls and carts parked along the streetside vendors waited hopefully for passersby to stop and take an interest in their wares – everything from fresh produce to pretty knickknacks to hand-sewn lingerie, - a few energetic ones actively trying to direct attention to their own stands. People walked through the avenues with their own business in mind, the occasional engine-propelled vehicle weaving a dangerous path through the pedestrians. Miya found herself fascinated by everything from the brown bricks under her feet to the sleek steel walkway that spanned the air above their heads.
A few people recognized Seiya as one of the Princess' guardians, sending her a respectful bow, and one or two raising a curious eyebrow at her pint-sized lookalike. Miya discovered a beautiful hanging mobile made of colored crystals and very nearly convinced Seiya to buy it for her, until they decided it was probably too fragile to carry around for the rest of the day. She made a mental note to remind Seiya to stop here on their way back.
A boat ride took them deeper into the heart of the city, navigating the sparkling canals that knifed around and under the buildings and streets. Miya let her fingers drag through the cool water, making little bubble trails in the surface, while the pulley rope above them pulled the boat swiftly toward their destination.
They got off at a large square, where now on dry land, they were free to wander again wherever their hearts wished. Miya's heart just happened to lead her toward an ice cream vendor parked in the shade of a large tree, and so the two soon found themselves debating over ice cream flavors. Seiya suggested mokupiye, a native orange-colored fruit. Miya's eyes slanted toward the more familiar chocolate and vanilla, but feeling adventurous, she decided to try it. Seiya laughed when the girl's face puckered after one lick.
"Good?"
"It's sour!" she exclaimed. She took another testing lick and decided, "But… it's not bad."
"If you eat the fruit unsweetened it's much more sour. But it's delicious once you get used to the taste," Seiya explained, nursing her own cone.
"Mm…" Miya's response was muffled by her ice cream – the mokupiye flavor was starting to grow on her already.
They walked in silence for several minutes. The hot sun kept their mouths busy, melting the ice cream so that it dripped down their cones and over their hands.
"So, what do you think of Kinmokusei so far?" Seiya finally asked.
"I like it!" Miya nodded. "Everything looks so pretty, and tastes so good here. I would wanna live here, because I like everything! The palace is really cool, too… it's a little bit like the Crystal Palace in Tokyo, but it's different, too. And your princess…"
"You like Kakyuu Princess?"
She nodded her agreement again, smiling. "I feel warm being around her."
Seiya couldn't help smiling, since she knew exactly what Miya was talking about, and the kind warmth that their princess exerted. The kind of presence that inspired hope and belief in everyone around her.
"She reminds me of… well, sorta… she reminds of the way people talk about someone else on Earth."
"Mm… who is that?" Seiya queried, while trying to keep her lopsided pile of ice cream from running down the edge of her cone and keep her hands from getting sticky at the same time.
"Sailor Moon."
At the mention of that name, Seiya suddenly felt a cold chill between her toes. Miya burst into giggles. "Your ice cream…" Seiya looked down at her sandaled foot, now flavored with orange-colored ice cream.
"Damn…" she drawled, lifting her foot to let the sticky mess slide off. "That was a waste of good ice cream. Oh well… you'll share yours with me now, won't you, Miya-chan?"
"Hey, wait a minute!" she protested, bringing her own cone to her mouth protectively. Miya had devoured hers much quicker than Seiya and was already crunching down the sugary waffle of the cone.
"I had a feeling you wouldn't be that generous," Seiya grinned.
They made their way to the center of the square, where Seiya stuck her foot in the fountain pool to clean it off. Miya balanced on the fountain's low wall while Seiya rinsed her sandal and reattached it to her foot. Unable to resist, the child dipped one foot, then the other, into the pool's cool water to relieve them from the hot afternoon sun. Throwing her head back, she tried to catch with her face the brief refreshing breeze that wisped past. She took the opportunity to casually observe her surroundings, until a movement in the distant trees caught her sharp eye's attention. Miya stood again, squinting to see if her imagination hadn't deceived her.
"Ne?" She spoke, never taking her eyes off the shapes she couldn't quite make out.
"Mm?" Having already rinsed her hands and feet of ice cream, Seiya had followed Miya's lead and left her feet to soak in the inviting fountain, letting her back rest against a thick pillar.
"What is that?"
Seiya twisted her neck to see exactly what the girl was looking at. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary, until she remembered what lay in the direction that Miya's eyes were fixed on. She offered a one-word answer: "Chinaku."
The black-haired child's eyes immediately lit up. "Seriously? I want to see them! Let's go, come on! You promised!"
"Hai, hai… I'm coming." Watching Miya bounce up and down waiting for her brought Yaten's words back to Seiya's mind. Heh…I'm not worn out yet. But Miya did seem to have inherited genes from the Energizer Bunny. Besides, it was too hot today to be running all over town. It was nearing the middle of the day and the sun was out in full force. Seiya was nearly tempted to jump into the fountain and immerse herself completely, and probably would have, if their next destination hadn't provided the small relief of shade under the natural foliage.
