comparison old/stories/Christmasgiftccs.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights

[svn r3] moved all the bad stuff to 'old'
author rlm
date Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500
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1 Hi. I have another ChibiUsa and Hotaru story here for you guys. ^^ While
2 it is still not a hentai piece, it should be observed that the young
3 adult ChibiUsa and Hotaru love each other deeply and it is best suitable
4 for mature readers. Just so you would know.... otherwise, enjoy.
5
6 Disclaimer: I do not own ChibiUsa and Hotaru - they are copyrighted by
7 the wonderful Sailor Moon artist, Naoko Takeuchi. This is only a fan
8 fiction, okay? ^^
9
10 ***********************************************************************
11
12 I WILL ALWAYS BE THERE FOR YOU
13
14 By YaRassno (yup, it's still spelled this way! ^^)
15
16 Readers take note: this story contains a few violent scenes and mature
17 situations.
18
19
20
21 ***********************************************************************
22
23 "Wake up, sleepyhead."
24
25 ChibiUsa grumbled, twisted away from the voice and burrowed deeper under
26 the covers, not wanting to wake up. "Go away, Diana-chan! I'll get up
27 when I'm good and ready."
28
29 "Hey, come on!" The voice said again, poking her in the side.
30
31 "All right, all right, don't tell me you're hungry already! I just fed
32 you some snacks a while ago. Diana-chan, how if I scratch behind your
33 ears, will you go away and leave me alone?" Even as she finished speaking,
34 ChibiUsa put her hand out from beneath the blanket. Almost instantly it
35 was clasped in someone else's hands and pressed against something soft.
36 It was not her cat at all.
37
38 "I'm not Diana," the voice laughed, "And I've already eaten!"
39
40 "Nani?" ChibiUsa poked her head up from the depths of the bed. "Hotaru-
41 chan? What are you doing in my bedroom?"
42
43 "YOUR bedroom?" Hotaru gazed at her with amusement. "Well, ChibiUsa-chan,
44 you're not in Crystal Tokyo now!" The tall thin girl, dressed as always
45 in black, was holding ChibiUsa's hand tenderly against her breast. "I had
46 half a mind to pull you right out of the bed if you are not up by noon,
47 and it is already past ten minutes!"
48
49 ChibiUsa frowned slightly, sat up and looked around. "Oh, that's right. I
50 just got here yesterday. Okay," She fell back into the bed, then just as
51 quickly she sat bolt upright again. "Wait a minute, what about your
52 school?"
53
54 "Lucky for you, we are in the middle of a Christmas vacation right now.
55 You have arrived just in time - No school for a week!"
56
57 "Oh, that's right. I forgot about that. What a relief," ChibiUsa plopped
58 back in the bed, "Now I can go back to sleep!" But Hotaru, still holding
59 her hand, pulled her back to her sitting position again.
60
61 "Not a chance! You're getting out of bed, and that's it!"
62
63 "Aw, Hotaru-chan!" ChibiUsa griped, but she complied anyways and stood on
64 the floor, shivering from the morning chill because she was not wearing
65 anything on her. Hotaru let go of her hand. "Say, where is my duffel
66 bag I brought over with me?"
67
68 Hotaru pointed. "Right over there!"
69
70 "Arigato!" ChibiUsa brushed the loose hair from her face and went to the
71 corner where she had tossed her duffel bag and started rummaging around
72 inside it. When she straightened up and turned, she saw Hotaru sitting on
73 the edge of the bed and gazing lovingly at her.
74
75 "Welcome back, my princess. You look even more beautiful each time I see
76 you!" Seeing a light blush on ChibiUsa's cheeks Hotaru chuckled. "Well,
77 that's true. And I'm really glad you came all the way from Crystal Tokyo
78 to stay with me for a while," she said, "I'll tell you, every time you
79 went away for a few months I missed you terribly. Whenever you are gone I
80 thought about you all the time!"
81
82 ChibiUsa smiled. "Me too, Hotaru-chan," She went over and kissed Hotaru
83 softly on the lips. "I think about you every day, even in my dreams. So I
84 just decided to sneak off and see you again!" She shrugged sheepishly.
85 "Although I unknowingly arrived right in the middle of the Christmas
86 season!"
87
88 "But it's a perfect timing!" Hotaru exclaimed happily. "I was just
89 wishing the other day you would be here to celebrate Christmas with me
90 and my parents this year, and when you turned up suddenly at our door
91 yesterday night I am truly delighted!"
92
93 "Yeah, and Haruka and Michiru were so surprised to see me so soon,"
94 ChibiUsa said with a small laugh.
95
96 "Well, I'm happy to see you again anyway. It's going to be so much fun,
97 now that you are here with me!" Hotaru put her arms around the pink-
98 haired princess and hugged her warmly. "Then again I'm always happy
99 whenever you travel back here to visit me...again and again! I just wish
100 you could stay with me - permanently!"
101
102 "I wish I could, Hotaru-chan, but Puu probably won't let me stay too long.
103 Neither would my mother...Whoop!" ChibiUsa stepped back and clutched at
104 her loudly rumbling stomach. "Guess I'm starving!"
105
106 Hotaru chuckled. "That's what you got for skipping breakfast. Okay, I'll
107 see what I can cook up for you for lunch." Suddenly her face brightened,
108 "Hey, I have an even better idea! We can go downtown and get something to
109 eat. My treat. How does it sound?"
110
111 "Great!" ChibiUsa said happily.
112
113 "Good. Go get dressed. Or you can help yourself to some of my clothes in
114 the closet. I don't mind. I'll be downstairs waiting for you!"
115
116 "Hotaru-chan?"
117
118 "Hai, ChibiUsa-chan?"
119
120 "I was thinking - could we stop by at the Tsukino house first? I'd like
121 to see Usagi again." ChibiUsa asked tentatively. "I never got a chance to
122 see Usagi and her family while I was here the last time, and I just
123 wanted to see how she is doing."
124
125 Hotaru thought about it. "I'm not sure if she's still living with her
126 family, and also it's a bit long way from here...but sure, we can go over
127 there and say hello to Usagi!"
128
129 ChibiUsa threw her arms around her dark-haired friend in a big hug.
130 "Arigato!"
131
132
133 ******************
134
135 Some time later Hotaru and ChibiUsa (who managed to find some warm,
136 light-colored clothes from the closet to wear) found themselves standing
137 before the door at the Tsukino house, shivering because it *was* pretty
138 long way getting there. But neither complained, though. Hotaru glanced
139 at her young friend and noticed the nostalgic look in ChibiUsa's face.
140 The pink-haired girl must really miss her future mother a lot, she
141 observed.
142
143 "ChibiUsa-chan, I wonder if Usagi's parents will recognize you?"
144
145 "Not without Luna-P, I don't think so," ChibiUsa said, looking rather sad.
146 "You know, I used my Luna-P on Usagi's family a long time ago and fooled
147 them into thinking I was just a poor, long-lost and abandoned 'cousin'
148 who needed to be taken care of. I believe the effect have long since
149 worn off now. There's no way Usagi's family would recognize me and
150 welcome me with open arms."
151
152 Hotaru impulsively put her arm around ChibiUsa and hugged her closely,
153 trying to console her. "At least Usagi will remember you and be happy to
154 see you again anyway!"
155
156 "Yeah," ChibiUsa nodded, smiling a little. "Well, here we go."
