rlm@2: Hello everyone! ^-^ This story is something I'm very glad to have finished. rlm@2: It took me nearly two years from start to finish. Sometimes it would move rlm@2: to the back of my mind for a while when I was working on other stories or rlm@2: projects, but it would always lurk there until I would give it my full rlm@2: attention again. This is my written version of Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon rlm@2: S based off of Naoko Takeuchi's manga rather than the anime. It started rlm@2: as a simple enough idea. I wanted to expand upon some of the points in rlm@2: the manga. That's where ChibiUsa & Hotaru's most romantic scenes were rlm@2: to begin with, anyway. ^-^ But it grew after that. Slowly but surely. And rlm@2: this is the end result. I can't say it's one of my best works, but I rlm@2: certainly enjoyed writing a good deal of it. ^-^ It took me two years to rlm@2: finish, so a lot of my writing isn't really as good as it could be as my rlm@2: editor reminded me, so I take all of the blame for tarnishing Naoko rlm@2: Takeuchi's manga. ^-^;; I really do hope you all enjoy this. ^-^ Now I rlm@2: just need to start up SuperS and go through Sailorstars and this little rlm@2: project should be done in another two years or more. ^^;; I'd like to thank rlm@2: Boco the Chokobo for all of the contributions to this story and for being rlm@2: so kind as to edit it for me when I don't have the patience to do it myself. rlm@2: I tried to follow the manga very closely, but there are some times when the rlm@2: story veers, so please bear with me. ^-^;; I borrowed heavily from manga rlm@2: translations to keep myself on track for the most part, but it was a lot of rlm@2: fun to see how things turned out anyway. ^=^ Thank you very much for reading rlm@2: this and if you have any comments or suggestions, please e-mail me. ^-^ rlm@2: rlm@2: Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon - Infinity I Alternate rlm@2: 'Eye of the Beholder' - Prologue rlm@2: by Amazoness Duo rlm@2: amazonessduo@hotmail.com rlm@2: rlm@2: "I thought it was around here.." ChibiUsa let out a sigh as she walked rlm@2: along. She had come to the Mugen Gakuen amusement park with Mamoru, Momoko, rlm@2: Diana, and some classmates, but she had lost her hat riding the roller coaster, rlm@2: and had seperated to look for it. She was having a great time overall, but rlm@2: something felt wrong. A strange feeling in the pit of her stomach just wouldn't rlm@2: leave her. She felt an urgent need to hurry. "It must be the other side of rlm@2: that building.." rlm@2: Looking around her, as she entered the secluded area in the shadow of the rlm@2: skyscraper, the pink-haired girl found herself near the Infinity Academy, Mugen rlm@2: Gakuen. The feeling of dread wouldn't go away. It worsened as she came near a rlm@2: red and white warning sign. "I can read that," she said to herself, barely able rlm@2: to make out the complicated kanji. "..research labs? Oh, here it is." The hat rlm@2: had been blown by the wind into a corner of this section of the building. The rlm@2: princess picked it up and dusted it off. "I bought it for Ikuko-mama, so I'm rlm@2: glad I found it again." Taking a better look at her surroundings, hat in hand, rlm@2: she gasped at the sight unfolding in front of her. A raven haired girl wearing rlm@2: the Mugen Gakuen school uniform was having a coughing fit. It sounded pretty rlm@2: bad. "Hey, are you okay?" rlm@2: ChibiUsa went over to the other girl, a hand going to the pale child's rlm@2: shoulder. The girl's arm came up, forcing her own away from her, the other rlm@2: clutching her chest as coughs wracked her weak body. "It's okay.. this happens rlm@2: all the time... but you should go away. The area is.. off limits..." rlm@2: Before the pink-haired girl could respond, her blonde mother had rounded rlm@2: the corner at a dead run. Strangely