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1 Hello everyone! ^-^ This story is something I'm very glad to have finished.
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2 It took me nearly two years from start to finish. Sometimes it would move
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3 to the back of my mind for a while when I was working on other stories or
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4 projects, but it would always lurk there until I would give it my full
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5 attention again. This is my written version of Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon
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6 S based off of Naoko Takeuchi's manga rather than the anime. It started
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7 as a simple enough idea. I wanted to expand upon some of the points in
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8 the manga. That's where ChibiUsa & Hotaru's most romantic scenes were
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9 to begin with, anyway. ^-^ But it grew after that. Slowly but surely. And
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10 this is the end result. I can't say it's one of my best works, but I
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11 certainly enjoyed writing a good deal of it. ^-^ It took me two years to
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12 finish, so a lot of my writing isn't really as good as it could be as my
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13 editor reminded me, so I take all of the blame for tarnishing Naoko
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14 Takeuchi's manga. ^-^;; I really do hope you all enjoy this. ^-^ Now I
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15 just need to start up SuperS and go through Sailorstars and this little
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16 project should be done in another two years or more. ^^;; I'd like to thank
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17 Boco the Chokobo for all of the contributions to this story and for being
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18 so kind as to edit it for me when I don't have the patience to do it myself.
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19 I tried to follow the manga very closely, but there are some times when the
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20 story veers, so please bear with me. ^-^;; I borrowed heavily from manga
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21 translations to keep myself on track for the most part, but it was a lot of
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22 fun to see how things turned out anyway. ^=^ Thank you very much for reading
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23 this and if you have any comments or suggestions, please e-mail me. ^-^
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24
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25 Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon - Infinity I Alternate
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26 'Eye of the Beholder' - Prologue
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27 by Amazoness Duo
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28 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
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29
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30 "I thought it was around here.." ChibiUsa let out a sigh as she walked
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31 along. She had come to the Mugen Gakuen amusement park with Mamoru, Momoko,
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32 Diana, and some classmates, but she had lost her hat riding the roller coaster,
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33 and had seperated to look for it. She was having a great time overall, but
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34 something felt wrong. A strange feeling in the pit of her stomach just wouldn't
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35 leave her. She felt an urgent need to hurry. "It must be the other side of
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36 that building.."
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37 Looking around her, as she entered the secluded area in the shadow of the
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38 skyscraper, the pink-haired girl found herself near the Infinity Academy, Mugen
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39 Gakuen. The feeling of dread wouldn't go away. It worsened as she came near a
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40 red and white warning sign. "I can read that," she said to herself, barely able
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41 to make out the complicated kanji. "..research labs? Oh, here it is." The hat
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42 had been blown by the wind into a corner of this section of the building. The
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43 princess picked it up and dusted it off. "I bought it for Ikuko-mama, so I'm
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44 glad I found it again." Taking a better look at her surroundings, hat in hand,
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45 she gasped at the sight unfolding in front of her. A raven haired girl wearing
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46 the Mugen Gakuen school uniform was having a coughing fit. It sounded pretty
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47 bad. "Hey, are you okay?"
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48 ChibiUsa went over to the other girl, a hand going to the pale child's
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49 shoulder. The girl's arm came up, forcing her own away from her, the other
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50 clutching her chest as coughs wracked her weak body. "It's okay.. this happens
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51 all the time... but you should go away. The area is.. off limits..."
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52 Before the pink-haired girl could respond, her blonde mother had rounded
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53 the corner at a dead run. Strangely enough, she was also in a Mugen Gakuen
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54 uniform, but she had no time to ask why before the older girl began: "What are
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55 you doing here by yourself, ChibiUsa-chan!! You should know better, it's
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56 dangerous here!"
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57 ChibiUsa responded defensively. "I lost the hat I bought for Ikuko-mama,
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58 and then this girl.. I guess she's okay, but she looked hurt." Just as quickly
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59 as the words left her mouth, the princess felt her broach reacting. "The
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60 Crystal..?"
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61 "ChibiUsa-chan! Abunai!!" A large black monster had grown out of the
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62 darkness was hovering over the three girls. Acting as quickly as she could,
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63 ChibiUsa changed into Sailorchibimoon. Not having time for a fancy speech, she
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64 threw herself between the Daimon and the beautiful raven haired girl.
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65 The Daimon lunged forward towards the two girls. Chibimoon brought her arm
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66 up in front of her as the beast came crashing into her. The dark haired girl
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67 screamed as Chibimoon fell backwards.
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68 "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" Sailormoon's voice rang through the haze of
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69 pain seeping into Chibimoon's mind. Before the Daimon could do anything, it was
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70 hit by Sailormoon's attack. A cat lay on the floor where moments before a
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71 Daimon had been.
