Mercurial > moonlitnights
comparison old/stories/eye-1.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights
[svn r3] moved all the bad stuff to 'old'
| author | rlm |
|---|---|
| date | Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500 |
| parents | |
| children |
comparison
equal
deleted
inserted
replaced
| 1:dbe144217c71 | 2:fc00894c1d4a |
|---|---|
| 1 Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon - Infinity II Alternate | |
| 2 'Eye of the Beholder' - Chapter One | |
| 3 by AmazonessDuo | |
| 4 amazonessduo@hotmail.com | |
| 5 | |
| 6 | |
| 7 As the afternoon sun beat down, a lone girl made her way home. The | |
| 8 dark stockings and midnight-black hair almost helped her blend into | |
| 9 the shadows. But the lonely girl didn’t need them for that purpose. | |
| 10 She was used to being ignored, used to fading away into shadows. It | |
| 11 was so much better if to others if she didn’t exist. To exist meant | |
| 12 for them to torment her, to hate her. Why did they hate her? Why did | |
| 13 everyone hate her? What had she done? All she wanted was to be left | |
| 14 alone. Why was this impossible to allow her? And so she hid. In plain | |
| 15 sight, she hid. She was the quiet girl; the shy girl. The lonely | |
| 16 girl. But only when she was lucky. When she wasn’t, she was the | |
| 17 freak. That thing that was only to be hated, not pitied. A witch. No | |
| 18 one knew her. No one cared to. | |
| 19 Her eyes downcast, she walked slowly home, keeping to the shadows, | |
| 20 wishing she could fade away into them. As she passed a group of | |
| 21 students around her age on the sidewalk, she gripped the strap to her | |
| 22 school bag nervously. She silently prayed to go unnoticed, and as the | |
| 23 small group left her behind, talking and laughing happily, she | |
| 24 sighed. But her relief was short-lived, as two girls walking to | |
| 25 their next class spotted her and began to talk, just loud enough for | |
| 26 her to hear. | |
| 27 "That's the 6th grader, Tomoe-san," says one, as they catch up to | |
| 28 her. "She's carrying her bag. Is she leaving early again?" | |
| 29 "Isn't she really weak?" responds the other. "She's been wearing | |
| 30 those long tights all year." | |
| 31 Hotaru closed her eyes, hoping the two would just go away and leave | |
| 32 her alone. "She's such a dark person," they continued. "Her | |
| 33 expression is always so empty. It's well known that she's a bit | |
| 34 strange." | |
| 35 "Naturally. Her father's a mad scientist." This insult cut into | |
| 36 her. She was used to being taunted and tormented herself, but | |
| 37 resorting to attack her father..? The pain grew until it was almost | |
| 38 unbearable. "Doesn't she have any friends?" | |
| 39 The lonely girl collapsed, her bag and its contents spilling out | |
| 40 onto the pavement. Coughing and trying to see through the haze of | |
| 41 pain, the suffering girl reached out to gather her tin pencil case. | |
| 42 The girls, seeing this as a perfect opportunity to torture her, | |
| 43 quickly approached, one stepping on the pencil case to attract her | |
| 44 attention. "What's wrong, Tomoe Hotaru-sempai?" she said, grinning | |
| 45 down at the poor girl condescendingly. "You tired, need some help?" | |
| 46 Hotaru simply pulled the pencil case out from under the girl's | |
| 47 foot, and stood, having picked up everything else already. Glaring | |
| 48 at the two girls, she holds up the tin pencil case and crushes it in | |
| 49 her fist, dropping the now-useless scrap to the ground and continuing | |
| 50 her walk home. As she left, she heard the girls behind her gasp in | |
| 51 astonishment and continue talking: "W.. what?? She crushed it! Just | |
| 52 like that!!" "She looked so mad.. like a completely different person!" | |
| 53 Every day it was the same, and this was no different.. By now she | |
| 54 had grown used to it. One lonely day to the next, she dealt with her | |
| 55 classmates taunts, the emptiness inside of being truly alone even | |
| 56 amidst so many people. She was an outcast, an outsider to which | |
| 57 everyone, even other outcasts, looked down on her. | |
| 58 The fact that the school day was over brought little comfort to the | |
| 59 raven haired girl. The cycle would begin again the next day, or after | |
| 60 the weekend. It was unending, a constant in her life that she | |
| 61 couldn’t escape. She darkly contemplated what to do once she got | |
| 62 home. Her father would probably be in his lab, as usual. She hoped | |
| 63 his assistant, Kaolinite, would be as well. She would probably go | |
| 64 back to her room, close the curtains and try to escape her painful | |
| 65 existence in one of the many books she was reading. Maybe she could | |
| 66 even forget, at least for a short time. Or maybe she could come up | |
| 67 with a more permanent escape…. | |
| 68 The dark haired girl gasped and froze in place at the sight ahead | |
| 69 of her. Her heart nearly stopped at the shock that washed over her. A | |
| 70 girl with beautiful pink hair stood with her hands clasped in front | |
| 71 of her near the front gate to the mansion Hotaru lived at with her | |
| 72 father. Hotaru brushed some dark strands of hair from her eyes and | |
| 73 blinked. Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her. No one would ever | |
| 74 come see her. She knew that much. The pink haired girl couldn’t have | |
| 75 come back to see her. Nothing like that had ever happened to her. No | |
| 76 one cared that much to come see her. Her pulse raced as she stood | |
| 77 nervously, completely unsure of what to think or do. She wanted to | |
| 78 shrink back into the shadows, to disappear. Then this couldn’t | |
| 79 confuse her like this. It wouldn’t be able to scare her as it did. | |
| 80 But something deep inside stopped her from leaving. | |
| 81 | |
| 82 ~~~~~~ | |
| 83 | |
| 84 ChibiUsa stood nervously in front of the imposing iron gate. She | |
| 85 felt a knot in her stomach as she waited. And waited. And waited. She | |
| 86 had been thinking more and more of the pale, dark haired girl lately. | |
| 87 She had to see her again. She’d bought a new handkerchief to give | |
| 88 Hotaru since the other one had been stained with the blood from her | |
| 89 wound. Oddly enough, ChibiUsa treasured the cloth, keeping it hidden | |
| 90 behind some of the bunny dolls she collected. She would take it out | |
| 91 when no one was around, a reminder of Hotaru. She was a bit glad that | |
| 92 it had been stained, both to remind her of the dark haired girl’s | |
| 93 soft healing touch, and so she could keep the handkerchief for herself. | |
| 94 Releasing a sigh of defeat, ChibiUsa turned to leave. She gasped, | |
| 95 startled by the sudden appearance of the girl she’d been thinking of. | |
| 96 She wasn’t sure what to do, whether she should go to the dark haired | |
| 97 girl or stay and wait for her to walk up. ChibiUsa didn’t have to | |
| 98 worry about that decision because her sudden shock had taken her mind | |
| 99 from the task at hand. Her forward momentum kept her going, but her | |
| 100 feet weren’t moving. Before she knew what had happened, she tripped, | |
| 101 falling face first. She managed to land on her arm, the same arm that | |
| 102 had been cut by the Daimon. Pain coursed through it as she collapsed | |
| 103 to the ground. | |
| 104 The pink haired girl could dimly hear Hotaru yell something before | |
| 105 running over to her. It wasn’t so much the pain she felt as the | |
| 106 embarrassment that really got to her. It wasn’t exactly the first | |
| 107 impression she wanted to have on the dark haired girl when they met | |
| 108 again. ‘Why am I always so clumsy?’ ChibiUsa asked herself angrily. | |
| 109 ‘I’ll never be like my mother. Some graceful princess I am.’ Letting | |
| 110 herself be helped into a sitting position, she met Hotaru’s gaze with | |
| 111 difficulty, her cheeks still a flustered shade of red. One glance | |
| 112 into the violet eyes looking back at her completely rid ChibiUsa of | |
| 113 the embarrassment she’d felt seconds before. There was nothing but | |
| 114 concern in those large beautiful eyes. | |
| 115 “Does it hurt?” Hotaru asked, rolling up ChibiUsa’s long sleeves to | |
| 116 get a better look at her arm. She gently ran her hands across the | |
| 117 pink haired girl’s creamy skin. | |
| 118 ChibiUsa sat silently for a moment. Hotaru’s fingers caressing her | |
| 119 arm was sheer bliss. The dark haired girl’s soft touch pushed all | |
