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1
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2 All of our stories (including the Sakura & Tomoyo stories I’ve written) along
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3 with all the other ChibiUsa & Hotaru/Sakura & Tomoyo stories I’ve managed to
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4 find are up at http://fly.to/moonlit_nights as well as hopefully a few other things.
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5 ^-^ It’s a fanfiction shrine to two of the most wonderful yuri couples. Please
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6 check it out. ^-^
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7
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8
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9 Tears and Rain (I know it was gonna be Rainbow Connection, but I changed my
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10 mind. ^-^;; You should know that I change my mind a lot by now. ^-^;; *l* The
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11 old title just didn’t fit as well.)
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12 By the Amazoness Quartet
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13 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
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14
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15 Watashi-tachi ni Naritakute:
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16
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17 "Ever since I first met you
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18 I've been shining in my heart
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19 My love causes so much sorrow
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20 I broke off my glance so quietly
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21
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22 Your insignificant gestures
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23 And your ordinary words
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24 Every time
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25 I think of them I feel like I'm going to cry
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26
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27 Love brings a lonely lonely heart
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28 I'm just all alone now
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29 Lonely lonely heart
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30 All the joy and pain I feel, I'm always
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31 Dreaming it by myself
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32 Love brings a lonely lonely heart
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33 But I know that someday it will come
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34 While I'm being held in your strong arms
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35 Wanting to be together with you...
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36
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37 Right at your side, I'm standing there
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38 I'm always waiting for you
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39 But you don't return my advances
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40 I've been disappointed so many times
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41
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42 When I fall in love with someone
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43 Why does it cause me so much pain
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44 All alone, by myself
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45 It's like I've fallen sick
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46
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47 And now it's baby baby love
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48 Please, I beg of you
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49 Baby baby love
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50 When I feel I am going to lose to this loneliness
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51 I have to look into my hand mirror
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52 And now it's baby baby love
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53 Seems like every day I'm crying through the night
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54 I long for the past, smiling to myself
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55 Wanting to be together with you...
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56
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57 Nobody knows about these
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58 Secret tears
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59 The one to wipe them away is
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60 Only
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61 Not just myself
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62 Wanting to be together with you...
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63
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64 Love brings a lonely lonely heart
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65 I'm just all alone now
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66 Lonely lonely heart
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67 All the joy and pain I feel, I'm always
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68 Dreaming it by myself
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69 Love brings a lonely lonely heart
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70 But I know that someday it will come
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71 While I'm being held in your strong arms
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72 Wanting to be together with you..."
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73
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74 A dark haired girl with odangos sighed miserably as she and her pink
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75 haired companion stood outside the Outer Senshi’s mansion, waiting under a
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76 tree as the storm continued. "Why are we even here? We could be at home right
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77 now, warm and dry, in the Crystal Palace. We could just tell Hotaru-mama and
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78 ChibiUsa-mama about us and not have to worry about all this." The storm had
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79 shown signs of slowing for a moment, but only a moment. It was already
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80 starting to pick up again, pelting the two girls with cold rain. They were about
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81 the same age as ChibiUsa and Hotaru, coming from further in the future than
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82 their younger selves.
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83 Shisa shivered, Selene’s body leaning against her own the only warmth
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84 she felt. "Because we need to make them understand, Selene. They have to know
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85 we’re in love. We have to prove that to them, make them realize that that’s the
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86 most important thing to us."
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87 "And why can’t we do that in the warmth of our own home? Why did
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88 we travel back in the past for all this?" Selene asked. She was already starting to
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89 feel homesick. She missed the room they shared; waking up to breakfast with
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90 their whole family; their parents gentle prodding when it came to their being
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91 princesses.
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92 Shisa looked down at the damp grass. "We’d already talked about all
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93 that. They wouldn’t understand if we only told them. We have to prove it. We
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94 have to test them, show just how important their love is, so they’ll know how
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95 important ours is."
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96 "Maybe they already know," Selene said hopefully. "Maybe they know
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97 and they’re fine with it."
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98 Shisa shook her head skeptically. "Remember a year ago? You were
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99 wondering why I was acting so strange around you. You kept wanting to know
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100 what was bothering me. You just wouldn’t leave me alone about it. And finally I
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101 told you. I looked you in the eyes and told you I was in love with you. There
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102 was no mistaking it. I think you know me better than I know myself sometimes.
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103 You didn’t need to ask, or to pretend you didn’t understand. And do you
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104 remember what happened?"
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105 The rain kept pouring over the two girls as they pushed further against
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106 the tree, trying to stay out of the soaking rain. Selene let out a deep sigh before
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107 answering. She looked away from Shisa when she did, not being able to meet
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108 the pink haired girl’s gaze. "I freaked out. I didn’t talk to you for a while. I
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109 thought you were sick. I kept telling you to leave me alone when I’d say
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110 anything at all.." the maroon haired girl trailed off.
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111 Shisa nodded sadly, pushing back the depression that always tried to
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112 overwhelm her at those memories. "It took a long time before I could even get
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113 you to even look at me again. ChibiUsa-mama and Hotaru-mama would
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114 probably react even worse."
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115 Selene thought for a moment, holding onto the other girl for comfort.
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116 "But I did eventually wind up falling in love with you. I got over how I
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117 originally thought of it. Maybe our parents will grow to accept it, too."
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118 The dark night, lit only by occasional bolts of lightning, left the two
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119 princesses in shadows. Shisa pulled her glasses off, trying to wipe the water
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120 from the rain off on her blouse. Turning to Selene, she shook her head somberly.
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121 "It took you time, Selene. It took a lot of time to fix things. Before our parents
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122 could take the time to realize that, they probably would try to pull us apart.
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123 They’d forbid us being together. We might wind up not seeing each other if they
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124 decide to put us in different places to keep us apart. Who knows what else
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125 they’d do." Shisa closed her eyes, shivering again. This time it wasn’t
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126 just from the wind and rain.
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127 "Oh, Shisa.." Selene wrapped her arms tighter around her lover, kissing
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128 her cold cheek. "I don’t ever want to lose you. You’re right. We can’t take any
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129 chances. We’ll do whatever it takes."
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130 "Whatever it takes," Shisa repeated, determination lighting up her pale
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131 violet eyes.
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132
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133 Biting cold and freezing droplets of ice water hit ChibiUsa as she
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134 opened the door for whoever had been knocking. Her pink hair was thrown
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135 around by the strong surging winds. She shivered as the cold wind got to her,
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136 standing there only in Hotaru’s nightgown. “Hello?” She called out into the
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137 storm. The harsh rain and wind nearly blinded her as she tried to make out the
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138 figure in the doorway. Why couldn’t she be back in bed with Hotaru right now?
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139 What had possessed her to come downstairs in the first place? “Hello?” she
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140 called again, barely hearing herself as a thunderclap shook the house. She
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141 shuddered at the sudden sound, hugging herself as she waited for it to pass. As
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142 she slowly managed to open her eyes and peer out past the doorway, a figure
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143 slowly took shape. “Oh!” gasped the princess as she took a step back.
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144 The figure smiled slightly and bowed. “It’s a pleasure, Princess
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145 Serenity. You look surprised. I hope I haven’t come at an inopportune time.”
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146 The pink haired girl shook her head slowly, at a loss for words. “I…
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147 No, its just that… Why are you here?” she finally blurted out in confusion.
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148 Taking another step forward, the figure’s smile broadened. “There is
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149 much I must tell you, Princess.”
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150
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151
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152 Momoko cinched the towel around herself tighter and closed the door
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153 behind her as she entered her room. No one was home, but force of habit made
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154 her shut the door anyway. She had just taken a long relaxing shower after she
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155 had finally gotten home from shopping with Ruruna and Naruru. Momoko rolled
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156 her eyes. Those two were really hard to deal with. She could see why Hotaru
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157 didn’t like them very much. They were good friends of ChibiUsa’s, though, so
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158 she put up with them. The pink haired girl had been supposed to come along, but
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159 she had called at the last moment saying she couldn’t make it.
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160 Stretching luxuriously, the lavender haired girl reflected on the past few
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161 days. She had learned from ChibiUsa and Diana that not only had ChibiUsa’s
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162 younger sister shown up, but her future daughters as well. That news had been
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163 rather shocking. She’d had no idea the two girls could have a child, let alone
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164 twins.
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165 A by now familiar scratching sound at her window grabbed Momoko’s
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166 attention. She smiled broadly before turning to look, pushing her other thoughts
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167 aside at the arrival of her lover. “Diana!” Momoko quickly ran over and opened
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168 the window. A small grayish purple kitten hopped down into the room, landing
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169 gently on the floor.
