BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON
~MIRAI~
PART VII: SOLDIER OF VENUS I
by: Komillia (komillia@hotmail.com)
Disclaimer: Sailormoon belongs to Takeuchi Naoko and Kodansha, not me.
Although most of the characters in this fanfiction are original and
created by me.
Some Japanese words I use:
hai = yes
nani = what
sugoi = awesome
gomen nasai = I'm sorry
otou-san = father
onii-san = brother
iie = no
* * * *
"Chie, are you done yet?" Kenji asked, opening the door to
Chie's room. "We're gonna be late."
"Just a moment," Chie said as she continued to search through
her desk. She opened her drawers and began to look through them. "I
just have to find my keys, I know that I put them somewhere around
here..."
"Do you want help with finding them?" Kenji wondered.
Chie nodded. "It would be nice," she answered. She continued to dig
through her messy drawer to find her keys. Kenji began to search
around the room as well, first in the bookshelves.
"Do you have any idea where you saw them the last time?" Kenji
asked.
"Somewhere in this room," Chie replied. "I would be very
unfortunate if I didn't know in which room it was. Then we could just
forget about finding them."
She closed the drawer and opened the next one. She was about to look
through it when her eyes caught sight on a picture with a frame. All
thoughts about her keys vanished as Chie slowly picked up the picture.
It wasn't a photo, but a drawn picture. But photo or not, the feline
of the picture brought back so many memories. She stroke the frame
with with one finger, completely hypnotized by the picture.
[Diana...]
"Hey, I found them!"
Chie snapped back to reality and turned to Kenji. He was standing up
and holding the keys in his hands. Chie put back the picture in the
drawer before he could see it.
"Thanks," she said as Kenji handed them over. "Where did you
find them?"
"For some reason, they were under your bed," Kenji answered.
"We really have to go now, or else all of us are going to be late."
"You're right," Chie agreed, closing the drawer as she
followed Kenji out from her bedroom. The last thing in the room that
she saw before she closed the door was the drawer where the picture
was.
* * * *
Dear Diary,
This morning I found the picture of Diana I drew many years
ago. It's strange, until a couple of weeks ago I had
completely forgotten about her. But around the time when Misao
came, I found myself thinking about Diana. Sometimes I wonder
how things would have been if she was here. I bet that she
would have come up with a solution for Usagi.
I wish that there was some way that I could talk to Diana.
Before the others arrived, she was the only one who I could
talk to about everything.
~Sakura Chie~
* * * *
"I see you guys on Monday!" Chie called as she got off the
bus. Her friends waved as the bus drove away. Chie waved back before
opening the gate and then walking towards the back door of the house.
She checked the garage before she went in and saw that her father's
car was gone. She felt a little sad as she remembered that her father
had left for a business trip the day before. She wasn't used to not
having her father around.
After unlocking the back door, she went in and found the
house quite dark. That meant that the maid, Junko, had already left
and her brother wasn't home yet. She was surprised by that, usually
her brother was home before her.
[I'm hungry...] Chie thought as her stomach growled. She took
her bag with her and went into the kitchen. Turning on the lights, she
saw two notes on the refridgrator. The one she read first was from the
maid.
Chie-san, Kazuo-san,
I have already gone grocery shopping for the weekend, so you
don't have to worry about that. Remember to include the
vegetables, your father have given me strict orders that I
make sure that you eat vegetables. I'll see you on Monday.
PS: I bought some doughnuts for you, but don't tell your
father. I know how much you two like them. It's a treat from
me.
Hisakawa Junko
Chie smiled to herself as she went in search for the doughnuts. She
eventually found them and as she took a bite she read the second note.
Chie
gonna stay at Hiroshi's place. Won't be back til Monday. Don't
tell dad.
Kazuo
"That jerk!" Chie exclaimed, almost dropping the doughnut she
held in her hand. Her father had told both her and her older brother
Kazuo to stay at home and not have any parties. But Kazuo knew that
how loyal Chie could be. Despite feeling angry, Chie decided to not
tell her father. If she did, Kazuo would never trust her again.
[Well... at least it's more doughnuts for me.]
* * * *
That night Chie had very few homeworks, but watching TV all alone
wasn't that fun. Going to bed early was an option, but she didn't feel
like it. She had called her friend Kei for a chat, but then remembered
that Kei was on a sleepover. Her other friends were also busy with
doing something fun.
[Everyone's doing something except for me,] she thought sadly
as she turned off the TV. [What am I supposed to do the entire weekend
all alone if I can't come up with anything to do for an hour?]
Sighing, she left the living room and went upstairs. The only option
left was to play video games in Kazuo's room. She was just about to
enter her brother's room when she heard the sound of porcelain or
glas being smashed on the floor. She froze and turned around, the
sound was coming from her father's bedroom. Could it be a burglar?
Junko could have left the balcony door open by accident.
Chie went into Kazuo's room, opened his drawer and pulled out
a pair of nunchakus. Not that she knew how to use them, but she
figured that it was the only weapon she could get. Slowly and silently
she made her way over to the closed bedroom door. She leaned on the
door carefully, trying to listen. When she heard nothing she put her
hand on the doorknob. Her right hand was clutching the nunchaku
tightly as she jerked the door open.
A rather strong gust of wind blew right on her, but no burglar
attacked her. Chie scanned the room, there was no one. Not even hiding
in the closet, on the balcony or behind the door. The window was a
little opened, but not enough for someone to get through. The sound
she had heard came from a pot that had been standing on the window
sill and then fallen. There seemed to be nothing missing. After
checking that the room and the balcony was empty, she bent down and
picked up the shards of the pot.
[Dad's not gonna be happy about this...] she thought. In the
corner of her eye she saw something moving. She quickly got up and
grabbed the nunchaku with both hands, really to bash whoever was
there. But she looked surprised as she saw a grey furred cat standing
by the bed. Chie laughed to herself when she realized that this cat
had caused everything.
[It was just a cat, how silly of me.]
She closed the window and then returned to the cat who hadn't moved,
but kept looking at Chie. That was when Chie noticed the odd scar on
the cat's forehead. It was shaped like a crescent.
"That's funny..." she murmured and bent down to the cat. "I
thought that Luna and Artemis of the Moon Kingdom were the only ones
who had these scars."
"I've been looking for you, Sakura Chie."
Chie flinched and felt all cold inside. She stood up. Was she
imagining things or had the cat actually talked to her? And said her
name? No, she had to be imagining it.
"You look shocked, perhaps you should sit down again," the cat
continued. It was talking, for real. It's voice was feminine, it
sounded as real as it could get. Chie blinked several times just to
see that she wasn't hallucinating.
"You're a Lunar Cat?" she finally managed to say. "But there's
only two Lunar Cats..."
"My name is Diana," the cat told. "I'm the daughter of Luna
and Artemis. Are you not aware of who I am?"
"Diana?!" Chie called out and stepped back. "How course I know
who she... eh, you are! But, but... yo... you're a..."
"Cat," Diana finished flatly. "Believe it or not, I also have
the ability to transform into a cat whenever I want to. I can't
believe that you didn't know that, being Miyako's daughter!"