| 120 conscious thought from her mind. She looked back at Hotaru, not | |
| 121 saying anything, just enjoying the silence and the feel of her touch. | |
| 122 Finally noticing the other girl’s concerned stare, ChibiUsa shook | |
| 123 herself from that strange moment. ‘What just happened? I feel so | |
| 124 strange. How does she keep making me feel this way? Even when she’s | |
| 125 not there, she’s all I can think about. And now that she is here, I | |
| 126 can’t think,’ she thought to herself. She smiled and laughed | |
| 127 nervously. “Its nothing. I’m not exactly as graceful as I could be. | |
| 128 I’m used to it by now.” | |
| 129 A smile tugged at the corner of Hotaru’s lips. “Its cute,” she said | |
| 130 quietly. | |
| 131 ChibiUsa smiled broader. Hotaru thought it was cute? She’d always | |
| 132 wanted to be graceful, elegant, worried that she’d never be. But the | |
| 133 other girl actually thought her clumsiness was cute? She tried to say | |
| 134 something but all that came out was a quiet, “Thank you.” Still | |
| 135 feeling the gentle brush of fingertips against her skin, ChibiUsa | |
| 136 brought her gaze down to her arm. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about | |
| 137 that. I’m fi…” She winced as the dark haired girl’s fingers pressed | |
| 138 against a small place on her arm. | |
| 139 “You’re fine, are you?” Hotaru asked, starting to smile. “If you’re | |
| 140 normally like this, then at least someone’s benefiting from my | |
| 141 healing powers.” Her hands started to glow as she concentrated. The | |
| 142 pain began to recede from ChibiUsa’s arm. | |
| 143 The pink haired girl giggled as the warm glow healed her arm. | |
| 144 “That’s why I’m not scared of you. I could use the help when I get | |
| 145 hurt like that,” she joked. She noticed that though she hadn’t known | |
| 146 this girl for long, she felt completely at ease with her. A warm | |
| 147 feeling spread through her at the thought. | |
| 148 A small laugh escaped Hotaru’s perfect lips. “I’m glad I could | |
| 149 help.” Standing up, she offered her pink haired companion a hand, | |
| 150 which the other girl eagerly accepted. Brushing the grass from her | |
| 151 skirt, Hotaru looked sidelong at ChibiUsa. Now that the fall was over | |
| 152 with, she was back to wondering why the pink haired girl was here. No | |
| 153 one ever came to see her. What was going on? Was this a joke? No, | |
| 154 this couldn’t be. She knew the pink haired girl was incapable of | |
| 155 doing anything so cruel. As an uneasy silence set in, both girls | |
| 156 laughed nervously. Thinking for a minute, Hotaru grabbed ChibiUsa’s | |
| 157 hand. ‘Dad’s gone for at least a couple more hours and Kaolinite’s | |
| 158 probably with him, so I should be able to talk to her.’ “Would you | |
| 159 like to come inside?” | |
| 160 Nodding, the pink haired girl flashed a smile at Hotaru. “I’d love | |
| 161 to.” | |
| 162 That sweet voice and those warm crimson eyes sent tingles down | |
| 163 Hotaru’s spine. She couldn’t shake the feeling as she led ChibiUsa | |
| 164 inside the mansion. “Come with me.” Finally, the two entered Hotaru’s | |
| 165 room. | |
| 166 ChibiUsa let out a small ‘oh’ as she glanced around the dark room. | |
| 167 “There are lamps everywhere. Your room’s so romantic, Hotaru-chan.” | |
| 168 The room was filled with lamps of every size and description. They | |
| 169 were all placed around the room neatly keeping them from making the | |
| 170 room look cluttered. | |
| 171 Hotaru blushed, turning on a few of the lamps, though the room | |
| 172 remained fairly dark. In the darkness the lights shined like | |
| 173 fireflies, seeming to cast a faint glow on Hotaru. “I prefer | |
| 174 obscurity.. The quiet and the dark.” She said softly. "Would you | |
| 175 like something to drink?" the mysterious girl quickly asked, trying | |
| 176 to get off the subject. | |
| 177 The pink-haired girl nodded enthusiastically. "Hai, that sounds | |
| 178 good." Hotaru silently slipped out, leaving ChibiUsa alone in the | |
| 179 dimly-lit room. Ever curious, ChibiUsa couldn't help but wonder why | |
| 180 the girl was so shy, so lonely.. so mysterious. Her wonderings were | |
| 181 cut short when the door opened to reveal Hotaru, now clad in a simple | |
| 182 black dress complete with tights, and carrying a tray with two | |
| 183 teacups on it. “Do you like dark clothes, too?” she asked, | |
| 184 indicating the dress. | |
| 185 Hotaru nodded slowly. “Hai. I feel better in the shadows.” | |
| 186 “Hotaru-chan… Why do you always cover up so much? I mean, with | |
| 187 sweaters and long sleeves and stockings,” ChibiUsa asked. | |
| 188 “I had an accident a long time ago. I have many wounds from it,” | |
| 189 Hotaru said simply, looking away. To change the subject, she asked | |
| 190 what had been on her mind all along. “Why are you here?” | |
| 191 ChibiUsa smiled sheepishly, almost having forgot. She handed Hotaru | |
| 192 the new handkerchief she bought. “I wanted to give it back to you, | |
| 193 but the blood wouldn’t come out of the old one. So here’s a new one.” | |
| 194 Hotaru blinked at the handkerchief in ChibiUsa’s outstretched hand. | |
| 195 “You came all this way to see me… just to give me back my | |
| 196 handkerchief?” She was astonished. This girl had come to see her over | |
| 197 something as insignificant as a strip of cloth, something no one else | |
| 198 would ever have worried about with her involved. Before she could ask | |
| 199 the pink haired girl why she did it, she started coughing | |
| 200 uncontrollably. Her heart beat faster as she slumped to her knees. | |
| 201 The tray clanged to the floor, spilling tea and cups alike, forgotten | |
| 202 by the two in this moment of crisis. | |
| 203 “Hotaru-chan!!” ChibiUsa ran to her side as Hotaru suffered another | |
| 204 of her fits. “Hotaru-chan!!!” she yelled worriedly, clutching onto | |
| 205 the raven haired girl. The look of excruciating pain on Hotaru’s | |
| 206 beautiful face tore through her heart like a knife. Her mind raced | |
| 207 desperately to find a way to help. | |
| 208 “My…medicine…” Hotaru barely managed to get out. A shaky hand | |
| 209 reached towards her desk, too far out of reach. | |
| 210 ChibiUsa’s eyes frantically searched the desk, but she couldn’t | |
| 211 find the medicine Hotaru had mentioned. Hearing Hotaru say something | |
| 212 about an amulet, she fumbled for her broach. “It’ll be okay, Hotaru- | |
| 213 chan. I’ll help you, I promise,” she whispered soothingly. | |
| 214 ‘You can’t help me. No one can help me,’ Hotaru thought sadly. Her | |
| 215 eyes closed, trying to block out the immense pain. "No.. don't come | |
| 216 closer... you shouldn't.. be near me.." she managed to whisper | |
| 217 between gasps for breath, wishing she would pass out. Or worse… | |
| 218 Finally getting at her broach, the pink haired girl pulled out the | |
| 219 Silver Crystal, the one from the future that her mother had given her | |
| 220 to take care of when she’d come back to train as Sailor Chibimoon. | |
| 221 Her breath caught in her chest as she watched the dark haired girl | |
| 222 writhe in pain. She brushed wisps of pink hair from her own tear | |
| 223 streaked eyes, praying this would work. A soft glow slowly began to | |
| 224 emanate from the crystal, quickly growing brighter. | |
| 225 Hotaru gasped as a warm glow blanketed her body. The wonderful | |
| 226 feeling spread through her. The pain ebbed away, her body once again | |
| 227 her own. Her pain had never disappeared so quickly, vanished so | |
| 228 completely in such a short time. The room was silent for a moment, | |
| 229 the only sound was the breathing of the two girls. Hotaru could do | |
| 230 nothing but look at ChibiUsa’s worried face. She had wanted to | |
| 231 express her gratefulness, but her voice caught in her throat as her | |
| 232 violet eyes gazed into ChibiUsa’s glittering crimson ones. ‘She looks | |
| 233 so worried,' Hotaru thought to herself. A sudden realization shocked | |
| 234 her. ‘About me? She’s worried about me? But how? No one worries about | |
| 235 me…’ The raven haired girl’s pale cheeks flushed as crimson as | |
| 236 ChibiUsa’s eyes. She tried to say something, but her mind was having | |
| 237 trouble locking onto anything than the fact that this girl could be | |
| 238 worried about her. “Thank you…” she managed quietly. | |
| 239 ChibiUsa sat down on her knees in front of Hotaru. She smiled | |
