Fandom: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars (manga)
Date Finished:
Classification: Romance, Angst, Humor
Pairing: Taiki/Setsuna, Seiya/Yaten, Seiya/Usagi, Rei/Minako
Rating: NC-17

Silence
By Elsewhere
elsewherecw@shaw.ca

All other information in Part One.

Part Three:

Glossary:  
bento - lunch box(es)
chibi - little, tiny  
genkan - the entrance of a Japanese house, where you take off your shoes
Juuban Koukou - Juuban (Tenth District) High School
ne - an all-purpose word to get someone’s attention, to ask for confirmation, or used in a variety of other situations
odango - dumpling
odango atama - dumpling head---refers to the type of hair style Usagi wears, with two buns, one on either side of the head
oi - hey
seifuku - school uniform
senshi - soldier(s)

Note: "Besides, that’s the wrong kanji."- Artemis is implying that Minako got the proverb wrong (as she so often does) because she read the kanji wrong whenever she read the proverb (Japanese students have to study proverbs for their exams). The proverb she screwed up should correctly be, ‘When you forget destiny, it comes back to haunt you.’

*****
Passion choke the flower
Until she cries no more
Possessing all the beauty
Hungry still for more
*****

Seiya snapped awake when she heard the soft beeping of her watch’s alarm and quickly pulled it under her covers, stabbing the button to make it shut up. She poked her head up from under the covers, waiting in silence for a few moments to make sure that it seemed that neither of the condominium’s other two occupants had heard the alarm before she rolled out of bed and tiptoed across her room towards her dresser. She got out a pair of boxers and pulled them on, followed by her new seifuku pants. She made quick work of her bindings, then put on a button-down shirt that also helped masculinize her figure before pulling her hair back into its standard ponytail as the final touch. Then, after once again checking to make sure the house still sounded silent, she sneaked out of her room and down the hallway, remaining on her guard until she reached the front door, never letting herself breathe until she’d closed and locked the door behind herself without getting caught.

After that, she jogged the first few blocks towards her destination, still feeling as though the devil was on her heels, even though the only danger she was in was being caught sneaking out of the house by Taiki and Yaten, and she still hadn’t really given much thought to why that would be such a bad thing.

Seiya sighed softly as she walked along a street that she had a feeling would shortly become familiar to her. She tried to calm the racing of her heart by breathing slowly and evenly, but it only seemed to make the problem worse. She wasn’t even sure why her heart was so out of control. Part of it, she supposed, was the fact that she felt as though she was lying to Taiki and Yaten in some way. And the other part of it was the simple fact of what she was *doing* that made her feel like she was lying to her band mates.

She’d already sneaked out three times without their knowledge and made her way along these streets, ever since she’d first figured out where the blonde-haired odango atama lived. Three times, she’d gone early in the morning to the odango atama’s house like some kind of common stalker and she’d stood there, watching as the girl had gone around her morning business---particularly watching as the blonde got her mail.

Every morning it was the same. Odango, as Seiya had dubbed her within her own mind, would come out of the house and go to the mail box, a tense sort of smile on her face, as though she was expecting a letter from someone. She would check the mailbox, and whether it was full or empty, the smile would always vanish from her face to be replaced by a frown. Seiya couldn’t help but think that such a lovely face wasn’t meant to frown, or look so depressed. After that, Odango would stare longingly at the mailbox for another moment or so before she’d close it reluctantly and turn to go back in her house. And Seiya would go home, and find herself looking forward to the next day…and yet dreading it, at the same time. She dreaded having to see this girl look so sad.

What was it about that girl? She made Seiya’s heart beat like this too, Seiya couldn’t deny that. Something about her seemed terribly familiar, and Seiya was starting to notice the way her heart began to ache the more she stared at the blonde-haired girl. That’s why she couldn’t stop herself…even though somehow this felt wrong, she still kept sneaking out, every morning, to go and watch a few moments of Odango’s life played out before her…

She had to understand this ache, before it drove her crazy.

This particular morning, Odango came out quite a bit earlier than usual, and her smile seemed even more hesitant. Seiya lifted an eyebrow, immediately curious.

/Why so concerned, Odango? Did you have a bad dream last night? Ne, please tell me…/

"I’m leaving," Odango called back into the house she’d just left before closing the door after herself, and then Seiya watched as Odango quietly walked over to the mailbox and opened it, sticking her hand into it and feeling around. Odango sighed, pulling her hand back out and shaking her head.

