Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Our Future ❯ Chance Encounter ( Chapter 11 )

It's Christmas and I have a long overdue present! A new chapter!

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Chapter 11 - Chance Encounter
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Usagi practically skipped back to Rei's room. She knew she probably would have looked foolish to anyone who might have seen her, but couldn't help herself though. She was happy and since the shrine was still closed for at least a little while longer, there really wasn't anyone to see her. She reached her destination and grabbed the door handle, quickly sliding the door open. As soon as she stepped inside, she was surprised to find Rei was already inside. Rei sat on her futon with her head down, staring at the floor boards in her room. She was still dressed for her work around the shrine, in her kimono. She didn't even make much of an indication she knew she wasn't alone any longer, so Usagi made her way over to her and stopped in front of her.

“Rei, why are you still in your kimono?” Usagi asked as she stepped closer to her girlfriend. Rei looked up to meet the blonde's eyes and as soon as their eyes connected, Usagi quickly closed the remaining distance between them and knelt in front the raven haired girl. She placed her hands on her knees and rubbed them gently with her hands, “What is it? What's wrong, love?” Rei covered her girlfriend's hands with her own and smiled at her, though she could still see how anxious her eyes were, “Rei, talk to me. Why are you upset?”

Rei sighed and squeezed her girlfriend's hands, “You remember Yuuichirou acting strange a couple days ago when Chibi-Usa first showed up?” Usagi nodded her head slowly, not exactly sure where she was going, but remained silent as she waited for her to continue. “It wasn't just the one time he acted strangely; he's been acting like that since then too. So, I ran into Yuuichirou and was finally able to ask him about it.” Rei paused briefly and sighed again softly, “He said that he saw us and came to the conclusion that we were together now.”

Usagi lowered her head slightly and looked off to the side, “Oh…what did you tell him?”

A frown formed on Rei's features when she observed her Princess' nervous reaction. She released one of her girlfriend's hands and brought her free hand to Usagi's cheek. As soon as she made sure she was looking at her, Rei stroked the alabaster skin beneath her fingers as she spoke, “I would never deny my love for you to anyone.” Rei leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her girlfriend's lips. She pulled back and added, “It doesn't really bother me that he knows about us. I love you and I truly don't care who knows.” Rei said and could see the questioning expression on her face before she could say anything, “That includes Jii-chan.” Usagi nodded her head at her unasked question, “I didn't want to say anything immediately because I knew that would change things. He would have to set certain ground rules, but I don't care about that anymore honestly. I want to tell him because I don't want to hide our relationship anymore and I don't want him to find out another way…” She trailed off as she finished her statement. While Yuuichirou said he wouldn't say anything, she really didn't want to chance it.

Usagi smiled before nodding once again. She took Rei's hand that was on her cheek and squeezed it before intertwining their fingers. She brought her hand up to her lips and she kissed the top of it. Usagi looked into Rei's amethyst eyes, “You know I'll support whatever you want to do.”

A large smile spread across Rei's lips, “I know, Usa. I was thinking since you're here this weekend, we could talk to Jii-chan while you're staying over.”

Usagi grinned from ear to ear and lunged forward, wrapping her arms tightly around the giggling miko. Rei was positive they would have found themselves sprawled out on her futon if she hadn't braced herself for the impact. A giddy Moon Princess was a force to be reckoned with. “I love you and I'm so happy that you think it's time to tell Ojii-chan about us.” She whispered into her girlfriend's ear as she continued to hold her tightly. The two girls stayed in that same position for a short time longer, when Usagi realized that her girlfriend hadn't answered her question, “Wait…then what's wrong?” She asked pulled out of their embrace.

Rei looked away for a moment and took a deep breath before focusing back on the girl kneeling in front of her, “Yuuichirou…he said that he has feelings for me.” The miko whispered under her breath, but she made sure to be loud enough for her Princess to hear her.

Usagi sat back a bit, putting a little distance between them. She was surprised by her girlfriend's revelation and didn't know quite what to say. She wasn't exactly jealous because that would imply that Yuuichirou had any chance with Rei and she knew that wasn't the case. Despite that she was still a little annoyed that he felt the need to tell Rei about his feelings, even if they are one-sided. If she'd taken the time to rationalize what happened, she might have had a different reaction, but the only thought going through her mind was that Rei was hers and she didn't like the idea that someone else had feeling for her, especially when that person was someone she lived with. So maybe she was bit jealous…

Rei could feel herself growing nervous the longer Usagi remained quiet. `Maybe she needs me to reassure her that there is nothing to worry about.' She thought and brought her right hand under Usagi's chin and smiled as she stared into her Princess' cerulean blue eyes, “I'm yours forever and beyond, Usa. There is nothing and no one that could possibly separate me from you. I love you and only you; that will always be true.” Rei declared. Her hand moved from its place beneath Usagi's chin to her cheek as she spoke.

