｢Chapter 6｣
"Well these three years have been great. Usagi-chan finally married Mamoru-san, the coming of the new Silver Millennium, me getting into the medical school, Mako-chan working as an apprentice in a restaurant, Rei-chan going to Tokyo University, Minako-chan in the entertainment biz. And yah, the coming of Chibiusa-chan. I bet Usagi, no, Serenity is looking so much forward to her arrival ne?" Mercury spoke and laughed as she went along, walking side by side with Maker towards the north yard, where the imperial garden is located. "What about you, Maker? How did these three years went along?"
Mercury waited for quite a while, and silence was all what she got from Maker. She turned around to face Maker, only to see Maker staring out blankly to the front. It was the third time in the whole morning that Maker was caught in this state. "Maker?" Mercury called out to get Maker's attention.
Maker jumped as she snapped out of her own world, turning her attention towards Mercury. "Yes?"
"Are you okay? You don't look like you're listening. If you are not feeling well, you can take a rest. You do not need to accompany me if you don't want to. And you looked really tired. Are you really okay?
"Sorry! I'm okay. It's just that I didn't managed to sleep last night, Maybe that's why I can't focus. Sorry about that." Maker apologised
Mercury stopped walking and glanced at Maker's back. "Did something happened last night?" She asked.
Maker winced at the question asked. Her heart throbbed painfully as the question mentioned reminded her what happened last night. "No nothing significant happened last night" Maker replied in a shaky voice. "Except for it being the special night for Ouhi."
"Really?" Mercury questioned. "Like I always say, if you don't wish to share, you can just say it. You don't have to lie to me. I will take it as an insult to both yours and my intellectual level." Mercury continued as she walked to the side of Maker.
Maker just smiled lightly at the statement that Mercury had made. 'So what were you asking just now?"
"As I was asking, how were your three years?
"These three years. . . Our main focus was the reconstruction of the planet. And it was only just completed 2 months ago. After that was Ouhi's wedding. What's up in the future, probably some diplomacy and deterrence plans and such. That would be all for now, I guess." Maker replied.
"What about you?" Mercury continued, realising that Maker was just updating her with the situation on Kinmoku. "What about your dreams and romance?"
Maker thought for a while before answering Mercury. "Sorry about the fact that I told you there was a little yesterday. After thinking about it the whole night last night, I realised that I had none. My dreams were surrounded and lead by this person, from young till now. And her dreams are surrounded by another. In simple words, my dreams are not existent at all."
"Maker . . . " Mercury trailed. "You know you can build your own dreams from it. You should try. You will never know whether will it work or not until you have tried." Mercury encouraged.
Once again, Maker smiled bitterly at herself. "I guess so. But still, I have a feeling that it won't work."
"You have to believe Maker. Have faith. All of the inner senshis had never thought that we will be able to accomplish our dreams when the new Silver Millennium comes, but we did, didn't we. You just have to believe in it to happen, Maker." Mercury continued.
Maker nodded her head, not saying anything else.
And just at the moment, the two of them saw Fighter, dressed in commoner outfit, walking towards the palace north entry.
"Eh? Fighter!" Mercury called out as she ran towards Fighter, with Maker strolled slowly behind her.
Fighter turned around to the voice that called out for her, only to see Mercury coming up to her, with Maker walking slowly behind her. 'Not now. Not when my mind is still confused.' "Hey Mercury! Dating with Maker?" Fighter joked.
"NO!" Mercury's face ran red as she exclaimed. "We are just doing some catching up of our life after 3 years. Nothing else much. Please do not misunderstood us." Mercury finished as Maker caught up with the two of them.
"But your face is telling me another story, Mercury" Fighter made more fun of Mercury.
"That's because Fighter you said something funny!" Mercury laughed out, obvious to the fact that Fighter was just making fun of her.
"What's so funny?" Maker asked out but received no answer in return. She frowned a little, while the other two continued to chuckle more. "Fine if you are not going to tell me, but it would be great that you all should stop laughing when you guys are not intending to tell me what had happened.
"Fine fine, We are not laughing anymore. The agreement is over." Fighter told Maker, before whispering into Mercury's ear, " I do not wish to die at such at young age."
Getting what Fighter meant in that sentence, Mercury could not help but continue to laugh more, while Maker stared seriously at Fighter.
"I'm not Healer, so I will not come after you for your life even after the agreement is over. You should have know this very well, Fighter." Maker stated bluntly, glancing straight at Fighter, which was something that she avoided to do so the past time. Noticing that Fighter was dressed casually, not in the palace dress code, she continued, "Are you going somewhere?"
