Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Our Future ❯ Vision ( Chapter 12 )

I am pleased to present a new update and only a little past a month since the last update. I can't guarantee this will be common, but it's nice to not make everyone wait forever. So without further ado…

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Chapter 12 - Vision
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Rei looked at Usagi and tried to read why the girl was acting overly excited. She had a feeling that whatever her girlfriend deemed as being the most awesome thing might not really be all that she was hyping it up to be. “What did you had in mind then, Usa?”

Usagi smiled and shifted slightly so that she was facing Rei more, “After I thought about it for some time I came up with the perfect activity for us and when I told Minako about my idea, she was just as excited as I was.” She began excitedly. Sure, she may have been exaggerated Minako's reaction a little, but Rei didn't need to know that.

Rei laughed a little and shook her head, “I gathered that, but you're still avoiding actually saying what you want to do.”

“Right.” She said and took a deep breath, “So, when I was thinking about what we should do, I remembered Minako telling me about a place she wanted to go to a couple weeks ago.”

“Hey this is your idea, Usagi, don't drag me into this.” Minako interjected with a laugh, looking around the miko beside her to her blonde friend, causing her to pout a little.

“Usa, just out with it already.” Rei said with a sigh.

“Fine.” The Moon Princess began and took a deep breath, “I thought it'd be a lot of fun for us to go to a karaoke bar!” Rei groaned noticeably and Usagi was quick to add, “There's a new place and it's not too far from the Crown either. We can get something to eat afterwards, it'll be fun!” She said and took her girlfriend's hand in her own.

Rei stared into her Princess' hopefully crystal blue eyes, `That's just not fair. How can I argue when she looks at me like..?' She sighed and closed her eyes, “Alright.” She heard her girlfriend squeal in delight. A moment later she felt a body collide with her, causing her to fall into the other blonde on her bed. She felt Minako's hands on her back, steady her which she was thankful for because was pretty sure it would be a mess of bodies on her bed otherwise. Rei smiled and rubbed her girlfriend's back, “I think I'm going to need to limit your sugar intact today, because you are already too hyperactive.”

Usagi pulled back and sat back on her legs, giving Rei an opportunity to sit up fully again, “I'm just excited! I haven't gone out to a karaoke bar in forever!” She said bouncing a little.

Rei shook her head slightly, but a smile still crossed her lips at seeing how happy Usagi was. “Don't expect me to sing though.” She said seriously. Even as the words left her mouth, she knew if Usagi looked at her like she just did, she would probably willingly sing an entire set.

The Moon Princess pouted again, she immediately wanted to tell Rei that she had a beautiful voice and she should sing, but she didn't want to press her into it. `She sang so wonderfully at her school festival though.' She still remembered being completely captivated by her voice back then. She shook her head and practically jumped off the futon. She stepped in front of her blonde counterpart, “You'll sing with me though, right Minako?”

She smiled at her energetic friend, “Of course I will.”

Again Usagi squealed in excitement. She grabbed her friend's hands and pulled the Goddess of love to her feet. Before Minako even realized what was happening, she found herself being spun around before she was on the receiving end of a zealous hug. Usagi used that opportunity to whisper, “I told you Rei would be fine with it.”

Minako smiled again, “I didn't doubt your ability to persuade her.”

Rei could hear whispering among the two blondes, but she didn't really pay any mind to it, instead she stood up and stretched her arms above her head for a moment before focusing on her companions, “If we are going to do this, we might as well get going.” `The sooner I get this over with the better.' She thought to herself when she saw her girlfriend practically bouncing to her.

Usagi grabbed Rei's arm and hugged the dark haired girl's appendage to her chest, “I'm ready.” She said and extended her other hand to Minako.

For her part, the avatar of Venus stared at the offered hand in surprise. She didn't really expect to be holding hands with anyone on their way to the karaoke bar, but here was her Princess offering. `She truly has the biggest heart of anyone.' Minako thought as she took her charge's hand. Almost immediately she felt herself being pulled toward the room's exit. As the three girls left, it crossed Minako's mind how strange they'd probably look to anyone, but her friends didn't seem to mind so who was she to question it.