Usagi's eyes sparkled with affection as a smile spread across her lips. She leaned into her girlfriend's touch, “I love you too. I just…” She closed her eyes for a moment before focusing back on Rei, “I'm sorry, I guess I was just feeling a little possessive.”

The miko smiled at her girlfriend's admission and shifted her hand from the blonde's cheek to her neck. “You certainly have nothing to worry about, but I do find you incredibly sexy being all possessive.” She said and began to lightly make circular patterns with her nails, causing goose bumps to form under fingers.

“You better get used to it; because I'm not going to let anyone else try to woo you.” Usagi said determinedly.

Rei chuckled softly, “There is no competition out there that could even compare to you, Usagi.”

Usagi nodded her head and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's midsection, resting her head on her chest. Rei immediately returned the embrace and held her girlfriend tightly against herself. The Moon Princess sighed contently as she listened to the rhythmic beating of her heart and held her a little tighter. Rei lowered her head and kissed the top of her girlfriend's head, causing her to look up a moment later and meet the darker haired girl's lips. Rei loosened her hold on her girlfriend and repositioned her hands so that one was now on the other girl's shoulder and the other on her neck. Usagi mimicked the other girl's hand positions, except her second hand was currently tangled in raven tresses. Usagi ran her tongue across Rei's lips seeking entrance, which she was quickly given.

As their kiss deepened, Usagi inched closer and closer to Rei until she was pressed against the futon, between the dark haired girl's legs. Rei moaned when Usagi unexpectedly brushed against her center in an effort to get closer to the raven haired girl. Either the Moon Princess didn't realize what she was doing and assumed she was moaning from their kiss or she knew intentionally teasing, though Rei suspected it was the former. `I don't want to get off from Usagi's stomach unintentionally rubbing against my…' Rei's thoughts were interrupted by a groan escaping her lips, causing her to pull out of their kiss. She buried her face into Usagi's neck as she tried to catch her breath. After a few seconds she pulled away to look at her girlfriend, “I'm going to go crazy if you continue rubbing against me like that.” Rei said with a smile.

Usagi looked at the other girl curiously for a moment before looking down and realizing what she must have been rubbing against. Her cheeks were considerably pinker when she met Rei's eyes again, “Sorry, I didn't…”

Rei silenced her Princess by capturing her lips in a surprising kiss. When they parted, the miko was the first to speak, “You never need to apologize for that.” She said and ran her fingers through Usagi's hair, “I should probably change.”

The Moon Princess leaned into her girlfriend one more time and captured her lips. She'd only intended on it being short kiss to send Rei on her way to get changed, but neither girl seemed to want to separate. Rei brought her hand to Usagi's cheek and caressed the skin beneath her fingers for a moment before slipping her hand behind her neck, lightly hold her in place. While Usagi's hands found themselves on her girlfriend's waist, her kimono was too thick to feel her warmth underneath, but she still held her firmly. They were so caught up in each other neither even registered the sounds of someone outside the bedroom door until they heard it slid open causing the two girls pulled apart quickly. Both girls turned to see who just entered without so much of a knock.

Standing in the open doorway was the Goddess of Love herself. She looked at Rei then to Usagi, noticing both girls were very flush and looked incredibly guilty if she didn't know any better. She slowly closed the door behind herself and stepped into the room a little more; raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, “Well don't stop on my account!” Minako exclaimed, wearing a mischievous grin.

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Hotaru made her way down stairs as she searched for her fellow Outer soldiers. Neither were in their room, so she knew they were likely where she usually found them in the morning, in the kitchen. Her suspicions were all but confirmed when she heard noises coming from a short distance away. In a few seconds Hotaru was standing in the threshold of the kitchen and found the two women she was looking for. Michiru was pouring coffee into two mugs while Haruka looked to be getting something from one of the cabinets near the refrigerator. When she closed the door to the cabinet, the blonde noticed the younger girl standing a short distance away, “Good morning, Hotaru.” Haruka said with a smile.

“Will you and the Princess be joining us for breakfast?” Michiru asked as she added cream to one of the mugs.

The teen shook her head, “No, but there is a favor I wished to ask.”

“And what would that be?” Haruka asked as she took her mug from the counter and brought it to her lips, while she focused on the younger girl.

Hotaru leaned against the wall and focused on the two women who'd become her guardians, “Well it occurred to me this morning that there are some things Chibi-Usa needs that she doesn't currently have, especially since we don't know how long it'll be before we can get her back to her rightful time.”

Michiru nodded, “That is very thoughtful, Hotaru. What did you have in mind?”

“Just some basics, like clothes and anything that may help her feel more at home in this time. I already wanted to show her around the city, so she'd feel more comfortable. So maybe it won't feel so foreign to her and hopefully it'll help with the home sickness she's going through.” She paused a moment before adding, “I don't really have any money so, I was hoping both of you could help me with that.”

