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     1.2 +++ b/old/stories/cunpnk2.txt	Fri Feb 19 20:53:12 2010 -0500
     1.3 @@ -0,0 +1,1167 @@
     1.4 +Author's notes: ^_^
     1.5 +
     1.6 +        Most of the important stuff can be found in part one, so I won't
     1.7 +bore you with it here again.  This is where the fanfic starts to earn
     1.8 +it's R rating, just as a reminder.  This is also where you'll start to
     1.9 +understand why a certain plot point may or may not be a part of the
    1.10 +actual manga. :)
    1.11 +
    1.12 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    1.13 +Chibiusa no PYUA na kokoro
    1.14 +(Chibiusa's Pure Heart)
    1.15 +Part 2
    1.16 +By Andrea Doolan <ajhd@king.igs.net>
    1.17 +"Sailormoon no ichiban daifan"
    1.18 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    1.19 +
    1.20 +~*~*~*~*~
    1.21 +
    1.22 +        A scream rang out in the halls of Crystal Palace.  This was in
    1.23 +stark contrast to the blue skies and singing birds outside the building.
    1.24 +For a few seconds there seemed to be silence all around, and the sun
    1.25 +seemed to shine just a little bit brighter.  Then the cheers could be
    1.26 +heard all around the planet, or the solar system for that matter.  The
    1.27 +date was June 30.  2001.
    1.28 +
    1.29 +        A child was born.
    1.30 +
    1.31 +~*~*~*~*~
    1.32 +
    1.33 +        A solemn dark figure stood at the door where the celebrations
    1.34 +were taking place.  The girl's features betrayed her overall appearance,
    1.35 +though, as she had a rather large smile on her face.  A single tear
    1.36 +trickled down her cheek in both sorrow and happiness.
    1.37 +
    1.38 +        "Sayounara, Chibiusa-chan."
    1.39 +
    1.40 +        A gloved hand reached out and touched her on the shoulder.  It
    1.41 +belonged to a blond haired women.  Beside her stood a women in a green
    1.42 +fuku.
    1.43 +
    1.44 +        "It's time."
    1.45 +
    1.46 +        Without another word, Saturn stepped back from the door and
    1.47 +followed her parents down the corridor.  They had already said their
    1.48 +goodbyes to the other Senshi, but had stayed behind just long enough to
    1.49 +see the miracle occur.
    1.50 +
    1.51 +        Saturn didn't think it fair that she, Uranus, and Neptune had to
    1.52 +leave Crystal Tokyo and Earth, but she knew exactly the reason why. 
    1.53 +During the time Small Lady was growing up, all 901 years worth, she
    1.54 +hadn't seen a single one of them.  Only when she travelled to the past
    1.55 +for the second time did she meet these Senshi.  Pluto had explained the
    1.56 +timeline to Saturn very well, so she understood perfectly, but it still
    1.57 +almost felt as if she was losing a piece of her heart.
    1.58 +
    1.59 +        Uranus had also explained it to her in terms of duty.  They were
    1.60 +the Senshi of the outer planets, and their mission was to protect
    1.61 +Crystal Tokyo and Earth from threats outside the solar system.
    1.62 +
    1.63 +        Still, leaving the only home you had ever known and your newly
    1.64 +born best friend was a little too much for a seventeen-year-old to
    1.65 +handle.  The tears starting streaming down her face without her control.
    1.66 +
    1.67 +        Neptune looked back at the Senshi that quite possibly held the
    1.68 +most power of any of them, besides the Queen herself.  She sighed
    1.69 +inwardly, and held her only daughter in an embrace.  For a moment she
    1.70 +thought about using a name they had abandoned a few years before, but
    1.71 +thought better of it.  She spoke in a slightly forceful voice, but not
    1.72 +one without compassion.  "Saturn."
    1.73 +
    1.74 +        The black haired Senshi looked at Neptune with her purple eyes
    1.75 +full of sorrow.  She blinked, and almost magically they appeared full of
    1.76 +duty and honour.  "Hai, I know."  She broke off the embrace reluctantly,
    1.77 +and continued with her parents down the long corridor.
    1.78 +
    1.79 +        At the end was a fairly large chamber decorated as if it held a
    1.80 +special purpose.  Pluto was waiting for them there, Garnet Rod in
    1.81 +hand.  The three just looked at her and nodded knowingly.  The goddess
    1.82 +of time nodded back, but took special care to smile at the purple clad
    1.83 +Senshi.  Without a word, Neptune, Uranus, and Saturn vanished from Earth
    1.84 +for the better part of the millennium.
    1.85 +
    1.86 +~*~*~*~*~
    1.87 +
    1.88 +        It wasn't as if Titan was a lonely place.  Far from it.  She got
    1.89 +frequent visits from Uranus and Neptune, and she visited them frequently
    1.90 +as well.  If it wasn't a visit in person, they were always talking over
    1.91 +the monitors at least once a day.  And about once a month, one or two
    1.92 +Senshi from Earth would come visit them (without the princess'
    1.93 +knowledge, of course) to see how they were doing.  Sometimes the Queen
    1.94 +herself would come.  One could tell Serenity felt more than a little
    1.95 +guilty for sending them out there, but Titan's Senshi stood proud and
    1.96 +was always pleasant.  This made the Queen feel better, after all, which
    1.97 +was important.
    1.98 +
    1.99 +        It certainly didn't seem lonely, anyway.  But for Saturn she
   1.100 +always had the thought of a certain pink haired girl in the back of her
   1.101 +mind.  Her duty came first, but the memory of her dear friend could
   1.102 +still sometimes bring tears to her eyes.  Even after all these years. 
   1.103 +Though when this happened she always reminded herself of a pact they had
   1.104 +made when she was only twelve years old.  She laughed sometimes when she
   1.105 +thought about it.  It was a little childish, but somehow the knowledge
   1.106 +of it filled her heart with strength, and let her carry on.
   1.107 +
   1.108 +        Saturn walked over to the largest monitor in Titan's observation
   1.109 +room.  She touched a control pad, and an image of the planet Saturn
   1.110 +appeared before her.  Kirei, she thought.  The swirling pieces of cosmic
   1.111 +dust and ice converging in a ring-like structure around the planet was
   1.112 +truly a sight to see.  Sometimes she could just watch this for hours on
   1.113 +end, letting her mind flow into the planet's energies.  Sometimes she
   1.114 +tried to replicate the effect using a technique similar to when she
   1.115 +would simulate the big bang as a child.  It always had a calming effect
   1.116 +on her.
   1.117 +
   1.118 +        "I wonder what she's doing now..." she said aloud
   1.119 +absentmindedly.  She shook her head and tried to get the thought out of
   1.120 +her mind.  Thinking about it always made her depressed.  How many more
   1.121 +years would it be? she thought.  A few hundred more, she reminded
   1.122 +herself.  She sighed.  Being depressed was getting her no where.  She
   1.123 +still had lots of great friends whom she saw often, and loving parents.
   1.124 +Plus she was a Senshi.  A Senshi of death, she joked to herself, but a
   1.125 +Senshi of rebirth as well.  Really, she was quite content right now. 
   1.126 +And one day she would get to return to that blue-green sphere.  To that
   1.127 +cheerful girl who brought so much joy into her life.
   1.128 +
   1.129 +~*~*~*~*~
   1.130 +
   1.131 +        A faint pink beam of light shone briefly on a hill overlooking
   1.132 +Crystal Tokyo, and then flickered out as silently as it had come. 
   1.133 +Standing there in its place was a girl in a blue and white sei-fuku
   1.134 +[school uniform].  The bright sun flickered off the royal buildings,
   1.135 +just as it always had.  The girl smiled briefly in appreciation.  She
   1.136 +then looked forward, and her smile grew even wider.  She saw her
   1.137 +parents, of course, and Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus.  Pluto was
   1.138 +standing beside them as well.  As good as it was to see those people,
   1.139 +something else caught her eye right away.
   1.140 +
   1.141 +        "Masaka...  Hotaru-chan!  Hotaru-chaaaan!!"  For a moment she
   1.142 +just stood there in disbelief, but then started running as fast as she
   1.143 +could.  She ran into the slightly taller Senshi and hugged her closely.
   1.144 +Then she drew back and looked into her eyes.  They seemed to be smiling
   1.145 +at her.  "Hota-" she cut herself off, blushing slightly.  "Gomen,
   1.146 +Sailorsaturn.  Doushite?"