"At this time in the morning the mail must not have come yet," Odango said, sounding a bit annoyed with herself, and Seiya couldn’t help but smile. But then she saw Odango’s neck straighten for a moment before Odango slumped her head forward slowly. From the side, Seiya could see the sadness and worry on Odango’s face.

"Mamo-chan…are you okay? How come you haven’t written or called? I’ll get mad…"

Odango’s shoulders were still slumped as she lifted her head and started to walk away. Seiya watched her walk away before she turned and stared at the mailbox for a moment in contemplation.

/So…you *were* waiting for someone to write to you, Odango…waiting for that man, that ‘Mamo-chan’ to write to you. How sad…you don’t realize that he’s dead…/

Seiya’s expression had become a mixture of sadness and thoughtfulness as she headed home. She was concocting a plan, thinking that perhaps she could give Odango something to hope for again, something to look forward to each morning…

Seiya paused halfway home, just as she was passing Ichinohashi Park, her brow furrowing as she felt some odd energy gathering nearby. It didn’t feel like an enemy or any kind of threat, but it was worrisome nonetheless. She turned, looking around to see if she could spot anything, but gave up when all she saw were people walking and jogging through the park. She shrugged, sighing as she put her hands behind her head and continued her casual walk back towards her house, knowing she still had a little time before Yaten got up, and she could just tell Taiki she’d been out for a walk. After all, it was true.

*****

"They say when a genius forgets, it comes back to haunt you," Aino Minako said, holding up a finger and grinning somewhat maniacally as she stood up from her seat.

Mizuno Ami, the resident genius, lifted an eyebrow, looking somewhat affronted.

"That proverb doesn’t fit this situation," Artemis, Minako’s white cat, spoke up, frowning mildly. "Besides, that’s the wrong kanji."

"Shut up," Minako said, pouting a bit as she slumped back into her chair.

Luna stepped forward, clearing her throat, and the gathered senshi around her all turned to her, awaiting her words. They had all decided to have a meeting in their command center in the basement of the Crown Arcade to discuss the appearance of the new enemy and the three mysterious senshi the night before.

"After we defeated the Dead Moon, I thought we finally had peace," Luna said, her eyes traveling over each senshi in turn, "but…it seems another new enemy has appeared."

"She called us the sailor senshi," Ami pointed out, looking concerned. "And the carriers of the Sailor Crystals."

"Well, we’re famous people now," Minako said breezily, waving a hand. "Anyone who hasn’t heard of us must be living under a rock."

"If they know us…could they also carry the fate of our previous lives?" Kino Makoto questioned, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"Not only that," Haruka said, finally adding her two cents. She gave a quiet grunt when everyone turned to her curiously. "The heavens are spacious."

"Enemies from another star!?" Hino Rei exclaimed, her eyebrows lifting sharply.

"Perhaps." Another voice spoke in Haruka’s place, and everyone turned towards the shadows, watching as Setsuna leaned forward into the light. The shadows cast an odd light into her garnet eyes. Setsuna glanced towards her fellow outer senshi---Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru---and nodded. "We think so."

"And those idols…" Haruka said quietly, glancing around at the inner senshi. Minako lifted her head at the mention of ‘idols’, leaning forward. "The Three Lights, too."

Minako gasped, and the others glanced at each other, obviously shocked. Only Rei looked unfazed, although her eyes did harden.

"I don’t know for what purpose they’ve become idols," Haruka continued, her own eyes narrowed as she stared at her fist where it was clenched in her lap, "but…I’m not mistaken. I felt the power of stars in them. They are not of this solar system. Whether they’re enemies or allies, they saved us…"

Usagi was the only one who remained completely silent throughout the conversation, her eyes on her hands where they rested lightly clasped together in her lap. The expression on her face was troubled, her bright blue eyes dimmed with some kind of worrisome thoughts.

"Princess," Michiru said, leaning towards Usagi and speaking as reassuringly as she could. "This is our responsibility. We’ll take care of it."

"Leave it to us," Setsuna agreed with a confident nod and a slight smile, her eyes kind as she looked at Usagi, who glanced up to offer her friends a hesitant smile.

"Right, Usagi!" Minako said with a grin. "Don’t worry, leave everything to us!"

Usagi smiled at them and thanked them, and she truly did appreciate their words and their effort to cheer her up, but somehow…she couldn’t bring herself to believe their words. She had the oddest feeling, as though their greatest battle yet was coming…

*****

Usagi walked home slower than she usually would, her feet shuffling slightly. She couldn’t shake this building feeling of dread, and she had no idea who to talk to about it, so she tried her best to push it to the back of her mind as she finally reached her house and unlocked the front door.

