Chapter 2: The Stirring of Destiny

SailorMoon leaned against a wall as she paused to catch her breath. She'd been searching for the mysterious intruders all around Chiyoda, but with no luck. Sighing in defeat, she turned homeward.

She had been walking for several minutes when a piercing scream rang out from somewhere near the Palace. She gasped and started running.

When she reached the place where she thought she'd heard the screams, she found nothing. A quick search of the area turned up no clues, until she passed an alley and some small, pink things caught her eye. She stepped forward cautiously, and saw that they were flower petals.

She bent down and picked one up. It was fresh and perfect, as if it had just fallen. She examined it closely, but it seemed normal, if out of place. Intrigued, she looked up, searching for where it might have come from, but all she saw were the pale white walls of the buildings, and high above the moon peeking through the clouds.

She glanced back once more, shrugged, and continued home.

At last, she staggered into the palace, feeling tired, sweaty, and altogether dejected. Her parents were waiting at the door.

"Usagi-chan!" Serenity exclaimed worriedly. Diana had filled her in on what was happening and where Usagi had gone, but the queen had been about to go out after her anyway.

Sailor Moon just nodded wearily and touched her brooch. In a moment her sailor suit disappeared, reverting back to her school uniform. She slumped into a chair and buried her head in her hands.

"I couldn't find them," she reported when she had recovered a bit. "I ran all over the district but I didn't see them again."

"This is not good. If they have the Golden Crystal, who knows what they could do!" Serenity lamented. Then she shook her head, not wanting to upset her daughter even more. "But I'm glad you're safe."

"And what's more," Endymion reminded them, "Usagi-chan has finally become Sailor Moon! We should be proud of her." He squeezed Usagi's shoulder comfortingly. "It'll be all right. We'll get the crystal back." But when he glanced over at Serenity, the queen could see worry in his eyes.

Usagi stood up suddenly, surprising them. "I will get it back!" she declared. "I'll track those guys down, and I won't stop until I've punished them and returned the crystal to its rightful place! This is the reason I became Sailor Moon!"

"Usagi..." Serenity said softly. Then she nodded. "All right. From now on, that is your mission."

"However, I believe the princess also has another mission," Mercury said, entering the hall with Usagi's school bag in her arms. "And I think it involves several dozen geometry proofs and a half-page response to tonight's reading..."

Usagi just groaned in reply.

"Say Hotaru-chan, have you seen that new cafe over in Ginza?" Usagi asked one morning as they were walking to school together. "Everyone says the food's really good!" She licked her lips, imagining.

"That sounds nice," Hotaru said, sounding distracted. She kept glancing around warily. Ever since the Golden Crystal had been stolen, everyone had been on edge. Serenity hadn't made the news public for fear of inciting a panic, and the girls were still attending school. But Hotaru in particular was tense, refusing to leave Usagi's side for even a moment when they were outside the palace. She seemed to expect an enemy around every corner.

They walked for a little while in silence. As they neared the school, Usagi noticed a girl with long pink hair standing at a corner looking confused. She had a map in her hand, but it didn't seem to be very helpful as she kept turning it around, trying to figure out where she was.

"Excuse me!" Usagi said, approaching her. "Are you lost?"

The girl looked up. "Oh!" She gave them a friendly smile. "Well, I do seem to be a bit disoriented-my goodness!" she gasped, recognizing Usagi. She dropped to one knee. "Princess! It's an honor."

"You may rise," Usagi said a bit imperiously, gesturing for Seresu to stand.

Yup, that sounded pretty good! she thought to herself with a little smile. Very princess-like. Then her formal air vanished. "Anyway... where are you trying to go?"

"Well, I'm looking for Crystal Mugen Academy."

"Hmm, you're pretty far off course, then. Mugen's a few miles up that way." Usagi said, pointing.

The girl's face fell. "Oh dear... I suppose I'd better hurry, then. It's a good thing I got up early." She reached into her bag and pulled out a sprig of small yellow flowers, which she handed to Usagi. "That's agrimony," she told her with a wink. "For gratitude." She gave Usagi and Hotaru a quick smile, then turned to go.

"Wait! What's your name?"

The girl paused and turned around briefly. "Seresu Garnier," she introduced herself. "It was delightful to meet you!"

"Garnier-san..." Usagi repeated, watching as Seresu scurried up the street. As she and Hotaru started walking again, she toyed with the flowers, twirling them between her fingers. After a few minutes she stuck them into her hair and smiled.