   1.147 +
   1.148 +        The other just kept looking at her, happiness filling every pore
   1.149 +in her body.  She choked back some tears.  "Okaerinasai."
   1.150 +
   1.151 +        By this time everyone had evidence of strong emotions on their
   1.152 +features.  Chibiusa glanced beside Saturn at another welcome sight. 
   1.153 +"Uranus!  Neptune!"  She could barely hold back her shock.
   1.154 +
   1.155 +        "Yo, Chibi-chan," said the blond playfully.
   1.156 +
   1.157 +        "It's been too long," said the Senshi of the sea.
   1.158 +
   1.159 +        Chibiusa felt like she was in a dream state.  Was she really
   1.160 +home?  Had the future been changed somehow?  She looked over at Pluto
   1.161 +who just had a smile on her face.  This was all very confusing for her.
   1.162 +Finally she let go of Saturn, and walked over to her parents.  She bowed
   1.163 +respectfully.  "Princess Usagi Small Lady Serenity and Diana reporting
   1.164 +home from the 20th century.  If it pleases the court, we would like to
   1.165 +return and live again in the 30th century."
   1.166 +
   1.167 +        Neo Queen Serenity just smiled.  How proud she was of her
   1.168 +daughter.  She had certainly come a long way over the last few years,
   1.169 +and was on her way to becoming a wonderful Lady and future Queen.  "It
   1.170 +does please the court.  Welcome home."
   1.171 +
   1.172 +        Chibiusa flung herself into her mother's arms and was then
   1.173 +greeted by everyone in turn.  She wanted answers, of course, but right
   1.174 +now it was just good to be home.
   1.175 +
   1.176 +~*~*~*~*~ (from now on, I won't refer to her as Chibiusa)
   1.177 +
   1.178 +        "So, all those years...  You were alone?"  Small Lady was still
   1.179 +in shock and was trying to sort out some confusing feelings.  She just
   1.180 +couldn't believe that all this time Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn had
   1.181 +been alive.  She wasn't sure what had happened to them, but she knew she
   1.182 +had never seen them.  She thought they must have died somehow, but
   1.183 +nobody would tell her.  Now she understood why.
   1.184 +
   1.185 +        Saturn laughed a little bit.  "No, I was far from alone.  Uranus
   1.186 +and Neptune were there and the rest of the Senshi came to visit. 
   1.187 +Besides, orbiting Saturn in Titan Castle was a wonderful experience.  I
   1.188 +had forgotten what it was like to be so near my namesake.  At first it
   1.189 +was overpowering.  From my previous life, before I was reincarnated for
   1.190 +the first time, back in the Silver Millennium, I had very faint memories
   1.191 +of it.  And even then I hadn't awakened, so I was in a dream-like state.
   1.192 +It took a little getting used to being away from Earth and everyone
   1.193 +here, but it was fine in the end.  Now it's a very dear place in my
   1.194 +heart."
   1.195 +
   1.196 +        Small Lady's eyes looked as if they were going to shed tears,
   1.197 +but they were held back as best as they could.  Right now it was just
   1.198 +her and Saturn on a grassy hill overlooking the ocean.  There had been a
   1.199 +very big celebration when Small Lady returned, and everything was
   1.200 +explained to her.  It was still that same night, but it was very late. 
   1.201 +Her and Saturn had decided to take a walk and talk a bit.  "But you did
   1.202 +all this just for me, and to protect Earth?  I would have been so
   1.203 +scared."
   1.204 +
   1.205 +        "You're exactly the same as I remember you, Small Lady.  Which
   1.206 +isn't surprising, as you just saw me less than twenty four hours ago." 
   1.207 +Saturn tried to comfort her as best as she could.  "Yes, we did it for
   1.208 +you and to protect the kingdom.  *Any* Senshi would have done the same
   1.209 +thing.  I'm not going to pretend that I didn't miss Earth...that I
   1.210 +didn't miss you, because I did."  It was Saturn's turn to hold back her
   1.211 +tears.  "But everyone's love filled me, and made me strong.  There's
   1.212 +something else, too.  I remembered the pact we made...to always be
   1.213 +friends.  It kept me going.  Whenever I remembered I would see you
   1.214 +again, it made me happy."
   1.215 +
   1.216 +        Both women lost control and tears started coming down their
   1.217 +cheeks.  They hugged each other tightly; a hug that told of the 909
   1.218 +years they had spent apart.
   1.219 +
   1.220 +        "I can't believe you remembered," said Small Lady between sobs.
   1.221 +
   1.222 +        "Of course I did, baka," she joked back.
   1.223 +
   1.224 +        "So, even after all this time, we're still best friends?"
   1.225 +
   1.226 +        "Mochiron!  Zutto zutto!  Eien ni."
   1.227 +
   1.228 +~*~*~*~*~
   1.229 +
   1.230 +        The years passed in Crystal Tokyo as they always did.  The
   1.231 +unpleasantness brought about by Sailorgalaxia in the 20th century was
   1.232 +far behind them.  Crystal Tokyo thrived again as the seat of power for
   1.233 +the solar system.  Neo Queen Serenity brought back the greatness that
   1.234 +was once the Silver Millennium.  The Earth, now free from evil, was
   1.235 +united and stood like a glistening Christmas ball in the blackness of
   1.236 +space.  The other planets were now thriving, too.  The great cities that
   1.237 +were held inside the planets' castles started to revive and were
   1.238 +prosperous once again.  A princess was coming into her full glory and
   1.239 +beauty, and now had the appearance of an eighteen-year-old.  She was
   1.240 +actually 910.
   1.241 +
   1.242 +        And two friends were enjoying life together.
   1.243 +
   1.244 +~*~*~*~*~
   1.245 +
   1.246 +        "Small Lady, hayaku!"
   1.247 +
   1.248 +        "Hai!  Ikimashou ne!"
   1.249 +
   1.250 +        For the moment, these two girls weren't an heir to the royal
   1.251 +throne and a Senshi who could destroy the universe with one swipe of her
   1.252 +Glaive.  They were two friends going on a little trip together.
   1.253 +
   1.254 +        "You sure you know how to drive this thing?"
   1.255 +
   1.256 +        "Well, Uranus taught me, so I shouldn't be too bad."
   1.257 +
   1.258 +        The transport started off with a jolt.  It left a slightly
   1.259 +startled expression on the younger girl's face, but it was quickly
   1.260 +replaced by a smile.  They were taking a long needed vacation.  The two
   1.261 +had hardly seen each other for the past couple of months with the many
   1.262 +diplomatic missions both had to go on.  Now was their time to relax.  As
   1.263 +evidence, both were wearing casual clothing.  Sometimes it felt good to
   1.264 +get out of the sailor fuku and princess gowns they were always wearing.
   1.265 +
   1.266 +        Though even in her lose fitting pants and pullover top Princess
   1.267 +Serenity looked regal and glowing.  She had really turned into quite the
   1.268 +lady.  The tresses that flowed from her two odango had grown down to her
   1.269 +knees, and were now missing the "poofy" look they once had.  Indeed,
   1.270 +from the shoulders up she looked like a certain Black Lady the 20th
   1.271 +century Senshi had fought all those years ago.  Not that the princess
   1.272 +remembered any of that.  She had also grown quite a bit over the past
   1.273 +couple of years.  She now stood at 155 centimetres, just a hair less
   1.274 +than Saturn.  Her body was, of course, proportionately built, just like
   1.275 +her mother's.
   1.276 +
   1.277 +        For Saturn's part, she hadn't aged in the past 905 years.  Well,
   1.278 +not on the outside at least.  She still had her purple-black hair cut
   1.279 +just above her shoulders, but her deep purple eyes told the whole story,
   1.280 +and let people know her true age.  She had stopped her growth spurt at
   1.281 +the age of 22, growing into a lovely woman.  I guess that's something we
   1.282 +have in common, thought Saturn.  We both grew up in a rather odd way. 
   1.283 +Today she was wearing a pair of khaki shorts, sandals, and a t-shirt. 
   1.284 +Very normal, indeed.
   1.285 +
   1.286 +        It was Sunday, and the pair made their way to the Northeast of
   1.287 +Crystal Tokyo, about 120 kilometres from the centre of the city.  The
   1.288 +transport they were in was a sleek new model, and was designed for
   1.289 +speeds of 200 km/h for normal travel.  It could go much faster, if need
   1.290 +be.  It also had a very good shock system, which made the trip through
   1.291 +the air especially smooth.