| 240 happily. “I’m just really glad you’re okay, Hotaru-chan. You had me | |
| 241 so worried for a moment.” A strange feeling filled her as she looked | |
| 242 into those lonely violet eyes. The intensity of the gaze, the way | |
| 243 she was looking at her, part of it scared her. Yet an odd excitement | |
| 244 coursed through her as their eyes met. She sat completely still, half | |
| 245 scared of what might happen next, but anxiously hoping something | |
| 246 would. She swallowed nervously as her eyes slowly traced Hotaru’s | |
| 247 beautiful features. From her soft lips, down to her elegant chin, to | |
| 248 her dark eye lashes, to the slight blush coloring her pristine | |
| 249 cheeks. ChibiUsa’s lungs ached for air as she quietly waited. | |
| 250 Hotaru slowly brought a hand up towards ChibiUsa’s. The pink haired | |
| 251 girl started reaching for Hotaru’s hand instinctively, as if it was | |
| 252 exactly what she should do. Releasing her grip on the Silver Crystal, | |
| 253 it fell from her grasp. Time seemed to slow as the glittering crystal | |
| 254 dropped towards the ground. Hotaru barely caught the crystal before | |
| 255 it hit the ground. “Your amulet, it's wonderful,” the raven haired | |
| 256 girl said at last, breaking the silence. | |
| 257 ChibiUsa finally released her breath. She wasn’t sure if she was | |
| 258 glad or disappointed that nothing had happened. ‘What was I thinking | |
| 259 might happen, anyway?’ she asked herself. Try as she might, she | |
| 260 couldn’t come up with an answer to that. Looking back up at Hotaru, | |
| 261 she couldn’t resist the urge to reach out and take her hand in her | |
| 262 own. The raven haired girl almost flinched at the sudden contact of | |
| 263 the warm hand against her skin, but ChibiUsa continued to hold her | |
| 264 hand gently. “Oh, that? Yeah, I guess you can call it my amulet.” She | |
| 265 laughed a bit, lightening the moment. “It used to be my mother’s but | |
| 266 she gave it to me, sort of as a going away present until I returned.” | |
| 267 “Return where?” Hotaru asked, as if picking up on the pink haired | |
| 268 girl’s thoughts of home. She started to relax, greatly enjoying | |
| 269 ChibiUsa’s gentle touch. | |
| 270 ChibiUsa laughed again, nervously this time. “Well, its kinda hard | |
| 271 to explain.” | |
| 272 Handing the crystal back to ChibiUsa, Hotaru smiled softly. “I | |
| 273 won’t tell anyone your secret, Chibimoon.” Her eyes widened as she | |
| 274 remembered something. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I don’t even know your name.” | |
| 275 ChibiUsa grinned broadly. She felt good that the other girl wanted | |
| 276 to know her name. “I’m ChibiUsa Small Lady Tsukino. Well, my real | |
| 277 name's Usagi, but while I’m here everyone’s calling me ChibiUsa.” | |
| 278 Hotaru brushed some dark hair from her eyes, looking intently at | |
| 279 the other girl. She couldn’t help but giggle. “Little Rabbit. That | |
| 280 fits you perfectly.” | |
| 281 ChibiUsa couldn’t help but laugh as well. “You really think so?” | |
| 282 “Yes. It's cute. It really seems to fit you.” Hotaru blushed and | |
| 283 looked away. | |
| 284 Tilting to the side, ChibiUsa managed to catch Hotaru’s gaze again. | |
| 285 She wanted to see those beautiful violet eyes pointed her way again, | |
| 286 looking out from that gorgeous face. “Thanks,” she said, feeling her | |
| 287 own cheeks blush slightly. “Hotaru’s a really pretty name. Firefly. | |
| 288 It makes you sound kinda mysterious.” | |
| 289 Hotaru sighed and shook her head. “No. People want to know about | |
| 290 the mysterious. I just frighten them.” | |
| 291 Taking Hotaru’s hand with both of her own, ChibiUsa kept gazing | |
| 292 intently into the mysterious girl’s dark eyes. “I want to know about | |
| 293 you. And you don’t frighten me. I don’t know how anyone could see you | |
| 294 like that.” | |
| 295 Hotaru tried to look away, these new feelings threatening to | |
| 296 overwhelm the poor girl, her mind already lost in confusion. Those | |
| 297 crimson eyes captivated her. Escape from them seemed impossible. This | |
| 298 was too good to be true. She had never had a friend before, someone | |
| 299 who wanted to know about her, who cared for her. No one cared about | |
| 300 her, right? Hadn’t life seemingly banned her from having a single | |
| 301 soul that could be her friend? So why was this pink haired girl here? | |
| 302 She flinched away from the contact of the other girl’s hands against | |
| 303 her own, but ChibiUsa held tight, not letting go. “But you don’t know | |
| 304 me,” she said quietly. | |
| 305 “I want to,” came ChibiUsa’s earnest reply. She looked pleadingly | |
| 306 into Hotaru’s violet eyes. “Please let me get to know you.” | |
| 307 Hotaru was silent for a long moment. This caught her by surprise. | |
| 308 All sorts of emotions ran through her. Happiness that ChibiUsa could | |
| 309 care that much, fear that this might all be a dream or that ChibiUsa | |
| 310 would change her mind when she did learn more about her, hope that | |
| 311 her loneliness could finally come to an end. “Thank you.” She slowly | |
| 312 smiled, a broad genuine smile. “ChibiUsa-chan.” | |
| 313 ChibiUsa smiled happily. She had managed to see that beautiful | |
| 314 smile again. “Hotaru-chan, you’re the most interesting, most | |
| 315 beautiful person I’ve met since I came here. I really want to be your | |
| 316 friend.” ‘That’s all I want to be, right? What else would I want to | |
| 317 be?’ ChibiUsa shrugs off the thoughts, leaning forward and hugging | |
| 318 Hotaru. | |
| 319 The dark haired girl’s eyes went wide as she felt the pink haired | |
| 320 girl against her. She relished in the sensation. She tentatively | |
| 321 placed her arms around ChibiUsa, hugging her back. | |
| 322 The two girls stayed that way for a long time, both enjoying the | |
| 323 companionship and warmth. ChibiUsa glanced up from Hotaru’s shoulder | |
| 324 and noticed how dark it had gotten. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go. | |
| 325 It’s getting late and I don’t want Ikuko-mama to worry." Releasing | |
| 326 the embrace, ChibiUsa frowned reluctantly. “I wish I didn’t have to, | |
| 327 but she doesn’t know where I am. I really want to see you again.” | |
| 328 Hotaru blushed again, standing up as well. “You do? ChibiUsa-chan, | |
| 329 you’re sweet. I really hope I can see you again, too.” She smiled a | |
| 330 little shyly at the pink haired girl. | |
| 331 ChibiUsa grinned brightly, her hands placed behind her back. | |
| 332 “Really? Then you will. I’ll try to see you soon.” | |
| 333 Brushing a few strands of dark hair from her eyes, Hotaru stood in | |
| 334 front of the pink haired girl awkwardly. She smiled softly. “I’d like | |
| 335 that.” | |
| 336 “Me too.” ChibiUsa gave Hotaru another hug before following her to | |
| 337 the door. | |
| 338 | |
| 339 | |
| 340 | |
| 341 ~~~~~~ | |
| 342 | |
| 343 | |
| 344 It was near the end of the day at Minato Ku Juuban Elementary, and | |
| 345 ChibiUsa's mind wandered from her teacher to hey shy, mysterious | |
| 346 friend. 'She's got such pretty pale skin..' she thought, tuning | |
| 347 everything else out. 'Like new-fallen snow..' Momoko poked her, | |
| 348 whispering that she should pay attention to what her teacher was | |
| 349 saying as she explains that all the clay works they did recieved | |
| 350 compliments from the other classes. "But, it's time now to take your | |
| 351 sculptures home. Give them to someone important to you, like your | |
| 352 mom or best friend, in gratitude." | |
| 353 ChibiUsa took her jeweled chalice from the display, holding it up | |
| 354 to the light and silently cursing. 'Do I really have to give this up? | |
| 355 I worked so hard on it..' She turned to Momoko and verbalized the | |
| 356 thought. "Momochan, what will you do with yours?" | |
| 357 "My mom's birthday is coming up in a few days," the other girl | |
| 358 replied. "I'll give mine to her." Just then, one of the clay cups | |
| 359 found its way to ChibiUsa's desk. It had a profile of Sailormoon | |
| 360 worked into the side. "That's a nice design, Kyosuke. But why are | |
| 361 you giving it to Chibiusachan?" | |
| 362 The somewhat annoying boy put his hand behind his head as he | |
| 363 laughed nervously, blushing a little. "Well.. I've been a really bad | |
| 364 friend. So I thought this might make up. Kind of a sign of | |
| 365 friendship." Immediately upon those words, ChibiUsa's mind pops up | |
