Rakurai desu.
Disclaimer:
I wish I own Sailor Moon.
『Artwork Cover』 belongs to © TASUKU （タスクさん）on Twitter tasukurukuru_
『Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon （美少女戦士セーラームーン）』belongs to © Naoko Takeuchi.
『Story's idea』 belongs to © bravd's 『Christmas story: Facing Love』
This story is based on bravd's Christmas story: Facing Love. The original idea is theirs but I've re-written it into my own plot.
By the time Usagi arrived with Haruka and Michiru, the rest of the group had already assembled. Their expressions varied from serious, to grave, to bemusement, and finally to profoundly worried. She walked in, presenting herself as a gracious Queen instead of clumsy Usagi, while the couple trailed behind her. When they entered, everyone's attention immediately fell on the two Outers.
Usagi took one look around the room. Sucking in a breath, she announced. "Let's begin."
"Um…" Ami began, "Usagi-chan, Naomi-san is not here."
"Where is she?"
"I came to collect her at the hall but she wasn't there."
The future Queen appeared troubled, but decided to postpone the meeting.
"We don't need her here," Makoto forcefully objected. "Minako-chan and I already heard her side of the story. We'll stand witness for her."
Usagi seemed disappointed that it had came to this. Alas, she agreed, albeit reluctantly. If she kept on putting this off, there was bound to be collateral damage. The Senshi were already divided thanks to her meddling; Usagi feared more repercussions if this matter was not resolved soon.
"In that case, Mamoru-san and I," Setsuna glanced over to said future King, seeking his approval. Earning a nod from him, she continued. "We'll stand witness for my family. And if you don't mind, I'll be your advisor, Princess." The wise woman sought Usagi's acceptance as she spoke.
"Objection," Rei spoke up, crossing her arms, "no offense, Setsuna-san, but they're your family and I don't believe you being Usagi's advisor is fair."
"None taken. You would do well to know that, while it's true they're my family and my coming to care for them is an innate behaviour, I am still the Queen's and will soon be the Princess' advisor. Fair and just are qualities required of me," Setsuna responded, voice calm and clear, without an ounce of hesitation.
A tad bit frustrated and awed by how sagacious the older Senshi's statement was, Rei had no choice but to acknowledge it and step down. Makoto, in contrast, didn't seem to have any problem with her being advisor. It was understandable for her. Out of the Outers, Setsuna—while being the most mysterious—was more considerate and kind to them. The florist wouldn't want to disrespect someone who always treated them cordially.
After the minimal disagreement passed, Makoto turned to the young idol. "Minako-chan," she called, as she sought for the blonde's support.
A pair of thoughtful sky blue eyes fell on her friend. Minako stared at her for a minute or two. Then she spoke, soft but determined. "I'm sorry, Mako-chan, but I'm not going to be anyone's witness."
"What?"
Minako's eyes wandered over to Haruka for a moment, then returned to Makoto, staring straight into her big emerald orbs with more determination than before. For some reason, Usagi thought she saw Sailor V in it. "Haruka-san is my friend. Our friend. While I do hate it whenever they bring up the Outers crap, Haruka-san has been there for me before. I'm not going against her, or you, or any of us."
"Don't you want to know the truth?" Makoto somberly smiled at her own words.
"I do, but I'm more than fine finding out about it without antagonizing anyone."
The tall brunette observed her friend with a keen eye, searching for any change of heart. She let out a small sigh when she found none. "I respect your decision."
Their attention now focused on Ami.
The genius girl was troubled as her eyes kept on shifting between the Princess' side and Makoto's side. Usagi and Makoto felt sorry for her, as they were the ones who forced her into this position, unintentional as it was.
Stepping up, Usagi suggested, "You can stand audience with Minako-chan, Ami-chan."
"Are you sure that's alright?" Ami asked, struggling with herself.
"That's alright with me too, Ami-chan." Makoto smiled gently at her while Usagi nodded along.
The poor girl's worries were laid to rest as she procured the same position with Minako.
"While I believe all your intentions are justified, it doesn't sit right with me leaving Naomi-san out," Mamoru spoke up once the division was done.
"The King is right," Hotaru suddenly intoned; the carefree, childish expression on her face completely absent. In its place was a somewhat chilling, blankly inscrutable neutrality the Inners had never seen on the Senshi of Death.
Rather, they had seen it, but tried erasing it from their memories.
It was the same face Hotaru—or rather, Sailor Saturn—had worn when she was reborn again during the Death Busters incident.
They felt uneasy at this unexpected, disconcerting change in personality.
