Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.
A/N: I'm back again! After months of barely having time to function, much less write anything, I decided to quit one of my jobs! Hooray! So from now on my updates should be more reasonable (or at least better than one every six months). Hope you're all still enjoying the story and sorry again for the long delay. :)
Chapter 9: Strength in Solitude
-Orbit of Jupiter: Distant Future-
Chibi-Usa stared out at the swirling reddish-yellow expanse filling the window. She'd been sitting on the bridge since the proximity warning had been announced two hours ago. She'd seen plenty of pictures of Jupiter over the years, but they hadn't prepared her for the enormity of the planet.
"I'm going to take us down manually," Ami said from her seat beside her. "It's a little tricky getting through the upper atmospheric layers."
Chibi-Usa nodded but was unable to take her eyes away from the view.
"You've done this before right?" Hotaru asked with a nervous chuckle.
Chibi-Usa twisted to face her friend. Hotaru was standing a little behind her and her knuckles were white from the death grip she had on the back of the chair.
"It's been a while since my last visit, but yes." Ami's hands flew over the controls as she spoke.
"How long exactly?" Hotaru pressed. Her dark eyes were wide as she stared out the window.
Ami shrugged, focused on her task. "Forty years or so. It's just like riding a bike."
Hotaru's mouth twisted in a grimace, but her sarcastic comment turned into a startled gasp. Chibi-Usa whirled back around just as the window went white. She threw up an arm to protect her eyes from the sudden brightness.
"What happened?" Hotaru demanded. Chibi-Usa felt her chair tilt slightly as Hotaru tensed.
"We're passing through the first layer. Don't worry, we're perfectly safe."
Chibi-Usa stood and walked around to lay a hand on Hotaru's shoulder. "Are you alright?" she whispered.
"Fine," Hotaru replied through clenched teeth. "As long as we're sure she knows what she's doing."
Chibi-Usa patted her shoulder but didn't respond. Over the course of the trip, Hotaru and Ami's relationship had become civil but there was still no warmth between them. Hotaru made no secret of her distrust of the Water Senshi and Ami in turn treated her with increasing disdain. Chibi-Usa was secretly relieved to be heading to a dangerous and unknown place just so she wouldn't be stuck on the small ship with them.
"Oh, wow," Hotaru breathed. Her grip of the chair back relaxed and Chibi-Usa followed her gaze back to the window. Now that she'd adjusted to the blinding brightness, she could see that it was actually flames licking across the glass. The white fire was tinged with light purple. The overall effect was dazzling. The three of them were silent as the ship descended.
After nearly twenty minutes, the fire had lost some of its appeal. Chibi-Usa was considering refilling her empty tea cup when the view abruptly changed. Normal orange fire exploded in front of them, making all three women jump. It cleared after a few seconds and the world seemed to open up around them. Below them, dark gray cloud formations spread out in every direction.
"What happened to all of the colors?" Chibi-Usa asked as she looked out. The seemingly endless storm clouds engulfed them, turning the view to a hazy gray nothingness.
"We passed them," Ami answered as she typed. "We had to get through the toxic outer layers of the atmosphere before we reached the tree line." She turned the autopilot back on and sat back with a tired sigh. "I put in the coordinates for the main colony. We should be there in a few hours."
Chibi-Usa nodded and returned to her seat. She could see darker spots passing them in the thick fog and it was the only indication that they were still moving.
Hotaru had moved to lean against the wall with her arms loosely crossed. Chibi-Usa glanced at her before turning toward Ami. She was rubbing her eyes tiredly; Chibi-Usa guessed that she still wasn't sleeping well.
"So," Chibi-Usa said slowly, "any idea what we should do once we land?" They hadn't come up with much of a plan in the last few months. They knew roughly where Makoto might be, and had guessed at what she might be doing. They'd skirted the possibility of having to fight her. Hotaru was fully healed and Ami had been training every day, but even with all three of them it would be difficult. Chibi-Usa still hadn't been able to use her mother's crystal at all and, even though the other two tried not to mention it, she was afraid of what could happen when they faced their former friend.
