Part 1: Orsus
Section 1: Adaption
Chapter 5-Dosei Sosei
Hotaru sat at the dinner table, feeling very preoccupied. It had been one than a year and a half since they had come to moon, which meant there were at least two years left to their training. All the girls had managed to master broadswords with a quickness that amazed Artemis–even Ami, who had nearly refused the sword and her position. Sighing, the dark-haired girl glanced over at her blue-haired companion. They had been in argument recently over one Kou Taiki, and Hotaru resented his intrusion in their friendship. She hadn't believed it when Ami had revealed that she had lied to him about her name and said it was Mizuno Mitsukai.
Looking down the line of girls, she smiled at all of them: solemn but compassionate Setsuna, waiting for the others to quiet so she could begin the blessing and dinner...fun-loving and cheerful Minako, who always had an ear for troubles....mysterious and fiery Rei whose advice was better than anyone's and who could help with spiritual matters as much as their guardians...strong and protective Makoto, who had sworn to beat up Taiki for Sosei, but the black-haired girl had declined her offer...dainty, graceful Michiru who would never be less than a princess and always more but still the same girl with inborn royal bearing...breezy and just as watchful as Hitohana for the younger girls was Haruka. The only person she managed to get along with all the time was Michiru, but she tolerated Hotaru, Makoto, and Ami with good grace. Minako and Rei she left alone for the most part, even though they were friendly enough. It had surprised Hotaru that Minako, whom she had previously thought could get along with the crabbiest person, was at odds with Haruka.
"We ask for the blessing of the gods who look upon the world, the Silver Alliance, and the guardian senshi of this realm," Setsuna proclaimed, then motioned for them to begin eating.
She smiled to herself, flipping away her short, chin-length hair–although it always bounced back. ‘We are those guardian senshi...or at least, we will be.' Closing her eyes, Hotaru thought about what lay in store for the future. Out of all of them, she was pretty sure she was the only one scared about their quests.
Minako took everything in a stride: the extra practices thrown at her, the high expectations, the burdens of leadership–and still managed to laugh and smile at the same time as she always had. Rei could deal with what she was given, and she wasn't afraid of being alone or the dark. She could face them down, because she wasn't afraid. Makoto was even less afraid than Rei, if that was possible. Hotaru remembered the time the brunette had told her that on her quest, she would return to Jupiter and find out what had happened to her brother. Then there were Michiru and Haruka: the former would never let her fears show, if she did have them, and the later probably _had_ no fears. She was eager to do anything and everything she was allowed to do, always testing the limits the guardians had set upon her progress. Lastly, there was Setsuna. Hotaru hid a sour smile. The green-haired girl was the oldest out of them all, and she had already gone on her first quest, when she had gathered all of them.
Noticing that everyone was wondering why she wasn't eating, Hotaru blushed and turned her face away, picking up her fork without energy. Even though she didn't feel hungry, they had learned the hard way that without eating and the strenuous training they went through, fainting tended to occur. No one went without sleep either, not wanting to end up the way Ami had (although it had been accidental). Rei had been extremely helpful in offering ways to settle the mind for sleep, and at one point or another, they had all sought her out for help. They were becoming a team...at last.
~~~~*~~~~
Artemis smiled as he walked in with Luna, Kyuusho close behind. "We'll take a break from broadsword practice today, minna. Instead, we'll visit the market."
"Demo...Artemis, we never go to the market today," Hotaru interjected in confusion. The others looked equally puzzled but exchanged excited glances.
"I know. We're going to find your daggers. They aren't as important as broadswords, but they're a last self-defense weapon."
Squealing with glee and excitement, they all dashed forward to mob the white-haired man, while he pretended to be frightened and hid behind Luna. Giving him an exasperated glance, the dark-haired woman said, "Go and get suitable clothes, cloaks, and shoes, please. Meet us back here as soon as you're done." Following her orders, the girls chatted eagerly among themselves as they headed back to their rooms...
~~~~*~~~~
Wandering among the booths of the weapons-smiths, Haruka frowned slightly at the overwhelming assortment. "Artemis, Luna, how are we supposed to know which ones to pick? There are way too many to choose!"
Smiling slightly, Artemis flicked back his long hair and explained, "There are many daggers, yes, but quality and the make up of each is different. Usually we'll ask you to start with steel in the beginning, and you'll find that it's easier to find and work with. There are four main types that we'll teach you: double-pointed, crest-shaped, pronged, and double-edged. The last two are very dangerous for starters, so for today, we're going to ask you to pick out either double-pointed or crest-shaped daggers."