   1.292 +
   1.293 +        "What's our ETA?" asked Small Lady.
   1.294 +
   1.295 +        "A little over half an hour," replied her friend.
   1.296 +
   1.297 +        "I can hardly wait!  I haven't been to your beach house in so
   1.298 +long!"
   1.299 +
   1.300 +        The older girl laughed.  The mini palace the Outer Senshi
   1.301 +shared was situated on the shores on the Pacific Ocean.  The appearance
   1.302 +of the outside of the building had all the earmarks of the modern
   1.303 +buildings in Crystal Tokyo.  It's fundamental element was crystal, with
   1.304 +some stone and glass thrown in just the right places for good measure. 
   1.305 +It's sleek angles shimmered in the sun as it made it's arc across the
   1.306 +sky.  The inside, however, was remarkably different.  It's most
   1.307 +prominent architectural style was from the Victorian times in England. 
   1.308 +Though one could also make out some 20th century designs and some modern
   1.309 +ones as well.  They all blended together to form an elegant structure
   1.310 +that most designers cited as a wonderful example of architecture from
   1.311 +any time.  Even though this was a mini palace, with the building and
   1.312 +grounds covering about 50 hectares of land, the Senshi still refered to
   1.313 +it as the "beach house."  For the obvious reason that it was on the
   1.314 +beach.
   1.315 +
   1.316 +        "Ne, will Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto be there, too?" asked the 
   1.317 +younger girl farther into their trip.
   1.318 +
   1.319 +        "Ee.  Uranus and Neptune will be there for sure, and I think
   1.320 +Pluto's going to try and stop by, too."
   1.321 +
   1.322 +        "Good, I've hardly seen any of them lately."  Small Lady sighed. 
   1.323 +"It seems like our lives are just getting more and more hectic."
   1.324 +
   1.325 +        The other girl smiled.  "That's why we're taking this vacation. 
   1.326 +Sometimes it's good just to sit back and watch the world go by.  Kami
   1.327 +knows the Senshi deserve it."
   1.328 +
   1.329 +        "Yeah, even though it's just for a week, it's better than
   1.330 +nothing."
   1.331 +
   1.332 +        The computer in the transport beeped slightly and then said,
   1.333 +"Incoming message for Princess Serenity.  Sailorvesta from Crystal
   1.334 +Palace is on com channel 5."
   1.335 +
   1.336 +        With a little laugh Small Lady pressed the button that would
   1.337 +receive the call and put Vesta on the view screen. "Hai, moshi moshi. 
   1.338 +Small Lady desu."
   1.339 +
   1.340 +        "Konnichiwa, Small Lady," said the red haired girl in a sailor
   1.341 +fuku.  "I know you just left, but we just got a request from the colony
   1.342 +of Africa for you to visit there late next month."
   1.343 +
   1.344 +        Small Lady looked slightly annoyed.  "This couldn't have waited
   1.345 +until I got back?"
   1.346 +
   1.347 +        "Gomen, they asked for a reply right away.  Besides, the Prime
   1.348 +Minister there is a friend of mine, and I owed him a favour..."
   1.349 +
   1.350 +        "Okay, okay.  I see where this one is going."  Vesta looked
   1.351 +slightly embarrassed.  "Of course I'll go.  Hmm, I really like Africa in
   1.352 +the fall.  But, Vesta, no more calls, please.  Not unless it's really
   1.353 +important."
   1.354 +
   1.355 +        "Hai, wakateru.  Enjoy your trip!"  With that the communication
   1.356 +ended and the screen went black.
   1.357 +
   1.358 +        "Honestly, I still think the Quartet needs more training." said
   1.359 +Small Lady.
   1.360 +
   1.361 +        "Maybe you could send them back to the past," kidded Saturn. 
   1.362 +Both girls started to laugh at the idea.
   1.363 +
   1.364 +        "Ah!  Mite!" said the princess excitedly.  The transport slowed,
   1.365 +and came to a stop in a garage of sorts beside the beach house.  "Sugoi! 
   1.366 +It's just like I remember it."  Both girls got their luggage from the
   1.367 +transport and walked to the front doors of the "house."
   1.368 +
   1.369 +        "Tadaima!" said Saturn as she walked into the front hall.
   1.370 +
   1.371 +        "Okaeri." came a voice from one of the rooms off the main hall.
   1.372 +
   1.373 +        "Ohayou," came the greeting from Small Lady.
   1.374 +
   1.375 +        A head popped out from one of the doorways.  "Ara, Small Lady. 
   1.376 +Ohayou.  Saturn told us you'd be coming."  Neptune looked elegant as
   1.377 +always in a flower print sundress.
   1.378 +
   1.379 +        "I'm going to take her upstairs," said Saturn with a smile. 
   1.380 +"We'll be back down for lunch."  The two girls took the staircase up to
   1.381 +Saturn's bedroom and got their luggage settled.  Really, there were many
   1.382 +free rooms that Small Lady could have used, but both wanted to spend 
   1.383 +their vacation together.  The bed was more than large enough to fit two 
   1.384 +people, and they liked to tell stories and play games before they fell
   1.385 +asleep.  Someone might have mistaken them for actual teenagers, if they
   1.386 +didn't know better.
   1.387 +
   1.388 +        "It's such a pretty room," said Small Lady.  "You've still got
   1.389 +all your lamps."  The room was done in purple colourings.  The walls
   1.390 +were a very light purple, while her curtains and bedspread were much
   1.391 +darker.  Most of the furniture in the room including her desk and
   1.392 +dressers were white.  It made for a very interesting effect with the
   1.393 +lamps turned on at night.
   1.394 +
   1.395 +        "Yeah, every now and then I'll even pick up a new one, if I like
   1.396 +it."  She smiled at the younger girl.
   1.397 +
   1.398 +        Small Lady walked towards her and held her hand.  Let's make
   1.399 +this a vacation to remember.  With so much going on, we have to make our
   1.400 +time together count!"
   1.401 +
   1.402 +        The other girl agreed.  They had to make the most of their
   1.403 +friendship when they had the chance.  This was going to be one of the
   1.404 +best weeks of their lives!
   1.405 +
   1.406 +~*~*~*~*~
   1.407 +
   1.408 +        The sun shone brightly on a Wednesday afternoon in August.  It
   1.409 +was about 35 degrees C, which made the warm Pacific waters even more
   1.410 +inviting.  The calmness of the waves washing ashore and the gentle sea
   1.411 +breeze was only interrupted by the happy cries of two friends having a
   1.412 +good time.
   1.413 +
   1.414 +        "I'm going to get there first!" cried the pink haired girl.
   1.415 +
   1.416 +        "Oh no you're not!  I'm a better runner than you, and you know
   1.417 +it!" exclaimed her black haired companion.
   1.418 +
   1.419 +        There was a temporary splash as both girls reached the water at
   1.420 +the same time, and then began laughing.  Their adventurous attitude was
   1.421 +accompanied by a brief, if not large, water fight.  Afterwards, the two
   1.422 +just stood in the water happily, but out of breath.
   1.423 +
   1.424 +        "I would have beat you if I still had Neptune's mirror," said
   1.425 +the princess slyly.
   1.426 +
   1.427 +        "Ha!  She's my mama, she would do anything to protect me,"
   1.428 +replied the other with a defiant expression on her face.  The charade
   1.429 +didn't last long, though.  Both girls immediately broke out laughing
   1.430 +again.  They started to swim normally in the water, both under and on
   1.431 +top.  It really had a calming effect, and was a place anyone would feel
   1.432 +at peace.  No wonder Neptune loves it so much, they both thought.
   1.433 +
   1.434 +        An hour or so later they both reluctantly started to emerge from
   1.435 +the water.  Both were pretty tired, but it was a great swim, and it
   1.436 +relaxed a lot of the built-up tension in their muscles due to Senshi
   1.437 +duties.
   1.438 +
   1.439 +        Saturn was a few steps behind Small Lady, and was almost out of
   1.440 +the water.  Unfortunately, she tripped on a rock she didn't see,
   1.441 +crashing into Small Lady, and sending them both to the sandy ground. 
   1.442 +The scene was a pretty big mass of tangled limbs.  Saturn ended up
   1.443 +straddling Small Lady's torso, with her arms on either side of her head. 