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72 Breathing a sigh of relief, Chibimoon shakily got to her feet. She quickly
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73 turned around to check on the dark haired schoolgirl. The girl was on her
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74 knees, her hands clenched against her chest. She looked up, her silver grey
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75 eyes still frightened. Their mysterious depths left the pink haired girl
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76 speechless as she tried to think.
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77 "Who.. are you..? Why did you save me?" the raven haired girl asked, short
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78 of breath.
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79 Chibimoon smiled broadly and held out a hand to the other girl. Her knees
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80 felt weak and a newer feeling in her stomach replaced the feelings of dread
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81 she'd had. Her crimson eyes looked deeply into the silver eyes pointed up at
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82 her. "We are the Soldiers of Justice! Sailormoon and Sailorchibimoon." She
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83 really wanted to see this girl again for some odd reason. She hoped this
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84 wouldn't be the last she would see of her. "Are you okay? Were you hurt?" she
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85 asked, concerned.
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86 The raven haired girl took Chibimoon by the wrist, pulling her forward.
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87 "You are the one who's hurt," she said softly, eyes seeming to shine in the
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88 darkness. "You got hurt for me."
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89 "What?" Chibimoon gasped as she felt the bloody gash on her arm where the
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90 Daimon had hit her. She hadn't noticed before, but now that she did, pain shot
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91 through her arm. She felt a bit sick at the sight of her own blood.
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92 The schoolgirl held Chibimoon's arm, gently placing her hand over the
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93 wound. Chibimoon looked down at the other girl, confused about what she was
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94 doing. The raven haired girl looked back up at her, dispelling her concerns for
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95 the moment.
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96 Mamoru showed up just as two figures leaped off, from the shadows: a green-
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97 haired woman in a sailor fuku, and a platinum blond man in cape and mask.
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98 Apparently they had watched the whole thing from the sidelines. "Wait!"
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99 Sailormoon yelled after them, to no avail.
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100 Chibimoon watched as the girl's eyes fell closed. She seemed to be
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101 concentrating intently. Chibimoon gasped as a glow began to surround her arm
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102 and the other girl's hands. A warm feeling flooded through her, eminating from
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103 the girl's hands, but passing over Chibimoon's whole body. Finally, the glow
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104 began to dissipate. Pulling her arm up after the dark haired girl had let go of
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105 it, she could see that the wound was now not much more than a bad scratch.
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106 "Usagi! Look, my wound.."
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107 Taking Chibimoon's arm again, the raven haired girl began to bandage it
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108 with her hankerchief. Not looking at the pink haired senshi, she began
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109 explaining as if she'd read Chibimoon's mind. "I've been able to do that since
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110 I was very young. I can heal injuries, but it takes a lot out of me." The pale
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111 girl looked down sadly. "But it frightens everyone around me when I do that."
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112 She sighed, running her fingers through her dark hair.
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113 Chibimoon looked down at the dark haired girl in amazement. "I think it's
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114 wonderful..." she said softly.
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115 The raven haired girl looked up at the future princess oddly, finished
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116 bandaging her arm. She blinked in confusion, looking up into those crimson gems
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117 that stared down at her. The other sailor senshi were talking behind them, but
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118 she didn't seem to notice. "You... You do?" The question came out softly. How
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119 could anyone think its wonderful? It seemed impossible to the girl.
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120 Chibimoon nodded emphatically. "Un, it's amazing! My arm feels so much
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121 better now. Thank you." Looking down into two silvery pools, Chibimoon felt
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122 herself being drawn in by this mysterious girl. She longed for that gentle
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123 touch, that warm feeling again.
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124 "And thank you for saving me." The raven haired girl let a small smile
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125 play across her lips. It was the first time Chibimoon had seen her smile. It
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126 was beautiful. This girl didn't seem to smile much, but it sent a thrill
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127 through the pink haired girl just to see it. Right there, Chibimoon vowed that
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128 she'd get her to smile more. "You should disinfect that when you get home," the
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129 raven haired girl said, motioning to Chibimoon's arm. "But right now, you
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130 should go. If the guards find you, you'll be in a lot of trouble."
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131 "Thanks." Chibimoon smiles gratefully. The pink haired senshi paused
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132 before leaving. It didn't feel right to leave yet. More importantly, she
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133 didn't want to leave yet. She wanted to see the dark haired girl again.
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134 "Umm... If you don't mind, could you tell me something? What's your name?"
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135 "Tomoe Hotaru," Hotaru said softly, finally getting to her feet. The two
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136 girls looked at each other for a long silent moment. Turning to leave, she
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137 whispered back over her shoulder, "Be careful."
