5
Chibiusa looked around but all she saw was a barren wasteland. She saw death and destruction. "Please...let this be a dream..." However, she knew it wasn't a dream it was too much like reality. Her life was barren, her parents and friends always leaving. When they left it also left her feeling empty. In a moment her surroundings changed and it left her surrounded by people but she couldn't feel more alone. It was creepy how lonely she felt even as people surrounded her.
Her eyes open slowly along with the realization that it was a dream but not. In her life everyone was leaving and no matter how many people came they couldn't replace the void of the ones that left that she loved the most. It was a lot to comprehend for a 10 year old but she knew what was happening. Most kids her age were allowed to live a childhood but not her. She was meant to run a palace when older, not meant to play and be foolish. She had no time for that kind of stuff and the only pleasure she had was when she was in front of her sketching pad. Her sketches were wonderful ranged from people to landscapes to abstract art. No one saw her talent though not that they would care. She closed her eyes again not wanting to get up and face the day.
When she opened her eyes again she noticed that an hour had passed and was surprised that no one had come in to get her up. She quickly put on her robe and walked down the large hall peering into all the rooms. She quickly heard her mother and fathers voice followed by another familiar voice and one she wasn't sure of. She hid around the corner peering farther into the room. She saw a woman that looked like Hotaru but she was much older and she saw that there was a little boy around her age. The little boy was taller then her, but she was short for her age anyways so it didn't really matter. The boy had dark hair and he looked to be a little impatient. He wasn't facing her so that is about all she seen. She heard her mother mention her name then call a maid over and told her to go get Chibiusa.
Chibiusa ran back to her room not wanting to get caught spying. She quickly got dressed and was still dressing when the maid came into her room. "Your Highness your mother requests your presence..." She noticed that the maid that came into her room wasn't the one her mother had told but one that she got along with more. "Thank you..." She answered as she was told to. The maid bobbed a curtsey then left the room.
Chibiusa finished dressing then left her room and walked back down the hall to the room she last saw them in. Chibiusa slowly walked into the room. "Mother you requested that I was to join you..?" She looked from her mother to her father quickly. "Yes dear I wanted for you to meet someone..." She motioned for the little boy to come to her and he did. "This is Mase Tomoe (dun dun dun...lol sorry had to do that...) He's Hotaru's son and I thought it might be good for you to have a friend. And since Hotaru is going to be staying here for a little bit you can get to know each other. Keep in mind that he is younger then you by a few years but you should get along just fine. Now why don't you take him to go play...?"
Chibiusa took Mase from the room to her own room. "The toys are over there..." She pointed to the side of the room that she seemed to be neglecting. She took out some sketch paper and she began to sketch something from outside but it turned out that the little boy had made it in the picture some how when she looked at it. "Hmmmm..." She didn't want to change it because it looked so good and didn't want to change something that had come out so good.
Before she knew it Mase was peering over her shoulder. "That looks nice do you sketch often..." Chibiusa didn't notice he was there in till he spoke and almost jumped. "Yeah...sometimes..." She looked around the room noticing that the room was fit for a younger child. "Did my mother tell you what rooms you would be staying in..?"
Chibiusa looked down at her paper and then put it in a folder where she kept the rest. "No that's what her and my mom are talking about now. I think" Chibiusa noticed that Mase seemed to be a little shy. "Oh yeah by the way my name is Chibiusa but you can call me just Chibi if you want." She looked around at loss of words. "Ummm...okay..."
There was an awkward pause then Hotaru's voice called out for Mase. "Coming mom..." He ran out of the room. Chibiusa walked out of her room closing the door behind her. Hotaru looked down the hall and smiled. "Hello Small Lady..." Chibiusa just smiled. She hadn't seen Hotaru in awhile and she was wondering why everyone showed up now.
Just then she felt hands pick her up from behind. She turned around to see who had her and hugged the woman tight and whispered. "I missed you Plu." Sarah stood behind Setsuna a little bit and when Setsuna put Chibiusa down she ran to Sarah and hugged her too.
Chibiusa looked around and noticed everyone else was showing up. Her confusing rose. Why was everyone coming back now? Nothing made any sense everyone showing up at one time...' She would have to ask why later, right now she was too happy to spoil the moment.
Setsuna softly said. "Chibiusa I have a surprise for you..." A little girl walked at of a room they were standing by and looked at Setsuna. "Mommy..." Chibiusa looked at the little girl questionably. The little girl had silver hair and aquamarine eyes. The little girl was wearing a green and dark purple plaid skirt and a purple shirt. "What Hairu..."Setsuna turned to the little girl and smiled. "Where are we...?" Hairu's face was filled with confusion. "And how did we get here." Chibiusa then noticed that the little girl had been sleeping and just seemed to awaken. "We are at Crystal Tokyo..." The little girl didn't ask anymore she just yawned. "Hairu come here..." Hairu did as she was told going to Setsuna. "Hairu this is Small Lady..."Chibiusa smiled a little. "You can call me Chibiusa or just Chibi if you like...the only person who calls me Small Lady is Sarah and Plu usually."