"She was nice!" Usagi said. "I hope I can meet her again..."

"Souga!" the teacher called, glancing over the room. "Souga...?" He shrugged. "Absent again, huh? Hmm."

"Miruki-chan's been gone for three days," the boy next to Usagi whispered. "I wonder what's wrong with her?"

Usagi frowned worriedly. "I don't know. I haven't seen her anywhere. Maybe she's sick."

"Chino!"

"Here!" the boy responded, quickly sitting upright.

Usagi, having memorized her position in the roll, also made sure she was paying attention when the teacher called "Tsukino!"

She sat quietly taking notes for a few minutes, and was writing busily when a folded piece of paper landed on her desk. She glanced up to make sure the teacher wasn't watching and carefully unfolded the note.

"Tsukino-san," it read. "Are those flowers from a boy?"

Usagi's felt her face turn red. She looked around the room and caught one of the boys in the front row looking back at her. When their eyes met, he quickly turned away. Usagi just grimaced.

I definitely liked it better when they called me Chibi.

When Usagi left school that afternoon, she was surprised to see Seresu waiting for her at the gate.

"Tsukino-sama!" she called, waving a hand in Usagi's direction. Usagi's face lit up as she bounded over to meet her new friend.

"I hope you don't mind my being so forward, but I was wondering if you'd like to walk home together. I feel I haven't quite properly thanked you for your help this morning."

"Oh, it was nothing!" Usagi said. Seresu fell into step beside her as they started to stroll homeward.

"I see you still have the flowers," Seresu observed, pointing to the blossoms in Usagi's hair.

"Ehe..." Usagi laughed nervously. She made a face, recalling the incident earlier.

Seresu noted her reaction. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing!" Usagi replied quickly, putting on a bright smile.

"Usagiiiiiii!" Hotaru's voice rang out. Usagi turned to see her friend running wildly down the path toward them. She looked less than pleased.

Hotaru was scolding her as soon as she was in earshot. "What are you doing, taking off like that? It's dangerous for you to be alone! What if-" She stopped short, noticing for the first time that Seresu was there.

Seresu frowned slightly. "What do you mean, dangerous?"

"Umm... Even in a low-crime neighborhood, you can't be too careful!" Hotaru said quickly. "You're a princess, after all."

Good save, Usagi thought. Aloud she said. "Don't worry. We're together, so we'll be fine."

"Oh! You're the person we met this morning," Hotaru realized. "Garnier-san, right?"

"Yes," Seresu said with a nod.

"This is my best friend, Hotaru-chan," Usagi told her as they started walking again.

"Pleased to meet you," Seresu said sweetly.

They walked and chatted together until Seresu had to leave. Usagi was all smiles as she waved goodbye.

"Isn't Garnier-san great?" she said after her new friend had gone.

"Yeah," Hotaru said half-heartedly.

"Is something wrong?"

"No. Come on, Usagi-chan. We'd better get home before dark."

The next day was the weekend, and Hotaru came knocking on Usagi's door early in the morning. Usagi, as it turned out, was already up and dressed for a day out on the town.

"Good morning, Usagi-chan! I was wondering if you'd like to-" Hotaru stopped, realizing that Usagi was already on her way out the door. "Oh, are you going somewhere?"

"Yup!" Usagi said with a broad grin. "Garnier-san and I are going to the park!"

"Oh..." Hotaru looked disappointed.

"Sorry, gotta go!" Usagi called over her shoulder as she dashed out the door.

And so it went all day. At noon Hotaru asked Usagi, "Want to go see a movie?"

"Sorry, I already promised Garnier-san we'd go shopping together!"

And later, "Do you need any help studying for history? You said you were having trouble..."

"I got Garnier-san to tutor me, so it's okay!"

At dinner time Usagi found Hotaru sitting alone in one of the palace's small courtyards. "Hey Hotaru-chan," she called. "Garnier-san and I are going out to a noodle place! Want to come?"

"No thank you," Hotaru replied without turning to look at her.

"But they have soba-"

"I'm not hungry," Hotaru said irritably. "Maybe some other time."

Usagi looked bewildered for a moment, but then shrugged. "All right, then."

After she left, Hotaru slumped down in her chair, head in her arms, and stayed that way for the rest of the evening.

On Sunday, Usagi invited Seresu to visit her in the palace. Seresu was thrilled, and took in the sights giddily as Usagi showed her around. She kept saying "Simply splendid!" and "Oh, I can't wait to tell my friends about this!" After a while they found a sunny spot in the main garden and decided to have tea.