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170 “Hi, Momo-chan!” Diana said happily. The kitten purred as Momoko
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171 bent down to pet her.
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172 “Where were you?” Momoko asked, scratching under the kittens chin.
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173 “I missed you, Diana.” She pouted for a second before smiling again, picking
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174 her up in her arms.
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175 “I was being played with by Small Lady and Hotaru-chan’s kids,”
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176 Diana replied, obviously frustrated.
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177 Momoko couldn’t help but giggle. “Children love kittens, Diana.
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178 Especially cute talking kittens like you.”
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179 After a shimmer of light, Diana stood before Momoko in her human
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180 form. The beautiful cat girl’s short dark hair was done up in four odangos. She
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181 wore a lavender dress with matching stockings that reached her thighs. Her
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182 catlike eyes gazed deeply into Momoko’s. She took a step forward, her arms
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183 wrapping around Momoko’s waist as she hugged her tightly. “Thanks, Momo-
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184 chan. You’re sweet.” Leaning forward, she gave the lavender haired girl a peck
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185 on the lips. She sighed as she leaned against her lover’s soft body, the scent of
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186 Momoko’s hair already starting to relax her. “Those kids are hard to keep up
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187 with, even when they’re dragging you around. They have a bundle of energy.”
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188 Momoko smiled, running a hand through Diana’s soft hair. “Sounds
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189 like it. Maybe you should stay with me for a while. I mean, my mother knows
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190 you stay around here a lot, as a kitten at least. And ChibiUsa doesn’t always
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191 need you there. Like you said, the Quartet can watch over them.” Her voice had
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192 a hopeful tone to it.
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193 Diana squealed giddily and hugged the other girl again. “Really?
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194 Thanks! No more little kids pulling my tail. And I’d get to stay with you. That
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195 would be great, Momo-chan!”
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196 “Yeah, I’d love if you could stay.” Momoko’s hands moved down
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197 Diana’s back before arriving at her tail. “As for the not pulling your tail…”
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198 Giving a playful tug on the other girls’ tail, Momoko laughed as Diana tensed up
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199 in her arms. “At least you won’t have to pack anything,” she said thoughtfully
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200 before sitting on the edge of her bed.
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201 Diana sat down next to her, placing a hand on the lavender haired
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202 girls’. “I’ve been thinking about you so much lately, Momo-chan. I love you,”
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203 Diana said happily, her tail moving back and forth behind her.
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204 “I love you, too,” Momoko smiled back. “My little kitten,” she added.
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205 She slowly leaned forward, Diana turned to her, as if to speak. Momoko caught
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206 Diana’s lips with her own, kissing her passionately. Diana was caught by
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207 surprise. Her mouth fell open, Momoko’s tongue pushing inside. Diana quickly
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208 regained herself, kissing the other girl back.
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209 Momoko sat forward, lost in their kiss. She felt Diana’s tail wrap
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210 around her hand, the soft fur against her skin. As their tongues danced, Momoko
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211 felt a warm feeling pouring through her. Her eyes widened as she felt Diana’s
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212 hand on her right breast. She moaned softly into Diana’s mouth. The lavender
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213 haired girl was paralyzed. She didn’t know what to do, but Diana continued.
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214 They had been dating for several months now, but they had only gone so far, not
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215 actually having made love. Momoko’s worries were quickly drowned out by the
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216 feelings flooding through her. She continued to kiss the other girl back, her
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217 tongue brushing against the other girl’s. She moaned again when Diana lightly
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218 squeezed her breast. She gasped, arching her back as Diana’s other hand went to
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219 her left breast. Her now hard nipples pressed against Diana’s soft palms.
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220 Both girls were breathing heavily when the kiss finally ended. “Diana-
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221 chan,” Momoko whispered huskily. She pushed the cat girl backwards on the
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222 bed, a quick yelp of surprise coming from Diana. Lying atop Diana, Momoko
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223 kissed down her jawline to her neck. Diana shuddered deliciously underneath
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224 her. Momoko started pulling the top of Diana’s dress down, baring her soft
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225 breasts. The lavender haired girl kissed down her shoulder hungrily. Lightening
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226 shot through Momoko’s body as Diana’s hands began to caress her own chest
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227 again.
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228 Almost as if coming out of a trance, Momoko could vaguely hear a
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229 ringing sound. “Not now…” she muttered, finally recognizing the doorbell. She
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230 tried desperately to ignore the now grating noise, reveling in the new
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231 experiences playing out before her. Her mind focussed solely on Diana and the
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232 sensations the cat girl was arousing within her. Sitting up, she ran a hand
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233 through her sweat dampened lavender hair. “Diana,” she tried to say. She
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234 shuddered lightly as Diana continued her ministrations. With great reluctance,
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235 she finally disentangled herself from her lover.
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236 Diana let out a small whimper as Momoko stood up. Her passion filled
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237 eyes traveled up and down Momoko’s nude body. “Momo-chan, don’t go,” the
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238 cat girl pleaded, reaching out for the lavender haired girl.
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239 Taking Diana’s hand in her own, Momoko brought it to her flushed
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240 cheek. “I’m sorry, Diana. I’ll be back in a minute. Wait right here,” she
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241 commanded, ignoring the cat girl’s crawling towards her. Heading to the closet,
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242 Momoko quickly pulled out a Chinese dress and pulled it on, eager to get rid of
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243 the visitor. She wasn’t in the mood to deal lightly with whomever it was. A
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244 glance back at her bed weakened her resolve to go check the door. The sight of
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245 Diana sitting on her bed with the top of her dress down with a slightly
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246 bewildered look in her eyes greeted Momoko. Blushing profusely, Momoko
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247 averted her eyes and headed through her door. This was the first time she’d ever
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248 done anything like this. It was an almost overwhelming sensation. She wanted to
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249 get rid of the intruder as quickly as possible and get back to it.
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250 The site that greeted her when she opened the door was a tired and
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251 traumatized looking pink haired girl flanked by three younger girls. A worried
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252 Hotaru was holding onto ChibiUsa’s hand, looking up with concern in her deep
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253 violet eyes at her one true love. On the other side of the future princess were the
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254 twins, Shisa and Selene. Shisa bowed first, her sister following suite seconds
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255 later. “Ohayo, Momohara-san,” Shisa said politely. “Hi, Momoko-san,” Selene
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256 said seconds afterward. She giggled and whispered something to her sister.
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257 Apparently the other girl thought it was funny as well.
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258 Momoko shook her head, looking back up at the miserable pink haired
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259 girl. She knew that ChibiUsa must be taking that accident that changed Hotaru
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260 into a child pretty badly, despite Diana having told her that she seemed to be
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rlm@2
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261 doing well. “ChibiUsa-chan, looks like you brought the entire family. Well,
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rlm@2
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262 except your little sister.”
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rlm@2
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263 “Aunt Kousagi is still back at grandma Usagi’s house. ChibiUsa-mama
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rlm@2
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264 spent the night with Hotaru-mama," Selene supplied helpfully. Shisa nodded a
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rlm@2
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265 little shyly from her place slightly behind ChibiUsa,.
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rlm@2
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266 A sigh escaped the future princesses lips before she looked up. She
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rlm@2
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267 gave Hotaru’s small hand a squeeze before plastering on the fake smile she’d
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rlm@2
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268 worn all the way there. It wasn’t enough to fool Hotaru, but she hadn’t known
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rlm@2
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269 what to ask her girlfriend. What could have happened that morning to upset her
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rlm@2
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270 so? “Momo-chan, I’m really, really sorry about this, but would you mind
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rlm@2
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271 watching the kids for a bit? There’s someone I need to talk to and its kinda
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rlm@2
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272 urgent. My mother sent her and there’s some things we need to talk about and
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rlm@2
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273 I’d feel bad just leaving Hota-chan, Shisa-chan, and Selene-chan all alone,”
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rlm@2
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274 ChibiUsa asked, a hint of desperation in her voice.
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rlm@2
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275 That much was true, Hotaru could tell, but what wasn’t she saying?
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rlm@2
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276 And why was she so afraid to ask? She knew that they could tell each other
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rlm@2
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277 anything, so all she had to do was ask the pink haired girl. But every time she
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rlm@2
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278 tried, the knots in her stomach would just get worse. ChibiUsa had seemed so
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rlm@2
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279 hopeful the night before and now…
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rlm@2
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280 Momoko looked back inside the house. Her parents were gone for the
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rlm@2
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281 day and she had Diana back waiting for her in her room for a day they could
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rlm@2
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282 spend in each other’s arms. They could pick up where they left off and see
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rlm@2
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283 where it went from there. With a sigh, she turned back to her friend. So much
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rlm@2
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284 for that idea. There was always some other time. Smiling a bit, she nodded.