157
158 Hotaru stepped back to one side and watched silently as ChibiUsa reached
159 up, hesitated only momentarily, then knocked the door. A few moments
160 passed, then the door swung outward and a middle-aged woman with long,
161 bluish hair streaked with gray peered curiously at the the pink-haired
162 teenager. "Hai?" The woman queried.
163
164 ChibiUsa blinked. "Uh, uh, I-I just came here to see if Usagi is home,"
165 she stuttered, shuffling her shoes and looking terribly shy. "I haven't
166 seen her for quite a while and I've lost touch with her...so...."
167
168 "Oh, my goodness. You must be one of Usagi's friends. Do you know she got
169 a job in the other part of the city and moved away a couple of months
170 ago?" The woman asked.
171
172 ChibiUsa's face fell. "Oh...I don't know that."
173
174 The woman looked at her more closely and said with a quizzical expression
175 on her face, "Hmmm...You seem familiar. Where have I met you before?"
176
177 Hotaru's eyebrows raised and she looked sideways at ChibiUsa who became
178 flustered and looked down at her shoes, tongue-tied. She decided to speak
179 up for her.
180
181 "Konnichi wa, Mrs. Tsukino-san. Since Usagi's not living here anymore,
182 can we have her phone number so we can get in touch with her?"
183
184 The woman's head turned, and gave the dark-haired girl a surprised look.
185 "Why, hello, Hotaru! I haven't seen you in months - good to see you
186 again!" Then the woman turned her attention back to the pink-haired teen.
187 "Well, I'll most certainly be happy to give you Usagi's phone number if
188 you like."
189
190 "Arigato! It's just that Usagi is my...really good friend," ChibiUsa
191 replied, sounding even more shy than usual. "And I just want to talk to
192 her again..."
193
194 "Okay. I understand," The woman nodded. "Give me a second, and I'll give
195 you a piece of paper with Usagi's phone number on it."
196
197 "All right, Ik...ma'am," ChibiUsa said, beaming. She staggered against
198 Hotaru as soon as the woman closed the door. "Kami-sama, I almost called
199 her 'Ikuko-mommy'!" She whispered as Hotaru gave her another one-arm
200 reassuring hug.
201
202 The door opened, and the girls straightened up expectantly. Ikuko stepped
203 forward with, "Here you are," and handed ChibUsa a piece of paper. "I
204 hope you will be able to get hold of Usagi long enough to have a nice
205 talk - I myself have had hard time getting her on the telephone as she is
206 so busy with her job and her social life!"
207
208 "Arigato again," ChibiUsa said, accepting the proffered paper. "If Usagi
209 ever come by here some time, please tell her that I was looking for her."
210
211 "Oh, hai, we are planning to visit Usagi this weekend," Ikuko said
212 brightly with a smile, "But what's your name, so I can tell her that you
213 were looking for her?"
214
215 "Oh," ChibiUsa felt a sudden pang of sadness that the woman could no
216 longer knew her name. "Just tell her the little spore stopped by in
217 Tokyo for a sort visit. She'll know who it is. Ja ne!" She grabbed
218 Hotaru's arm and took off with the dark-haired friend in tow before the
219 woman would see her tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks.
220
221 *********************************************************************
222
223 "Are you okay, ChibiUsa-chan?" Hotaru said, glancing worriedly at her
224 friend across the table they had taken at the Crown Place. "You seem
225 awfully quiet."
226
227 "Oh well. I was thinking about Usagi's mother," ChibiUsa said. "Now that
228 I have seen her I miss her just as much as I do Usagi. Although," She
229 rested her elbows on the table and cupped her chin in her hands with a
230 look of mild disbelief, "To tell you the truth, I can't believe she
231 looked so much older than I last saw her!"
232
233 "Hmm-mmm," Hotaru said, nodding. "Things changed a lot since you were
234 away, I guess," Hotaru smiled and reached across the table to squeeze
235 ChibiUsa's arm affectionately. "I'm sorry we don't get to see Usagi, but
236 now that you got her number we can call her tonight to say hi. Oh, by the
237 way," she added quickly as though an thought had occurred to her, "Tell
238 you what, with Christmas only a few days away I need to do some shopping
239 this afternoon and get a few Christmas presents for Haruka-papa and
240 Michiru-mama. We'll go to the mall after we ate. Okay with you?"
241
242 "Okay, Hotaru-chan," But ChibiUsa was still preoccupied; "Ikuko-
243 mommy...she said I look familiar," she whispered half to herself, "I
244 wonder if she still remembers me after all?"
245
246 A young, smiling waitress came up to their table and bowed slightly
247 toward the two occupants. "May I take your order?"
248
249 ChibiUsa looked up, sat straight up and exclaimed happily; "Hi,
250 Unazuki!"
251
252 Unazuki looked at her in surprise. "Nani? Have we met before?...Oh,
253 ChibiUsa! I almost didn't recognize you! My, but you've all grown up now
254 and without your odangos in your hair!"
255
256 The pink-haired princess grinned. "I guess I hadn't gotten around to
257 fixing my hair up - and Hotaru said she don't know how to do odangos."
258
259 "Indeed!" The young waitress paused to study her critically. "Whoa! You
260 know, I believe you look real kawaii with your hair down...I mean really
261 kawaii!"
262
263 "That's what I thought, too!" Hotaru said. She smiled fondly at
264 ChibiUsa. "Unazuki's right. You do look very kawaii with your hair
265 down! Would you consider letting your hair hang loose for the rest of
266 your life?"
267
268 "Yeah, that's a good idea!" Unazuki agreed. "You'd make a complete
269 knockout sight!"
270
271 "Well, I don't know," ChibiUsa said, looking slightly embarrassed by the
272 sudden interest in her hairstyle. Bemused, she looked from Hotaru to
273 Unazuki and laughed nervously, then decided to change the subject;
274 "Uh...can I order fried chicken sandwich?"
275
276 "Certainly!" Unazuki scribbled in her small notepad. "What about you?"
277 She asked Hotaru. The raven-haired girl gave her choice and the smiling
278 waitress wrote it down, then paused and gave the teen girls a concerned
279 look. "Please pardon me, but did you say you'll do the shopping at the
280 mall? Down the 8th Street, correct?"
281
282 "Uh, yeah, Unazuki, that's right," Hotaru answered. "Why?"
283
284 "Oh, my. Just be very careful, girls. There is a gang living in an area
285 not far from the 8th Street," Unazuki said seriously, "They're called the
286 White Wolves, and I heard they're pretty vicious. I just thought I'd warn
287 you if you're planning to shop there."
288
289 "The White Wolves?" ChibiUsa squeaked.
290
291 Hotaru looked thoughtful. "I've heard of them, my parents had told me
292 once about them a while ago," she said with a nod, "Arigato for the
293 warning, Unazuki. We will certainly be careful."
294
295 "Good, then," Unazuki was all smiles now. She looked at ChibiUsa and said,
296 "I still think you look quite kawaii with your hair down. I really like
297 it a lot!" She bowed herself away.
298
299 ChibiUsa looked at Hotaru. "The White Wolves...I don't remember hearing
300 about them. I know we have many gangs here in Tokyo, but this one? This
301 is news to me," She sounded a little worried, "And she says they're
302 vicious, eh?"
303
304 "Don't worry about them, ChibiUsa-chan. As long as you are with me,
305 you'll be safe," Hotaru turned to gaze at the pink-haired teen and
306 grinned. "Well, I believe you're blushing, aren't you?" she teased, "You
307 acted like Unazuki were trying to hit on you just because she commented
308 so nicely on your hair, ne?"
