Pride and Pandemonium
Chapter Two
Hotaru woke to the sound of an angry tapping of a shoe against the hardwood floor.
"Get up, Kitty! For goodness sake!" A voice that sounded remarkably like Mrs. Aino, Mina's mother, was reverberating through the air.
Hotaru struggled awake to find that Chibi Usa was the one tapping her foot against the floor in such an angry manner.
"Usa?" Hotaru asked, sleepily, only vaguely surprised that her future playmate, who had yet to be conceived, was impatiently waiting for her to rise from her bed.
"What are you talking about Kitty?" Chibi-Usa asked, exasperatedly.
Hotaru opened her eyes wide. Her friend stood before her, pink hair caught up in a little twist with ringlets all around her face, wearing a gown that resembled the princess dresses she and her mother sometimes wore, only this dress wasn't white and was much homelier.
"Huh?" Was all poor Hotaru could think of to ask.
Chibi-Usa rolled her eyes but smiled good naturedly as she grabbed the petite girl's hand and tugged her out of bed.
"Silly thing," she continued, her red eyes flashing brightly with excitement, "Don't you know that Netherfield has been let at last? And by a Mr. Bingley? He's sure to have balls and we can have so much fun - dancing like real ladies!"
Hotaru was, at this point, very confused
"What are you talking about?" She demanded, pulling her hand gently but firmly out of Chibi-Usa's grasp. Chibi Usa merely gazed at her with impatience.
"I'm trying to tell you that Mr. Bingley is coming to visit us today, and the regiment is back in town. Isn't that lovely!? I do hope Wickham will be with them!"
The name 'Wickham' seemed to bring Hotaru to her senses.
"Wait a minute," she said, putting a hand to her head, "Wickham, as in Pride and Prejudice?"
Chibi-Usa only stared at her as if she were babbling nonsense.
"Kitty, if you don't hurry up and get dressed then I'm not going to wait for you."
"So let me get this straight," Hotaru said, quietly, "You're Lydia Bennett, and I'm Kitty Bennett, and that means that she -"
She paused as a harried looking Mrs. Aino dressed in a truly ridiculous outfit with curling papers falling off of her like sakura petals, burst into the room and shoved Chibi-Usa out the door.
"And that's Mrs. Bennett," Hotaru murmured to herself.
She took the momentary lull to her advantage and peered around what had once been her bedroom. It was now somehow transformed into an 18th century bed chamber, complete with fireplace, dressing table and four poster bed. Hotaru was about to doubt her own sanity when she caught a glimpse of something in the full length mirror on the opposite side of the room. Approaching this carefully she saw, to her complete astonishment, a vision reflected in the glass that looked very much like herself - asleep in her bed in Japan.
As she studied it the realization began to dawn on her that she was having an extremely lucid dream. She pinched herself sharply, but all this accomplished was a jolt of pain, a hiss and a nice bruise.
"How do I get out of here?" she wondered aloud, and tried the first method that came to mind: which was pushing on the mirror Alice in Wonderland style.
But the mirror remained simple, impenetrable glass. She was about to find something to smash it with when a clear voice caught her attention.
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," someone said.
Hotaru dropped the chamber pot and turned around quickly to find Michiru standing in the doorway. Her turquoise hair was pulled back into a style similar to Usa's, but her gown was much nicer and complimented her coloring beautifully.
"Michiru-mama?" Hotaru asked hopefully.
Michiru smiled.
"Did you have a bad dream, dear?"
Hotaru let loose a sigh of relief, at least one person knew what was going on.
"Yes, I'm still having it," she explained eagerly, "and everything is Jane Austen - only -"
"Jane Austen?" Michiru asked, puzzled, "That's an odd name. We don't know any Austens do we?"
Hotaru slumped. Evidently, Michiru was part of the dream too. However, realizing that it was a dream offered some possibilities.
If it was a dream then she could do whatever she wanted to, couldn't she? She wasn't an accomplished lucid dreamer like Rei, but she thought perhaps -
As if in summons to her thoughts, Rei flitted past the doorway to look in on them. Hotaru noted that her shiny black hair was pulled back in a very becoming style that made her mysterious eyes look very fetching, yet she was dressed much less brilliantly than Michiru.
