Hooky.
Chapter Two: The Fate Factor.
Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the Sailor Moon characters. This is set 5 years after Sailor Stars.
Ages:
Usagi, Ami, Rei, Minako, Makoto: 21-22.
Mamoru: 26-27.
Haruka and Michiru: 23-24.
Hotaru: 14-16
Setsuna: 2000+ (appears to be mid-twenties)
Starlights: early-mid twenties
Kakyuu: mid twenties.
"Where is our Princess?" Yaten demanded for what Taiki estimated was the 1000th time that day, and it wasn't even the afternoon yet. She sighed and looked up from the pile of official documents she had been reading. Seiya, who was sitting across the room with her guitar just pretended to ignore them, a smile creeping across her face.
"As I told you the previous 999 times Yaten, the Princess told me not to tell you where she was going unless it was a dire emergency, like a planetary invasion. Honestly Yaten, you really worry too much." Taiki told her. Yaten just stood there and turned a darker shade of purple.
"I'm supposed to worry! I'm one of her protectors, remember?" Yaten sputtered. Seiya attempted to stifle a giggle, but failed. Yaten whirled on her angrily. "What are you laughing at? This is an emergency!"
"I'm laughing at you and your antics, what did you think I was laughing at Yaten?" Seiya replied as she strummed on her guitar. "I don't blame the Princess for wanting to get away for a bit. Things have been rather dull around here recently. Relax, our Princess can take care of herself, we don't need to hover around her constantly."
"Yes we do! It is our sworn duty to hover around her and protect her at all times!" Yaten countered.
"Even in her most private moments, like when she is going to bed, or the bathroom." Taiki shot back. Yaten opened her mouth to reply but shut it quickly. She had to admit that Taiki was right, damn her. Yaten did take the part about accompanying Kakyuu at all times a bit too far sometimes, and the Princess had put her foot down on that point.
"But she'll be all alone." Yaten said sadly.
Taiki stood and put a reassuring arm around her younger sister's shoulders. "Don't worry, like Seiya said she is quite capable of taking care of herself. Besides, where she's going she'll be safe." Taiki smiled briefly before turning and going back to the pile of official papers. "Now as co-regents we each have a few duties to take care of." She started handing out folders. "Seiya, there appears to be a small dispute over housing developing in sector 12, go see what it's about."
"Can do." Seiya confirmed.
"Yaten, the Sector 15 farming project is stalling for some reason. Go and see what they need to get back into production, okay?" Taiki handed the file to an unhappy Yaten.
"Why do I have to deal with the farmers?" Yaten complained. Taiki sighed irritably, but before she could retort, Seiya put a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"You need some fresh air to clear your head, and maybe this will teach you a bit of responsibility." Seiya replied. Taiki was a bit surprised that Seiya would say something like that, but kept her opinion to herself.
"Fine then, I'll go. I just hope nothing happens while our Princess is gone." With that, Yaten trudged slowly out of the room, looking more than a bit apprehensive. Seiya just shook her head and chuckled as she placed her guitar down and prepared to leave.
"Are you sure that our Princess will be all right, Taiki?" She asked softly.
Taiki smiled. "Positive. I'm guessing that you have an idea where she went, don't you?"
Seiya smiled back. "Yeah I do. Do you think Yaten has a clue?"
"No."
"So how long do you think we can keep torturing her for?" Seiya asked with an evil smile.
"Seiya! I'm shocked that you would say such a thing!" Taiki's smile turned evil as well. "Three days, tops."
"I'm an optimist, I'll say five." Seiya grinned and extended her hand.
"Done." Taiki took her hand and they shook once.
Seiya gathered the file and headed for the door. "What are you doing Taiki?"
Taiki sighed. "I have to go back to one of those bloody meetings about water reclamation."
Seiya winced. She'd attended one meeting and threatened to quit if she had to go again. "Ouch. Well, good luck then. Later." Seiya turned and left.