This brought end to the panic that Chie felt, but hearing her deceased
mother's name sent her another shock. She sat down on the door,
looking at Diana.
"My mother?" she whispered softly. "You knew my mother?"
"Yes," Diana told. "It was over ten years ago when I last saw
her, but yes, I have been around her since the day she was born."
Almost each word that Diana said brought even more confusion to Chie.
She shook her head. "Wait a second... how could you have been that?"
she wondered. "I mean... you hang out with the royals and the Sailor
Senshi, right? Then how... how did you meet my mother?"
Diana looked at Chie, surprised. "Haven't your father told you about
your mother?" she asked.
Chie shook her head again. "My father rarely speaks of my mother," she
answered sadly. "She passed away when I was just a year old and my
brother was three years old. I don't remember her."
Diana looked away. A few seconds passed before she spoke. "It pains me
that you know so little of your mother," she said quietly. Then she
looked Chie right into her eyes. "I was there, in my human form, when
you were born. I was even there when your mother was born. I remember
holding you in my arms and looking into your bright eyes, seeing that
these were the eyes of a daughter from Venus."
Chie's jaw dropped. She didn't know what to say. A daughter from
Venus? No, it couldn't be true... or could it? She was blonde, her
eyes were green but a little bluish, just like the picture of
Sailorvenus she had once seen in the news paper. But it was so
impossible, she couldn't possibly be related to Sailorvenus.
"Manano Miyako was your mother's name before she married,"
Diana continued. "Her mother, your grandmother, is Aino Minako,
Sailorvenus."
"It's impossible!" Chie exclaimed. "How can I be Sailorvenus'
granddaughter? My father hasn't told me anything about this!"
"Your mother was a Senshi," Diana said. "She died in battle.
Perhaps that is the reason why he hasn't told you."
There was silence in the room again. Chie was looking at a picture on
the wall, a picture of her mother. Sakura Miyako had been a tall
woman, with reddish blonde hair and blue green eyes. The picture
showed her holding Chie as an infant with Kazuo sitting next to her.
Chie looked at the picture for another ten seconds, then turned to
Diana.
"Are you telling the truth?" she asked softly. "How can I know
that you're not lying and just making this up?"
"Because I have been looking for you for a long time," Diana
replied. "I even transformed into my cat form to find you here on
Earth. It hasn't been easy, but believe me. I am telling the truth."
Chie looked sad. "Even if I do believe, what difference will it make?
Why have you been looking for me?"
"You know that more demons are showing up everyday, don't
you?" Diana asked. Chie nodded. "I came here to try to stop this.
Neo-Queen Serenity understands about my plans and secretly sent me
here with help from the Ginzuishou. I am transformed into my cat form
because very few people know that I actually have a cat form. It will
be harder for NSS to spot me, that way."
"But how are you planning to stop the demons?" Chie wondered.
"With help from Senshi that are here on Earth. And you, of
course."
"Me?!" Chie cried.
Diana nodded. "You were brought to my mother, Luna, only days after
your birth. She sensed that you have the power of a Sailor Senshi
because of your mother and grandmother."
Chie was silent, Diana couldn't tell what the young girl was thinking
about. Then she reached out her hand and touched Diana. She flinched
again as she felt the soft fur brush against her fingertips.
"You're for real..." she murmured. "I'm not dreaming or
imagining you..."
Diana sighed. "Now that you know that this isn't some joke or dream,
will you let me finish?"
"Hai..."
"As I was saying, my mother sensed the power of a Sailor
Senshi inside you when you were little. You were meant to eventually
start your training but when your mother died your father decided to
return to where he was born, on Earth. Now, I have decided that it's
time for you to become a Sailor Senshi."
"Me?" Chie said, pointing at herself. "Sailor Senshi? It's so
cool! But wait a minute, how could I even handle being a Sailor
Senshi? I can't even cook properly!"
"Then you're just like your grandmother when it comes to
that," Diana muttered to herself.
"Nani?"
Diana shook her head. "Nothing. Do you still believe that this is a
dream and that I'm not for real?"
Chie shook her head. Diana smiled to herself, even if the girl was
young she reminded Diana so much of Miyako. Diana got up and took a
few steps away from Chie. Then she leaped up in the air, making a
backflip as a wand-like object fell on the carpet. She landed
gracefully with the object in front of her paws. Chie smiled to Diana.
"Let me guess," she said. "This is the part where I pick up
the wand and shout a phrase that ends with 'make up' and that will
transform into me a Senshi."
"You have been studying Senshi history," Diana replied. "Give
it a try."
She pushed the transformation wand forwards with her paw. Chie picked
it up. It was really pretty, in her opinion. It was bright orange,
with a star shaped crystal on the top. The sign of planet Venus was
engraved in the crystal. Chie put down the nunchaku on the floor, then
got up.
"What if it doesn't work?" Chie wondered. "What are you
supposed to do then?"
"Just try it. If it doesn't work we'll discuss it later."
[I guess it's worth a try...] Chie thought. [Apparently I'm
not dreaming, so why not?]
She raised the wand up in the air, but suddenly she brought it down
again and looked at Diana.
"What am I supposed to say?" she wondered.
Diana looked surprised. "Aren't you feeling anything? Anything
special?" she asked.
"Well, I am feeling a little cold since the window was open
for a long time... Shouldn't you know the words? I mean, in the
history books it says that Luna told Neo-Queen Serenity the words."
Diana sighed. "Just try something..." she murmured. "I haven't been
able to figure out what your Senshi name is yet... It might have
something to do with Venus."
"Aphrodite? Or Freya, perhaps?" Chie suggested. Diana looked
unsure.
"I don't know..." she began. "It doesn't really sound right in
my ears..."
"What about Astarte?"
"It's already taken," Diana pointed out. "I see that you've
been studying ancient mythology too." She thought for a while. "How
about... Ishtar?"
Chie's eyes brightened. "Ishtar?" she repeated. "I like that. It would
be so cool if it was my Senshi name. Do I get to decide my Senshi
name?"
Diana found herself wondering if her father had had the same problem
with Minako and Miyako. "Just try Ishtar Star Power and we'll see how
it works," she answered. "And no, you don't get to decide your Senshi
name." Chie looked somewhat disappointed but decided to do as Diana
told her too. She raised the wand up again and then called those
words.
"Ishtar Star Power! Make up!"
Those words felt right. Everything felt right. She closed her eyes,
but somehow knew about the light that was coming out from the crystal
on the wand and about the warm energy that surrounded her. She felt
peaceful and calm, the room didn't seem so cold anymore. When she
opened her eyes, she saw that she was dressed entirely different.
In the full length mirror in her father's room she could see
that she was wearing a Sailor fuku, identical to the first one that
Sailorvenus had wore. At least according to the picture in the
history book.
"Sugoi!" Chie called, jumping with happiness. "I'm really a
Senshi!" She picked up Diana and lifted her up. "Thank you! Thank
you!" she said several times as she gave Diana a tight hug.
"Thank you?!" Diana repeated as she was being smashed into
Chie's shoulder. "Being a Senshi is full time job, not a fun hobby!"
[What's with this girl anyway?] she wondered. [I bet Minako
and Miyako weren't like this...]