| 366 with a picture of Hotachan. | |
| 367 "A sign of friendship! That's it! I'll give it to Hotaru-chan!!" | |
| 368 Momoko groaned. "Isn't that the Mugen student?" ChibiUsa nodded | |
| 369 and began to explain. "Yeah! She's my new friend, and she's really | |
| 370 pretty, but she's kinda lonely, and mysterious too!" Momoko snorted, | |
| 371 replying semi-sarcastically. "You're so obsessed with her, what is | |
| 372 she, your girlfriend?" | |
| 373 The commotion of the class leaving as the bell rings served to hide | |
| 374 ChibiUsa's deep blush. | |
| 375 | |
| 376 ~~~~~~ | |
| 377 | |
| 378 | |
| 379 By the time she got home, Momoko’s comment had faded to the back of | |
| 380 ChibiUsa’s mind, replaced by much more urgent things. Like seeing | |
| 381 Hotaru again. The fact that it was starting to rain heavily outside | |
| 382 hardly seemed to matter to the future princess. The thought of seeing | |
| 383 her lonely friend was all consuming. ‘Is she okay? Does she miss me? | |
| 384 What’s she doing?’ she thought to herself as she dropped her book bag | |
| 385 on her bed and hurried downstairs. Her mind was hazy with the | |
| 386 thoughts of her new friend swirling through her mind. She wasted no | |
| 387 time in getting an umbrella and pulling on her shoes. There wasn’t | |
| 388 any thunder, so she might be able to make it there despite the rain. | |
| 389 A cold pit formed in her stomach at the thought of thunder and | |
| 390 lightening along the way, but she pushed it aside. She’d see Hotaru | |
| 391 soon enough and then it wouldn’t matter what she went through to get | |
| 392 there. A sudden burst of cold, wet air made ChibiUsa look up towards | |
| 393 the opening front door. | |
| 394 Usagi stood there for a moment, her blonde pigtails glistening with | |
| 395 the raindrops from walking in the rain. She took in the scene before | |
| 396 her, her ‘cousin’ obviously ready to leave. Again. ‘Why is she always | |
| 397 leaving to see that girl?’ Usagi asked herself. ‘Hotaru Tomoe might | |
| 398 be part of The Enemy. Her father’s in charge of them. ChibiUsa might | |
| 399 be in danger and she doesn’t even realize it.’ Feeling herself begin | |
| 400 to get a bit angry at whatever ChibiUsa was keeping from her, she | |
| 401 demanded the smaller girl tell her where she was going. | |
| 402 "Hotaru-chan’s," ChibiUsa said simply, standing up and moving to | |
| 403 get past Usagi. Her future mother barred her exit. ChibiUsa frowned | |
| 404 as she pulled the umbrella up against her shoulder. | |
| 405 Usagi shook her head stubbornly, droplets of water flying about. | |
| 406 "Not on your own you aren’t." | |
| 407 "But..." ChibiUsa began indignantly. | |
| 408 "It's raining really hard and its already getting dark. I’m going," | |
| 409 Usagi argued obstinately. "You’ve been going to see this girl for a | |
| 410 while now and this time I’m coming with." | |
| 411 "That’s not fair! She’s my friend!" ChibiUsa replied angrily. | |
| 412 "Well, if you want to see her this time, I’m going, too." The blonde | |
| 413 girl crossed her arms in front of her. | |
| 414 | |
| 415 Earlier that day, Usagi had been with Luna and Artemis under the | |
| 416 Crown Arcade at the computer they used to gather information. They’d | |
| 417 been trying to find research on The Enemy in the hopes that they | |
| 418 could use it to their advantage. Nothing had come up on the two | |
| 419 mysterious Sailor Senshi and whether they were friends or foes. | |
| 420 Nonetheless, Usagi couldn’t help but wonder about the tall, | |
| 421 intriguing woman, Sailor Uranus. The kiss they’d shared in the | |
| 422 forest... | |
| 423 Luna’s voice shook her from her thoughts as an image of a white | |
| 424 haired man with glasses appeared on the screen. A star took the place | |
| 425 of where one of his eyes should be. | |
| 426 "The Delta Area is where all the abnormal energy has been coming | |
| 427 from. Especially the Infitity Zone. It seems all of our problems are | |
| 428 coming from there. The Enemy must be situated there. This has to have | |
| 429 something to do with their plan." | |
| 430 "That’s the guy who owns the Infinty Zone and Mugen Gakuen. He looks | |
| 431 suspicious," Artemis added. | |
| 432 Usagi sat down and began reading the data on the screen. His name | |
| 433 was Souichi Tomoe and he was indeed owner of the prestigious school | |
| 434 and the surrounding area. His field of expertise was genetic | |
| 435 engineering. He lived at the Tomoe Research Labs with his daughter, | |
| 436 Hotaru Tomoe. Usagi paused for a moment, rereading the name. It | |
| 437 sounded familiar, as if on the tip of her lips, but she couldn’t | |
| 438 quite remember where she’d heard that name before. A small | |
| 439 description of Hotaru popped up on the screen next to the | |
| 440 Professor’s. Usagi’s eyes went wide when she saw the picture. It was | |
| 441 the girl who had healed ChibiUsa. That’s where she’d heard the name! | |
| 442 ChibiUsa had been mentioning her all the timelately. She gasped, her | |
| 443 hand going to her mouth at the implications. She very well could be | |
| 444 with The Enemy. "ChibiUsa’s been becoming really good friends with | |
| 445 her lately. She’s been going over to her house all the time for the | |
| 446 past few weeks to see her. I hope ChibiUsa’s okay..." | |
| 447 | |
| 448 As the two girl’s entered Hotaru’s home at the Tomoe Research Labs, | |
| 449 Usagi berated ChibiUsa in a harsh whisper. “We can’t just barge in | |
| 450 like this! It’s rude. And who knows what they’ll do if we get caught? | |
| 451 You’re a princess, aren’t you?” | |
| 452 ChibiUsa stuck her tongue out at the older girl, her thoughts still | |
| 453 elsewhere. “I couldn’t find the intercom anyway. Besides, Hotaru-chan | |
| 454 probably already knows I’m here so she won’t mind.” After a moment’s | |
| 455 pause, the pink haired girl smiled politely and managed a “Hello.” | |
| 456 Usagi looked at ChibiUsa puzzled for a moment. The younger girl | |
| 457 seemed to be looking behind her oddly. Turning around, Usagi almost | |
| 458 jumped when she noticed the red haired woman in a lab coat watching | |
| 459 them both coldly. Her heart pounded worriedly in her chest. This | |
| 460 woman had to be part of The Enemy. | |
| 461 “What business do you have here? You’re trespassing. This is private | |
| 462 property. If you don’t leave now..” Kaolinite began before being | |
| 463 interrupted by a soft, but sweet voice. | |
| 464 “They are my guests,” Hotaru said, glaring at Kaolinite as she | |
| 465 walked out of one of the rooms. She once again was clad all in black, | |
| 466 her pale skin the only contrast against the tight black clothes and | |
| 467 her own raven hair. Her gaze shifting to the pink haired girl, her | |
| 468 deep violet eyes gained a sparkle to them. Her heart swelled as she | |
| 469 looked at her visitors. She almost felt sick from the sudden anxiety | |
| 470 that washed over her at their arrival. It was as if she could sense | |
| 471 some sort of great aura from the blonde haired girl, but her | |
| 472 attention was still riveted to the kind pink haired girl whose | |
| 473 crimson eyes smiled back at her. The aura might not be as strange, | |
| 474 but everything about ChibiUsa captivated her. Why had she rescued her | |
| 475 heart from its lonely prison? Why had she become her friend? Her head | |
| 476 swam in circles as she tried to answer these questions, but for now | |
| 477 she had to attend to her guests. | |
| 478 “Hotaru-chan!” ChibiUsa exclaimed happily at the sight of their | |
| 479 mysterious savior. | |
| 480 Kaolinite turned from the small group and left, thinking to | |
| 481 herself. ‘She has guests? But no one ever wants to see her. This is | |
| 482 odd..’ | |
| 483 | |
| 484 The pale wisp of a girl bent down ever so slightly to pour some tea | |
| 485 for the two visitors. She shyly brushed back some dark hair from her | |
| 486 eyes as she felt their eyes baring down on her. She wasn’t used to | |
| 487 this. Without knowing what to say, she asked the first thing that | |
| 488 came to mind. “Why did you both come here?” | |
| 489 ChibiUsa smiled broadly and set the chalice she’d brought with her | |
| 490 on the table. “I made this at school. Well, after school with Usagi | |
| 491 and Mamo-chan’s help. But I want to give it to you as a present. It’s | |
| 492 supposed to be the Holy Grail.” | |
| 493 Usagi’s eyes go wide as she turns to the younger girl. “What? But | |