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138 Chibimoon watched after Hotaru as she entered the building through large
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139 double doors. The girl's name ran through her mind over and over again as she
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140 watched the girl's retreating form. "Firefly," she said quietly.
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141
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142 Hotaru collapsed near the doorway shortly after she got home. Pain shot
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143 through her veins as an icy hand seemed to clamp down on her whole body. She
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144 felt as if she were being torn apart from the inside out. Her breathing grew
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145 heavy and ragged as she gasped for air, her hand clutching her chest. Hot tears
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146 rolled down her pale cheeks as the pain became unbearable. Everything grew hazy
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147 around her. For a moment, the dark haired girl wished the escaped Daimon had
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148 killed her. Then this pain would finally be at an end. Through the cloud of
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149 pain, she decided that it was good that she hadn't, if only that she had been
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150 able to meet the pink haired girl right afterward.
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151 "Hotaru?" Her father's assistant, Kaolinite, ran up to her. "Another
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152 seizure? It's alright. It will pass."
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153 The older woman placed a hand on Hotaru's shoulder. Hotaru shrugged it off
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154 and pulled away, her breathing returning to normal as the pain began to dull.
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155 "Let go of me! I can handle it myself," she said angrily.
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156 "Hotaru, you know that's no way to talk to Kaori-kun. She's helped us very
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157 much since your mother's death. As my assistant, you should treat her with
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158 respect," Professor Tomoe said as he entered the room.
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159 "Professor!" Kaolinite turned at his approach. "Hotaru and I were just
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160 having a discussion."
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161 Professor Tomoe nodded before looking sternly at Hotaru. "Hotaru, you need
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162 help with how poor your health is. You have to let us help you. And Kaori-kun
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163 is practically part of the family. You should listen to her."
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164 "She's your private secretary, your assistant. She should know her place
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165 and not invade our home!" Hotaru stood up on shaky legs and ran off to her
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166 room.
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167
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168 Slamming the door to her room, Hotaru fell forward onto her bed. She
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169 wasn't feeling very well. She breathed deeply, trying to relax. An image of a
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170 pink haired girl came unbidden to her mind. The other girl had been so nice to
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171 her. She had even saved her life. What shocked Hotaru the most was that she
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172 hadn't been afraid of her healing abilities. Hotaru hugged her knees to her
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173 chest and sighed. Would she ever see the pink haired girl again? Probably not.
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174 She didn't even know her name. Her life was too lonely for her to have found a
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175 friend that easily. That glimmer of hope, that warm feeling she had felt,
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176 disappeared as the reality of the situation set in.
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177 As she changed from her school clothes into a night gown, she felt a sharp
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178 pain in her heart. She didn't know if it was another seizure or if it was the
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179 fact that she would never see the pink haired girl again. She took a shaky
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180 breath before pulling her nightgown the rest of the way on. The thought of a
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181 beautiful dreamless sleep beckoned to her as an escape from the sorrow she felt.
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182 Closing her eyes tightly, she crawled under the soft sheets of her bed. Still
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183 wracked by a pain in her heart, she fell into a fitful slumber.
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184
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185 "It hurts..."
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186 Hotaru moaned in pain, rolling over in bed. The vice-like grip over her
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187 body increased. She writhed in pain on the bed.
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188 The door to her room slowly opened. "Hotaru?" her father asked. "Hasn't
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189 it stopped?"
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190 "Dad..." Hotaru managed quietly.
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191 "Did you take your medicine?" Professor Tomoe asked worriedly.
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192 "I took it, but... it didn't work."
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193 "When the time comes, it will. You'll be alright." The professor reached
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194 into a large pocket on the side of his lab coat and withdraw an angular crystal.
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195 "This is an amulet, passed down through the family. Your mother used to carry
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196 it." He placed the amulet gently in Hotaru's hands. "Now that you have it, you
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197 can sleep soundly. I'll come check on you in a bit. Good night." He turned to
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198 leave, quietly closing the door behind him.
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199 "Dad, why are you acting so strangely? What's been going on lately?"
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200 Hotaru sighed and held the crystal. It felt cold against her palm. Her pain
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201 slowly started to recede as she stared down at the amulet. "Maybe dad was
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202 right. It does seem to be working. The seizure stopped. But... I'm scared. I
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203 can't trust my own body. It feels so strange. The seizures... they've only
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204 been getting worse lately." She took a shaky breath, willing herself not to
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205 think about such things. Finally, she drifted back to sleep.