309
310 ChibiUsa ducked her head, face turning even deeper color of red. "Of
311 course not! I don't think so, Hotaru-chan!"
312
313 Hotaru chuckled. "Heh. Sorry, ChibiUsa-chan. I better not tease you
314 anymore, now that your face got such a lovely shade of red."
315
316 ChibiUsa squawked indignantly and tried to cuff her friend. With a
317 lightning motion borne of long senshi practice, Hotaru grabbed the young
318 girl's hand and covered it with both of her own hands. Deep purple eye
319 twinkling, the raven-haired girl grinned at ChibiUsa. "Okay, okay. I'll
320 behave, ChibiUsa-chan."
321
322 Chibiusa struck her tongue out at her. "You better be!" She huffed. She
323 felt warm inside, however, when she noticed Hotaru's eyes became soft and
324 her mischievous smile turned gentle. The raven-haired girl's hands kept a
325 firm yet tender hold on hers.
326
327 "Uh-oh," ChibiUsa said, raising one eyebrow, "I think I know what you're
328 thinking, Hotaru-chan."
329
330 The raven-haired girl gave a small chuckle. "Perhaps you do, ChibiUsa-
331 chan," She winked at her, "But you'll have to wait until later to find
332 out!" She released her friend's hand, placed her elbows on the table and
333 rested her chin on her hands, still smiling gently at ChibiUsa. "Well,
334 suppose I get you something for Christmas, what will it be?"
335
336 "You don't have to get me anything!" ChibiUsa protested, feeling a
337 little guilty, "I'm afraid I don't bring any money with me to buy you
338 something because I have no idea it would be almost Christmas when I
339 arrived at your house yesterday. You know how unpredictable time-
340 traveling can be. And besides, I've already got too much stuff back at
341 home anyways. If I've known I would arrive during the holiday, I would
342 bring something for you!"
343
344 Hotaru smiled again. "Okay, then. And don't worry about that...ChibiUsa-
345 chan, just having you here with me is like a early Christmas present to
346 me!"
347
348 "Really?" ChibiUsa said, pleased.
349
350 Hotaru nodded vigorously, then became serious. "ChibiUsa-chan...Now that
351 you are here, how long will you stay? I hope this time you will be able
352 to stay as long as you can," Hotaru looked pleadingly at her young friend.
353 "Would you?"
354
355 "I don't know. That depends," ChibiUsa said slowly, her brow furrowed.
356 "I would certainly stay as long as possible. But then Puu will come and
357 discover me here, she'll say I should go back home," Her voice sounded
358 resigned, "Then I'd have to leave."
359
360 At this Hotaru frowned and shook her head vehemently. "ChibiUsa-chan,
361 she can't do that to you. You shouldn't let Pluto tell you what to do!"
362 she said sharply. ChibiUsa blinked at the tone of her friend's voice.
363 Hotaru continued, "If you want to stay here, you just tell her so!"
364
365 "Hotaru-chan," ChibiUsa said. She reached out to touch her friend's
366 shoulder, wanting to reassure her, "It's okay! I'm not going anywhere -
367 especially not this soon anyhow!"
368
369 "As much as I love Pluto, I just don't want her to come and take you
370 away again," Hotaru said earnestly, almost angrily. She took ChibiUsa's
371 hand and squeezed it briefly. "You are not only my best friend, you are
372 my soul mate. I won't let her tear us apart like she did last time. I'd
373 miss you terribly if she does."
374
375 "I see," The pink-haired teen said softly, giving her friend a curious
376 look. She had never seen Hotaru this upset before. A memory came to her,
377 of young Hotaru and ChibiUsa trying to catch up with each other after the
378 downfall of Neherenia - to pick up where they had left off since they
379 last saw each other [and Hotaru was then a baby at that time before the
380 evil Neherenia and the Dead Moon Circus began causing trouble] - only to
381 have Pluto come and said that ChibiUsa have to return home to Crystal
382 Tokyo for good. Hotaru was so disappointed they had not been able to be
383 together very long... "I'd miss you too, if I leave. Don't worry, Hotaru-
384 chan, for you I will stay as long as it is possible, no matter what Puu
385 may say."
386
387 Hotaru's troubled face cleared, and she seemed to calm down. "Good!" She
388 said, starting to smile warmly, "If you stay around long enough it'll be
389 also my birthday present next month too!"
390
391 "At least until..." ChibiUsa hesitated and blushed a little, "Until Usagi
392 gets pregnant. Then I really have to go."
393
394 Hotaru's smile faded, and she sighed, releasing her friend's hand. "You
395 have a point. Well, as long as you're here, we have to make the most of
396 time, I guess."
397
398 "Hai, that's right," ChibiUsa agreed. She scooted around the beach to
399 the raven-haired teen's side and gave her a tight hug, "I don't want you
400 to feel bad, Hotaru-chan. I love you, always and forever. Nothing can
401 change that in any way!"
402
403 For a moment Hotaru looked at her with shining purple eyes, and she
404 opened her mouth and was on verge of speaking something when Unazuki
405 returned bearing a tray of steaming food and placed it on their table.
406
407 "Chow time!" The waitress announced with a huge smile.
408
409 "What is it you were about to say?" ChibiUsa prompted her as soon as
410 Unazuki left. Hotaru shrugged and gave her another loving look.
411
412 "Just that: I love you, too, ChibiUsa-chan. Always and forever."
413
414 ****************************************
415
416 The night sky was clear and cloudless with the bright, full moon hovering
417 over the Tokyo that twinkled and glittered like jewels with Christmas
418 lights everywhere.
419
420 The young senshi and the princess from the future, each clutching tightly
421 to a bugling bag, pushed their way trough the jostling crowd of
422 pedestrians and shoppers across the congested street from the mall they
423 had just left. Reaching the other side safely, they turned in one
424 direction and started off on way home down the sidewalk.
425
426 "Whoa, it's night already. We must have shopped all day until now!"
427 ChibiUsa exclaimed. She glanced down at the bags, then at Hotaru. "You
428 said a few presents, huh? I can't believe you can afford to buy all those,
429 let alone treat me at the Crown Place. Just how much allowance do you
430 actually get from Haruka and Michiru each week?!"
431
432 "You're making it sound like Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama are spoiling
433 me!" Hotaru laughed. "No, really, the amount of the weekly allowance I
434 receive is about as normal as yours when you lived with Usagi, I think.
435 And every time I get it I just squirreled it away for later when I need
436 it to buy something."
437
438 "So you just accumulate your allowance over time?" ChibiUsa raised her
439 eyebrows in mock surprise. "Oh, no wonder. And I thought you were
440 wealthy because of your parents!"
441
442 Hotaru shrugged. "I'm not like those born-to-shop-until-I-drop-dead guys,
443 you know. Just a few things I need to buy now and then. With Christmas
444 coming, I thought I'd better hurry and get something for my parents!"
445 She turned her head and smiled at her young friend. "It was fun shopping
446 with you, ChibiUsa-chan. And thanks for your help in picking out a really
447 cool gift for Haruka-papa. Now I can tell her that she's a proud owner of
448 2001 Ferrari GTO. Then all she have to do is look inside the box and find
449 a kawaii little toy car she can play with the remote controller!"