"Later." Taiki replied and then prepared to go herself. Before she left she offered a quick prayer to the fates. "Please let our Princess be safe and happy. And I hope that Yaten is right and nothing unpleasant happens here while she's gone." With that she gathered her things and strode from the room.
And somewhere, the fates began to rub their hands in anticipation.
The Starlight's Loft, Tokyo, Japan, 0730 hrs.
Kakyuu awoke just after the early spring sun poked its head above the clouds. She quickly got out of bed and donned a robe before going over to the balcony doors and looking out. Dawn was always her favorite time of the day and she made a habit of waking up before it so she could view the sunrise on Kinmoku.
The city looked magnificent in the early morning sun and Kakyuu couldn't wait to explore it. But there were a few things to take care of first. After her morning prayers, exercise, and shower, she dressed in a simple red t-shirt and blue jeans and set about making breakfast.
Breakfast was a simple affair of a cup of tea and something called Eggo Waffles with syrup. She would have preferred something different, but it was all that was in the refrigerator other than some fruit, vegetables, and some milk. She really needed to go shopping, but first she needed some earth currency.
Taiki gave her some instructions on how to obtain some, fortunately. She gave Kakyuu the contact numbers for the Starlight's agent on Earth so she could contact him to give her access to their funds among other things. After breakfast, and a bit of cleaning, she contacted the man to tell him that she was his client's sister and that she had their permission to stay at the loft and use their funds. He asked for a codeword for confirmation and she gave him the word Taiki gave her; Kinmokusei. He thanked her and assured her that someone would be by soon to give her a few papers to sign along with a few other items. He asked her how long she would be staying, and she told him a week, possibly two. He welcomed her to Tokyo and assured her that he'd take care of the arrangements. She thanked him and hung up.
Two hours of perusing maps and guidebooks later, the doorbell rang. A representative from the agent stood there with a large envelope. After she signed the papers and he left, Kakyuu opened the envelope and spread the contents on the table. There was a fair amount of Earth currency along with several current credit cards with the name Kou, Kakyuu, on them. She was flattered that her beloved protectors had anticipated such an occasion as their return to Earth. There was also a set of car keys for the van downstairs, a set of house keys, and a cellular phone. Kakyuu was excited, she could finally go out and explore the city!
After putting her money and a few other items into her pockets and into a small knapsack, she donned a jacket and set out on her journey. Her first impulse was to find the Earth princess and her protectors. She had a list of their addresses in the city that the Senshi had given the Starlights before they left, and after perusing the maps, Kakyuu determined that the home of Sailor Mars was the closest. First though, she would see if she could drive an Earth vehicle.
Kakyuu eyed the van warily. The van looked a bit garish to her, but it was all part of her protector's cover as a group of musicians. It was a bit ostentatious, but it was all she had. She sighed and got into the van, noting that she would have to clean the vehicle as well.
After several minutes of adjusting the driver's seat and mirrors, trying to remember which pedal and lever did what, remembering to open the garage door (and shut it behind her), starting the van, driving down the wrong side of the road, and a few near misses, Kakyuu was on her way to Rei's home.
It took an hour of wrong turns, asking directions, and being yelled at by other drivers for going too slowly, but she finally made it to the steps of the Hikawa Jinja thinking that she would have been better off teleporting, but that would have caused a stir. Kakyuu stepped out of the van and gazed up the steps of the temple. What a beautiful place. She thought as she looked around at the ornate gates and the trees that surrounded them. She took slow deliberate steps up the long stone stairs, as befitting a holy place.
When she got to the top, she walked through the gates and stopped to gaze around in awe. How a place of such beauty and peace could exist in a crowded city like this amazed her. She looked over at the temple across the compound and saw a figure on the steps. As Kakyuu approached, she noticed that the figure had her back to her as she swept the temple steps. It was undoubtedly Sailor Mars with her long black hair and priestess robes.