| 494 Mamo-chan and I worked so hard on that for you to just give it away.” | |
| 495 The blonde girl frowned as she remembered all the time she and her | |
| 496 boyfriend had put into working on the chalice when ChibiUsa had come | |
| 497 to them for help on the art project. It seemed like such a waste for | |
| 498 her to give it to this girl who very well may be part of The Enemy. | |
| 499 ChibiUsa just ignored Usagi as if she weren’t even there. Her smile | |
| 500 grew warmer, her crimson eyes never wavering from the darkly dressed | |
| 501 frail girl across the room. She felt butterflies in her stomach as | |
| 502 she kicked her legs almost nervously. “We were supposed to give our | |
| 503 projects to someone special to us this week. To someone very | |
| 504 important to us. Well, I was just thinking about how much you mean to | |
| 505 me and I wanted to give it to you as a sign of friendship.” Why was | |
| 506 it so hard to tell the other girl she wanted her to have it because | |
| 507 of their friendship? It felt different somehow than with her other | |
| 508 friends. This girl was so…. so…. amazing, wonderful, pretty, kind, | |
| 509 sweet, mysterious, sad, and so much more. Hotaru intrigued ChibiUsa. | |
| 510 She’d never met anyone like her. The pink haired girl always felt a | |
| 511 warm feeling inside when she was with Hotaru. She felt safe with her. | |
| 512 Her homesickness for Crystal Tokyo and her parents always faded away. | |
| 513 The quiet raven haired girl was so shy, but it just made her want to | |
| 514 get through to her all the more. | |
| 515 “Why aren’t you giving it to Mamo-chan, then?” Usagi questioned the | |
| 516 pink haired girl. She still thought of ChibiUsa as her rival for | |
| 517 Mamoru’s attention. | |
| 518 ChibiUsa looked down at her kicking feet, her hands on either side | |
| 519 of her on the couch. Why did Usagi have to come with her? It just | |
| 520 made everything more difficult. Besides, she wanted to be alone with | |
| 521 Hotaru, not arguing the point with Usagi. “You and Mamo-chan helped | |
| 522 make it together, so I couldn’t give it just to him anyway.” | |
| 523 A tiny smile started spreading across Hotaru’s lips. She felt so | |
| 524 honored to be the one this cheerful pink haired girl thought was | |
| 525 important enough to give the chalice to. The shock and surprise of | |
| 526 the gift along with the other girl’s presence was a little | |
| 527 overwhelming. It was strange enough having a friend, but one that | |
| 528 thought so highly of her was such a foreign concept to her. It seemed | |
| 529 an utter impossibility. Everytime she saw ChibiUsa it seemed more and | |
| 530 more as if it had to be a dream. A wonderful dream. But the pale girl | |
| 531 hadn’t had any good dreams in years. That seemed almost as impossible | |
| 532 as if it were real. Whatever it was, she prayed it would never end. | |
| 533 “You made this for an important person, ChibiUsa-chan? But I… I | |
| 534 shouldn’t be the one to have this. You should be the one to keep it. | |
| 535 Thank you, ChibiUsa-chan,” she spoke up in her quiet voice. Glancing | |
| 536 at the Holy Grail ChibiUsa had given her on the table, she began to | |
| 537 think of where in her dark room to place it. It was already | |
| 538 significant to her. She wanted to make sure it had an important place | |
| 539 amongst her lamps. She smiled shyly as she turned back to the other | |
| 540 two girls. | |
| 541 Usagi leaned forward ever so slightly, her curiosity increasing | |
| 542 about this mysterious girl. Was she part of The Enemy? Was she using | |
| 543 ChibiUsa? What was she up to? She feels a cold chill run down her | |
| 544 spine as she gets a good look into those infinitely sad, dark eyes. | |
| 545 ‘Its like I’m being drawn in. Her eyes seem to know everything,’ she | |
| 546 thinks. The cold feeling grows worse before she realizes the room has | |
| 547 been utterly silent for a long moment. Laughing nervously, the blonde | |
| 548 girl stands up, eager for a moment’s respite to think. “Could you | |
| 549 tell me where the bathroom is?” | |
| 550 The dark haired girl turns and points out of the room. “Its right | |
| 551 down that hall.” | |
| 552 “Thanks,” Usagi says quickly, leaving the room, confused. The pale, | |
| 553 raven haired girl was even more of a mystery to her now. And her | |
| 554 seemingly mystical hold over ChibiUsa baffled her. She resolved to | |
| 555 get to the bottom of things, no matter what. | |
| 556 | |
| 557 ~~~~~~~~~ | |
| 558 | |
| 559 "Hotaru-chan!?" I watch as Hotaru collapses into a fit on the floor. | |
| 560 I run over, fear coursing through my entire body. I’ve only seen this | |
| 561 happen once before, but I kneel beside the dark haired girl, my heart | |
| 562 racing. "Hotaru-chan!?" I feel so helpless, seeing this happen to | |
| 563 her. Why can’t I do anything? Isn’t there some way I can help her? | |
| 564 Why did this have to happen now? | |
| 565 | |
| 566 Clutching her chest, she looks up at me with pain-filled eyes. My | |
| 567 heart goes out to her. I want to go to her, to stop her suffering, | |
| 568 but I don’t know how. Her shaky hand slowly reaches out, touching my | |
| 569 broach. | |
| 570 | |
| 571 "..it’s better.. when I touch your amulet... I’m being filled with | |
| 572 power..." she says softly. Her body seems to relax as the fit finally | |
| 573 comes to an end. Her breathing slowly returns to normal. She looks up | |
| 574 at me with a strange look in her dark eyes. | |
| 575 | |
| 576 I smile slightly, relief flooding through me. "Really? Then I’m | |
| 577 glad, Hotaru-chan." It feels good to be able to help her. She’s | |
| 578 already healed me a few times, I’m glad to repay the favor. And to | |
| 579 see her in such pain… I’m just glad she’s alright now. | |
| 580 | |
| 581 The dark, distant, pale girl echoes my smile, still looking up at me | |
| 582 with that odd look in her eyes. "Your amulet... it has great power.. | |
| 583 what power is it..?" Something isn’t quite right… but does it matter? | |
| 584 She’s alright now, that’s all that matters. I sigh, relieved that her | |
| 585 pains gone, if only for now. I smile again, a hand going to my | |
| 586 broach. "It’s the Mystical Silver Crystal," I say, telling of the | |
| 587 crystal inside my broach. | |
| 588 | |
| 589 "Mystical Silver Crystal.." Hotaru repeats. Everything about her is | |
| 590 different, somehow. The voice, its not the soft, sweet voice I’m used | |
| 591 to. Her eyes, seeming even darker than before. Its like she’s a | |
| 592 totally different person now. Suddenly the frail girl recoils in | |
| 593 horror, her eyes widening as she draws back from me, raising a shaky | |
| 594 hand to her mouth. | |
| 595 | |
| 596 "Hotaru-chan?" I pull my hand from my broach, forgetting about it as | |
| 597 concern gets the better of me. "Are you alright?" I take a nervous | |
| 598 step forward. What happened? Why is she so scared? The frightened | |
| 599 look in her eyes chills me. I shudder, not knowing why. Is she afraid | |
| 600 of me? Did I do something wrong? I frantically want to reach out to | |
| 601 her, to make sure its okay, to know why she’s so scared. I don’t ever | |
| 602 want her to be scared again. I know that its probably foolish to | |
| 603 think that I could do something like that. But I can try. | |
| 604 | |
| 605 Hotaru stays back from me, still seated on the floor. "I.. I... I’m | |
| 606 sorry.. I didn’t mean,,,! It’s like.. it wasn’t me..." Her soft voice | |
| 607 sounds almost desperate, pleading. Does she think I would leave? I’d | |
| 608 never leave her like that, not now. | |
| 609 | |
| 610 I take another nervous step forward, smiling reassuringly at the | |
| 611 obviously grief stricken pale girl. I want to hug her, hold her | |
| 612 close, make her know that its all okay, but I’m afraid she’d run away | |
| 613 from me. She’s so delicate, so fragile, like a china doll. "It’s | |
| 614 okay, Hotaru-chan. Don’t worry," I says soothingly, trying to get the | |
| 615 mysterious girl to relax. | |
| 616 | |
| 617 She grants me just a bit of a nervous smile. I feel relieved again. | |
| 618 I was so worried that she might flee her own room to get away from | |
| 619 me. I know it’s a silly thing to worry about, but she looked so | |
| 620 frightened. My heart flies just to see that hint of a smile. She | |
| 621 manages a tiny nod, not saying a word. | |
| 622 | |