450
451 ChibiUsa laughed. "You're very welcome, Hotaru-chan," she said.
452
453 They walked for a while; admiring the decorated windows they passed by
454 while their booted feet made crunching sound in the snow. Suddenly
455 ChibiUsa giggled furiously.
456
457 "Gomen. There was one place that I was browsing back there - you were in
458 the other store at that time - and they were selling gag gifts. It
459 reminded me of one Mom got from Mars and Venus for her birthday back in
460 Crystal Tokyo last summer," She said, still giggling. "I can't say what
461 it was, but I know it was kind of naughty. You should have seen Mom's
462 face - it was really funny!"
463
464 Hotaru laughed gently, mainly because ChibiUsa's giggles were quite
465 infectious. "I wish I could have been there with you. It would be fun,
466 eh?"
467
468 ChibiUsa became somber and looked at her with a hint of sadness in her
469 cinnamon-red eyes. She said quietly, "Yeah, It would indeed be fun, with
470 all friends and about every Senshi there for our birthday except..."
471
472 Hotaru cocked her head and looked at her quizzically. "Eh? Except what?"
473 When the pink-haired princess looked at you sadly and didn't respond, it
474 dawned on her; "I wasn't there?"
475
476 ChibiUsa shook her head, and walked more slowly with her eyes downcast.
477 "You weren't there at the party. In fact, you are not around anywhere in
478 the Crystal Tokyo at all!"
479
480 "How come?"
481
482 ChibiUsa was silent for a moment before continuing, "I'll have you know,
483 Hotaru-chan, that after we defeated Neherenia I returned home and saw all
484 the old and new Senshi, including Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune -
485 except Sailor Saturn. I asked everyone what happened to you. Nobody
486 could give me a straight answer, not even my mother. Puu was the only one
487 to tell me that you were no longer on the Earth." She stopped and looked
488 at the stunned Hotaru. She continued with tears brimming her eyes, "At
489 first I thought it meant you had already died. But Puu said no, it was
490 just that you were sent back to your own planet - on the far side of the
491 galaxy. And nobody have contacted you ever since!" She scrubbed away the
492 tears that now tickled down her cheeks. "I can't reach you in any way,
493 and it made me feel so bad not to be able to see you. Oh, Hotaru-chan, I
494 miss you so much..."
495
496 "Oh, ChibiUsa!" Hotaru dropped her bag and stepped forward quickly to
497 take her into her arms. "It's all right...don't cry, ChibiUsa-chan," For
498 the pink-haired princess was beginning to cry in earnest. "So that's why
499 you kept coming back here just to see me? It's okay, we're together now.
500 Shh, shh...."
501
502 ChibiUsa snuggled against her and did not say anything else for a while.
503 Hotaru continued to murmur soft reassuring words and stroked her friend's
504 long hair absently. It was perhaps two full minutes before ChibiUsa
505 sighed and raised her head to look at the raven-haired teen right in the
506 face. "You're O.K. now? Hotaru asked in a concerned tone.
507
508 ChibiUsa nodded, still not looking very happy. "Well, but I sure wish you
509 could still remain in Crystal Tokyo and not go anywhere else. Why did
510 they have to send you so far away?"
511
512 "I really don't know. I have no idea what is going on in the future,"
513 Hotaru said, feeling distressed herself, "Could it be they just decided
514 they don't need me now that there are no more powerful enemies in the
515 30th Century to battle with?" She paused for a moment as though thinking
516 and shrugged, "Or maybe it's just that your people can live much longer
517 in that century than we do here - don't they, ChibiUsa-chan? If so, they
518 probably don't want Death hanging because it would be too depressing for
519 them, huh?"
520
521 "Hotaru-chan, I don't think those are good reasons enough to send you
522 away!" ChibiUsa said, shaking her head negatively, "We still do have
523 enemies popping up from time to time, and besides, you are one of the
524 elder Senshi and you are have an important duty in Crystal Tokyo, so why
525 should they..."
526
527 "It just occurred to me," Hotaru said suddenly, looking pensive.
528 "ChibiUsa-chan, could it be they send me away because they are afraid of
529 my powers?"
530
531 "What are you saying!" ChibiUsa was startled. "What made you think they
532 are afraid of you? But you are our dear friend. Why would they be scared
533 of you...?"
534
535 "I think I know why," Hotaru said quietly. She paused and looked at
536 ChibiUsa with a serious look on her face. She took a long breath and
537 asked rather diffidently, "First I'd like to ask you something I have
538 been wondering about for a long time. ChibiUsa-chan, when you first knew
539 I am Sailor Saturn, were you afraid of me?"
540
541 "Me, afraid of you?" ChibiUsa cried in surprise. "Why should I?"
542
543 "Remember, I am a Sailor of Death and Rebirth," Hortaru said more quietly,
544 "You know that if I must, I will not hesitate to kill the enemies which I
545 have done many, many times. And watching them die is not something you
546 should see - it's horrible. And not only that, you are aware that with a
547 single blow of my Glaive I am quite capable of destroying everything on
548 this Earth, and the planet itself too. You know that, don't you?"
549
550 ChibiUsa looked at her and gave a small, uncertain nod but otherwise did
551 not say anything. After a while Hotaru continued. "I'll tell you what.
552 When I go around as Sailor Saturn almost everyone is afraid of me. It may
553 not seem like a big surprise, considering I carry the Glaive anyway.
554 But...the problem is, even if I am not transformed - that is, I go around
555 as Hotaru and not carrying my weapon - both the Inner and the Outer
556 Senshi, including what few friends I have, once they knew who I am, are
557 still uneasy around me. I believe even your mother is a little afraid of
558 me. I know they are, because I could see a hint of fear in their eyes
559 even if they declared their love for me and would stand by me no matter
560 what. They tried to hide it, but I was not fooled. They are just, simply,
561 afraid of me and walk around me on tiptoes, so to speak."
562
563 "Even my mother?" ChibiUsa asked. Her eyes were wide with astonishment.
564 "But it can't be!"
565
566 Hotaru closed her eyes and nodded slowly. "Even Usagi, believe it or not.
567 I think it's because I have the power to bring the destruction and death
568 down at any time and there's no one who can stop me. ChibiUsa-chan, I
569 must tell you, it has been going like this for so long I just can't take
570 it any more. I hate it, the way everyone was just...you know, kind of
571 skittish around me. I just want to be treated like a normal person, a
572 friend and not a sort of cold, ruthless Grim Reaper they seemed to think
573 I am!"
574
575 "But Hotaru-chan..."
576
577 Now Hotaru opened her eyes her eyes and but did not quite meet her
578 friend's eyes. "Chibiusa-chan, shouldn't you be afraid of me? You have
579 seen my Glaive and know my powers and what I am capable of," She said
580 softly, "Are you?"
581
582 "No, Hotaru-chan. I have never been afraid of you. No, not at all!"
583
584 Hotaru gasped and looked at the pink-haired princess full in the face.
585 ChibiUsa looked steadily back at her with her wide, cinnamon-red eyes
586 filled with...love, compassion and total trust. There was absolutely no
587 fear in them at all. "Hotaru-chan, like I said, I love you. I've known
588 you for a long time and yet I love you more than anything.
589 Nothing...especially what you just said...can change it. You have to
590 believe that!"
591
592 Hotaru was vastly relieved to hear that. "ChibiUsa-chan," she whispered,
593 "Is it any wonder why I love you so much? Of all people I've known, you
594 are the only one who do not fear me!" She became aware of ChibiUsa's hand
595 was stroking her face, wiping away tears that Hotaru didn't know were
596 steaming down her own cheeks.