Kakyuu stood back a respectful distance and called out. "Hello. I'm looking for the head priest of this temple."
"I'm the head…" Rei replied as she turned, a smile forming on her face. The smile turned to shock as she recognized the figure before her, her broom falling from nerveless fingers. "Princess Kakyuu?" She gasped, taking a few steps forward.
Kakyuu smiled warmly as she opened her arms wide and stepped forward. "Yes it is. Hello my friend." They came together and embraced each other like two old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time would.
"When did you arrive in Tokyo?" Rei asked in surprise. "I had a premonition that an old friend would arrive soon, but I had no idea that it would be you!"
"I arrived late last night. You may have seen my arrival." Kakyuu replied. Rei blinked and then she remembered the shooting star she saw last night and nodded. She laughed and hugged Kakyuu again.
"It's good to see you again. Come inside and I'll put on some tea while I call Usagi and the others. They'll be glad to see you." Rei paused and looked around. "Where are Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten?"
"Well…" Kakyuu blushed a bit. "They're still on Kinmoku. I kind of left there without telling anyone but Taiki where I was going."
Rei laughed. "So you're playing hooky then?"
"Hooky?" Kakyuu asked, perplexed.
"Staying away from school or whatever and going somewhere else for awhile." Rei explained. Kakyuu nodded in understanding.
"I just needed to get away from my responsibilities for awhile." Kakyuu replied.
"I understand." Rei replied as she poured the tea. "I'll go and change, and call the others while you have your tea, then we'll go to the Crown and meet everyone there, all right?"
"All right. Thank you Rei." Kakyuu said.
"You're welcome. I won't be long." Rei smiled and hurried to her room to change while her guest drank her tea. Kakyuu smiled in anticipation of seeing her friends again.
As Kakyuu drove to the Crown, with Rei acting as navigator, Kakyuu peppered her with several questions about Earth culture and the like. Rei just smiled and answered as best as she could and assured her that she and the others would help out in any way that they could.
When Kakyuu asked Rei about her duties as the head priest of the temple, she noticed a sad look flash across Rei's face. Rei noted her reaction and simply said; "My Grandfather died two years ago."
Kakyuu placed a reassuring hand on Rei's. "I'm sorry for your loss." Rei thanked her for her words of comfort.
"He lived a full life. Grandpa had his moments, and there were times I wanted to strangle him, but I loved him. When the cancer came, he never slowed down despite my best efforts to get him to rest. He made sure that I was ready to take over the running of the temple after he was gone." She paused and wiped her tears away.
"As long as you carry him in your heart, he'll always be with you." Kakyuu assured her.
"That's about what Usagi said at his funeral." Rei replied. She looked up as they approached. "We're here."
They parked several feet from the door and got out. "Let me go in first. I want to see their faces when you come in. I want to surprise them." Rei said. Kakyuu nodded and Rei stepped inside to find Usagi, Ami, Minako, and Makoto seated at their usual table. Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, and Hotaru hadn't arrived yet.
"Hi Rei!" Usagi called out as she approached. "What's up?"
"You said you had a surprise for us." Minako said.
"Oh yeah, do I ever! Be back in a sec." Rei assured them as she turned and went back to the door.
"I wonder what it is." Ami remarked.
"Maybe Yuuichirou finally proposed to her." Makoto said, speculating.
"I hope so Rei's been so alone since Grandpa died." Usagi replied, a bit sadly.
"Yeah she's…" Minako's voice trailed off as Rei approached their table with a big grin on her face and Princess Kakyuu in tow.
"Hello Usagi, everyone." Kakyuu greeted warmly.
"Kakyuu!" The others squealed excitedly as they all stood to greet her. Kakyuu had to laugh a bit. All of them were now adults by Earth standards, but they acted much like they did when they parted years ago. She greeted each of them warmly before sitting down with them.