"We'll be landing in the main colony," Ami said with a shrug, "I guess we'll just ask around once we get there."
"Will they actually be able to tell us anything?" Hotaru asked. Her tone was challenging and Chibi-Usa glanced back to see that she'd stepped away from the wall toward Ami.
"Of course," Ami replied mildly. "Why wouldn't they?"
Hotaru's expression darkened. "I wasn't sure if you'd 'improved' them," she mimed quotes with her fingers, "the way you did on Mercury."
Ami stood up angrily and spun to face Hotaru. "I've had just about enough of your attitude. I can't change what happened and I'm not going to apologize for it anymore!"
She could see by the shift in Hotaru's stance that she was gearing up for another explosive argument and Chibi-Usa's patience snapped. "Stop it, both of you!" she shouted, stepping between them. "Do you even remember why we're here? My mother is counting on us! The people back home, everyone we care about, need us to bring the Senshi back whole and that's never going to happen if we can't work together."
Ami dropped heavily back into her seat with a murmured apology. Hotaru looked away and stepped back to rest her shoulders against the wall. She crossed her arms and fixed her gaze firmly on the window. Chibi-Usa looked between them, waiting for one of them to speak. She already felt guilty for her outburst even though it was long overdue.
"I'm going to get ready for the landing," she said evenly. She cast one last glance at each of them then left.
Chibi-Usa and Ami were both already on the bridge when Hotaru returned an hour later. Both women turned briefly when she entered then returned their attention to the front of the ship. Hotaru glanced at Ami as she silently guided the ship before moving to stand behind Chibi-Usa's chair. She considered saying something to ease the tension but nothing came to mind. Instead she crossed her forearms on the chair back and surveyed the view out the window.
They'd apparently passed through the cloud cover while she'd been getting her things together. Now a blanket of bushy tree tops flew by beneath them. Large gray-blue squares were spaced evenly between them, lifted just above the tree line. She could feel the ship slowing and leaned forward to try for a better view.
"What are those things?" Chibi-Usa asked, obviously noticing the same thing.
"Solar panels," Ami replied without looking away from the controls. Chibi-Usa looked toward the top of the window and Hotaru followed her gaze to the patches of purple sky between the clouds. Ami looked over at the princess then up at the sky as well. "It doesn't look like it, but Jupiter gets a lot of sun," she explained. "During the day, the light is magnified through the layers of the atmosphere until it's actually a little stronger than on Earth. But at night, when the planet's rotation turns the colony away from the sun, it becomes dangerously cold. The panels charge during the day and at night they power the UV simulators that keep everything alive on the ground."
"So it never really gets dark here," Chibi-Usa mused.
Ami shook her head. "That's why everything grows so well near the colony. Between that and the constant rain, the whole area is like a giant greenhouse."
Chibi-Usa looked down at the panels, which were easier to make out now that they were getting ready to land. She'd read about the vast amount of work that had gone into making the area habitable. Now that she was able to see the scope of the work for herself, she was amazed. Her eyes followed a gigantic machine attached to the side of one of the trees. From the reports she'd read, she guessed it was one of the many converters that kept the breathable air below the tree line and the toxic air above. "How did the ancient Jovians ever survive here without all of this?"
Ami shrugged and leaned forward, bringing the craft down toward an opening between the leaves. "I was only here once back then but it was nothing like it is now. They didn't live on the ground, their villages were built into the canopy of the trees. The air wasn't toxic, the nights weren't as cold…" She frowned as she thought back to her other life long ago. "Everything burned," she said softly. "The entire planet was covered in jungle and the army of Earth destroyed all of it. When the fires finally died out, there was nothing left but smoke and ash."
She fell silent as she guided the ship through the trees. As the ship dropped, the view changed from thick greenery to the wide trunks of trees. It was hard to tell, but Hotaru guessed that they dropped at least a quarter mile before they touched down. She looked up again, but all she could see was the huge tree trunks stretching out of sight.
"Going into stand-by mode," Ami murmured. She flicked a few more switches before standing and going to the wall.
