Kon’nichi wa minna!
           My name is Whisper Reilman, but you may call me Whisper.  I’m
not the best author in the world, but some friends of mine said that I
should try and get this posted.  I’ve been writing fanfic for a while,
but this is the first story I’ve posted.  I won’t ask you to be kind to
me, because I am rarely kind to other fanfics I read.  This story starts
off with a lot of the focus on the outer senshi, specifically Hotaru;
however, it does branch out to include the other senshi very heavily.
This is especially true for Jupiter and Venus, who play a large part,
along with Saturn and Pluto, in this story.
        This is only the first little bit of the story because I didn’t
want to bother posting it all if no one likes the story.  As a quick
point, I will probably discontinue posting it if no one e-mails to tell
me they like it.  Obviously, I use the original Japanese names and a few
Japanese phrases here and there.  Please let me know what you think, my
e-mail address is Whisper132@hotmail.com

DISCLAIMER:  Everyone who has seen, or knows about Sailor Moon knows I
didn’t come up with the idea, so here ends my disclaimer.

                        If Ever We Meet Again
                               By:  Whisper Reilman

        He watched her from behind the safety of a nearby bush.  He’d
watched her from here for years, waiting for the time to come when he
could finally look at her face to face.  Would the time ever come, or
was all his searching in vain?

*******

        Setsuna and Haruka watched as Hotaru read quietly under one of the
many trees on the Tomoe property.  So much had changed in her since
Galaxia had left.  It had seemed that once Chaos was spread along to the
hearts of all humankind, Hotaru began to recover from her weakened
state.  Now she was a strong young woman of eighteen, on her way to one
of Japan’s finest universities.
        “You did a wonderful job raising her, Haruka-chan.” Setsuna
commented with a smile.  “You’d almost think she’s a normal girl.”
        “You almost would, wouldn’t you.” Haruka said with a great deal of
satisfaction.  “But that’s her doing, not ours.  All we did was what any
parents would have done for their child, we let her grow up.”  And she
had indeed grown up, and up, and up.  She was as tall as Michiru now.
        “I think, perhaps, her best accomplishment was the mastering of
the power of Saturn.”  Haruka nodded in agreement, but couldn’t hide a
cringe at the memory.  Hotaru had been determined never to surrender
herself to any forces, natural or supernatural, ever again.  She had
worked, day after endless day, to make to power of Saturn yield to her
and not the Dark Warrior’s instincts within her.  But it came with a
price.  She was no longer the same sweet, gentle girl she had once been.
In mastering the powers of Saturn, she became one with the Dark Warrior.
She was more serious now, more cautious.  She became stronger, more
muscular.  In essence, the mirror image of the Dark Warrior, only her
love for others and for life destroyed the Dark Warrior’s need to
annihilate the entire human race.  Hotaru caught them looking at her and
stood up to join them.
        “What’ve we got planned for today Haruka-papa?” she asked
joyfully.
        “I thought we might take a ride down to hear Michiru’s concert.”
Hotaru nodded in consent and walked toward the house to get ready.
        “She’s a fine young woman,” Setsuna repeated to Haruka.  “You two
did well.”  Setsuna watched Hotaru walk away and a tear came to her eye
as a vision of the future rushed through her.  “You did well.”

*******

        Usagi rushed through her house, trying to find her favorite dress.
Mamoru stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his bowtie.
        “MAMORU!!!!” she wailed, “I CAN’T FIND IT!!!!!!!”  He started and
turned to see Usagi’s side of the room an utter mess.  Clothes were
strewn about the room and all her drawers had been emptied and upturned.
        “Usako, why can’t you wear one of your other dresses?  It wouldn’t
make you any less beautiful.”  Usagi blushed and grabbed the nearest
dress to her.
        “Do you really think so Mamo-chan?”  He nodded and gave her a
quick kiss on the forehead.
        “I know so, now go and get ready, Michiru’ll have our hides if
we’re late again.”  Usagi rushed off to finish getting ready while
Mamoru finished fixing his tie.  All the stares that they would get when
they walked up to their front row seats well into Michiru’s second song
would warrant his looking his best.  If not, his bowtie could at least
be on straight.