enough, she was also in a Mugen Gakuen rlm@2: uniform, but she had no time to ask why before the older girl began: "What are rlm@2: you doing here by yourself, ChibiUsa-chan!! You should know better, it's rlm@2: dangerous here!" rlm@2: ChibiUsa responded defensively. "I lost the hat I bought for Ikuko-mama, rlm@2: and then this girl.. I guess she's okay, but she looked hurt." Just as quickly rlm@2: as the words left her mouth, the princess felt her broach reacting. "The rlm@2: Crystal..?" rlm@2: "ChibiUsa-chan! Abunai!!" A large black monster had grown out of the rlm@2: darkness was hovering over the three girls. Acting as quickly as she could, rlm@2: ChibiUsa changed into Sailorchibimoon. Not having time for a fancy speech, she rlm@2: threw herself between the Daimon and the beautiful raven haired girl. rlm@2: The Daimon lunged forward towards the two girls. Chibimoon brought her arm rlm@2: up in front of her as the beast came crashing into her. The dark haired girl rlm@2: screamed as Chibimoon fell backwards. rlm@2: "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" Sailormoon's voice rang through the haze of rlm@2: pain seeping into Chibimoon's mind. Before the Daimon could do anything, it was rlm@2: hit by Sailormoon's attack. A cat lay on the floor where moments before a rlm@2: Daimon had been. rlm@2: Breathing a sigh of relief, Chibimoon shakily got to her feet. She quickly rlm@2: turned around to check on the dark haired schoolgirl. The girl was on her rlm@2: knees, her hands clenched against her chest. She looked up, her silver grey rlm@2: eyes still frightened. Their mysterious depths left the pink haired girl rlm@2: speechless as she tried to think. rlm@2: "Who.. are you..? Why did you save me?" the raven haired girl asked, short rlm@2: of breath. rlm@2: Chibimoon smiled broadly and held out a hand to the other girl. Her knees rlm@2: felt weak and a newer feeling in her stomach replaced the feelings of dread rlm@2: she'd had. Her crimson eyes looked deeply into the silver eyes pointed up at rlm@2: her. "We are the Soldiers of Justice! Sailormoon and Sailorchibimoon." She rlm@2: really wanted to see this girl again for some odd reason. She hoped this rlm@2: wouldn't be the last she would see of her. "Are you okay? Were you hurt?" she rlm@2: asked, concerned. rlm@2: The raven haired girl took Chibimoon by the wrist, pulling her forward. rlm@2: "You are the one who's hurt," she said softly, eyes seeming to shine in the rlm@2: darkness. "You got hurt for me." rlm@2: "What?" Chibimoon gasped as she felt the bloody gash on her arm where the rlm@2: Daimon had hit her. She hadn't noticed before, but now that she did, pain shot rlm@2: through her arm. She felt a bit sick at the sight of her own blood. rlm@2: The schoolgirl held Chibimoon's arm, gently placing her hand over the rlm@2: wound. Chibimoon looked down at the other girl, confused about what she was rlm@2: doing. The raven haired girl looked back up at her, dispelling her concerns for rlm@2: the moment. rlm@2: Mamoru showed up just as two figures leaped off, from the shadows: a green- rlm@2: haired woman in a sailor fuku, and a platinum blond man in cape and mask. rlm@2: Apparently they had watched the whole thing from the sidelines. "Wait!" rlm@2: Sailormoon yelled after them, to no avail. rlm@2: Chibimoon watched as the girl's eyes fell closed. She seemed to be rlm@2: concentrating intently. Chibimoon gasped as a glow began to surround her arm rlm@2: and the other girl's hands. A warm feeling flooded through her, eminating from rlm@2: the girl's hands, but passing over Chibimoon's whole body. Finally, the glow rlm@2: began to dissipate. Pulling her arm up after the dark haired girl had let go of rlm@2: it, she could see that the wound was now not much more than a bad scratch. rlm@2: "Usagi! Look, my wound.." rlm@2: Taking Chibimoon's arm again, the raven haired girl began to bandage it