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rlm@2
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285 “Sure thing, ChibiUsa-chan. I’d be glad to help.”
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rlm@2
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286 ChibiUsa let out her breath in relief. At least she wouldn’t have to
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rlm@2
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287 worry about the children while dealing with things. And it was probably better if
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rlm@2
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288 Hotaru stayed here for now. Maybe things wouldn’t have been so bad if Hotaru
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rlm@2
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289 didn’t already have so much to worry about. Hotaru’s enhanced aging had been
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rlm@2
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290 jump started, but it would still be a while before she was back to her normal self.
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rlm@2
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291 Whether that meant days or weeks, ChibiUsa had no idea. “Thanks, Momo-
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rlm@2
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292 chan. I owe you one.” She smiled a little weakly as she led the younger girls
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rlm@2
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293 towards the door.
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rlm@2
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294 Laughing, Momoko shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. You can
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rlm@2
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295 just babysit for me and Diana if we ever have a kid,” the lavender haired girl
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rlm@2
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296 joked.
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rlm@2
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297 “You mean Isis-chan?” Shisa asked curiously.
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rlm@2
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298 Momoko stared at the younger girl for a moment before she began to
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rlm@2
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299 sweatdrop. They did have a child? Before she could think about it anymore,
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300 Selene slipped past her, dragging Shisa behind.
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rlm@2
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301 “Will you be okay, ChibiUsa-chan?” Hotaru asked softly, not managing
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302 to hide the concern in her voice.
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rlm@2
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303 Smiling down at the dark haired girl, ChibiUsa nodded. “Hai, I’ll be
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rlm@2
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304 fine, Taru. You just try not to worry about things, okay? We’ll get it all worked
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305 out soon enough.” ‘I hope,’ she added to herself.
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rlm@2
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306 Hotaru didn’t feel very reassured, but she slowly let go of ChibiUsa’s
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rlm@2
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307 hand and took a step towards Momoko. She didn’t want to leave the pink haired
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308 girl, but she didn’t know what to say. Everything was so confusing. Looking up
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rlm@2
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309 at the pink haired girl, she tried desperately to say something, anything, but
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rlm@2
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310 nothing came to her. But she didn’t need words. ChibiUsa met her gaze with a
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rlm@2
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311 warm smile, comforting her a little.
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rlm@2
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312 “I’ll be back soon, Hota-chan,” ChibiUsa promised, kneeling down.
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rlm@2
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313 She gave Hotaru a hug, something she needed as much as the other girl to quell
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rlm@2
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314 the storm in her heart.
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rlm@2
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315 “I’ll be waiting for you,” Hotaru said softly before they parted.
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rlm@2
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316 Blinking back tears she didn’t know had been there, she watched as the pink
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rlm@2
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317 haired girl turned around and left. She knew that she’d be back, so why did it
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rlm@2
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318 feel like this would be the last time they’d see each other?
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319
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320
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rlm@2
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321 “It isn’t fair.”
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rlm@2
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322 Hotaru sat quietly on the couch, hugging her legs tightly to her chest.
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rlm@2
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323 The small, lonely girl was propped up on a cushion, her chin resting on her
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rlm@2
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324 knees. She shivered, her pale skin forming thousands of goose-bumps. It wasn't
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rlm@2
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325 the cold that bothered her so much. No, she was used to that. She had always
|
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rlm@2
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326 been cold. It didn’t matter how warm it was outside. Inside, she always felt cold.
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rlm@2
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327 Now was no different. The only warmth she’d felt in her cold body was when
|
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rlm@2
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328 she was being held in ChibiUsa’s arms, losing herself in the sensation. It was as
|
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rlm@2
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329 if she was somehow absorbing the heat from the pink haired girl’s body. But she
|
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rlm@2
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330 knew that just had to be her mind playing tricks on her. She was always cold
|
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rlm@2
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331 because she had always been a weak and sickly girl. Maybe it wasn’t as bad this
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rlm@2
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332 time around as it had when she had been growing up the first time, but she still
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rlm@2
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333 wasn’t as healthy as most of the other children.
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rlm@2
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334 Her dark violet eyes reflected the flickering flames from the fire
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rlm@2
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335 Haruka had started not that long ago. The large house she shared with her
|
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rlm@2
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336 surrogate parents was slowly warming up. She wanted to get off the couch and
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rlm@2
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337 sit right in front of the fire, but she stubbornly stayed where she was. She didn’t
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rlm@2
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338 feel like trying to warm herself. Hugging her legs tighter to herself, she blinked
|
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rlm@2
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339 stinging watery eyes as the bright flames finally won their staring match.
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rlm@2
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340 ChibiUsa had come upstairs that morning with a trinket from Crystal
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rlm@2
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341 Tokyo that had jumpstarted Hotaru’s advanced aging. She should be her normal
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rlm@2
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342 self within a few weeks. In the meantime, she was still stuck in the body of a
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rlm@2
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343 child and she would have to slowly re-age back to her normal self within the
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rlm@2
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344 course of the next few weeks. But rather than being overjoyed by the prospect,
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rlm@2
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345 ChibiUsa had been quiet and withdrawn, not at all the normally outgoing person
|
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rlm@2
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346 she usually was. The pink haired princess had been preoccupied by something,
|
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rlm@2
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347 but despite Hotaru’s concern, ChibiUsa had just tried to convince her that
|
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rlm@2
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348 nothing was wrong. And afterwards, ChibiUsa had taken Hotaru and their future
|
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rlm@2
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349 twin daughters to Momoko’s house so she and Diana could keep an eye on them
|
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rlm@2
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350 while ChibiUsa thought. ‘About what? What’s she keeping from me? We’re
|
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rlm@2
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351 supposed to tell each other everything. Why would she hide this from me? She’s
|
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rlm@2
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352 treating me like a child,’ she thought despairingly to herself. ‘Could it be that
|
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rlm@2
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353 just maybe you’ve been acting like one?’ a voice within herself countered. She
|
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rlm@2
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354 silenced it quickly, curling up tighter. ‘I’m not acting like a child. I’m not… My
|
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rlm@2
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355 body’s just younger, not my mind…’ she reassured herself.
|
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rlm@2
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356 “It isn’t fair.”
|
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rlm@2
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357 “What isn’t fair, Hime-chan?” Michiru asked gently, gracefully
|
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rlm@2
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358 entering the living room with a tea tray. She kneeled next to the table in front of
|
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rlm@2
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359 the couch Hotaru was on.
|
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rlm@2
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360 “Nothing…” Hotaru trailed off, looking down miserably. Strands of her
|
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rlm@2
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361 short, dark hair fell into her eyes. Even the momentary blindness made her feel
|
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rlm@2
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362 worse. She brushed the hair from her eyes with her small hand, looking up
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rlm@2
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363 slowly to see Michiru’s soothing smile.
|
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rlm@2
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364 “Would you like some tea, Hime-chan? You need something to warm
|
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rlm@2
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365 you up before you freeze.” Michiru began pouring the tea into several cups even
|
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rlm@2
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366 before the younger girl’s response. “Sitting there all stern and thoughtful. One
|
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rlm@2
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367 might think you’re a piece of gothic architecture. We have enough art around the
|
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rlm@2
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368 house. We need more lively little girls.”
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rlm@2
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369 Hotaru giggled softly, a small smile beginning to light up her young
|
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rlm@2
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370 features. “Hai, Michiru-mama. I’d like that.” She missed the note of childish
|
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rlm@2
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371 exuberance in her own voice as she slid off the couch and gratefully accepted
|
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rlm@2
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372 the offered cup of tea. “Arigato, Michiru-mama.” The first sip of the warm
|
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rlm@2
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373 liquid did make her feel a little better as it slowly warmed her inside. Michiru
|
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rlm@2
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374 had to warn her about drinking it too quickly, lest she burn her throat. She
|
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rlm@2
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375 sighed softly before taking another sip. If she asked, she knew ChibiUsa would
|
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rlm@2
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376 tell her. They could tell each other anything. But what scared her was when
|
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rlm@2
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377 ChibiUsa did tell her. If this was enough to affect the usually bright and
|
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rlm@2
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378 optimistic pink haired girl…
|
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rlm@2
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379 Sitting in front of the fire, the mug held in both hands, the young
|
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rlm@2
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380 Senshi of Death and Rebirth counted off all of her blessings despite the
|
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rlm@2
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381 condition she was in. And prayed that she wasn’t about to lose them all.