The only one who wasn't unnerved by this was Setsuna, since the tanned woman recognized this behavior from the Senshi of Death.
The purple-haired girl's piercing violet eyes swept through each individual, coolly surveying them, while they in turned witnessed the glassy layer swirling in their depths. For a moment frozen in time, they could almost feel the wise, mystic aura Setsuna usually carried radiating from the petite girl.
"How can you be confident what she said is true, Makoto-san?" the purple-haired girl asked, pointedly staring into the florist's soul.
The tall brunette stammered at the assault. It was true she didn't know this girl. It was also true that she had no evidence.
Deciding this shouldn't drag on anymore than it was allowed, Setsuna put her hand on Hotaru's shoulder to pull her out of her trance. The petite girl instantly returned to her ordinary self, blinking her big violet eyes in confusion. She turned over to her mama, looking quite shaken.
"Setsuna-mama…" Hotaru murmured. "Is it her again?"
"Be at ease, Hotaru, you're alright," she assured.
The suffocating air dispersed, thanks to Setsuna's interference. Most of them let loose a breath they didn't realize they were holding.
Makoto wanted to ask what had just possessed the little girl but she wasn't sure if she needed to know. So, she kept her thoughts to herself instead.
"At any rate, I agree we must find this girl," Usagi spoke up, a welcomed distraction for everyone from what had just transpired. "Anyone who wants to go, spilt up and find her. The rest can stay here."
The search was split into two teams with Haruka leading Ami and Minako, while Michiru led Makoto and Rei. They combed through the hot springs, the massage rooms, the saunas, and so on. Naomi was nowhere to be seen in secluded areas, so everyone had no choice but to opt for populated places in hopes of better results.
Haruka was navigating her way through the crowded bar adjacent to the public pool of the spa. Even though the lavish pool in the center was the main highlight, the venue was expansively luxurious with three floors in a U-shape around it. Each floor contained private viewing or a chilling room with built-in mini Jacuzzis, while man-made waterfalls cascaded from two sides. Below, small chapel-like rooms—with water falling from the sides—scattered here and there around the pool.
Crowds danced wildly. Remixes of deafening EDM resonated off the walls and the lofty ceiling above. Combined with the loud sounds of people yelling or jumping into the enormously fancy pool by different types of slides was enough to make her want to quit the search.
Haruka stood out as she was the most clothed person in this section of the spa. That was the least of her problems, mainly because she was not in the mood for this.
She had never seen Makoto that mad at her before. It was true there was that one time she used her as bait for a pure heart, and as a result, she had converted her into an enemy. Nevertheless, she had a good reason for that. And anyway, that had been years ago.
Now, it was a problem regarding her and Michiru's relationship.
Haruka frowned. The more she thought about it, the less she understood. That girl who she didn't even spend more than two days with had just gone ahead and told the girls about her little fling? Haruka had outright stated to her it was over and that she didn't want to see her ever again. What part of it did that brunette not understand? The blonde owed her nothing, even more so when she had never said anything about asking her out.
She halted in her advances through the unrestrained crowd. Haruka closed her eyes as self-blame started settling in, drowning out the incessant beat of the music. It was still her fault. If only she could control herself. If only she had turn the girl's offer down, this wouldn't have happened.
She was glad she didn't lose Michiru, but to have her back, perhaps she had to lose something else. Someone else.
Opening her eyes, Makoto's words came back to her before they began their search.
'I'm disappointed in you, Haruka-san. I looked up to you, but I can't believe you would do something so low like that,' Makoto said, throwing one final glance back at her before she turned, walking away in the opposite direction.
There was no mistaking it. The anguish on Makoto's face was real. This wasn't just some disappointment stemmed from having the image of someone you look up to completely shattered. Haruka sensed it was more than that.
Haruka shook her head in exasperation. No matter how much she put her mind into this, nothing liberating would yield itself.
So back to searching it was.
Out of nowhere, a hand grabbed on her collar and forcefully yanked her backwards. She would have lost her footing if it weren't for her reflexes. The stranger was quick as they dragged her through the current of people, wiggling their way through like parting water. Haruka could have pulled herself back, but then a flash of brown hair was in front of her, and there she was, tumbling along.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the enormous pool, Minako and Ami were still searching. The blue-haired genius noticed something was amiss even with the deafeningly distracting music and yelling.
"Minako-chan, where's Haruka-san?"
"She's probably searching like the rest of us," Minako nonchalantly shrugged.
"Did you know Haruka-san was cheating on you?" Makoto asked.