Hotaru stepped back as Chibi-Usa stood and shook out the jacket she'd had bundled in her lap. Hotaru had her own over her arm. She considered the forest out the window before turning back to her friend. "Do you think we'll need them?"
"It's always raining to some extent here, so you probably will," Ami answered from behind her.
Hotaru shrugged the black leather over her shoulders before slowly turning around. But she forgot her response to Ami's intrusion into their conversation when she caught sight of the implement the bluenette was slinging over her shoulder. Ami noticed her interest and took it back down to hold out for Hotaru's inspection.
"Where did you get this?" Hotaru asked in awe, running a hand reverently along the barrel of the high tech weapon.
"I made it," she replied with a faint smile.
Hotaru's hand dropped from the rifle to the pistol holstered at her hip. "Is it like this?"
"Similar." Ami nodded and slung the strap over her head to rest across her shoulder. "They're both based on the same concept anyway. I had a weapon like this during the Silver Millennium."
"I remember," Hotaru said with a sudden grin. "I heard some of the stories about you blowing things up with it."
Ami blushed and laughed at the memory. "Once or twice," she admitted. "It doesn't fire different ammunition types like yours but it's still pretty powerful."
Chibi-Usa smiled as she watched the interaction. Hotaru's eyes were glued to the sleek weapon and Ami turned, grinning with pride as she allowed the younger woman to further examine it. Hotaru pulled out her pistol and held it up to compare them, then laughed at a murmured comment from Ami.
Hotaru grinned, but abruptly her face hardened and she stepped back. She shoved the pistol back in its holster and took a step past Ami toward the door. "Well, we should probably get moving," she said gruffly. Ami nodded, eyes downcast as she busied herself with adjusting the straps of her rifle.
Chibi-Usa sighed as she followed them toward the air lock. For a moment, it had felt like everything was back to normal. Soon, she reminded herself. Soon.
The air was filled with heavy mist as they stepped out of the ship. They were dripping water within minutes but at least it didn't impede their view. Hotaru pushed her damp bangs back out of her eyes and looked around. The village was just visible between the trees ahead of them and she led the way. Black pathways curved away from the landing pad in several different directions. The rubbery walkways were lifted several feet off the ground and she scuffed her boot against the surface curiously.
"The ground isn't solid enough to build anything directly into it," Ami supplied from behind her. "Everything is lifted a few feet to avoid sinking into the mud."
Hotaru ignored her, quickening her pace toward the village. She was sure that Ami's sudden helpfulness was just a result of Chibi-Usa's outburst, but it still bothered her. The friendly, informative commentary reminded her too much of the old Ami. She reminded herself of more recent events. Ami had taken over the minds of an entire colony of people. She'd created a youma and sent it after them. She was no better than the villains they'd faced in years past. Hotaru pictured her face when she'd attacked them, the cold and detached way she'd looked at them. Somehow the image wasn't as clear as it had been.
They passed around a wide tree trunk and were met with a flurry of activity as they entered the village. They stopped, looking around uncertainly for someone who didn't seem too busy to help them. There were several people in rain suits on the roof of the nearest hut doing some sort of repair work. Other groups were scattered around working on portions of the pathways. A line of people on the other side of the square were handing baskets into one of the buildings.
Ami stepped past them and slowly made her way further in, allowing the others to follow. A tall man with a bundle of poles over his shoulder emerged from one of the buildings and nearly took her head off as he swung the load around. "Sorry, Miss," he said as he passed.
He took another step and froze, turning slowly to face them. He stared hard at Ami for a moment before grinning. "By the Gods," he exclaimed, setting the poles in an unruly pile by his feet. "Sailor Mercury?"
Ami's mouth fell open in surprise. "I'm sorry," she stammered, "Do I know you?"
He laughed, not put off at all by the greeting. "I was only a boy when I saw you, so I wouldn't expect you to remember." He picked up one of her hands, engulfing it with his own. "But you haven't changed a bit! My family was with the original colonist ship you brought out here."
Ami's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "That was nearly fifty years ago."