"I’m home!" she called as she got into the house and slipped off her shoes. She noticed a tiny pair of shoes in the genkan and paused.

/Whose shoes are these?/ she wondered.

"Welcome back!" Ikuko called back as she came into the hallway, followed closely by a tiny red-haired girl…a girl just about the right size to wear the shoes, Usagi saw immediately.

"Back!" the girl echoed cheerfully.

Usagi’s eyes widened as she stared at the chibi-sized child.

"Wh---who is that!?" she asked, blinking.

"Now, now, Usagi," Ikuko said patiently, "you haven’t forgotten your little sister, Chibi Chibi-chan, have you?"

"Chan have you??" yelled the little girl, and then she giggled.

Usagi simply stared, wondering for a moment if she ever actually had woken up that morning.

*****

Later, after she’d gotten together with her friends and explained the situation to them and heard all their various theories, Usagi sat in her room alone, pondering her friends’ words. Some of them thought maybe Chibi Chibi was Usagi’s second daughter, come to visit from the future the way Chibiusa so often did. Some of them, however, thought that Chibi Chibi must be Chibiusa’s daughter from the future.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts---the thought of having one child with Mamo-chan had been shocking enough, after all; the thought of having two was even more startling---that she didn’t notice the little girl standing in her doorway until Luna managed to get her attention. Usagi glanced up, surprised to see Chibi Chibi peering in the doorway, dressed in a tiny nightgown and looking at Usagi with a certain intensity in her big blue eyes.

"Want to come sleep with me?" Usagi offered, unsure what else the girl could want. Besides, if this child was by any chance her daughter…it was probably best to try to get along with her.

Chibi Chibi didn’t respond to Usagi’s question. Instead, she took a few steps into the room and produced an object from behind her back, which she then set down on the floor. When the object was revealed, Usagi could see that it looked like a small red pot.

"Huh?" Usagi said, frowning confusedly. "What are you doing?"

The pot on the ground seemed to be steaming gently, and within seconds Usagi could smell something fresh and strong throughout her bedroom. It was very pleasant…and somehow familiar…

"That smells good," Usagi said, finally smiling slightly and relaxing her guard. "Is it incense? Did you get that from mama and papa’s room?"

The child didn’t respond, simply standing still and watching Usagi, as though awaiting a reaction.

Usagi closed her eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying the clean scents wafting around her. Then her eyes opened as she again felt that this was somehow familiar.

/Ah…this is…the sweet scent of fragrant olive blossoms…this scent…somewhere, before…?/

After a few minutes, Chibi Chibi finally crawled up into Usagi’s bed, and a few moments after that Usagi fell asleep with Chibi Chibi snuggled in her arms. The incense had relaxed her more easily than anything else she’d ever found. It was so pleasing, and *so* familiar…where *had* she smelled that before…?

*****

Taiki awakened---slower than she once might have; she wondered if life on Earth was making her lazy---to the noise of a beeping alarm. She rolled over and opened one eye to peer blearily at the clock, blinking at the large red numbers until they came into focus. Six-thirty. Time to get up…and yet she let herself linger in the warmth of her bed for just a few minutes longer, never quite letting herself drift back into sleep, before she finally hauled herself up. Her entire tall frame seemed to creak slightly as she stood straight in front of the mirror, peering at herself for a moment as she rubbed her eyes and asked herself whether she was ready for her first day in an Earth high school.

Well, ready or not…this was something they had decided was necessary. Truthfully, she was somewhat looking forward to it. Perhaps studying would help keep her mind off…everything else.

She dragged herself into the bathroom, guessing by the resounding silence throughout the condo that neither of her band mates were up yet. After relieving herself and stripping off her clothing, she stepped into the shower, sighing in relief as she felt the hot water relaxing her muscles. Afterwards, she felt a little more refreshed and ready to face the new day.

She dressed as quickly as she could, watching herself passively in the mirror as she efficiently wrapped the requisite bindings around her breasts, pulled them tight until her lungs felt compressed, and tied them securely. Afterwards, she put on her seifuku; she and the others had ordered these before they had even come to Tokyo, having chosen out which high school they wished to attend quite some time ago. She was still adjusting her tie as she came out of her room, nearly running into Seiya, who was just coming out of the bathroom, freshly showered.

"Ah, good morning," Seiya said with a small smile. "You’re early."

"Good morning," Taiki said, nodding slightly. "I want to make absolutely sure we get there on time, and I didn’t think either of you would think about what to do for lunch."