Unazuki Furuhata, an old friend of the Senshi, and now an assistant manager of the café, approached their table. "What's all the excitement?" Usagi introduced Kakyuu as an old friend of theirs from out of town. The two shook hands and Unazuki asked if there was anything she could get her. "We're a bit short-handed today." She added, a bit sheepishly.
Kakyuu's stomach growled a bit. "What would you recommend?" Unazuki smiled and told her about the lunch specials. Kakyuu settled on a chicken sandwich and a garden salad, before she saw the milkshake-like concoction in front of Usagi. "And one of those as well."
Unazuki frowned. "Are you sure? My brother only makes those for special customers like Usagi."
"Tell him it's a favor for me, please Unazuki?" Usagi pleaded.
"All right." Unazuki smiled and went away to fill their orders.
"What's so special about that drink?" Kakyuu asked.
"You'll see." Usagi replied with a smile. Kakyuu blinked and then shook her head, baffled.
"Hey, here's Mamoru!" Minako called out. Sure enough, Mamoru was approaching their booth.
"Hello Usako, everyone." He smiled as he greeted the girls, stopping in his tracks as his eyes settled on Kakyuu who sat in between Rei and Makoto.
"Hello Mamoru." Kakyuu said with a grin as she took in his shocked look. Mamoru shook hands with her and sat down beside Usagi, still shocked. Usagi pinched him and he snapped out of it. Kakyuu and the others giggled.
"All right Rei. What was so important that you dragged us all down here for?" Haruka's irritable voice cut in. They looked up to see Haruka and Michiru approach, Michiru with a smile, Haruka with a scowl. Both stopped dead when they saw who was sitting with them. Haruka was so stunned that she barely noticed the smaller person behind her crash into her broad back.
"Papa!" Hotaru growled irritably as she stepped out from behind Haruka, while rubbing her sore nose. She too stopped dead when she saw Kakyuu.
Setsuna, who managed to avoid hitting Michiru, just smiled and said; "I thought it was you last night. Welcome back to Earth." Kakyuu thanked her and then looked at Haruka who was looking around suspiciously.
"Where are they?" She growled. Kakyuu knew who she was talking about, but decided to have a bit of fun.
"They? Who do you mean?"
"You know who I mean! The Stooges! Yaten, Taiki, and Seiya." Haruka spat out the last name like a piece of gristle.
"Stooges? Oh! You mean the Starlights! Don't worry, they're not here." Kakyuu replied with a laugh as she filed the name 'stooges' away for using later.
"They're not here?" Michiru exclaimed. "You mean you didn't tell them you were coming here?"
"Well no, not exactly." Kakyuu admitted, blushing. "I told Taiki in case of an emergency, but I am essentially, how did you put it Rei? 'Playing hooky."
Everyone stared at her, jaws hanging as if hinged. Then Michiru broke the silence. "Well, I'm glad to see you again. Our last meeting didn't go smoothly and I hope that we can put the past behind us." She smiled and extended her hand. Kakyuu smiled and took it.
"I hope so as well." Kakyuu agreed. She smiled as Hotaru came up next. "And I never did get to thank you, little one."
"For what?" Hotaru replied, puzzled.
"For your words of inspiration to the Starlights. They helped turn the tide of the battle in our favor. For that, I thank you." Kakyuu replied. Hotaru stood there recalling her words, telling the Starlights to believe in Sailor Moon. She smiled broadly and reached out to embrace Kakyuu. Makoto smiled, picked the smaller girl up effortlessly and placed her between herself and Kakyuu. The Princess reached out and hugged the youngest Senshi in gratitude. Which is of course when another voice intruded on the moment.
"Hi there! Who ordered the chicken sandwich, salad, and shake?" Motoki asked.
"Motoki, you really need to work on your timing. It really stinks." Minako growled.
"What? What did I do?" Motoki wondered, genuinely confused. The Senshi and Mamoru sighed while Unazuki shook her head.