rlm@2: with her hankerchief. Not looking at the pink haired senshi, she began rlm@2: explaining as if she'd read Chibimoon's mind. "I've been able to do that since rlm@2: I was very young. I can heal injuries, but it takes a lot out of me." The pale rlm@2: girl looked down sadly. "But it frightens everyone around me when I do that." rlm@2: She sighed, running her fingers through her dark hair. rlm@2: Chibimoon looked down at the dark haired girl in amazement. "I think it's rlm@2: wonderful..." she said softly. rlm@2: The raven haired girl looked up at the future princess oddly, finished rlm@2: bandaging her arm. She blinked in confusion, looking up into those crimson gems rlm@2: that stared down at her. The other sailor senshi were talking behind them, but rlm@2: she didn't seem to notice. "You... You do?" The question came out softly. How rlm@2: could anyone think its wonderful? It seemed impossible to the girl. rlm@2: Chibimoon nodded emphatically. "Un, it's amazing! My arm feels so much rlm@2: better now. Thank you." Looking down into two silvery pools, Chibimoon felt rlm@2: herself being drawn in by this mysterious girl. She longed for that gentle rlm@2: touch, that warm feeling again. rlm@2: "And thank you for saving me." The raven haired girl let a small smile rlm@2: play across her lips. It was the first time Chibimoon had seen her smile. It rlm@2: was beautiful. This girl didn't seem to smile much, but it sent a thrill rlm@2: through the pink haired girl just to see it. Right there, Chibimoon vowed that rlm@2: she'd get her to smile more. "You should disinfect that when you get home," the rlm@2: raven haired girl said, motioning to Chibimoon's arm. "But right now, you rlm@2: should go. If the guards find you, you'll be in a lot of trouble." rlm@2: "Thanks." Chibimoon smiles gratefully. The pink haired senshi paused rlm@2: before leaving. It didn't feel right to leave yet. More importantly, she rlm@2: didn't want to leave yet. She wanted to see the dark haired girl again. rlm@2: "Umm... If you don't mind, could you tell me something? What's your name?" rlm@2: "Tomoe Hotaru," Hotaru said softly, finally getting to her feet. The two rlm@2: girls looked at each other for a long silent moment. Turning to leave, she rlm@2: whispered back over her shoulder, "Be careful." rlm@2: Chibimoon watched after Hotaru as she entered the building through large rlm@2: double doors. The girl's name ran through her mind over and over again as she rlm@2: watched the girl's retreating form. "Firefly," she said quietly. rlm@2: rlm@2: Hotaru collapsed near the doorway shortly after she got home. Pain shot rlm@2: through her veins as an icy hand seemed to clamp down on her whole body. She rlm@2: felt as if she were being torn apart from the inside out. Her breathing grew rlm@2: heavy and ragged as she gasped for air, her hand clutching her chest. Hot tears rlm@2: rolled down her pale cheeks as the pain became unbearable. Everything grew hazy rlm@2: around her. For a moment, the dark haired girl wished the escaped Daimon had rlm@2: killed her. Then this pain would finally be at an end. Through the cloud of rlm@2: pain, she decided that it was good that she hadn't, if only that she had been rlm@2: able to meet the pink haired girl right afterward. rlm@2: "Hotaru?" Her father's assistant, Kaolinite, ran up to her. "Another rlm@2: seizure? It's alright. It will pass." rlm@2: The older woman placed a hand on Hotaru's shoulder. Hotaru shrugged it off rlm@2: and pulled away, her breathing returning to normal as the pain began to dull. rlm@2: "Let go of me! I can handle it myself," she said angrily. rlm@2: "Hotaru, you know that's no way to talk to Kaori-kun. She's helped us very rlm@2: much since your mother's death. As my assistant, you should treat her with rlm@2: respect," Professor Tomoe said as he entered the room. rlm@2: "Professor!" Kaolinite turned at his approach. "Hotaru