So saying, she started down the stairs and made her way into the kitchen. Seiya, wrapped in a towel, followed her, watching as she rummaged in the fridge.

"They have a cafeteria, you know," Seiya said, lifting an eyebrow, seeming mildly amused by Taiki’s movements as Taiki bustled around the kitchen, working quickly to put together three bento.

"I’m well aware of that," Taiki answered without looking up. "But I doubt they’ll have anything that Yaten will be willing to eat."

"Heh…damn, she’s way too picky," Seiya said, rolling her eyes before she reached out to squeeze Taiki’s arm lightly. "Thanks, Taiki. We owe you one for today."

Taiki glanced up to watch as Seiya took up off the stairs to get dressed. On her way, Seiya stopped at Yaten’s door and pounded several times, finally opening the door and poking her head in.

"Oi! Time to get up, squirt! School day!" Seiya called into Yaten’s darkened room, and she heard a soft moan of displeasure in response. "I know it sucks, but you’re going. Come on, shower’s all yours."

Seiya closed the door and retreated to her own room, not wanting to see Yaten’s face when she finally managed to get herself up.

A few moments later Yaten’s door slammed mightily as Yaten stomped down the hallway, slamming the bathroom door after herself as well. A couple of minutes after that, Taiki heard Seiya’s door open, and then she watched as Seiya skipped down the doors two at a time, messily doing up her tie as she moved.

"Where are you going?" Taiki asked, blinking when she noticed Seiya heading for the front door.

"Got something I want to look into," Seiya said shortly, turning back once she reached the door to send Taiki a wink. "I’ll see you at school, ne?"

"Aren’t you going to eat breakfast?" Taiki asked, brow furrowing.

"Nah…I’ll just wait for your delicious lunch," Seiya said before tossing off a salute and twirling out of the door, shutting and locking it behind herself.

Taiki stared after her, knife paused in midair.

"Something to look into…?" she repeated to herself softly before shaking her head and going back to her task.

Quite a while later---so long that Taiki was beginning to get concerned about the time---Yaten came thumping down the stairs dressed in her pristine new uniform, a scowl deeply set on her face as she fought to pull her hair back into her usual ponytail.

"Why the hell does school have to start so early?" was, of course, the first thing out of her mouth.

"Waffles?" Taiki said simply, without bothering to respond to the question. She gestured to a plate of fresh waffles sitting on the table.

Yaten’s scowl softened when she saw the waffles.

"You made them? Thanks, Taiki," she said, taking her seat at the table and scooping a couple of steaming waffles onto her plate.

"Eat as many as you want…Seiya’s not eating with us," Taiki said as she sat down across from Yaten and picked up the newspaper, having long since finished eating her own breakfast.

"Oh? Where is she?" Yaten asked, glancing up curiously.

"She left, saying she had something she wanted to ‘look into’," Taiki said, her slight emphasis on the words ‘look into’ informing Yaten that she had no idea what Seiya was up to.

"Hn…that brat…what a weirdo," Yaten muttered before silencing and focusing on her breakfast.

Privately, Taiki had to agree…Seiya’s behavior was strange. Why was she leaving, skipping breakfast in fact, so soon before they had to go to their first day of school? What did she have to ‘check into’ that didn’t involve her two fellow band members?

*****

This time, Seiya was sure to be extra early to Odango’s house, because she was putting her ‘plan’---if it could rightfully be called that---into effect. She sneaked up to the mailbox, checking around to make sure no one was watching, and slid her delivery inside before retreating back to her usual watching place.

Odango came out of the house looking cheerier than she had in quite a while, as though she’d finally had a good, refreshing sleep. Seiya smiled, a bit pleased to see this. The blonde even had a bit of bounce in her step as she made her way down the driveway to the mailbox and checked inside. Seiya watched, her heart pounding hard in her chest, as Odango’s eyes widened when she saw the red and blue-lined envelope inside the mailbox.

"Air mail!" Odango exclaimed out loud as she hurried to take the envelope out. "From America! Mamo-chan!?"

Her fingers were shaking with her excitement as she opened the envelope as quickly as she could and pulled out the card inside.

"A postcard…of the faint orange glow of sunset…" Odango mused aloud, smiling as she stared at the lovely image for a moment before turning the postcard over. Her smile faded into a look of confusion instantly. "Huh? That’s it? There’s nothing written on the card! No letter, no message, nothing!?"

She turned the card back over to look at the sunset, her brow furrowed as she stared at it for several minutes in silence. Then, finally, she sighed.