   1.444 +She managed to stop herself a few centimetres before she flattened the
   1.445 +girl.
   1.446 +
   1.447 +        There was silence as both girls just looked into each others
   1.448 +eyes.  Their breathing was hard, and they could feel each others hot
   1.449 +breath on their cheeks.  Several moments passed where no one moved at
   1.450 +all.  The calming sound of waves on the shore could be heard again. 
   1.451 +Then, ever so slightly, they both moved at the same time.  Their lips
   1.452 +met in a kiss that was timid at first, but grew into something more
   1.453 +passionate quickly.
   1.454 +
   1.455 +        As if something snapped in both their brains, the kiss came to a
   1.456 +crashing halt.  Saturn retreated off of the princess with a terrified
   1.457 +expression on her face.  Small Lady's features almost matched hers, with
   1.458 +her eyes displaying great shock.
   1.459 +
   1.460 +        Small Lady was the first to speak.  "Sa..turn..."  But as soon
   1.461 +as she started, Saturn was already up, and running towards the house,
   1.462 +tears streaming down her face.  "SATURN!!!" yelled the princess after
   1.463 +her, but she didn't look back.  "Saturn..." said the princess again as
   1.464 +she started to cry.  She tried make any sense she could out of the
   1.465 +situation.
   1.466 +
   1.467 +~*~*~*~*~
   1.468 +
   1.469 +        Saturn reached her bedroom and shut the door with a slam.  Thank
   1.470 +kami Uranus and Neptune weren't home, she thought.  She flung herself on
   1.471 +the bed and started to sob.  A million confusing emotions were running
   1.472 +through her head.  Not the least of which was the total rush she felt
   1.473 +when Small Lady's lips touched her own.  Kami, kami, that had been so
   1.474 +stupid, she scolded herself.  She tried to remember why she had done it,
   1.475 +but she couldn't.  It was like a big blur in her mind.  The tears kept
   1.476 +streaming down her face.  Had she really sacrificed all those years of
   1.477 +friendship, all those years of waiting?  Small Lady was her first friend
   1.478 +and her best friend.  She was someone who would be friends with her when
   1.479 +no one else would.  No one was forcing the princess, she *wanted* to be
   1.480 +friends with her.  That had been a first for Saturn, all those years
   1.481 +ago.  Now Saturn thought she had thrown it all away, that her best
   1.482 +friend in the world hated her and no longer wanted to be her friend.
   1.483 +
   1.484 +        "Damn these lamps!" she screamed.  "Damn these lonely lamps!"
   1.485 +
   1.486 +~*~*~*~*~
   1.487 +
   1.488 +        Small Lady was really no better off.  She was still down at the
   1.489 +beach.  She just couldn't find the energy to stand up.  She kept going
   1.490 +over and over the events that had happened.  She still didn't understand
   1.491 +any of it.  Besides the kiss itself, she was mostly terrified of
   1.492 +Saturn's reaction.  She just ran away, she thought.  And that look she
   1.493 +gave me...  Is she really disgusted with me?  It was all so confusing. 
   1.494 +The worst part was she didn't know if they were still friends.  The
   1.495 +thought of not being friends with Saturn chilled her to the bone.  She
   1.496 +didn't know if she could live without her.  But what had the kiss meant? 
   1.497 +Was is just a kiss?  Or was it something more...?  Small Lady tried to
   1.498 +think about it, but it was like her brain turned to mush.  She just
   1.499 +wasn't sure of anything anymore.
   1.500 +
   1.501 +~*~*~*~*~
   1.502 +
   1.503 +        A sporty looking transport pulled into the garage of the beach
   1.504 +house.  It's three occupants got out, and started taking in groceries.
   1.505 +
   1.506 +        "With all this technology, you'd think they be able to sell ripe
   1.507 +tomatoes, wouldn't you?" complained Neptune.
   1.508 +
   1.509 +        Uranus just laughed.  "Maybe something else in here needs a
   1.510 +little ripening, ne?"
   1.511 +
   1.512 +        Neptune threw a sultry glance her way.  "Maybe you're right. 
   1.513 +You can never tell until you feel the softness..."
   1.514 +
   1.515 +        Pluto, being used to similar exchanges for centuries, virtually
   1.516 +ignored them, and started to put away the groceries.  Young love, she
   1.517 +thought absentmindedly.  Suddenly she realised Saturn and Small Lady
   1.518 +weren't there to greet them.  "Saturn to Small Lady wa?" she asked the
   1.519 +couple who were now in an embrace.
   1.520 +
   1.521 +        "E?" asked a puzzled Neptune.  "Maybe they're still down by the
   1.522 +beach.  Saturn mentioned something about going for a swim today.  Maybe
   1.523 +you better call them, dinner will be ready in half an hour."
   1.524 +
   1.525 +        Pluto nodded, and walked out the patio doors onto the deck.  She
   1.526 +couldn't see anyone on the beach, so she decided to look through the
   1.527 +house instead.  She heard some soft humming coming from one of the rooms
   1.528 +down the hall, so she went to check it out.  There, sitting in a
   1.529 +darkened room, she found Small Lady listening to some music with a head
   1.530 +set.
   1.531 +
   1.532 +        "Oh, hello, Puu," she said calmly.  "I didn't hear you guys get
   1.533 +back."
   1.534 +
   1.535 +        "Small Lady," asked Pluto cautiously, "is there something
   1.536 +wrong?"
   1.537 +
   1.538 +        "Hmm?  Oh no.  Nandemonai."  She just smiled.
   1.539 +
   1.540 +        The older Senshi looked at her strangely, then decided just to
   1.541 +tell her when dinner would be ready.  The princess said she'd be there
   1.542 +on time.
   1.543 +
   1.544 +        The Senshi of time had a similar experience when she found
   1.545 +Saturn in her room.  She just sat there calmly on her bed reading a
   1.546 +book, acting as if nothing was wrong.
   1.547 +
   1.548 +~*~*~*~*~
   1.549 +
   1.550 +        Dinner was an interesting experience to say the least.  Both
   1.551 +Small Lady and Saturn got there at the same time, but didn't seem to
   1.552 +look at each other.  Their faces showed signs of considerable stress,
   1.553 +and they bowed their heads while they ate.  The other three Senshi tried
   1.554 +to strike up conversations with them the whole time, but the most either
   1.555 +would give were one word replies.  The three, knowing something was
   1.556 +wrong, could just look at each other and shrug.  If this kept up, they
   1.557 +would have to do something, but right now it was best left alone.
   1.558 +
   1.559 +        Small Lady stared down into her rice bowl and tried to imagine
   1.560 +it as a snowy mountain in the winter, and skiing down it with the wind
   1.561 +blowing through her hair.  It would be better than being here, she
   1.562 +thought. God, anywhere would be better than here right now.  She...she
   1.563 +won't even look at me.  She must hate me.  The sight of chopsticks in
   1.564 +the bowl brought her back to reality again.  She just sighed.  Baka,
   1.565 +baka, baka.  I'm such a baka.
   1.566 +
   1.567 +        Atashi no baka, thought Saturn.  How could I just throw away
   1.568 +years of friendship for a kiss?  It's funny how something as simple as a
   1.569 +kiss can change one's life so drastically.  The memory kept tearing away
   1.570 +at Saturn's heart.  The thought of losing Small Lady...  She just
   1.571 +couldn't handle it.
   1.572 +
   1.573 +        The dishes were beginning to get washed up.  "Don't forget your
   1.574 +baths tonight, you two."  Sometimes Neptune forgot just how old they all
   1.575 +were.  Saturn just nodded and headed up the stairs.  Small Lady's heart
   1.576 +ached as she watched the other leave.  She waited until she was out of
   1.577 +sight before she went up, too.
   1.578 +
   1.579 +~*~*~*~*~
   1.580 +
   1.581 +        Saturn warmed the bath water, and settled in for a nice relaxing
   1.582 +soak.  She hoped some of the worries of the day would somehow just wash
   1.583 +away.  She was wrong.  Somehow her mind wouldn't let her think of
   1.584 +anything else.