*******

        “Haruka-papa, do I look alright?” Hotaru asked turning around to
show off her sleek black dress.  It was a simple Chinese design of black
satin with purple scrollwork that brought out Hotaru’s purple eyes
remarkably well.  Looking at her, Haruka, once again, had to admit that
Hotaru was no longer the little girl she had been a few years ago.  She
had blossomed into a remarkable young woman, and truly looked the part.
        “Wonderful, you’ll outshine everyone there,” Haruka said, meaning
every word of it.  Hotaru smiled at the compliment.
        “Everyone except Michiru-mama, no one can be as beautiful as she
is,” Hotaru said with admiration.
        “True,” Haruka agreed a bit wistfully.  Haruka, herself, was
dressed in royal blue pants with a dark blue cummerbund, a white tuxedo
shirt, a white lace cravat with a blue topaz clamp, and a royal blue
longjacket with gold scrollwork along the sides and around the cuffs.
“You ready to go?”  Hotaru grabbed her black purse and nodded.
        Ten minutes later, Haruka’s convertible roared up to the valet
parking lot of the Anochi Theater.  They got out and the valet gave them
a quick glance over.
        “Where’d you find her?” the valet asked Haruka in a whisper, “Did
you kidnap her from the Emperor or something?”  Haruka glared at the
young man, her amusement keeping her temper in check.
        “She’s my daughter,” Haruka said, just loud enough for Hotaru to
hear.  Guessing as to the topic of their conversation, Hotaru bounded up
and took Haruka’s arm as she had on several occasions before this.
        “Hurry up papa, Michiru-mama will be mad if we’re late.”  Hotaru
winked at the valet as she pulled Haruka away.  After they were out of
sight, both began to laugh hysterically.
        “You should have seen his face!” Haruka chuckled.  “The second I
told him you were my daughter..I thought his eyes were going to pop
out!”  They both began to laugh again.  “You didn’t mind, did you?  Me
telling him you were my daughter.  I still see you as my little girl,
even though Professor Tomoe’s your real father.”  Hotaru smiled and
stood on tip toe to kiss Haruka on the forehead.
        “Of course not, you and Michiru are my parents as sure as
Professor Tomoe is, probably more.  He’s part of the reason I was born,
but you two are the only reason I’m alive and as I am today.  I’m
honored to be called your daughter.”  Haruka fought back salty tears
forming in her eyes.  Hotaru smiled at her and began to drag her by the
arm again.  “Come on, we don’t want to be late.  Michiru-mama will get
mad if we aren’t there the second she steps onto the stage.”
        They went and sat in their usual front row seats.  Michiru said
she like them to be the first thing she saw when she came onto stage, it
lifted her spirits and made her play better.  Soon the lights began to
dim and the spotlight began to shine on the dark red curtain.  Slowly
the curtain opened, rippling as it went, to reveal Michiru standing
center stage, her violin ready to play.  She wore a lilac colored dress
that left her shoulders bare and clung to her body until it softly
flared out at the waist, giving her room to dance about the stage
comfortably as she played.  It was actually one of Hotaru’s dresses that
she had borrowed for the evening.  Hotaru thought she looked wonderful
in it and was almost resolved to give it to her, even though it was one
of her favorites.
        Michiru began to play a soft, beautiful song that she had composed
herself.  She had written it for Haruka a few years ago, but had never
played it at a concert before.  Haruka’s gaze was caught as she
recognized the familiar melody of “Fate so Beautiful.”  In her mind, she
sang the lyrics that Michiru had handed her that day.  Hotaru, though
she had never heard the song, sensed it’s focus and intent.
        “Michiru-mama wrote you such a pretty song,” she said after the
song was over.  Haruka woke from her trance and looked over at her.
        “How did you know it was for me?” she asked quietly as to not
disturb those around them.  Hotaru smiled and turned toward Michiru, who
had begun her second song.
        “I can just tell.  The love she put into playing it was directed
toward you, and your mouth began to move a little bit toward the end of
the song.  I thought you were going to start singing for a moment,” she
jested quietly.  Haruka flushed a bit and then smiled as Mamoru and
Usagi tried to sneak up to their seats, five down from Hotaru and
Haruka’s.
        “They’re late again,” Haruka whispered in Hotaru’s ear.  Hotaru
nodded and then returned to listening to Michiru play one of her
favorite classical pieces.  They sat silently  until the end of the
performance where they stood up and to give Michiru her usual standing
ovation.  Then they made their way to Michiru’s dressing room, where
they waited for her to gather her things so they could go and get
something to eat.
        “What shall it be today?” Haruka asked as they walked to the valet
lot.
        “Mexican?” Michiru offered as a valet rushed up to them.  The
valet was the same one Hotaru and Haruka had encountered earlier.
Without a word or even asking for Haruka’s valet ticket he was off and
returned with Haruka’s car in a matter of moments. He walked around and
held the door open for Michiru, who thanked him with a quiet smile.
Hotaru walked over to the side of the car to hop in over the side as she
usually did.  The valet offered her his hand.
        “Need some help ma’am?” he asked, smiling for all he was worth.
Haruka tried not to laugh too loudly as she got into the car and quickly
briefed Michiru on the situation.  Hotaru smiled at the valet and
excepted his offer of help.  He took her around the waist, with a quick
glance in Haruka’s direction, and hoisted her up onto the side of the
car.  From there, Hotaru spun her legs over the side of the car and sank
down into her seat.  The valet, however, had not seen fit to let go of
her hand.
        “I’ll be needing my hand back now,” she said, trying to hold back
laughter.  The valet blushed and quickly let go of her hand.
        “Sorry ma’am.”  He walked over to Haruka’s side of the car and
handed her the keys.  “Wonderful daughter you have there sir,” he said
for only Haruka to hear.  Haruka handed him the valet fee and started up
the car.
        “I know,” she said as she stepped on the gas and they drove off
toward a nearby Mexican  restaurant.
        “Well that was embarrassing,” Hotaru chuckled as they sped along
the highway.  Michiru turned around and smiled at her.
        “Now Hotaru, that young man was quite handsome, what did you find
him lacking?”  Hotaru leaned back in her seat and folded her arms across
her chest, Haruka looked at her through the rearview mirror, awaiting
her response.
        “I don’t know,” Hotaru said sarcastically, “a personality maybe?”
Haruka started laughing and Michiru gave her a small slap on the arm.
        “Haruka, don’t encourage her!” she scolded.  Haruka smiled, but
there was a haunted look to her smile.
        “Well, she had a point, you know.” Haruka confessed.  She looked
at Hotaru in the rearview mirror again.  “Don’t worry Hotaru, someone’ll
come for you anyday now.”  Michiru shot a quick glare at Haruka, but
Hotaru didn’t catch it.  The subject was dropped and they arrived at the
restaurant deep in conversation over Michiru’s newest compositions.