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rlm@2
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382
|
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rlm@2
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383
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rlm@2
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384
|
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rlm@2
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385 ChibiUsa sighed miserably as she searched through the refrigerator for
|
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rlm@2
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386 something else to eat. She was feeling empty in more ways than one. She steered
|
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rlm@2
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387 clear of the carrots, scavenging for anything that looked edible cold. ‘There we
|
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rlm@2
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388 go,’ the pink haired princess thought to herself as she found some chocolate near
|
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rlm@2
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389 the back. Usually she would be a little more weary of who’s it was, but she
|
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rlm@2
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390 wasn’t in the mood to worry about that at the moment. Putting the chocolate bar
|
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rlm@2
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391 in her mouth to hold for a moment, she smoothed down her pajamas before
|
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rlm@2
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392 returning to her seat at the table, a space she hadn’t vacated for the past two
|
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rlm@2
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393 hours. Taking a bite of the chocolate, she winced. It was still hard. She set it
|
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rlm@2
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394 down to wait for it to thaw a bit before trying to polish it off. Looking into her
|
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rlm@2
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395 half empty glass of water, she gazed at the dim reflection she could make out
|
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rlm@2
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396 from the single light that was on in the room. Her normally vibrant crimson eyes
|
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rlm@2
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397 seemed faded, they’re usual sparkle missing. She ran a hand through her pink
|
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rlm@2
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398 hair, let down from her odango hair style. “Not quite the pristine princess I’m
|
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rlm@2
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399 supposed to be, right, mom?” she asked quietly into the empty room. She
|
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rlm@2
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400 laughed bitterly. “But then, why should you care? Just how much of a
|
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rlm@2
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401 disappointment am I to you?”
|
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rlm@2
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402 Picking up the candy bar, ChibiUsa took a bite out of the still hard
|
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rlm@2
|
403 chocolate. It was supposed to be comfort food, but it didn’t feel very comforting.
|
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rlm@2
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404 So technically, she should stop. But who would care whether or not she did?
|
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rlm@2
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405 Hotaru. She wouldn’t mind if Hotaru was doing this, if the pale girl got a little
|
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rlm@2
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406 chubby. Then she wouldn’t have to worry so much about the poor girl never
|
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rlm@2
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407 eating. Besides, she’d look cute even then.
|
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rlm@2
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408 ChibiUsa shook her head as she realized her thoughts were wandering.
|
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rlm@2
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409 But was that a bad thing? At least it would get her mind off of things. She didn’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
410 want to have to think right now, to have to relive thoughts over and over. It only
|
|
rlm@2
|
411 made things worse, it seemed. Thoughts lived and died, other darker thoughts
|
|
rlm@2
|
412 rising from their ashes as the night pushed inexorably onward towards the
|
|
rlm@2
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413 coming dawn. There was no silver lining for her to search for, no shelter in this
|
|
rlm@2
|
414 storm. Sleep escaped her as if it were running from her frenziedly. Biting her
|
|
rlm@2
|
415 lower lip, she wondered if she could ask Elios if there were something he could
|
|
rlm@2
|
416 do about that. He was the priest of Elysian, the land of dreams, after all. But then
|
|
rlm@2
|
417 she’d still probably have nightmares all night long. That wouldn’t be any better
|
|
rlm@2
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418 than this waking nightmare. And talking to him would just remind her of her
|
|
rlm@2
|
419 mother’s plans.
|
|
rlm@2
|
420 ‘How could she do this to me?’ ChibiUsa thought to herself. ‘She made
|
|
rlm@2
|
421 it sound like she had faith in us. I always thought she was such a wonderful lady.
|
|
rlm@2
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422 I wanted to be just like her. Now… I don’t know what to think. Why us?
|
|
rlm@2
|
423 Hotaru’s already had such a difficult life. Why can’t she have some happiness? I
|
|
rlm@2
|
424 love her. How can my mother dictate that? Is love so weak that she can decide
|
|
rlm@2
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425 its fate? She thinks our love is nothing more than puppy love, that I was
|
|
rlm@2
|
426 experimenting back here and got with my best friend because of that. It took me
|
|
rlm@2
|
427 long enough to figure it out, but I do love Hotaru. I always knew it deep down. I
|
|
rlm@2
|
428 always worried about what the future would bring when I had to return, but I
|
|
rlm@2
|
429 knew things would work out. We’d think of something. Love would find a way.
|
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rlm@2
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430 But now I find out that my mother had it set from the beginning that this
|
|
rlm@2
|
431 couldn’t be. And what about the twins? Were they just told to say that Hotaru
|
|
rlm@2
|
432 and I were their parents so that we wouldn’t realize what was going to happen?
|
|
rlm@2
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433 Are they Elios’ and my children?’
|
|
rlm@2
|
434 The pink haired princess buried her face in her hands, tears running down
|
|
rlm@2
|
435 her cheeks when she thought she had none left. ‘I thought we’d be together
|
|
rlm@2
|
436 forever. My birthright destroyed everything. How can I face Hotaru with this? I
|
|
rlm@2
|
437 just wanted to make her happy, and now I can’t even do that. I hate you, mother.
|
|
rlm@2
|
438 I’ll never forgive you for this. I want to curl up and die. Maybe I should. Prove
|
|
rlm@2
|
439 to you that you can’t rule my life. That I won’t follow in your footsteps if it
|
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rlm@2
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440 means leaving behind the girl I love. If it means leaving behind the other half of
|
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rlm@2
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441 my soul, what type of life is that? Its not even life. And I won’t live it. I’d rather
|
|
rlm@2
|
442 die than be her puppet. Than ever hurt Hotaru. I’ll be with Hotaru again in the
|
|
rlm@2
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443 afterlife. You’ll never keep us from each other. I’d move heaven and earth to be
|
|
rlm@2
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444 with her.’ The princess stood up, pulling back the drawn curtains to look up into
|
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rlm@2
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445 the moonlit sky. A renewed determination burned in her eyes. ‘I won’t let you
|
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rlm@2
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446 keep us apart. I’ll fight to be with her, give up my birthright, even die. Whatever
|
|
rlm@2
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447 it takes.’ She drew a tiny picture on the damp glass with her finger. ‘I love you
|
|
rlm@2
|
448 too much, Hotaru. I’ll never give up on you. I won’t let it end this way. I
|
|
rlm@2
|
449 promise.’
|
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rlm@2
|
450
|
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rlm@2
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451
|
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rlm@2
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452
|
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rlm@2
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453 “Are you alright, Kyusuke-kun? You’ve been out of it all afternoon.
|
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rlm@2
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454 You’ll make me think I’m too boring for you,” Hikaru chided the green haired
|
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rlm@2
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455 boy.
|
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rlm@2
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456 “Huh? Oh.. Sorry, Hikaru-chan. I was just lost in thought. And boring
|
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rlm@2
|
457 is definitely not a word I’d use to describe you. You may be a lot of things, but
|
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rlm@2
|
458 boring’s not one of them,” Kyusuke replied.
|
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rlm@2
|
459 Hikaru paused for a moment, considering whether or not to take that as
|
|
rlm@2
|
460 a compliment before smiling back at the boy. “Just try not to get lost again. I
|
|
rlm@2
|
461 might not be able to find you.”
|
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rlm@2
|
462 “I’ll be careful,” Kyusuke promised. Glancing sidelong at his
|
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rlm@2
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463 companion, he smiled to himself. Her short auburn hair fell past beautiful brown
|
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rlm@2
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464 eyes almost to the point of obscuring her vision, but she never seemed to have a
|
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rlm@2
|
465 problem knowing exactly where she was going. With everything. A large
|
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rlm@2
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466 oversized sweater and a pleated skirt adorned the girl that chilly evening, her
|
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rlm@2
|
467 arms still clutching the stuffed bear he’d bought her just a short time beforehand.
|
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rlm@2
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468 Kyusuke had known Hikaru for years now and they’d always been good friends,
|
|
rlm@2
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469 but it hadn’t been until a few months ago that they’d finally started dating. The
|
|
rlm@2
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470 girl was a little odd, but he loved all those little things about her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
471 “You’re grinning like an idiot again. Wanna tell me what about?”
