To G B Keeper- Thank you. I'm just glad somebody's enjoying the story so far.
Hissori debated staying in the house until the noon break. She'd be less conspicuous in the flood of people walking the streets then, and security within the city was more than halved while guards left to eat or spend a few precious moments with their families. But if anyone realized she was missing before then, they'd surely check the house first. It was a risk either way, but she finally decided to leave.
She left a note for her uncles, a simple I'm sorry, I love you, don't follow me. She wanted to write one for Matt, too, but Matt's mother worked nights in the power plants and would be home right now. She couldn't risk being caught before she left the city. She could only hope Matt would understand, in the soothing, gentle way he understood everything else about her.
Taking her bag, Hissori slipped out the back door and across the yard. There was a narrow alley behind the yard, used for city maintenance and an emergency escape route. It led all the way to the city walls, where it turned into a secure tunnel that extended beyond the wall and into the farmland surrounding the city. From there, a fast hour's walk would take her past the farms and into the forest.
Aura's power had come with an instinctive knowledge of how to use it, and among her powers was the ability to transport herself to within several miles of the Moon Princess. Even this far away, she could feel the pull of that sacred blood, calling her to it as a trumpet calls soldiers to battle.
Hissori made it to her destination without mishap. She was standing under a tree, looking out over a park. She knew it was a park, although she'd never been to the single one in the city. That park was reserved for Queen Beryl and her court. No lowly student would have been permitted to set foot in it. Those that dared without permission were without exception never seen or heard from again.
It was more beautiful than Hissori had ever imagined a park could be. Unlike the city where she'd lived her entire life until now, everything was green and growing, left mostly to the will of Nature. The paths wandered aimlessly around patches of flowers and gentle hills. Trees seemed to have been planted just wherever, instead of laid out in relentlessly military rows. She found the borderline chaos oddly appealing.
Hissori closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, breathing in air far cleaner than any she'd known before. She'd never left the city, after all; she'd grown up surrounded by factories, power plants, forges, and prisons. Compared to this place, she'd been living in a perpetual cloud of smog all her life.
She opened her eyes in time to see a family walk by, a young boy with his parents. While she was familiar with the concept of 'family,' there was a closeness about this one, a unity and togetherness that could never have been achieved in the Negaverse, and Hissori felt a sudden pang of envy. This glimpse of peaceful existence was enough to show her what she would never have. She and her uncles would never be able to walk happily through a park, laughing and talking with one another like equals. Zoicite would never dare hug her in public, or show affection towards Kunzite. It was supremely unfair.
She turned away, surprised to find angry tears burning in her eyes. She knew life wasn't fair. It had never been, and it never would be. She knew it, deep in her bones, yet she still chose to believe that it could be fair.
You're only making it harder on yourself, She thought sternly. Stop acting like a baby and do what you came here for.
She began to walk away, but a scream stopped her in her tracks. A woman's scream- the mother. Hissori turned in time to see what could only be a creation of the Negaverse; a vaguely human, part animal thing with claws and fangs and glowing eyes fixed hungrily on the little boy.
Even as her mind refused to register what was about to happen, she moved, placing herself between the monster and its prey. She had no weapon on her but a few small knives, and there was nothing handy but her new power. She touched her fingertips to Aura's necklace – she could have sworn it was under her shirt, not on top of it – and yelled an alien phrase that, once spoken, seemed as familiar as her own name.
"Moonrose Power!"
Red and blue flashed before her, swallowing reality and reshaping it a million times in the space it took to blink. She felt flames against her skin, but they did not burn her. She felt water flow around her, but it did not drown her. Instead, the two opposing elements placed themselves at her command, merging and reforming into power.
It was over in an instant, and she could feel pure power coursing through her. She had changed drastically in that instant, and she knew how to use the change.
She held one hand out in front of her, fingers spread, palm down, and yelled 'Goal Shot!' A black and blue disc of energy appeared under her palm, spinning rapidly. She grabbed it and threw it like a shot put; it sailed through the air and slammed into the thing's stomach. It doubled over in pain, snarling.
Moonrose turned to the civilians, who stood in a frozen huddle behind her.
"What the hell are you waiting for, an engraved invitation?" She demanded. "Get the hell out of here!"
They did, and Moonrose refocused on the monster. It had recovered and was rushing at her. If it wanted physical combat, then that was exactly what it was going to get. She was top of her class in PCT, and better than some sixth years.
She didn't get to prove that to the monster, however; a ball of fire crashed into it instead.
"Hey, Negatrash!" A voice exclaimed. "You think you can come into our peaceful park and attack innocent people?"
Moonrose turned again, this time to stare at three teenage girls in outfits similar to her own. One was dressed all in blue, one in red and purple, and one in blue and red. The one in blue and red was the one making speeches.
"We won't allow this kind of behavior!" The speaker said, posing dramatically. "For love and justice, I'm Sailor Moon, and in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"
The girl in red introduced herself as Sailor Mars, the one in blue as Sailor Mercury, while Moonrose stood by in silent astonishment. Here they were, not ten feet away from a monster that was obviously planning to seriously hurt if not kill them, and they were making speeches?