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Chibi-Usa and Hotaru had been sitting in the middle of Sunshine City for some time already. They'd parted some time ago, but they still sat silently together. She wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed and a part of her didn't care. Hotaru may have felt as though she was comforting her, but she was trying to do that same, though she didn't know exactly what was the cause of the dark haired senshi's sadness. She found herself determined to find out what it was. `This girl has gone out of her way to comfort me through everything and I want to do the same for her.' Now she just needed to get her to talk about it.

She thought about how she even learned this information and realized she could likely decipher the cause if she focused on the other girl's feeling, but that really felt like it would be an invasion of privacy. Besides, she wanted her to tell her the cause, not learn it in an underhanded way. She knew this girl had suffered a lot from the conversations she'd already had with her, but she also knew there was more than she was letting on. There was just something about this girl…she didn't understand what it was but she felt compelled to learn all that she could about her, be it good or bad. With that thought, she realized there was still so much she didn't know about the other girl, such as her likes and dislikes. She had a lot to learn about her.

Chibi-Usa glanced at the girl beside her out of the corner of her eye; she looked as though she was still lost in her own thoughts. She felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips, forcing her to look down. There was definitely some force that drew her to her and as long she's given the time, she truly wished to learn what this feeling meant. She closed her eyes momentarily before fully focusing on her companion, “Hotaru, can I ask you something?” Chibi-Usa mumbled quietly.

After such a long silence, the time traveler's voice seemed to startle Hotaru a little, as she jumped a bit before quickly turning her attention to the future Princess, “Of course, what is your question?”

The pink haired girl nodded, but looked to her lap where her hands rested, “And if I have more than one question?”

Hotaru couldn't help but smile, there was trepidation in her voice and she wished to dispel her worries. “Ask as many as you'd like and as long as I have the answer, I will give it to you.”

Chibi-Usa looked up, realizing the other girl was thinking she was going to ask more questions about her parents. “They aren't questions regarding my parents. I don't want to make you uncomfortable or feel like you are answering for them. I will talk to them soon, tonight if possible.” She explained, causing the other girl to nod in understanding.

She was more than a little curious about question she might have then, “What did you want to ask about then?”

While she rubbed her hands together before taking a deep breath and saying, “You…?”

Her statement sound very similar to a question to Hotaru's ears and she would be lying if she were say she wasn't a little taken aback, “I'm not really that interesting.”

“You are to me.” As soon as the words left her lips, Chibi-Usa's eyes widen and she felt as though her cheeks were aflame. She quickly covered her face with her hands and stared at the floor in front of her feet. `Why must I always say something weird? I wish I could just disappear…maybe if I stay like this, I really can.' Hotaru seemed to have the power to make her look like a fool, she certainly felt like her ability to embarrass herself increased infinitively around this girl.

Hotaru was sure a pink hue adorned her cheeks too. She was flattered, but knew Chibi-Usa was far more interesting than herself. The only thing that she found curious about herself was what her fate was in the future, but she was as clueless about that, as she was. She touched her forearm to get her attention. When she pulled her hand away from her, Hotaru could see her face was still very flush. She smiled when the other girl finally glanced in her direction. `She's utterly adorable.' Hotaru found herself thinking, but moments later she tried to push that thought aside as best she could. `Those kinds of thoughts aren't going to help you now.' She told herself and focused on Chibi-Usa once again, because she didn't want her to continue to feel embarrassed.

“Chibi-Usa?” Hotaru asked quietly, trying to her to look at her fully. However her first attempt was unsuccessful so she tried again, she'd try until she had no voice left if need be. “Chibi-Usa?” She asked again, but this time she gave arm a light squeeze when she realized she still had her hand there. Now the pink haired girl looked in her direction, so she continued, “You can ask me whatever it is that's on your mind. I may not think of myself as interesting, but don't let that stop you from ask your questions.”

The pink haired girl nodded slightly. Her cheeks finally seemed to have mostly returned to their normal color, but there was still a nervous air about her as she spoke again, “I'm sorry. I'm just really bad at these conversations.” She paused for moment before adding, “I know I said that before, but I think I've displayed that quite clearly to you now.”

