Fandom: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon (anime)
Date Finished:
Classification: Romance, Angst, Humor, Alternate Universe
Pairing: Helios/Yaten, Taiki/Ami, Seiya/Kakyuu  
Rating: NC-17

Take My Hand
By Elsewhere
elsewherecw@shaw.ca

Disclaimer: The characters and story of BSSM are not mine. Oops. ;P

All lyrics belong to Dido. No infringement is intended.

Distribution: If you want this story for any page other than the ones I’ve sent it to, please ask me first, so I know where it goes.

Spoilers: This story is set in Elysian and Crystal Tokyo as described in the anime, not too long after the formation of Crystal Tokyo and the ascendance of Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion as rulers of Earth. As such, there will be spoilers, in particular for the R and SuperS seasons of the anime. Also, of course, because of the presence of the Three Lights/Sailor Starlights as main characters, there will be major spoilers for the Stars season as well. ^^

This story will be disregarding the R season explanation of Crystal Tokyo as having succumbed to a long ‘freeze/sleep’; I will be following the original manga explanation that the people of Crystal Tokyo will simply live in peace for a thousand years thanks to the magic of the Ginzuisho.

Summary: After becoming separated from his two companions during a somewhat rocky landing on Earth, Yaten wanders to what he mistakes as simply some kind of religious organization, never realizing that he has found his way to the main temple of Elysian. During his stay there, Yaten meets several unusual characters, none of whom intrigue him quite as much as the head priest, a young, soft-spoken man named Helios that Yaten feels inexplicably drawn to. As Yaten’s stay on Earth lengthens, his curiosity about Helios deepens into something more…

Part One:

Glossary:
odango - dumpling
ouhi - queen/majesty

*****
I just want to feel safe in my own skin
I just want to be happy again
I just want to feel deep in my own world
But I’m so lonely
I don’t even want to be with myself anymore
*****

She dreamed that she was walking peacefully, alone, through a field of olive trees, their branches swaying softly in the wind. The wind stirred her silvery hair as she walked, brushing her fingers through the leaves of the trees, smiling as she noticed that they were in blossom, fragrant red flowers floating towards the ground, showering her bare feet. The grass, such a brilliant green beneath the warm afternoon sun it hurt her eyes, was soft against the pads of her feet. She felt a warmth move throughout her body, sunlight piercing her pale skin, making her want to dance.

It wasn’t a feeling she achieved often.

She wandered the field at a leisurely pace, stopping to examine every blossom, until she started to hear a sound, at first only at the edges of her consciousness, but gradually growing louder. At first she thought it was approaching footsteps, but then she realized it was someone knocking. Knocking on what…? There was nothing around except…

And then she remembered it was a dream.

Yaten Kou’s eyes snapped open, then scrunched shut again as she was blinded by the brilliant morning sunlight streaming through her open curtains.

"Oi, Yaten! Time to get up!" a familiar, annoying voice shouted through the door, followed by the infernal sound of a pounding fist against the door.

"Sheesh…" Yaten muttered, rolling over to bury her face in her pillow. When the pounding continued, she lifted her head and reluctantly opened one eye. "I’m awake, MORON!! No one could sleep through that racket!"

"Finally!!" Seiya Kou shouted back, smirking a bit as she turned to lean against Yaten’s door, rubbing her now-sore fist. "Hurry up and come out for breakfast…Kakyuu-ouhi wants to talk to us."

"Ouhi-sama does?" Yaten said, both eyes snapping open again, sleepiness retreating instantly before her firm sense of duty. She quickly threw back the covers and rolled out of bed. "Why didn’t you say so!?"

"I’ve been trying to say so all along! You’re just impossible first thing in the morning…or rather, this soon after noon…" Seiya said, making a face as she glanced at the nearest clock. "In that case, make that an order to come out for lunch. You have twenty minutes. Any longer than that and I’ll consider it making our lady wait too long. You got that?"

"Roger, leader!" Yaten called back with more than a hint of sarcasm as she scrambled to find her robe. Seiya only laughed as a second later she heard the distinct sound of a running shower.