*******

        Two days later, Hotaru was out with Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru
having a picnic in their enormous backyard when the doorbell rang and
Setsuna went to get it.  She glanced at Haruka and Michiru a moment
before she left and gave them a very solemn nod.  Hotaru looked first at
Michiru and then at Haruka.
        “What’s going on?” she said worriedly.  “I know when you’re
keeping something important from me, and this is one of those times.”
Haruka and Michiru looked at eachother and then back at her, neither
saying a word.  Hotaru stood up and put her hand in the pockets of her
black jeanshorts.  “Fine then, I’ll just go over there until you’ve
decided that I’m old enough to be trusted.”  She stalked off and Haruka
and Michiru watched as her hostile steps caused her hair to go streaming
violently through the air, pounding against her purple tanktop and
assaulting her shoulders.
        “We should have told her,” Haruka grumbled when Hotaru was out of
earshot.  As her gaze moved toward Michiru, she caught someone stalking
off in the bushes.  She quietly nodded her head in the direction of the
stalker.
        “Again?” Michiru whispered.  Haruka nodded, a look of sadness
crossing her eyes for a moment.  “How much longer do you think?”
        “It’s only a matter of time now that our little visitor is here.
How long do you think we’ll be able to keep Setsuna’s little friend away
from Hotaru?”  Michiru grimaced and looked into her cup of water.
        “There’s trouble in the waters, Haruka.  You’re right, we should
have told her, but it’s too late now.  As I see it, our stalker will
come out in a few days, and that’ll leave our other little friend in a
rage.”
        “How did we ever get into this mess?” Haruka asked, her head held
in her hands.
        “We were just trying to protect her, Haruka.  Just like any
parents would do.”   Haruka looked up at Michiru, tears forming in her
eyes.
        “She’ll never forgive us for this, never.”  Michiru moved over and
embraced Haruka.
        “I know, it kills me too.  We’ll just have to hope she understands
that it was necessary at the time.  We have to trust that she’s really
the intelligent young woman we brought her up to be.”

*******

        “Glad to see you’re here safely,” Setsuna smiled as she held the
door open for her guest.  A tall man with black hair strode into the
room.  He looked around, searching for something, and then sat down in a
nearby chair.  He was well muscled and tanned, his green eyes surveyed
everything around him carefully.  He was outfitted in black slacks and a
dark green dresshirt.  He reclined comfortably in the chair and then
surveyed the room a second time, not seeing what he wanted, he began to
scowl.
        “Well?” he asked irritably.  Setsuna glared at him as she closed
the door and walked towards him.
        “In good time Val, in good time.”  He jumped out of his chair and
began to pace.
        “Listen Setsuna, we made a deal.  I’ve come all the way from home,
at the appointed time I might add, so I have the right to be a little
impatient.  So, where is she?”  Setsuna gestured with her head for him
to follow her.  Muttering to herself, she led him out of the house and
into the backyard, only to stop him at the screen.
        “Wait here,” she said, quickly running out to the picnic area.
She skittered to a halt, looking around frantically.  “Where is she?”
she asked Haruka and Michiru.  The two of them looked up at her and
shrugged.
        “Your guess is as good as ours,” Haruka said spitefully.  Michiru
coughed at her and gave her a quick, disapproving look.
        “What we mean to say is that she stalked off when she began to
suspect we were hiding something from her and refused to tell her what
was going on.”  Setsuna groaned in despair.
        “Wonderful, just what I needed to start this thing of properly.
Well, Val’s here and you’ll have to distract him while I go off to find
Hotaru-chan.”  Michiru looked up at Setsuna.
        “Setsuna, you know that other problem we’ve been discussing for
quite some time now.  You know, the one you foresaw might come and
disturb things?”
        “Yes, yes, what about it?”  Michiru nodded to Haruka to finish for
her as she finished cleaning up the picnic.
        “It’s here,” Haruka said curtly.  Setsuna groaned again, then
closed her eyes and took a deep breathe.
        “Figures,” she muttered as she headed back toward the house, only
to discover Val had wandered off.  She mumbled several curses to
herself, many in languages long forgotten to all but herself,  and then
stalked off toward Haruka and Michiru again.  There was no use trying to
follow his trail, because every skilled warrior learned to cover his
tracks.  “Figures.”

*******

        Hotaru swung quietly from an old tireswing on the far end of the
property.  She couldn’t understand why they still didn’t trust her,
especially in issues that concerned her.  Stopping the swing for a
moment, she began to turn around so the string wound taughtly.  Then she
removed her feet from the ground and began to spin madly like she had
when she was a child.  When the swing stopped spinning, dizziness caused
her to fall out of the swing.  She was shocked to find that something
caught her before she fell to the ground.
        “Careful,” it said in a soft, deep voice, “you could hurt
yourself.”  She spun around, ready to confront the intruder.
        “Who are you?”  Her fists were clenched and her muscles were
tight.  Adrenaline was coursing through her, preparing her for an
oncoming fight.  The stranger smiled and laughed at her.  “Might I ask
what’s so funny, or is that something else I’m not supposed to know?”
He arched an eyebrow at her.
        “Calm down Hotaru, I’m not going to hurt you.  Hmm, Setsuna hasn’t
told you, has she?”  Hotaru backed up a bit, the adrenaline leaving her
veins.
        “Obviously not,” she said a bit bitterly.  “So if you’ll be so
kind as to tell me what the Hell you’re doing here, I’ll let you be on
your way.  Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll have to hurt you.”  The stranger
laughed again and looked her over.
        “No, I suppose that would never do, would it?”  A rustling in a
nearby bush took his attention for a moment and gave Hotaru the time she
needed to leap into a nearby tree and out of sight.  Val turned around
and crossed his arms across his chest.  “Goody,” he sighed as he walked
back toward the house where Setsuna was, no doubt, prepared to kill him.

