Chapter 6: Sailor V!
When Kiyoko woke up the sun was shining down on her, even with her eyes closed she could feel its warmth. Underneath her hands she could feel the soft brush of grass. So she was definitely not on the moon anymore. A gentle breeze blew around her and Kiyoko could hear voices everywhere. Finally Kiyoko was able to open her eyes. She ached all over. And something felt off.
Before she could really take in her surroundings she realized something startling. Her wings were gone, where had her wings gone? Wait, they'd grown out of great magical turmoil…. That dark storm she'd gone through, perhaps that was the reason. She shook her head, trying to focus. First things first. Kiyoko had to figure out where she was. Looking around she saw trees everywhere, but this wasn't a forest. She heard too many people nearby, sensed too many people in general.
So she got to her feet and brushed herself off. Other than the missing wings she seemed relatively unharmed, but Kiyoko didn't know if that was good or bad. The last thing she remember was the moon…. Botan…. And the being that called himself Bugendai…. What had they done? Where had they sent her? Something about that made Kiyoko feel panicked and she started running, looking for people. Somehow she needed people.
Eventually she reached a sidewalk and kept running, bumping right into someone. When she looked she saw a gentle looking blonde man with a kind smiled. He began apologizing, "I'm so sorry miss, are you alright?"
Gathering all of the decorum and self-control of a royal being, Kiyoko refused to show the panic she'd been feeling. It was as if running into this man had literally knocked the sense back into her. She looked up and smiled back at him, "I'm am fine, thank you. But it is I who owe you an apology, I am very sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going at all."
The man looked down at her, seeming amused somehow, "That's okay. I know another girl with odangos who doesn't watch where she's going a lot. May I help you up? My name is Motoki." He extended his hand to Kiyoko.
She made a snap decision. Kiyoko had to know more about where she was. So she broke one of her cardinal rules and took Motoki's hand, reaching into his mind briefly. Kiyoko didn't want to pry into his every thought, but general information would be helpful. But what she got was a bit more than she bargained for. It wasn't just a matter of where, it was also a matter of when. Kiyoko had been transported back through time to twentieth century Tokyo!
But more than that, this Motoki knew her mother! That was the other girl with the odangos that he knew! She saw an image of her mother in her high school uniform surrounded by the Inner Senshi. Damn! Kiyoko knew what it meant to tamper with the timeline. But what should she do? Even though she was glad that she'd left the golden crystal with Endo because it was safe. She wasn't certain how to get back to her own time without Setsuna. And how else could she find her in the city? There was no Crystal Palace to guarantee where she would be.
Motoki had helped Kiyoko to her feet and was staring at her. Then he laughed, "You know, you look a lot like the girl I mentioned when you bite your lip like that." He blinked and asked, "Hey, no offense, but you have something on your forehead." Kiyoko wanted to curse again. She laughed and turned around, pretending to look for something and conjured the first thing she could think of that would hide her crescent moon symbol. So when she turned around, Kiyoko wore simple golden beaded piece of jewelry that was like a tiara, but it wasn't really elegant enough to be called a tiara. It would work, she'd worn it when she was little a few times, but it was the first thing that popped into her mind. Motoki looked at her even more oddly.
She smiled at him and took his hand, burying the thought of the crescent moon in the deepest part of his mind. Then Kiyoko turned the tone of her voice the sweetness of honey, "Motoki is it? My name is Atsuko and I am a little lost actually. Some friends told me that there was an arcade around here. Do you know where it is?" Kiyoko hoped using an alias would cause less impact on the timeline and Atsuko, the name of her most trusted staff when it came to her children, just kind of came out.
Finding himself unable to resist helping her, Motoki chuckled, "Yeah. I know the place. I work there actually. Come on, I'm headed in now." He offered her his arm and she took it. Kiyoko had to get to the Senshi and get back to the thirty second century! As the two of them walked down the street, Kiyoko saw her reflection in a store window. A thought struck her, she'd remembered remarks made about Chibi-Usa's hair and how much speculation it caused when she traveled back. She asked Motoki to hold on and took the Odangos in her hair down and ran her fingers through it. That was better! The less conspicuous Kiyoko looked the better. Motoki just shook his head at her and then the two of them made their way to Crown Arcade.