Hotaru studied him as he continued to shake Ami's hand excitedly. His eyes were dark green but from the few remaining darker streaks, she guessed that they'd once been brown. According to the handwritten note she'd come across in one of Ami's reports, the change was an effect from breathing the pollen from the trees surrounding the village . His dark hair was heavily streaked with gray and he towered over the three of them. Clearly, like on Mercury, the people here would eventually look like the natives of the Silver Millennium.
His eyes slid to her when he noticed her scrutiny. "Sailor Saturn!" He dropped Ami's hand and gave Hotaru the same enthusiastic greeting. "Two Senshi in one day, it's just unbelievable."
Hotaru glanced at Ami with a silent appeal. She cleared her throat and laid a hand lightly on his massive forearm. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Sir," she said, drawing his attention, "But we're actually visiting because-"
"You want to check how things are going?" He interrupted, nodding as he released Hotaru. "Certainly, Ma'am, I'd be happy to show you around. We're just about finished with second harvest so you picked a fine time."
He started to bustle away, but his gaze landed on Chibi-Usa and he stopped, eyes widening. Ami and Hotaru both inched protectively closer to her automatically. His mouth opened then snapped shut as he shook his head. "I'm sorry Ma'am, for a moment I thought you were someone else."
"That's-" Ami began, but Hotaru spoke over here.
"We're actually not here to check on the colony." The man gave Chibi-Usa one more curious look before focusing on Hotaru. "It looks like you're doing very well with everything here." He smiled proudly at her words. "We're looking for someone."
His smile faded a little in uncertainty. "Oh, well, I'd be happy to help. We're a pretty small community, I'm sure I can point you in the right direction. What's their name?"
"Sailor Jupiter."
He stared at Ami as though he hadn't understood her words. "Sailor…"
"Jupiter, yes." His expression darkened. "Has she been through here at all? Do you have any idea where she might be?"
He nodded slowly. "We don't go out there any more," he said quietly. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and glanced furtively over his shoulder. "She doesn't like visitors."
Hotaru exchanged an excited look with Chibi-Usa. "You've seen her?" Ami demanded. "Where is she?"
"Well…" He gave them an apologetic look. "She used to live here in the village. She said she was here for some sort of special training. After a while, she decided to move further out so she wouldn't do any damage with her powers. We built her a little place near the edge of the woods."
"Special training?" Ami murmured to herself. He paused his story and she gestured for him to continue. "So when was the last time she came to town? Maybe we could just wait for her."
He shook his head, staring bleakly out into the trees. "She used to come in and trade, once every rotation or so. After a while she visited less and less. We went about a year without seeing her so we sent a few people out to check on her. She wasn't happy about it."
"Did she hurt anyone?" Chibi-Usa asked urgently.
"No, they were fine," he assured her, offering a small smile that twisted to a rueful smirk as he continued. "But no one's been out there since. That was about ten years ago."
The three women exchanged weary glances. "Do you have any idea where she would be now?" Ami asked.
He shrugged and pointed off to the left. "She's got a place set up about fourteen miles due east of the village. You can't miss it, she's broken the trees around it about a mile in each direction."
Ami looked out in the direction he was pointing. "Thank you," she said as she started to step off the path.
"Hold on, Ma'am," he said urgently, catching her shoulder to stop her. "It's a long trip in good weather and we're expecting a storm in the next twenty hours or so. It wouldn't be safe to go now."
"Didn't you say fourteen miles?" Hotaru asked. "That shouldn't take that long."
"It's not an easy trip," he replied. "Off the pathways, you'll be half way to your knees in mud. And it'll be worse once the rain hits." He ran a hand through his hair, frowning out at the forest. "If you were to wait here a few weeks until the storm passes…" He trailed off to gaze beseechingly at them.
Ami shook her head. "We don't have that kind of time."
"We can handle it," Hotaru assured him. "Just point us in the right direction."
He looked like he might continue to argue but then simply nodded. "I suppose if anyone could get through it, it would be you. If you'll come with me, I'll get you some gear for the trip."
He took them to a small trading post on the edge of the village. While he spoke to the woman behind the counter, Hotaru and Chibi-Usa drifted further into the small store. Chibi-Usa stopped at a barrel full of enormous feathers and pulled one out to examine it. It was dark green and nearly as tall as her.
