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Chapter 1 Meeting the Senshi
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"Everyone, I want you to meet Saku-chan. Her real name is Haruno Sakura." Usagi announced, upon entering the Shrine. Everyone was there – apparently Usagi had called Ami when they were already at Hikawa Shrine.
"Usagi-chan, we really ought to talk." Rei said, gesturing to the others. Usagi and everyone else nodded in agreement. Then the blonde-haired girl gestured for Sakura to wait a bit, that they'd be right down.
Then the Sailor Senshi went up to the top floor of the shrine. There were five of them there, as the Outer Senshi normally worked separate from the Inner Senshi. The five were Aino Minako, Kino Makoto, Hino Rei, Mizuno Ami, and Tsukino Usagi.
Aino Minako was a tall, blonde-haired girl, although her hair draped loosely, in contrast to Usagi's odango hairstyle. Kino Makoto was tall and brown-haired, with her hair in a ponytail. Hino Rei had draping, blackish-purple hair, and Mizuno Ami had blue, short hair.
"Yes, Rei-chan?" Usagi asked, when they were safely out of Sakura's earshot.
"Well, Usagi, tell us exactly how you met Sakura." Rei said, somewhat confused. It was for good reason, too. She had never seen the pink-haired girl, which would be strange considering the fact that she worked in the shrine. Also, Sakura was wearing the strangest clothes that any of the senshi had ever seen, including the villains they had faced.
So Usagi told the whole story, including the information Sakura had told her about Konoha and the other Hidden Villages.
"This seems a little far-fetched…" Ami said, before realizing that the stories of her life would be far-fetched as well, at least since she had met Usagi.
"Anyway, we need to decide what to do with her." Makoto said.
"I offered for her to stay at my place." Usagi said.
"Are you sure that's such a good idea, Usagi? After all, Luna is staying in your room, and there isn't any open rooms. What if she picks up on something?" Minako replied.
"Even if she does, what can she do? No one knows her in this world, and her world doesn't have Sailor Senshi." Usagi said. "Not to mention that her powers could help us if another youma were to appear."
"I see what you're getting at, Usagi, and the answer is no. We don't even know the girl; we can't let her into the group." Rei said.
"But, Rei-chan, we didn't know Mamo-chan either." Usagi said.
"That's different; we knew that he was at least a partial ally. We don't know Sakura at all." Ami said thoughtfully, and then flashed Usagi a look of regret.
"Well, I think we should at least let her stay at my place. After all, she doesn't have any place to stay." Usagi said.
"Okay, you win on that point, Usagi." Rei said.
"I'll see if I can get her into Juuban High School. We'll have to make sure nothing happens to her until she can go back to her world." Ami offered.
"So it's settled. We will let Saku-chan stay at Usagi-chan's place until she can return to her world. In the meantime, we will take care of her, but won't let her in on the senshi until we know for certain that she's not an enemy. Now let's go downstairs and meet her in person!" Minako said.
With that, the five Inner Senshi walked down the stairs. Rei apologized for keeping Sakura waiting, and asked the pink-haired girl to go in and rest.
"Oh, it's okay. I rested a lot back in Konoha." Sakura said.
"But surely the jumping must've tired you out at least a little bit?" Usagi asked, shocked at Sakura's nonchalant attitude after the physical exertion that jumping four miles must present.
"A little, but Kakashi-sensei always that not to complain, as did Iruka-sensei…" Sakura said, drifting off.
"Who are they?" Usagi asked.
"Iruka-sensei was my shinobi instructor throughout my Academy days, and Kakashi-sensei is my Jounin sensei." Sakura said, silent tears flowing down her cheeks. Would she ever see them again?
"Usagi, that was pretty tactless of you." Rei said, giving the blonde a light-hearted shove.
"Hey! I didn't even know who they were? How was I supposed to know that they were people from Saku-chan's world?" Usagi asked in dismay.
"Both of you have a point…" Ami said thoughtfully.
"Anyway, l think that it would be a good idea to go inside." Makoto said, snapping everyone back to reality.
"Yes, it would." Usagi said.
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Meanwhile, in Konoha, a frantic search had been sent out to look for Sakura. ANBU, or shinobi whose job was to capture or kill runaways, protect the village leader, and perform espionage missions.
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"So, Saku-chan, what's life like back where you live?" Makoto asked.
"Not to good. A war occurred a few months ago, in which the village leader, Sandaime Hokage, was killed. Then, Sasuke-kun left." Sakura replied, slightly more confident now that she knew that the conversation had a purpose. Setsuna had told them that the best way to get Sakura home is to see just how different her world is from theirs' and find out where to go from there.
"What does a shinobi in your world do anyway? I mean during peacetime, of course." Ami asked.
"Assassination, espionage, hunting other shinobi, search and rescue, and other things. So far, I've only escorted someone and various tasks." Sakura said.
"'Tasks'? What do you mean?" Usagi asked.
"It was during the Chuunin Exam, which would promote us up a level in the shinobi hierarchy. The exam had three parts, each testing a different segment of prowess. The first tested determination, the second teamwork, and the third one-on-one combat." Sakura said.
"I see." Ami replied.
"Then the war started. I think about one hundred Konoha shinobi died that day." Sakura said.
"'That day?' The war only lasted one day?" Minako asked.
"Yes. Most wars in my world are short, but are very frequent. In fact, there was a period of one hundred years where there was constant fighting between the shinobi villages." Sakura replied.
Suddenly, the door opened, and the rest of the Sailor Senshi of the solar system walked in.
"Sakura, these are Kaioh Michiru, Ten'ou Haruka, and Tomoe Hotaru." Usagi said. "This is Haruno Sakura."
"Hello, Sakura." The outer senshi said.
"She's from another dimension." Rei said, gesturing toward Sakura. She apparently wanted the Outer Senshi to understand that she meant the pink-haired girl, even if it was semi-obvious, considering the introduction.
"I see…" Michiru said thoughtfully. Apparently, she had remembered something.
After a few minutes, the senshi, as well as the kunoichi, were sitting in Rei's room, eating cookies and talking. Sakura and Hotaru had quickly become friends, as both knew what it was like to be neglected by someone and regarded as weak.
Finally, it was time for everyone to leave for their homes. Sakura had learned that Hotaru was going to Juuban High School as well. They immediately said that they would try to sit together if they shared any classes.
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A/N: Just a quick explanation. Hotaru is going to high school because of the enhanced growth. Sakura won't be in the same grade, but in the same math classes (a little interpretation on my part, as she was able to answer the First Exam with ease, which seems to be mostly angles and various other calculations).