They were back in the grand hall again, searching for Naomi. It was nighttime, which was why there were less people dawdling around here than over at the pool party. The site was peaceful and quiet, save only for the occasional chatter and the consistent splatter of the fountain in the center.
Not that Michiru minded. She could use some quiet after the vehement argument the whole group just had.
As she expected, the question arose. She knew it would sooner or later. Though, she hadn't expected it from Makoto, or any of the Inners for that matter. Hearing the question, Rei's curiosity was piqued and she was unsubtly attentive—she pretended to divert her eyes somewhere else but Michiru and Makoto.
Michiru didn't answer, but her eyes did, as they rested themselves on Makoto. Her eyes were lively, yet her expression wasn't. Michiru wasn't pleased with how Makoto handled this newfound information. Though, she couldn't blame the tall Senshi; her sense of justice was admirable, after all.
Therefore, she decided not to show any emotion… yet.
Makoto narrowed her eyes, observing the violinist carefully. "Of course you knew," She concluded, a mild trace of bitter hidden in her words.
"Are you not afraid of being hurt at all, Michiru-san? Or are you just trying to ignore it?" Rei asked, a scowl on her face.
"Neither," she calmly replied.
By now, they'd stopped their search. Michiru was the first to halt in her steps. She knew if she didn't resolve this, these girls would continue to let this matter haunt them. And that would get them nowhere with the search.
"Isn't what you have for her just blind trust?" Makoto asked.
Michiru glanced at her; that tightness in her voice clearly didn't go unnoticed. The tall Senshi's brows were tightly scrunched, just looking at her was enough to tell the girl was feeling more than being wronged in a righteous sense of justice.
"No," Michiru paused, a hand to her chin, she was thoughtful for a minute. "If I can't trust her on something as trivial as this, how can I trust her to have my back in battle?"
"This isn't about her being your partner, Michiru-san! This is about her being your lover, your soulmate!" Makoto exclaimed. "No matter how you think about it, she has wronged you!"
"Mako-chan's right," Rei affirmed. "How can you trust someone after they've done that?"
"I think you two are having a very huge misunderstanding of the situation."
"Michiru-san…" Rei gazed at her. The look in her eyes transformed into sympathy.
Unfortunately for the girls, that look set Michiru off. She had tasted enough sympathy for a decade worth of fighting as a solitary soldier. She didn't need more.
"Makoto-san, I understand this is personal for you,"—Makoto's emerald orbs went wide at being so easily discovered—"but you're letting it cloud your judgement," Michiru pointed out.
The florist, now caught by surprise, was clueless on what to say next—or how to act. It was Michiru's turn to be sympathetic towards the tall brunette as she smiled kindly at her.
"While I agree Haruka has made a mistake, she isn't to blame." Michiru crossed her arms in an elegant manner, her expression serene. "Why don't you return to the root of the problem? Haven't you ever wondered what drove Haruka to do something like that?"
Her question gave them both pause. Why had Haruka courted Naomi, indeed?
Michiru watched as their facial expressions shifted from troubled to confused. The sort of look showing they were willing to listen to reason.
"You know why?" Rei tentatively asked. Makoto, however, seemed desperate in wanting to know the answer.
"Yes, I do," Michiru mused. "It's because of me."
They were perplexed, or rather, utterly astounded. The violinist knew that wasn't what they expected at all. Kaiou Michiru and self-blame; it was such an unlikely combination.
It was another idol-shattering-image for them. Michiru decided she didn't care. She had already stopped caring what people think of her a long time ago, even her fellow Senshi.
One thing she was very much aware of was how she had absolutely no doubt whose fault this entire situation belonged to.
"Haruka may have begun this, but due to how easily her guilt affects her, she retreated from Naomi before the relationship even began," Michiru elaborated, her smile sincere. "I left her for too long. Haruka is impatient and impulsive. Knowing these things, I still chose to leave her alone. And now she's frustrated she can't change what she's done because of her impulses."
"But that's no reason to do such a thing…" Rei trailed off, still reeling from shock.
"How can you be certain you won't do something foolish when you miss the one you love tremendously?"
Michiru had once again put them at a loss for words.
"I need Haruka as much as she needs me." Michiru smiled to herself, somewhat melancholy. "And without the other, we tend to do foolish things."
"People do crazy things for love," Makoto quietly muttered to herself. The raven-haired miko didn't managed to hear it, but Michiru did.
A gracious smile graced the violinist's lips.
"Mako-chan?" Rei called. She was disorientated at all the information, which was why she shifted her focus over to the tall Senshi. She needed someone to help her make sense.