"I wonder where they got this?" Hotaru mused as she ran a finger along the edge.
"It's an eagle feather," Ami answered from behind her. Hotaru gave her a sour look and turned away to examine a row of boots.
Chibi-Usa frowned at her back before moving closer to Ami. "I'd hate to see the size of the eagle that dropped this," she said with a smile.
Ami tore her gaze from where Hotaru was crouched and focused on the feather as well. "Everything grows bigger here. That includes the animals that were introduced."
Chibi-Usa grimaced and carefully returned the feather to its place. "I hope we don't run into anything like that out there."
"It shouldn't take more than two days to get there, I'm sure we'll be fine," Ami reassured her.
"I wonder why she really wanted to be so far away from the village," Hotaru wondered aloud. She suspected that there was more to it than the reason she'd given the villagers. She put back the boot she'd been looking at and stood to join them. "If I understood those notes, she's about as far as she can get while still staying in the livable area of the planet."
Chibi-Usa shrugged, frowning as she answered. "She wanted to be strong enough to fight the darkness and to do that she needed to be away from everyone else. Remember, it was all she could talk about before she left. She was sure that she'd end up alone and wanted to let it make her powerful. I always thought it was just something she said so we wouldn't know how much she was hurting."
Ami looked away sharply, but not before Chibi-Usa caught the pain that flashed across her face.
She touched the bluenette's arm lightly. "Ami, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"
"It's fine," Ami interrupted, shrugging off her hand. "We should probably see how he's coming with those supplies so we can get going."
Chibi-Usa sighed as she watched Ami weave between the displays toward the counter. Hotaru caught her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze before following the same path. After a moment, Chibi-Usa followed.
The three women spoke little as they trudged through the forest. Their feet were sinking deep into the soft ground and the thick glue-like mud pulled back each time they moved, making each step a battle. The mist in the air mixed with their sweat, leaving them soaked and miserable.
"How far have we gone?" Chibi-Usa asked through gritted teeth. Her muscles were aching from repeatedly pulling her feet from the mud. Despite the coolness of the day, she'd taken off her jacket and tied it to the pack strapped to her back. Sweat ran in thin rivers from beneath her hair, soaking the back of her shirt.
Ami had her light blue jacket tied around her waist and reached into it to fish her mini computer from the pocket. She twisted to wipe her forehead on the sleeve of her tee shirt before opening the device. As soon as it powered on, the interface visor slid across her eyes. She typed silently for a moment.
Chibi-Usa watched her closely and nearly didn't see the thick branch in her path. She managed to avoid it, but Ami wasn't so lucky. She stumbled forward as her foot hooked on the obstacle. Hotaru jumped forward, the mud sucking loudly in protest of her movements. She managed to catch Ami before she ended up sprawled in the mud.
"Thanks," she gasped as she straightened.
Hotaru released her and returned to Chibi-Usa's other side. "Be more careful," she replied as she resumed her slow trudge.
Ami's half smile faded and she opened her computer again, letting the visor hide her expression. She alternated watching the screen and her feet as she moved. "It looks like we've made it about five miles," she said finally.
"That's it?" Chibi-Usa whined, throwing her hands up in despair.
Ami chuckled softly as she stowed her computer in her jacket again. "We're actually making pretty good time, considering," she pointed out. "We've only been walking for about six hours."
"Only?" Chibi-Usa scoffed.
Ami considered the path ahead of them. "We could take a break," she offered.
"No," Chibi-Usa sighed. "If I stop I'm not going to want to start again." She stared miserably ahead as she spoke.
Ami laughed to herself and Chibi-Usa's head snapped around to face her. "Sorry," Ami said, still smiling at the look of outrage on the younger girl's face. "Sometimes you remind me of your mother."
Chibi-Usa glanced at Hotaru for help and found her friend hiding a grin behind her hand. She tried to hold onto her offence, but she could think of a dozen instances where her mother had complained in the exact same fashion. Despite herself, she laughed as well.