"Who cares? I'm a Senshi!"
"Chie... I can't breathe..." Diana managed to say.
"Gomen nasai!" Chie exclaimed and put Diana down on her
father's bed. After taking a few deep breaths, Diana looked at Chie
who had calmed down a little. But the excitement and happiness was
still sparkling in the young girl's green eyes.
"Now," Diana began. "Is there anyone else at home?"
Chie shook her head. "No one will be back until Monday and the nearest
neighbour lives a mile away," she answered.
"Good. Then no one will bother us when we start training. For
now and on, your Senshi name is Sailorishtar."
Chie's eyes widened. "Training?" she said enthustically. "Wow, I get
to do all these cool attacks!"
* * * *
Chie woke up in the middle of the night she saw that Diana was no
where to be seen in her room. Diana's bed, that consisted of three
pillows, was empty. Sitting up, and putting her slippers on, she
decided to look for the cat. The transformation wand that was on her
desk told Chie that Diana's visit to her hadn't been a dream. But
Diana had said nothing about how long she was staying.
[I wonder where she is,] Chie thought as she left her bedroom.
At first she had been angry about Kazuo leaving her alone like that,
but now she was just relieved. If Kazuo was home and had seen Diana,
then what would he tell their father?
"Diana?" Chie called, hoping that the cat would answer her.
But she heard nothing. She continued to walk and search through the
second floor, but found nothing. She silently went downstairs when she
heard voices. It wasn't anything clear, so she couldn't hear what the
voices were saying. But she listened and found where the voices came
from. The kitchen. She tiptoed to the kitchen and hid behind the door.
She had been right, the voices came from the kitchen. One was Diana's,
one was unknown to her. The unknown voice was female, a very bright
and sweet voice.
"Why can't I go and see her?" the female voice asked.
"Because it might confuse her too much," Diana replied.
"Believe me, finding out that she is a Senshi is enough for one day."
[They're talking about me?] Chie thought and tried to move so
that she could see who Diana was talking to. But she couldn't, not
without being seen.
"Just for a moment?" the woman asked again. "You said that she
is asleep right now, didn't you?"
"Yes, but we might wake..." Diana began but her voice drifted
off. Her eyes darted towards the door that Chie was hiding behind.
Chie froze for a moment.
[She knows that I'm here,] she thought as she slowly pushed
the door open and entered the kitchen. Diana looked surprised when she
came in, so did Chie. There was no one in the kitchen except for Diana
and herself.
"Diana, who were you talking to?" Chie wondered, looking
around the room. Diana sighed.
"I figured that you would wake up."
"Diana... is that Chie?" the female voice asked, coming from
no where. Chie looked around, but there was still no one.
"Who's there?" she asked, suspiciously. In the corner of her
eye she saw Diana's eyes suddenly widen.
"Venus-sama, don't!" she called.
"Venus-sama?" Chie repeated as she turned around. She stepped
back as she saw a figure materialize right in front of her. The figure
turned into a tall woman, taller than Chie, with long golden hair and
dressed in a Sailor fuku. The woman looked as if she was somewhere
around twenty, but was probably much older. The woman smiled towards
Chie, her blue eyes sparkling. Chie took another step back as she
recognized the woman from her history book. Aino Minako, Sailorvenus.
The leader of the Sailor Senshi. The right hand of Neo-Queen Serenity.
A woman who was over two thousand years old.
[Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm,] Chie repeated to herself
like a mantra. [Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic. There's nothing
to worry about, right?]
"You just had to do that, didn't you?" Diana said to
Sailorvenus. Then she turned to Chie. "I guess there's no point in
hiding it. Chie-chan, meet your grandmother, Sailorvenus."
Chie had heard it just a few hours ago, but she was more shocked now.
At that moment she didn't have the legendary Sailorvenus standing
right in front of her.
"My... grandmother...?" Chie managed to say. Diana glared at
Sailorvenus.
"I told you that it wasn't a good idea," she muttered. But
Sailorvenus just smiled sweetly towards Chie and ignored Diana.
"I guess you're a bit shocked," she said to her. "I understand
you. From what I have heard, your father didn't exactly tell you that
much about your mother's relatives." Chie managed to agree without
stammering. "Your eyes, they look so much like your mother's."
"They do?"
Sailorvenus laughed. "I guess that you are a little nervous too. But
I'm not really here. You see, the one you are seeing right now is just
a holographic image of me. The real me, is still on the Moon Kingdom
with the other Sailor Senshi. I was just talking to Diana about you
when you came in."
"So... you really are my grandmother, I guess," Chie said, not
disappointed at all. "Was my mother a Senshi too?"
Sailorvenus smiled, but sadly. She nodded. "Your mother a Senshi that
anyone could be proud of," she answered. "I'm not just saying that
because she was my daughter, but she died as a true leader."
"She was a leader of a Team?"
"A very strong team which was unfortunately anihalated,"
Sailorvenus replied, looking away. "My daughter wasn't the only
daughter that perished, her team consisted of daughter,
granddaughters, or relatives of the Sailor Senshi. The Victory Team."
* * * *
"Don't panic, Ishtar!" Diana called from the alley. "It's just
you did when we trained! Concentrate!"
[Yeah, easy to concentrate when you have three demons
surrounding you,] Ishtar thought dryly as she watched the demons
circling around her. She had been training for over a year, she was
supposed to feel calm and ready. But she wasn't. Instead, Ishtar was
feeling panic rising inside her. She closed her eyes for a brief
moment.
[I can do this... I will destroy those demons...]
She opened her eyes, energy shot from the ground and gathered in
her now raised hand. Ishtar looked at the demons who were backing
away from her. Were they afraid of her? It didn't seem possible, just
a moment ago she had recognized the fear for demons inside her.
[I can do this.]
"ENERGY BEAM!"
* * * *
"Well, how did I do today?" Chie asked, coming into her room
and closing the door after herself. She was in progress with drying
her hair with a towel. Diana sat on her bed and had been waiting for
her to come out from the bathroom.
"Pretty well I guess," she replied. "It was your first
encounter with demons. I guess that a year of training really paid
off."
"I was so relieved when it was all over," Chie told. "At
first I felt like I just wanted to run off but after I blasted them it
felt pretty good. So, when are we going out for some more?"
"Chie-chan!" a male voice suddenly called. Chie recognized the
voice as her father's. Diana immediately hid under a pillow. She did
that right before the door to the bedroom opened and Sakura Masao
entered.
"Otou-san!"
"I thought that I heard you talking to someone," Masao said.
[Great.]
"No..." she answered slowly, trying to come up with a good
excuse. "I was just... um.. practicing for... a speech! It's a school
project that I have been working on."
Masao nodded slowly. He sat down next to Chie at the bed. Chie quietly
threw another pillow over Diana so that he wouldn't see her. "Chie,
you have been a little quiet lately," he said. "Is something wrong? Is
it something in school maybe?"
"No, otou-san," Chie answered. "Why would you think that?"
But she knew why. She was spending so much time with training that she
was rarely home except for when it came to doing homeworks or having
dinner. In school her friends were complaining that she never wanted
to hang out with them. The truth was just that she preferred being a
Senshi over being just... a normal schoolgirl.