   1.585 +
   1.586 +        Small Lady stood in the toilet room just outside the shower/bath
   1.587 +room.  She was ready for a bath, and was just wearing a robe.  She
   1.588 +sighed.  Part of her wanted to run in and make up with Saturn right
   1.589 +there.  The other half wanted to run as far away as possible.  She went
   1.590 +over her options.  If this was all a big misunderstanding, she could go
   1.591 +in and talk to Saturn about it and work things out.  On the other hand,
   1.592 +if Saturn hated her she could be told to get out and go back to Crystal
   1.593 +Tokyo.  Was the pain of not knowing worse than being rejected as a
   1.594 +friend?  Small Lady didn't know, but she did know that she needed
   1.595 +answers.  So far the night had been awful...  It couldn't really get
   1.596 +much worse.  That's when she decided.  For better or for worse, at least
   1.597 +they were going to talk about it.
   1.598 +
   1.599 +        The door to the shower room slid open, and Small Lady stepped
   1.600 +in.  Saturn was caught completely off guard, and instinctively lowered
   1.601 +herself in the tub to hide her body.
   1.602 +
   1.603 +        "We used to bathe together all the time.  Are you really that
   1.604 +ashamed now?"  Small Lady chanced a smile.
   1.605 +
   1.606 +        "Small Lady, I..."  Saturn trailed off.  She couldn't think of
   1.607 +the words to say.
   1.608 +
   1.609 +        "Look, Saturn...  We, we have to talk about this!  I can't go on
   1.610 +if things are going to be like tonight.  It's killing me!  I couldn't
   1.611 +stand it if you weren't my best friend!"  Both girls were sobbing.
   1.612 +
   1.613 +        "Then...  You don't hate me?"  Saturn looked so timid.
   1.614 +
   1.615 +        "Hate you?  Me?  I could never hate you!  You're my best
   1.616 +friend!"  Small Lady walked up to her, and sat on the edge of the tub. 
   1.617 +"I thought you hated *me*..."
   1.618 +
   1.619 +        "No!  Never!"  Saturn looked away from the girl.  "I'm sorry for
   1.620 +the way I acted.  I had no right to kiss you.  Then I was so afraid of
   1.621 +what you were going to say, that I just ran away.  I was scared."
   1.622 +
   1.623 +        "So that's why..."  Small Lady wiped away a few of her tears. 
   1.624 +"I thought you were disgusted because I kissed you..."
   1.625 +
   1.626 +        Saturn laughed.  It felt like the first laugh in a very long
   1.627 +time.  "I guess there was a little misunderstanding between the both of
   1.628 +us.  So...we're still friends?"
   1.629 +
   1.630 +        "Always and forever, right?"  Small Lady smiled.  Something was
   1.631 +still tearing at her mind.  "But I don't think we can just leave it at
   1.632 +that.  Something...happened between us.  I think we need to figure out
   1.633 +why."
   1.634 +
   1.635 +        Saturn looked depressed again.  "I couldn't get passed it
   1.636 +either.  The kiss, how did it make you feel?"
   1.637 +
   1.638 +        The other girl blinked.  "Nani?"
   1.639 +
   1.640 +        "How did it make you feel?  Inside?"
   1.641 +
   1.642 +        Small Lady thought back to the moment her lips touched Saturn's.
   1.643 +It was like someone had set a fire in her body.  Her head felt light,
   1.644 +and all she knew was that she wanted to continue...  "I can't lie.  It
   1.645 +felt good.  Very good.  But I don't want you to be scared away!  Just
   1.646 +staying friends is good enough for me."
   1.647 +
   1.648 +        Saturn looked at her, gratitude in her eyes.  "You'd do
   1.649 +something like that for me...  The truth is, I enjoyed it. too.  I'm
   1.650 +just not sure what that means.  Small Lady, why don't you come in?  The
   1.651 +water's nice and warm."
   1.652 +
   1.653 +        She hesitated a bit, but undid her robe, and then stepped into
   1.654 +the tub.  She submerged herself until her breasts were covered by the
   1.655 +soothing water.  "I don't know what it means, Saturn.  But I know I
   1.656 +can't just ignore my feelings!  Whatever...whatever happens between us,
   1.657 +I don't want our friendship to be affected.  I think that scares me more
   1.658 +than anything else."
   1.659 +
   1.660 +        "Atashi mo.  Today I've done a lot of thinking.  I don't think I
   1.661 +realised how strong my feelings were towards you.  It scared me.  It
   1.662 +scared me a lot."
   1.663 +
   1.664 +        Small Lady moved over to her friend to comfort her.  "Don't be
   1.665 +scared, Saturn.  We'll always have each other."  The princess leaned in
   1.666 +closer and kissed the black haired girl.  She expected the other might
   1.667 +back away, but she didn't.  Instead she returned the kiss with the same
   1.668 +vigour.  When they broke the kiss no one ran away.  There were no broken
   1.669 +hearts.
   1.670 +
   1.671 +~*~*~*~*~
   1.672 +
   1.673 +        Later that night in Saturn's bed, both girls laid on their
   1.674 +backs, and looked at the ceiling.  They were holding hands.
   1.675 +
   1.676 +        "It's almost as if someone removed a cloud from my mind," said
   1.677 +Small Lady.  "I think my feelings for you have been more than just
   1.678 +friendship for some time.  I didn't realise it before, though.  It's
   1.679 +like we were such good friends that our friendship grew into love."
   1.680 +
   1.681 +        The other girl looked over in surprise.  "Love?"
   1.682 +
   1.683 +        The princess blushed.  "Hai, love.  I love you, I really do. 
   1.684 +With all my heart and soul."
   1.685 +
   1.686 +        Saturn just gasped.  "I think it was the same for me.  Our
   1.687 +friendship was just so strong that it sort of mutated into love.  Now
   1.688 +that I see it, it all looks so clear."  Saturn looked Small Lady
   1.689 +straight in the eye.  "I do love you.  More than I will ever be able to
   1.690 +tell you."  Both girls smiled.  Saturn went on.  "I think...  I remember
   1.691 +being on Titan and thinking of you sometimes.  Sometimes I would think
   1.692 +of holding you, of being close with you.  But I buried the feelings so
   1.693 +deep that I didn't recognise them.  Until now."
   1.694 +
   1.695 +        Both girls got closer to one another so that they were almost in
   1.696 +an embrace.
   1.697 +
   1.698 +        "I don't ever want to let you go."
   1.699 +
   1.700 +        "Me neither."
   1.701 +
   1.702 +        They moved closer again, and touched lips for the third time. 
   1.703 +Their hands travelled up and down each others bodies, exploring the new
   1.704 +feelings they had.  They stopped for a moment and looked into the
   1.705 +other's eyes.  The both smiled as they saw the love and caring in them. 
   1.706 +They whispered "aishiteru" to each other, and went back to kissing and
   1.707 +trying to remove their partner's clothes.
   1.708 +
   1.709 +        A special night followed for both of them.  Special because of
   1.710 +the fact it was the first time for both of them, and because they were
   1.711 +glad to finally share how they felt with someone they loved more than
   1.712 +life itself.  Not just their bodies, but their souls touched that night. 
   1.713 +When their souls touched, they fused together as one, making the
   1.714 +partners two beings of one whole.  Forever, they would always be united 
   1.715 +as one.
   1.716 +
   1.717 +~*~*~*~*~
   1.718 +
   1.719 +        Birds chirped, and the sun cast a ray of light over the land
   1.720 +signalling the beginning of another day.  A body stirred slightly in a
   1.721 +bed.  The figure's eyes slowly opened, and were greeted with a welcome
   1.722 +sight.  She moved forward slowly, and kissed the other girl.  Her
   1.723 +friend's eyes fluttered open, and a smile crept across her face.
   1.724 +
   1.725 +	"Ohayou, Saturn."
   1.726 +
   1.727 +	"Ohayou, Small Lady."
   1.728 +
   1.729 +	They both just laid unmoving for several minutes.  They couldn't
   1.730 +take their eyes off of each other.  They would look up and down the
   1.731 +other person's body, all the time breathing in their wonderful sent.  It
   1.732 +was like a dream state, and neither one wanted to leave.
   1.733 +
   1.734 +	"I suppose we should get up, ne?" said the princess in a voice
   1.735 +that told she really didn't want to.
   1.736 +
   1.737 +	"I suppose," the other replied.
   1.738 +
   1.739 +	Several more minutes passed where neither one moved.
   1.740 +
   1.741 +	"Although..." chanced Saturn, "we *are* on vacation..."
   1.742 +
   1.743 +	Small Lady's eyes lit up.  "Sou ne...  It's not like we have any
   1.744 +official business we have to do..."  She leaned forward, and their lips
   1.745 +met again in a passionate kiss.  "After all, we're here to have fun." 