A chinaku was, as Seiya had said, like a giraffe. Sort of.
They were large, domestic-looking creatures with tall necks longer than a llama's but not quite as tall as a giraffe's. They came in shades of brown, gray, and white, their shaggy hair coving their bodies like a warm coat and bunching thickly under their chins like an old man's scraggly beard. Their eyes in contrast were keen and bright – beautiful pink eyes that made one pause and wonder – and their ears flicking in constant alertness. A long porcelain curved horn topped the head of each.
Miya was fascinated immediately, climbing to a perch on the wooden fence to get a better view of the large animals that ambled about their expansive pen. One wandered toward Miya, bending its neck toward her in not-so-subtle curiosity. It kept coming toward her, nudging her chest and clothes boldly, so that Miya backed away in surprise. The animal continued nosing, despite the girl's voice of protest. She didn't quite know whether to be afraid, or whether the tall hairy beast in front of her might bite her hand off if she dared to reach out in the safe distance she'd put between them. She looked to Seiya, but found to her disappointment that her father had disappeared somewhere and was nowhere in sight. Miya didn't have much experience with animals that weren't small pets like George, so she didn't know what to expect. But she found the chinaku were too fascinating to stay away from.
"Don't bite," she warned the animal sternly before cautiously extending her hand. Despite its intimidating size (and this one's particularly pushy attitude) she sensed that the chinaku was really a gentle animal. Its soft pink eyes were intriguing, like some mystical creature in a fantasy tale. Miya discovered its hair was soft yet coarse, as her hand made contact with its head. The chinaku wasn't interested in being petted, though, and it shifted its head, determined to shove its wet nose into the girl's palm. Miya retracted her hand in fearful instinct. "I said don't bite!" she scolded. Even though the animal hadn't actually bit her (not yet, at least), she once again placed a safe distance between herself and the fence keeping the curious chinaku from coming any farther.
"This is what he wants." Seiya reappeared at her side carrying a brown paper bag.
Miya took the bag and peered inside. "Nuts?" She pulled out an odd-shaped tan object about the size of a strawberry. Letting the strange nut rest on her palm, she extended her hand once again, hesitantly, to the animal in front of her. The chinaku devoured it quickly, finally happy to get the treat it was looking for. Miya couldn't help giggling a bit as its wet nose tickled her hand. She brought out several more nuts, which quickly disappeared, and the chinaku eagerly nudged for more. "Now, now," Miya lectured. "You can't eat them all! You have to share, you know."
"I think he's definitely the pig of the herd," Seiya commented.
"Hey!!" Miya snatched away the bag when she realized the chinaku was trying to sneak his hungry nose into it. "Okay… just one more. But that's it!" She wagged a finger at the creature who stared back at her with the most innocent of looks. After two more nuts disappeared, Seiya attempted to wave the pesky animal away.
"Shoo! Go away! You heard the young lady – no more for you! Got it? Maybe you should toss some to the other chinaku – I don't think the rest have figured out you're giving out free food," she added to Miya. They tossed some of the nuts farther out into the pen where they were quickly eaten up by the other animals. A few wandered closer, but most were content to stand and let the food come to them once they discovered where the nuts were being thrown. One nut thrown by Miya bounced off the head of chinaku as he bent to sniff the ground for more food. Both Miya and Seiya laughed as the animal shook his head and looked around, confused.
"Sorry, chinaku-san!" Miya called. "I didn't mean to hit you!"
Seiya took another nut from Miya's bag and tossed it, watching two chinaku shove each other to get to it first. "Miya-chan, you mentioned something earlier," she began. "About Sailor Moon. Do you know her?" Seiya knew she shouldn't pry too far into the issue until everything could be explained back on Earth, but the curiosity was killing her.
Miya looked up with something akin to surprise. "Everyone knows who Sailor Moon is. She's a legend on Earth."
"Ah, I can imagine. But… you've never met her?"
"Mm-mm." Pigtails swung as the girl shook her head. "Mama used to tell me stories about Sailor Moon, but she stopped fighting in Tokyo when I was just very little, Mama said. And no one knows who she really was."
You really don't know anything, do you, Miya-chan? "I see. So, Sailor Moon… doesn't fight anymore?" Seiya found yet another layer added to the confusing mystery surrounding Usagi and Miya.
"Seiya!" Miya looked up with realization. "Did you know Sailor Moon?"
Seiya faulted, opening her mouth but not knowing what to say. Serves you right for bringing the subject up again. "I… I did," she answered finally. "I fought alongside Sailor Moon when I was on Earth."
"Sugoi!" the child exclaimed. "That's so cool - you knew her!"