But Masao shook his head, and then smiled softly towards his
daughter. He was a busy man who had to work a lot. But the little
spare time he had, he spent at home, with his children.
"No special reason," he replied, then got up and walked
towards the door. "You should go to sleep soon, it's Monday tomorrow."
"Hai, otou-san. Good night."
"Good night."
Masao left the room and closed the door after himself. Diana rose from
the pillows.
"That was close," she said quietly. "I can hardly believe that
you have managed to hide my existance for over a year."
"It's a big house," Chie answered. "The sad thing about having
you here is that I can't take any pictures of you."
"You know why," Diana said sternly. "If anyone finds out about
my existance, my cat form's existance, then NSS will come after us."
"I know," Chie sighed. Then her eyes brightened and she got up
from her bed. "Hey, I got an idea!" She walked over to her desk and
picked up a few things before returning to Diana. She was carrying a
pen, a writing pad, and an eraser.
"What are you going to do?" Diana wondered. "Make a scetch of
me?"
Chie nodded. "Yeah, and then I'm going to draw a better picture of
you!" she proudly declared.
* * * *
It was raining on the funeral. Eightteen years old Chie stood at the
cementry, watching her relatives paying their respects. All of them
were distant cousins, none who she knew really well. Other guests were
friends of her father, but that was it. They meant nothing to Chie.
When everyone had left the only ones remaining in the cementry were
her brother and herself.
"I can't believe that he's gone," Chie said quietly, mostely
to herself. She shut her eyes tightly to not brust into tears again.
Kazuo stood uncomfortly with his little sister. She wouldn't like the
news that he had to tell her.
"Chie-chan..." he began. "I have to go back to America."
Chie opened her eyes and stared at her brother, shocked. "You mean..."
she whispered. "You're still going back?"
Kazuo nodded. "I still have my education to think about, and a lot of
other things," he answered. "My bags are in the car, I'll be leaving
in a few hours. It's for the best. Besides, I think that you'll be
better off without me."
"Onii-san, why would you say that?" Chie demanded. "You're
annoying but you're still my brother!"
Kazuo chuckled. "You're not such a bad sister yourself. Even though
your cooking needs some improvement..." Chie smiled back and the two
siblings stood in silence for a moment before Kazuo broke it.
Why didn't you tell me about mother?" he asked suddenly. Chie
blinked.
"Mother? What do you mean?"
"You know a bit more about her than I do, even though I was
born before you," Kazuo continued, turning to Chie. "Diana has told
you a lot, hasn't she?"
"Diana?!" Chie repeated, shocked. Then she said in a quieter
voice: "Who do you mean? I don't know anyone named Diana."
Kazuo smiled faintly towards her. "Not even the cat I have seen you
talking to so many times these past years?" he said lightly. "Chie,
don't look so shocked. I overheard you two talking once. I never told
dad about Diana. I even distracted him a few times so that she could
get a chance to get away. Your secret is safe with me."
"All these years... you knew. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because then you would have other people to worry about. Face
it, dad was safer because he didn't knew that you were a Senshi. But I
guess he already did, inside, since mom was one. By moving here to
Earth he probably thought that you would never discover your powers."
Chie shifted her umbrella to her other hand and looked at the grave
stone with her father's name on it. "I think that otou-san just wanted
us to be safe and not face the same destiny our mother faced," she
told. "We can't blame him for not telling us about her. He only wanted
what was best for us."
"I guess that you're right."
The two siblings bowed one last time to their father's grave in
respect, then left the cementry together.
* * * *
"Diana? Where are you?" Chie called when she got home. She
closed and locked the door after herself. As she replaced her shoes
with her slippers, Diana came down the stairs. She looked somewhat
surprised when she saw that Chie was alone.
"Is Kazuo coming soon?" she asked, already looking around for
a place that she could quickly sneak into if Kazuo unexpectedly walked
in. But Chie shook her head and took off her heavy and soaked jacket.
"No, I just drove him to the airport," she answered, walking
over to Diana. "He's on his way back to America and to the university
now. There's no need to look for a hiding place."
"Why is he leaving so soon?" Diana wondered. "He only came
back a few days ago, if I'm correct."
Chie picked up Diana and went to the living room. She seated down at
her father's favorite armchair with Diana in her arms. "Kazuo knows
about you and about, me that I'm a Senshi," she told. "He understands
it and that was why he chose to leave. He thinks that it's for the
best. A big part of me understands his decision, but there's a little
part of me that's sad because he might not come back for a long time."
"Maybe that's true. But Chie-chan... you'll be so lonely
without your family."
Chie smiled and gave Diana a tight hug. "Iie! Luckily, I still have
you," she answered. "Besides... you'll probably be my family for a
long time. So I when I'm with you... I won't be lonely."
Diana smiled back. "I have a feeling that you won't be alone for much
longer, Chie-chan. You were born a leader, and a leader is what you
will eventually become. It won't take long before you meet up with
other Sailor Senshi."
* * * *
The soft knock on the door took Chie out from her dream world. The
door opened quietly, revealing Usagi standing there. Chie looked over
her shoulder to face her.
"Dinner's ready, Chie-san," she said.
"I'll be down in a few seconds," Chie answered. Usagi caught
sight on the drawing that Chie held in her hand.
"Isn't that Diana?" she wondered, taking a few steps forwards
so she could see the drawing better.
"Yeah, I drew that when I was fourteen years old," Chie told,
showing Usagi the picture. "It doesn't look like her at all, doesn't
it? If it wasn't for that crescent you wouldn't even be able to tell
that it was her."
"I think it resembles Diana," Usagi replied with a smile. "You
two were really close friends, weren't you?"
Chie nodded and put the picture back in the drawer. "She thought me a
lot about being a Senshi. Well, practically everything. She was a
great friend and I was this... airhead girl when I first met her. I
even asked her if you got to chose your Senshi name." Usagi giggles
and Chie smiled in return. "But she was always there for me,
especially when my father and my brother were both gone. I can't thank
her enough for that."
"How old were you when you met her?" Usagi asked.
"Thirteen. Barely mature enough to handle the truth."
"My mother was a Senshi too," Chie replied. "Astarte was her
Senshi name." She saw Usagi's face turning pale. "Is something wrong,
Usagi-chan?"
"Did you say Astarte?" she asked with a trembling voice.
"Hai... You look a bit pale, maybe we should go down and get
something to eat," Chie suggested, slowly leading Usagi out of her
bedroom and then down the stairs. By then Usagi didn't looked so
shocked, but inside she was still the same.
[Chie's mother was Astarte? I can't believe this... She'll
probably never forgive me for what I did. Or to be exact, what I
didn't do.]
Another part finished! This part will be continued, I had a lot to
write about Chie and Diana so I decided to do split the original
"Soldier of Venus" into two parts. Thank you for reading!
Komillia (komillia@hotmail.com)
8 January 2001
Next:
Sailormoon Mirai Part VIII: Soldier of Venus II
Some of Tomo's background is revealed when Chie reflects on the past.
A battle is fought with undefeatbale enemies and a Senshi is lost.