After a while Seresu noticed that Hotaru was nowhere to be found. "Where is Tomoe-san?" she asked. "It seems like she's usually with you."

Usagi looked worried. "Yeah... she said she didn't feel well this morning."

"You two are really close, aren't you?"

"Yup!" Usagi said, nodding enthusiastically. "We've been best friends for ages."

"What sort of person is Tomoe-san?" Seresu asked. "She seemed nice."

"Mmhm. Hotaru-chan's a little shy, but once you get to know her she's the best! And she's really smart too! She wants to be a nurse some day. She even helps out in the nurse's office at school."

"That's quite impressive!" Seresu exclaimed. "Tomoe-san really is an amazing person."

"Yup!"

Seresu paused and sipped her tea daintily. "Speaking of tomorrow, Tsukino-sama, I was wondering if you'd like to go to that Glass Hour place for dinner. Surely you've heard of it?"

"The one in Ginza? Yeah, I heard it was really good!" Usagi said excitedly.

At that moment Hotaru happened to pass by on a walkway a few stories overhead. When she heard the two laughing and talking, she stopped and peeked over the railing, listening intently.

"That sounds great!" she heard Usagi say.

"Shall we go after school, then? Oh, you'll be simply amazed at how good the food is! And the waiter was dashingly handsome..."

Hotaru's face fell. But Usagi-chan promised she'd wait for me so we could walk home together!

She stood forlornly for a moment, feeling betrayed. Then an angry frown crept over her face. "Fine, then!" she muttered. "I see how it is!" She turned and ran down the hall, tears stinging in her eyes.

"...But only if Hotaru-chan can come too!" Usagi was saying. "She's working tomorrow, so I promised I'd wait for her."

Seresu smiled. "You two really are the best of friends."

"Hotaru-chan! Wait up!" Usagi panted. She jogged to catch up, but Hotaru didn't even turn around.

"Hey!" she said when at last she reached Hotaru's side. "What's going on? You're acting like you're ignoring me or something!" Without waiting for Hotaru to answer, she went on, "By the way, after school today-"

"I know," Hotaru said coldly. She stopped walking. "I... I think I forgot something at home. Go ahead without me."

"Oh...okay."

Usagi watched, puzzled, as Hotaru left. It's not like her to forget things. Hotaru-chan is a little strange today. But she decided it was just her imagination, and kept walking.

When she was sure Usagi wouldn't look back, Hotaru peeked out of the bushes she'd hidden behind. She moved a bit closer, than hid again. She followed Usagi to school that way, just far enough to be out of earshot, but close enough to come to her rescue in case another enemy appeared.

It's my duty to the princess, she thought. That's all.

On the outskirts of town stood an abandoned factory. No one passed by there anymore, and the building had fallen into disrepair. But that spring, for some reason, it had become overgrown with roses.

At the moment, two people were standing in what had been the lobby. One was a tall, lanky man with wild orange hair. He wore a long red coat and had some kind of mechanical device strapped to his left arm. The other was a short blue-haired girl with pale, round eyes and a childish face. Their voices were raised in one of their frequent arguments.

"Why'd it have to turn out like this?" the girl grumbled. "I didn't expect that stupid senshi to be so strong!"

"It's your own fault, Calomel, for treating this like a game," her companion admonished. "The sailor senshi aren't a threat to be taken lightly."

"Sheesh, you don't have to lecture me!" Calomel whined. She turned her back on him and flicked at one of the blossoms that climbed over the concrete wall. They were a dull ash-gray, not a very good color for roses, she thought.

"Well, be more careful next time."

"Yeah yeah," she said, rolling her eyes. She frowned thoughtfully for a moment. Then her face lit up, and she held out her hands, preparing a spell. As she squinted in concentration, a mist began to gather in the room. Soon it rose into a billowing cloud and took on the shape of a wolf-like beast. The creature threw back its head and let out an eerie howl.

"Ha! What do you think of that, Onii-kun?"

He shrugged. "It's a cloud."

Calomel smirked. Her creation opened its mouth and shot a blast of hot steam at her brother, who cried out softly as he was knocked off his feet.

"I see," he said as he dusted himself off, trying not to appear too impressed.

"Now, go and find SailorMoon!" Calomel ordered.

Hotaru sighed dejectedly as she packed up the first aid kit and finished tidying up the nurse's office. She slung her bag over her shoulder with a heavy sigh and started the long walk home alone.