Haruka placed her mug down and walked over to the younger girl before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her wallet. “How much did you want?” She asked counting through the notes in her wallet.

“Could I just borrow one of your cards? I think that would be easier.” Hotaru asked as she looked at her blonde guardian hopefully.

The older woman paused her looking through her wallet and stared at the girl in front of her, “How much are you intending on spending?”

The teen looked down at the question, but before she could say anything, she saw a black credit card in front of her face. She quickly looked up to see Michiru smiling with the card her hand, “Thank you so much. I promise that I won't spend that much.” She stepped forward and hugged the older woman before taking the offered card.

“Don't worry about that, use as much as you need to.” Michiru said, laughing lightly as she spoke. Hotaru turned around and began to leave the room, when she heard Michiru speak again, “You shouldn't tease her. She was only doing what she can for the Princess.”

She didn't wait to hear her reply. She did however quickly ascended the stairs with a smile on her face. It had taken a little longer than she anticipated, so she didn't expect that Chibi-Usa would still be getting ready. In a few moments she was in front of her room, so she didn't waste any more time before letting herself in. As she expected, Chibi-Usa was already inside sitting her bed with her legs crossed at her ankles. Her gazed traveled up the pink haired girl as she took her in completely. She looked great in the dress, though that didn't surprise her either, since she painstakingly searched for a dress that would suit her. However, what did surprise her was that she wore her hair down. She couldn't remember a time she'd see the future Princess wear her hair in any way but her normal `rabbit' pig tails.

Her entrance drew the time traveler to look towards the door. A smile spread across her lips as eyes connected with the dark haired girl's. “I was just about to go looking for you.” She said as she stood, flattening out her borrowed dress as she did.

Hotaru bowed her head slightly as she spoke, “Sorry about that. I realized we'd need money for what I had planned for today, so I asked Haruka and Michiru-san if they let me use one of their cards.”

Chibi-Usa cocked her head slightly, “Why would you need money? I thought you just going to show me around?” She asked curiously.

“Yes, I intend to do that, but the idea came to me earlier that we could get you some clothes so you don't have to continue borrowing.” Hotaru explained as she met her companion's eyes again. “I mean you look great, but I'm sure you'd like to pick out some of your clothes that you can call your own.” She added with a smile.

A pink hue adorned the Princess' cheeks as she spoke, “I don't want you to go to all this trouble…”

Hotaru laughed lightly before cutting her friend off, “Please, Haruka and Michiru-san have more money then they'll ever know what to do with. That's not even mentioning the money Setsuna-san accumulated over the years. It's no trouble, believe me.”

Chibi-Usa sighed softly, “I guess there is no convincing you otherwise?” She asked and received a quick nod of confirmation. “As long as we keep it reasonable and I want to thank Haruka and Michiru for their generosity.”

Hotaru nodded again before taking the other girl's hand, “Okay. We can talk to them before we head out. There's much for you to see and I want to get an early start.” She said and led her companion out of her bedroom.

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“It's common courtesy to knock before you walk into someone else's bedroom, Minako.” Rei huffed, though her embarrassment far outweighed her admonishing tone.

The Goddess of Love merely smiled, “I don't think I've ever knocked before entering your room before.”

“Well that's usually because I know you're here.” Rei countered, but when Minako simply smiled at her, she rolled her eyes in annoyance. “What are you doing here so early anyway, Minako?” The miko asked finally.

An even larger smile played across the blonde's lips, “You can thank your girlfriend for waking me up and telling me to come over.”

Rei looked at Usagi, who sat on the floor next to her legs with a grin and rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. After a moment she sighed quietly and shook her head slightly, “I'm going to change.” She said as she stood up and walked over to her dresser across the room, where she already had her clothes laid out.

Usagi got up from the floor and stepped beside Rei as she gathered her clothes, “There's somewhere I want to go today, but we can talk about that when you get back.” She whispered into her ear.

She could tell her Princess was up to something, but she disregarded the thought for the time being. She smiled and turned around slightly, “Sure.” Rei gave her girlfriend a quick kiss, “I'll be back in a few.” She took a couple steps before finding herself beside Minako. She surprised the other blonde by pulling her into a hug, “I'm glad you're here, Mina.” Rei said quietly, but still it was loud enough for the Moon Princess to hear. “Despite your incredibly poor timing.” She added as she pulled away, causing Minako to laugh lightly. Rei pulled away completely before leaving to get ready for the day.

As soon as Rei left, the Goddess of Love turned her full attention to the Moon Princess, “So, I thought you said you were bored?”

Usagi laughed at her friend's question, “Well I was…” She stepped back and sat on Rei's futon, only to be joined by the other girl moments later, “But when I was done getting ready, I found Rei in her room already.”