"Jane, Kitty, you'd better hurry. Mama is beginning to fret," The dark eyed beauty called, then popped out into the hall.
"We'll be there in just a moment, Lizzy." Michiru assured her.
"So, you're Jane, Rei's Elizabeth, Usa is Lydia and I'm Kitty," Hotaru recited to herself.
"Who's Mary?" she asked Michiru.
Michiru stared at her blankly.
"Mary? Is that one of your friends?" she asked, kindly.
Hotaru frowned.
"There are five Bennett sisters, aren't there?" she asked, counting the names off on her fingers.
"Five of us?" Michiru smiled, "Wherever did you find such a notion, Kitty? You know there are only four of us."
So not everything is by the book, Hotaru thought. This should be interesting. I suppose I have to get used to people calling me Kitty now.
This made her rather glum, but she decided it was only a minor set back.
Finding, to her delight, that Michiru - or Jane - had helped her dress while they talked, Hotaru took a moment to play around in her new clothes, enjoying the feeling of wearing an elegant gown - even if it was plain in the world of her dream.
"Girls! Mr. Bingley is here!" screeched Mrs. Aino-or Mrs. Bennett's - from down stairs.
"Come down this minute!!!"
Michiru hooked her arm with Hotaru's and, sparing her a rueful smile, she tugged the younger girl down the stairs.
Hotaru and Michiru entered to find Mrs. Aino, Chibi-Usa and Rei already sitting with two men. One was talking animatedly with Mrs. Aino and the other had his back turned to the room, leaning against the mantle.
Hotaru noticed with surprise that the man opposite Rei and Mrs. Aino appeared to be none other than Zoisite. Dressed in a dark hunting coat, riding breeches and top boots, he actually looked very dashing as an 18th century gentleman though his eyes, she noted, sparkled with hidden amusement just as they did in real life.
"Why, Mr. Bingley, you must have a ball at Netherfield," Usa-Lydia - was exclaiming, "absolutely, and then we can invite all the officers. Think how much fun it would be."
"Lydia," Hotaru heard Rei intone warningly, "It is Mr. Bingley's ball, not yours."
"Oh, that's alright," Zoisite replied brightly, "I don't mind in the least. The more the merrier. What do you think, Darcy?"
Hotaru was spared having to remember to call Zoisite Mr. Bingley by the truly shocking discovery that Mr. Darcy was none other than Mamoru. She blinked several times and completely ignored poor Zoisite, caught up as she was by Mamoru's dark and brooding face and air. The clothing suited him perfectly and his naturally regal posture fit the character to perfection.
But why, she wondered, do I feel like something is wrong?
It was then that Rei, moving to pour some tea for Zoisite as he and Mrs. Aino prattled on about dances, caught her attention. She noted the look that passed between Rei and Mamoru - so quick that no one else had seen it. She realized what the discrepancy was in her dream world.
If Rei was Elizabeth and Mamoru was Darcy, then that meant the two of them would end up together at the end of the story - or her dream - whichever came first.
But surely, she reasoned, there's some mistake. Maybe the story is different?
"Don't even think about changing it," someone said.
Hotaru, though she was used to talking cats, still let out an involuntary yelp. Unfortunately all eyes turned to her as she did so, which caused her to become very red and to mumble something about a loose needle on the sofa's cushion and so on...but the incident did give her an opportunity to observe that no one else in the room seemed to notice the talking cat, who happened to be Luna.
"Why are you in my dream?" Hotaru asked.
"Why not?" Luna countered, with typical feline perversity. Hotaru suppressed a groan, knowing that it would do her no good.
"What did you mean that I shouldn't change it?" She pursued, "It's just a dream, won't it work itself out?"
"You are very impertinent," Luna observed, washing one ear, "This is my world and I created these characters and you and I both know the ways the stories need to go. After that little stunt of yours with the chamber pot, I'm afraid I'm going to have to keep an eye on you. No meddling."
Hotaru felt like sticking her tongue out, but was too polite.
"But why should I?" She asked, "I mean, it's my dream. Can't I just enjoy it?"