"I believe I ordered the sand…which…" Kakyuu's voice trailed off as she looked up at the source of the voice. She could feel her throat constrict as she gazed at the handsome man before her. Her heart beat faster as she stared into his deep blue eyes. She felt the blood rush to her face as her head grew light.
"Hi I'm Motoki Furuhata, the manager here. I'm an old friend of Usagi, Mamoru and the others. What's your name?" Motoki asked as he set the tray down and extended his hand. Kakyuu just sat there staring, a dreamy expression on her face.
Ami cleared her throat. "Motoki, this is Kakyuu, an old friend of ours. She just arrived here last night from Nagasaki."
"Kakyuu. What a lovely name." Motoki said with a warm smile. Kakyuu thought she might swoon, but recovered.
"Th-thank you." She stammered. Unazuki just rolled her eyes and asked the latecomers if they wanted anything.
"Let me know if you need anything else. I'll be in the office near the arcade if you need me." Motoki waved and went back to his office.
"Don't worry about my baka older brother. He has this odd effect on ladies. Once you get to know him he's really a big doofus. I'll be back." Unazuki strode off to get the rest of their orders and, not incidentally, swat Motoki upside the head.
The group squeezed into the booth as much as they could and resumed chatting with one another. Kakyuu just stared at the spot Motoki occupied in wonder, a sight that didn't go unnoticed by a certain self proclaimed Goddess of Love. She turned to Rei who said…
"I know what you're thinking, the answer is no."
"How do you know what I'm thinking?"
"Because you always get that contemplative look while you rub your chin like an old Disney villain when you want to play matchmaker."
"You're no fun, Rei."
"Only when I'm trying to prevent an intergalactic war."
"Who's starting an intergalactic war?" Usagi chimed in.
Meanwhile, Kakyuu was chatting away with Michiru, Hotaru, and Setsuna, while Haruka was keeping watch for three erstwhile protectors, when Kakyuu took a sip of her milkshake.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, a pained look crossing her face as she brought her hands to her temples. She felt a numbing pain in her head while her taste buds were assaulted by the unfamiliar flavor.
"What is it?" Michiru asked in concern.
Kakyuu took a larger sip of her drink and a look of bliss appeared on her face. "Mmm, that is so good. What is it?"
"It's called a milkshake, or in this cases a 'chocolate bang'." Setsuna replied.
"What is chocolate?" Kakyuu asked in wonder, bringing conversation at the table to a dead halt.
Setsuna smiled. "I'm guessing that you don't have anything like it on Kinmoku." Kakyuu shook her head. Setsuna explained that chocolate was a food that was made from roasted cacao beans, which came from a cacao plant. "In this case it's mixed with milk and ice cream, which judging from your expression you don't have on Kinmoku either." Kakyuu shook her head again as she took another few sips.
Makoto grinned. "Don't worry. We'll show you a lot more stuff like this while you're here."
"I'm looking forward to it." Kakyuu replied, meaning every word.
They sat and talked for another few hours or so, discussing their lives over the last few years and their plans for the future. Unazuki came up and dropped off their bill while they talked. Haruka and Mamoru sighed and reached for their wallets. Kakyuu guessed their intentions and picked up her knapsack.
"No, no my friends. Allow me, I insist." She reached in and pulled out a wad of currency the size of a large paperback novel and tossed it on the table. Everyone stared at the wad of notes, which had several very large denomination bills on top.
"Is that not enough? I have more here…" Kakyuu began as she started rummaging.
"No! I mean that's enough, really." Ami said quickly as she grabbed the wad of money, peeled off a few notes to cover the bill and a good sized tip, and passed them to a stunned Unazuki. "Um, keep the change." Ami said. Unazuki nodded and left, a bit unsteadily.
"I think we'd better go someplace a little more private." Setsuna suggested. Everyone nodded and they left the café.
