Disclaimer: I don't own any Sailor Moon characters, but I (and Vanessa Riverton) own Kiyoshi. - FACT! This fic is also inspired by the song "Just One Look" by The Hollies.
A/N: This fic is dedicated to impersonal. Happy (Chinese) Valentine's Day!
She only saw her once, but once was all it took. Just one look into her violet eyes and she knew. She had never felt this way before, not even with Neptune. Indeed, she was very much infatuated with the beautiful senshi of the sea, but she knew it would never amount to anything as Neptune was clearly destined to be with Uranus. The senshi of strife looked on at the young woman wielding her Silence Glaive. How ill-fated it was that the one time she could gaze on her would be the last. Or maybe not.
"No, Eris, you mustn't stop her."
She turned to her partner. As the outermost planets, she and Pluto were the first to defend against any attacks on the Moon Kingdom. Eris, having a little more gain on Pluto, had sent the senshi of time to alert the others while she kept the enemies at bay. But soon too much chaos had ensued, and Saturn was now awakened.
"Easy for you to say! You're going to be reborn with everyone else, I'm not! It's my fault this is happening!"
Pluto began to object, but her knowledge of the future was not meant for anyone else but her. Instead, she simply stated, "It has to be done."
Eris turned her eyes back to Saturn and once again became lost in the dark pools of purple. Just one look and she felt so in love. Saturn stared back at her, and with that one look Eris knew she was the only one and somehow, someday, she'd get her. Suddenly Eris realized Saturn wasn't moving; she was hesitating, as if there was something keeping her from destroying the world. Pluto must have seen it too.
"Saturn, now!" she shouted urgently.
There was regret in Saturn's eyes as she tore them away from Eris. The last thing Eris saw was the senshi of destruction lowering the point of her glaive to the ground.
Kiyoshi's gray eyes flew open and she stared at the ceiling. Her projection clock read 3:28 am. She tried desperately to grasp what remnants she could of the dream she just had, but it was gone as quickly as it came, leaving her as always with a strange feeling that she could never make sense out of. It was a bit of grief mixed with longing, but then there was also a sense of hope and fulfillment.
Unable to come up with anything new, she ran her hands through her short dark green hair and swung her feet over the side of her bed. Quietly she crept down the hall past the three bedrooms that belonged to the other occupants of the house and went downstairs to the kitchen when she noticed the light was on in the study. Kiyoshi peeked in and saw the youngest member of the household working diligently on the computer.
"Hota? What are you still doing up?" Kiyoshi asked, being careful not to startle the dark-haired girl.
"Oh, Kiyo! I'm just… working on something," the young girl replied, her violet eyes looking at Kiyoshi affectionately. It was that one look that always forced Kiyoshi to be aware of just how attracted to Hotaru she had become.
"University life is really taking its toll, ne," Kiyoshi said more in an attempt to deter her thoughts than in actual interest in Hotaru's academic life.
"It's not for school, it's a… personal project." Hotaru began to blush, but in the dim light it went unnoticed.
"Heh? It can't wait to be done during the normal hours of the day?" Kiyoshi teased.
"Well, I'm trying to get it done for tomorrow," the girl paused, "erm, today actually."
"I see. Well you should try to get more sleep. You'll start looking like a panda if you keep this up."
Hotaru let out a light giggle. "Don't worry, Kiyo, I'll sleep when I'm tired," she said and gave Kiyoshi an assuring smile. "And I don't have class till the afternoon."
Kiyoshi returned the smile and took one more look at Hotaru, who had turned her attention back to the computer, before resuming her course to the kitchen. As she searched the refrigerator for a can of soda, her thoughts turned back to the girl in the study and she wondered what could possibly be so special about today. She glanced up at the calendar hanging on the wall. The square marking the seventh of August was blank. Kiyoshi shrugged it off and found a can of Coke hidden behind the juice bottle.
The green-haired tomboy was about to ascend the stairs back to her bedroom when a thought dissuaded her. She walked back to the study and knocked lightly.
"Hai?" Hotaru said softly.
"Need some company?"
"No, it's okay, I don't want to keep you up."
"Ah don't worry, I'm awake, and I don't have work tomorrow."
Hotaru gazed tentatively at Kiyoshi as she took a seat on the couch next to the desk. It had been a month since the fifth outer senshi was discovered and brought in to live with them, and although she and Kiyoshi were frequently spending time together, Hotaru still felt somewhat shy around her. "You'll only get bored staying here with me."
"Nah, I like staying with you." Kiyoshi said with a wink.
"Okay, if you say so, but I'm not inclined to talking much."
"Then would you mind if I just played my guitar?"
Hotaru began to blush profusely. She had secretly been obsessed with listening to Kiyoshi play her guitar. "Not at all," she replied.
For the next half hour, Hotaru continued working on the computer while Kiyoshi strummed on her guitar. The two occasionally exchanged glances with each other, but other than that they were merely silent. When an hour passed, Kiyoshi wasn't surprised to see the young girl nodding off at the desk. She shook her head and lightly scolded the sleepy girl.
"Go to sleep, panda," she said. "Here, I'll even play you a lullaby."
Hotaru yawned. "No, I'm almost done." She fought valiantly to keep her eyes open, but Kiyoshi could see she was quickly losing the battle.