With a rather unpleasant smirk, Kyuusho added, "So we don't overpower you, we'll poison them later instead of now."
Choking, Minako nearly dropped the dagger she had been holding. Luckily, it was unsheathed and still clutched in her hands. "Nani? You don't mean with...Venusian poison, do you?"
"She does," Luna answered, shooting a dark look at the other who merely shrugged, "but don't worry about it yet. We won't make you use poisoned daggers against each other."
"I hope not," Hotaru muttered, her anticipation leaking away. Any type of fighting...hand-to-hand, the first type they had learned and were still continuing...broadswords...and now daggers...they all meant that people got hurt. When people got hurt, it hurt _her_, even when there was no visible mark on her. Koori had explained it to her and Ami once, but she had said that Hotaru felt it more strongly, because Ami's main powers were with another element and that healing was only secondary to her.
This was another thing the guardians were very mysterious about: their powers. All planetary senshi had "magical" powers that made them...slightly unhuman. It was not to say they were more or less human than the average person–they were just different. The guardians had refused to tell any of the girls what their powers were–especially main powers. So far, the only ones who had discovered secondary powers and utilized them were Rei, Hotaru, Ami, Haruka, and Makoto. Rei's was spiritual, Hotaru and Ami's healing, and the last two had extreme strength.
Drawn back to the present by Minako's indignant shriek as Kou Yaten snuck up behind her and grabbed the silky red bow out of her hair, Sosei sighed and scowled darkly at the three boys. Sure enough, Seiya was flirting with everyone besides Minako and Ami–the former was being entertained by Yaten, while the latter was speaking softly to Taiki. Once he had finished flirting with all the women, including Luna and Kyuusho, Seiya bowed elegantly and asked, "Artemis-sensei...may we help these beautiful young ladies pick out their daggers?"
Artemis had had much experiences dealing with the mischievous and unrepentant Kous that had drawn the girls into wild schemes that caused mayhem in the marketplace before, but he nodded and sighed in defeat. The three were suddenly everywhere, given free reign, balancing daggers on the tips of their fingers and twirling them in the air, much to the dismay of their sellers. Feeling a migraine coming on, the man pressed his fingertips to his temples gently and massaged them, casting apologetic looks to his glaring comrades and his charges.
"Sosei-chan?"
The dark-haired girl turned around, light purple meeting medium silver. "Yaten-san."
Picking up a knife and turning it over easily, he remarked, "You don't seem to like my brothers and me very much, Sosei-chan. And you call me ‘Yaten-san' instead of ‘Yaten-kun.' Why?"
She smiled tolerantly, then drew the knife away from him in the blink of an eye. "Why? Because I don't trust you. I don't dislike you, and I can't judge you, because we don't know each other well enough. But you're never serious."
"You're too serious sometimes, Sosei-chan." Tying back his long silver hair, Yaten hid his hurt as he asked, "Why do you not trust us?"
"Trust is hard to come by. And Taiki-san came between me and A–Kai-chan." After prolonged exposure to the girls, Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten had been bold enough (after each of them had followed Ami's way of combining their names) to give them a few nicknames. Minako, as Aino Kingusari, had become Sari-chan. Rei, as Kasei Nukumori, flatly refused to be called Nukumori and preferred Kasei-chan. Kino Hitohana was not a distinction Makoto preferred, but she bore the name with the air of a martyr whenever they were around. Michiru and Haruka were Unabara Uzushio and Kaze Akatsukinosora respectively, and it was a sore point for Haruka to be called Sora-chan by them. The evil, blissful expression on their faces whenever they did it only encouraged the flaring of her temper. Hotaru's own name of Sosei was much too short to become even shorter, and Meikyuu's reaction after Yaten had called her Mei-chan had firmly resolved the situation in all of their minds–she didn't like it and wouldn't stand for it.
"Of course he didn't–nothing can ever come between you and Mitsukai-chan. The only thing you ever talk about is each other. Besides, you're her roommate and her best friend." Along the way of their "budding" friendships, some parts of the truth about their lifestyle on the Moon had leaked out.
Looking away from him, she whispered contritely, "Gomen nasai. I didn't mean to be so rude."
"Do you dislike me less then? I was telling the truth."
"Hai...I think..."
He grinned victoriously, and she didn't know whether she loved him for his easy way of forgetting or despised him. "Good! Can I help you pick out your dagger?"