"Oh…that Mamo-chan," she said a bit impatiently, putting the card in her school bag and then lifting the bag, turning to head towards school. Seiya watched for a moment before she stared to follow at what she judged a safe distance.

"But still…I’m happy," Odango said out loud to herself a few minutes later, when they were about halfway to school. She said it just loud enough for Seiya to hear her, and Seiya couldn’t help but smile. She liked the way Odango talked to herself. It was cute.

"I just know something good is going to happen today," Odango said with a soft chuckle before she sped up, staring to jog towards school.

The blonde’s motions reminded Seiya to check her own watch, and her eyes widened when she saw the time. Damn…she was going to be late, and she was supposed to be there a little earlier to get class introductions over with and all of that jazz.

At the next intersection, Seiya split off from the direction Odango was going and started to run at full tilt, making full use of her athletic skills, telling herself that if she wasn’t in the school by three minutes, she could no longer consider herself a man. A thought which made her laugh so hard she almost didn’t make it because of lack of breath, but nonetheless…

"You’re late," Yaten said sourly as soon as Seiya skidded to a stop directly next to Taiki and Yaten in front of Juuban Koukou, just shy of three minutes from when Seiya had started running from a few blocks away.

"Sorry, sorry," Seiya said, straightening her tie as she glanced at the gathering crowd of students who were staring at them and pointing, seemingly trying to figure out who they were. From the sound of the whispers, some people had recognized them and were trying to work up the courage to approach them and ask why they were here, at an unimportant Tokyo high school.

A couple of minutes later, Usagi walked up to the school. She was surprised to see a large crowd gathering in front of the school, seemingly around a group of three familiar-looking boys. Before she had a chance to look closer, Minako suddenly came running up to her, almost panting with excitement.

"Usagi-chan!! Big news! Big news! The Three Lights have transferred to our school!!"

Usagi blinked, turning back to stare at the crowd that was gathered around the three pony-tailed youths.

/Three Lights…here?/

At first she felt nothing more than excitement, but then she remembered Haruka’s words…

/"I felt the power of stars in them. They are not of this solar system. Whether they’re enemies or allies, they saved us…"/

She supposed it would be their responsibility, now that it was possible for them to do so, to keep an eye on the Three Lights. Somehow, the thought didn’t seem appealing to her…after all, they made such beautiful music…even if they weren’t from the solar system, how could they be bad people?

*****

Shortly after the first bell had rung, a little bit late into the class, the Three Lights appeared at Usagi’s classroom, having just been assigned their class schedules. The teacher asked them to introduce themselves to the class, and Usagi watched in amazement, unable to believe her luck. Not only had they come to her school, but they were in her *class*. The tall one with brown hair was the first to step forward.

"My name is Taiki Kou," Taiki said, and Usagi couldn’t help but notice how rich and smooth his voice was. She had enjoyed his singing and was pleased to find his speaking voice just as pleasant. "My hobbies are reciting poetry and using computers."

"I’m Yaten Kou!" the short one with silver hair said, smiling so winningly that several girls in the class seemed in danger of swooning. His voice was also nice, though very different…very soft and silky. "My hobby is photography. Nice to meet you."

"I’m Seiya Kou," the lead singer finally introduced himself, brushing a few raven-colored curls back off his forehead as he spoke. He too had a swoon-inducing smile, and he seemed to wink in Usagi’s direction when he noticed her looking at him, which made her blush. "I’m thinking of joining the football team."

"I don’t believe it!" Minako hissed towards Usagi suddenly. "Those three are in our class!?"

When the three of them were told to choose desks, Seiya immediately moved towards the empty desk next to Usagi’s, much to her shock.

"Hi there," Seiya said with another grin, and Usagi felt her throat go dry.

"Ah…" she stuttered, suddenly forgetting even basic vocabulary.

Seiya seemed to find this amusing, his eyes twinkling as he smiled at her.

"How do you do," he said, meeting her eyes in such a casual manner that Usagi finally felt herself able to start to relax. He was treating her like a fellow student…he didn’t behave like an idol who thought he was above everyone else.

"I’m Tsukino Usagi," she said, inclining her head towards him respectfully. "Nice to meet you."

Yaten took the seat next to Minako---Minako nearly passed out---and Taiki took the seat behind Makoto, and then the lesson continued on as normal, but no one was really paying much attention. It was difficult to give much thought to boring old math when there were three super-popular pop idols sitting amongst the class, after all.

*****

END PART THREE