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206
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207 Back at the underground base beneath Crown Game Center, Luna and Artemis
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208 were talking to the Sailor Team about the two mysterious Senshi they had
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209 encountered and the mysterious happenings at the Mugen Gakuen school. ChibiUsa
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210 wasn't really paying attention, her mind preoccupied. She kept playing the
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211 events of the day before over and over in her mind. She couldn't stop thinking
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212 about that strange girl. "Hotaru," she whispered. The dark haired girl's image
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213 appeared with crystal clarity in ChibiUsa's mind's eye. Her beautiful pale
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214 skin, offset by dark raven hair. Deep pools of silver that seemed to go on
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215 forever. She was pretty. Very pretty.
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216 "ChibiUsa-chan?" Usagi asked for the third time, wondering what the Senshi
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217 in training could be daydreaming about. "Are you coming with me and Mamo-chan
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218 or not?"
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219 "Huh?" Looking over, ChibiUsa blinked a few times. "Oh, right. Yeah."
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220 Usagi smiled to herself as she started to drag Mamoru off, her future
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221 daughter in tow. "Anyway, ChibiUsa-chan. You shouldn't give our real
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222 identities out so easily. What if those two were enemies?"
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223 "Sorry," ChibiUsa apologized half-heartedly. "I thought I could be friends
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224 with the girl. I like Hotaru-chan, with her pure-white skin.. she was very
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225 pretty."
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226 "Like plaster of Paris," Mamoru agreed. At the questioning look from his
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227 future daughter, he explained. "A beautiful stone, like new-fallen snow."
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228
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229 A few days later, the group had again gathered at Crown Fruit Parlor. "So
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230 you're the president of the 5th year class, ChibiUsa-chan?" Ami asked.
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231 "Yep," ChibiUsa responded between bites of a sundae. "I represented all of
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232 us at the entrance ceremony! It was great. The new class was cute."
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233 "ChibiUsa is the class rep.. the world's coming to an end."
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234 "Oh, it's not that bad, Usagi," Minako interjected. "Besides, we finally
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235 made it into 3rd year junior high. All we have to worry about is entrance
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236 exams.. then again, if an enemy attacks now, I'll be held back for sure."
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237 "Don't be so gloomy. It's April 17th, after all, Rei-chan's birthday! We
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238 should throw her a party," Makoto said as she played with the remains of her own
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239 frozen treat. "Where's she been, anyway?"
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240 "Out training on Mt. M, since yesterday," the blonde original-Senshi
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rlm@0
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241 responds. "She wanted to cleanse herself for her 15th birthday."
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rlm@0
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242 "Perfect! We can surprise her!! Everyone's going, right?"
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rlm@0
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243 "A mountain?" ChibiUsa makes a face at the 'older' girls. "I have things
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rlm@0
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244 to do, being class representative and all. Tell Rei-chan happy birthday for me,
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rlm@0
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245 though." And with that, the pink-haired girl finished her icecream and slipped
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rlm@0
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246 out of her seat. She had more important things to do.
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247
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rlm@0
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248 ChibiUsa frantically searched through the laundry. Ikuko-mama had said
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rlm@0
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249 that she would wash it for her. If she could only find it... ChibiUsa smiled
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rlm@0
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250 to herself. Any reason to see the raven haired girl again would be worth it.
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rlm@0
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251 Her smile slowly vanished when she found the hankerchief. The blood stain was
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rlm@0
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252 still there on the white cloth.
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rlm@0
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253 A small sigh escaped her lips as she looked at the cloth. All she really
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rlm@0
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254 wanted was to see Hotaru again. She hadn't been able to get the dark haired
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rlm@0
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255 girl out of her mind. She had wanted to give the hankerchief back to the dark
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rlm@0
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256 haired girl, but now it looked like stain of her blood was stuck in the cloth.
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rlm@0
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257 She would settle for any reason to see the other girl again. She wasn't sure
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rlm@0
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258 why, but she just had to see Hotaru again. She had to. She took a deep breath
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rlm@0
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259 as she thought up an image of the other girl in her mind's eye. That pale,
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rlm@0
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260 alabaster complexion that made the girl seem to be a beautiful statue brought to
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rlm@0
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261 life. Those soft, thin lips that looked so pretty when they would smile. Her
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rlm@0
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262 short raven hair, a dark contrast to her pale skin, making her look even more
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rlm@0
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263 striking. And those sad silvery grey eyes.. just looking into them showed a
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rlm@0
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264 glimpse of the shadows this girl had around herself, the loneliness she clung to
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rlm@0
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265 as if it was the only thing she had. She was so beautiful. And so very alone.
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rlm@0
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266 The pink haired girl shook her head. It wasn't fair. This girl shouldn't have
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rlm@0
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267 to feel that way. She would be her friend. She smiled to herself. Yes, she
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rlm@0
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268 would be Hotaru's friend. She only hoped the other girl would let her. |