She trudged along, staring at her feet. All day long she'd been swinging back and forth between sadness and anger. Now she was tired, and her feelings had wound down to a dull melancholy.

Maybe it was my fault, she thought. I was worrying all the time. I wouldn't let her have any fun...

Then another thought occurred to her. Oh no! What if Usagi-chan and Garnier-san are attacked at the restaurant!

"Usagi-chan!" she cried, breaking into a run. She shoved the door open frantically, searching for her friend.

"Owww!" Usagi groaned as the door smacked into her head.

Hotaru looked up in surprise. "Usagi-chan?"

"Hey!" Usagi said cheerfully, still holding her forehead. "Ready to go?"

Hotaru blinked. "I thought you guys went out to dinner."

"Tsukino-sama insisted that we wait for you," Seresu explained.

"Usagi-chan..." Hotaru said with a smile.

Usagi grabbed her hand and Seresu's. "C'mon!" she urged. "I'm hungry!"

She turned and started down the street, but Hotaru grabbed her wrist and stopped her. Usagi looked back, confused, and saw a tense look on Hotaru's face. She followed her friend's gaze to the corner of the schoolyard, where a thick cloud of mist was rising, congealing, taking on the form of a wolf...

"Garnier-san," Usagi whispered. "Run!"

Frightened, Seresu took a step back. "Wh-what is that?"

"Just go!" Hotaru insisted. Without another word, Seresu turned and ran.

They transformed as soon as the coast was clear. "Saturn Crystal Power!"

"Moon Crystal Power!"

"Make Up!" they cried in unison, and in a moment SailorMoon and SailorSaturn were facing off against the monster.

SailorMoon was the first to attack, charging at the monster with her fists flying. But before she could get close to it, it dissolved into an amorphous cloud and rose into the air, only to re-form and pounce on her. She screamed as it pinned her to the ground.

She was rescued by Saturn, who raked her glaive along the monster's side. It yelped and turned back into a cloud, and Usagi scrambled away. The monster resumed its wolf shape and growled angrily at them. Water dripped from its wounded side.

"This is no good! We can't get close to it!" SailorMoon said worriedly.

"But it seems like it has to go back to its natural shape after a few seconds," Saturn observed.

Then the monster sucked in a huge gulp of air, inflating to twice its normal size. Moon and Saturn screamed as it breathed a jet of hot steam at them.

Seresu heard her friends' cries and paused. She wavered, then turned back to find them.

When she reached the front of the school, she couldn't hold back a cry of horror as she saw the monster. SailorMoon and SailorSaturn were struggling to stand. The creature's head swiveled to look at her, and Seresu froze in fear.

"Garnier-san, look out!" Usagi tried to warn her, but it was too late. The monster charged at Seresu, blowing steam from its nostrils. "No!" Usagi shouted, jumping in front of Seresu to shield her.

"Tsukino-sama!" Seresu cried in alarm.

No! I can't let the princess get hurt!

Suddenly, without warning, a stream of vivid memories poured into her mind. The dark, oppressive heat of the jungle. The soothing light of the silver crystal. The smile of her dear princess. Herself fighting in a sailor suit alongside her four companions. And at last, her flight across time and space, toward the stirring of destiny that called her to awaken again...

To the place where you should be. To the person you should protect.

"That's right!" she exclaimed. "I remember now! The time for our true awakening has arrived!" A deep pink aura surrounded her, and the monster cringed before its glow.

Usagi whirled to look at her. "What?!" She squinted against the glare and saw light gathering in Seresu's hands, forming a golden sphere. Seresu held it above her head, and a curved symbol, the sign of Ceres, glowed on her forehead.

"Ceres Star Power, Make Up!"

Hotaru's jaw dropped. "Garnier-san was Sailor Ceres?!" she gasped.

Ceres didn't waste any time, but stepped between SailorMoon and the monster. "How very unkind of you to attack a lady!" she scolded. "SailorCeres will teach you a lesson!"

A blast of hot steam was the monster's reply. The three senshi cried out as they were knocked backward. Ceres cringed and clutched her arm in pain. A blister was forming where her glove had been burned away by the intense heat.

Undaunted, she got to her feet. No more time for idle chatter. "Fragrant Cornucopia!" she shouted, shooting a spiral of golden light from her hands to wrap around the gaseous menace. The monster tried to turn into a cloud again, but it couldn't escape the glowing whirlwind.