597
598 "Hotaru-chan, I don't care what they think or say about you, I see you
599 only as a warm, kind-hearted person who is fun to be with," ChibiUsa
600 continued, "And more than just a best friend, too. You are someone I feel
601 comfortable enough to share with you my innermost feelings and secrets
602 nobody else knows. And what's more, I know you will always be there for
603 me as I will for you too." She smiled up at Hotaru. "To tell you the
604 truth, I feel much more safe and secure whenever I'm with you, because
605 you protect me and would not let anything happen to me. Won't you?"
606
607 Impulsively Hotaru grabbed ChibiUsa's hand and kissed it. "Of course, I
608 will always be there for you, ChibiUsa-chan! And I will always protect
609 you because as Sailor Saturn I'm sworn to protect you anyway. Not only
610 because you are a princess, but you are very important to me. Much more
611 than you realize!"
612
613 The pink-haired teen's face grew more serious. "I guess that is why they
614 sent you away just because they are still afraid of you, even in the 30th
615 Century? I can't believe it!"
616
617 "Either that or the other way," Hotaru said with a slow shrug. "Right now
618 it's way far into the future, so I guess we will never really know, eh?"
619
620 ChibiUsa shook her head with disapproval. "Well, I will not tolerate
621 that! When I have a chance I'll find out why and then I'll see to that
622 it get changed so you will always remain in Crystal Tokyo with me, no
623 matter what! I swear on it!"
624
625 Hotaru smiled. "Good. I want to be near you, too. I wouldn't want to be
626 separated from you either," The raven-haired girl said. Absently, she
627 reached up and brushed the pink strands of hair from ChibiUsa's face. A
628 snowflake floated down and melted against the princess' forehead. "Oh,
629 it's starting to snow," Hotaru looked up, and realized not only it was
630 snowing, the wind was becoming quite chilly and gusty. "Come on, we
631 better hurry home," she said, grabbing a heavy shopping bag.
632
633 Without another word the girls both strode at a brisk pace, shoulder to
634 shoulder, hand in hand, shivering with their heads bent against the
635 heightening blizzard. They met fewer and few pedestrians, until they
636 could see no other person traveling down the strangely silent side of the
637 street with only an occasional car rumbling by. Curious as why she did
638 not see any more store windows festooned brightly with Christmas
639 decorations like they should be, ChibiUsa looked up and after a while she
640 whispered, "I don't think I've been here before."
641
642 "Hmmm?" Hotaru raised her head and looked carefully around. Thanks to the
643 heavily blowing snow, it seemed they had somehow lost their way and
644 stumbled into an unfamiliar area of the city. Puzzled, She peered through
645 the snow swirling crazily in the streetlight at the signpost and took
646 note of the name of the street. She did not recognize it. "I guess we
647 must have took a wrong turn." Hotaru said.
648
649 "We seem to be in a bad neighborhood," ChibiUsa observed, eying with
650 distaste the crude graffiti on the weathered brick wall.
651
652 "Really," Hotaru said, sounding slightly perturbed at their predicament.
653 "I guess we just need to turn around and find our way back there." She
654 paused and she cast a concerned look at her friend and noticed that
655 ChibiUsa's face was red from cold and exposure, and that the young
656 princess covered on one side with snow. "You okay, ChibiUsa-chan?"
657
658 "Just cold, that's all," ChibiUsa griped, shivering. Even her teeth were
659 chattering a little. "I don't suppose you know a shortcut to your house
660 from around here, Hotaru-chan?"
661
662 "I don't think so," Hotaru sighed. "Don't worry, we'll be home before
663 long. Just stay close to me, okay?" The girls turned around and began to
664 trudge back up from where they had come from.
665
666 "Hey, kawaii girls," A new voice hailed them.
667
668 Both girls stopped and twirled around, startled.
669
670 "What are you nice girls doing here? If you two are lost, maybe we could
671 help you out," A slender, older girl - probably in late teens - stepped
672 out of the shadows and into the glare of the lamppost and stood in the
673 front of them, regarding them with some interest. She was a good head
674 taller than them, and under the streetlight her long windblown hair was
675 bleached white and she was wearing long, dark heavy leather coat. She
676 grinned down at them, but the look she gave them wasn't exactly
677 benevolent.
678
679 We? Hotaru frowned, suddenly wary. She looked around quickly to see if
680 there were anyone else with the strange girl, but there were no one she
681 could see beyond the scope of the lamppost. All the same, Hotaru moved
682 closer to her friend in order to protect her and replied in an even voice,
683 "No, thanks. I'm sure we can find our way home."
684
685 "Oh?" The girl cocked her head, the grin hardly leaving her face. "But
686 it's freezing out here! We are heading over to our place and maybe you
687 both should come in with us to get warmed up," She jerked her thumb back
688 at a squat brick building that appeared to be somewhat dilapidated. Two
689 upper curtained windows were lit with sickly yellow light, and Hotaru
690 could see silhouetted figures moving forth and back ominously behind them.
691 The stranger continued; "There you can have something to eat and drink,
692 too if you have not yet eaten."
693
694 "Thanks for the offer, that is very nice of you," Hotaru said quietly,
695 "But I'm afraid we have to pass it up. It's getting late anyway and we
696 need to go home." She whispered to her friend, "Let's go, ChibiUsa-
697 chan."
698
699 The pink-haired girl threw a longing glance at the building; apparently
700 she was hungry too as well as cold, and would gladly go in there to thaw
701 out if possible. But after a moment's hesitation Chibiusa sighed and
702 conceded, "All right, Hotaru-chan, we better go home then." Both the
703 girls turned to walk away.
704
705 "You are not going anywhere!" A new, stern voice called out. Another
706 girl, even taller than the first, stepped into sight out of nowhere
707 blocking their path. She too has bleached hair and wore the similar dark
708 attire and has a very unfriendly expression on her face. Narrowing her
709 eyes, she said flatly; "Don't you know it's extremely rude to turn down a
710 generous offer like that?"
711
712 Both Hotaru and ChibiUsa abruptly halted, and the raven-haired girl threw
713 her arm around the princess and pulled her close protectively. "What do
714 you want?" Hotaru demanded.
715
716 "You," the second tall girl said simply.
717
718 "That's right, we're always looking for new friends!" Yet another voices
719 chorused and two more girls, twins to be exact, soon appeared on both
720 sides of the disagreeable second girl. In contrast their faces were
721 cheerful and smiling, but their expressions belied a dangerous glint in
722 their eyes. Like the other girls who had accosted Hotaru and ChibiUsa
723 the somewhat young twins have pale hair and wore the same kind of leather
724 coats.
725
726 The four strangers spread out, and in the next few moments the young
727 Senshi and the princess found themselves surrounded with no other way out.
728 Something was terribly wrong. Hotaru felt ChibiUsa gripped her arm
729 tightly. "Who are you?" The pink-haired girl challenged angrily, "What
730 are you going to do with us?"
731
732 "Well, well. Such a gutsy girl," One of the girls smirked.
733
734 "ChibiUsa," Hotaru whispered to her in a warning tone.
735
736 The tall girl, obviously a leader who had spoken to them in the first
737 place now addressed them again, "Well, we might as well introduce
738 ourselves. I am Hoshi," She bowed slightly. "And this is Kumiko," She
739 nodded toward the tall hard-faced girl. "And those are Shina and Yoko,"
740 She finished, looking in direction at the young twins with deceptively
741 pleasant faces. Then she turned her attention toward Hotaru and ChibiUsa.
742 Her eyes hardened. "Now that you have met us, I'll let you know one
743 thing. We are the White Wolves, and you happened to be trespassing our
744 territory."