Hotaru again gave a light squeeze to the other girl's arm, trying to reassure her. She liked how she became so easily flushed in their conversations, but not at the expense of her feeling about herself. “You put too much pressure on yourself, Princess.” She said and lowered her hand from her forearm to take her hand in her own. “No one is perfect, you don't need to be.” She raised her hand and interlaced their fingers together, “I'm not going anywhere, so don't hold yourself back when you talk with me. You can tell or ask me anything and I'll still be here.” She said with a smile.

Chibi-Usa stared at their hands without a word for several seconds before her thoughts seemed to slip past her lips, “You're warm Hotaru.” It took her a second to realize she said that out loud, but she reasoned that either the other girl must not have heard her or she didn't care because the smile remained on her face. When she was drawn back to their hands because out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw…but it was gone in the blink of an eye.

Hotaru found herself captivated by the intensity in the other girl's eyes. It had taken her a little while to get used to their different color, but looking into them now, she couldn't imagine this girl without them. She could hear Chibi-Usa say something about her being warm and she became acutely aware that this felt too intimate for such a public setting. It was perhaps time to stir their conversation back on topic and find out questions she had, “So, what is it exactly you wanted to ask?”

Her words seemed to break whatever spell she was under. She blinked a few times to refocus herself, “It just occurred to me that there is so much we don't know about each other.” She said and took a deep breath before continuing, hoping to not mess up what she was trying to say, “I know we've been getting to know one another, but I still don't know such simple things like what you like and what you dislike.” She paused once again before staring intently into Hotaru's regal eyes, “I just want to know more about you.” She said, hoping Hotaru won't ask for her to elaborate further. She wasn't comfortable talking about this connection she felt towards her, not yet at least. Besides, she'd probably just make some comment to humiliate herself further while trying to explain it.

The dark haired girl smiled, “Alright, as long as I get to learn more about you too.” She smiled a little wider as she spoke. It seemed this had become something of a game for them and she was more than happy to play it with her because it was also to her benefit.

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“This is going to be so awesome!” Usagi exclaimed. She seemed to be getting more eager the closer they got to their destination. She looked at her two companions and saw a very sober looking Rei. “You need to get more excited, Rei!”

The three girls had already passed the Crown, so they were only a handful of minute from the karaoke bar and through their entire walk, Usagi still walked with one arm linked with Rei and the other holding Minako's hand. The avatar of Venus would have thought she was trying too hard, but she knew that Usagi was just being herself. She knew it was her way of telling her that she was there for her and she was grateful to have such a kind hearted friend.

“I think you're plenty excited for the both of us.” Rei said with a sigh. `Why am I putting myself through this again?' She asked herself and looked up at the sky, as though she'd received some answer from the heavens. A moment later she was pulled out of her cogitative state when she felt lips pressed firmly against her cheek. She quickly looked at Usagi and saw her smiling brightly at her. She could feel warmth spread across her cheeks, `Right…that's why…' She thought and smiled herself, though more subdued than her girlfriend.

Minako smiled at her friends actions, their feelings were so easy to see and while being near them was a little bittersweet it was also intoxicating and she could say without a doubt that the later was far more powerful. Perhaps it was because she is Venus, so love is where her strength lies, she didn't really know, but she felt like she could enjoy an existence without love for herself if her two friends continued to share a love this strong. She allowed herself to smile a little wider, until she gasped in surprise as she was pulled into a building. She looked around and finally noticed they'd arrived, she hadn't even noticed.

“So how exactly does this work?” Rei asked as she looked over the signs around the front counter.

Both Usagi and Minako did the same and read the signs; it was their first time there as well after all. It was all very modern, with the boards lit up listing room numbers and next to each room there was either a green `Available' or a red `Occupied'. Another board went over the various prices at what appeared to be an hourly rate.

“It looks like we need to rent a room for however long we intend on staying here.” Minako said, looking over to the raven haired girl in front of her.

Rei nodded and approached the counter, “Can I have room twelve for two hours?” She asked and began to pull out some cash.

Usagi came up behind her, “You don't have pay. We can just split it.”

“It's fine.” She said already handing the money over, causing her girlfriend to pout, but Rei simply took her hand after the lady gave her the card to the room. She knew she would get over her paying quickly, probably as soon as they got to their room.