Hotaru shrugged tolerantly, replying, "I guess so. Do you know a lot about them?"
"Almost as much as your teacher Artemis. I heard his speech before, by the way. So we have to get you something made out of steel. Do you prefer double-pointed or crest-shaped?"
"Why are you being so nice? And shouldn't you be paying more attention to Mi-Kingusari?"
Smirking slightly, Yaten retorted, "She's perfectly fine. Look, Seiya's flirting with her. He flirts with everyone and everything. He doesn't dare to flirt with you, though–you scare him with all your glares."
Smiling in spite of herself, she whispered, "Do I really scare people?"
Surprised, he said, "Iie, I was only joking. He just doesn't want to bother you if you really don't like him. He's considerate enough that way. Gomen nasai, Sosei-chan."
"It's okay. It's just–I don't want to frighten people."
Casting her a sideways glance and deciding not to prod for once, he said, "So, like I was asking before...double-pointed or crested??"
"I don't like the sound of double-pointed. How about the crest-shaped ones?"
"Good choice. They're my favorite," the silver-haired boy acknowledged, holding up two for her to inspect. "These are pretty good. If you don't trust me, you can always ask Luna's opinion. She and Artemis will check them over again later."
Selecting the one with a dark purple hilt, Hotaru looked at it narrowly before nodding. "I trust you. By the way, where's Kakyuu today?"
Raising his eyebrows, Yaten retorted, "Busy. What's it to you?"
Taken aback, she answered, "Nothing...I just wanted to know where she was. I like her. And remember, I hate the rest of you." Her last sentence was stated with an impish grin, and it made him laugh and relax.
"Sorry, sorry. Yes, we all know how you feel about us. We're just a little protective of Kakyuu. She's like a younger sister to us. She had to go somewhere with her parents today."
"Oh...I can see that. You know, you three talk about her the way we do about Sere-chan."
Kakyuu, Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten had also met the princess, now widely known as Serenity. They had been sworn to secrecy, of course, showing how high Luna and Artemis's opinion of them was. With Usagi's disposition, they hadn't asked any questions about why the princess associated with the girls, thought to be commoners or low-ranked nobility. Yaten smiled and left with a flippant remark, "That's the way it should be. See you again sometime, Sosei-chan. Ja!"
"Ja!" ‘Maybe they're not as bad as I thought...maybe I can patch things up with Ami-chan.' By the end of their impromptu shopping trip, Haruka and Minako had chosen double-pointed daggers. The others had chosen crest-shaped ones like Hotaru.
~~~~*~~~~
"Hotaru-chan!"
Sitting up on her bed, the dark-haired girl smiled at her best friend. They had mended things rather quickly after Hotaru had admitted that she had been feeling a little jealous of Taiki, and, as Yaten predicted, Ami had been shocked to think that she would think that Taiki was a better friend than her. "Hai? What's going on, Ami-chan? Dajibou?"
Rather breathlessly from excitement rather than a long run, her large blue eyes sparkled enchantingly as she announced, "We're going to be presented to court next month by Serenity-sama. We've got to start dress fittings and learning etiquette!"
Hotaru sat up and groaned melodramatically as she followed her down the hall. "That's not a cause for celebration. It's torture."
The girls' schedule was extremely full: in the mornings before breakfast, they stretched for the day and managed to do some meditation. After breakfast, they had been shooed off to schoolrooms, where they learned everything from history and politics to science and writing, as well as the ten languages of the Solar System–and others. When lunch had finished, they were subjected to harsh training with first basic techniques, then hand-to-hand fighting, broadswords, daggers, and finally more stretching to make sure they wouldn't be stiff. Everyone usually took showers before dinner and then had the time to themselves, and Hotaru could already foresee where these new lessons would fit in. After dinner, one against one pairings were counted as mini-competitions, the pairs being picked by drawing numbers. Very late at night, after a second shower and a third stretching session (or was it the fourth?), meditation was led by Phobos and Deimos, as well as Rei and Setsuna recently. It was to help them sleep and calm down their tired bodies. Despite her obvious reluctance and weariness, Hotaru managed to drag herself to the fittings with seemingly good grace, although she definitely was not looking forward to these wonderful "new experiences."
~~~~*~~~~
The next four weeks were nearly almost pure torture. When Luna and Kaiiki had discovered just how badly they were in need of more time to work before their precious month was up, lessons practice had been shortened to allow more time for etiquette. Still, they had around the same amount of work and physical exertion. Everyone was so stressed about nervous about their presentation that sleep and total rest were in high demand. They had discovered that there was more to being a sailor senshi than just fighting and preserving the peace, as if that wasn't hard enough.