| 623 Seeing her visibly relax, I take a sigh of relief. This beautiful | |
| 624 girl in front of me should never have to be hurt again. "I’m just | |
| 625 glad you’re feeling better, Hotaru-chan. I hate seeing you in pain | |
| 626 like that. I want to help you." And I do. I just don’t know how. | |
| 627 | |
| 628 "..thank you.. ChibiUsachan.." A small smile plays across her thin | |
| 629 lips. She looks more confident as she tries to speak. “..you’re the | |
| 630 only one who’s ever cared... it’s like..." her soft, whisper-like | |
| 631 voice trails off. Like what? What are you trying to tell me? She | |
| 632 seems to withdraw from me again, nervous. | |
| 633 | |
| 634 I frown as I walk closer to her, closing the distance between us | |
| 635 quickly. There’s so much I want to know. There’s so much I want to | |
| 636 say. But what, exactly? I wish I knew. "I don’t know why I’m the only | |
| 637 one who seems to notice how great you are, Hotaru-chan. I can’t see | |
| 638 why anyone would ever be mean to you, why anyone would ever want to | |
| 639 hurt you." Because I can’t stand to see you suffer, firefly. | |
| 640 | |
| 641 Her deep violet eyes gaze up at me, working their magic on me. How | |
| 642 can I hope to keep from losing myself in their depths? I find myself | |
| 643 being drawn further into those beautiful dark eyes. I see tears start | |
| 644 to form in those perfect violet spheres. Please don’t cry, firefly. I | |
| 645 don’t ever want you to hurt. "I.. don’t know.. but... It doesn’t | |
| 646 matter.. as long as I have you..." | |
| 647 | |
| 648 I feel my cheeks burning as I begin to blush. Had the raven haired | |
| 649 girl really said that? But… what did she mean by it? She didn’t | |
| 650 mean... "I.. I... Thanks, Hotaru-chan." My mind swims in confusion. | |
| 651 Why would she say that? Do I really mean that much to her? I kneel | |
| 652 next to her, smiling. As long as she has me... but how does she have | |
| 653 me? I’m not so sure myself. | |
| 654 | |
| 655 The quiet girl blushes as well, her pale cheeks darkening as she | |
| 656 looks at me. I look into those beautiful eyes for a long moment. She | |
| 657 just looks at me silently. This moment, so much like the last time. | |
| 658 It ended off so... I don’t know. What had I been expecting that time? | |
| 659 A kiss? I almost laugh aloud. But then what Momoko said comes back to | |
| 660 me as well. My girlfriend? A kiss? How did I really feel about this? | |
| 661 Her blush deepens and she looks away from me. | |
| 662 | |
| 663 I tilt my head, trying to catch her gaze. A soft sigh escapes my | |
| 664 lips. Why won’t she look at me again? Did I say the wrong thing? | |
| 665 Please let me see those beautiful violet eyes again. I try to meet | |
| 666 her gaze, to see those dark eyes. | |
| 667 | |
| 668 Hotaru quietly looks up slightly. Its obvious she’s nervous. Why? | |
| 669 Why are you nervous, firefly? Don’t you know I’d never do anything to | |
| 670 harm you? Her eyes look at me questioningly, almost as if she’s so | |
| 671 shy that she may flee from me at the hint of anything at all. The | |
| 672 silence envelops us. I want to break the silence, but my mind can’t | |
| 673 think clearly with this mysterious girl in front of me. She invades | |
| 674 my thoughts, making it impossible for me to think of anything but | |
| 675 her. But is that so bad? | |
| 676 | |
| 677 "Hotaru-chan, you’re so pretty," I hear myself breath softly. I | |
| 678 smile at her, once again losing myself in those violet pools. It’s | |
| 679 the truth. She’s the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen. Yet so | |
| 680 timid. Please let me get close… | |
| 681 | |
| 682 The dark haired girl blushes profusely, as if no one had ever said | |
| 683 that to her before. Is the world that blind? She’s,,, heavenly. She | |
| 684 seems like she’s trying to reply, but nothing comes out. She looks so | |
| 685 afraid still. | |
| 686 | |
| 687 "I would never want to hurt you, Hotaru-chan. I want to be your | |
| 688 friend. I want to be.. I don’t know." This time, I’m the one to look | |
| 689 away. I don’t know what I had meant to tell her. That thought scares | |
| 690 me. "I just want to make you happy." And I know I do. Oh, how I want | |
| 691 her to be happy. To see another one of those beautiful smiles... | |
| 692 | |
| 693 Though she smiles at me in relief, I can see disappointment in the | |
| 694 mysterious girl’s violet eyes. She seems to relax at what I said, | |
| 695 though. "..I.. I wish I could be half as good a friend to you.. I | |
| 696 don’t know... I’m not really good at it, ne.. inexperience..." | |
| 697 | |
| 698 I gaze into those eyes, wanting to know what caused her | |
| 699 disappointment, but quickly losing myself in them. "No, you’re | |
| 700 perfect, Hotaru-chan," I whisper softly. Everything about her fills | |
| 701 me with wonder. I so want to tell her, but I don’t know how. I don’t | |
| 702 even know what I want to tell her. | |
| 703 | |
| 704 A slight blush colors her pale cheeks as she looks back up at me. | |
| 705 She seems more sure about something now, but I can’t tell what. | |
| 706 "..no.. I can't be.. but... Chibiusachan... Chibimoon.. when did you | |
| 707 fall from heaven..? I want to know.. so I can give you a gift before | |
| 708 you have to return..." her soft voice whispers to me. | |
| 709 | |
| 710 I blush hotly, looking down, averting my eyes. I laugh nervously, | |
| 711 trying to relax. I’m so happy she thinks of me that way, but to hear | |
| 712 her say it… "Oh, I’m no angel," I assure her quickly. "Your | |
| 713 friendship’s the best gift I ever could have received." | |
| 714 | |
| 715 "..but.. you have to be... you're a magical soldier.. you had to be | |
| 716 from the gods... and.. you're the only one that ever noticed me, and | |
| 717 didn't call me a witch..." The words pour out, one after the other as | |
| 718 she tries to tell me it all. | |
| 719 | |
| 720 "I... I'm glad you think that, Hotaru-chan. Thank you." I feel the | |
| 721 blush return, my cheeks burning even more as I replay her words in my | |
| 722 mind. I smile brightly at her. She’s sooooo sweet. No one’s ever said | |
| 723 something like that to me before. The smile disappears after a | |
| 724 moment. The only one, she said. How could the world be so cruel to | |
| 725 this beautiful girl? Isn’t there more I can do for her? I want to | |
| 726 make the whole world leave her alone. No, I want the whole world to | |
| 727 realize how great she is. "I could never call you that. And how could | |
| 728 I not notice you? You're so beautiful. And nice. And mysterious. | |
| 729 And..." I trail off, finding it far too hard to think as I look into | |
| 730 those endless violet orbs. That feeling… that same feeling I had the | |
| 731 first time I was in her room, the feeling that left unfinished, it | |
| 732 returns to me now. I don’t want to leave it this time. I want to see | |
| 733 it through. But what is this feeling? | |
| 734 | |
| 735 The blush on Hotaru’s cheeks darkens as she looks less certain about | |
| 736 something. "Thank you.. for everything... ChibiUsachan.... I..." She | |
| 737 cuts off the words at that. Please tell me, Hotaru. I want to know so | |
| 738 badly. You can tell me anything, do you know that? I’d never judge | |
| 739 you, never berate you. I just want to hear. I want to help. I want to | |
| 740 know how you feel about me... | |
| 741 | |
| 742 "You’re welcome, Hotaru-chan. You deserve it, though. I really want | |
| 743 to get to know you better. To be closer to you..." I sigh a little, | |
| 744 unsure of myself. I feel so confused. What do I want, exactly? To be | |
| 745 her friend, right? Then why is this all so awkward? Why do I want to | |
| 746 say something more? She’s so important to me, whether she knows it or | |
| 747 not. I want her to be there with me, always. I want… Why does this | |
| 748 have to be so hard? Why can’t I just tell her. I sigh inwardly. Tell | |
| 749 her what? I don’t know, but I want to. I know that much. She makes my | |
| 750 heart melt. I feel so warm inside just being with her. I want to hug | |
| 751 her close, to make all her pain disappear forever. | |
| 752 | |
| 753 "..that's... that's what I want..." Hotaru says softly. She seems so | |
| 754 nervous, everything she says as if she can barely manage to tell me. | |
| 755 She blinks her long, dark lashes, blushing just a bit. | |
| 756 | |
| 757 "You do?" I ask quietly, hopefully. It fills my heart with a warm | |