Minako trailed behind the couple by a few paces, content to simply watch her friends. It was strange to think about, but she could really see herself living off their love for each other. Of course she wished for someone of her own, but she was realistic about her chances of that happening…

Rei could almost feel her Princess bouncing as they reached their room, bringing a smile to her face. She slid the card into the reader and after a few seconds there was a beep and she could hear the clicking of the door unlocking. She quickly opened it and held it for her two companions to enter.

“This place is pretty cool, isn't it? I mean we get our own room and everything!” Usagi exclaimed excitedly. She quickly went about exploring the room, not stopping until she came to the karaoke machine itself. After a few minutes at the machine, Usagi's voice broke the short silence, “Wow, I can't believe they have them in here!” She exclaimed as she scrolled through the available songs and artists.

“Who are you talking about?” Minako asked, looking around the other girl to get a view of the screen.

“The Three Lights! They have a couple of their songs on here!” She exclaimed pointing at the screen.

“They just made it big, right?” Minako asked as she saw that they indeed had a couple selections.

“Yeah.” Usagi said before pointing to a particular song, “Oh, let's do that one!” She exclaimed when she saw Rei taking a seat on the sofa in the room. “You should join us too, Rei! They are a group of three, so it'd only make sense for the three of us to sing it.” The blonde reasoned.

“No thanks.” Rei answered calmly and crossed her legs while she leaned back and made herself comfortable.

Usagi sighed, but decided that she'd rather pick her battles. `If I find a romantic duet, you will be up here singing it with me.' She thought resolutely. “Fine.” She said finally and turned to her blonde friend, “Are you familiar with this song, Minako?”

She looked at the screen a little closer, `Nagareboshi he', “Yeah, I've heard it before.”

“Okay.” She said with a nod and went to grab two microphones. As soon as she had them, she handed one to Minako before looking back at the screen, “You ready?” With a nod from her singing partner she pressed her selection and brought her microphone to her lips and waited for the lyrics to display on their monitor…

Search for your love.....
Search for your love, Search for your love,

Kimi wa itsumo kagayaite ta
~ You are always shining so brightly
egao hitotsu chiisana hoshi
~ Your smile is just like a tiny star
taisetsu ni shiteta yo (eien no starlight)
~ I cherish it very much (everlasting starlight)
ano hi boku wa mamore nakute
~ That day I couldn't protect you
kuyashinamida kora e ta dake
~ I held my tears of regret inside
itami ga noku ru yo (wasurenai sweetheart)
~I'm still feeling that pain ( I can never forget you sweetheart)

Search for your love, sora no suishou
~ Search for your love, crystal of the universe
Search for your love, nakanai de kure
~ Search for your love, don't start to cry
Search for your love, hontou wa
~ Search for your love, I really
Dakishimetai no sa
~ Want to hold you close to me now

Rei sat back, intending to simply listen to the two blondes sing. She wasn't entirely familiar with the song they were singing, but it was catchy, she could admit that. She smiled at Usagi as she danced as though she were actually preforming in front of a crowded stadium or something. `I'm glad she's enjoying herself.' She thought to herself. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary until her vision became blurry. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her sight again, but when she did, she saw a flash of three shadowed individuals in her mind's eye. She winced and grabbed her head, when she saw another image, this time of a single woman though she couldn't see who it was because again the person was shadowed. She leaned forward a little as one word made echoed in her mind, `Princess.'

Kimi no kaori zutto (sagashiteru)
~ Your strong scent, I'm always (searching for it)
boku no koe yo todoke (aishiteru)
~ Can you hear my voice calling out? (I love you)
ima doko ni iru no (moonlight princess)
~ Where are you now? (Moonlight Princess)
boku no princess
~ Our Princess
kotaete, Answer for me
~ Answer me (Answer for me)
Imasugu, Answer for me
~ Right away (Answer for me)
Kotaete, Answer for me
~ Answer me (Answer for me)
Yasashiku, Answer for me
~ So gently (Answer for me)

Tooi yo sora kakenuketeku
~ Running through the distant night sky
nagareboshi ni negau yo ima
~ Now I make a wish on a shooting star
aitai to sasayaku (tsutaete yo starlight)
~ Whispering I want to be with you (Please tell this to her, starlight)
toki ga sugite otona ni naru
~ Time flies by quickly, I've grown up.
boku no yatto kizu ita no sa
~ I have finally realized that
tarinai kakera ni (sobaniite sweetheart)
~ The broken pieces are not enough (Please stay by my side, sweetheart)