They set up camp at the base of a tree, right against the massive trunk. Rather than a traditional tent, they had a square of canvas stretched between four stakes driven deep into the ground. The setup allowed them to sleep high enough off the ground to stay dry and hopefully their proximity to the tree would protect them from the coming rain. There was no way to start a camp fire, but the villagers had sent along a small supply of dried fruit and meat as well.
Hotaru considered the half eaten piece of jerky in her hand dully. She was sitting slumped on the edge of the platform, too exhausted to even finish her meager dinner. She glanced behind her at her companions. Ami was lying closest to the tree trunk. She was wrapped in a shiny waterproof blanket with her back to them and seemed to be dead to the world. Chibi-Usa was beside her with her head resting on her own blanket, which she'd bundled into a makeshift pillow. She was awake but hadn't spoken in a while.
Hotaru managed to finish the last of the strip of jerky and let her gaze drift to the other end of the small platform where they'd set their packs for the night. Everything was carefully covered by a tarp and strapped to one of the support posts to keep it in place if the wind came up.
They'd walked almost nonstop all day so now they were only about three miles from where Makoto was supposed to be living. Unfortunately, the storm that the Jovians had predicted was expected to arrive at any time. Hotaru craned her neck, searching for any sign of it. But the only thing she could see was the lines of the trees stretching up and disappearing into the shadow of the canopy. There were patches of light between the trees, but it was impossible to discern the state of the sky overhead.
Most likely the storm would hit while they were sleeping and would last the entire rest of their time on the planet. She wondered if it would make these last three miles much harder to walk than the previous eleven. Absently she rubbed her hands along her thighs as she considered, trying to loosen up her aching muscles.
Her hand grazed over the slight indent that marked the scar from Ami's attack. It wasn't bad considering how deep the wound had been. But it would still be a reminder of what had transpired between them. She wondered if the coming confrontation with Sailor Jupiter would leave her with a similar souvenir. She wished she could be more like Chibi-Usa: eternally optimistic in the face of increasingly discouraging odds. She really did have all of her mother's best qualities.
"Taru?" Chibi-Usa's soft voice interrupted her wandering thoughts. She twisted around to gaze at her friend. Her voice sounded rough with exhaustion. "Are you alright?"
Hotaru nodded and turned around so she was sitting cross-legged with her back to the forest. "Just thinking," she replied.
"About tomorrow?" Chibi-Usa guessed.
Hotaru smiled ruefully. "I'm trying not to."
"Me too," she said quietly. She turned onto her side, staring past Hotaru into the trees. Hotaru watched as her coral brows drew together and she sighed. After a moment, she looked up at the raven. She seemed about to speak, but changed her mind and offered a tired smile instead. "You should try to get some sleep."
After one more glance at the surrounding area, Hotaru moved to stretch out on the edge of the canvas. She laced her fingers behind her head and considered the patches of purple sky above her. It wasn't long before her eyes began to drift shut.
"Taru?"
She blinked a few times and turned her head to find Chibi-Usa watching her. Hotaru raised her eyebrows, silently inviting her to continue. "I'm scared," she whispered.
Hotaru smiled gently. She held an arm out and Chibi-Usa immediately moved closer, cuddling against her side. Hotaru tightened her arm around her thin shoulders, holding her more securely.
"There's nothing to be afraid of," she assured the princess. "The Senshi belong together. I'm sure we'll be able to convince Makoto to come back with us, just like Ami." She left out her own concerns about the Senshi of Thunder, especially considering the difficulties they'd had convincing Ami. She could feel Chibi-Usa beginning to relax and continued in low tones. "We'll get Rei and Minako and bring all of them home. When we get back, they'll fix everything. Your mother will get better and the city will be bright again and everything will go back to the way it was before."
She felt Chibi-Usa nod sleepily against her shoulder. Hotaru squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the silent tears that had sprung up during her story. "Everything will be alright," she assured Chibi-Usa in a whisper. She could tell by the change in her breathing that the princess had fallen asleep. "It will be alright," she murmured again, trying to convince herself. "You'll see."