|
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rlm@2
|
472 Hikaru asked with a wink, once again shaking Kyusuke from his thoughts.
|
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rlm@2
|
473 “Nothing.. I’m just thinking about things,” the green haired boy said
|
|
rlm@2
|
474 lamely. He was about to try again before something caught his eye. Across the
|
|
rlm@2
|
475 street he could make out ChibiUsa along with three younger girls heading into a
|
|
rlm@2
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476 store. “ChibiUsa-chan must be babysitting.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
477 Hikaru followed his gaze to the pink haired girl and nodded. “Looks
|
|
rlm@2
|
478 like it. That’s the girl who dates the gothic girl at your school, right?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
479 Sweatdropping profusely, the green haired boy nodded. “Yeah, but
|
|
rlm@2
|
480 Momoko said she’d beat the crap out of me if I told anyone. She only told me
|
|
rlm@2
|
481 because I was joking about it.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
482 “Looks like she’s gotta kill you then, because you told me.” Hikaru
|
|
rlm@2
|
483 grinned and stuck her tongue out at the boy. “You really are scared of that girl,
|
|
rlm@2
|
484 aren’t you?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
485 “Hey, as long as Momoko doesn’t find out, I don’t wind up very very
|
|
rlm@2
|
486 dead. And sense you go to a different school, I figure the rules don’t apply.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
487 Proud of his explanation, Kyusuke watched ChibiUsa and the girls disappear
|
|
rlm@2
|
488 into the building. Slowly, the pair begin walking again.
|
|
rlm@2
|
489 “You always run up to your friends to talk to them except when I’m
|
|
rlm@2
|
490 around.” Hikaru turned and pouted cutely at Kyusuke. “Why is that?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
491 Sighing and rolling his eyes, the green haired boy kept walking. “Come
|
|
rlm@2
|
492 on, Hikaru-chan. Don’t do that.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
493 “I only do it because it always works,” the auburn haired girl said with
|
|
rlm@2
|
494 a giggle.
|
|
rlm@2
|
495 “Well, it’s just that… They’re all… And when you think about it….
|
|
rlm@2
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496 You know…”
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rlm@2
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497 Hugging the stuffed bear against her chest, Hikaru turned to Kyusuke.
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rlm@2
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498 “But what’s the big deal? The pink girl and that other one are in a lesbian
|
|
rlm@2
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499 relationship and your friend Momoko obviously seems fine with it. So there
|
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rlm@2
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500 shouldn’t be a problem if they met me. Its not like they’d find out.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
501 “I know, I know… It’s just…” Kyusuke began nervously.
|
|
rlm@2
|
502 “Now don’t start that. We both know why you don’t want me to meet
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rlm@2
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503 them. You don’t need to cover it up. Fine.” She shrugged, walking forward
|
|
rlm@2
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504 again. Brushing some hair back, she placed a withering glance on the green
|
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rlm@2
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505 haired boy as he tried to keep up. “It doesn’t matter if you pretend I don’t exist.”
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rlm@2
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506 A sigh of defeat marked the end of Kyusuke’s resistance. Nodding, he
|
|
rlm@2
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507 looked up at her. “Alright, you win. But don’t expect it to be a big thing.
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|
rlm@2
|
508 They’re just my friends. Momoko’s kind of intimidating sometimes, but that’s
|
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rlm@2
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509 usually just to me. ChibiUsa’s sort of… perky. And Hotaru pretty much just
|
|
rlm@2
|
510 follows her around, not saying much.”
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rlm@2
|
511 Hugging her boyfriend warmly, Hikaru smiled. “Thanks, Kyusuke-kun!
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|
rlm@2
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512 I knew you’d understand.”
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rlm@2
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513 Returning the hug, Kyusuke sweatdropped. He hoped he wasn’t making
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rlm@2
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514 a mistake.
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rlm@2
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515
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|
rlm@2
|
516
|
|
rlm@2
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517
|
|
rlm@2
|
518 “What about this?” ChibiUsa asked as she lifted the small frilled dress
|
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rlm@2
|
519 up for the younger girls to see.
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|
rlm@2
|
520 “ChibiUsa-chan…”
|
|
rlm@2
|
521 “But it’s cute. You’d look adorable in it, Hota-chan,” the future
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rlm@2
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522 princess argued. Looking from the small dark haired girl to the dress and back,
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rlm@2
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523 she nodded, pleased. “Besides, Puu gave me some money and told me to buy
|
|
rlm@2
|
524 you some clothes. You do need some, Taru. The rest of your wardrobe’s still for
|
|
rlm@2
|
525 a sixteen year old girl.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
526 “I know, ChibiUsa-chan. But don’t you think it’s a little too...” Hotaru
|
|
rlm@2
|
527 trailed off as she stared skeptically at the dress.
|
|
rlm@2
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528 “Cute?” Shisa supplied helpfully, startling the shy raven haired girl.
|
|
rlm@2
|
529 “Hai. Its more like something that you would wear, ChibiUsa-chan...”
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|
rlm@2
|
530 Hotaru looked up at ChibiUsa with her dark violet eyes for a long moment. It
|
|
rlm@2
|
531 was strange, looking up at her like that. She remembered it the other way around
|
|
rlm@2
|
532 when they’d first met, when she had to look down to see the little pink haired
|
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rlm@2
|
533 girl. The last time she herself had been this small and in a situation like this had
|
|
rlm@2
|
534 been several years ago shopping with her surrogate parents. Looking up at their
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|
rlm@2
|
535 smiling faces, she’d been thrilled when they had let her pick out a particular
|
|
rlm@2
|
536 sundress she liked. Michiru had said it would only get dirty anyway but Haruka
|
|
rlm@2
|
537 had said that was the point. Now she was looking up at a different smiling face
|
|
rlm@2
|
538 with a different kind of love in those eyes than in those of her parents’. It left her
|
|
rlm@2
|
539 a little disoriented, the new mixing with the old, nostalgia mixing with anxiety,
|
|
rlm@2
|
540 all performing a jumbled orchestra in her heart.
|
|
rlm@2
|
541 Selene giggled and nodded. “I think you should get it, Hotaru-chan. It
|
|
rlm@2
|
542 would look nice.” Dark purple odango bobbed up and down as she nodded
|
|
rlm@2
|
543 enthusiastically.
|
|
rlm@2
|
544 ChibiUsa smiled at her future daughter’s attempt at helping. She had
|
|
rlm@2
|
545 noticed the twins had quickly dropped the use of ‘mama’ for Hotaru when
|
|
rlm@2
|
546 they’d found out she was their age. She hoped it was only because of their
|
|
rlm@2
|
547 similarity in age rather than Hotaru not really being their mother. If Elios really
|
|
rlm@2
|
548 was the father... Hotaru’s insistent tug on her hand brought her back to reality.
|
|
rlm@2
|
549 “I’ll get it if you want, ChibiUsa-chan,” Hotaru said with a shy smile.
|
|
rlm@2
|
550 ChibiUsa smiled down at her and shook her head, something catching
|
|
rlm@2
|
551 her eye. “No, you’re right, Taru. Its not exactly you. Besides, this is soooo much
|
|
rlm@2
|
552 cuter.” Pulling up a little yellow sundress to Hotaru, she grinned happily. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
553 younger girl looked simply adorable. “Now we just need to find you a good
|
|
rlm@2
|
554 wide-brimmed hat for that and it will be perfect.” Standing up and still holding
|
|
rlm@2
|
555 her girlfriend’s small hand, she looked around for the next object in her quest.
|
|
rlm@2
|
556 “ChibiUsa-mama? When we’re done getting Hotaru-chan clothes, I
|
|
rlm@2
|
557 want something to!” Selene stated so her future parent would be absolutely sure
|
|
rlm@2
|
558 not to leave her out of the day’s events.
|
|
rlm@2
|
559 “Me too!” Shisa added. “I’ll have the one you were gonna get for
|
|
rlm@2
|
560 Hotaru-chan if she doesn’t want it.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
561 Hotaru let her eyes wander as they walked through the enormous racks
|
|
rlm@2
|
562 of clothes. Everything was so huge now. She’d never been a tall girl, but the
|
|
rlm@2
|
563 sheer difference in size from a few days before and now was colossal. Brushing
|
|
rlm@2
|
564 back her dark hair, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that they were being
|
|
rlm@2
|
565 watched. But by who? She glanced around worriedly, unable to keep the
|
|
rlm@2
|
566 sensation from getting worse. To keep the disorientation welling up inside her
|
|
rlm@2
|
567 from becoming too much to bear, she squeezed ChibiUsa’s hand tightly. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
568 future princess squeezed back gently, reassuring Hotaru. A sigh escaped
|
|
rlm@2
|
569 Hotaru’s lips as she tried to convince herself that it was all in her mind. Smiling
|
|
rlm@2
|
570 to herself, she slipped away from ChibiUsa while the older girl was checking the
|
|
rlm@2
|
571 hats.