Saturn saw an opening and raised her glaive. "Silence Glaive Surprise!" With a quick slash she launched an arc of violet energy at the trapped monster. On impact it exploded, knocking them all back again. When the dust cleared, the monster was gone.

SailorMoon sat up shakily. She dusted herself off and gave her friends a big smile. "All right! We did it!" she cheered.

"Congratulations," came a man's voice from above. The three girls looked up and saw a tall figure in a white tuxedo perched on the rooftop, shadowed by the glow of the setting sun. His face was covered by a golden mask. He stood, tossing his gold-lined cape aside, and flashed them a quick salute.

"Who are you?" Ceres asked.

The man ignored her question. "Adieu!" he called over his shoulder as he leapt nimbly away and disappeared over the rooftop.

SailorMoon stared after him for a long time. "Somehow I have a feeling I've seen him before..."

"So Garnier-san was a senshi!" Usagi marveled after they had de-transformed.

Hotaru chuckled. "With a name like Seresu, we should've figured it out..." Then she turned serious. "But more importantly, what happened to the rest of the Sailor Quartet?"

"After the battle with Galaxia, SailorCosmos sent us to the future," Seresu began.

"Sailor Cosmos?" Usagi interrupted, confused.

"Oh, that's right," Seresu realized. "You didn't meet her in that form, did you? SailorCosmos is the ultimate sailor soldier who came from the future. She is also the true form of Chibichibi."

"E!? You mean that little kid was actually...!"

Seresu nodded. "In my opinion, she looked a good deal like Neo Queen Serenity," she added. "Anyway, SailorCosmos sent us to the future, to the time when we were meant to truly awaken and protect our princess. We made that journey in our pure star forms, but somehow along the way we were scattered. When we arrived on Earth, we began to grow for the first time as normal human beings. However, in the process our memories were sealed." Her eyes grew distant as she thought of her companions. "Pallas, Vesta, and Juno must be out there somewhere... I wonder if they've remembered yet."

Usagi clasped her hand. "Don't worry! We'll find them for sure!"

"Yeah," Hotaru agreed. "We're a team!"

Seresu smiled warmly at her newfound companions. "Indeed we are."

After a few seconds Usagi tugged on her arm. "Can we go now? I'm hungry!"

Hotaru laughed. "That's Usagi for you!"

"All right, all right. Let's go."

Half an hour later, they were enjoying a meal at the Glass Hour.

"You sure were right about the food here, Garnier-san!" Hotaru said.

"And the cute waiter!" Usagi added. They all laughed, but quickly fell silent when the aforementioned waiter shot a glance in their direction.

"Oh yeah! I brought you something," Usagi remembered. She rummaged in her bag and pulled out a bunch of yellow flowers, which she handed to Seresu. "Yellow acacia," she said. "For friendship."

"Why thank you!" Seresu exclaimed, clapping her hands. Then she giggled. "But Tsukino-sama... this is yellow acacia."

"Huh?"

"That also stand for secret love!"

Usagi turned bright red. "I didn't know that!" she said, waving her hands frantically. "I didn't mean-"

"I know, I know," Seresu reassured her between fits of laughter.

Hotaru poked Usagi in the ribs. "Do you have a secret love, Usagi-chan?"

Usagi didn't answer, but a slight blush rose to her cheeks. For a moment, the image of a youth with white hair and gentle golden eyes flashed through her mind.

"Your silence speaks for you, Tsukino-sama," Seresu giggled.

Usagi blinked, snapping out of her trance. "I, um..." She popped a crab cake in her mouth to avoid answering. A broad grin spread over her face. "Mm, these are delicious!"

"Yappari," Hotaru mouthed to Seresu, then reached for a crab cake herself. And so they enjoyed the rest of the evening.

Notes

Chiyoda Ward: the area of Tokyo that includes the Imperial Palace (and presumably the Crystal Palace in the time of Crystal Tokyo).

I am guessing that by the 31st century the public school system would have switched to mixed rolls (rather than the traditional way of reading boys first,) especially considering that a woman is governing the planet.

Onii-kun: very casual term of address for one's older brother.

"Ceres" is actually spelled exactly the same way as "Seresu" in Japanese. However, I'm going to use Romaji for her civilian name and English for her soldier name, just for clarity's sake.

Yappari: a hard-to-translate expression that can mean "as I thought" or "after all." In this case it's like saying "As we suspected, she has a secret love!"

R&R is always appreciated!