*******

        “There you are!” Setsuna yelled in outrage.  Val walked up to her,
annoyance oozing from every pore of his body.
        “To the casual observer it would seem that I have been greatly
misinformed,” he quipped.  Setsuna took a deep breath and gave a silent
prayer of thanks when Haruka and Michiru walked up with Hotaru held
hostage.  Haruka had both of Hotaru’s arms pinned behind her back in
such a way that she would be in pain if she didn’t go in the direction
she was commanded.
        “She was hiding in a tree,” Haruka informed them.  Val smiled at
Hotaru and she glared at him.
        “Do you know this guy?” Hotaru asked the other three senshi.
Haruka scratched the back of her head, Michiru looked off toward a
distant cloud, and Setsuna lowered her head to stare at the ground.
“Well?”  Setsuna looked up and met Hotaru’s gaze.
        “Hotaru, this is your future husband, Prince Valerian of Auriga.
Val, I think you’ve met Princess Hotaru of Saturn.”  He nodded and gave
Hotaru another smile while looking her over again.  She didn’t look at
all like the girl he had been given a picture of back when he and the
others had first met.  That girl was frail and weak, this one seemed
anything but.  He figured that, perhaps, the picture was taken when she
was younger, perhaps before she came into her senshi powers.  No, this
girl was not helpless at all.  Had she wanted to hurt him back at the
swing, she could have done so easily.
        “My what?!” Hotaru exclaimed in a confused outrage.  Pluto had
been prepared for her anger and took it in stride.
        “Well Hotaru, when you were weaker...”
        “Much weaker,” interjected Michiru.  Pluto scowled at her and
continued.
        “..we outer senshi, being your guardians, thought it best to find
you someone who could be with you night and day to make sure no harm
came to you.  You’re the messiah and as such your life is bound to be in
jeopardy several times throughout this existence.”  Hotaru threw glares
across the room and settled it on Haruka for no other reason than to
make her nervous and guilty.  It worked like a charm.
        “Not just anyone,” Haruka added hastily.  “Someone who was of good
standing and top military skill.”  Pluto nodded in agreement then
continued again.
        “In essence,” she said, “someone who was powerful and clever
enough to protect the messiah and possibly fend off the Dark Warrior
should the need arise.”
        “Great,” Hotaru mumbled, “you hunted the universe for a
babysitter.”  She turned to Prince Valerian and gave him a polite bow.
“I’m sorry you had to travel so far, but your protection is no longer
needed and you may go home now.”  She turned to go but Setsuna caught
her arm and turned her around.
        “It doesn’t quite work that way Hotaru-chan,” she said with a
touch of annoyance coloring her speech.  “You two are betrothed.”
Hotaru’s eyes lit with fury.
        “Why didn’t you just go ahead and sell my kidneys while you were
at it?!  Or is that next week’s little surprise?”  Val watched a moment
and then, for the first time, spoke up.
        “No need to be angry with them, Princess, the betrothal was my
doing.”  He spoke as calmly as his racing nerves would allow him.  He
thought he would be prepared to handle her, but he now knew he had
brought all the wrong weapons for the attack.  Not even the encounter at
the swing had prepared him for this.  He took a deep breath in order to
control his thoughts better.  “It was I who insisted on the betrothal.
I did not know, however, that you were not privy to the negotiations.”
        “Well, I wasn’t and I don’t plan on marrying you, so you can just
fly back to the asteroid you came from.  You’re not my type anyway.”
Michiru inched toward Hotaru and whispered in her ear.
        “Don’t antagonize him too much, he is the best warrior we’ve
encountered in some while.”  While they talked, Val gave himself a quick
once-over.
        “What do you mean ‘not your type’?!” he asked, insulted.
        “Nothing personal,” Hotaru explained, her patience and good charm
returning, “but I don’t go for the tall, black haired, green-eyed
playboy type.”  Val was getting more enraged by the moment, and Hotaru
found herself enjoying the spectacle.
        “Well excuse me!  At least I can fight for myself!”  *There* he
thought *that’s a safe insult.*  Hotaru called up the Silence Glaive and
swept his feet out from under him.  *Maybe not.*
        “You were saying?” she teased.  She swung her glaive around and it
vanished.  She helped the prince get on his feet.  “Don’t worry, you’re
just a prince, I wouldn’t expect you to hold up in a fight.”  *Bad move*
Haruka thought to herself.  She had seen the boy fight, and he was good.
Better than her at hand to hand combat and near to her equal in
swordwork.
        “Well,” Setsuna sighed, “I suppose we could annul the betrothal if
both sides are willing.”
        “Oh no you don’t,” Valerian warned.  “I came here for a weak
little flower and I got a panther in it’s place.  Good trade if you ask
me.”  *Oh dear God,* Michiru thought, *don’t tell me he’s actually gone
and fallen in love with her!  Not after all that.*  Hotaru stalked off
again and Setsuna gave suite.
        “Val, I think it might be wise to cancel the betrothal for your
own hide’s sake,” Michiru said, desperate for him to see it their way.
He smiled kindly at her, his smile accenting his well sculptured chin.
        “You don’t understand,” he said after a bit of thought.  “Ever since
you three came and made the arrangements with father, I’ve just
had a photograph of Hotaru to base my plans for the future on.  She was
so small and frail I thought I would have to take care of her like she
was some sort of porcelain doll.  It wasn’t what I had always dreamed of
for myself, but I resigned myself to making it work.  But then I arrived
here and find a strong, healthy woman where that sickly child once was.”
*A very attractive woman, you mean* Haruka laughed to herself.  “Well,
she’s all I had ever dreamed of.  All the dreams I had to abandon have
come to life and are walking around with Setsuna as we speak.  It’s as
if I’ve known her in my dreams my entire life.  I’m not going to let her
go now, not when I think I’m beginning to love her.”
        “Val, don’t do this to yourself,” Michiru pleaded.  She might have
been the only one to notice it, but someone was cracking their knuckles
behind a far off bush.  She shot a look to Haruka, who signaled that she
had noticed it too.  It was probably the same person who had been
trailing them for the past five years now.  “You don’t know the mess
you’re getting yourself into, Val.”  He eyed her curiously, his
expression asking for the clarification she couldn’t give.  “Just forget
about her, Prince Valerian, before your hear gets broken and your dreams
get shattered.”  Mentally she added, *because if that person in the
bushes is who Haruka and I think it is, you’re going to have to have a
lot more than good looks and swordsmanship to keep a hold on Hotaru.  A
lot more.*  Taking Haruka’s arm, they left him to ponder Michiru’s
words.

