What Life Is

After the Amazon Trio its now girls her age...and the Remless have gotten stronger.

'It seems after the Amazon adults its now the kids next...far more powerful than them.' Chibiusa squeaked, startled from Chikane's voice behind her while washing her face in school from P.E.

'Eek! Somnio Kori!' Chibiusa gasped out.

'What do you personally think?' Chikane asked Chibiusa who looked thoughtful.

'They're just around your age.' said Chibiusa. 'But why are they working for the bad guys?' she asked. 'If those guys did it to become human, what about them?'

'Children who dream are more powerful, Princess Small Lady.' said Chikane warningly. 'Children have purer hearts thus more focused on what they wish to be, and often fantasize a lot about it which is the same as dreaming, thus giving their dreams more power and it shows in those girls.' she explained. 'Dream, dream don't doubt it. A dream of dreams that dreaming children have...be careful of who utters these words.'

'But what on earth could they want?' Chibiusa asked her, baffled.

'To remain young, and carefree forever no doubt.' said Chikane. 'A life of nothing but fun, playing and happiness, and get things for free, oblivious to how tough living in this world can be. It's what being a child is about while adults do nothing but work to live and be gloomy because they've seen and felt reality. You'd be surprised.' and she vanished.

'To be young and carefree forever...and a life of nothing but fun...' Chibiusa mused. 'But to keep a life like that you do bad...is it even worth it?'

She did what she does best.

Ask Mamo-chan.

xxx

'So that's what she told you?' Mamoru asked Chibiusa when she called him out for a talk after school.

'Yeah...Mamo-chan, is it true that being an adult is tough?' Chibiusa asked him. 'That those girls would rather stay kids forever?'

'Yeah, because you must prepare for the future.' said Mamoru. 'And to do that, you need money.'

'Money?'

'Aa. When you leave home to look for work, you begin living in an apartment to get used to being independent.' Mamoru told him. 'You get a set allowance from your parents even though they still pay your rent until you get a job. Once you are financially-secure in your job, you're on your own: you have to budget everything. From electric, water and gas bills. Food bills. Your Rent. You need to save up incase you get hospitalized one day. And your budget for your personal desires is also separate such as your budget for shopping or fun. But there will come a point when you want to get married, so you must save up money, especially if you're a man.'

'Men need money?' Chibiusa asked him.

'Yeah. Because in marriage, the man must have important things: money to purchase land and house for his family. Insurance Policies for Financial Security. Money because raising kids is expensive. And you'll soon be supporting your wife and kids because your wife will quit her job for good to take care of the house and kids by day, and care for husband when he comes home.'

'As for women, they too, save up money before getting married because upon marriage, she and her husband will open a joint-account and pour all their savings in to start a family while making sure they are both secure before they can even think of having their firstborn.' Mamoru continued. 'The wife must learn how to cook, do the chores, and other responsibilities a wife must know and be good at. But there are times man and woman don't marry because they haven't found the one just for them yet, so they still live for themselves, and save up for the inevitable until one day, they meet the man or woman of their lives.'

'Heee...and those four girls don't want such a life.' Chibiusa mused. 'I guess I'll ask Ikuko-mama next about things. Being a mom...she makes it look so easy.' she said.

'Easy because your family is very secure.' Mamoru told her. 'If a family is not financially-secure, you can see stress and exhaustion, and with it comes impatience and irritability due to pressure. And that will reflect on family atmosphere and life. You and Usako should consider yourselves lucky that you're secure. Me, my parents left me a huge inheritance I could live in comfort for forty years when I budgeted everything. But my inheritance won't last forever which is why I'm taking things seriously too while I'm still ahead in the financial game...because I'll have Usako one day and then we'll have you.' he said, patting Chibiusa's head kindly. 'I have to make a stable, secure home for when the time comes.'

xxx

'Hey Helios...' Chikane mused as they talked in a flowery field in the countryside together, Stallion Reve on her lap, and a mirror in front of them both, eavesdropping on Mamoru and Chibiusa. 'Adulthood must be very rough.'

'Indeed so...because that's what being an adult means.' said Helios. 'Humans have it challenging and rough. I have watched countless human lives and dreams and I realized how easy I've got it in my long immortal life because I have magic. With magic I have everything I could ever need and want. I realized I took everything for granted myself.' he admitted with a chuckle. 'You have experience both the life of struggle and magic.' he said. 'You already know how tough reality can be ever since you ran away.'