~MIRAI~
PART VII: SOLDIER OF VENUS I
by: Komillia (komillia@hotmail.com)
Disclaimer: Sailormoon belongs to Takeuchi Naoko and Kodansha, not me.
Although most of the characters in this fanfiction are original and
created by me.
Some Japanese words I use:
hai = yes
nani = what
sugoi = awesome
gomen nasai = I'm sorry
otou-san = father
onii-san = brother
iie = no
* * * *
"Chie, are you done yet?" Kenji asked, opening the door to
Chie's room. "We're gonna be late."
"Just a moment," Chie said as she continued to search through
her desk. She opened her drawers and began to look through them. "I
just have to find my keys, I know that I put them somewhere around
here..."
"Do you want help with finding them?" Kenji wondered.
Chie nodded. "It would be nice," she answered. She continued to dig
through her messy drawer to find her keys. Kenji began to search
around the room as well, first in the bookshelves.
"Do you have any idea where you saw them the last time?" Kenji
asked.
"Somewhere in this room," Chie replied. "I would be very
unfortunate if I didn't know in which room it was. Then we could just
forget about finding them."
She closed the drawer and opened the next one. She was about to look
through it when her eyes caught sight on a picture with a frame. All
thoughts about her keys vanished as Chie slowly picked up the picture.
It wasn't a photo, but a drawn picture. But photo or not, the feline
of the picture brought back so many memories. She stroke the frame
with with one finger, completely hypnotized by the picture.
[Diana...]
"Hey, I found them!"
Chie snapped back to reality and turned to Kenji. He was standing up
and holding the keys in his hands. Chie put back the picture in the
drawer before he could see it.
"Thanks," she said as Kenji handed them over. "Where did you
find them?"
"For some reason, they were under your bed," Kenji answered.
"We really have to go now, or else all of us are going to be late."
"You're right," Chie agreed, closing the drawer as she
followed Kenji out from her bedroom. The last thing in the room that
she saw before she closed the door was the drawer where the picture
was.
* * * *
Dear Diary,
This morning I found the picture of Diana I drew many years
ago. It's strange, until a couple of weeks ago I had
completely forgotten about her. But around the time when Misao
came, I found myself thinking about Diana. Sometimes I wonder
how things would have been if she was here. I bet that she
would have come up with a solution for Usagi.
I wish that there was some way that I could talk to Diana.
Before the others arrived, she was the only one who I could
talk to about everything.
~Sakura Chie~
* * * *
"I see you guys on Monday!" Chie called as she got off the
bus. Her friends waved as the bus drove away. Chie waved back before
opening the gate and then walking towards the back door of the house.
She checked the garage before she went in and saw that her father's
car was gone. She felt a little sad as she remembered that her father
had left for a business trip the day before. She wasn't used to not
having her father around.
After unlocking the back door, she went in and found the
house quite dark. That meant that the maid, Junko, had already left
and her brother wasn't home yet. She was surprised by that, usually
her brother was home before her.
[I'm hungry...] Chie thought as her stomach growled. She took
her bag with her and went into the kitchen. Turning on the lights, she
saw two notes on the refridgrator. The one she read first was from the
maid.
Chie-san, Kazuo-san,
I have already gone grocery shopping for the weekend, so you
don't have to worry about that. Remember to include the
vegetables, your father have given me strict orders that I
make sure that you eat vegetables. I'll see you on Monday.
PS: I bought some doughnuts for you, but don't tell your
father. I know how much you two like them. It's a treat from
me.
Hisakawa Junko
Chie smiled to herself as she went in search for the doughnuts. She
eventually found them and as she took a bite she read the second note.
Chie
gonna stay at Hiroshi's place. Won't be back til Monday. Don't
tell dad.
Kazuo
"That jerk!" Chie exclaimed, almost dropping the doughnut she
held in her hand. Her father had told both her and her older brother
Kazuo to stay at home and not have any parties. But Kazuo knew that
how loyal Chie could be. Despite feeling angry, Chie decided to not
tell her father. If she did, Kazuo would never trust her again.
[Well... at least it's more doughnuts for me.]
* * * *
That night Chie had very few homeworks, but watching TV all alone
wasn't that fun. Going to bed early was an option, but she didn't feel
like it. She had called her friend Kei for a chat, but then remembered
that Kei was on a sleepover. Her other friends were also busy with
doing something fun.
[Everyone's doing something except for me,] she thought sadly
as she turned off the TV. [What am I supposed to do the entire weekend
all alone if I can't come up with anything to do for an hour?]
Sighing, she left the living room and went upstairs. The only option
left was to play video games in Kazuo's room. She was just about to
enter her brother's room when she heard the sound of porcelain or
glas being smashed on the floor. She froze and turned around, the
sound was coming from her father's bedroom. Could it be a burglar?
Junko could have left the balcony door open by accident.
Chie went into Kazuo's room, opened his drawer and pulled out
a pair of nunchakus. Not that she knew how to use them, but she
figured that it was the only weapon she could get. Slowly and silently
she made her way over to the closed bedroom door. She leaned on the
door carefully, trying to listen. When she heard nothing she put her
hand on the doorknob. Her right hand was clutching the nunchaku
tightly as she jerked the door open.
A rather strong gust of wind blew right on her, but no burglar
attacked her. Chie scanned the room, there was no one. Not even hiding
in the closet, on the balcony or behind the door. The window was a
little opened, but not enough for someone to get through. The sound
she had heard came from a pot that had been standing on the window
sill and then fallen. There seemed to be nothing missing. After
checking that the room and the balcony was empty, she bent down and
picked up the shards of the pot.
[Dad's not gonna be happy about this...] she thought. In the
corner of her eye she saw something moving. She quickly got up and
grabbed the nunchaku with both hands, really to bash whoever was
there. But she looked surprised as she saw a grey furred cat standing
by the bed. Chie laughed to herself when she realized that this cat
had caused everything.
[It was just a cat, how silly of me.]
She closed the window and then returned to the cat who hadn't moved,
but kept looking at Chie. That was when Chie noticed the odd scar on
the cat's forehead. It was shaped like a crescent.
"That's funny..." she murmured and bent down to the cat. "I
thought that Luna and Artemis of the Moon Kingdom were the only ones
who had these scars."
"I've been looking for you, Sakura Chie."
Chie flinched and felt all cold inside. She stood up. Was she
imagining things or had the cat actually talked to her? And said her
name? No, she had to be imagining it.
"You look shocked, perhaps you should sit down again," the cat
continued. It was talking, for real. It's voice was feminine, it
sounded as real as it could get. Chie blinked several times just to
see that she wasn't hallucinating.
"You're a Lunar Cat?" she finally managed to say. "But there's
only two Lunar Cats..."
"My name is Diana," the cat told. "I'm the daughter of Luna
and Artemis. Are you not aware of who I am?"
"Diana?!" Chie called out and stepped back. "How course I know
who she... eh, you are! But, but... yo... you're a..."
"Cat," Diana finished flatly. "Believe it or not, I also have
the ability to transform into a cat whenever I want to. I can't
believe that you didn't know that, being Miyako's daughter!"