   1.746 +Now a wicked smile crossed her face, which made the other girl laugh.
   1.747 +
   1.748 +~*~*~*~*~
   1.749 +
   1.750 +	Small Lady and Saturn were late coming down for breakfast.  The
   1.751 +others were worried because of the way the two had acted last night. 
   1.752 +They weren't sure what was going on.  They were beginning to think they
   1.753 +might never come.  Needless to say, they were shocked when the two girls
   1.754 +came bounding down the stairs happily, while holding hands.
   1.755 +
   1.756 +	"Ohayou gozaimasu!" chimed Saturn.
   1.757 +
   1.758 +	"O- Ohayou," replied Neptune.  She had a look of confusion on her
   1.759 +face.
   1.760 +
   1.761 +	"What's for breakfast?" asked Small Lady.  Then she saw the eggs
   1.762 +and rice already laid out for them.  "Ah!  Arigatou.  Gomen, omatase." 
   1.763 +She stuck her free hand behind her head to show her slight
   1.764 +embarrassment.
   1.765 +
   1.766 +	The rest of breakfast went fairly normal for everyone.  Uranus was
   1.767 +reading the paper, Pluto was sipping her coffee, and Neptune was reading
   1.768 +a good book she had started last night.  Small Lady and Saturn happily
   1.769 +talked away while consuming their meal.  The only strange thing was they
   1.770 +never stopped holding hands the entire time.
   1.771 +
   1.772 +	Uranus threw a glance over to Neptune, who raised an eyebrow.  But
   1.773 +neither said anything.  It was when the plates were being put away that
   1.774 +Pluto finally spoke up.
   1.775 +
   1.776 +	"Saturn, Small Lady, can we talk to you for a minute?"
   1.777 +
   1.778 +	The two girls just looked at each other with puzzled expressions
   1.779 +on their faces, and nodded.  The five made their way over to the living
   1.780 +room, and sat down.  At first there was only silence.
   1.781 +
   1.782 +	Uranus was the first to speak.  "We're...concerned about you two. 
   1.783 +Yesterday it seemed like you didn't want to have anything to do with one
   1.784 +another, but today you're close again.  Even closer than before."
   1.785 +
   1.786 +	Neptune jumped in.  "Don't get us wrong, we don't want to invade
   1.787 +your privacy.  If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. 
   1.788 +You're both adults; you can handle you're own problems, but we just want
   1.789 +to let you know we're here if you wanted to talk."
   1.790 +
   1.791 +	Pluto decided to add something.  "We love you both dearly.  We
   1.792 +don't like seeing you hurt.  Sometimes it helps to talk to other
   1.793 +people."  She smiled at them.
   1.794 +
   1.795 +	Small Lady looked at her friend, and smiled slightly.  Saturn
   1.796 +smiled back and squeezed her hand reassuringly.  "There's really no
   1.797 +sense in keeping it a secret.  I think we should tell them everything."
   1.798 +
   1.799 +	Saturn nodded.  "There shouldn't be secrets in a family.  I guess
   1.800 +we should just get it out in the open first.  Small Lady and I are
   1.801 +partners.  We're in love."  The two sat closer together, and held each
   1.802 +other protectively.
   1.803 +
   1.804 +	The three glanced at one another, and blinked a couple of times. 
   1.805 +There was no denying the shock they felt.  Then large smiles crept
   1.806 +across their faces.
   1.807 +
   1.808 +	"We're glad for you," said Neptune.  "It's always wonderful to
   1.809 +find someone you love."  She looked over at Uranus who was already
   1.810 +looking at her.
   1.811 +
   1.812 +	Saturn and Small Lady let out a sigh of relief.  Well, the worst
   1.813 +part was over.  "Arigatou," said Saturn.  "Your blessing means a lot to
   1.814 +us."
   1.815 +
   1.816 +	"I knew it," said Uranus half jokingly.  "It's too bad all the
   1.817 +pretty girls are already taken."  She winked at Small Lady, who had a
   1.818 +very large blush across her cheeks.
   1.819 +
   1.820 +	"Uranus!" scolded Saturn.  They all laughed.  The family was back
   1.821 +together.
   1.822 +
   1.823 +	"But," broke in Pluto, "that still doesn't explain the way you
   1.824 +were acting yesterday.  Why were you both so depressed?"
   1.825 +
   1.826 +	Small Lady sighed.  It still brought pain to her heart to think
   1.827 +about it.  "Up until yesterday, we weren't sure of how we felt. 
   1.828 +Actually," she laughed a little, "we weren't even really aware of it."
   1.829 +
   1.830 +	Saturn jumped in, sensing her friend was having a hard time. 
   1.831 +"There was a misunderstanding.  Our feelings were confused.  During
   1.832 +dinner we weren't sure what to say to each other, and we were ashamed. 
   1.833 +Both of us were afraid of losing a friend.  But," Saturn looked Small
   1.834 +Lady in the eye, "we talked about it, and we managed to work it all out. 
   1.835 +That's when we revealed how we truly felt."  She left out the details
   1.836 +about the kiss, and the night that followed, but it was enough to make
   1.837 +her parents understand.  Besides, they were probably filling in the
   1.838 +details for themselves anyway.
   1.839 +
   1.840 +	"Are you going to tell the others?" asked Uranus.
   1.841 +
   1.842 +	"Hai," said Small Lady.  "Actually, we plan on discussing it with
   1.843 +my parents first.  Mama's been bugging me to find a koibito for the last
   1.844 +little while, so we'll see how that goes.  Then we'll tell the others."
   1.845 +
   1.846 +	"So," said Saturn, "before we have to go back on Saturday, we plan
   1.847 +on enjoying the last few days.  No worries, no troubles.  Just a couple
   1.848 +enjoying their time together."  They both smiled.  The next few days
   1.849 +would be bliss.
   1.850 +
   1.851 +~*~*~*~*~
   1.852 +
   1.853 +	Later that day Saturn was alone in the kitchen trying to find
   1.854 +something to snack on.  She didn't hear anyone come up behind her.
   1.855 +
   1.856 +	"Saturn," said a woman with long aqua hair.
   1.857 +
   1.858 +	"Ah, Neptune," said Saturn as she turned around.  "Doushitano?"
   1.859 +
   1.860 +	Neptune didn't say anything, but showed how she felt with her
   1.861 +actions.  She hugged the younger girl and held her in her arms.
   1.862 +
   1.863 +	"Neptune?"
   1.864 +
   1.865 +	"Gomen," said the woman, still holding her.  "Saturn, I really
   1.866 +want you to know how happy I am, how happy we all are about you and
   1.867 +Small Lady.  And I want to let you know that we'll support you in any
   1.868 +way."  She laughed a little.  "But why do I feel like I'm losing you?"
   1.869 +
   1.870 +	"Mama," Saturn said in almost a whisper.  "I'm 915 years old.  I
   1.871 +think it's time you let go."
   1.872 +
   1.873 +	The other laughed.  "I suppose you're right.  But you'll always be
   1.874 +my little girl.  I hoped you'd find someone to love and be loved by. 
   1.875 +Now you have.  I hope you become very happy, musume."
   1.876 +
   1.877 +	"Arigatou, mama.  I love you."
   1.878 +
   1.879 +~*~*~*~*~
   1.880 +
   1.881 +	Saturday morning rolled around far too quickly for the happy
   1.882 +couple.  They wanted to stay at the beach house for all eternity,
   1.883 +without having to face the real world, but they couldn't do it, and they
   1.884 +knew it.  The morning was being spent packing up luggage and saying
   1.885 +goodbye.  It could be months until they got to see these Senshi again. 
   1.886 +It surprised them when Uranus offered to drive them back to Crystal
   1.887 +Tokyo.  They accepted, of course, but they sensed a motive behind her
   1.888 +asking.
   1.889 +
   1.890 +	Pretty soon they were on the road, or the sky, actually.  With
   1.891 +Uranus driving it would probably take them twenty minutes to arrive at
   1.892 +their destination.  Or it would, if she drove as fast as she usually
   1.893 +did.  Today it seemed almost as if she was holding back.  Neither girl
   1.894 +knew why, but they were just content to sit in the back seat holding
   1.895 +hands.  They would get to Crystal Tokyo soon enough.