“And you proceeded to make out…”

The Moon Princess could feel her cheeks warm as she remembered how her friend walked in on them, “That wasn't how it started. She was upset and after we talked about it, we kind of….well you know….” Usagi tried to explain, a light shade of red still coloring her cheeks as she finished.

“Why was Rei upset?”

Usagi looked down for a few seconds before focusing on her friend, “She talked with Yuuichirou earlier and he told her that he had feelings for her.”

Minako was silent for a few seconds before responding with a simple, “Oh…”

Usagi looked down as she spoke again, “Yeah.” After several more seconds of silence she looked up and stared at the door her girlfriend left through a short time ago, “I guess I didn't really think he liked Rei like that. I mean after all this time he never said anything.”

The avatar of Venus leaned back a bit on her hands and stared at the ceiling, “I'm more surprised he finally said it.”

The Moon Princess quickly turned to her companion, “You knew?”

“I don't just call myself the Goddess of Love just because it sounds cool.” Minako said with a smile as she sat up straighter again. “Love is probably the strongest emotion we experience and my home planet is synonymous with it and therefore I am the embodiment of love. Because the emotion is so strong, love is not easily hidden, so yes I did know.” She said and looked at her friend. She saw her nod, but not say anything, so she added, “It's not like Rei feels anything like that for him…”

“I know!” Usagi said quickly, cutting off her friend from whatever she was going to say. She lowered her head again, “Sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice like that.” She paused for a few seconds before facing Minako, “I trust Rei, I do. I just found myself not liking the idea that someone lives in the shrine with Rei that harbors feelings for her and I guess I'm still adjusting to that fact.”

The avatar of Venus nodded her head at the other girl's explanation, “I can understand that.”

“You said you knew about Yuuichirou?” Usagi asked after a moment of silence. When Minako nodded her head, Usagi spoke again, “Did you…did you know how Rei and I felt before? Before everything that happened with…”

Minako smiled and put her hand on the other blonde's forearm, stopping the Moon Princess' train of thought, “I don't think it matters at this point, does it?” She asked with a laugh in her voice.

It was more of a rhetorical question, but Usagi still answered, “No, I guess it really doesn't.” Both girls were silent for several minutes, until Usagi smiled and turned to her companion, “It's strange. It feels like it was so long ago that we weren't together, yet it really wasn't, but I can't even imagine going back to how things were before. It just feels right, you know?”

Minako smiled as she spoke, “You don't have to convince me. I already understand.” Usagi nodded silently as the two girls allowed the room become silent, each lost in their own heads.

The avatar of Venus couldn't help but think what her friend's reaction might have been if she learned of her lingering feeling for her girlfriend. Much like Yuuichirou there was no chance of anything happening between them, but unlike him, she did actually have a history with Rei. She was sure the Princess didn't have her memories of their previous life, but she wasn't quite as fortunate. A frown crossed her features despite herself, `Ignorance certainly can be bliss.' She thought sadly.

Usagi noticed her friend's dejected expression and became downcast as well. Her reason for inviting the other girl to come today was to cheer her up and she seemed to be doing the opposite of that. `Here I am talking about Rei when she is feeling lonely because all her friends are in relationships.' She thought and took a deep breath, `Well, the cheering up begins now!' She clapped her hands together, cause Minako to jump slightly, but also brought her attention to her friend. “So have you thought about what you to sing? It's been so long since I've been to a karaoke bar!”

“Are you really sure you want to do like the one thing Rei despises? This was originally supposed to be a day for the two of you wasn't it?” Minako asked seriously.

Usagi laughed at her friend's questions, “I already told you not to worry about that. She's going to love it too.”

Minako wasn't completely convinced, “So you've already told Rei then?”

“Told Rei what?” Said girl asked suspiciously as she reentered her room. She knew from experience that when the two blondes got together anything was possible with them.

Usagi smiled and stood up quickly before closing the short distance between her and the raven haired girl. She took Rei's hand and pulled her back to the futon. Rei sat down where Usagi had been seated so she sat on her other side, so Rei sat between the two blondes. Now that all three girls were comfortable, Usagi decided it was probably best to tell Rei her plans. “We were just discussing what we should do today and I thought of the most awesome thing we could do!” She began excitedly, she was positive Rei would be okay with doing some karaoke, well mostly positive…

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Hotaru stood in the doorway to the living room from the kitchen and patiently waited for her pink haired friend to finish with the two women who'd become her de-facto guardians. There wasn't much for her to contribute to the conversation, so she just let Chibi-Usa do as she wished, but as she expected Haruka-san and Michiru-san didn't have any problem with giving her money for clothing and other essentials. She shook her head and had to suppress a laugh when she once again thanked them.

“Princess, you don't need to thank us. It's our pleasure to help you in whatever why we can.” Michiru said with a smile.

Haruka didn't hide her laughter as she said, “Clothes are kind of a necessity and since you don't have access to your wardrobe from your time, helping you with that is the least we can do.”