"That's it, panda." Kiyoshi stood up and pulled Hotaru away from the computer. "Come on, I'm taking you to bed."
A coy smile spread across Hotaru's lips. "My bed or yours?"
Kiyoshi laughed off the remark. It wasn't the first time she and Hotaru played these flirting games, but the tinge she felt inside made her wonder if perhaps there was something more to their innocent flirting. "You're such a tease, Taru-koi," she said as they walked up the stairs together.
They stopped in front of Hotaru's bedroom and Hotaru had that affectionate look in her eyes again. "Kiyoshi," she said with slight hesitation.
"Hotaru."
They stared at each other in silence, then Hotaru said, "Good night."
Kiyoshi looked at Hotaru in deep thought. Her feelings for the girl were escalating by the second, but she wasn't sure how to act on them, or if it was even a wise decision to do so. Finally, after another excruciating moment of silence, the taller woman leaned down and placed a light kiss on Hotaru's forehead. "Good morning," she said back to her and continued down the hall to her bedroom. "It's almost 5 am."
Hotaru's face flushed with heat as a result of the unexpected gesture. Kiyoshi turned to look at Hotaru one last time before entering her bedroom. With that last look, Kiyoshi gave up and fell in love with the girl with violet eyes.
Hours later, Kiyoshi stepped out of her bedroom and lazily made her way to the bathroom with eyes half-closed. As she stepped inside, her hand reached up to the light switch absent-mindedly and she didn't stop to realize that the light was already on until her foot nudged a pile of clothes on the floor. She looked down curiously and it slowly dawned on her that she was looking at grey panties atop a sports bra and a pair of shorts and a shirt.
"Um, Kiyo?"
All of Kiyoshi's senses immediately kicked in and she finally noticed the humidity of the bathroom, indicating the shower had been in use. As an automatic response, she looked in the direction from which her name was called and her eyes fell upon the girl wrapped in a towel.
"Shit, I'm sorry, Hota," Kiyoshi uttered and quickly left the bathroom. She stood in the hallway and took a moment to breathe. When she lifted her head up, Setsuna was staring at her with intrigue.
"Were you just in the bathroom with Hotaru?" the other green-haired woman asked.
"I… she… er… accident," Kiyoshi spoke in fragments.
Setsuna raised an eyebrow at her partner from the past. "You two are so cute."
"What?"
"It's okay, Kiyoshi. I see the way you two look at each other. I've seen that look before."
"Oh right, miss omniscient guardian of time. What's that supposed to mean?"
The bathroom door opened then and Hotaru came out into the hall.
"Good morning, Setsa… Kiyo," she greeted the two green-haired ladies and hurriedly went into her room. Kiyoshi's eyes never left her dripping form.
"Anyway," Setsuna said, stepping in front of Kiyoshi and calling the awestruck tomboy's attention back to her, "don't cause any trouble on your day off, Kiyo. I'll see you later."
Kiyoshi watched Setsuna go down the stairs and heard her walk out the front door before she remembered she needed to use the bathroom. She went ahead and took a shower as well, a cold one, and came downstairs after putting on some clothes to fulfill the demands of her stomach. Assuming everyone was gone, Kiyoshi walked around wearing only her boxers and a tank shirt. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was startled to see Hotaru coming out of the study.
"Hotaru! I thought you already left for class."
"Um…" Hotaru tried her best to keep her eyes from wandering over Kiyoshi's body. "I'm running a little late, but this is for you." She held out an envelope that she had written Kiyoshi's name on.
"Oh, thanks. What's the occasion?" Kiyoshi took the envelope from Hotaru and turned it in her hands.
"It's Chinese Valentine's Day."
Kiyoshi stopped and looked at Hotaru with both of her eyebrows raised in a stunned expression.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Kiyo!" Hotaru blurted out and rushed out the door, leaving Kiyoshi in a daze.
It took a moment for Kiyoshi to regain her composure, but once she did, Kiyoshi opened up the envelope and pulled out a card. The front of the card had a collage of photographs of Kiyoshi and Hotaru, all of which were taken in the past month. Inside the card, the message was simple, "Yours and mine, forever and always."
Later that afternoon, Hotaru came home tired from her long, boring classes and she collapsed onto a couch in the family room. She was also anxious to see Kiyoshi. She regretted running off earlier, as it caused unnerving anticipation on her part throughout the whole day. The clock on top of the mantelpiece read 4:15, which meant she had about forty-five minutes till Kiyoshi arrived home from work. She decided she could take a power nap till then and closed her eyes.
"Hotaru."
The girl shot up from the couch and thought she was dreaming when she saw Kiyoshi standing a short distance from her. Just as she was about to ask Kiyoshi why she was home early, she remembered Kiyoshi mentioning she didn't have work today and mentally slapped herself.
"Kiyoshi."
The green-haired tomboy smirked. "I told you, you need more sleep, panda. Come on, I'll take you to bed."
Hotaru grinned and she forgot all about her anxiety. "My bed or yours?"
With just one look, Kiyoshi said, Mine.
A/N: If you want to know more about Kiyoshi, read Discord Bombard, my jointfic with Vanessa Riverton. This fic is not part of Discord Bombard's plot, but it just gives you a little more in depth Kiyoshi goodness. Oh and thanks to VR for distracting me throughout the writing process of this fic (and helping me get to the end)!