Serach for your love, gin no unabara
~ Search for your love, on the silver ocean
Search for your love, fure wa tada you
~ Search for your love, the ship floats adrift
Search for your love, kuru o shisa ni
~ Search for your love, in this madness
Nagasarete yuku
~ It will be swept out to you

Usagi's eyes drifted from the screen to Rei as she finished the chorus and immediately stopped singing. Her girlfriend was holding her head and she looked to be grimacing. She quickly turned to Minako, “Turn off the music, please.” She hurried over the sofa and placed the microphone she still had in her hand down. “What's wrong?” Usagi asked worriedly and reached over, taking Rei's hands in her own.

Rei really wanted to open her eyes, but before she could she saw another image, an image of a woman, different from the previous one, because she stood among a devastated world devoid of life. All she could see was her outline in what appeared to be armor and that she was smiling in the chaos of a burning planet. She slowed her breathing and tried to will the image from her mind. `That woman reminds me a bit of…' Her thought was cut off, when the music was finally shut off. She took a deep, though a shaky breath, before she allowed herself to open her eyes. Rei looked up and met Usagi's concerned cerulean eyes and smiled slightly, silently glad that the music was no longer playing. She leaned back and looked toward the ceiling, trying to get her thoughts together. `That felt an awful lot like a vision from the Great Fire…'

She could feel Usagi squeeze her hands gently after a moment, “What is it, Rei? Are you okay?”

Rei looked back at her girlfriend and spotted Minako looking quite worried as well, as she still stood near the karaoke machine. She focused on Usagi as she said, “There's something about the words to that song…I saw glimpses of something…”

“An enemy?” Minako asked quietly as she made her way closer to the pair.

Rei looked over to her blonde friend and shook her head slightly, “I-I'm not sure…a warning perhaps or maybe a call for help, it wasn't very clear.” She said honestly.

Usagi rubbed her hands over her girlfriend's, “Are you sure that you're okay?”

Rei gave her Princess a small smile, “Yeah.” She said before leaning over and giving the other girl a quick kiss. She smiled a little wider as she pulled back, Usagi was truly her light; she always had the ability to make her feel better. She laughed lightly though as she admitted, “I don't know about anymore songs for me though.”

“We don't have to stay here any longer then.” Usagi said, already beginning to get up.

Rei shook her head, “The room's already paid for like another hour and a half, there's no reason the two of you shouldn't enjoy yourselves. I'll just wait outside or something.” She said the last bit as an afterthought because she was sure she couldn't sit through another song, but she knew it would also give her time to decipher what exactly those images meant.

Usagi stopped her previous actions and turned to fully face her girlfriend, finally releasing her hands. She reached up and gently touched her cheek with the faintest of caresses by her fingers, “There is no way I could enjoy myself if I'm not with you. I'm much more concerned about you and if you can't stay here any longer then we should go back home. This…doesn't matter.” She said seriously and leaned into Rei until her forehead touched hers. She stared intently into the darker haired girl's amethyst orbs, being so close she felt like she could really see into the other girl, “I know.” She whispered. She didn't explain further because had a feeling Rei understood, but she did feel the need to close the small distance between them. She closed the gap, only shutting her eyes when her lips connected with the other girl's.

Minako watched her two friends even as she could feel cheek begin to warm. `They may as well be in their own little world…' She thought, not with jealousy but admiration. `Perhaps they are.' She was glad they could be so openly affectionate with each other, it wasn't something they were allowed in their past lives and with a love as strong as theirs, it must have been most difficult. After a few more seconds she forced herself to look away from them, her eyes focusing on the floor between her and the couple. It didn't feel right to watch them be intimate with one another, she felt like a pervert for watching as long as she did.

“Sorry Minako.”

Minako looked up to meet the apologetic gazes of the couple, “Never apologize for loving each other. It's a precious thing.”