Chibi-Usa nodded, “Still it would be very poor of me to not express my gratitude for your generosity; I was raised to have better manners than that.”

A smile spread across Hotaru's face as she realized this back and forth had the potential to go on for some time and while it might be amusing to watch, there was a lot she wanted to accomplish today. She stepped up to the chair the pink haired girl sat in and placed her hand on the arm, “Sorry to interrupt, but we should be going. We have a lot to do it would be better for us to be on our way.” She could see Chibi-Usa had turned to her, out of the corner of her eye.

“Did you want a ride to the store?” Haruka asked, already getting up from the sofa.

“I was thinking we'd just walk, since I know there are a few places relatively close by, but if you're offering I think that may be better. We would certainly have more options driving, rather than walking.”

The tall blonde smiled and was already grabbing her keys from the bowl near the door, “I know the perfect place you can go then, Sunshine City. There are more than enough shops to find anything you're looking for.”

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In a grand room of pure white, two women, one in white and one in red, sat upon a lavishly covered ornate bed. “I miss her.” The one in white said as she rubbed her hands together nervously.

The one in red reached out and placed her hands over the other woman's, “We will find her safe and sound, Serenity.”

“What if they have her?” As the words left her lips she could feel her eyes stinging with tears.

“They don't.” She said firmly and squeezed Serenity's hands a little tighter.

“How do you know, Diana?”

The dark haired woman looked down, “Because…” She took a deep breath and looked into the eyes of the woman she loved. “They would have used her against us by now.”

The tears that had threatened to fall finally did at the truth in Diana's words. She was immediately pulled into an embrace. She buried her face into the crook of love's neck, “I feel so powerless. I just want our daughter back.”

Diana hugged her a little tighter as she whispered, “I know. I know. I want her back too.”

They stayed in the same embrace for some time longer, before Serenity spoke again, “Perhaps this is a crisis worthy of her?”

“Perhaps…though I think if it were, she would already be here…” Diana mumbled quietly, but a moment later her eyes lit up with an idea, “Or maybe it's time for another.”

Serenity pulled back a little and stared at her curiously. Once she met her eyes a look of realization passed over her face, “It's dangerous. The cauldron isn't a place meant for the living.”

“It's for our daughter. And you returned from it.” Diana countered quickly, but quickly softened her approach when she spoke again, “I will come back to you and I'll have her star seed too.”

Serenity smiled slightly and renewed their embrace, “I have no doubt in your confidence, love. I just know how dangerous what you are proposing is.” There was before she whispered her next words, “I can't lose you.”

Diana pulled back enough to see her love's face. She her cheeks with her hands and smiled, “You won't lose me.” She whispered before leaning forward and kissing the blonde. It was not a kiss desire and lust, but rather one of love and reassurance. Diana pulled away slowly, until she could stare into Serenity's eyes, “I'll do a reading later. Everything will be fine; she can help us find our daughter.” She said and again pulled her into a hug. She could feel Serenity nod against her chest before once more saying, “We will find our daughter.”

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“It's a bit overwhelming isn't?”

“I've never seen something like this place.” Chibi-Usa muttered in wonderment. Her eyes caught a large illuminated object with the word `Directory' on top of it. She walked over to it and examined the contents of the directory. Hotaru joined her moments later, “So this building houses hundreds of smaller shops?”

“That's right, but we're only interested in the shops in pink on the map of the mall. Those are the places that have clothes for girls.” Hotaru said and looked over the diagram to see where they were in relation to the closest store. She pointed at the screen a moment later before saying, “Let's start with that one, since it's nearby. Hopefully they'll have some clothes you'll like.” She said and took her friend's hand, leading them in the store's direction.

Even though she was being lead to the store Hotaru pointed out, she looked around at everything that she was being pulled past. There were people hurrying about from various shops. There was so much to take in that she was sure it would require another trip to this place. There were so many fascinating things about this time. Before she even realize it, they must have reached their destination because Hotaru had stopped; she didn't even see the name of the place they entered.

“Alright! I guess we should just get started then?” Hotaru announced, finally releasing the other girl's hand. The future Princess hadn't thought much of their link hands until the warmth was gone, but she found herself wishing it was back. Hotaru seemed none the wiser as she was scouting the store for possible clothing options for the other girl. “So we have one pieces over there.” She said pointing toward them. “There are skirts and tops, that way.” She said again pointing. She turned to the pink haired girl then and asked, “What about pants? Would you want a few pairs to give you some variety?”

Chibi-Usa smiled, “Yes, I believe that would be nice.” She said and gasped in surprise when she was once again pulled along. The dark haired girl was a bit of a whirlwind going through the store. She would grab outfit after outfit, showing them to her for approval of course, but it wasn't long before Hotaru had a rather substantial amount of clothes over her arm and several more in her hand.