*******

        “How could you?” Hotaru asked Setsuna, her eyes full of tears.
Setsuna hugged Hotaru to her as she cried, cursing herself for her
actions.
        “I’m sorry Hotaru, it seemed like the right thing to do at the
time, please understand that.”  Hotaru stopped crying and took a deep
breath.
        “Well,” she said through a sniffle, “done is done.  How am I going
to get out of this?”  Setsuna smiled down at her, blessing Haruka and
Michiru for bringing her up as well as they did.
        “How are we going to get out of this.  It’s our mistake, not
yours.  And as to that, child, I don’t know.  I think it might help if
you spent some time with Prince Valerian so that he could see for
himself that he has no interest in you.”  Hotaru shrugged and began to
walk with Setsuna toward the house.
        “I suppose he could come to school with me for a few days.” she
suggested.  Setsuna looked surprised.
        “Is school starting already?  It seems you just finished school
last week.”  Hotaru gave a soft laugh.
        “So it does, but classes start soon.  I think Mako-chan is in my
math class on Monday.  Maybe I can convince her that Val looks like her
old boyfriend and she should pursue him.”  Setsuna opened the back door
and they walked into one of the many entertaining rooms.
        “Perhaps, it just might work.”
        “Well then, you tell Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama about our plan
and see if they can come up with any others.  I’ll go entertain his
highness.”  Setsuna put her hand on Hotaru’s shoulder.
        “Hotaru, try to remember that he is a prince, and used to some
courtesy.”  Hotaru smiled and winked at her.
        “Well he said he liked panthers, let’s see what happens when one
has him in it’s jaws.”  Hotaru laughed and bounded up the stairs to her
room to prepare to start her plan of attack.  *Oh dear* Setsuna thought
*Val should be begging us to annul the betrothal once Hotaru’s done with
him.  I’ve seen this act before, and it’s not going to be pretty.
Funny, but not pretty.*  She laughed to herself as she went to search
for Haruka and Michiru so she could warn them about the coming battle.

*******

        “She’s good,” Haruka whispered to Michiru over her bowl of fried
rice.  Michiru watched as Hotaru shot Prince Valerian flirtatious
glances from across the table.
        “Hopefully not *too* good,” she replied.  Valerian seemed
completely confused at Hotaru’s complete change of attitude towards him,
but he didn’t seem to dislike the direction for which that attitude had
turned.  His pulse raced every time Hotaru looked at him with those
wide, innocent violet eyes.
        “We’ll have to make sure Hotaru changes up her technique every now
and then, so that she can see which one works best,” Setsuna offered.
Michiru smiled slightly and pointed in Hotaru’s direction.
        “I think she figured it out for herself,” she said in a hushed
voice.  Haruka looked down the table to see Hotaru shyly looking away
every time the prince’s gaze fell on her.
        “Where *does* she learn all this stuff?” she asked, shocked.
        “Primetime television,” Michiru answered dryly.