   1.896 +
   1.897 +	"I have a little story to tell you," said Uranus, which slightly
   1.898 +surprised the girls.  "It goes back quite a ways, but I think it's
   1.899 +important."
   1.900 +
   1.901 +	Saturn winced slightly.  She knew what was coming.  She didn't
   1.902 +know all that much about Uranus or Neptune before they became her
   1.903 +parents, except the little bits they told her.  She knew for a fact that
   1.904 +it was very painful for both of them, so she never pressed the issue. 
   1.905 +She was a little scared, so she squeezed Small Lady's hand.  The other
   1.906 +looked at her slightly confused, but smiled at the same time.
   1.907 +
   1.908 +	"It's about Neptune and I...when we were young."  She seemed to
   1.909 +pause for a bit.  "When I first laid eyes on her, I couldn't believe
   1.910 +how beautiful she was.  She was like a shimmering angel trying to pull
   1.911 +me out of the darkness of my existence.  I had been having dreams about
   1.912 +her and the mission for some time.  So while I was overjoyed at meeting
   1.913 +her in real life, I pushed her away, because I was afraid of the
   1.914 +mission, and all I would have to give up.  But she wouldn't give up. 
   1.915 +She always has been persistent."  She stopped and laughed.  "Actually
   1.916 +she told me she had been following my F1 career long before she knew
   1.917 +about the mission.  She would always watch from a distance...
   1.918 +
   1.919 +	"Anyway, I eventually gave into her.  I couldn't help myself, I
   1.920 +had fallen in love.  For the next little while we were very concerned
   1.921 +about the mission.  It meant saving the world from the silence, so we
   1.922 +had to stay focused.  But at the same time...  At the same time we grew
   1.923 +closer as a couple.  I began to wonder how I ever lived my life without
   1.924 +this woman.  Before any of this had happened I had already left home. 
   1.925 +Being at home was just too painful.  After I left I vowed to make *my*
   1.926 +family life a happy one."  Uranus winked at Saturn, who smiled.  "But
   1.927 +Neptune was still living at home.  She was distant from her parents,
   1.928 +they really didn't seem that interested in her, and I think they fought
   1.929 +a lot.
   1.930 +
   1.931 +	"Something happened that I'll regret for the rest of my life.  Her
   1.932 +parents were on vacation.  I think it was Hawaii or some such place. 
   1.933 +So, Neptune invited me over.  It was a very special night.  We ate by
   1.934 +candle light, and played a lovely duet afterwards.  It was almost
   1.935 +magical.  I should have went home right then, but I didn't.  Her scent
   1.936 +intoxicated me, and drew me in.  I couldn't leave her arms."  Uranus
   1.937 +coughed a bit, sensing the blushes on the other girls' cheeks.  "To make
   1.938 +a long story short, her parents came home unexpectedly that night.  They
   1.939 +were none too pleased when they found me sharing a bed with their
   1.940 +daughter...  They said some horrible things to Neptune, to us both. 
   1.941 +Needless to say we left that night and never looked back, thereby
   1.942 +severing our family contacts forever."
   1.943 +
   1.944 +	Uranus looked back at the couple, they had slightly pained
   1.945 +expressions on their faces.  "Gomen, I didn't tell you that story to
   1.946 +scare you.  Far from it.  Small Lady, you're mother is a very caring
   1.947 +woman, you have nothing to worry about.  But you have to be prepared for
   1.948 +the reaction of the masses.  You're Princess Serenity, heir to the
   1.949 +throne of the Moon Kingdom, wielder of the most power force in the
   1.950 +galaxy.  You have to expect some sort of negative reaction to your
   1.951 +decision."
   1.952 +
   1.953 +	"Uranus, this is Crystal Tokyo.  We're in an age of peace and
   1.954 +love.  People's opinion's have changed over the past 900 some years."
   1.955 +said the princess in a calm voice.
   1.956 +
   1.957 +	The blond woman tried to smile.  How naive she is, she thought. 
   1.958 +"That's true.  You'll have an easier time than Neptune and I ever had,
   1.959 +but you have to expect some resistance.  Some of the fringe religious
   1.960 +groups are still around, and they can get quite opinionated."
   1.961 +
   1.962 +	By this time Small Lady was slightly angry.  "So what do you want
   1.963 +me to do, Uranus?  Just give Saturn up?  I can't do that!  I'm not going
   1.964 +to bow to any sort of public pressure!"
   1.965 +
   1.966 +	"No, no, please don't get me wrong, princess.  You know how I feel
   1.967 +about your partnership.  If anything I'll be the first to protect you if
   1.968 +any controversy comes of your announcement."  She sighed.  How could she
   1.969 +make the younger girl understand?  "I just don't want this to be a shock
   1.970 +for you.  I want you to stand strong if any resistance does come up."
   1.971 +
   1.972 +	Saturn had been sitting quietly for some time, but now spoke up. 
   1.973 +"Uranus," she said in a loving voice, "believe me, we appreciate your
   1.974 +concern.  We understand what you're trying to say.  But Small Lady and I
   1.975 +have a force stronger than any resistance we might come up against.  We
   1.976 +have love.  If we stand together, no harm will come, ne?"
   1.977 +
   1.978 +	"Sou," said Small Lady.  "All we need is each other.  It might be
   1.979 +a little selfish view, but it's true.  We'll be together, and that's all
   1.980 +that matters."
   1.981 +
   1.982 +	Uranus smiled.  "Yokata na.  Forgive me, I just wanted to make
   1.983 +sure that you were ready.  Now there's no doubt that you are."
   1.984 +
   1.985 +	The transport picked up speed, and zoomed along to Crystal Palace,
   1.986 +which was just starting to appear in the distance.
   1.987 +
   1.988 +~*~*~*~*~
   1.989 +
   1.990 +	"Serenity-sama," said a servant, "you have visitors."
   1.991 +
   1.992 +	"Thank you, Naomi-san.  Please show them in."
   1.993 +
   1.994 +	Neo Queen Serenity sat in one of her private chambers overlooking
   1.995 +a spectacular view of Crystal Tokyo.  Of course, any room in the palace
   1.996 +had a spectacular view since it was situated in the centre of the city.
   1.997 +This particular room, however, was facing the south, which held a
   1.998 +dazzling view of the Tokyo Tower.  After all these years it was still
   1.999 +standing.  King Endymion was in the adjoining room attending to some
  1.1000 +paper work.  Serenity herself was just about to start work on answering
  1.1001 +the many communiques she had received over the past day.
  1.1002 +
  1.1003 +	The door to the room opened slowly, and in stepped Small Lady in
  1.1004 +her full princess gown and Sailorsaturn in her star fuku, Silence Glaive
  1.1005 +in hand.  Both women bowed respectfully, which slightly surprised the
  1.1006 +older woman who wasn't used to such formal treatment by her daughter and
  1.1007 +close friends.
  1.1008 +
  1.1009 +	"Small Lady, Sailorsaturn.  Please come in and have a seat."
  1.1010 +
  1.1011 +	"Mama, we're sorry to disturb you, but we would like to talk to
  1.1012 +you about something important.  I'd like papa to come in, too."  The two
  1.1013 +sat down on the couch and held hands.
  1.1014 +
  1.1015 +	"Small Lady, I'm never too busy for you," she said with a smile. 
  1.1016 +She called to the other room.  "Endymion, Small Lady and Saturn are
  1.1017 +back.  They'd like to talk to us."
  1.1018 +
  1.1019 +	A man in a lavender tuxedo entered the room with a smile on his
  1.1020 +face.  "Okaerinasai.  My, don't we look formal today?"  He gave a little
  1.1021 +wink.
  1.1022 +
  1.1023 +	"I hope you both enjoyed your vacation, ne?" asked the queen.
  1.1024 +
  1.1025 +	The two couldn't help but smile.  "Hai, it was the best week of
  1.1026 +our lives, Serenity," spoke Saturn.
  1.1027 +
  1.1028 +	"Now, what would you like to talk to us about?"
  1.1029 +
  1.1030 +	Saturn squeezed Small Lady's hand.  It was a bit harder than
  1.1031 +telling Uranus-tachi, but they couldn't back down now.  Small Lady
  1.1032 +squeezed back, and had a look of confidence on her face.
  1.1033 +
  1.1034 +	"Mama, while I was on vacation...I fell in love."  Saturn beamed. 
  1.1035 +So far, so good.