“We should probably try on some of the outfits, to make sure they fit you properly.” She said and looked around for the changing rooms. “Ah, there they are.” She said, more to herself than anything, before making her way toward them with Chibi-Usa trailing closely behind her. When they reached the doors along the wall, they looked around for an unoccupied room. One of the first rooms was empty, so Hotaru went inside and hung as many outfits as she could on the handle provided in the small compartment. She laid the remainder of the clothes on the bench in the back of the room. “I'll be right outside if you need any help with anything.” She said as she turned to the pink haired girl.

“Okay, thank you.” Hotaru smiled and exited to give the girl her privacy. After a few seconds, the future Princess called from behind the door, “What should I try on first?”

“Whatever you want, we have plenty of time.” She responded. Hotaru leaned lightly against the wall adjacent the compartment her friend was occupying. She kept an eye on her surroundings as she waited from the other girl to emerge. She found herself a little curious which outfit she would choose, when she heard the door opening. She looked up and saw Chibi-Usa step outside wearing the off white sundress she picked out earlier.

“How does it look?” The pink haired girl asked nervously and spun around once. It was a bit of an adjustment to the style of clothes in this time, so even though she liked what was picked out, she wasn't as confident as she would have liked to be.

Hotaru looked over the other girl as she spun around. It was a simple dress, but it fit her very well. She smiled at how adorably nervous she seemed to be. There was no doubt in Hoaru's mind that she looked perfect, but it appeared that she needed some confirmation, “You look great.” She said with complete sincerity.

Chibi-Usa smiled and flattened the dress slightly, “Thank you. I like this style of clothing. It reminds me a little of the clothes I would wear back home.” She said without thinking, but as soon as her thoughts strayed to her home, her smile waned, “I think I'll try on the next one.” She said with less enthusiasm.

Hotaru frowned but before she could say anything the other girl disappeared into the changing room again. She waited a moment before stepping up to the door blocking her from the girl from the future. Taking a deep breath, she knocked lightly, “Can I come in?” There was no response for a few seconds so Hotaru began to take that as a sign that the other girl wasn't in the mood to talk. She was just about to walk back to where she was waiting, when she heard the door's lock open. Hotaru took that as her invitation to join her, so she quickly made it to the door again and slipped inside just as quickly. Chibi-Usa was still in the same dress as she had just stepped out in, sitting on the bench in the small compartment. The avatar of Saturn wordlessly approached the other girl.

“It's stupid.” The pink haired girl said quietly and stared at her feet. She felt Hotaru sit down beside her, but the other girl didn't say anything, which she was grateful for. She was giving her the space and time to talk to her on her own pace. She took a deep breath and calmed her spirit, “I'm not a child, but I've also never spent any real time away from my parents. They were always there if I needed them.” She looked down as she finished. She bit her lower lips lightly, `Perhaps, I am nothing more than a child. Hotaru tries to help take my mind off my separation from the world I know and I can't keep it out of mind even for a few hours.' She looked to the girl beside her, “I'm sorry. I know you wanted to take my mind off everything, but I'm failing miserably.”

Hotaru placed her hand on Chibi-Usa's forearm as she said, “You don't need to apologize for how you're feeling. That's something you shouldn't ever have to be sorry for.” She gave her arm a small squeeze before continuing, “They are still here you know, Usagi-san and Rei-san. If you want to talk to them, we can do that easily.” She held out her communicator for the other girl.

Chibi-Usa smiled and reached out her hands to the circular device, but instead of taking it, she closed her friend's hand over the object, “Thank you Hotaru, but it's fine.” She lowered her hands back to her lap before continuing, “I don't want to bother them unnecessarily. I feel better just talking with you.” She said allowing another small smile to spread across her lips.

“I'm glad I can be of some help, even if it is only to listen.” The dark haired girl said heartily. They sat in silence for a short time longer, when there was knock on the changing room door.

“Is everything alright in there? The two of you have been in there for quite some time.” A woman asked from the other side of the door.

“Yes, my friend just needed some help.” Hotaru quickly responded. She looked back to the pink haired girl, “We'll just get the other clothes as well, don't worry about trying them on. The dress you're wearing fits you well, so I'm sure the others will too and even if they don't we can just return them.” The other girl nodded and Hotaru stood up, “I'll let you get changed then.” She said and began to make her way out of the small compartment. Just before she could leave she heard her name being called, so she turned around to address her friend, “Yes?”

“Thank you, Hotaru-chan.”

The dark haired girl smiled brightly, “It's my pleasure, Princess.” She said and left afterwards to give the girl some privacy.

Chibi-Usa found herself smiling as she proceeded to change. She never liked be called Princess, even if the term applied to her. Only her guard called her Princess with any regularity and that was often in trying to admonishment her. Though when Hotaru called her Princess she didn't mind, she actually kind of liked it. She stepped out of the dress and returned it to the hanger it was on before. She grabbed the borrowed dress she'd been wearing and began to get dressed again. She was fully dressed quickly, but as soon as she was done she stopped to look at herself in the full length mirror in the small room. She flattened out some wrinkles on the dress, `I would give anything to return home, but I think I can make the most of being in this time.'