*******

        *What the Hell is going on!* Prince Valerian thought in outrage.
*What kind of game is she playing with me?  One minute she’s coming onto
me stronger than bad aftershave and the next she’s as shy as a ghost.*
A perverse part of him enjoyed the game, the logical part of him was
overloading and ready for an emergency shutdown.  He was relieved when
she excused herself to prepare for the night.  Haruka, Michiru, and
Setsuna began to clear away the table, and he helped them.  Michiru then
went to her room to go to bed because she had an art opening early the
next morning.  Setsuna had to be up early as well and she, too, went off
to bed.  Haruka went upstairs to get ready for the night as well.  He
decided he best do as they did and went to the guestroom to put on a
pair of silk boxers he used as pajamas.
        When he went into the family room, he nearly had a heartattack.
Haruka sat on the couch in front of the television wearing a set of
flannel pajamas, watching auto racing.  That, of course, was no shock.
The shock came when he saw Hotaru walk into the room in a man’s
oversized dresshirt.  His pulse began to beat faster and faster and his
throat began to dry up.  Hotaru walked over to the couch where Haruka
was sitting and sat, leaning against her with her feet tucked under her
and to the side.
        “Mind if I watch with you?” he asked in a controlled voice.
Haruka looked down to Hotaru, who shrugged and continued watching
television.  Haruka, in turn, shrugged and made a sweeping motion,
signaling him to sit down.  He didn’t dare sit next to Hotaru, so he
took an armchair close to the couch on Haruka’s side.  He watched
television for a while and was shocked to find that he was actually
enjoying auto racing.  “Wow,” he said when the race was over.  “The
racer in that yellow car’s really good.”  Haruka smiled at him and
Hotaru’s head lifted from her shoulder.
        “It was one of my better races,” Haruka said wistfully.  “What do
you think Hotaru-chan?”  Hotaru shrugged and moved some hair off of her
shoulder, which the shirt had somehow seen fit to vacate.  He looked at
her bare shoulder a moment, trying for all the world not to stare.
        “I think the race you won back in the US was better.  Your time
was a lot faster.”  Haruka looked down at her, trying not to laugh at
the game she was playing with Val.
        “You mean the one in Indianapolis?”  Hotaru nodded and continued
watching the television.  Haruka felt her shift slightly, exposing just
a bit more of her leg.  “Careful Hotaru,” she whispered through what
appeared to be a closed mouth.  “A man’s hormones can only be drawn so
far before he goes mad.  You wouldn’t want Val to go insane, would you?”
Hotaru nuzzled up to Haruka’s shoulder.
        “True, then we’d have to explain things to his parents, and that
wouldn’t be any fun at all.”  Valerian watched this scene with a tight
grip on his temper.  He was becoming consciously, insanely jealous of
Haruka.  True, she was Hotaru’s protector and adoptive parent, but
Hotaru, his betrothed, was nuzzling far too much for his comfort.
“Haruka, I think it’s time to let the little prince get a little
frustration out.  Is it just me, or is he getting jealous of you?”
Haruka looked at the prince through her peripheral vision and caught him
throwing her a particularly angry glance.
        “Right you are Hotaru-chan, I think he’s almost in a killing
frenzy, and I’m his main target.”  Haruka mock-stretched and Hotaru sat
up straight.  “Well Hotaru-chan,” she said aloud.  “I think it’s time
for me to be off to bed, I’m going to go down to the track and do some
running tomorrow.  If I want to live through the workout I’ve planned, I
should get some rest.”  Hotaru reached over and gave her a warm hug.
Val almost went over and tore them apart.
        “Don’t overwork yourself Haruka-papa, we’ll get angry if we find
you lying unconscious on the track.  And don’t forget your sunscreen,
you don’t want to burn like you did last time.”  Haruka winced at the
memory and got up off the couch.  She walked over and clapped Val on his
shoulder.
        “Don’t let her keep you up, young man,” she warned mockingly.
“She stays up till all unholy hours of the night.  But fireflies don’t
really come out during the day, do they?”  He laughed nervously at her
joke, waiting for her to let go of his shoulder and get out of his way.
His gaze followed her all the way up the stairs, when he turned away he
was staring into a set of angry violet eyes.
        “I can’t believe you!” Hotaru fumed.  He began to sink deeper and
deeper into the chair.
        “Wha...what did I do?” he asked meekly, truly afraid for his life.
Hotaru slapped him hard across the face, leaving a bright red mark where
her hand had impacted with his face.
        “I saw the way you were looking at Haruka!” she said coldly.
*Just how much of it  did I see?  We’ll let you be the judge of that*
she mentally laughed.
        “Hotaru,” he coughed, “about Haruka...well, you see....I just get
jealous really easily and when you were sitting there and leaning
against her...well, I just got a little nervy.  And then when you hugged
her.....that hug went on *way* too long....I mean it didn’t help my
jealousy any.  Dammit all, you’re my betrothed, you shouldn’t go around
leaning on and groping other people!”  He waited for her to slap him, or
maybe she would slit his throat, he couldn’t tell which method she’d
use.  Hotaru looked him in the eyes and then her frown softened into a
smile and she kissed him quickly on the lips.  She stood up so she was
no longer looming right in front of him.
        “Oh, is that all.”  She trotted over to the couch and began to
channel surf for something good on television.  When she had gone
through every channel three times and found that no program was to her
liking, she turned the TV off and yawned.  “I’m going to sleep now, it’s
nearly three o’clock.”  Val’s weary eyes blinked in disbelief.
        “Already?” he asked.  She nodded and put the remote on the coffee
table.  “Want me to walk you to your room?”  It wasn’t as if some
stranger was going to pop out of the hall and take her away, but he
didn’t want to take any chances.  Besides, this would give him an excuse
to figure out where her room was, just in case he wanted to surprise her
with a special gift on her pillow or some such sign of devotion.  She
shrugged and began to turn off the lights throughout the house.  Soon
only the stairway lights remained on and she nodded her head toward the
stairs, telling him she was ready to go to her room.  He got up from the
armchair and joined her in climbing the spiral stairway.
        Hotaru’s room was at the end of the hall, across from the guest
room.  He was thankful that he wouldn’t have to walk much further to get
to his room, he was thoroughly exhausted.  When they got to Hotaru’s
room, she took hold of his chin and looked into his eyes.  He half
expected her to kiss him but instead she socked him in the eye.
        “Don’t let your jealousy take hold of you again.”  With that, she
closed her door and left him sprawled on the hallway floor, a bruise
already forming around his right eye.  He crawled across the hall to his
room, where he pulled himself onto his bed and collapsed, too confused
and tired to think of anything.

*******

        Morning came all too soon and Hotaru forced herself to get out of
bed.  She didn’t want to leave the warm haven of blankets and the soft,
comforting glow of her lamps, but she had to, there was no other way she
could get rid of Val if she didn’t get up.  She stifled a yawn and put
on a rather alluring dress that she would not usually be caught dead
wearing.  But, situations as they were, she had little to no choice on
the matter.
        Michiru was the first to see her coming down the stairs.  She
quietly signaled for Hotaru to go back up to the top of the stairs and
wait for her.  When she arrived, she gave one look at Hotaru and placed
her eyes back in her head.
        “Hotaru, do you think wearing that dress is wise?  Especially
considering how...incorrigible he is?”  Hotaru smiled deviously.
        “Oh, don’t worry, I thought about that.  In fact, that’s why I
chose this dress.  I’d never be seen in it otherwise.  Last time I wore
it was on Halloween.”  Michiru thought a moment, trying to figure out
Hotaru’s plan.
        “I’m still not quite clear on things,” she admitted after a fierce
grapple with her imagination.  Hotaru yanked the neckline of the dress
back up, wiped a bead of sweat from her brow, and began to explain.
        “It’s simple:  he tries something, I yell rat, betrothal is
annulled, I’m free.”  Michiru took a deep breath.  The other three
senshi had thought of this as a possible plan, but had thought it best
to leave it as a last resort and not speak to Hotaru about it.
Apparently, she had come up with the same idea, or ideas, as they had.
She shed a mental tear that Hotaru had, indeed, grown up.
        “Well then, all we can do is support you in you endeavor.  If you
need our help, don’t hesitate to ask.”  Hotaru leaned forward and hugged
the breath out of the woman, giving her a quick kiss and a lasting
smile.  “Hurry up and get down there, Haruka was eyeing your breakfast
when last I saw her.”  Hotaru nodded and raced down the stairs as fast
as she could.