745
746 Hotaru tensed, and heard ChibiUsa gasped sharply.
747
748 Obviously anticipating this type of reaction, Hoshi smiled. "However,
749 since this is Christmas season," She said in a more genial voice, "And
750 for such kawaii girls like you should not be wandering around out in this
751 bad weather, we'll be generous. Therefore, you could have taken up my
752 offer to come in with us and get acquainted with us guys. There's so much
753 we can learn from each other."
754
755 Hotaru and ChibiUsa looked at each other for a second. Then the raven-
756 haired girl shook head firmly. "No, thanks."
757
758 The leader sighed. "If you decline our offer and would rather leave here
759 anyway...well, there is a price for trespassing our turf. So you have two
760 choices. Hand over your money and bags you are carrying, and we'll let
761 you leave without any hassle."
762
763 Hotaru's heart began to beat rapidly. Before she could say anything
764 ChibiUsa demanded, "And what's the second choice?"
765
766 The leader's smile thinned and eyes narrowed dangerously. "If you try to
767 leave without paying the price, well, you'll have to find it out the hard
768 way."
769
770 Hotaru did not like the sound of it at all. She whispered to her pink-
771 haired friend, "I think we better hand over our bags, ChibiUsa-chan, and
772 then they'll let us go."
773
774 "Nani?" ChibiUsa stared at her incredulously. "But you bought all those
775 presents with your money for Haruka and Michiru...and it's not right for
776 them to take the presents away from you!"
777
778 "Never mind, it's better than standing around to find what the second
779 choice is all about," Hotaru whispered back. As ChibiUsa scowled angrily
780 and muttered something acidic under breath, Hotaru turned to the leader.
781 "We'll give up our bags and money. You're sure if we do, we'll leave
782 without any trouble, correct?"
783
784 Hoshi grinned suddenly. Her dark eyes glistened with greed as she nodded.
785 "Excellent choice. We will certainly let you go after we have your
786 stuff."
787
788 "Okay, here you are," Hotaru said with quiet resignation, and held out
789 the bag. Just as the tall leader reached forward to take it, ChibiUsa
790 suddenly yanked Hotaru back.
791
792 "No!" ChibiUsa said vehemently, shooting the gang leader an angry look,
793 "They have no right to do that to us!"
794
795 "ChibiUsa!" Hotaru said sharply. "We don't want any trouble with them.
796 Just let them take what they want, and then we'll be let go. It's not
797 worth making a big fuss about it!"
798
799 ChibiUsa shook her head stubbornly, still balking. "It's just not
800 right!"
801
802 "Ah, so you're resisting, eh?" The hard-faced second girl named Kumiko
803 said. She rubbed her knuckles ominously. "What are we going to do about
804 you two?"
805
806 "You're not taking anything from us!" ChibiUsa shouted.
807
808 The leader glanced over Hotaru and ChibiUsa's heads at Kumiko and nodded.
809 As though on cue, the hard-faced girl standing behind Chibisusa stepped
810 forward with slow, purposeful and menacing movements.
811
812 Without warning, ChibiUsa's elbow flew out and caught Kumiko in the
813 stomach. As she doubled over, gasping, the petite pink-haired princess
814 grabbed her around the head and flipped her right over her shoulder.
815 Kumiko went down with a thud and lay there in the snow, groaning. The
816 other bleach-haired girls froze where they stood, staring in stunned
817 disbelief.
818
819 "ChibiUsa!" Hotaru gasped. "What do you think you are doing?"
820
821 "Come on! We're getting out of here!" ChibiUsa said. She grabbed
822 Hotaru's hand and dragged her across the space that was formerly occupied
823 by Kumiko and into the alley, taking the bags with them.
824
825 "They're getting away!" The leader of the gang screamed as Kumiko jumped
826 to her feet. She sounded absolutely livid; "They will pay for it! Go
827 after them!"
828
829 "Oh, Kami-sama," Hotaru said, looking at her friend in consternation.
830 They could hear the angry words echoing off the walls and a set of
831 footfalls slapping furiously upon the snow-covered ground behind them,
832 growing closer and closer each moment. The raven-haired girl yelled; "Run
833 as fast as you can!"
834
835 And so the senshi and the princess sprinted hand in hand down the semi-
836 dark alley for dear lives, turning this way and that way at every corner
837 in hopes to shake their pursuers off. But when they made fourth such
838 detour they immediately realized their mistake; they had ran into a dead
839 end. And they could not backpedal out of their predicament, for almost
840 immediately the angry girls with bleached hairs burst into view, blocking
841 their only way of escape.
842
843 Before Hotaru would react, she was tackled from behind with such a force
844 that she was slammed against the brick wall. As she groaned painfully she
845 heard a falsely cheerful voice said with a tone of ironic playfulness in
846 it, "Tsk, tsk. You think you can dodge us, aren't you?" Hotaru was not
847 sure if it was either Shina or Yoko. But as she tried to struggle she
848 saw Kimuko striding right by and caught a fleeting glimpse of what looked
849 like a bowie knife flashing in dim light. Icy fear seized her heart. It
850 was not out of a concern for her own safety, however, but for ChibiUsa.
851 [Dear Kami-sama, don't let them hurt my friend!]
852
853 "Know what I'm gonna do?" The same voice laughed nastily, and Hotaru
854 felt her arm twisted savagely behind her. She could not cry out loud, she
855 was paralyzed with pain. "We're gonna break every bone of yours and kill
856 you!"
857
858 The next few moments seemed like an eternity, as Hotaru was struck
859 brutally several times - with what, she wasn't able to tell. Hotaru was
860 dimly aware of a furious scuffle not too far off. [ChibiUsa...oh, no!]
861 But there was nothing she could do at that time. Then, with a final
862 savage blow to her head that sent her reeling, she was flung to the
863 ground among the overturned trashcans.
864
865 "Next time we see you it'll be much worse than that. You should be lucky
866 we let you live for now." It was Hoshi's voice now. "Have a Merry
867 Christmas!" With those mocking parting words, the gang stomped away.
868 Then there was silence.
869
870 Hotaru lay panting there in semi-darkness, shivering, waiting for the
871 pain to dwindle to a tolerable level before she could dare to raise her
872 head. She was somewhat relieved she suffered no broken bones. "ChibiUsa?
873 Are you there?" She called tentatively. When she did not hear the
874 immediate response she became panicky. "ChibiUsa! Answer me!"
875
876 At last a weak reply came. "Hotaru...!" In semi-darkness Hotaru could
877 see a form of ChibiUsa floundering around in the snow not far from her.
878 Hotaru, frightened and concerned for her friend, tried frantically to
879 reach where the pink-haired girl was. ChibiUsa must have seen her, for
880 she shuffled over to her right away on knees and hands and an arm slipped
881 gently around the raven-haired girl, supporting her. "Hotaru! Are you
882 all right?" ChibiUsa said in a much stronger voice now. She also sounded
883 strangely restrained as thought she was trying to hide pain from her
884 voice.
885
886 Hotaru staggered into her friend's arms with relief. [Thank Kami-sama!]
887 She was so scared that they might beat ChibiUsa senseless...or worse. She
888 looked up through blowing snow flurries into ChibiUsa's face, trying to
889 gauge just how bad the princess looked. It was hard to tell, as
890 ChibiUsa's face was in shadow with tendrils of pink hair whipping around
891 in the wind, partly concealing it.