I do believe these three are morons.
"Moon Tiara Magic!" Sailor Moon exclaimed, removing her tiara and lobbing it at the monster like a Frisbee. It tore the thing neatly in two, destroying it.
"And it wasn't possible to do that without the speech?" Moonrose asked without thinking. "It's a wonder all three of you aren't dead."
"Who are you?" Mars demanded suspiciously. She had the prettiest violet eyes.
"No one of consequence," Moonrose said with a shrug, turning and walking away. "I'll see you later; I've got a job to do."
Hissori wandered the park for another hour or so. She could feel the pull of the Moon Princess nearby, but the harder she tried to pinpoint an exact location, the harder it became to feel even an approximate one, so she finally gave up in the interest of food.
She settled under a beautiful tree with long, thin branches that formed a kind of natural curtain and opened her bag. She had some snacks in there she could eat while she tried to work out a place to stay the night.
She had graduated her SCC – Survival under Combat Conditions – course two months ago, so she'd have no problem living anywhere for now. If the nights got as cold here as they did in the Negaverse, though, she'd have to steal some blankets. Thievery raised the likelihood of her being discovered and captured, and she'd rather find some way to keep warm honestly.
Hissori leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes, letting her mind drift where it wanted. Judging by the position of the sun, she had several hours until nightfall.
Makoto didn't normally bother other people. She preferred to ignore them, more often than not. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure what prompted her to bother this one girl. It could have been the fact that she looked out of place, or that she was lying under a willow tree and might have collapsed there.
"Hey, are you okay?" Makoto asked, kneeling next to the girl and shaking her gently.
"Mmm," The girl answered, and the next thing Makoto knew, she was pinned against the tree.
Not wanting to hurt her, Makoto rolled, pinning the girl against the ground, and shook her once. Hard.
"What the-" The girl looked confused, confirming Makoto's guess that she'd been fighting on instinct. "Who the hell- what happened?"
"You attacked me," Makoto told her calmly, letting go and backing up. "I was trying to wake you up."
"Oh," The girl sat up and shook her head so that her blonde braid swung ponderously from side to side. "I apologize, then; thank you for waking me."
"No problem," Makoto said, studying the girl closely. Her hair must be incredibly long, since her braid trailed in a loose coil on the ground next to her, and her eyes were pale pink, like sakura petals. Her clothing, though obviously not a uniform, nonetheless gave the impression of being a uniform, all of it a drab shade of grey that didn't suit her in the least. "It's getting late; you should be going home. I'll walk you, if you like."
"I'm not going- I mean… I have nowhere to stay as of yet." The girl said, somewhat waspishly. "I've only just arrived in the area."
"Well, do you know anyone who can let you sleep at their place?" Makoto asked. "It's against the law to sleep in the park, you know."
Judging from her expression, she hadn't known, but it was no big surprise. "I know no one," She said, frowning thoughtfully. "And I don't know if I can afford temporary lodgings."
"If that's the case, would you like to crash at my place, just for tonight?" Makoto offered. For some reason, it didn't bother her that she didn't even know this girl's name.
Either the blonde was slightly paranoid, or she'd never been shown kindness by a stranger before. Her face lit up with wonder for a moment, and she seemed a bit awed.
"Are you certain you wouldn't mind a stranger in your home?" She asked. "I'm Hissori, by the way."
"Makoto," Makoto replied, shaking hands briefly. "Kino Makoto. Nice to meet you, Hissori."
Hissori marveled at her sudden fortune as she followed Makoto out of the park. To think that there were people who would gladly offer a complete stranger shelter! And to think that she'd meet one such person before she'd been here a full day! Such kindness very nearly brought tears to Hissori's eyes.
Makoto talked as they walked, pointing out buildings she identified as restaurants, cafés, stores, and arcades. Stores Hissori understood, but she had no idea what a café was, or an arcade. From Makoto's comments, she at least gleaned that restaurants sold prepared food, like the school mess hall. She wondered if the food restaurants served was as bad as the mess hall's.
They didn't have far to go, thankfully. After the fight and all the walking she'd done, she was tired. Never mind the nap she'd taken; sleeping on the ground with no padding underneath you could hardly be termed restful.
Makoto apparently lived alone, and had only recently moved to the area; there were still boxes piled in the corners, and next to no furniture. Everything was clean, though. Makoto probably kept a neat house under any circumstance, if Hissori was any judge.
"I don't have an extra futon," Makoto said apologetically. "I have a few extra blankets you can use, though; that should work for tonight,"
"That will suffice," Hissori said absently, having discovered another minor difference between this place and the Negaverse. It would seem that people kept plants indoors here, since Makoto's small residence was practically drowning in greenery. There was a wide variety, and most of them were blooming, painting the room in vibrant splashes of yellow, pink, white, and blue.
"Go ahead and put your things over there," Makoto said, waving towards a relatively empty wall. "I'll make us some dinner while you get settled, okay?"
"Okay," Hissori agreed, dropping her pack gratefully. "Thank you,"
Makoto, halfway into the kitchen, stopped to blink cluelessly at her. "For what?"
"… Nothing,"
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