Several minutes later, they were back at Rei's temple. The Senshi were asking Kakyuu questions about how long she was staying, life back home, that sort of thing. Ami and Setsuna also talked to her about how Earth currency worked.
"Tomorrow we'll give you a crash course in shopping and commerce." Ami announced.
"Yeah, come with us on our Saturday shopping excursion, it'll be fun." Minako added.
"Besides, you did say that you needed some Earth clothes to help you blend in a bit more didn't you." Rei added.
"Yes I did. Thank you my friends. Thank you for making me welcome on your world." Kakyuu said warmly.
"You're so welcome." Usagi replied as she hugged Kakyuu. With each passing minute, Kakyuu was enjoying herself more and more.
After talking with her friends for a while longer, Kakyuu slipped outside into the evening air. Night had started to fall and the temple grounds were at peace. Kakyuu hadn't felt this good in ages. True, she missed her protectors deeply, but every so often she wished to be alone.
Her protectors had been given to her as a child, and the four had been practically inseparable until Chaos came and destroyed their world, not to mention her lover, whom she missed to this day. He promised that they would spend eternity together and have several children. Alas it was not to be.
As she watched her friends, she felt both contentment, and a bit of envy that they had found true happiness after their long struggle. She looked at Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna and watched as they doted on Hotaru. She wished that she too could have a child of her own. And a husband to share that child with. Images of the handsome Motoki flashed through her mind unbidden, but she pushed the silly thoughts aside. She had her duty to her world to consider first. But she could dream, couldn't she?
An odd impulse seized her before she headed back inside. She took a fortune scroll from the table and wrote a few words on it before rolling it up and tying a ribbon to it. She then took it over to a nearby tree where she saw other fortunes hanging there. She made her wish as she tied the scroll to the branch.
"I wish that one day that I could have a husband and a child of my own." She said aloud and released the branch.
And the fates upon hearing those words did supplicate themselves before the Lord and say unto him; 'Thank yew!' Now the fun could really begin.
Back on Kinmoku…
Taiki and Seiya rested in their apartment after a long day of boring meetings and dealing with annoying officials. Yaten was still MIA.
"How long was she going to be gone for?" Seiya groaned. She had come in and collapsed into a chair over an hour ago and hadn't moved since.
"A week. Maybe two." Taiki moaned in reply from her spot on the couch. If anyone so much as mentioned the words water reclamation to her again, she would obliterate that individual on the spot.
As they lay there exhausted for several minutes, a thought occurred to them.
"Have you heard from Yaten?" They blurted together. They stared at each other and then laughed.
"Maybe she's made a new friend or two." Taiki giggled.
"Yaten? Yeah right. More likely she's…" Seiya was interrupted by the door slamming open.
"I. Hate. Farming." A bedraggled, mud covered, and very pissed off Yaten declared as she stomped into the apartment slamming the door behind her. Seiya and Taiki took one look at their mud encrusted; hair stuck out all over, general mess of a friend, and fell to the floor screaming with laughter.
"IT'S NOT FUNNY!" Yaten bawled, making them laugh harder. Yaten stood there fuming as her sisters laughed, tears falling down her face. Seiya and Yaten saw her tears and calmed down a bit.
"I'm sorry Yaten." Taiki said as she stood up.
"Yeah, me too." Seiya said as she stood. "Could you tell us what happened at least?"
"Maybe after I take a long bath." Yaten promised, calming down a bit. "What else could happen today?" She wondered.
Just as she headed for the bathroom, someone knocked on the door. "Would you get that, you're closest." Seiya called to Yaten. Taiki just snickered.
Yaten muttered a few epithets and went to the door. "What?" She barked as she pulled the door open, and saw nothing but space. Yaten blinked. Then she felt something pulling on her long hair and she looked down.
"Chibi-Chibi?" A very familiar red-haired girl of about 4 years of age gazed up at her.
Yaten's agonized scream could be heard all over Kinmoku.