892
893 "I...I think so," Hotaru said in a halting voice as she allowed ChibiUsa
894 to pull her to a sitting position. Instinctively she massaged the aching
895 arm. "Ouch. That's a wonder they didn't pull my arm out of the socket!
896 ChibiUsa-chan, please tell me - how badly are you injured in any way?"
897
898 ChibiUsa did not answer the question. Instead, she became upset; "Kami-
899 sama, you're hurt!" the pink-haired girl exclaimed, stricken. "They did
900 this to you and got away with it!"
901
902 "Forget it," Hotaru said wearily. "Let them go."
903
904 "But, they took the gifts you bought for Haruka and Michiru and beat you
905 up...!" ChibiUsa was becoming angry again. "I won't forgive them. I'm
906 not going to let them get away with it!"
907
908 "I said forget it. It's not worth going after them," Hotaru said.
909
910 "There's no way I can let them get away with it!" ChibiUsa repeated.
911 She hugged Hotaru fiercely for a second or two, then released and
912 scrambled to her feet. "I'm going after them!" And then she took off down
913 the alley after the retreating members of the White Wolves gang.
914
915 "ChibiUsa! Come back!" Hotaru shouted. [Can't she see they're armed and
916 extremely dangerous?] Ignoring her pains, she got to her feet and took
917 off after her friend at a frantic speed. "ChibiUsa! ChibiUsa!"
918
919 The pink-haired princess, however, had already vanished around the corner.
920 [I can't believe it, ChibiUsa is just as rash as her mother Usagi was!]
921 The thought of ChibiUsa trying to take on the White Wolves gang by
922 herself and getting sliced up and down horrified Hotaru, and her feet
923 picked up an ever faster pace. Already a violent melee could be heard
924 breaking out not too far off. Her heart sank. [If anything happen to
925 ChibiUsa, I might not even be able to put her together!] She ran around
926 the corner just in time to hear ChibiUsa cry out loud.
927
928 "SATURN PLANET!"
929
930 As she drew nearer to the open area she caught sight of the White Wolves
931 gang standing around in a circle, viciously hitting and kicking at the
932 huddled form in the snow. Oh, gods.
933
934 "POWER!"
935
936 [ChibiUsa-chan, hold on! I'm coming! ]
937
938 "MAKE UP!"
939
940 A purplish light flashed momentarily around her and her heavy civilian
941 attire for the winter dissolved, to be replaced by a purple and white
942 sailor uniform. "GLAIVE, COME FORWARD!" She raised her arm, and the
943 deadly Silent Glaive materialized from far above and came spinning into
944 her outstretched gloved hand. Thus armed, Sailor Saturn bounded over to
945 the top of the big dumpster and pointed the Glaive toward the gang.
946 "STOP IT AT ONCE!"
947
948 The White Wolves gang twirled around.
949
950 The light from a nearby lamppost was dim but the Saturn saw enough to
951 make her heart stop. ChibiUsa was lying quite still. There appeared to
952 be some dark stains in the snow near her body. Saturn felt sick inside.
953 She lifted her eyes to glare at the older girls. "Beating up and robbing
954 a young lady during a Christmas season - this I cannot tolerate, nor can
955 I forgive!"
956
957 Hoshi appeared to recover quickly from her stupefaction at the sight of a
958 formidable figure on the dumpster in front of her, and became belligerent.
959 "Who are you?"
960
961 "I am Sailor Saturn," The Senshi intoned flatly, her Glaive that
962 reflecting cold light every time she moved it, "Agent of Death and
963 Rebirth."
964
965 "Hoshi! I've heard of her!" One of the twins shrieked, her eyes bulging.
966 "She's one of the senshi, and the most deadly of them all!"
967
968 Hoshi, unnerved, stepped back a pace and eyed Sailor Saturn warily. "What
969 do you want with us?"
970
971 "It would be better if you all leave right now!" With that Saturn leaped
972 down from the dumpster and, despite the freezing, blowing snow, she
973 struck a threatening posture with her Glaive thrust outward.
974
975 The gang gasped and scurried back a few paces.
976
977 "I said, leave NOW!" Saturn shouted, and advanced on them.
978
979 The twins - no longer so cheerful looking now - lost their nerve
980 completely and fled screaming into the dark without a backward glance.
981 Hoshi and Kumiko took several nervous paces back but did not flee. "We
982 don't do anything to you!" The leader yelled. "You're not gotta butcher
983 us for no reason, are you?"
984
985 Saturn stopped advancing, but said nothing.
986
987 "Maybe she's bluffing," Kumiko said to Hoshi.
988
989 "I'm warning you..." Saturn growled softly. Keeping her eyes on the two
990 remaining older girls, she moved sideways until she reached the still
991 form in the snow and crouched down. Her gloved hand slipped down to touch
992 the pink-haired girl's face.
993
994 The gesture was not lost on the tall girl. "Ah, so it must be your lover,
995 ne?" Kumbio said. Somehow, in spite of the grim situation she actually
996 smirked; "I think you came too late to save her. She's gone."
997
998 Saturn's face stiffened. Hardly taking her eyes off the older girls, she
999 shook her friend's shoulder with her hand. "ChibiUsa," the Senshi
1000 whispered urgently, "Come on, wake up."
1001
1002 ChibiUsa did not answer. Saturn grew desperate. "ChibiUsa!" She said,
1003 turning her attention away from the older girls to look down at her
1004 friend. "ChibiUsa...can you hear me?!"
1005
1006 The princess opened her eyes. "I'm cold..." She mumbled. She turned her
1007 head to look at Saturn and grimaced. She was not hiding pain from her
1008 voice this time; "And I hurt."
1009
1010 "Oh, ChibiUsa-chan!" Saturn said, deeply distressed. She wrapped her one
1011 arm around her friend and pulled her carefully to a sitting position. The
1012 young teen shuddered, and rested her head wearily against Saturn's chest,
1013 shivering violently.
1014
1015 "HAIIIIIII!" Kumkio whipped her knife out and rushed toward her with
1016 wild, insane look in her eyes. Saturn reacted quickly; with a lightning
1017 speed she jumped up and swung her Glaive around, slamming the blunt end
1018 against the side of Kumbio's head. Without a word the tall girl dropped
1019 down with a crash and lay there in a heap.
1020
1021 "Oh, my god. You killed Kumkio, didn't you!" Hoshi gasped.
1022
1023 "I think not," Saturn said, giving the leader a cold stare, "She's lucky
1024 if all she'll get is a severe headache when she wakes up. It should teach
1025 her not to mess with the Senshi of Death!"
1026
1027 "Yeah, serve her right!"
1028
1029 Saturn nearly lost her composure. She glanced sharply downward and saw
1030 that ChibiUsa had raised her head and was glaring defiantly at Hoshi. The
1031 pink-haired girl struggled unsteadily to her feet and hands and then said
1032 stoutly; "Sailor Saturn will see to that you and your friends will be
1033 punished in the name of Moon, for we will not tolerate your such actions,
1034 threatening and robbing citizens during Christmas season!"
1035
1036 Hoshi stared at the pink-haired teen, astonished and impressed at the
1037 same time. "You are really one gutsy girl. I saw Kumkio struck her knife
1038 deep in you, and you still come up fighting!"
1039
1040 "ChibiUsa-chan...?" Saturn said in disbelief. The princess gasped,
1041 shuddered and collapsed with a strangled cry. Frightened, the senshi fell
1042 to her knees and put her arm around the wounded girl again.
1043 "ChibiUsa...!"