"Yeah… pretty cool. I'll tell you more someday, okay?" Seiya smiled, tugging playfully at one of Miya's braids.
"Promise?"
"Promise," Seiya vowed, pushing away her slight guilt. She reached into Miya's paper bag to pull out two more nuts.
"I wanna know everything about her, okay?"
"You got it." Seiya tossed a nut in the air and caught it again, with a wink. "Now… watch me hit this fat one in the rear end."
Miya followed Seiya's pointed finger to the particularly heavyset chinaku she was referring to, and laughed out loud when the animal started at the projectile that hit its rump. Eyes wide, it proceeded to walk in circles several times, trying in vain to discover the source of the flying nuts before giving up and grazing quietly again. Miya imitated her father, pitching several nuts in the chinaku's direction, but she didn't succeed in hitting anything. She decided instead to feed the rest of the nuts to the chinaku that had flocked closer to the fence.
"You're giving more to the beggar?" Seiya commented when she noticed Miya feeding the chinaku that had first come near the fence. "He's going to get as fat as the other one."
"I felt sorry for him!" Miya defended. "He was still hungry. How do tell that it's a 'he'?"
Seiya pondered for a moment. "Good point. I don't really know. He could be a 'she' for all I know."
Miya frowned deeply. "People on this planet don't really care if they're boys or girls, do they?"
Seiya felt a deep laugh emerge from her belly at Miya's observation. "I'm not so sure about that," she spoke finally. "But not everybody." Miya didn't quite understand why what she had said was funny. Seiya laid a hand on the confused girl's head. "I wouldn't worry about it."
"How do you change into a boy?"
"You ask too many questions, little girl." Given the girl's absolutely innocent expression, it was hard to believe the number of difficult questions she'd managed to ask today alone. "How are we doing on nuts?" Miya held up the bag, revealing one final treat at the bottom. "So… shall we split it?" Seiya asked, tossing the nut and catching it again.
Miya wasn't sure she'd heard right. "Aren't they for the chinaku?"
"You aren't hungry?" Seiya examined the chunk of chinaku feed in her hand. "I wonder if it's any good. I don't remember if I've ever tried akadia nuts before. Care to try?" She held out the nut to Miya.
Miya eyed the nut uncertainly, not sure if Seiya was being serious or not. It looked a little dirty and not all that appetizing. "Umm…"
"Just as well," she said, taking a last critical glance at the akadia nut before pitching it into the chinaku's enclosure. It bounced and scuttled along the ground before coming to a rest in a patch of grass, only to be closed in on by two snack-hungry chinaku. "I have a feeling a couple of jasei danishes will have a better flavor. What do you think?"
"Can we get something to eat, then?" Miya asked hopefully.
"Definitely," Seiya affirmed. "Then we can go do some shopping. You can't keep wearing the same clothes everyday, you know. People might start to think you're strange." She punctuated the statement with a wink.
"Eh…" Miya looked down sheepishly at her frog T-shirt. She liked the idea of getting new clothes and wondered curiously what kind of fashions they would find in the Kinmoku city shops. For some reason her mind imagined all kinds of strange and exotic outfits like she saw in fantasy movies, even though her eyes today had already shown her that Kinmoku fashion what not all that unlike Earth's.
"Goodbye, chinaku-san. It was nice meeting you." Miya spoke kindly, reaching out to stroke the head of the beggar who still stood nearby, hoping for the brown bag to miraculously produce just one more nut. She laughed when his wet nose nudged her hand.
Seiya couldn't help but smile at the all-too-cute scene, although an odd feeling of familiarity struck her as she recalled a different scene from a certain "date" years ago.
"Bye, monkey-san! Oh look, Seiya, he's waving! He's waving, how cute!"
"Odango, he's scratching his head. Why would he wave at you?"
"He was waving, I know it! Bye-bye, monkey-san!"
Miya jumped from her perch on the fence and landed smoothly on her feet. She ran to catch up with Seiya. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"What, more questions? I'm sorry, but you've already surpassed your limit," Seiya teased as they strode together across the plaza. "After ten questions I start charging five hundred yen per answer."
"Hey, but I left my piggy bank at home on Earth!"
"Oh, okay," Seiya laughed. "What's the question?" Inwardly she braced herself for the next complicated question to come out of the child's mouth.
"Can I call you Seiya-papa?"
A grin began to spread across Seiya's face. Seiya-papa? It sounds strange, but… I like it. "Yeah," she said. "You can. I'd like that."
"Alright!" the girl celebrated. "Now let's go shopping! Hey… and afterwards can we stop back and buy that pretty crystal hanging ornament?"
"You know, you were supposed to have forgotten about that…"
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Hmm.. I wonder if there's even a point to making apologizes for delayed chapters anymore. ^_^; Hope you enjoy this chapter. Read while eating pixie sticks and it's guaranteed to give you a sugar overdose.