'Yeah...I learned that kids have it easy when they have parents buying what they like for them without having to work for it, while I have to work just to eat and have a roof over my head.' said Chikane. 'I even have to know what I can afford and what I couldn't after a day of begging. And I watch kids after school going out to play with their allowance money, blowing it away on sweets and arcade games. Allowance monies their parents work hard for at work it doesn't come free. Money doesn't grow on trees like they feel it does. We are so different.'

'Sou ne...that is why one day you are better prepared for when hardships come. You are stronger than you think.' Helios told her.

'Stronger...me? Really?'

'Yes. You know what life is all about. It may be hard, but don't forget to have fun too.' Helios reminded her. 'Child only once, adult till the end of your days. There are things you can only enjoy at a certain moment at a certain age. Opportunities lost once are lost forever. Why not try being a kid your age for a change?'

'...what's being a kid like? I had to work to survive since I was little. And while the occasional candy and ice cream is nice, I'm not into video games.' Chikane pointed out. 'I'm gonna spy on those soldiers. They're only two years older than me, I need to know what they do for fun after school before I try it out.'

'Why not go out with Mukuro? Both of you have hard lives, and trying to adjust to being normal children. The two of you would make quite a pair because this is a brand of adventure in itself.'

'Gee, adventure in figuring out how to be a proper kid?' Chikane giggled. 'Jeeeeez! I can see how weird that can be already. But why not? I'll wait when he's free. He's taking being a big brother seriously I can't take that away from him so it'll be just us for now.' she turned Stallion Reve into a pendant which she wore around her neck. From her nightgown as Somnio Kori, she wore a light green dress and a white cropped jacket over it and a pair of sandals, changing into it from her closet through her magic. Her hair magically braided itself into a big-looking loose braid secured at the tip with a hair band.

Considering she has a huge amount of money at the bank, having stolen a billion for herself by now...she walked around Azabu-Juuban all day, looking for fun things to do.

Since Helios knew more about humanity than she did, he had been her guide, one step at a time.

First, was the amusement park!

'Amusement Park...never been here since before, I'm too poor to afford to be here but now...' she grinned. 'Not anymore.'

She looked around to see little kids being taken here by their parents to have fun together.

The sight pained her and focused on herself.

She came here to have fun with a friend dammit, not be reminded of what-ifs!

Because she's of enough height, she has access to most rides in the park after buying a Ride-All-You-Can bracelet.

But she saw Helios manifest before her as an illusion of his human form. He wasn't physically older than her. He can be seen by other humans that she wasn't alone on their day off together.

So this is what its like...to have fun with a friend together.

The pair effectually had a date together.

xxx

'Helios...thank you.' said Chikane gratefully. 'I...I never had a day like this before.' she gushed out. 'Being here with a friend...I never had that before!' she cried happily, hugging him.

'This is something you must have as well, Chikane.' said Helios, hugging her back. 'Let's do more fun things together while we still can.'

'Yeah!'

Yeah indeed. Fun while they still can because there's no way of telling if they'll survive Dead Moon or not...so they want what happiness they can get.

They were prepared for death.

Their death and that of this whole world's death if they fail.

xxx

At night, they flew together, working to save dreams from nightmares.

At the first few months, Chikane worked alone but Helios regained his strength in her dreams that he could be out with her if even only for short whiles.

But there were also times that Mukuro tutors Chikane in Math for Junior High School as she lacked what's beyond the basic fours. Factors, Prime and Composite, Measurements, Integers, Geometry, Pie Charts, Bar Graphs, Area, Volume, Mass, Ratios, Positive and Negative, Proportions, Data Representations, Linear Equations, Plane Figures, Probabilities, Square Roots, Quadratic Equations, and Algebra. To help her have a foundation for Junior High though she would start Sophomore Year not Freshman...

Studying with Mukuro by day, and having fun with Helios before work...

Chikane gained two friends now.

This was what Reborn observed while watching from afar.

'Helios would have been ideal but he's a guardian of something much bigger.' he moped. 'And that Mukuro, taking a bit of my job.' he sighed. 'Oh well, it's to build good relationships as a Guardian to a Sky...' but he noted she's gotten happier now that she has friends.