1044
1045 The princess coughed briefly, then moaned in pain. "It hurts. It
1046 hurts..."
1047
1048 Hoshi snickered nastily. "Well, well. Then again I guess she's not so
1049 tough after all."
1050
1051 Saturn's head whipped around. "Get out of here! Take your friends and get
1052 out of the city and don't come back!" She said in a cold fury and aimed
1053 her lethal weapon toward the gang leader, "Or so help me, if I catch one
1054 of you White Wolves lurking around I will strike every one of you down
1055 with my Glaive - without a moment's hesitation!"
1056
1057 Taken back at the tone of the senshi's voice, Hoshi looked genuinely
1058 frightened at last. Her eyes widened, and she turned as pale as her hair.
1059 Hastily she reached down and dragged the still unconscious Kumkio away.
1060
1061 As soon as they were gone Saturn turned her attention back to the
1062 pink=haired teen. "Hold on, ChibiUsa-chan!" Saturn put down the Glaive,
1063 quickly stripped one glove off and, still holding her injured friend in
1064 one arm, she put a bare hand under ChibiUsa's sweater. Almost immediately
1065 her hand found the wound just under ChibiUsa's right breast, and what a
1066 terrible wound it was. Saturn could feel the blood bubbling from the
1067 nasty slash where the knife had penetrated the lung. She became extremely
1068 upset. Sobbing, the Senshi pressed the hand firmly against the wound and
1069 poured all her energy to Heal it.
1070
1071 ChibiUsa gasped from the pressure placed on the wound but otherwise made
1072 no other word. "You're not going anywhere, you hear me?" Saturn said
1073 through tears, "ChibiUsa-chan, you just have to hold on and don't you
1074 dare leave me - not now, please, not now!"
1075
1076 Slowly the wound stopped bleeding and began to close up. Even so, Saturn
1077 refused to take her hand off after it has completely healed. The princess
1078 lay still in her arms, so quiet and so pale. The senshi cradled her
1079 friend's head under her chin and rocked her forth and back.
1080 "ChibiUsa...ChibiUsa-chan, do you hear me? Please tell me!"
1081
1082 For one long, terrifying moment there was no reply. Then, slowly, the
1083 princess raised her head and opened her eyes to look at Saturn. "Hotaru-
1084 chan..."
1085
1086 Saturn gasped. "ChibiUsa-chan, are you all right?"
1087
1088 ChibiUsa snuggled against the senshi. "Yeah. I think so...but I'm still
1089 cold."
1090
1091 Saturn withdrew her hand, now covered with blood, and threw her arms
1092 around her friend in a fierce hug and could not let go for a long while.
1093 "ChibiUsa...oh, ChibiUsa-chan, I was so afraid you were going to die. I
1094 don't want to lose you!" She whispered with her face buried in the soft,
1095 silky pink hair.
1096
1097 ChibiUsa gave a weak laugh and shook her head slowly. "Not this time.
1098 Don't worry, Hotaru-chan. No way I can leave you now...not ever!"
1099
1100 "Thank Kami-sama!" Saturn lifted ChibiUsa's chin and kissed her fervently.
1101 "Just don't you ever do that again! I don't know how I can go on, if you
1102 run off and get killed. Promise me you will not do anything rash like
1103 that again!"
1104
1105 "Hai, Hotaru-chan," ChibiUsa said, sounding suddenly meek. "I promise."
1106
1107 "Good," Saturn kissed her again and hugged her even more tightly. It has
1108 been such a huge relief to know that the princess would be all right.
1109 Indeed, thank Kami-sama for that.
1110
1111 *************************************************************************
1112 ****
1113
1114 With her arms full Hotaru stepped into her bedroom and managed to close
1115 the door behind her. The room was semi-dark, with only two or three lamps
1116 burning dimly on the dresser in the corner. "ChibiUsa-chan, I've got
1117 another blanket. Want it?"
1118
1119 ChibiUsa, lying on her side in the bed with a couple of covers pulled up
1120 to her chin, looked up. "Hai! Hurry up and get in with me!" She said, and
1121 held out arms for her. The raven-haired teen walked briskly toward her,
1122 threw the thick blanket over the bed before disrobing and slipped under
1123 the covers next to the princess. She gasped softly with pleasure when
1124 ChibiUsa's warm body moved forward, pressing against hers.
1125
1126 "I thought I would never thaw out! Hotaru-chan, what took you so long?"
1127
1128 "Well, ChibiUsa-chan," Hotaru said as she snuggled into her lover's
1129 inviting arms, "I have told Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama about our
1130 encounter with the White Wolves gang. You can imagine they were pretty
1131 upset about it, and they promised they would keep an eye out for them and
1132 to make sure the gang will not return to cause any more trouble in the
1133 city again."
1134
1135 "Great! Now the people can do Christmas shopping without fear of running
1136 into those thieves!" ChibiUsa said happily. Then she paused and added,
1137 "Speaking of the Christmas presents, I wonder what happened to the gifts
1138 you bought from the mall?"
1139
1140 Hotaru shrugged. "Buried under the snow somewhere in the alley, for all I
1141 care," she said. "I'm not worried about them. My parents will understand.
1142 It was more important that you would live. I just can't bear the thought
1143 of losing you!" She brushed the loose strands of pink hair out of
1144 ChibiUsa's face and kissed her soft lips. "I'm just glad you are still
1145 here, alive and well. That is the best Christmas present I can ask for."
1146
1147 ChibiUsa smiled and ran hand through the other girl's dark hair. "Arigato
1148 domo for healing me and saving my life. I'll say that was the best
1149 present I got also!" she said, and then hesitated. "Um...Hotaru-chan, I'm
1150 really sorry I went off and got us into trouble with that gang. I guess I
1151 should not have acted so recklessly, eh? Gomen nasai."
1152
1153 "It's okay. Don't worry about it. Like I said, I'll always be there for
1154 you and protect you," Hotaru kissed her again, "Just don't make a habit
1155 of it, okay?"
1156
1157 "Hai, Hotaru-chan," ChibiUsa said, and moved back a little to look at her
1158 lover with some distress, noting the bruises that were still visible on
1159 Hotaru's body. "But you're still hurt, and you can't heal yourself..."
1160
1161 Hotaru shook her head. "ChibiUsa-chan... Don't worry about me. Just give
1162 me time and then I'll be fine," She paused, and then laughed quietly.
1163 "But don't let that stop you from loving me any way you want, my
1164 princess!"
1165
1166 The worried look on ChibiUsa's face cleared. She smiled, pulled Hotaru
1167 closer and gave her a kiss, this time longer and more passionate. Hotaru
1168 happily responded with as much vigor as possible. After a while they
1169 broke apart and Hotaru rested her head on ChibiUsa's chest. The pink-
1170 haired teen continued to groom the dark hair with her fingers. "Hotaru-
1171 chan...I love you," she whispered after a moment.
1172
1173 Hotaru smiled contentedly. "I love you too, ChibiUsa-chan," she replied.
1174 She could hear ChibiUsa's heart beating, regularly and reassuring. To
1175 her, it was most beautiful music, far more than anything and more
1176 precious than the Christmas and birthday presents combined.
1177
1178
1179
1180 *******************************************************************
1181
1182 Well, that's it. I'm not sure how you like this story. ^^;; But I hope
1183 you enjoyed it anyways!
1184
1185
1186 Thanks for reading!
1187
1188 YaRassno
1189
1190 Comments? Email: yarassno@juno.com
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