They would have to appear for all of the most important court activities, travel to all the planets, be present for any and all diplomatic conferences, attend meetings as the queen's advisors...the list went on and on. There was also more to etiquette than learning how to curtsey: which utensils to each with during each course (much too numerous and abundant, in their opinion), how to address each type of nobility, how to act in certain circumstances, where to sit, who to dance with, when one can and cannot refuse to dance...talking about becoming senshi...proper clothing, exchanging pleasantries, making sure there was no favoritism, knowing the best way to quash impromptu rumors, how to spread information... The girls' heads were already spinning from all the politics that had suddenly been crammed into their lessons.
This was the first showing of the eight girls to the rulers of each of the planets, and it was probably one of the most important things in their lives (the most would be their confirmation). Setsuna was praying for all of them to ensure that no one would make a mistake, Haruka was wondering if she could keep her mouth in check, Michiru was trying to decide what she would say to her mother when she saw her again, Hotaru was nervous about seeing her parents as well, Minako wanted to make a good impression as the future senshi leader, Rei knew ahead of time that keeping her temper from flaring with all the aristocratic pigs that would be in attendance would be nearly impossible, Makoto was just hoping she wouldn't trip and fall flat on her face (despite possessing "natural grace"), and Ami was wondering how she could prove herself, even though she was the youngest and lowliest of them all–not that the public knew much of the later, since Queen Serenity had done her best to keep any information about the senshi from leaking out to the public. Before they knew it...the time had come, and the month had seemed to pass by so quickly...too quicky.
~~~~*~~~~
Hotaru stood before the mirror, taking in her reflection, as well as a deep breath. The room swam dizzily for a few seconds before she saw herself again. She ignored the others, who were chattering out of nerves and giggling in excitement in the background. "Hotaru-chan, your hands are so cold!"
Without turning around, she smiled at the brunette girl who held her hand. "I'm just a little nervous. It always happens; don't worry. So how are you feeling?"
Tugging on her dress with a disapproving look on her face, Makoto shrugged. "I'm okay. At least I won't be facing some family members tonight...are you going to be okay?"
"Mako-chan! Sorry to interrupt, but I need your help...could you come here for a second?"
Looking across the room at Michiru, Hotaru said, "Why don't you go, Mako-chan? I don't mind. It's okay."
"Are you sure?"
"Hai. We'll talk later." When she had gone, the black-haired girl looked at herself again. The dress was of a medium purple shade and came down to her ankles, falling in silken, wispy waves. Her shoes were slightly high-heeled but not much, and they matched the color of her dress.
They all wore necklaces that the guardians have given them their first year on the Moon, for each of their birthdays. Pendants swung from the delicate silver threads, glittering in the light with the symbols of each of the planets–excluding Earth. The sash wrapping from Hotaru's right shoulder around to her waist was of a pure alabaster white, symbolizing that she would be serving the Moon when she became a planetary senshi. It was all so hypocritical, she thought to herself. Senshi served the world as fighters of justice. And yet, they swore pledges to the Moon Queen, were part of the Court of the Moon, acted as ambassadors and diplomats of the Moon...everything for the Moon. Why not for the planets each represented? And yet, Hotaru shuddered at the thought of returning to Saturn. She didn't want to get within a black hole's infinite and undetermined diameter of her stepmother, but tonight, it would be unavoidable. "Will I be okay?" she asked her reflection softly.
"Of course you will," someone behind her answered, surprising her.
Whirling around, she looked into concerned garnet eyes. Gasping, she tried to regain her breath from her shock as she exclaimed, "Setsuna-chan, you startled me!"
"Gomen nasai, Hotaru-chan." The other girl was dressed in the same manner but in an olive green dress and shoes. Her sash was also white, and her hair was up in its customary bun. It somehow had the appearance of being cool and elegant yet nonrestrictive.
Hotaru's hair was held back by two small, dark clips that blended in subtlety with her hair. Touching the dark purple symbol etched into the pendant at her throat, she asked, "Do you really think it'll be okay? I can't wait to see otou-san again...but..."