Nineteen minutes and forty-four seconds later, Yaten ran into the dining room at a speed so extreme that when she attempted to stop, her socks---a leftover from their long-ago trip to Earth---caused her to skid across the floor. Seiya, who was always extremely attentive about the state of her companions, instantly noticed that Yaten was about to slide directly into the nearest wall and stepped into her path, catching her neatly. The two of them spun around together once before Seiya managed to catch her balance, her hands firmly on Yaten’s arms.

Seiya laughed out loud as Yaten blinked, looking a bit dizzy.

"You okay?" Seiya questioned, reaching up to smooth Yaten’s damp, fluffy hair.

"Yeah…I think so…" Yaten answered, carefully making her way over to the table as soon as Seiya let her go.

"Hey, Yaten…" Seiya called after her, and Yaten turned back, lifting an eyebrow.

Seiya gestured loosely towards her own chest, waggling her eyebrows, and at first Yaten frowned before her eyes widened as she realized what Seiya must mean. She glanced down and noticed that her robe had come somewhat loose, giving everyone present what was very nearly a full frontal shot. Yaten blushed beet red right to the tips of her ears as she quickly pulled her robe shut, tightly doing up the belt, before taking her seat at the table.

Taiki Kou coughed lightly into her tea cup, obviously trying to hide a laugh.

"Well, now that all the commotion is over…" Kakyuu said, also sounding amused as she drifted lightly across the room and poured Yaten a cup of tea.

"Thank you, ouhi-sama," Yaten mumbled as she cupped her hands around the warm cup and wished the floor would swallow her.

"What did you want to talk to us about, ouhi?" Seiya asked, the smile lingering on her face even as her voice became all business. She took her seat next to Yaten, in the coveted place to Kakyuu’s left.

"Nothing you’ll find terribly interesting, I’m sure," Kakyuu answered, but there was a twinkle in her bright red eyes that said otherwise. She bent slightly next to Seiya’s place, offering the teapot. "More tea, Fighter?"

"Yes please…thank you, ouhi," Seiya said, leaning forward to rest her chin in her hand as she watched her queen pour her some tea like a common serving girl. This had always been Kakyuu’s custom, for years. Seiya grinned, shaking her head. Her adoration for Kakyuu would never burn out…she knew that for a fact.

"It was interesting enough to wake Yaten before our usual lunch time, obviously," Taiki noted, pulling off her reading glasses and placing them to one side before narrowing curious lavender eyes at her ouhi. "I’d say that warrants a certain amount of curiosity, at the very least."

"Agreed," Seiya said with a smirk.

"Oi, don’t pin this on me, whatever ‘this’ is," Yaten said grumpily, sipping at her tea and then swearing softly when she burned her tongue.

"It’s just a small matter of intergalactic relations," Kakyuu said with a wry smile as she watched all three of her companions start to wince. "For which I will of course be needing the assistance of my wonderful, charming Starlights…"

"Watch it, guys, she’s buttering us up…" Seiya warned, groaning quietly as she leaned back her chair on its two hind legs, something she knew Kakyuu hated.

"Please, not another mission like the last one…that nearly became a declaration of war…" Taiki said, looking distressed.

"No kidding. That completely and utterly proved the fact that Seiya’s a complete ass when it comes to negotiation…" Yaten agreed, wrinkling her nose.

"Oi, oi! You traitor!" Seiya protested, sitting forward on all four legs of the chair with a slam and lifting a finger, fully prepared to assert her innocence in the incident in question.

Kakyuu cleared her throat with a quiet, ladylike little cough and laughed merrily when the three bickering Starlights instantly snapped their heads around.

"Ah…sorry about that, ouhi-sama. You were saying…?" Seiya said, pausing briefly to toss a glare back towards Yaten and Taiki, both of whom ignored her in favor of watching Kakyuu attentively.

"I know how much the three of you abhor politics," Kakyuu said, smiling warmly with her eyes closed. "However, you are correct in assuming that this is another mission of the same type as last time…"

"Ack! That’s it, we’re dead!" Yaten said, throwing her arms over her head.