| 758 joyous feeling to know that she want’s to get closer to me, too. I | |
| 759 sit in front of her, entranced by this mysterious girl. I find myself | |
| 760 wanting to lean forward and… And what? I feel all anxious inside. | |
| 761 We’re both dancing around what we want to say, aren’t we? Neither of | |
| 762 us knows exactly how to say it, though. And I’m still not quire sure | |
| 763 what ‘it’ is. But I have a funny feeling that she does. "That's | |
| 764 great, Hotaru-chan. You already mean a lot to me. You're all I can | |
| 765 think about." It’s true. She’s been on my mind practically all the | |
| 766 time since I’ve met her. And this mysterious girl is already so very | |
| 767 important to me. | |
| 768 | |
| 769 "..but.. you..." She blinks those dark lashes again and shakes her | |
| 770 head. I follow her gaze to the table where the chalice I’d given her | |
| 771 still sits. My sign of friendship. Right? I blush when I remember | |
| 772 what Momoko had said. I really did want Hotaru to have it, so I could | |
| 773 show her… What would it be like if she was my girlfriend? I’d been | |
| 774 thinking about it all afternoon after Momoko had said that. I’m a | |
| 775 princess, I shouldn’t be thinking about such things. But I don’t | |
| 776 care. "..only Himitsu knows how much you mean to me..." She turns | |
| 777 back to me, looking as if there’s more she wants to say, but she | |
| 778 keeps it from me, afraid. Why is she afraid of telling me? What could | |
| 779 it be? But… the way she said that, do I really mean that much to her? | |
| 780 | |
| 781 "It makes me happy that I mean so much to you." I brush some pink | |
| 782 hair from my eyes, feeling my cheeks flush. To mean so much to this | |
| 783 beautiful girl, that’s wonderful. I smile nervously at her, so much | |
| 784 left unsaid between us. But what can I do? What can I say? If I | |
| 785 said.... Would this mysterious girl be happy? Or would she be | |
| 786 frightened? | |
| 787 | |
| 788 A small smile crosses the dark haired girl’s thin lips. "..as long | |
| 789 as you’re happy.. I’m happy.." But her voice, there’s a sad tone | |
| 790 underlying it, as if she doesn’t truly mean it, as if there’s | |
| 791 something more. I want to coax it out of her, but I’m afraid she’ll | |
| 792 back away again if I try. | |
| 793 | |
| 794 "Hotaru-chan..." I sigh as I look away from her again, confusion | |
| 795 threatening to overwhelm me. Does she really know just how important | |
| 796 she is? "You mean so much more to me. Since I met you, I haven’t been | |
| 797 able to stop thinking about you. When I’m away, I want to see you | |
| 798 again. When I’m with you.. its just perfect." | |
| 799 | |
| 800 Hotaru shyly raises a hand up towards my face, but after she makes | |
| 801 it halfway, she seems to realize what she’s doing and draws back, | |
| 802 only making it about halfway between us. I wish she’d keep going. Why | |
| 803 did she have to stop? "..it's the same... I thought it was...." She | |
| 804 shakes her head slightly before continuing. "..but you're a friend of | |
| 805 a million.. so it couldn't be..." But it is, Hotaru. It is. | |
| 806 | |
| 807 I smile softly, reassuringly at this beautiful frail girl in front | |
| 808 of me. Leaning forward, I bring my hand up to her pale cheek, | |
| 809 enjoying the soft feel of her skin. It feels so warm. So... | |
| 810 wonderful. "But you’re special, Hotaru-chan. I feel... differently | |
| 811 about you. You mean more to me than all those others," I try to | |
| 812 explain, feeling as though I’m failing miserably at it. | |
| 813 | |
| 814 I hold my breath, waiting to see what she’ll do. She almost pulls | |
| 815 back at my touch. My heart stops. No! Please, just grant me this. | |
| 816 Finally, she starts to relax into it, blushing again. "..then... then | |
| 817 I wasn't wrong..? ..I thought.. that I was wrong... because...." She | |
| 818 stops, her soft voice choked up with emotions. I see tears beginning | |
| 819 to form in her eyes as she looks at me silently. | |
| 820 | |
| 821 I shake my head emphatically, trying to get rid of that notion. Of | |
| 822 course she’s not wrong. How could she be? How could this shy angel | |
| 823 ever be? My heart aches as I see those tears in her gorgeous violet | |
| 824 eyes. "No, you weren’t wrong, Hotaru-chan. I just.. you..." I gaze | |
| 825 intently at her, trying to gather up my courage for what I want to | |
| 826 tell her, what I so want to say. "You’re very special to me," I | |
| 827 finally get out. | |
| 828 | |
| 829 The frail girl looks taken aback at my words. Its true, firefly. You | |
| 830 are so special to me. How do you feel, my firefly? In a hushed, | |
| 831 almost fearful whisper, I get my answer. "..I love you, ChibiUsa..." | |
| 832 | |
| 833 I blush deeply, her words running through my head over and over | |
| 834 again. Those lovely words, spoken by this lovely girl. I feel like a | |
| 835 veil’s been lifted. Everything seems clear now. I never thought about | |
| 836 those words, not like this. And I’ve certainly never, ever heard them | |
| 837 spoken of me. It fills me with a warm feeling to here her say that, a | |
| 838 warmth I’ve never felt before. I feel so fuzzy, so giddy. I feel like | |
| 839 laughing and crying and jumping for joy all at the same time. For a | |
| 840 brief second I wonder what my parents would think. I’m the Princess | |
| 841 of the Royal Family of Crystal Tokyo. But I shake it off. It doesn’t | |
| 842 matter. I know in my heart of hearts that this is right. "I love you, | |
| 843 too, Hotaru-chan." I feel like a weights been lifted from my | |
| 844 shoulders. No more mincing of words, no more hiding our secrets. How | |
| 845 we felt was out in the open between the two of us now. This frail | |
| 846 girl... she truly means that much to me. That much and more. Gazing | |
| 847 over at the raven haired girl, seeing myself reflected in her violet | |
| 848 pools, before I know it I lean forward, ever so slightly at first. | |
| 849 Even I don’t realize it until my lips gently brush hers. I blush | |
| 850 deeper as I feel those warm soft lips against my own. It feels… | |
| 851 wonderful. My first kiss… Hers too, I realize. But that just makes it | |
| 852 all the more wonderful in this quiet moment. | |
| 853 | |
| 854 The sad, shy girl looks at me sadly, apologetically. "I’m sorry… | |
| 855 I’ll only cause trouble for you..." | |
| 856 | |
| 857 I shake my head quickly, not wanting her to ever have to worry about | |
| 858 something like that. "Even if you did cause trouble for me, I’d | |
| 859 gladly take it." Over and over again, forever, just so I could be | |
| 860 near her. To emphasize my point I lean forward, kissing her gently | |
| 861 again. It tastes better than the best candy I’ve ever had back home | |
| 862 in Crystal Tokyo, much sweeter than the best they could offer. I’d | |
| 863 give anything to just stay like this. | |
| 864 | |
| 865 A small giggle escapes her lips, a smile gracing her delicate | |
| 866 features. "..I've never even had a real friend before.. and now I | |
| 867 have you... it's so wonderful, so perfect...." It means so much to me | |
| 868 to be that for her, to be that and more. I never want her to have to | |
| 869 suffer ever again. I don’t know if I can help it or not, but I’ll try | |
| 870 my hardest to keep her happy. Forever. | |
| 871 | |
| 872 I find myself smiling brightly back at her, my hand still pressed | |
| 873 gently against Hotaru’s cheek. I giggle softly myself, glad to see | |
| 874 that smile on her face again. "Hai, perfect. Just like you, Hotaru- | |
| 875 chan. I want to be everything for you. I want you to be happy. I want | |
| 876 to be able to see your smile." I look deeply at her, wishing I could | |
| 877 just tell her everything here and now, but not knowing where to start. | |
| 878 | |
| 879 "How can I not be happy... if I’m with you..?" she says in that soft | |
| 880 voice of hers that I can’t help but imagine whenever there’s silence | |
| 881 around me. A faint smile appears on her lips. "It’s like... like...." | |
| 882 She trails off, at a loss for words. But I know exactly what she | |
| 883 means. Everything about this is perfect, magical. Its too hard to put | |
| 884 into words. So why bother, when I can just be here with her? | |
| 885 | |
| 886 ~~~~~ | |
| 887 | |
| 888 Usagi stared at ChibiUsa oddly as they made their way home. The | |
| 889 younger girl had been acting strangely all night and now she seemed | |