Chibiusa looked at the little girl that stood beside Setsuna then looked to Mase. So many new faces but she liked it...it was better then being lonely all the time. Maybe she could actually make new friends. Maybe they could all be friends.
Chibiusa looked around wondering why her brother wasn't there he must be the only one that wasn't there. She tilted her head to the side still looking around. Sarah saw her and smiled a little. "What's wrong Small Lady..?" Her voice was calm and reassuring as it always had been for as long as she could remember. "Angel...? Where is he...?" As if he was called by her voice Angel stepped up behind her. "Where's my little sis...?" As soon as Chibiusa heard Angels voice she flung herself to him. It had been years since she had last seen him. "Angel I missed you soooo much" Angel smiled and hugged her but said nothing. "Where did you go..?" Chibiusa sounded lost. "I told you in my last letter that I had some things to take care of." His voice was soft for her ears only. Chibiusa slowly let her brother go and sighed happily.
The days of feeling lonely were long gone she had her friends back plus new friends and she had her brother. The next hour was spent hugging and some tears. When Chibiusa finally got away it was almost time for bed and she went to her room. Sitting on her bed with her knees up to her chest one main question ran through her head. 'Why is everyone coming back all at once and why now..?'
She didn't know the answer and she also noticed that everyone's rooms were around hers. Hotaru and Mase's room on one side of her, Setsuna and Hairu's rooms were on the other side. Sarah's was across from her and Angel's was next to Sarah's. The rest of the senshi's rooms were around theirs. She didn't understand it.
By the time she looked at the clock on her nightstand a half hour had passed. She sighed and turned off the light then got back in bed and almost immediately fell asleep.
Hours later Chibiusa was lost between consciousness and sleep. "Just 5 more minutes..." Sleepily Chibiusa tried to keep her eyes closed when everything in her told her to get up.
After awhile she got out of bed and noticed it was still dark out. She wondered what had woken her up so early but couldn't find anything. Suddenly as if on impulse her brother came into her room. "Are you okay sweetheart?" Chibiusa rubbed her eyes making it look as if she just got up. "Yeah... why is it you ask?"
Angel just shook his head softly and sat down in the small rocking chair, used to get her to sleep when she was little. She got up and went over and sat in Angel's lap cuddling up close. "Angel..? Why is everyone coming back now..?" Angel again shook his head. "Don't worry about it sweetie, nothings going to happen to you while I'm here. Now just try to get some sleep."
She wanted to ask him more but knew that he wasn't about to tell her anymore, so she just closed her eyes and the slow movement of the rocking chair swept her away taking her to dreamland. Her dreams didn't last long as pleasant and peaceful, bodies lying on the floor a little girl's voice rose through the loud unknown noise. "Mommy, Daddy, Angel... where is everyone..." Her whole life was in ruins and she couldn't find anyone she knew.
She woke up crying still in Angel's arms. Angel was immediately whispering reassuring word to her. "Shhhhh...It was only a dream its okay now I'm right here." Sarah appeared in her door way. "She's okay just a bad dream..." "Small Lady what are you trying to do give me a heart attack?" Her voice held suppressed laughter, but it also held something else, something Chibiusa didn't know. Sarah walked in smiling and sat on Chibiusa's bed.
"You okay Angel? Do you want me to watch ov- I mean get her back to sleep?" "No I'm okay...a little tired but that's all..." Chibiusa looked from Angel to Sarah then back again. "What is going on? Why do I have to have someone watch over me at every moment?" Her voice was small and still held a hint of sleepiness. "Shhhhh... its okay nothings going on Sarah is just worried about things that had happened...your okay...I promise..." Angel shook his head and sighed. He started to rock again and ran his fingers through her hair. Chibiusa started to snuggle closer again when there was a knock on her door.
A little boy stood in her door way. "Does anyone know where mommy is? She's not in her bed..." Mase looked small and scared for just a moment then as if never there the expression changed and he looked like she had seen earlier. Sarah bend down and smiled, "I'm sure your mommy's somewhere around. She knows these grounds really well so maybe she just went for a walk." She looked to Angel. "Are you going to be okay with her?" "Yeah... of course I am"
Sarah picked the small boy up and started to walk out of the room then turned back to Chibiusa a small smile on her face. "Goodnight darling, sweet dreams." Chibiusa smiled and nodded. "Goodnight Sarah." Sarah turned and shut the door with Mase still in her arms. Chibiusa heard the murmur of voices and footfalls against the tiled floor.
She wasn't about to annoy Angel with questions about what was going on, because she was sure he wasn't going to tell her anyways and she liked him just being there with her. She closed her eyes again and tried to sleep but found it harder then she thought. She opened her eyes and looked up at her brother to find he was already asleep. She grabbed a blanket off the bed and climbed back up on Angel's lap and slowly, without knowing it, hummed herself to sleep.