*******

        Val sat at the dining table, playing with his food and trying to
make heads or tails of what had happened the night before.  One minute
he had sworn he had control of her, the next she knocked him to the
ground and gave him a stare that would melt steel.  One moment she was
shy and demure, the next she was as brazen as anyone he had ever seen.
Was she always like this or was she playing a trick on him?  Would he go
insane before he found out?
        Haruka watched Val ponder himself mad and reminded herself that
laughing at him wouldn’t help matters much.  Setsuna had already left to
run a few errands and Michiru would be leaving for her art opening in
ten minutes.  She lifted her head from her plate when she heard a gasp
come from the prince’s direction.  She watched as his face went from
white to red in a matter of seconds, then he seemed to find something
terribly interesting about the tablecloth.
        “Morning Haruka-papa!” Hotaru chirped as she walked into the room.
Haruka lifted a questioning brow to her and she strode over to give her
a hug.  As she hugged her, she whispered into her ear.  “He loses
control, I call him on it, he annuls the betrothal.  Hope you don’t
mind, ‘cause I feel bad enough as it is.  This dress was only meant to
be worn on Halloween.”  Haruka caught the poutiness of her voice and
smiled.
        “Don’t worry,” she whispered back while pretending to give her a
kiss on the cheek, “it won’t last for very long.”  Hotaru pulled away
and smiled at her, a sign that she hoped Haruka was right.  In his seat,
Val had lifted his gaze for a moment and glared quickly at Haruka.
Hotaru caught it and gave him a glare of her own.  It was then that
Haruka noticed his black eye.  She looked over to Hotaru, whose smile of
victory was all the answer she needed.  Hotaru walked behind Val’s chair
and swung around, giving him a quick kiss before taking her own seat
next to him.  He flushed and returned his gaze back to the tablecloth.
Haruka scraped the last few bits off her plate and rose.  “Time for me
to get ready to go to the track,” she announced.  Hotaru stood up and
walked toward her, hand fishing around in her pocket.
        “Here,” she said, taking out a bottle of sunscreen and handing it
to Haruka.  “I don’t want you to get another sunburn.  Michiru-mama
hates it when you get sunburns, she says you’re always in a bad mood
until it heals.”  She winked at Haruka, who began to turn bright red
with embarrassment.  She was sure Michiru hadn’t told Hotaru anything of
the sort, but she took the bottle nonetheless and began to apply its
contents to her skin as she walked over to get her keys.  A few moments
later she walked out the door and the sound of a car alarm being turned
off could be heard.
        “What exactly did you think you were doing!” Hotaru fumed,
rounding on Val.  He was stunned, he wasn’t even aware he had done
something wrong.
        “What did I do?” he asked, bewildered.  Hotaru slapped him across
the face.
        “You let your jealousy get a hold of you again, that’s what you
did!  You were looking daggers at Haruka this morning!  I could have
sworn you were going to throttle her.”  Now that he knew what he had
done, he stood like a dear trapped in the headlights of an oncoming
bigrig.  He knew he had done it, there was no use arguing with her.  He
couldn’t stand seeing Haruka holding Hotaru for that long, and the kiss
made him furious.  No, he wouldn’t say a thing, he was guilty as
charged, and she had warned him.  “Good God man,” she continued, edging
closer to him with each passing moment, “Haruka and Michiru are like my
parents!  They raised me ever since I was reborn!  If I can’t hug and
kiss my parents, then who?”  He looked at her, his eyes betraying his
thoughts.  She had him right where she wanted him, now it was time to
see if the fish would take the bait.  “Everyone always told me I was
weird, that I didn’t fit in.”  Genuine tears began to form in her eyes.
The memories hurt, but she needed to use them, needed the tears as well.
In the end, the pain might earn her her freedom back.  “Nobody would go
near me, but then Pluto brought me to them.  They didn’t shun me or tell
me to go away.  They didn’t care that I could heal people, they just
loved me.  Dammit, that was something not even my own father did.  Do
you know what he did to me?”  The pain was choking her and she couldn’t
continue, Val stared at her, almost at the point of tears himself.
Slowly, hesitantly, he put his arm around her, hugging her close to him.
Hotaru put her head to his shoulder to hide the smile forming on her
lips, her plan was working perfectly.
        “I...I don’t think you’re weird, Hotaru-chan.  Your healing is a
gift and, well, I’m sorry I got so jealous of Haruka-san.  I’ll try not
to let it happen again.  After all, you wouldn’t get mad if I hugged and
kissed my mother.”  He stroked her hair lightly, still holding her close
to him.  His hand brushed the back of her neck and froze.  Images of her
bounding into the room flashed through his mind.  He could see the
dress, how it clung to every angle of her body, how it had moved when
she had wriggled into her chair.  He began to sweat nervously.  A bead
of sweat cascaded from his forehead and onto Hotaru’s neck.  He prayed
she didn’t notice it.  Hotaru’s smile widened and she pretended not to
notice the sweatdrop.  She gave a long sigh, which pressed her chest
against Val for a few moments.  His body temperature was rising and he
was sweating even more.  She pulled away from him and smiled.
        “I need to go sit down.  Come with me?”  Her voice was quiet and
soothing, almost a gentle coo.  It hypnotized him and he nodded dumbly.
She took his hand and led him to the couch, where she set him down and
went to get the remote from where she had put it the night before.  He
watched her, unable to take his eyes off her.  She came back and sat
down, snuggling up next to him, wiping an occasional tear from her eye.
He quietly slipped his hand around her, as if the slightest disturbance
would make her disintegrate and he would find himself alone on the
couch.  He had been preparing for things like this, comforting a
distressed girl, since he had made the betrothal arrangements with the
others.  He had figured out the perfect way to remove her distress, but
he didn’t know if he should chance it now.  If it worked, then Hotaru
would be his forever.  If it failed, she might likely kill him.
        During a commercial about a girl and her father, Hotaru broke down
again and he took a deep breath and prayed that she wouldn’t kill him.
He put his hand behind her neck and tilted her face up toward him.  Her
eyes were red from weeping and tears were still streaming from them.
Slowly, he placed his lips over each eye and kissed away the tears, then
he kissed her on the lips.  The kiss was long and passionate.  His mind
was a blur, he was unable to even think of the reason he was kissing
her, only that he knew he had wanted to for some time now.  His good
sense shut off and his raging hormones took control.  He watched himself
from the back of his mind, wondering what in all Hells he was doing.
        Hotaru was reeling with internal laughter.  Her plan was working,
all she had to do was play her part and she would be free of the
betrothal.  She waited for him to make his mistake, biding her time and
cringing mentally with every kiss.  His kisses began to roam and soon
his hands did too.  She waited....and waited....and soon her patience
was rewarded.  Prince Valerian cringed as she put both hands around his
neck, ready to wring it.
        “How dare you,” she hissed in outrage.  He looked up at her,
wishing he were already dead.  “You, who holds honor so high would wish
so much to take my honor from me?  I don’t know what things are like
where you’re from, but here we take rape very seriously.  If someone
comes to you for emotional support, you do not take it as an opportunity
to rip their dress off.  Prepare your things, Prince Valerian.  You
*will* consent to annul the betrothal, or I will kill you.  You have
attempted to rape me, and if you don’t want that knowledge spread across
the galaxy, you will annul the betrothal and go back to wherever it is
you came from.”  She grabbed the broken strap of her dress and the side
that he had begun to rip.  She gestured toward it with her other hand.
“On this planet,” she informed him, “this is evidence.  Don’t think you
can get away with what you did.  If you’re lucky, you’ll get out of here
before Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna find out.  They are like my parents
and, as such, I *will* tell them.  I give you until they all return to
get your things in order.  Then you will announce the annulment and
leave.  I’ll give you that as a  grace period, no more, no less.”  She
quietly strode out of the room and up the stairs.  When she got to her
room she changed out of the much hated dress and into something more to
her liking:  jeanshorts and an Ah! My Goddess! tee-shirt.