Luna merely looked at her until she felt uncomfortable.
"Who are you supposed to be anyway?" Hotaru asked suspiciously.
Luna looked very haughty down her little cat nose and replied, "Jane Austen, of course."
Hotaru blinked.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yes," Luna replied, her tail lashing angrily, "Just as sure as I am that you are a scrubby little girl who should consider herself lucky to be in my story at all."
"I'm not scrubby!"
"Perhaps I meant, boring, dull...unadventurous," Luna suggested, leaping to the nearby window-sill.
"I am not boring!" Hotaru exclaimed, having privately feared just this for many years.
"I have a very adventurous spirit," she added, defensively. Well, she had always wanted to be adventurous. It was part of the reason she admired Chibi-Usa so much.
"Prove it," Luna/Jane Austen said, and leaped out the window without further ado.
Hotaru blinked for a few moments, then returned to her companions, only to find that they were rising to go outside.
I'm not boring or timid, she thought to herself, I'll show her who's adventurous! This is my dream and I can do what I want to do.
She followed Zoisite and Michiru, who had taken each other's arms and were walking out the door together, followed at a more discrete distance by Rei and Mamoru - who were not even talking to each other.
Mrs. Aino, seeing her intentions, attempted to hold her back but she evaded the woman and capered after the couples. The sight of Zoisite walking with Michiru-mama was so ridiculous to Hotaru, not to mention odd, that she decided that instant that she would meddle, no matter what Luna said. Well, just a little bit of meddling.
Where were the missing characters? She wondered. Where were the other senshi, the shitennou? Where was Usagi?
She looked at Mamoru, thinking hard.
"Are you always so taciturn, Mr. Darcy?" Rei asked.
Mamoru walked in silence beside her for a moment, while Hotaru eavesdropped behind them.
"Are you always so inclined to talk?" He returned.
"No," Rei replied in kind.
That was odd, Hotaru thought. According to the book Elizabeth was supposed to be very congenial, but Rei wasn't exactly that type. Perhaps they weren't as well cast as Luna (or who ever she was) had thought.
She crept up a little way to listen to Michiru and Zoisite.
"And then I said, 'Lord, you can't mean to go out looking like that!'", Zoisite was recounting a tale to Michiru, who, though listening perfectly politely, looked extremely bored.
This isn't right, either. Hotaru realized. The sooner she found Haruka-papa, the better. Haruka-papa always knew how to make Michiru laugh. But where was she to be found?
"I need someone to help me," she said, aloud, "Someone who knows how to meddle."
"Hello there!", a bright voice intoned from the opposite side of the hedge. Hotaru nearly jumped out of her skin, but calmed down once she noticed the beaming face peering over the top of the hedge.
"Did you say you need someone who knows how to meddle?" The woman asked.
"Y-yes."
Hotaru stole a covert glance at the couples to make sure they remained unaware of her presence and then dashed to the hedge to look up at the stranger.
She saw, to her surprise and delight, that Mina's face, ringed in a wealth of curls and lace bonnet, was staring down at her sunnily.
"I'm your next door neighbor," Mina replied, "Emma Woodhouse, how do you do?"
"I'm H-uh...Kitty Bennet," Hotaru answered, dropping a very small curtsy (more of a dip, really).
"Very nice to meet you," Mina continued, "I couldn't help but notice that you seemed rather distressed. And I wondered if I could be of any assistance. I believe if you are looking for someone who can intervene in the lives of others when they most need intervention you could not find a better companion than myself."
Hotaru did not doubt that this was true.
"The fact is," she said, beginning to catch on as to how to play the game in her dreamworld, "My older sisters are thinking about getting married, but they have bad choices - er - matches, I mean. And I need to find the right people, or um, suitable...husbands for them."
"I perfectly understand you!" Mina squealed with unholy joy, "Let me come around this ridiculous lawn arrangement and then we can begin to plan." Mina disappeared accompanied by the sounds of scuffling and tearing fabric as well as breaking twigs.
"This is going to be a very long dream," Hotaru observed. She thought she caught the sight of a lashing black tail in the corner of her eye.
But it was her dream - what could Jane Austen or Luna possibly do about it?