When she woke up the next morning she found she was in her bed and Angel was nowhere to be found in the room. It was as if it had never happened. She shook her head; maybe it was just all a dream. She took a quick look at her clock. "9 o'clock" She quickly got dressed and left her room. The hallways were so quiet it seemed eerie. 'Where is everyone...?' Chibiusa shrugged and sighed. She looked through the rooms but found no one. 'Maybe they're out in the garden.' She remembered that the garden was Setsuna and Sarah's favorite place or it had been the last time she saw them.
Oh how she had missed everyone but now all that would be over she had everyone back. But she couldn't help the feeling that something wasn't right and no matter how much she wanted to ignore the feeling it wouldn't go away. She wasn't sure about anything anymore. The only thing she was sure of was that what ever reason they had all come home she was happy for the first time in a long while. She sighed softly and looked around and continued to walk out to the garden. Sure enough she saw Sarah at least.
She smiled and ran up to where Sarah was sitting. "Hi Sarah..." Sarah looked startled and almost jumped. "Hey sweetie..." Sarah hoped that Chibiusa didn't hear anything when she was talking to herself. "Sarah..? Why is everyone coming back now?" Chibiusa tried to sound casual and hoped the hint of suspicion hadn't been noted in her voice. Sarah closed her eyes. Maybe Chibiusa had heard something. "Ummm Chibiusa where did this question develop from..?" Chibiusa just shrugged. "I was just wondering..." Sarah shook her head. "Don't you have a birthday party coming up soon..?" Chibiusa nodded.
She was sure everyone had forgotten even her parents but Sarah would be the one to not forget. "Maybe that's the reason everyone is coming back..? I came back because I missed everyone and I thought I had been away to long..." The explanation seemed too simple to Chibiusa but while she could always tell when Sarah lied she knew she wasn't. Sarah had come up with something quick that wasn't a lie. She had wanted to come back. And knew Chibiusa's birthday was coming up soon, in about 3 weeks. Chibiusa sighed. "Why doesn't anyone ever tell me the truth...? I'm old enough to know Sarah..." Sarah smiled and hugged the little girl. "I know you're old enough to know... And I can't lie to you... You can always tell..."
With that Sarah stood up. "Would you like to go for a walk Small Lady?" Chibiusa nodded and put her small hand in Sarah's. While they walked they talked about everything that had happened since Sarah had gone away. Sarah told Chibiusa about the many details that had happened on her adventure. That's what they called it when Sarah went away. She went on one of her adventures.
Queen Serenity had told Chibiusa many times when she was little that Sarah had just went on an adventure and would be back soon with plenty of stories to tell. Chibiusa had grown to love all the stories that Sarah told her. They took all the memories away of when Sarah had been gone. Every time Sarah came back though, Chibiusa wished with all her little heart that Sarah wouldn't have to be sent away on another adventure.
When they finally stopped talking it was almost dinner time. The pair came in to wash up and walk down to the dinning hall to find that no one was there. "Ms Chibiusa... your mother has requested to have dinner in the parlor for a cozier feeling..." "Thank you..." She looked up at Sarah quickly then started walking towards the parlor. 'Mom hasn't eaten in the parlor in awhile... I wonder what made her want to eat in there... Maybe it's because we just have all these quests...'
"What are you thinking about?" Sarah asked smiling. "Nothing really..." Chibiusa said with a shrug. "You are about as bad at lying as I am... Come on spill it." Sarah said still smiling. "Just that mom hasn't had dinner in the parlor in awhile... Nothing of too much importance..." Sarah sighed at this. "Your mother tries... I know she can't spend as much time with you as you would like but she tries... It's not easy to run one kingdom and she has to run two. That is why she sent you back in the past... to her younger self for awhile... It wasn't to get rid of you... It was for you to have some semblance of a childhood even if it was only for a little while. She loves you..." Sarah said then added. "We all love you... Me, your brother, Hotaru, Setsuna, your mom and dad, and the rest of the scouts..." Sarah hugged her again.
Angel then came running down the hall. "We were starting to get worried... Everyone is in the parlor..." Angel took Chibiusa's hand smiling down at her. "Come on it will be just like old times." There was something in Angel's voice. She couldn't tell what it was or what it meant though. Chibiusa looked up at the girl with the indigo colored hair. A hint of worry on her face confused Chibiusa then when Sarah looked down at her it erased itself. Taking Sarah hand with her free one she walked with Angel and Sarah.
During dinner Chibiusa sat attentively but still lost in her thoughts. She only commented when asked which wasn't much but for once she was relieved. Sarah kept throwing worried glances in her direction but she dismissed the thought.
When dinner was over she went to her room though it was early. "Just a little tired..." She used as her excuse. When she got to her room a soft sigh escaped from her mouth. She grabbed her sketch pad and as she opened it there was a knock at her door.
She got up and went to answer it to find Hotaru's son was at the door. "May I help you..?" The boy nodded and handed her a small package. "Ms Jennings... I think that's her name... She told me to give this to you..." Chibiusa sighed slightly thinking of how lonely it can be in the palace and got in idea. She put it on her bed before smiling and whispering to the boy. "How would you like it if I said that we can go on a little adventure..?"