She no longer cries from being lonely.

However...

'Chikane...things are too peaceful for one with a job like yours.' Mukuro noted when they're at the park alone when tutor hours are over.

'The enemy has gotten stronger that I have to lend more power to those girls.' said Chikane. 'They are girls around my physical age. Dunno how old they are, but they control Remless stronger than that of the Amazon Trio. And they are more powerful because they are kids.'

And she had to tell Mukuro why.

'I see...so that's how it is.' Mukuro mused. 'Dream, dream don't doubt it huh? Heh.' he scoffed. 'My powers are based on illusions. I bring fantasy into reality. Effectively a dream but in my case, I create nightmares.' he told her. 'I can come and fight as well.'

'Fight with us...huh?' Chikane mused. 'But Mukuro-san, you sure? If one day that old hag took things seriously...eh?' she froze.

'Doushita?'

'...I usually hear Sailor Chibimoon's summoning voice so loudly and clearly...why has it gone so dim and static?' Chikane wondered aloud. 'Helios, what happened? Our summoning link...' she asked her pendant worriedly.

'I'll look into it.' said Helios as his presence vanished.

'I hope nothing bad happened...' Chikane fretted.

'Summoning...oh yeah, you give them a power boost against the Remless.' Mukuro mused thoughtfully. Soon, Helios was back.

'Somehow, she became an adult.' said Helios. 'Her dream was to become a beautiful lady one day just like her mother. And she got what she wanted, hence her link to us has faded.'

'Ehhhh?!'

'They weren't in much trouble but...Sailormoon in turn became a child.' Helios continued. 'It's a prank caused by one of those girls.'

'Yare yare...let's stake out this amusing situation.' Mukuro chuckled. 'This could be interesting.'

'But Mukuro-san, they have school! How on earth do they explain the sudden change to their parents?' Chikane pointed out.

That got the older boy pausing.

'Ah...'

'Yeah. Ah.' Chikane sweatdropped.

'For now, we watch them closely.' said Helios. 'And for Small Lady to figure things out.'

'A dream to become a beautiful lady huh...' Chikane mused. 'What is that, even?' she blinked, question marks on her head appeared and floated via magic.

'Its more than just growing up tall with longer legs and getting some shape.' said Mukuro wryly. 'Becoming a lady isn't as fast as cooking instant noodles.'

Chikane conjured a mirror so they could watch the situation while Mukuro ensured their privacy with his illusions.

They lied that they'll 'spend the night at Mamo-chan's place' to hide their issue.

Poor guy thought he was pranked on Candid Camera.

'Hoo, boy...'

They had the girls figure it out on their own with Chikane ensuring that when they did, PallaPalla's magic will be undone.

xxx

One day...

Chikane was nervous.

'Its almost time.' Chikane frowned.

'Yes...I'm just glad I found you on time.' said Helios. 'There are two who can use the Golden Crystal...you...and Sailor Chibimoon. But you are far stronger than she.'

'Un. This is our fight. Those Sailor Soldiers will fight too.' said Chikane, sending visions to Sailor Neptune. 'Because they'll be helping us...lending them more power would be helpful.' she gathered the power of the Golden Crystal while keeping it within her body...and she released nine glowing, rainbow orbs.

Elsewhere, the girls felt their transformation wands and brooches glow and grow in power.

'What the?!'

Everyone...danger lurks near... they heard Chikane's trembling, anxious voice. I give you more power for the incoming danger...Nehellenia herself. Please meet me at Hikawa Shrine.

Exchanging silent looks, they headed there on foot and by car in the case of the Outers.

'Chikane.' Chikane looked behind her to see Reborn.

In her eyes, he was an adult but to anyone else, he was an infant. Because his dreams reflect in her eyes. That he was an adult once more.

'Ojisan...'

'Do you think...you can lend me the power as well?' Reborn asked her. 'I will not let you go alone.'

'E-eh? B-but where I'm going...' Chikane stammered out. 'Its impossible!'

Reborn showed her he too, has flames.

'I will not let you go alone.' he repeated. 'Lend me power, Chikane.'

'Er...'

'Do it, Chikane.' Helios reassured her. 'He knows what he is getting into.'

'A-are you sure?!'

'Yes.'

Very reluctantly, Chikane gave Reborn power too.

Reborn took the opportunity.

He absorbed and made the power his!