Makoto was silent. Lost. Searching. And a whole lot of other adjectives she couldn't name.
Michiru, on the other hand, waited patiently for her. The thoughtful woman knew the girl needed to digest her words and gather her courage. Makoto could take as long as she wanted—Michiru had time, after all.
Makoto finally found her voice after a long moment. Brows knitted, she whispered, "I can't stand people who cheat. And when I heard Haruka-san had done that, I just… I lost it."
"I understand," Michiru reassured, in that compassionate tone she always used when she talked to Hotaru.
Michiru's words wielded more power than anyone could ever imagine. The moment she uttered those words, Makoto visibly relaxed. She raised her head to look at the violinist, a sense of relief dancing in her sparkling emerald orbs.
Michiru knew the tall Senshi finally understood.
While the search went on, the royal couple stayed in their suite along with the two remaining Outers. Setsuna was sitting on the white sofa, her hands neatly in her lap, while Hotaru sat next to her—occasionally swinging her feet to distract herself from boredom.
In the meantime, Mamoru sat on a nearby couch, crossing his legs. The man seemed deeply lost in thoughts with a frown etched onto his face.
Usagi, however, couldn't resolve to sitting and waiting, for she was far too anxious. Hence, her perturbed pacing ensued and it dragged on for quite some time.
The dark green-haired Senshi watched her future Queen's pacing for a couple minutes more before offering reassurance. "They'll be fine, Princess."
Her pacing stopped and her concerned sky blue eyes shifted to her trusted soldier. "I want to believe that too, Setsuna-san. But it's impossible not to worry…"
Mamoru regarded the wise woman with a curious frown. "You seem to have a great deal of trust in them, despite what happened before."
Setsuna's reflective, burgundy orbs landed on the young man. She was well aware what he meant: the battle with Galaxia. While there was no denying they had turned on her and Saturn before, Setsuna found she was far from feeling betrayed. Their causes were never without reasons, whether benevolent or malevolent.
Even if their choices were wrong, they were necessary. And Setsuna trusted their instinct, in spite of everything.
She closed her eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. Besides, it wasn't their fault it had came to this. If her concerns were right, and they usually were, that girl Haruka had picked up might be the cause of this mess.
The blonde was usually careful and calculated, but not when it came to women. Another sigh escaped Setsuna as she pondered the upsetting thought.
"They're our family, Mamoru-san," Hotaru suddenly said, surprising both of them. "Just like Usagi-san and Chibiusa-chan are for you."
There was not an ounce of annoyance in the purple-haired girl's voice. A child's voice, perhaps, but there was a level of compassion and sensitivity encompassed within that many an adult would never possess. Granted, with how the Inners had condemned her papa, she should be resenting them—or at the very least, displeased. Yet, she was as considerate and gentle as she had always been.
Unaware, a pleased smile made its way onto the young man's lips. It went without saying he was grateful his daughter had someone like Hotaru as a friend.
To say Setsuna was pleased as well, was an understatement. She was proud of her daughter, of how she had matured and grown into such a fine young lady. A warm, self-indulging smile grew on her lips as the heartwarming, rewarding feeling whirled around inside her chest.
She brought her hand up, stroking Hotaru's dark, lustrous hair. Her adopted daughter grinned at her.
"While you have every right to be doubting us," Setsuna said, her expression composed, "I suggest you watch out for that girl. Something tells me she's not what she seems."
Usagi nodded, her eyes pensive, as her thoughts brought her back to the moment she first saw Naomi.
After searching through the grand hall without success, Makoto, Rei, and Michiru came to the public pool party, much to Michiru's annoyance. They regrouped with only Minako and Ami. Unsurprisingly, Haruka had pulled a disappearing act on them.
"We've looked for her but she just vanished," Ami relayed.
"Seriously, where could she have gone?" Minako grumbled. "This is not the time for some pranks."
"Have you try looking in one of those water chapels?" Makoto suggested, her focus on one of said objects.
Minako confirmed that they had not.
Rei's eyes strayed to one located the furthest away from them, which was also the most hidden one in the corner, beneath the first floor.
Although the layer of water falling from the side was concealing what was inside, she was almost certain she caught sight of familiar blonde hair. Ignoring the apprehensive feeling coiling in her gut, Rei beckoned the others to follow her as she slowly moved closer to better see the hidden interior.
Much to her dismay, inside the chapel was Haruka, lounging on the ground.
And straddling her was Naomi the brunette.
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Thank you for reading.