Once inside, Kiyoko found herself a little overwhelmed. She'd lived her entire life in castles. The only commotion Kiyoko was used to were the sounds of her children and the occasional festival. But there was noise and blinking lights from games everywhere. But she was able to adjust. And at Motoki's suggestion she tried out a game that seemed suspiciously placed there called "Sailor V". The mechanics of the game were simple enough. Pretty soon Motoki came over to check on Kiyoko and gasped, "That is the highest score I've ever seen!"
A moment later Kiyoko felt familiar presences. Without fail the doors to the arcade slide open and Kiyoko heard voices she knew. It was Minako… and her mother! Kiyoko took a deep breath, but continued playing the game. It wouldn't be good to pounce on them like a tiger. She heard Motoki walk over and greet them joyfully, "Minako-chan! Usagi-chan! How's it going?"
It was Minako who responded first, "Hi Motoki-san! It's great! We're here to play some Sailor V!" Her laugh was giddy. Kiyoko had always known Minako to be bubbly, but this was more than she had ever experienced. She supposed it was their youth.
Motoki laughed, "Sorry Minako-chan, but someone is playing it right now. Actually she's crushing it! Highest score ever! Even higher than Ami-chan's!" Kiyoko heard both girls gasp.
Her mother, Usagi shouted in disbelief, "No way Motoki-san! Nobody is better at Sailor V than Ami-chan!"
Kiyoko could almost hear his shoulders shrug, "Afraid so! Go see for yourselves!" Then she heard three people's footsteps walking toward her.
Alright, she had to stay calm that is what Kiyoko told herself. She could handle this. When they were right behind her, Kiyoko heard Minako say, "No way! That is not possible!"
Laughing, Motoki told them, "See, I told you! She's amazing!" Then he turned his voice toward Kiyoko, "Atsuko, this is Minako and Usagi. They're regulars at that game. Well, around here in general."
Uncertainly Kiyoko turned her head, letting her game end, and looked up. There they were, Minako and her mother. Minako who had always been the duality of the goddess of love and beauty, while being the fearless leader of the Inner Senshi at the same time. And of course there stood her mother, but so youthful with a look that was cute yet not the refined one that Kiyoko was used to along with hair that was as golden as the sun instead of as silver as the moon. It was shocking to say the least. Kiyoko had seen mental images over the years, but seeing it in person was entirely different.
Smiling, Kiyoko spoke tentatively, "Hello. Nice to meet you Usagi, Minako." Her mother, or rather Usagi, it felt strange to call this teenage girl her mother, in her typical friendly manner held out her hand to Kiyoko. Slightly worried about how this would go, Kiyoko stood up and took Usagi's hand and shook it.
Usagi smiled and looked at her strangely, tempting Kiyoko to use her telepathy. However, she didn't because Kiyoko was afraid of the two of them picking up on more than they might be already. Then Minako shook Usagi, "Usagi-chan!"
"Oh sorry," Usagi said as she blinked and brought that bright expression back to her face. She smiled at Kiyoko, "Want to go and get some ice cream or something Atsuko-chan? May I call you Atusko-chan?"
So her mother really had been too trusting then too. She wasn't psychic like Kiyoko, yet here she was… Kiyoko chuckled to herself unable to help being happy. Usagi's nature was infectious. Kiyoko answered, "Yes, you can call me Atsuko-chan. But can we get some cake instead?"
Usagi nearly squealed and grabbing her arm, calling Minako to come too as she dragged Kiyoko out of the arcade. Kiyoko looked back at Minako's expression, it was curious at the least. Suddenly Usagi forced the two of them to a stop. When Kiyoko turned her head she couldn't believe her eyes!