|
|
rlm@2
|
572 “This one looks really cute, but this one’s really good, too. Hmm...
|
|
rlm@2
|
573 What do you think, Hota-chan?” ChibiUsa looked up as she held the two hats
|
|
rlm@2
|
574 for the raven haired girl’s inspection, but Hotaru was nowhere to be seen. Right
|
|
rlm@2
|
575 as she began to fear the worst, a small voice piped up near her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
576 “What about this one, ChibiUsa-chan? I really like it!” Hotaru said
|
|
rlm@2
|
577 happily as she ran back up to the three other girls. She was clutching a beautiful
|
|
rlm@2
|
578 white wide-brimmed hat offset with a midnight black ribbon encircling it before
|
|
rlm@2
|
579 trailing off the back. Placing it on her head, the pale girl demonstrated for her
|
|
rlm@2
|
580 future princess. Her short dark hair fell out from underneath the hat, framing her
|
|
rlm@2
|
581 ivory skin. She giggled as she tilted her head to the side.
|
|
rlm@2
|
582 “Its really pretty, Hota-chan. I think you should get it.” ChibiUsa
|
|
rlm@2
|
583 smiled at her counterpart, her soulmate, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief that
|
|
rlm@2
|
584 nothing had happened. Before she could further comment, the two hats she had
|
|
rlm@2
|
585 been holding were snatched from her grasp.
|
|
rlm@2
|
586 “What about me? I look pretty, too, right?” Selene asked quickly,
|
|
rlm@2
|
587 wearing the hat that had been in ChibiUsa’s right hand.
|
|
rlm@2
|
588 “Can I get this one? Please?” Shisa asked, blinking huge puppy dog
|
|
rlm@2
|
589 eyes upwards at her currently overwhelmed future pink haired parent.
|
|
rlm@2
|
590 Hotaru watched as the other two girls fought over their mother’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
591 attention through blurry eyes. It had looked so perfect, sitting there all alone.
|
|
rlm@2
|
592 She wanted so much to show it to ChibiUsa, to see what she thought. All alone...
|
|
rlm@2
|
593 She’d known ChibiUsa would like it as much as she did, but now... A tear
|
|
rlm@2
|
594 dropped down to the cold floor, quickly joined by another. It wasn’t fair...
|
|
rlm@2
|
595 “Hotaru? Hotaru-chan, what’s wrong?” she heard pierce through the shroud of
|
|
rlm@2
|
596 sadness around her. A hand went to her shoulder as another brushed the hair
|
|
rlm@2
|
597 away from her eyes. Concerned crimson eyes met her own tearful violet ones.
|
|
rlm@2
|
598 She lunged forward with a choked sob and clasped onto ChibiUsa. Comforting
|
|
rlm@2
|
599 whispers brushed past her ears as the older girl held her tightly. She could see
|
|
rlm@2
|
600 the twins watching worriedly from behind ChibiUsa but her torn heart kept the
|
|
rlm@2
|
601 tears flowing. She buried her head against ChibiUsa’s shoulder, wanting
|
|
rlm@2
|
602 everything to go back to the way it had been. ‘Why am I doing this?’ she asked
|
|
rlm@2
|
603 herself. ‘It’s not a big deal. It’s alright. I know she loves me, so if she pays
|
|
rlm@2
|
604 attention to them, why does it hurt so much? Why am I so sad? I’m a big girl, I
|
|
rlm@2
|
605 shouldn’t be crying about this. This doesn’t matter. But.. I just wanted to show it
|
|
rlm@2
|
606 to her.. I wanted to ask her what she thought.. I wanted to be the only one...’
|
|
rlm@2
|
607 “Shhh... It’s okay, Hota-chan. Cry all you want. It’s okay.” ChibiUsa
|
|
rlm@2
|
608 stroked Hotaru’s back as the other girl sobbed against her. What had happened?
|
|
rlm@2
|
609 She wanted to ask, to make sure that the dark haired girl was all right, but she
|
|
rlm@2
|
610 just needed comfort right now. There would always be later to worry about such
|
|
rlm@2
|
611 things. Hotaru had been trying so hard to pretend that she was fine, but this had
|
|
rlm@2
|
612 taken a rather heavy emotional toll on her. She was just a little girl now.
|
|
rlm@2
|
613 ChibiUsa had been so worried about what she’d heard from the future and what
|
|
rlm@2
|
614 would become of them that she hadn’t been worrying enough about what Hotaru
|
|
rlm@2
|
615 was going through now. Things would work out, they would find a way. But for
|
|
rlm@2
|
616 now, Hotaru needed her. She never should have left her side since this had
|
|
rlm@2
|
617 happened. Closing her eyes, she realized what a mistake she had made. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
618 could only hope that she could make it up to the pale girl in her arms.
|
|
rlm@2
|
619
|
|
rlm@2
|
620 “Poor Hotaru-mama,” an older Selene said as she watched the scene
|
|
rlm@2
|
621 unfolding before her. Her long dark hair was swept back behind her as familiar
|
|
rlm@2
|
622 fingers brushed through it. She smiled as she turned her attention to the
|
|
rlm@2
|
623 spectacled girl next to her. “I was wondering where you’d disappeared off to.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
624 “Just making sure we had one of grandfather Tomoe’s Daimon Eggs
|
|
rlm@2
|
625 ready,” the teenage Shisa explained. She lifted up the small object in her hand
|
|
rlm@2
|
626 for the dark haired girl to see.
|
|
rlm@2
|
627 Selene frowned as she looked from it to the embracing forms of their
|
|
rlm@2
|
628 parents. “Are you sure about this? Aren’t they already in enough pain?
|
|
rlm@2
|
629 ChibiUsa-mama just heard that she’s marrying High Priest Elios and Hotaru-
|
|
rlm@2
|
630 mama’s no more than a child.” She shakes her head sadly. “But we have to. We
|
|
rlm@2
|
631 have to or they’ll never accept us. We must test them.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
632 Shisa nodded in agreement. “We must make them hurt. To try to tear
|
|
rlm@2
|
633 them from each other. To make them suffer. Only then will they understand...”
|
|
rlm@2
|
634 She clutched the Daimon Egg tightly as her mind started to shift back to painful
|
|
rlm@2
|
635 memories.
|
|
rlm@2
|
636 “Shisa, no, don’t think about it. We’re both here. I’m here with you.
|
|
rlm@2
|
637 Please don’t worry.” Selene placed her hand on the other girl’s cheek gingerly.
|
|
rlm@2
|
638 She offered a small smile. “You can’t just give up on me now. What would I do?
|
|
rlm@2
|
639 If we’re gonna pull this off, we need to be together on it. I need you.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
640 Placing her hand atop Selene’s, Shisa nodded, smiling herself. “Hai,
|
|
rlm@2
|
641 Selenity. Besides, it should be fun.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
642 Selene grinned. “Most definitely. We’ll see just how well our beloved
|
|
rlm@2
|
643 parents can handle what we throw at them.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
644
|
|
rlm@2
|
645 “There you go,” ChibiUsa said softly as she wiped the last of Hotaru’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
646 tears away. She smiled as she looked into the raven haired girl’s deep violet
|
|
rlm@2
|
647 eyes. “Is that better?” She got a shy nod from Hotaru in return. Smiling a little
|
|
rlm@2
|
648 more as relief spread through her body, she placed the wide brimmed hat on
|
|
rlm@2
|
649 Hotaru.
|
|
rlm@2
|
650 The pale girl looked at ChibiUsa for a long moment before smiling a little
|
|
rlm@2
|
651 herself. She was being childish, she admonished herself. But she had to admit
|
|
rlm@2
|
652 deep down that it was worth it if it meant ChibiUsa was there to take care of her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
653 She gave the bigger girl a warm hug. “Thank you, ChibiUsa-chan.” After a
|
|
rlm@2
|
654 second’s pause, she added almost inaudibly, “I love you.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
655 Whether the older girl heard her or not would never be known, because at
|
|
rlm@2
|
656 that moment an arm whipped out and grabbed at Hotaru. A yelp escaped the
|
|
rlm@2
|
657 raven haired girl as she got pulled backwards suddenly, her hat falling to the
|
|
rlm@2
|
658 floor. As the terrified Senshi of Death and Rebirth turned around, she saw what
|
|
rlm@2
|
659 she had sworn was a mannequin just a few moments earlier with an evil grin on
|
|
rlm@2
|
660 its face.