"…however," Kakyuu said firmly, and Yaten lifted her head, noticing that same twinkle in Kakyuu’s eyes, "…I don’t think you’ll find this mission quite as difficult as the last one. For one thing, this mission will take you into familiar territory…"

"Familiar territory?" Seiya repeated, brow furrowing in confusion.

Taiki, however, instantly lifted her eyebrows, looking stunned.

"Surely you can’t mean…" she began, trailing off as she saw Kakyuu grin somewhat mischievously before getting to her feet. Kakyuu folded her hands in front of herself and began to pace lightly back and forth, as usual looking almost as though she was floating.

"Of course I am talking about the planet that the three of you became so fond of ten years ago…the planet that I’m sure you’ve all wanted to visit again ever since…"

"N…no way…" Seiya said, eyes widening to nearly the size of the small plates their egg rolls had been served on.

"Of course, I’m talking about Earth," Kakyuu said, turning around to smile warmly at her three Starlights, all of whom stared at her in stunned silence for several moments, so long that Kakyuu finally simply grinned and continued her explanation. "Now that Crystal Tokyo is flourishing on Earth---or so I’m told by reports from those who’ve visited that system---I would like to establish contact with its rulers, in order that Kinmoku and Earth should continue to hold the good relations we established ten years ago. Of course, at that time, most of the Earthians were unaware of the presence of other planets carrying life in the galaxy, so our friendship was only with a few select persons on Earth. I would like to extend that friendship to the entire population."

"You want us to offer Earth an alliance?" Seiya said, eyes still unusually wide.

"Something like that, yes," Kakyuu said, still smiling, seeming very pleased with herself. "Unfortunately, much as I would like to, I cannot go myself because of the delicate state of diplomatic matters here on Kinmoku at the moment what with everything that’s going on in the south…I thought it would be best to send the three of you, who are already familiar with Earth, to take care of this important mission instead."

"But…ouhi-sama…" Taiki began, looking mildly flustered, and Kakyuu turned to her questioningly. "Earth is…so far away. For your protection, surely all three of us cannot…"

"Honestly, Maker…you try that excuse every time," Kakyuu said with another merry little laugh, but Seiya leaned forward, the expression on her face grave.

"But this time it’s valid, ouhi-sama," she said seriously. "Earth *is* very far away, *too* far away for the three of us to leave you for the time it would take to accomplish such a mission."

"Don’t be ridiculous, Fighter," Kakyuu said, waving a hand. "I’m perfectly safe. This is a time of peace, I have plenty of other protectors that can take care of me long enough for you to go on such a mission…"

"Pardon me, but, there are no other protectors qualified, ouhi-sama," Yaten said firmly. "As you well know."

Kakyuu smiled.

"Yes…I do know. And I don’t mean to imply that you’re unneeded, my Starlights. This is simply what I need you for at this moment, and it is equally important to my own safety…do you understand?"

The three of them stared at her doubtfully until she sat down, sighing quietly.

"To be honest, I thought the three of you would be a little more thrilled about this," she said, sounding more than a bit put out. "Do you *not* want to see Earth again?"

"More than…almost anything…in the universe," Seiya said instantly, the words spilling out of her mouth slowly, almost as though they were being pulled from her by force…as though she didn’t want to say them. The moment she had said them, she lowered her eyes, looking mildly ashamed. Kakyuu only smiled patiently, turning to look at the others.

Yaten frowned slightly, seeing that Kakyuu’s gaze had fallen on her.

"Why would I want to go back?" Yaten demanded, ignoring the way Seiya glanced at her in surprise. "What’s done is done…I hated that place and was glad to be away from it."

Kakyuu’s face fell, and she no longer looked as hopeful as she turned expectantly towards Taiki.

Taiki opened and closed her mouth twice, glancing almost nervously towards Yaten before she finally swallowed, glancing down towards where her hands were clasped on the table.

"I admit I…have always wanted to return, if only for a visit," Taiki said quietly, and Yaten glanced at her, shocked to hear these words from her mouth. Like herself, she’d thought Taiki was glad to be rid of that planet.

"I see," Kakyuu said softly, rubbing her chin. "Healer…could you be persuaded to bear it and accompany the other two?"