and I were just rlm@2: having a discussion." rlm@2: Professor Tomoe nodded before looking sternly at Hotaru. "Hotaru, you need rlm@2: help with how poor your health is. You have to let us help you. And Kaori-kun rlm@2: is practically part of the family. You should listen to her." rlm@2: "She's your private secretary, your assistant. She should know her place rlm@2: and not invade our home!" Hotaru stood up on shaky legs and ran off to her rlm@2: room. rlm@2: rlm@2: Slamming the door to her room, Hotaru fell forward onto her bed. She rlm@2: wasn't feeling very well. She breathed deeply, trying to relax. An image of a rlm@2: pink haired girl came unbidden to her mind. The other girl had been so nice to rlm@2: her. She had even saved her life. What shocked Hotaru the most was that she rlm@2: hadn't been afraid of her healing abilities. Hotaru hugged her knees to her rlm@2: chest and sighed. Would she ever see the pink haired girl again? Probably not. rlm@2: She didn't even know her name. Her life was too lonely for her to have found a rlm@2: friend that easily. That glimmer of hope, that warm feeling she had felt, rlm@2: disappeared as the reality of the situation set in. rlm@2: As she changed from her school clothes into a night gown, she felt a sharp rlm@2: pain in her heart. She didn't know if it was another seizure or if it was the rlm@2: fact that she would never see the pink haired girl again. She took a shaky rlm@2: breath before pulling her nightgown the rest of the way on. The thought of a rlm@2: beautiful dreamless sleep beckoned to her as an escape from the sorrow she felt. rlm@2: Closing her eyes tightly, she crawled under the soft sheets of her bed. Still rlm@2: wracked by a pain in her heart, she fell into a fitful slumber. rlm@2: rlm@2: "It hurts..." rlm@2: Hotaru moaned in pain, rolling over in bed. The vice-like grip over her rlm@2: body increased. She writhed in pain on the bed. rlm@2: The door to her room slowly opened. "Hotaru?" her father asked. "Hasn't rlm@2: it stopped?" rlm@2: "Dad..." Hotaru managed quietly. rlm@2: "Did you take your medicine?" Professor Tomoe asked worriedly. rlm@2: "I took it, but... it didn't work." rlm@2: "When the time comes, it will. You'll be alright." The professor reached rlm@2: into a large pocket on the side of his lab coat and withdraw an angular crystal. rlm@2: "This is an amulet, passed down through the family. Your mother used to carry rlm@2: it." He placed the amulet gently in Hotaru's hands. "Now that you have it, you rlm@2: can sleep soundly. I'll come check on you in a bit. Good night." He turned to rlm@2: leave, quietly closing the door behind him. rlm@2: "Dad, why are you acting so strangely? What's been going on lately?" rlm@2: Hotaru sighed and held the crystal. It felt cold against her palm. Her pain rlm@2: slowly started to recede as she stared down at the amulet. "Maybe dad was rlm@2: right. It does seem to be working. The seizure stopped. But... I'm scared. I rlm@2: can't trust my own body. It feels so strange. The seizures... they've only rlm@2: been getting worse lately." She took a shaky breath, willing herself not to rlm@2: think about such things. Finally, she drifted back to sleep. rlm@2: rlm@2: Back at the underground base beneath Crown Game Center, Luna and Artemis rlm@2: were talking to the Sailor Team about the two mysterious Senshi they had rlm@2: encountered and the mysterious happenings at the Mugen Gakuen school. ChibiUsa rlm@2: wasn't really paying attention, her mind preoccupied. She kept playing the rlm@2: events of the day before over and over in her mind. She couldn't stop thinking rlm@2: about that strange girl. "Hotaru," she whispered. The dark haired girl's image rlm@2: appeared with crystal clarity in ChibiUsa's mind's eye. Her beautiful pale rlm@2: skin, offset by dark raven hair. Deep pools of silver that seemed to go on rlm@2: forever. She was pretty. Very