|
|
rlm@2
|
661 “Hotaru-chan!” ChibiUsa yelled as she watched in confusion. A Daimon!
|
|
rlm@2
|
662 Just like the one they’d fought a few days ago when Hotaru had been tied up. So
|
|
rlm@2
|
663 it wasn’t an accident after all. Someone was after them. But why? There was no
|
|
rlm@2
|
664 time to waste on the answers but she’d see that they didn’t get away with
|
|
rlm@2
|
665 whatever it was. Lunging forward, she grabbed Hotaru’s forearm.
|
|
rlm@2
|
666 Unfortunately, the Daimon was much stronger than it had appeared and
|
|
rlm@2
|
667 ChibiUsa had never been very strong to begin with, so both the dark haired girl
|
|
rlm@2
|
668 and the future princess got dragged through a few racks of clothes. Trying to
|
|
rlm@2
|
669 catch her bearings, ChibiUsa noticed that the twins were left unprotected as they
|
|
rlm@2
|
670 watched the whole thing. She could only hope that this thing was only after her
|
|
rlm@2
|
671 and Hotaru. “Hotaru-chan, hang on!” she screamed as she felt her grip
|
|
rlm@2
|
672 loosening. The Daimon laughed maniacally and lashed the smaller girl in her
|
|
rlm@2
|
673 grasp. ChibiUsa lost her grip and lay sprawled against a cosmetics display.
|
|
rlm@2
|
674 Disoriented, frightened, and now very angry at seeing the girl she loved
|
|
rlm@2
|
675 being hurt like that, Hotaru struggled with the much stronger Daimon.
|
|
rlm@2
|
676 "ChibiUsa-chan!” The Saturn symbol flashed on her forehead as the Daimon
|
|
rlm@2
|
677 laughed evilly. An aura of light started glowing around the young girl, her short
|
|
rlm@2
|
678 hair whipping around as if she were in a storm. “Don’t hurt her!” Hotaru cried,
|
|
rlm@2
|
679 grabbing the Daimon’s attention. The energy around the girl grew in size and
|
|
rlm@2
|
680 strength within seconds, ripping through the Daimon’s hand that had been
|
|
rlm@2
|
681 holding onto her arm. Screaming in pain, the mannequin daimon stumbled
|
|
rlm@2
|
682 backwards. Swaying back and forth after the serge of energy had drained her,
|
|
rlm@2
|
683 Hotaru fell to her knees. She was quickly pulled back to her feet by two arms
|
|
rlm@2
|
684 around her. Looking around in fright, the dark haired girl’s frantically beating
|
|
rlm@2
|
685 heart started to slow when she looked up into crimson eyes framed by cotton
|
|
rlm@2
|
686 candy pink hair. “ChibiUsa-chan!”
|
|
rlm@2
|
687 ChibiUsa smiled reassuringly. “Hai, it’s me. I’m just fine. You did a great
|
|
rlm@2
|
688 job, Hota-chan, but I want you to get out of here with the twins. I’ll henshin and
|
|
rlm@2
|
689 deal with the Daimon while you three get out of here.” She grabbed her broach
|
|
rlm@2
|
690 absentmindedly as she watched the injured Daimon.
|
|
rlm@2
|
691 Hotaru shook her head adamantly, her violet eyes worried. “I don’t want to
|
|
rlm@2
|
692 leave you…” she said softly. She couldn’t leave ChibiUsa to face this thing
|
|
rlm@2
|
693 alone. “Wait for the Sailor Quartet at least,” she pleaded, holding tightly onto
|
|
rlm@2
|
694 ChibiUsa’s white skirt.
|
|
rlm@2
|
695 The pink haired girl bit her lower lip as she watched the Daimon start to
|
|
rlm@2
|
696 regroup. She really hadn’t fought on her own before. Besides, when Hotaru had
|
|
rlm@2
|
697 returned to her it was so they could fight together. But now, on her own… She
|
|
rlm@2
|
698 would have to fight anyway. She was a Sailor Senshi and she couldn’t stand by
|
|
rlm@2
|
699 and let this thing hurt anyone else, let alone Hotaru or her future daughters.
|
|
rlm@2
|
700 Clutching her broach, she took a step away from the worried dark haired girl.
|
|
rlm@2
|
701 “Gomen nasai, Taru-chan. I promise we’ll fight together again.” Another soft
|
|
rlm@2
|
702 smile went the younger girl’s way before being replaced with a more serious
|
|
rlm@2
|
703 look. Holding her broach in the air, feeling her own Pink Crystal inside of it, she
|
|
rlm@2
|
704 braced herself for what could be the toughest fight of her life.
|
|
rlm@2
|
705 But before she had the chance to utter another word, another voice rang out
|
|
rlm@2
|
706 into the pandemonium that had become the mall. “From a distant horizon, a new
|
|
rlm@2
|
707 day is dawning. I am the future. Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon.” Landing
|
|
rlm@2
|
708 gracefully a few yards in front of the shocked would be Sailorchibimoon,
|
|
rlm@2
|
709 another Sailor Senshi stood, her long dark hair done up with four odango, the
|
|
rlm@2
|
710 thick pigtails draped across her back not quite reaching past her waist. She had a
|
|
rlm@2
|
711 light pink skirt with a purple bow on the front and back. Her long boots reached
|
|
rlm@2
|
712 just below the knee. Her broach, a highly decorated scarlet and pink heart, was
|
|
rlm@2
|
713 offset by a small gold half moon. Her shoulders were clad in a pink sphere,
|
|
rlm@2
|
714 similar to Eternal Sailormoon. Long gloves went past her elbows, an odd scepter
|
|
rlm@2
|
715 in her gloved hands.
|
|
rlm@2
|
716 Not knowing what was going on, but not wanting to keep the younger girls
|
|
rlm@2
|
717 in harms way any longer than necessary, ChibiUsa backed off from the new
|
|
rlm@2
|
718 senshi towards a clothes rack, hoping to find some sort of cover if anything
|
|
rlm@2
|
719 happened. It took her a moment to realize that she’d taken Hotaru’s hand in her
|
|
rlm@2
|
720 own in reflex. She looked curiously down at the other girl, but Hotaru’s simple
|
|
rlm@2
|
721 shrug was enough to see that the dark haired girl had no more of an idea than
|
|
rlm@2
|
722 she did about what was going on. She did know that the senshi sure looked
|
|
rlm@2
|
723 awfully familiar...
|
|
rlm@2
|
724 Hotaru squeezed ChibiUsa’s hand, looking for some reassurance in what
|
|
rlm@2
|
725 had quickly become a shopping trip from hell. She knew that the monster that
|
|
rlm@2
|
726 had attacked them was a Daimon, but she couldn’t figure out how or why it
|
|
rlm@2
|
727 would be here. Her father’s laboratory was gone, the Daimon Eggs wouldn’t be
|
|
rlm@2
|
728 easy to produce. But obviously someone had gotten a hold of them. And they
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rlm@2
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729 were sending them after her. She brought her other hand to ChibiUsa’s as well.
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rlm@2
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730 She’d never been this frightened before of an attack. But she had never been this
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rlm@2
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731 helpless before either.
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rlm@2
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732 Ribbons whipped out from the mannequin at the new Sailor Senshi, but
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733 before they reached her, they hit right into a glowing barrier. Another Senshi
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rlm@2
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734 stood in front of the first, this one holding a very familiar looking weapon. The
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735 Silence Glaive. Short, wavy pink hair graced her head along with a large pair of
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rlm@2
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736 glasses that accentuated the soft curves of her face. She had a dark purple skirt
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737 and a light pink bow on the front and back. Her long laced up boots reached a
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738 little lower than her counterpart’s. She had the sharp crystal shards that Saturn
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rlm@2
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739 had had on her original fuku for a broach, this time in a heart shape. Her
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rlm@2
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740 shoulders had the odd ripped look of Saturn's old costume as well.
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rlm@2
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741 “Sailorsaturn,” Hotaru gasped. Shaking her head, the raven haired girl watched
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rlm@2
|
742 the two. But that couldn’t be right. She was Sailorsaturn. Or, Saturn resided
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743 within her at least. This was all becoming more and more unnerving.