| 890 to be off in her own little world, barely noticing what was happening | |
| 891 around her. The blonde girl sighed inwardly. This whole thing just | |
| 892 seemed to be getting more and more confusing. | |
| 893 Had ChibiUsa heard those thoughts she would wholeheartedly agreed. | |
| 894 Her fingers absentmindedly went to her lips, her mind drifting back | |
| 895 to her first kiss just moments before. She felt a sudden wave of | |
| 896 dizziness wash over her as she relived the moment. What had happened | |
| 897 back there? She swallowed nervously as she walked along. That strange | |
| 898 feeling refused to leave her. She had never thought something like | |
| 899 this would happen. Her mother had told her to be ready for anything | |
| 900 when she came back to the past, but this was beyond anything she | |
| 901 could have imagined. Falling in love had not been one of the things | |
| 902 she’d thought her mother had meant. And with her… ChibiUsa’s cheeks | |
| 903 started to flush and her heart beat faster as the odd feeling in her | |
| 904 stomach increased in intensity. She felt like she needed to sit down | |
| 905 soon, but she didn’t want Usagi’s already paranoid mind to have | |
| 906 anything to work off of. | |
| 907 The mysterious dark haired girl had quickly drawn her in. Those | |
| 908 violet, pain filled eyes seemed to look deep into her soul whenever | |
| 909 she gazed into them. This almost deathly pale girl had invaded her | |
| 910 every thought. How could she have become so important to her? Did it | |
| 911 matter? The whole idea of falling in love this way had been so | |
| 912 foreign to her. The thought of falling in love with this girl was | |
| 913 almost frightening to begin with. But Hotaru needed her, didn’t she? | |
| 914 She wanted to do everything she could to make her happy. This whole | |
| 915 thing was so new to her. But it was exhilarating, the feeling that | |
| 916 encompassed her at the very thought of the raven haired girl. It | |
| 917 scared her a bit, but she pushed that to the back of her mind. She | |
| 918 wouldn’t let that get in her way. She couldn’t just run away from | |
| 919 Hotaru. The other girl had already woven a spell deep into ChibiUsa’s | |
| 920 soul. Maybe this was destiny. She had heard her mother say that so | |
| 921 many times about her father. This wasn’t quite the same, but it sure | |
| 922 felt like destiny had brought her to Hotaru. | |
| 923 “What are you daydreaming about?” Usagi asked after a long moment | |
| 924 of silence. “You haven’t said a word since we left Hotaru’s house. | |
| 925 What’s gotten into you? All thoughtful and dreamy all of the sudden.” | |
| 926 A sudden pang of worry spread through Usagi. Her suspicions about | |
| 927 Hotaru began to grow. The mysterious girl very well could be part of | |
| 928 The Enemy. And ChibiUsa would be completely unreasonable about things | |
| 929 if she mentioned the possibility to her. So for now it was best if | |
| 930 she just kept an eye on the younger girl. A silent sigh escaped her | |
| 931 lips. What would the pink haired girl do without her? | |
| 932 ChibiUsa almost didn’t hear Usagi’s question at first. Shaking her | |
| 933 head, she tried to clear her thoughts but found that nearly | |
| 934 impossible. “I.. Nothing. I’m just thinking about… home. And my room. | |
| 935 And stuff…” There. That sounded convincing enough, ChibiUsa thought | |
| 936 with a satisfied smile. She did get homesick a lot, so Usagi | |
| 937 shouldn’t get too suspicious over that. | |
| 938 Usagi seemed to consider it for a moment before finally deciding to | |
| 939 let it drop. ChibiUsa was acting strangely, but pushing her probably | |
| 940 wouldn’t get her anywhere. She knew how stubborn the pink haired girl | |
| 941 could be and she didn’t feel like arguing with her for once. There | |
| 942 was too much to think about after meeting the Professor and his | |
| 943 daughter. She had to see what the others thought. | |
| 944 Glancing sidelong at Usagi, ChibiUsa contemplated saying something | |
| 945 for a long moment. This woman would one day become her mother, the | |
| 946 woman she held in the highest regard. Her mother meant a lot to her. | |
| 947 And she dearly wished she could talk with her about what was going | |
| 948 on, about Hotaru. She bit her lip thoughtfully. Opening her mouth to | |
| 949 speak, nothing came out. The nervousness that overtook her was too | |
| 950 strong to quell. Usagi may be her mother in the future, but now… | |
| 951 Maybe this just wasn’t the time to say anything. She couldn’t bring | |
| 952 herself to bring it up now as it was. Finally deciding to tell the | |
| 953 blonde girl later, if ever, she turned her attention back to what | |
| 954 really mattered. Hotaru. | |
| 955 | |
| 956 Hotaru gazed longingly out her window. How long had she been | |
| 957 sitting there? Minutes? Hours? She honestly couldn’t tell. The | |
| 958 conversation she had had with the pink haired girl kept playing over | |
| 959 and over again in her mind. It was too much to believe. How could | |
| 960 something so wonderful happen to her? That such a sweet girl would | |
| 961 actually care for her? Her? No one cared about her. Those that didn’t | |
| 962 hate her or try to actively hurt her saw her as an oddity, something | |
| 963 that had no real significance. But ChibiUsa was different from | |
| 964 everyone else. She had looked beyond everything and had stayed. She | |
| 965 hadn’t ran away or decided that Hotaru was an object of derision. | |
| 966 Instead she had come again and again to her, always as her friend. A | |
| 967 friend… Hotaru had never had a friend before. That alone seemed | |
| 968 inconceivable. But that the pink haired girl could love her? | |
| 969 Impossible. How could anyone? Yet ChibiUsa had been perfectly honest. | |
| 970 She had seen that in those beautiful crimson eyes. | |
| 971 Finally lying back on her bed, Hotaru stared up at the roof. Her | |
| 972 lamps lit her dim room like fireflies in the darkness. Romantic, the | |
| 973 pink haired girl had called it. She allowed herself a soft smile. | |
| 974 This was her only place of escape from the pain of the world. This | |
| 975 was her sanctuary. The atmosphere helped her try and forget | |
| 976 everything, much as her books let her attempt escape into the life of | |
| 977 another. But she was always brought back to reality, or taken from | |
| 978 the safety of her room. The cold harsh pain would always come | |
| 979 flooding back in after her short reprise. Her escape was always too | |
| 980 short. Much too short. There had never been anything in this life | |
| 981 worth returning to. Until now. There was something for her to hang on | |
| 982 for now. She had a reason to go on. | |
| 983 It had been so easy for her to fall for the pink haired girl. She | |
| 984 was so sweet and caring. There was never any doubt in ChibiUsa’s mind | |
| 985 that everything would turn out right in the end. Even with Hotaru. | |
| 986 That outlook on life was so different from Hotaru’s own. Everything | |
| 987 about her was like a bright light in Hotaru’s life, lighting up the | |
| 988 darkness that threatened to engulf her. The thought that falling in | |
| 989 love with the pink haired girl was wrong had briefly crossed her mind | |
| 990 on several occasions, but she couldn’t help it. And what was one more | |
| 991 mistake for someone like her? | |
| 992 The fear that this would all be snatched from her as quickly as it | |
| 993 had appeared to her was nearly overpowering at times. This could all | |
| 994 be some sick joke by the heavens. A way to taunt her with what she | |
| 995 desired with all her heart only to have it taken away. How could a | |
| 996 witch like her, a freak, be granted this? If ChibiUsa knew… her body | |
| 997 went numb at the thought. If ChibiUsa knew everything about her, | |
| 998 would her mind change swiftly? Would she decide that everyone else | |
| 999 had been right about Hotaru? | |
| 1000 The raven haired girl almost felt like crying at that. Hugging her | |
| 1001 pillow tightly to her chest, she wondered how this would all turn out | |
| 1002 in the end. Her life didn’t matter. She would let this play out the | |
| 1003 way it was intended. It seemed safer to keep things as friends, to | |
| 1004 not risk losing what little she had. But for ChibiUsa’s sake, and the | |
| 1005 yearning in her own heart, she would see where this took her. |