This brought end to the panic that Chie felt, but hearing her deceased
mother's name sent her another shock. She sat down on the door,
looking at Diana.
"My mother?" she whispered softly. "You knew my mother?"
"Yes," Diana told. "It was over ten years ago when I last saw
her, but yes, I have been around her since the day she was born."
Almost each word that Diana said brought even more confusion to Chie.
She shook her head. "Wait a second... how could you have been that?"
she wondered. "I mean... you hang out with the royals and the Sailor
Senshi, right? Then how... how did you meet my mother?"
Diana looked at Chie, surprised. "Haven't your father told you about
your mother?" she asked.
Chie shook her head again. "My father rarely speaks of my mother," she
answered sadly. "She passed away when I was just a year old and my
brother was three years old. I don't remember her."
Diana looked away. A few seconds passed before she spoke. "It pains me
that you know so little of your mother," she said quietly. Then she
looked Chie right into her eyes. "I was there, in my human form, when
you were born. I was even there when your mother was born. I remember
holding you in my arms and looking into your bright eyes, seeing that
these were the eyes of a daughter from Venus."
Chie's jaw dropped. She didn't know what to say. A daughter from
Venus? No, it couldn't be true... or could it? She was blonde, her
eyes were green but a little bluish, just like the picture of
Sailorvenus she had once seen in the news paper. But it was so
impossible, she couldn't possibly be related to Sailorvenus.
"Manano Miyako was your mother's name before she married,"
Diana continued. "Her mother, your grandmother, is Aino Minako,
Sailorvenus."
"It's impossible!" Chie exclaimed. "How can I be Sailorvenus'
granddaughter? My father hasn't told me anything about this!"
"Your mother was a Senshi," Diana said. "She died in battle.
Perhaps that is the reason why he hasn't told you."
There was silence in the room again. Chie was looking at a picture on
the wall, a picture of her mother. Sakura Miyako had been a tall
woman, with reddish blonde hair and blue green eyes. The picture
showed her holding Chie as an infant with Kazuo sitting next to her.
Chie looked at the picture for another ten seconds, then turned to
Diana.
"Are you telling the truth?" she asked softly. "How can I know
that you're not lying and just making this up?"
"Because I have been looking for you for a long time," Diana
replied. "I even transformed into my cat form to find you here on
Earth. It hasn't been easy, but believe me. I am telling the truth."
Chie looked sad. "Even if I do believe, what difference will it make?
Why have you been looking for me?"
"You know that more demons are showing up everyday, don't
you?" Diana asked. Chie nodded. "I came here to try to stop this.
Neo-Queen Serenity understands about my plans and secretly sent me
here with help from the Ginzuishou. I am transformed into my cat form
because very few people know that I actually have a cat form. It will
be harder for NSS to spot me, that way."
"But how are you planning to stop the demons?" Chie wondered.
"With help from Senshi that are here on Earth. And you, of
course."
"Me?!" Chie cried.
Diana nodded. "You were brought to my mother, Luna, only days after
your birth. She sensed that you have the power of a Sailor Senshi
because of your mother and grandmother."
Chie was silent, Diana couldn't tell what the young girl was thinking
about. Then she reached out her hand and touched Diana. She flinched
again as she felt the soft fur brush against her fingertips.
"You're for real..." she murmured. "I'm not dreaming or
imagining you..."
Diana sighed. "Now that you know that this isn't some joke or dream,
will you let me finish?"
"Hai..."
"As I was saying, my mother sensed the power of a Sailor
Senshi inside you when you were little. You were meant to eventually
start your training but when your mother died your father decided to
return to where he was born, on Earth. Now, I have decided that it's
time for you to become a Sailor Senshi."
"Me?" Chie said, pointing at herself. "Sailor Senshi? It's so
cool! But wait a minute, how could I even handle being a Sailor
Senshi? I can't even cook properly!"
"Then you're just like your grandmother when it comes to
that," Diana muttered to herself.
"Nani?"
Diana shook her head. "Nothing. Do you still believe that this is a
dream and that I'm not for real?"
Chie shook her head. Diana smiled to herself, even if the girl was
young she reminded Diana so much of Miyako. Diana got up and took a
few steps away from Chie. Then she leaped up in the air, making a
backflip as a wand-like object fell on the carpet. She landed
gracefully with the object in front of her paws. Chie smiled to Diana.
"Let me guess," she said. "This is the part where I pick up
the wand and shout a phrase that ends with 'make up' and that will
transform into me a Senshi."
"You have been studying Senshi history," Diana replied. "Give
it a try."
She pushed the transformation wand forwards with her paw. Chie picked
it up. It was really pretty, in her opinion. It was bright orange,
with a star shaped crystal on the top. The sign of planet Venus was
engraved in the crystal. Chie put down the nunchaku on the floor, then
got up.
"What if it doesn't work?" Chie wondered. "What are you
supposed to do then?"
"Just try it. If it doesn't work we'll discuss it later."
[I guess it's worth a try...] Chie thought. [Apparently I'm
not dreaming, so why not?]
She raised the wand up in the air, but suddenly she brought it down
again and looked at Diana.
"What am I supposed to say?" she wondered.
Diana looked surprised. "Aren't you feeling anything? Anything
special?" she asked.
"Well, I am feeling a little cold since the window was open
for a long time... Shouldn't you know the words? I mean, in the
history books it says that Luna told Neo-Queen Serenity the words."
Diana sighed. "Just try something..." she murmured. "I haven't been
able to figure out what your Senshi name is yet... It might have
something to do with Venus."
"Aphrodite? Or Freya, perhaps?" Chie suggested. Diana looked
unsure.
"I don't know..." she began. "It doesn't really sound right in
my ears..."
"What about Astarte?"
"It's already taken," Diana pointed out. "I see that you've
been studying ancient mythology too." She thought for a while. "How
about... Ishtar?"
Chie's eyes brightened. "Ishtar?" she repeated. "I like that. It would
be so cool if it was my Senshi name. Do I get to decide my Senshi
name?"
Diana found herself wondering if her father had had the same problem
with Minako and Miyako. "Just try Ishtar Star Power and we'll see how
it works," she answered. "And no, you don't get to decide your Senshi
name." Chie looked somewhat disappointed but decided to do as Diana
told her too. She raised the wand up again and then called those
words.
"Ishtar Star Power! Make up!"
Those words felt right. Everything felt right. She closed her eyes,
but somehow knew about the light that was coming out from the crystal
on the wand and about the warm energy that surrounded her. She felt
peaceful and calm, the room didn't seem so cold anymore. When she
opened her eyes, she saw that she was dressed entirely different.
In the full length mirror in her father's room she could see
that she was wearing a Sailor fuku, identical to the first one that
Sailorvenus had wore. At least according to the picture in the
history book.
"Sugoi!" Chie called, jumping with happiness. "I'm really a
Senshi!" She picked up Diana and lifted her up. "Thank you! Thank
you!" she said several times as she gave Diana a tight hug.
"Thank you?!" Diana repeated as she was being smashed into
Chie's shoulder. "Being a Senshi is full time job, not a fun hobby!"
[What's with this girl anyway?] she wondered. [I bet Minako
and Miyako weren't like this...]