“Minako…” Rei began to say as she stood up, but immediately swayed a little. Both Usagi and Minako were quick to react though, with Usagi steadying her with an arm around her waist and Minako took her arm that appeared to be reaching out to regain her balance. “Thanks.” She muttered gratefully, as she looked between both blondes. She didn't move for a few seconds, as she tried to gain her bearings. `I haven't felt like this since…' Her thoughts drifted to when she passed out following a previous reading, “Maybe going back to the shrine isn't a bad idea.” She finally admitted. “I feel as though I've had an intense fire reading.” She explained. It was the simplest way she could describe what she was feeling.

Usagi frowned in worry as she said, “Are you going to be okay?”

Rei could feel that only her girlfriend still held her now. She would have liked to tell her friend that she didn't need to be so worried, but her Princess needed reassurance, so she smiled and looked at her, “Yeah.” She answered quietly. They began to exit the room, when Rei leaned her head to the side and whispered into Usagi's ear, “Just…don't let go of me.”

“I promise.” The Moon Princess was quick to reply and as if to further her point, she tightened her hold a bit.

Rei was hesitant to ask at the moment, but as soon as she was able, she planned to learn everything she could about the group responsible for that song.

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

“Since you also have your own questions, why don't we go back and forth? You don't mind if I go first, do you?”

“So, like the game, twenty questions.” Hotaru commented without thinking.

The pink haired girl tilted her head slightly and looked at the other girl curiously, “Like what?”

Hotaru laughed, of course she wouldn't be familiar with that game, “Twenty questions is a party game that people play to get to know one another or determine their secret.”

Chibi-Usa bit her lower lip lightly and looked down, “Yes, I guess it would be similar to that.” She and looked up a moment later, “I'm not trying to force you to divulge any thing you don't want to share though, I mean I'm not probing for any secrets you may or may not have.” She quickly tried to reassure.

“Relax.” Hotaru said with a laugh as she put her hand over the other girl's. “I wasn't trying to suggest that, I promise.” She said motioning with her free hand across her heart.

Chibi-Usa found herself looking down, away from her companion's eyes. `Maybe this was a bad idea, I don't want to say or ask something that could end up hurting her somehow.' She thought to herself, but a moment later she felt Hotaru release her hand before she felt it under her chin, lifting her face to meet her eyes.

Hotaru couldn't help thinking the future Princess was acting more than little nervous. She seemed to be overly conscious of offending her, “Remember, I'm really awfully this whole friendship conversation starters too. So, if I say something stupid, just chalk it up to that okay?” She only received a cautious nod, so she knew the future Princess needed to hear something more. “You can't scare me off, Princess. You're stuck with me I'm afraid.” She said, finally receiving a light laugh at her comment, “So, out with it, what's your first question?”

The pink haired girl had a ton of questions she'd like to ask, but she figured it would be best to start with something simple, “What's your favorite color?”

“Purple.” Hotaru answered almost immediately.

Chibi-Usa smiled at her response, “It suits you I think.”

“My turn now.” The dark haired girl announced with a smile, “What's your favorite color?”

“That's easy, white.” Chibi-Usa replied without missing a beat.

“I was almost expecting you to say pink.”

The future Princess smiled, “I do like pink, but you asked what my favorite was. If you wanted to ask which colors I liked, well that list would be a lot longer.”

She nodded, “What do you like to do in your free time?” Hotaru asked curiously. It wasn't her turn yet, but that didn't stop her from asking her question.

Chibi-Usa smiled at the question, “I think I may have sort of already answered that.” She said and paused for a moment to see if she knew what she was referring to, but Hotaru appeared to still be clueless so she elaborated, “I like to spend time in the palace gardens. There's one particular spot, it's a bed of red and white colored tulips. It's so beautiful and peaceful there that I can stay there for hours.” She paused as she remembered something, “Mother found me there one time and when I told her how much I loved it there, she told me what they meant, the flowers that is. The red in the tulip means true love and their white tips mean purity, so they represent the purity of true love.” She closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself back there, but it wasn't as easy as that unfortunately. Eventually she opened her eyes and look to her dark haired companion, “Ever since Mother told me their meaning, they came to remind me so much of my parents and that gave me even more reason to love that place.”

Hotaru didn't say anything right away, she didn't expect for her to divulge something so personal to her so easily. Because it was something she held to close to herself, she probably should have expected an emotional reaction, but she was still unprepared to see tears staining her face. It didn't seem as though she even noticed because she didn't do anything to wipe them away. It may have been a better idea to say something, but her body reacted before she mouth could. She reached out and gently brushed away the wetness with the back of her fingers.

