｢Chapter 2｣
"Ouhi, what are you doing?" Maker stepped into Kakkyu's study room, just like every morning since six days ago, and placed 2 pieces of paper on her Kakkyu desk.
It has been a week since the night Fighter tried to get things out of Maker. A lot of things had happen in that past week. The starlights had been given new position after the reconstruction work had completed. Fighter in charge of guards training programmes and schedules, Maker being Kakkyu's advisor, and Healer in charge of the trainings to be given in infirmaries.
Fighter was supposed to be Kakkyu's advisor, since she is the leader of the starlights. But she objected the idea of her being the advisor for the fact that she did not want to be stuck with books, policies and planning. Thus, Maker was made the advisor instead and she's enjoying it, as she learnt new things each day.
"I'm looking at the reports from the southern west villages. Apparently the clean water tap system over that was not installed properly. A lot of the villagers are not getting enough water. I'm thinking what can I do about that." Kakkyu trailed off, eyes not leaving the papers that were set in front of her.
"Ouhi! You should have leave that for me to settle! Your wedding is happening in about 2 weeks time. I thought you would be settling things about your wedding stuff." Maker 'scolded', taking the papers that Kakkyu was reading and moved over to her desk in the study room.
"But Maker, you are doing a lot of things already. You have been busy planning the wedding for me, the guest lists and invitations are all sent out by you. I was just thinking if I could do something. I do not want you to overwork." Kakkyu explained gently.
"No worries, Ouhi. I'm not overworked. Maybe you can help by looking through the guest list and see if I missed out anyone? Meanwhile I will come out with the solutions for water shortage, then I will come over to help you?"
"Alright then. After you, my dear advisor." Kakkyu replied jokingly, then reached her hands to the papers that Maker had just placed on her table. Glancing through the paper, she found something missing. "Ne, Maker, aren't we going to invite the senshis of the solar system?"
Maker looked up from her work and said, "If that's you want to, I will add it into the list. I was just thinking that when you said guest list, it's just from our star system." Maker shifted her attention back to the construction planning that she was working, before a knock on the study door interrupted her work again.
"Come in." Kakkyu commanded.
"Ouhi! Take a look at this!" Healer entered into the room upon the command was made, to Kakkyu's left side, and placed a piece of drawing paper in front of her.
"This is amazing Healer! Did you drew it?"
Healer nodded proudly, satisfied with the designs that she had came out for Kakkyu's grand wedding. She had always like to draw, and liked designing as well.
"Maker, come over and take a look at this." Kakkyu ordered.
Maker walked over to the right side of Kakkyu, glanced down at the drawing paper. "That's amazing. Ouhi, you do not need to worry about your wedding dress then. This shall do. It's sophisticated and elegant. Just nice."
"Ouhi! Can I ask for a favour? Can I be your wedding planner? Please?" Healer pleaded Kakkyu and Maker with her puppy eyes, which none of them had the power to resist against them.
"But since Maker is the advisor, she is suppose to be wedding planner. And you have your duties to do, don't you Healer?" Kakkyu reasoned.
"Ouhi, I think it's okay. I think Healer will do a better job at the wedding planning as compared to what I am able to do. Healer had always been a better designer than I am. With Healer planning your wedding, it's going to be the best wedding in our galaxy. And about Healer's duties, I can cover her duty at the infirmary for the coming 2 weeks. I will still help you look over the trivia stuffs when I work in the infirmary. About lessons, if I did not remember wrongly, it's vacation week." Maker suggested.
Kakkyu, unable to come up with an idea to rebut Maker, had no choice but to go along with Maker's idea.
"Man! Maker I love you so much! Thank you!" Healer pulling Maker into a big hug.
Maker blinked at Healer, waiting for the smaller starlight to let go of her. "You know what, Healer. It would be good to let go before I change my mind about the plans made." Maker joked.
"Oh! SORRY!" Healer let go of the Maker immediately, afraid that Maker was serious about the statement she made a moment ago.
"Ja, I will head towards the infirmary now. Ouhi, I've finished the plans for water shortage. It's over at my desk. Please look over it only after you are done with the business with Healer. May you excuse me, Ouhi."
"Thanks Maker! You are excused."
Maker bowed as she left the room. She then made her way to the infirmary, which is located at the next tower from Kakkyu's study room and 2 blocks away from the field training area. When she reached outside the infirmary, she realised that door was ajar, and someone was inside. As quiet as she could, she open the door of the infirmary, only to see Fighter inside.
Fighter was holding her left upper arm with her right hand, and her left hand going through the medical supplies placed next to the examination bed.