As soon as Chibi-Usa emerged from the dressing room, they made their way to the check out and paid for everything. Hotaru was pretty sure the security guard was watching them. Maybe he thought they were planning on stealing something or that they couldn't pay for all their items, but didn't like it too much. So, as soon as they were done she took her friend's hand as she'd done when leading her into the store and lead her away.

“Are we going to another clothing shop?” Chibi-Usa asked once the entered the mall once more.

“No, though I think you might need more…” Hotaru began to say another voice caught her attention.

“Chibi-Usa?”

The future Princess stopped at the voice she heard, `I recognize that voice.'

Hotaru looked around to see who was calling out the other girl's name. When she turned around, she saw someone she hadn't expected to run into. The Prince of Earth was standing a few feet behind them. It had only been a little over a week since she'd last seen him, but he certainly looked a little worse for wear. He looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days and he just looked tired, very unlike she was used to seeing him.

“Chibi-Usa?” He again addressed the pink haired girl, prompting her to turn around now too. She didn't look entirely different from the girl he remembered. She was taller than the last time she had visited from the future and now that she was facing him, he could see that her eyes were different as well. They were no longer red, but they were a dark midnight blue color.

“King Endymion.” She said calmly, curtsying slightly as she addressed him.

Mamoru was a little taken aback by how she was speaking him, but he recalled Usagi saying how she was different. `Right this girl isn't my daughter…' He thought and took the girl in again without memories of the Chibi-Usa he knew. `This girl seems to hold herself differently. She looks like her, but she isn't.' He had thought he prepared himself for seeing this girl, but he was mistaken. He couldn't even express his relief that she still existed because despite his pain, he was still happy she was standing in front of him.

The future Princess tried to maintain eye contact with the King of Earth, but he hadn't said anything since she spoke to him and it was becoming a little awkward. She turned to her companion, looking for some help. The man before her might be King Endymion, but like everyone she met in this time that she knew he wasn't that person yet.

Hotaru could feel the uncomfortable silence growing and realized she'd have to be the one to end this very awkward encounter, “I'm sorry, but we really should be going Mamoru-san.” She said and reached over, touching the other girl's forearm. She tugged slightly on her arm, drawing her full attention, “It would be best for us to take our leave.” She whispered quietly. Her hand made its way down her arm until she took her hand. She turned to Mamoru once more, “It was good seeing you again, Prince.” She didn't wait for a reply back, though she wasn't entirely sure that he would even offer her one. She decided to separate Chibi-Usa from the incredibly awkwardness that was that encounter. She didn't expect to ever run into him in this place of all the places in Japan.

They had walked for several minutes before Chibi-Usa couldn't take the silence any longer, “I don't understand, Hotaru. I don't know what that was all about.”

Hotaru stopped, they'd reached the Sunshine City Atrium, it was a beautiful spot filled with water fountains of varying color. `A beautiful place for what might be an unpleasant conversation.' She again began to walk, but this time she led them to an empty bench that was a little out of the way. “The girl he remembers to be the future Princess had a connection to him. I'm sure this being the first time he's seen you, it was probably difficult for him.”

`A connection?' She thought to herself, it didn't really answer her question, but it did make her think about her previous encounters with the man. As she thought back, she realized there was something in common with all those meets, a look in his eyes. She hadn't ever thought about before, most likely because although she'd met him many times, it was almost always just introductory, “That's why his eyes always looked at me like they were in pain. I never knew…”

Hotaru nodded. In a way she wasn't really surprised to hear that, but a part of her wondered why it had never come up. It was certainly understandable that Usagi-san didn't discuss her past with Mamoru or Endymion for that matter. If she'd never traveled to the past, there wasn't likely any reason to bring it up. “How much have Usagi-san and Rei-san told you about how their relationship started?”

Chibi-Usa took a moment and thought over the question, but didn't come up with much of an answer because as far as she could remember they never told her nor had she thought to ask. She'd heard about how their first meeting went, they'd told her about many experiences they shared during their youth, which was happening now, now that she thought about. She'd not really asked about how they fell in love or how they began their relationship. The only thing her mama ever told her was that she always loved her mother. `Maybe since I'd never been in love with anyone, those questions never crossed my mind.' She thought after a moment, when she noticed Hotaru was still waiting for an answer to what should have been an easy question. The pink haired girl shook her head, “Next to nothing I'm afraid. I guess I just figured they were always together.”