"Who cares? I'm a Senshi!"
"Chie... I can't breathe..." Diana managed to say.
"Gomen nasai!" Chie exclaimed and put Diana down on her
father's bed. After taking a few deep breaths, Diana looked at Chie
who had calmed down a little. But the excitement and happiness was
still sparkling in the young girl's green eyes.
"Now," Diana began. "Is there anyone else at home?"
Chie shook her head. "No one will be back until Monday and the nearest
neighbour lives a mile away," she answered.
"Good. Then no one will bother us when we start training. For
now and on, your Senshi name is Sailorishtar."
Chie's eyes widened. "Training?" she said enthustically. "Wow, I get
to do all these cool attacks!"
* * * *
Chie woke up in the middle of the night she saw that Diana was no
where to be seen in her room. Diana's bed, that consisted of three
pillows, was empty. Sitting up, and putting her slippers on, she
decided to look for the cat. The transformation wand that was on her
desk told Chie that Diana's visit to her hadn't been a dream. But
Diana had said nothing about how long she was staying.
[I wonder where she is,] Chie thought as she left her bedroom.
At first she had been angry about Kazuo leaving her alone like that,
but now she was just relieved. If Kazuo was home and had seen Diana,
then what would he tell their father?
"Diana?" Chie called, hoping that the cat would answer her.
But she heard nothing. She continued to walk and search through the
second floor, but found nothing. She silently went downstairs when she
heard voices. It wasn't anything clear, so she couldn't hear what the
voices were saying. But she listened and found where the voices came
from. The kitchen. She tiptoed to the kitchen and hid behind the door.
She had been right, the voices came from the kitchen. One was Diana's,
one was unknown to her. The unknown voice was female, a very bright
and sweet voice.
"Why can't I go and see her?" the female voice asked.
"Because it might confuse her too much," Diana replied.
"Believe me, finding out that she is a Senshi is enough for one day."
[They're talking about me?] Chie thought and tried to move so
that she could see who Diana was talking to. But she couldn't, not
without being seen.
"Just for a moment?" the woman asked again. "You said that she
is asleep right now, didn't you?"
"Yes, but we might wake..." Diana began but her voice drifted
off. Her eyes darted towards the door that Chie was hiding behind.
Chie froze for a moment.
[She knows that I'm here,] she thought as she slowly pushed
the door open and entered the kitchen. Diana looked surprised when she
came in, so did Chie. There was no one in the kitchen except for Diana
and herself.
"Diana, who were you talking to?" Chie wondered, looking
around the room. Diana sighed.
"I figured that you would wake up."
"Diana... is that Chie?" the female voice asked, coming from
no where. Chie looked around, but there was still no one.
"Who's there?" she asked, suspiciously. In the corner of her
eye she saw Diana's eyes suddenly widen.
"Venus-sama, don't!" she called.
"Venus-sama?" Chie repeated as she turned around. She stepped
back as she saw a figure materialize right in front of her. The figure
turned into a tall woman, taller than Chie, with long golden hair and
dressed in a Sailor fuku. The woman looked as if she was somewhere
around twenty, but was probably much older. The woman smiled towards
Chie, her blue eyes sparkling. Chie took another step back as she
recognized the woman from her history book. Aino Minako, Sailorvenus.
The leader of the Sailor Senshi. The right hand of Neo-Queen Serenity.
A woman who was over two thousand years old.
[Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm,] Chie repeated to herself
like a mantra. [Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic. There's nothing
to worry about, right?]
"You just had to do that, didn't you?" Diana said to
Sailorvenus. Then she turned to Chie. "I guess there's no point in
hiding it. Chie-chan, meet your grandmother, Sailorvenus."
Chie had heard it just a few hours ago, but she was more shocked now.
At that moment she didn't have the legendary Sailorvenus standing
right in front of her.
"My... grandmother...?" Chie managed to say. Diana glared at
Sailorvenus.
"I told you that it wasn't a good idea," she muttered. But
Sailorvenus just smiled sweetly towards Chie and ignored Diana.
"I guess you're a bit shocked," she said to her. "I understand
you. From what I have heard, your father didn't exactly tell you that
much about your mother's relatives." Chie managed to agree without
stammering. "Your eyes, they look so much like your mother's."
"They do?"
Sailorvenus laughed. "I guess that you are a little nervous too. But
I'm not really here. You see, the one you are seeing right now is just
a holographic image of me. The real me, is still on the Moon Kingdom
with the other Sailor Senshi. I was just talking to Diana about you
when you came in."
"So... you really are my grandmother, I guess," Chie said, not
disappointed at all. "Was my mother a Senshi too?"
Sailorvenus smiled, but sadly. She nodded. "Your mother a Senshi that
anyone could be proud of," she answered. "I'm not just saying that
because she was my daughter, but she died as a true leader."
"She was a leader of a Team?"
"A very strong team which was unfortunately anihalated,"
Sailorvenus replied, looking away. "My daughter wasn't the only
daughter that perished, her team consisted of daughter,
granddaughters, or relatives of the Sailor Senshi. The Victory Team."
* * * *
"Don't panic, Ishtar!" Diana called from the alley. "It's just
you did when we trained! Concentrate!"
[Yeah, easy to concentrate when you have three demons
surrounding you,] Ishtar thought dryly as she watched the demons
circling around her. She had been training for over a year, she was
supposed to feel calm and ready. But she wasn't. Instead, Ishtar was
feeling panic rising inside her. She closed her eyes for a brief
moment.
[I can do this... I will destroy those demons...]
She opened her eyes, energy shot from the ground and gathered in
her now raised hand. Ishtar looked at the demons who were backing
away from her. Were they afraid of her? It didn't seem possible, just
a moment ago she had recognized the fear for demons inside her.
[I can do this.]
"ENERGY BEAM!"
* * * *
"Well, how did I do today?" Chie asked, coming into her room
and closing the door after herself. She was in progress with drying
her hair with a towel. Diana sat on her bed and had been waiting for
her to come out from the bathroom.
"Pretty well I guess," she replied. "It was your first
encounter with demons. I guess that a year of training really paid
off."
"I was so relieved when it was all over," Chie told. "At
first I felt like I just wanted to run off but after I blasted them it
felt pretty good. So, when are we going out for some more?"
"Chie-chan!" a male voice suddenly called. Chie recognized the
voice as her father's. Diana immediately hid under a pillow. She did
that right before the door to the bedroom opened and Sakura Masao
entered.
"Otou-san!"
"I thought that I heard you talking to someone," Masao said.
[Great.]
"No..." she answered slowly, trying to come up with a good
excuse. "I was just... um.. practicing for... a speech! It's a school
project that I have been working on."
Masao nodded slowly. He sat down next to Chie at the bed. Chie quietly
threw another pillow over Diana so that he wouldn't see her. "Chie,
you have been a little quiet lately," he said. "Is something wrong? Is
it something in school maybe?"
"No, otou-san," Chie answered. "Why would you think that?"
But she knew why. She was spending so much time with training that she
was rarely home except for when it came to doing homeworks or having
dinner. In school her friends were complaining that she never wanted
to hang out with them. The truth was just that she preferred being a
Senshi over being just... a normal schoolgirl.