"Need help?" Maker started, as she moved towards Fighter.
And it did startled Fighter. Fighter jumped. That voice was not she had expected. The infirmary belongs to Healer, and she could not understand why Maker was here.
"Maker, why are you here?" Fighter asked, and regretted after she realised that that could be most stupid question to ask Maker.
"And Fighter, what are you doing here?." Maker replied.
"I . . ."
"Sit down on the bed and give me your arm." Maker ordered.
And as soon as Fighter sat down, Maker started working on Fighter's injury. It was a deep cut on her left upper arm. She tore off the orange sleeves of Fighter's uniform and passed a stack of wool to Fighter for her to clean off the blood on her right hand. Then she took sterile wool, trying to stop the blood and clean the area from blood.
"Healer took over the role as the wedding planner for Ouhi's wedding" Maker trailed as she continued cleaning the wound with antiseptic solution gently. "So I will be taking over her role in the infirmary for the next 2 weeks. That's why I am here." Placing a new clean piece of wool on the cut, Maker wrapped around the wound tightly so that the cut will not start bleeding again and that the cut will heal properly. "So what happened"
"An accident happened. I knocked over a sharp area during training today. That's all." Fighter lied, almost sheepishly.
"An accident?" Maker raised her eyebrow. Knowing that Fighter had just lied to her, she continued, "I recognise that blade cut. It's from the sword of your student. So you accidentally let you student
slice you, am I right to say that?"
Fighter dropped her head and stared at the ground. Maker just saw through her lie.
"Fighter, you should stop day dreaming or stone during training. Ouhi is going to notice it someday, and I won't be able to cover for you anymore. This is not the first time this kind of thing had happened. And you made poor Ameno so guilty everytime she hurt you."
"I know. I wasn't day dreaming. I'm just thinking about something that distracted my mind for that one second. That's all. If you are done with your lecture, can I leave? I'm going back to field training. Thank you for your help, and your coverings." With that, Fighter stood up and walked towards the door of the infirmary. Fighter stopped at the room door, turned back and glanced Maker in her eyes, before she continued walking out of the infirmary.
"Fighter!" Maker shouted out, but Fighter just moved faster instead of slowing down. "Argh!" Maker groaned. "What have I just did?" She asked herself.
'Did I got Maker angry? It's unusual that Maker is so worked up. What did Maker meant when she said she had to cover up for me? About me losing attention during training time? How did she know in the first place then?' Fighter thought in her mind as she made her way back to the training field.
"Fighter-sensei, are you okay? Ameno, dressed in her green uniform, rushed forward and asked Fighter as soon as she set her foot in the training ground.
Fighter showed Ameno her bandaged arm and said, "Look, it's all wrapped up and nice. Sorry for that I've made you worried and guilty. It's not your fault. It's mine."
"Sensei, do you want to take a break? We can handle this training on our own. You should rest for now. I saw just now that you have lost some volume of blood. Please take some rest. "Ameno asked with concern, worried that Fighter might just collapse later due to overexertion and the lost blood.
"I . . . " Fighter did not want to rest. She wants to continue training. Not that she's that weak to faint because that lost blood. But as she saw the true concern Ameno showed in her eyes, she decided to just allow herself to take the rest her best student wanted. She did felt the dizzy spells when she left the infirmary. "Okay then. Can you help me to go through the physical training exercise for the blues and purples? Ask the other greens to help out as well. Thanks Ameno!" Giving a solid pat on Ameno's shoulder, Fighter left the training ground and back to her room.
Back in her room, Fighter changed out of the uniform that Maker had torn at the sleeves and into her sleeveless white night dress. Looking at her bandages, Fighter sighed. She laid on her bed, and started talking to herself in her mind.
'Really, Maker was right, I should have been more focused during trainings. How many times had this happened? 7 or 8 times since 6 months ago. It's more than once per month. What's happening to me? Why do I still keep on thinking about odango, no, Neo Queen Serenity now. I do know that she's married to her prince now. She's pregnant with her first child now. That was what we were informed 6 months ago. Why am I so disturbed? Why have I fallen in love with her? The light that she emits out, it's warm. It had melt the frozen heart of mine, hadn't it? But why have I fallen in love with a woman whom I wasn't even suppose to love in the first place. Why?'
Fighter kept asking herself these questions. Laying on her right side, she finally felt her eyelids getting heavy. 'Will she be coming for the wedding? Will I be able to meet her for the one last time, before I'll tell my heart that it's time to give up. Will I be able to have that chance.' And Fighter fell into a dream, where she dreamt of the times she shared with the Moon Princess when they were on Earth. The kiss they shared at the piano. Everything.