"Eh? We haven’t said we’ll go yet," Seiya protested before Yaten could answer Kakyuu’s question.

"It doesn’t matter," Kakyuu said simply, with another small smile. "It’s an order, Fighter. The three of you *will* go to Earth and do as I ask. Will you question my order?"

"O…of course not, ouhi-sama," Seiya said, looking miserable.

"Don’t look so depressed," Kakyuu said, reaching out to gently stroke Seiya’s hair as Kakyuu got to her feet again and began gathering up the tea cups. "This is for your own good…all of you."

It wasn’t until she’d left the room that her words finally sank in.

"Huh? For our own good!? I thought this was about politics!" Yaten yelled abruptly, swinging her head around, only to finally notice that the three of them were alone in the room.

"I think that part’s an excuse," Taiki said flatly, sighing quietly. "I think what she really wants is for the three of us to take a vacation."

"You’re kidding…" Seiya groaned, flopping down against the table and shaking her head. "I don’t *want* a vacation!"

"I thought you wanted to go to Earth ‘more than almost anything in the universe’?" Yaten said, sneering a bit as she meanly imitated the younger woman.

"Shut up," Seiya grumbled. "I didn’t mean to say that. It just…came out."

"Right, right," Yaten muttered, once again resting her chin on her folded arms. "You meant that you want to see your ‘Odango’ again, right?"

"Huh? No…I…" Seiya began, only to cut off, the tips of her ears turning slowly pink as she turned away, staring out the window.

"Hn," Yaten grunted, closing her eyes. "I say no to this ‘vacation’ too."

"For the stars’ sakes, you two," Taiki said, sounding annoyed as she got to her feet. Surprised by her tone, the other two lifted their heads to stare at her as she snapped her book shut and turned to go. Taiki turned back towards them, purple eyes flashing as she glared at them. "Have you really lost so much faith in our queen? If she says this is what’s best for us, then I for one believe her. She would know best, after all."

Both Seiya and Yaten sat in silence as Taiki slammed the door after herself.

"You know…she has…a point…" Seiya murmured after a moment, turning to lean her chin against her fist.

"She does…" Yaten agreed, cringing a bit as she too leaned on a fist, glancing at Seiya and sharing a sheepish wince.

*****

Yaten shifted a bit from foot to foot as she knocked on Seiya’s door, getting a bit impatient.

"Oi, Seiya…you here?" Yaten called irritably through the door, and finally this time she heard the sound of footsteps shifting around inside the room.

"Yeah…come in!" Seiya called back, and Yaten paused briefly. Seiya’s voice sounded odd…huskier than usual, somehow.

Yaten opened the door and stepped into the room, only to pause again, mouth falling open slightly when she spotted Seiya standing across the room in front of the closet, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around *his* waist.

"Sorry for making you wait…I was in the shower," Seiya said without looking over. "Huh…you know, I don’t know if any of this stuff would still fit me even if I did get it washed and pressed after this long…I don’t know, do you think I’m much taller than I was ten years ago?"

"I…I don’t think so…no," Yaten said, closing her mouth and then the door before proceeding farther into the room. She eyed Seiya as she walked around behind him. "So, what made you decide to…?"

"E? Ah, this?" Seiya said, turning to glance at Yaten and then gesturing down towards himself. He grinned. "Just thought I’d try myself on for size. It’s been a long time. When in Paris, or something like that…"

"Rome," Yaten corrected him, frowning. "And what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, we were usually male while we were on Earth," Seiya said, turning back to his inspection of his closet, coughing as he unearthed a few dusty suits. "So I thought maybe this time, too…"

"Why? What reason? We were hiding, last time…there’s no reason, this time," Yaten said, her frown becoming a scowl.

"Hm…that’s true, I suppose," Seiya said, looking thoughtful for a second before he grinned. "Ah well. Just in case, anyway. Think you can still do it?"

"Probably…not that I care," Yaten said, still scowling. Seiya laughed, shaking his head as he turned, bringing some of the suits with him.

"I guess that means we won’t be seeing Yaten-kun anytime soon," he said cheerfully, to which Yaten responded with a low growl.