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rlm@2
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744 “Amazoness Jungle Arrow!!” With the Daimon distracted, the just arriving
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rlm@2
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745 Sailor Quartet wasted no time in attacking. Unable to dodge, it dissipated after
|
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rlm@2
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746 the combined blast of the four ripped through it.
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rlm@2
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747 “Well, that sure was easy. We’re getting good at this protecting the princess
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748 thing,” JunJun said thoughtfully as she took a few steps towards who she
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rlm@2
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749 suspected were the Saturn and Chibimoon that they knew. Whirling around, the
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750 short pink haired one stuck the Silence Glaive inches from the tanned member
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751 of the Quartet’s face. Suddenly not feeling quite as friendly with the sharp object
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rlm@2
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752 pointed in her face, Sailorjuno backed off.
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rlm@2
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753 “What the hell?” VesVes asked as she watched the two new Sailor Senshi
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rlm@2
|
754 suspiciously. “Hey, this is our job. Find yourself your own princess.” Out of the
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|
rlm@2
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755 corner of her eye, she could see Sailorceres and Pallas standing protectively near
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756 ChibiUsa and Hotaru. She averted her eyes before she could alert the two
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rlm@2
|
757 intruders.
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rlm@2
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758 The two girls laughed a little as they looked at each other. “Thanks, but no
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rlm@2
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759 thanks. We’ve got our own reasons for being here. We just decided that rather
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rlm@2
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760 than having them all get killed now, we’d let them know that we’re keeping an
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rlm@2
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761 eye on them,” the dark haired one answered, brushing her fingers through one of
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762 her dark pigtails.
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rlm@2
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763 “Though they shouldn’t expect us to save them next time,” the shorter
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rlm@2
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764 haired one said, adjusting her glasses as she looked pointedly at the two girls in
|
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rlm@2
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765 question, ChibiUsa still clutching onto the younger Hotaru protectively.
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rlm@2
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766 “PallaPalla didn’t know there were anymore Sailor Senshi. Especially not
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767 any that looked like Small Lady or Hotaru,” the blue haired Sailor Quartet
|
|
rlm@2
|
768 member whispered to CereCere.
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|
rlm@2
|
769 “Neither did I. It’s starting to get difficult keeping track of everybody. Just
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|
rlm@2
|
770 remember that nobody else matters besides the princess. It’s much easier to
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rlm@2
|
771 remember that way,” CereCere explained, irritated at the newcomers
|
|
rlm@2
|
772 appearance. This would definitely mean more work for them. As if they didn’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
773 have enough as it was! ChibiUsa was pretty good at getting herself in trouble
|
|
rlm@2
|
774 with these sorts of things and they had to protect her as Hotaru had decided for
|
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rlm@2
|
775 them when she’d awakened them as Sailor Senshi. Maybe if she wasn’t so
|
|
rlm@2
|
776 overprotective, they wouldn’t have to worry about this sort of thing.
|
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rlm@2
|
777 “Who are you?” ChibiUsa asked as she stood up, looking over at the two.
|
|
rlm@2
|
778 “Why are you here?” She took a step forward toward the Sailor Senshi. “Are
|
|
rlm@2
|
779 you here to fight with us? Is there a new threat on the way?” Her innocent
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|
rlm@2
|
780 questions were cut short as the Silence Glaive slashed through the bow on her
|
|
rlm@2
|
781 blouse. Startled, the pink haired girl stumbled backwards before falling.
|
|
rlm@2
|
782 “We’re here to test you,” the dark haired one answered with a sad smile. In
|
|
rlm@2
|
783 the background, a strange whistling music could be heard at that.
|
|
rlm@2
|
784 ChibiUsa swallowed nervously as the new Sailorsaturn looked down at her
|
|
rlm@2
|
785 with glassy, cold eyes, still holding the Silence Glaive ready. She remembered
|
|
rlm@2
|
786 not to let her fear show through as she shifted on the cold floor. “Test us?
|
|
rlm@2
|
787 How?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
788 “You’ll see,” the pink haired one said simply. With that, the two were off.
|
|
rlm@2
|
789 ChibiUsa wanted to follow, wanted to know what was going on here and
|
|
rlm@2
|
790 why they’d saved them, but Hotaru’s arms around her made her give up on the
|
|
rlm@2
|
791 idea instantly. Kneeling down next to her, she looked into those infinitely deep
|
|
rlm@2
|
792 violet eyes. “Are you okay, Hota-chan?” She hugged the younger girl to her,
|
|
rlm@2
|
793 glad the whole thing was over.
|
|
rlm@2
|
794 Hotaru knew that ChibiUsa was hiding how worried she was about all this
|
|
rlm@2
|
795 but she let it drop. ChibiUsa always tried to hide her feelings, pretending to be
|
|
rlm@2
|
796 happy when something was wrong so no one would worry about her. It wasn’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
797 very difficult for Hotaru to see through it, though. She wasn’t very good at
|
|
rlm@2
|
798 pretending to be happy herself, but she could still spot the differences in
|
|
rlm@2
|
799 ChibiUsa’s behavior when the pink haired girl tried it. “ChibiUsa-chan, I think I
|
|
rlm@2
|
800 know who they are,” Hotaru whispered to the older girl.
|
|
rlm@2
|
801 “What? Who?” ChibiUsa asked, startled. She hadn’t begun to think about
|
|
rlm@2
|
802 that yet, still confused by their very appearance to wonder who these mysterious
|
|
rlm@2
|
803 senshi could be.
|
|
rlm@2
|
804 Maybe she was wrong. How would she know? Maybe she was just looking
|
|
rlm@2
|
805 too hard. She shook her head. No, it made too much sense. Casting a sidelong
|
|
rlm@2
|
806 glance at the still worried twins, she quickly looked back at ChibiUsa. Leaning
|
|
rlm@2
|
807 closer, she whispered again. “ChibiUsa-chan, I think it’s the twins. I don’t know
|
|
rlm@2
|
808 how yet.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
809 ChibiUsa could barely restrain her surprise at that. She cautiously took a
|
|
rlm@2
|
810 look at the two younger girls, still embracing in fear as PallaPalla and CereCere
|
|
rlm@2
|
811 tried to calm them down. One with long dark pigtails, the other with slightly
|
|
rlm@2
|
812 shorter pink hair and glasses. Hotaru shook her head, silencing ChibiUsa’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
813 questions for the two girls before she could ask them. ChibiUsa just nodded,
|
|
rlm@2
|
814 biting her lower lip. This was most definitely getting bizarre. She wished for her
|
|
rlm@2
|
815 magical city of the future where things at least made sense. “Oh boy...”
|
|
rlm@2
|
816
|
|
rlm@2
|
817
|
|
rlm@2
|
818 ~Fin~
|
|
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|
819
|
|
rlm@2
|
820 Next time on Quant… err… the ChibiUsa & Hotaru series of stories: I
|
|
rlm@2
|
821 really have no clue. ^-^ Maybe a few vague ones (which I’m currently keeping
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|
rlm@2
|
822 tabs of in an outline for the next story) but otherwise I’m as clueless as you are.
|
|
rlm@2
|
823 ^-^;; Maybe if I didn’t keep switching from story to story (I’m working on nine
|
|
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|
824 at last count) I’d have some idea of where I was going with all this. O_o I’m
|
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rlm@2
|
825 really sorry I’m so slow, but when it rains it pours. ^-^;; Things have been really
|
|
rlm@2
|
826 messed up lately, as everyone who knows me has surely heard about. But as far
|
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rlm@2
|
827 as everything goes, you never can have too much time traveling right? ^-^ Okay,
|
|
rlm@2
|
828 maybe. ^^;; I’ll try to lay off the time traveling next time so I don’t cramp the
|
|
rlm@2
|
829 story with so many characters. I should be concentrating on ChibiUsa & Hotaru
|
|
rlm@2
|
830 more as it is. ^-^;; Anyway, I’m ranting now, so please ignore me. If any of you
|
|
rlm@2
|
831 would like to contact me for any reason at all (liked the story, caught any in-
|
|
rlm@2
|
832 jokes, noticed I screwed up somewhere from my bad habit of only writing when
|
|
rlm@2
|
833 I should be asleep, have any ideas for the next story, etc.), my e-mail address is
|
|
rlm@2
|
834 amazonessduo@hotmail.com and my ICQ name is ChibiUsa Tomoe. I have
|
|
rlm@2
|
835 AIM, but I’m not on it half as much. ^^;; Anyway, thanks so much for reading.
|
|
rlm@2
|
836 ^-^ *hugs and kisses*
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837
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838
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839
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