  1.1036 +
  1.1037 +	Happiness and shock seemed to express themselves on the king and
  1.1038 +queen at the same time.  "That's wonderful, Small Lady," said the queen. 
  1.1039 +"Who's the lucky person?"
  1.1040 +
  1.1041 +	"She's right here.  Mama, I fell in love with Sailorsaturn."
  1.1042 +
  1.1043 +	"Queen, King, before you say anything," spoke Saturn with clear
  1.1044 +devotion in her eyes, "please listen to what I have to say.  I love your
  1.1045 +daughter.  I lover her dearly.  As you know, we've been friends for a
  1.1046 +long time.  Long ago we swore we'd never be apart.  Over time, and
  1.1047 +partly without our knowledge, that devotion and friendship turned into
  1.1048 +love.  It's a deep love and we cherish it dearly.  Please, you have to
  1.1049 +see that we're taking this very seriously."  Saturn was looking the
  1.1050 +queen straight in the eye, trying to look as sincere as possible.
  1.1051 +
  1.1052 +	"Saturn," said the queen softly, "daijoubu yo.  I know you would
  1.1053 +not make an announcement like this without thinking it through
  1.1054 +thoroughly.  I can see how deeply you care for one another."
  1.1055 +
  1.1056 +	Small Lady and Saturn didn't quite know what to think at this
  1.1057 +point.  Was that a blessing, or was there going to be a "but" to this
  1.1058 +statement.  Waiting was killing them.
  1.1059 +
  1.1060 +	The queen surprised them slightly by getting up from her chair and
  1.1061 +walking over to them.  She surprised them even more when she began to
  1.1062 +give them both a big hug.  "Omedetou ne!  I'm so happy for you both!"
  1.1063 +
  1.1064 +	"So, you're okay with it?" asked Small Lady hesitantly.
  1.1065 +
  1.1066 +	"Okay with it?  I'm overjoyed!  We both want to see you happy
  1.1067 +with someone, and now it's come true.  We're glad you could find love in
  1.1068 +such a close friend."  The queen looked like she was glowing.
  1.1069 +
  1.1070 +	"Small Lady, Saturn, Serenity and I wish you all the best.  We
  1.1071 +love you both." spoke the king with clear emotion in his voice.
  1.1072 +
  1.1073 +	"Papa, mama," said the princess with tears in her eyes. 
  1.1074 +"Arigatou."  She held Saturn in an embrace and hugged her tightly.
  1.1075 +
  1.1076 +	"Do you plan to tell the others?" asked Serenity, while wiping the
  1.1077 +tears from her face.
  1.1078 +
  1.1079 +	"Hai.  Uranus-tachi already know, and we'll tell the other Senshi
  1.1080 +whenever we can get them all together.  And...I know I'll have to make
  1.1081 +an announcement to the world soon.  It'll just get leaked to the press
  1.1082 +anyway.  I'm prepared, mama.  We both are.  But we're also both strong
  1.1083 +enough to get through any hard times.  Love conquers all, ne?"
  1.1084 +
  1.1085 +	"Sou ne," spoke her mother.  "Love is everything."
  1.1086 +
  1.1087 +~*~*~*~*~
  1.1088 +
  1.1089 +To be continued in part 3. ^_^;
  1.1090 +
  1.1091 +	Well, that was a whole lot longer than part 1, eh?  Parts 3 and 4
  1.1092 +may not be as long.  I don't really know. ^_^;
  1.1093 +
  1.1094 +Okay, there will be fairly long author's comments this time.  Yay! :P
  1.1095 +
  1.1096 +	Chibiusa and Hotaru as a couple.  Some of you may be thinking, "Is
  1.1097 +this girl out of her mind?"  But it interested me, and I thought it
  1.1098 +would make a good fanfic. :)  There's only circumstantial evidence to
  1.1099 +support it in the manga, but those few pictures were enough to peek my
  1.1100 +interest.  Stay tuned for the next two parts, though.  They may just
  1.1101 +surprise you (ooh, plot twist! :P).
  1.1102 +
  1.1103 +	It took all my will power not to call Saturn "Hotaru" and Small
  1.1104 +Lady "Chibiusa."  Or to use Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna's names, for
  1.1105 +that matter.  Never in the manga do we see them using their human names
  1.1106 +in Crystal Tokyo, so it's fairly safe to assume that they never do. 
  1.1107 +And, of course, we *know* Chibiusa was a 20th century invention and that
  1.1108 +everyone in the future calls her Small Lady.  Still, it was hard.  I had
  1.1109 +to hit backspace more than a few times, lemme tell ya. ^_-
  1.1110 +
  1.1111 +	Now a note about all the ages and dates I threw at you.  Some of
  1.1112 +them may not seem to make sense, so I'll go over them in detail. 
  1.1113 +Remember, this is canon as per the manga. :)
  1.1114 +
  1.1115 +* June 30 2001 - this should be when Usagi turns 22, if we assume she
  1.1116 +turned 17 in June 1996 (this is when the fifth series manga came out,
  1.1117 +and Usagi was in second year high school (Grade 11) at the time).  The
  1.1118 +second series manga establishes she rises to power and gives birth to
  1.1119 +Chibiusa when she turns 22 (since Usagi and Chibiusa share the same
  1.1120 +birthday, this seems to be the only plausible date).  Plus it makes
  1.1121 +sense since 2001 is the first *real* year of the new millennium.
  1.1122 +
  1.1123 +* Hotaru at twelve-years-old - I meant in appearance.  She'd actually be
  1.1124 +about a year old at this point (since the reincarnation).
  1.1125 +
  1.1126 +* Small Lady at 910-years-old looking 18 - If we assume she turns 904 in
  1.1127 +1996 (she turned 902 in '94 in an enikki), and since she looked 12 in
  1.1128 +'96, we can assume, if she continues to age normally, that she'll look
  1.1129 +18 when she turns 910.  In the 30th century, the year would be 2911
  1.1130 +(2001 plus 910).
  1.1131 +
  1.1132 +* Saturn not ageing for 905 years and stopping her growth at age 22 - We
  1.1133 +know Usagi stopped ageing at 22, so it's probably the same for the
  1.1134 +others.  By 22 I mean the appearance of age 22.  Saturn would have
  1.1135 +actually been 11-years-old, and the year would be 2006.  Subtract 2006
  1.1136 +from 2911 and you get 905 years.
  1.1137 +
  1.1138 +* Saturn at 916-years-old - 2911 subtract 1995 (when she was
  1.1139 +reincarnated) equals 916.
  1.1140 +
  1.1141 +If there are any other dates that I missed, they should all fit this
  1.1142 +timeline in a similar fashion.
  1.1143 +
  1.1144 +	If any details don't make sense, like who Sailorvesta is, or what
  1.1145 +Titan Castle is, you'll have to read the manga to understand fully.  It
  1.1146 +doesn't make much sense to go into a long explanation here. :)
  1.1147 +
  1.1148 +	Yes, I know I based Uranus' speech on anime events, but nothing is
  1.1149 +mentioned about it in the manga, so I took a little artistic license. ;) 
  1.1150 +And I think I kept it general enough that it probably fits the manga
  1.1151 +anyway. :)
  1.1152 +
  1.1153 +	Okay, feedback time. ;)  If you have any questions or comments,
  1.1154 +just email me at ajhd@king.igs.net.  And if you don't, but liked the fic
  1.1155 +anyway, arigatou.  I know I never email people even when I like their
  1.1156 +fanfics. ^_^;;  Well, that's not true.  I did email Tim Nolan once. ^_^;
  1.1157 +
  1.1158 +	Extra special thanks to Jay Dee Archer (aka Jupiter Knight) for
  1.1159 +proof reading my fanfic for me!  Arigatou gozaimashita!  Go see Jupiter 
  1.1160 +Knight's fanfic archive, he has lots of great stories. ^_^
  1.1161 +
  1.1162 +http://www.dragonfire.net/~JupiterKnight/
  1.1163 +
  1.1164 +	Music I was listening to when I wrote this: Disc 1 & 2 from the
  1.1165 +Memorial Music Box (first season BGM).  Actually, by pure coincidence,
  1.1166 +I was listening to the same BGM that played during the end of ep 88 when
  1.1167 +I was writing the 'Chibiusa returns home' scene.  Any similarities can
  1.1168 +be blamed on that. :P
  1.1169 +
  1.1170 +Completed: Aug 20th 1998.
  1.1171 \ No newline at end of file