But Masao shook his head, and then smiled softly towards his
daughter. He was a busy man who had to work a lot. But the little
spare time he had, he spent at home, with his children.
"No special reason," he replied, then got up and walked
towards the door. "You should go to sleep soon, it's Monday tomorrow."
"Hai, otou-san. Good night."
"Good night."
Masao left the room and closed the door after himself. Diana rose from
the pillows.
"That was close," she said quietly. "I can hardly believe that
you have managed to hide my existance for over a year."
"It's a big house," Chie answered. "The sad thing about having
you here is that I can't take any pictures of you."
"You know why," Diana said sternly. "If anyone finds out about
my existance, my cat form's existance, then NSS will come after us."
"I know," Chie sighed. Then her eyes brightened and she got up
from her bed. "Hey, I got an idea!" She walked over to her desk and
picked up a few things before returning to Diana. She was carrying a
pen, a writing pad, and an eraser.
"What are you going to do?" Diana wondered. "Make a scetch of
me?"
Chie nodded. "Yeah, and then I'm going to draw a better picture of
you!" she proudly declared.
* * * *
It was raining on the funeral. Eightteen years old Chie stood at the
cementry, watching her relatives paying their respects. All of them
were distant cousins, none who she knew really well. Other guests were
friends of her father, but that was it. They meant nothing to Chie.
When everyone had left the only ones remaining in the cementry were
her brother and herself.
"I can't believe that he's gone," Chie said quietly, mostely
to herself. She shut her eyes tightly to not brust into tears again.
Kazuo stood uncomfortly with his little sister. She wouldn't like the
news that he had to tell her.
"Chie-chan..." he began. "I have to go back to America."
Chie opened her eyes and stared at her brother, shocked. "You mean..."
she whispered. "You're still going back?"
Kazuo nodded. "I still have my education to think about, and a lot of
other things," he answered. "My bags are in the car, I'll be leaving
in a few hours. It's for the best. Besides, I think that you'll be
better off without me."
"Onii-san, why would you say that?" Chie demanded. "You're
annoying but you're still my brother!"
Kazuo chuckled. "You're not such a bad sister yourself. Even though
your cooking needs some improvement..." Chie smiled back and the two
siblings stood in silence for a moment before Kazuo broke it.
Why didn't you tell me about mother?" he asked suddenly. Chie
blinked.
"Mother? What do you mean?"
"You know a bit more about her than I do, even though I was
born before you," Kazuo continued, turning to Chie. "Diana has told
you a lot, hasn't she?"
"Diana?!" Chie repeated, shocked. Then she said in a quieter
voice: "Who do you mean? I don't know anyone named Diana."
Kazuo smiled faintly towards her. "Not even the cat I have seen you
talking to so many times these past years?" he said lightly. "Chie,
don't look so shocked. I overheard you two talking once. I never told
dad about Diana. I even distracted him a few times so that she could
get a chance to get away. Your secret is safe with me."
"All these years... you knew. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because then you would have other people to worry about. Face
it, dad was safer because he didn't knew that you were a Senshi. But I
guess he already did, inside, since mom was one. By moving here to
Earth he probably thought that you would never discover your powers."
Chie shifted her umbrella to her other hand and looked at the grave
stone with her father's name on it. "I think that otou-san just wanted
us to be safe and not face the same destiny our mother faced," she
told. "We can't blame him for not telling us about her. He only wanted
what was best for us."
"I guess that you're right."
The two siblings bowed one last time to their father's grave in
respect, then left the cementry together.
* * * *
"Diana? Where are you?" Chie called when she got home. She
closed and locked the door after herself. As she replaced her shoes
with her slippers, Diana came down the stairs. She looked somewhat
surprised when she saw that Chie was alone.
"Is Kazuo coming soon?" she asked, already looking around for
a place that she could quickly sneak into if Kazuo unexpectedly walked
in. But Chie shook her head and took off her heavy and soaked jacket.
"No, I just drove him to the airport," she answered, walking
over to Diana. "He's on his way back to America and to the university
now. There's no need to look for a hiding place."
"Why is he leaving so soon?" Diana wondered. "He only came
back a few days ago, if I'm correct."
Chie picked up Diana and went to the living room. She seated down at
her father's favorite armchair with Diana in her arms. "Kazuo knows
about you and about, me that I'm a Senshi," she told. "He understands
it and that was why he chose to leave. He thinks that it's for the
best. A big part of me understands his decision, but there's a little
part of me that's sad because he might not come back for a long time."
"Maybe that's true. But Chie-chan... you'll be so lonely
without your family."
Chie smiled and gave Diana a tight hug. "Iie! Luckily, I still have
you," she answered. "Besides... you'll probably be my family for a
long time. So I when I'm with you... I won't be lonely."
Diana smiled back. "I have a feeling that you won't be alone for much
longer, Chie-chan. You were born a leader, and a leader is what you
will eventually become. It won't take long before you meet up with
other Sailor Senshi."
* * * *
The soft knock on the door took Chie out from her dream world. The
door opened quietly, revealing Usagi standing there. Chie looked over
her shoulder to face her.
"Dinner's ready, Chie-san," she said.
"I'll be down in a few seconds," Chie answered. Usagi caught
sight on the drawing that Chie held in her hand.
"Isn't that Diana?" she wondered, taking a few steps forwards
so she could see the drawing better.
"Yeah, I drew that when I was fourteen years old," Chie told,
showing Usagi the picture. "It doesn't look like her at all, doesn't
it? If it wasn't for that crescent you wouldn't even be able to tell
that it was her."
"I think it resembles Diana," Usagi replied with a smile. "You
two were really close friends, weren't you?"
Chie nodded and put the picture back in the drawer. "She thought me a
lot about being a Senshi. Well, practically everything. She was a
great friend and I was this... airhead girl when I first met her. I
even asked her if you got to chose your Senshi name." Usagi giggles
and Chie smiled in return. "But she was always there for me,
especially when my father and my brother were both gone. I can't thank
her enough for that."
"How old were you when you met her?" Usagi asked.
"Thirteen. Barely mature enough to handle the truth."
"My mother was a Senshi too," Chie replied. "Astarte was her
Senshi name." She saw Usagi's face turning pale. "Is something wrong,
Usagi-chan?"
"Did you say Astarte?" she asked with a trembling voice.
"Hai... You look a bit pale, maybe we should go down and get
something to eat," Chie suggested, slowly leading Usagi out of her
bedroom and then down the stairs. By then Usagi didn't looked so
shocked, but inside she was still the same.
[Chie's mother was Astarte? I can't believe this... She'll
probably never forgive me for what I did. Or to be exact, what I
didn't do.]
Another part finished! This part will be continued, I had a lot to
write about Chie and Diana so I decided to do split the original
"Soldier of Venus" into two parts. Thank you for reading!
Komillia (komillia@hotmail.com)
8 January 2001
Next:
Sailormoon Mirai Part VIII: Soldier of Venus II
Some of Tomo's background is revealed when Chie reflects on the past.
A battle is fought with undefeatbale enemies and a Senshi is lost.