Chibi-Usa jumped slightly when she felt the other girl touch her. It took her a moment to realize that she had been crying, she didn't even know it. She felt like such a crybaby, yet this girl did nothing but show her compassion. She closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the other girl's touch, at least until a few words slipped past her lips, “Thank you, Taru-chan.”

“What did you call me?” Hotaru asked in surprise, even as a smile crossed her features.

Chibi-Usa shot open and she quickly looked down. She didn't even give herself the opportunity to see other girl's expression. She was sure her fair skin was betraying her because her cheeks felt like they were burning with embarrassment. She didn't know where the nickname came from; it just kind of came out without much thought. She didn't know if she had the courage to look at the other girl as she repeated what she said, “T-Taru-chan.” She whispered under her breath. There was no immediate response, which caused her to become even more anxious, now she was sure Hotaru didn't like her coming up with a nickname for her out of the blue like that. They were really just beginning to get to know each other and even if she felt something in their connection, maybe it was just on her end? She felt foolish, so again she couldn't look at the other girl as she spoke, “I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from, but I won't call you that again.”

“No. No. I'm sorry, I do like it.” She said quickly, prompting a curious look from the pink haired girl, “I'm serious. I've just never been close enough to anyone that would refer to me in such a way. I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression, I truly am glad” Hotaru smiled from ear to ear, it was the largest and truest smile Chibi-Usa had ever seen the girl wear and she caused, so she couldn't help a smile of her own from forming. “I have to admit that it's not fair for you to give me a nickname and for me not to give you one.”

“I thought that was Chibi-Usa.” The pink haired girl said with a laugh.

“But everyone here calls you that here, so it wouldn't be special.” She explained, as though it was the most obvious thing, but it still caused the pink haired girl to blush.

After a couple moments of silence the future Princess suggested, “Well most everyone calls me Small Lady in my time.”

Hotaru looked thoughtful for a few seconds before responding, “That sounds a bit too formal and if everyone calls you that in the future like you say, it still wouldn't be special.” This time Chibi-Usa remained silent because it seemed clear to her that she wished to think of something on her own, so she waited patiently. At least a minute past before Hotaru appeared to come up with something, her eyes almost sparkled as she asked, “Would you like if I called you Rini?

“Rini?” Chibi-Usa asked curiously.

“Yes, it mean little bunny.” Hotaru explained with a smile.

Chibi-Usa smiled when she explained the name. She knew it wasn't really possible for her to call her by her real name, because that would certainly led to confusion, especially if her Mother was present as well. She realized her friend was likely still looking for whether it was acceptable or not and she didn't confusion like she had earlier. “I think it's lovely.” She said and scooted closer to the other girl before enveloping her into a hug. She didn't think it was possible, but Hotaru managed to completely take her mind off her parents and her worries about their enemy. Though she knew it was only short respite from everything, she was still glad she had Hotaru for that distraction.

End Ch. 12

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So this chapter is a little shorter than I usually write, but I figured everyone would appreciate a little shorter length than have it take months for it. The chapter mostly accomplished what I wanted. This chapter was very heavy on Rei, Usagi, and Minako, but that's how I always intended it to be. Of course the other scenes that didn't involve those three were scenes that featured Hotaru and Chibi-Usa. I like writing Chibi-Usa as a bit awkward, at least with her interactions involving Hotaru. She's on the cusp of something… Plus, I'd say it's best to enjoy these calm chapters before things get intense because it's coming… And I can guarantee you this will be the only time you see an English dub name used, it really does work for the situation created here, so I went with it.

I was originally going to have a scene with Ami and Makoto, but ended up omitting it because it didn't really make sense in this chapter. I'm sure I'll use what I wrote in another chapter, perhaps the next one, since they have appeared in a chapter for while…

For the translation for Nagareboshi he (To the Shooting Stars) I mostly referenced SailorMusic (dot) net, but a couple lines in the translation sounded a little wrong, so I changed them slightly, but credit goes to that site for translation. And I'm aware that Rei being unaware of the Three Lights is different from canon, but it'd be fair to say that this story has diverged from canon quite a bit anyway. I can promise that what I do (change), I do for a reason.