pretty. rlm@2: "ChibiUsa-chan?" Usagi asked for the third time, wondering what the Senshi rlm@2: in training could be daydreaming about. "Are you coming with me and Mamo-chan rlm@2: or not?" rlm@2: "Huh?" Looking over, ChibiUsa blinked a few times. "Oh, right. Yeah." rlm@2: Usagi smiled to herself as she started to drag Mamoru off, her future rlm@2: daughter in tow. "Anyway, ChibiUsa-chan. You shouldn't give our real rlm@2: identities out so easily. What if those two were enemies?" rlm@2: "Sorry," ChibiUsa apologized half-heartedly. "I thought I could be friends rlm@2: with the girl. I like Hotaru-chan, with her pure-white skin.. she was very rlm@2: pretty." rlm@2: "Like plaster of Paris," Mamoru agreed. At the questioning look from his rlm@2: future daughter, he explained. "A beautiful stone, like new-fallen snow." rlm@2: rlm@2: A few days later, the group had again gathered at Crown Fruit Parlor. "So rlm@2: you're the president of the 5th year class, ChibiUsa-chan?" Ami asked. rlm@2: "Yep," ChibiUsa responded between bites of a sundae. "I represented all of rlm@2: us at the entrance ceremony! It was great. The new class was cute." rlm@2: "ChibiUsa is the class rep.. the world's coming to an end." rlm@2: "Oh, it's not that bad, Usagi," Minako interjected. "Besides, we finally rlm@2: made it into 3rd year junior high. All we have to worry about is entrance rlm@2: exams.. then again, if an enemy attacks now, I'll be held back for sure." rlm@2: "Don't be so gloomy. It's April 17th, after all, Rei-chan's birthday! We rlm@2: should throw her a party," Makoto said as she played with the remains of her own rlm@2: frozen treat. "Where's she been, anyway?" rlm@2: "Out training on Mt. M, since yesterday," the blonde original-Senshi rlm@2: responds. "She wanted to cleanse herself for her 15th birthday." rlm@2: "Perfect! We can surprise her!! Everyone's going, right?" rlm@2: "A mountain?" ChibiUsa makes a face at the 'older' girls. "I have things rlm@2: to do, being class representative and all. Tell Rei-chan happy birthday for me, rlm@2: though." And with that, the pink-haired girl finished her icecream and slipped rlm@2: out of her seat. She had more important things to do. rlm@2: rlm@2: ChibiUsa frantically searched through the laundry. Ikuko-mama had said rlm@2: that she would wash it for her. If she could only find it... ChibiUsa smiled rlm@2: to herself. Any reason to see the raven haired girl again would be worth it. rlm@2: Her smile slowly vanished when she found the hankerchief. The blood stain was rlm@2: still there on the white cloth. rlm@2: A small sigh escaped her lips as she looked at the cloth. All she really rlm@2: wanted was to see Hotaru again. She hadn't been able to get the dark haired rlm@2: girl out of her mind. She had wanted to give the hankerchief back to the dark rlm@2: haired girl, but now it looked like stain of her blood was stuck in the cloth. rlm@2: She would settle for any reason to see the other girl again. She wasn't sure rlm@2: why, but she just had to see Hotaru again. She had to. She took a deep breath rlm@2: as she thought up an image of the other girl in her mind's eye. That pale, rlm@2: alabaster complexion that made the girl seem to be a beautiful statue brought to rlm@2: life. Those soft, thin lips that looked so pretty when they would smile. Her rlm@2: short raven hair, a dark contrast to her pale skin, making her look even more rlm@2: striking. And those sad silvery grey eyes.. just looking into them showed a rlm@2: glimpse of the shadows this girl had around herself, the loneliness she clung to rlm@2: as if it was the only thing she had. She was so beautiful. And so very alone. rlm@2: The pink haired girl shook her head. It wasn't fair. This girl shouldn't have rlm@2: to feel that way. She would be her friend. She smiled to herself. Yes, she rlm@2: would be Hotaru's friend. She only hoped the other girl would let her.