"Hmm…" Seiya said, continuing to ponder on clothing as he turned to his chest of drawers, rifling through it for several moments before pulling out a very baggy pair of pants and a button-down shirt. "There, these should fit for now."

He tossed the clothes on the bed and moved to pull off his towel. At the crucial moment, Yaten squeaked and barely managed to turn around in time, throwing her hands over her eyes.

"Seiya!! I don’t want to see that!!" Yaten shouted, and Seiya laughed as he continued getting dressed.

"Sorry, sorry…I kind of forgot."

"You’re impossible," Yaten grumbled, moving over to the bed and lying down on her stomach, remaining turned away from Seiya and lying with her chin resting on crossed arms as she waited impatiently for Seiya to finish dressing. "Forgetting something essential like a change in genitalia…"

"It is kind of strange to walk with ‘em again after all these years," Seiya remarked, and Yaten wrinkled her nose.

"Oh please…that’s what I call too much information," she said loudly, and Seiya chortled. "I’ve done my best to forget about that period of my life…I don’t need you reminding me."

"You’ll probably get a lot of reminders once we reach Earth," Seiya commented, and Yaten closed her eyes.

"I know…" she murmured with a quiet sigh.

She felt the bed sink a bit as Seiya sat down and placed a hand lightly against the small of her back, talented fingers rubbing in slow circles, trying to release some of the tension in Yaten’s muscles.

"Do you really hate Earth so much, even now?" Seiya asked quietly, his voice soft and curious. "I had thought, towards the end, that you were getting used to it…"

"I never ‘got used’ to it, Seiya," Yaten said, tensing against Seiya’s palm. "I always wanted to come home."

"We all did…that’s not what I meant," Seiya said softly. "You know what I mean. We were all homesick, but it wasn’t that horrible on Earth…we met some wonderful people there…I thought you had befriended them too, eventually…"

"…Sort of," Yaten admitted begrudgingly after another moment of Seiya’s massage, and she imagined she could feel Seiya’s smile boring a hole through the back of her head. "Nn…shut up…"

"I didn’t say anything," Seiya said, his tone a bit playful.

"No…but you were thinking it…" Yaten grumbled. "You were thinking, ‘See, Yaten? It won’t be that bad…’"

Seiya chuckled and was about to respond when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Seiya called, and neither of them made any effort to look any more presentable despite their somewhat suggestive position since they were both fairly certain of who would be on the other side of the door.

"Dinner time in ten minutes," Taiki said as he came through the door, shutting it behind himself. Both Seiya and Yaten glanced up in surprise at the deep sound of their companion’s voice. Taiki also blinked in surprise upon noticing Seiya’s form.

"Well well…that’s a face I haven’t seen in quite some time," Seiya said with a grin.

"And the same to you," Taiki responded instantly, bowing his head a bit. "I thought I would try to get used to it again, in case…"

"Argh!" Yaten said, sitting up quickly. "I can’t believe you two. What’s wrong with going just the way we are?"

"Nothing, really," Seiya said, at the same moment that Taiki said, "Nothing at all."

The two of them glanced at each other and smiled, then turned to Yaten.

"But, like I said earlier," Seiya said, lifting a finger. "When in Cairo…"

"ROME, YOU IDIOT," Yaten said loudly into Seiya’s face, stirring the raven-colored curls on Seiya’s forehead. "Don’t use Earth expressions if you can’t remember them. And like *I* said earlier, that has nothing to do with anything. If Earth has become such a wonderful place ruled by such wonderful people, then the prejudice that was part of the reason we posed as males on Earth will no longer be present. Not to mention, we will no longer be looking for Kakyuu, and therefore no longer be singing love songs dedicated to a woman. NOT TO MENTION, Galaxia will no longer be looking for us, which is the other reason we posed as males. In other words, there is no reason LEFT to pose as males when we go to Earth."

With that, Yaten got to her feet and stomped out of the room. Taiki watched her go before turning back towards Seiya, who was cringing and smiling at the same time to produce an odd, somewhat humorous facial expression.

"I see Yaten still has trouble with her masculinity…" Seiya said, to which Taiki rolled his eyes.

*****

END PART ONE