"Ah, that." Fighter looked down at her feet. "I am thinking about going outside, probably to Hillreign. It's a nice place to go during off days."
"Hillreign? Alone?" Maker asked in a louder voice, in concern.
Fighter nodded her head slowly. "I should get going now. If not I won't be able to get back in time for the farewell for the senshis." Turning away from them, she started to walk away, before a out reached hand pulled her back.
"Fighter! You know you should not go Hillreign alone. It's too dangerous. We all like it there, but the geology over there is too complicated and dangerous for one to go alone there. We always go there as a group, not alone. You should know, don't you? Where's Healer? Didn't you ask her along?" Maker reprimanded, worried for her leader's safety.
"I . . . " Fighter fumbled a little. "Healer is at the capital with the rest of the sol senshis. That's why I'm . . . "
Mercury, watching the slight commotion between the two starlights all along, spoke out, "Why not the two of us go along with you, Fighter? I too want to see that beautiful place that you all are talking about."
"Good idea, Mercury. I'll change out of my uniform first. Please wait for a while." Maker stated, before Fighter could voiced out her objection.
"Shall we find some place to sit while we wait for Maker? Mercury asked Fighter.
Fighter nodded her head reluctantly, walking Mercury towards the nearest bench to them.
"Fighter, are you okay? You looked like you're quite upset and tired. And your mood changed real fast. Are you alright? Was it because Serenity?" Mercury asked as they sat down on the bench. The inner senshis all knew about Fighter's feelings towards their Princess.
"I'm just tired, Maybe it's because of the wedding yesterday." Fighter replied.
And the two of them just sat there in silence, waiting for Maker to arrive at the gate.
"Mercury" Fighter called out.
"Yes?'
"How's Serenity?" Fighter finally asked the question that were eating her heart all these while. "Is she happy? Is she doing good?"
"She . . . She's really happy right now, having the family that she dreamt of all these while." Mercury replied carefully, so as to reduce the hurt Fighter was having at the point of time. "But she missed the starlights all these while as well, especially you, Fighter."
"Really? She did?" Fighter questioned. "Or are you just coming up with sentences to make up a white lie to me?'
Mercury just nodded her head in answer to Fighter's self question. Silence fell in again, before Fighter managed to build up enough courage to ask Mercury one other question that she had been trying to get out of Maker.
"Mercury?" Fighter called out again and Mercury turned her attention towards Fighter once again. "How are you and Maker getting along?"
"Me and Maker getting along? We had a great time catching up on each other's life these three years, though Maker seemed pretty distracted today." Mercury answered truthfully.
"No I do not mean that." Fighter voiced out.
"Then what did you meant by me and Maker?" Mercury questioned.
Unbelieved by the fact that Mercury was oblivious to what she was trying to ask, Fighter continued. "You like Maker, don't you?"
"What are you thinking Fighter?" Mercury jumped from her seat ungracefully, surprised by the question Fighter had asked. "Maker and I are just really good friends. We enjoyed each other's accompany. And she's a great person to talk to. There's nothing much other than that. Really." Mercury explained.
"Really?"
"Yeah. She has her dreams at someone, I have my own dreams on earth."
"If that's what you believe. But I do believe that Maker maybe interested in you. I've never seen her some comfortable with anyone else, where she can speak out her deepest thoughts." Fighter insisted.
"Maybe, Fighter, if you are willing to search deeper within, you will know more." Mercury advised.
Just when Fighter was about to ask what Mercury meant in her sentence, Maker came back. "I'm ready, we can make a move now." Maker gestured the way to the gate to Mercury.
Both Fighter and Mercury stood up at the same time and walked off in the same direction with Maker slightly at the back of Mercury. Mercury made an abrupt stop, causing Maker to crash over her, and Fighter stopped slightly ahead. "Ah! I just remembered that I have something to do! Sorry Fighter, I won't be able to make the visit to Hillreign this time round. I shall get moving! See you later!" Mercury informed, before running past Maker. And when Maker turned over, Mercury winked at her.
Maker was shocked. She could not understand what was going in Mercury's mind. ''Did she know something that I do not know? Or have she figured out what I meant earlier on?'
"Maker. " Fighter called out and upon hearing her name being called, Maker turned back her attention to Fighter. "If you don't want to go, we can just stay in palace, so that you can accompany Mercury with her stuffs." Fighter suggested sadly. 'You want to spend time with her, don't you?'
"Fighter, it's okay. Let's make the move. If not we won't be able to get back in time."
"Really? You want to go with me? I thought -" Fighter asked, with the late morning starlight reflecting the slight joy in her eyes.
"We are really going, Fighter. Stop worrying so much." Maker stated as she moved beside Fighter, with some spaces between them.