Hotaru smiled, “It would be nice if that were the case, but nothing is usually that simple.” She said and paused. `Should I really be the one discussing this with her…?' Hotaru asked herself. After a little more thought she came to the conclusion that she'd have to say something, since she was the one to bring it up in the first place, `I'll just give the short version.' “In this time, Usagi-san and Rei-san are only at the start of their relationship. When you first arrived they had barely gotten together. Before that Usagi-san was with him.”

“So she was with King Endymion and only just recently broke things off with him?”

Hotaru shook her head, “Yes, though he's not King yet and in this time he is Mamoru-san.” She looked at the shorter girl for a moment, “It's probably something you should discuss with Usagi-san and Rei-san, since I don't know all the details myself. I was still a baby when the events were set in motion that brought them together. Much of what I know is fragmented from the visions I received as I was called to awaken again. What I can say is that it was a difficult road for them to find each other, but they are together now and both are really happy.”

The pink haired girl nodded slowly, `The girl that everyone knew before me wasn't some imposter. She was me, only not…' The time traveler thought. These new facts, coupled with what she'd seen and heard could only lead to one conclusion, but she still wanted confirmation, “You said something before about Mama's influence being responsible for me being able to read people…”

“Yes, the girl I knew couldn't do that, so I suspected it was due to being Rei-san's daughter that you inherited her mystical abilities.” She explained

“So, the girl you knew before wasn't Mama's…” She trailed off as she said the question. It was difficult to think of her Mother and her Mama not being her parents, it certainly wasn't an idea she liked either. Her parents loved each other unconditionally, she saw it every day. There wasn't a moment she ever thought they weren't meant for each other.

“She was the daughter of Mamoru-san, or Endymion as you are familiar with, and Usagi-san.” Hotaru confirmed.

Chibi-Usa barely recalled voicing her previous thought out loud, but Hotaru's words brought another string of questions into her mind. “If they were together, then Mama was a-alone?” She asked her friend as she felt her eyes begin to tear up.

Hotaru immediately noticed the future Princess looked to be on the verge of breaking down. She quickly hugged the pink haired girl, “Hey, don't think about that. Rei-san isn't alone; she is with Usagi-san. Your existence is proof of their union.”

“You said they only recently got together though. So if something were to happen, I might not exist. What if that's what they are trying to achieve?” Chibi-Usa questioned frantically. Her mind was racing a mile a minute. If they hurt her parents in this time, she could disappear. `What if they are after them, not me? Did I destroy everything my parents built together? If they just got together, they haven't done any of the things they told me about yet. They don't have the same protection in this time.' Her thoughts were cut off when she felt Hotaru's hands on her cheeks.

“That. Won't. Happen.” Hotaru stated calmly. She wiped away more tears as they fell and said, “We were tasked with protecting you and your future. There is nothing we won't do to protect you and Usagi-san and Rei-san, I promise.”

There was such a degree of certainty in the dark haired girl's words that she couldn't not believe her. No, it was that she wanted to believe her. She stared into the same deep purple eyes she found herself avoiding on multiple occasions. For her part, Hotaru didn't attempt to break their staring contest. It was a little unnerving; the intensity in Chibi-Usa's eyes, but that was also what made it impossible for her to turn away. There was an unwavering hope in those regal eyes, it was infectious. She smiled slightly, but it didn't last long as realized there was something more there, something far less optimistic than hope. Chibi-Usa breathed in an unsteady breath and closed her hand over her heart, looking away quickly. `So much sadness…I shouldn't have done that for so long.' She could feel her eyes again threatening to release the tears she could feel building in her eyes, but this time for a different reason.

Hotaru seemed to get the wrong idea, because before she knew what was happening, she was being pulled into a warm hug, “Have faith in them. I do.”

There was no way Chibi-Usa could get her voice to properly communicate, so she simply nodded against Hotaru's chest, `So much sadness…'

~~~~****~~~~

“How much longer do you expect me to wait?!”

The blue haired woman scoffed at her companion, “Patience is a virtue, Heliodor…”

“You know full well that my time is running short. I swear I can feel Bixbite breathing down my neck.” Heliodor snapped back.

The blue haired woman stood abruptly and grabbed Heliodor by his collar and slammed him into the wall. He quickly felt a cold blade against his throat, “Don't forget you made me assurances that you have yet to fulfill. If you fail, Bix will be the last of your worries. I will cut you down piece by piece.” She said and released him, withdrawing her blade moments later. Stepping away, she returned to her previous seat. “Do not come here making demands. I am still formulating a plan that will succeed.”

“If our alliance fails, your head will be on the line as well, Maxixe.” Heliodor said as he held his throat.

“We will not fail if your information is correct.”

There was a short silence before the man asked, “Should I send more Shades to gather information?”

Maxixe stood up before speaking again, “That is your choice. I'm not wasting any until my plan is ready.” Heliodor nodded, but it was more to himself than anything. “I have somewhere to be, so I assume you can see yourself out?” She said and disappeared a moment later. Heliodor groaned after a moment before disappearing himself.

End ch 11

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