*******

        He saw the other man shaking his head.  He wanted to break the
window in and kill him right now, and fought to restrain himself.  He
was out of the way now, there was no need to kill him, even if what he
did warranted death on not only his home, but this planet as well.  He
clenched his fists and ran toward better cover.  Any day now his hiding
would  be over, any day now he would be able to see her and her him.
Soon there would be no more secrets.  Soon.

*******

        Val sat on the couch, mortified beyond his own means of
comprehension.  How could he do such a thing?  She had only wanted
someone to help comfort her, she had only wanted a friend, she had only
wanted.......wait.....she had only wanted him to fall into a  trap.
Those might have been real tears, but she was certainly not overtaken by
grief.  She had tricked him and he had fallen right into the trap.  She
was smart, smarter than he had ever imagined.  He smiled like a maniac
at his stupidity.
        He had wanted a fight, and now he was getting one.  Once he told
her that he knew about her little game, she wouldn’t dare to bring up
what had happened....or would she?   She could probably convince people
of almost anything if she put her mind to it, and what a beautifully
devious mind it was.  His courage renewed, he went up to his room to
change before he confronted Hotaru.  He wanted to practice what he was
going to say, too.  If he made a single mistake, she would catch it and
use it, then he would lose her.  He couldn’t lose her now, she was like
an addiction.  He was addicted to the chase, the very thought of it
brought a smile to his lips.  Yes, he was addicted to her.  He knew it,
and was scared to death about it.

*******

        “Nice little trick you played on me, Princess,” Val said as he
slid into Hotaru’s  room.  She started and turned around.
        “What trick?” she asked with feigned innocence.  He smiled
viciously at her and began to walk up to her in long strides.  When he
reached her, he grabbed her chin and forced her to look into his eyes.
        “I think you know what I’m talking about,” he said in a semi-
amused tone.  He was trying for all the world to seem in control, hoping
she would be too shocked by the turning of the tables to notice that his
knees were shaking.  His hand slid from her chin to her throat.  “You
tricked me earlier today, Princess, but it won’t happen again.  You’re
smart, but not that smart.”  She searched his eyes and he tried his best
to look confident and sure of himself.  “And,” he added, “since you
tricked me, your claims are voided.  The betrothal still stands and you
will be coming home with me on your next birthday, as planned.  And that
is final.”  He let her go and walked out of the room, looking the
picture of calm.  He closed the door firmly and all but ran into his
room, where he fell onto the bed and began to shake with all the pent up
nervousness that he dared not show in front of her.

*******

        Later that evening, Michiru came home to see Haruka and Val
watching the television and Hotaru sulking in the kitchen, helping
Setsuna prepare dinner.  She put her coat on the coathanger and placed
her hat on the hatstand.  She smiled at Haruka when she turned toward
her and then made her way to the kitchen to try and snag a quick snack
before dinner.
        “How’d it go?” she asked Hotaru while retrieving a bottle of
mineral water from the refrigerator.  Hotaru grimaced and threw some
pizza dough up in the air.
        “Almost, but he’s smarter than I though.”  Michiru just nodded and
took her water into the family room to watch television with Haruka.
Setsuna took the pizza dough from Hotaru and placed it on the pan to
await the sauce.
        “Perhaps,” Pluto said after a bit, “it would be best if you did as
you originally planned and took him to school with you.”  Hotaru just
nodded, still not liking the fact that she had been defeated.

            To be continued.....if you wish it to be.

  Many blessings unto you all for taking the time to read this.
                           -Whisper Reilman, fanfictionist
                                      Whisper132@hotmail.com