Setsuna's eyes were already a wine-dark garnet, but they darkened further as the older girl remembered how she had found Hotaru. With help, work, and plenty of love (not to mention a spark of luck), she was no longer the shy, insecure girl she had been, although she still retained her warm spirit and desire to help those injured or weaker than her. "If you don't want to speak to her, you won't have to. Just remember that and take it easy, ne? Queens are not immortal; senshi are."
"Nani?!" [What?] Hotaru blurted out in surprise, purple eyes wide.
"I didn't mean it the way it sounded. Senshi are not immortal. They heal faster than normal people and have certain...special abilities, but each senshi is unique and remembered _forever_. We know about the life of the first Dosei-sama from records, paintings, statues, and just about everything."
"What if they were destroyed? What if a war came and the palaces were razed to the grounds and everything burnt?"
Shivering, recalling prophecy that she had been given, Setsuna played absentmindedly with some strands of her dark hair that had come loose. "Each new senshi will remember...anything and everything others do not. Please don't ask me about it right now, Hotaru. You will find out what I mean on confirmation day."
"But you haven't gone through it yet."
"No," she agreed, "I haven't. I've read of it. And don't you dare go looking for things like this purposely. You're better off not knowing until the time is ripe. Besides, I doubt you could go through every tome in all the libraries of the Moon."
"I'll ask Ami to help me," Hotaru retorted, "she knows the contents of at least half of them."
"Please, Hotaru. Don't do it."
Something in the other girl's tone made her reconsider her rash words, said out of fear and anger of what would happen in the future. Nodding slowly, the dark-haired girl reassured, "I won't do it, Suna-chan. Gomen nasai. Do you believe me?"
As she looked up hopefully, the anxiety and turmoil in her soul came to rest as she smiled gently. "Of course. Come, the trumpets are about to sound. Don't forget what I told. Everything will be fine. Go stand between Haruka and Makoto, ne?"
Order had already been decided upon by the order the planets were in, and Hotaru nodded and complied willingly, relieved to be away (for the moment) from her friend and mentor's mysterious words. She knew her friend was anxious and nervous, but as she glanced at the end of the little line they formed, she was glad to see that Minako was talking to her comfortingly while Rei and Makoto exchanged notes.
~~~~*~~~~
Finally, they had all been presented, stared at, and allowed to circulate. Hotaru was standing with Haruka, scanning the crowd eagerly for her parents. The older girl, who was also much taller (nearing Setsuna's height soon) used her sharp blue eyes to help her friend. Suddenly, a large hand came to rest on her shoulder. "Hotaru-chan?"
Nearly jumping out of her skin, she spun around, heart pounding furiously. She hoped it was him...and the voice was so familiar... "Otou-san?" she breathed, hardly daring to believe it. When he nodded, tears wetting his dark eyes, she forgot her duty, forgot the past few years, forgot everything. She was still Tomoe Hotaru, Princess of Saturn (although her stepmother loathed it), daughter of the King of Saturn, who was standing before her. Launching herself into his arms, she began to cry quietly. "Otou-san...I missed you so much..."
Smoothing her hair tenderly, he held her close to his heart. "I missed you too, Hotaru-chan. Dajibou?"
"Dajibou."
"Are you liking it on the Moon? Is everything okay?"
Quick to assuage his fears, she nodded and replied, "Hai, otou-san. Everyone is very nice to me...and I've made a lot of friends. My best friend is Ami...Suisei-sama. And the others are just as close. Oh! Otou-san, this is Ha-Tennousei-sama."
Turning around as she disengaged herself, the dark-haired man bowed deeply to the sandy-haired girl. "Hajimemashite, Tennousei-sama. Arigato gozaimisu for taking such good care of Hotaru-chan." [It's nice to meet you...thank you so much...]
Smiling back, although she had been rather disconcerted by his bow, Akatsukinosora replied, "Douitashimashite, your highness. We all care for her deeply. She's a very sweet girl." [You're welcome]
Before anything else could be said, a low and poisonous voice interrupted the trio. "Well, well, well...it's so nice to see you again, Hotaru-chan. You're looking so well."
Blanching, Hotaru paled as her stepmother smiled at her. "Konnichiwa, your highness," she addressed politely, despite the fact that what she wanted to do most was pay back this foul and disgusting woman for all her slaps and maltreatment.
Glaring at his wife, the king wondered why she always had to spoil things like this. Most of all, he wondered why he had ever married her.
Haruka shared his dislike, glowering at her with intense royal blue eyes.
"You haven't changed much, Hotaru-chan. Or should I call you Sosei-sama? Would that be more proper?"
"It would. Your highness."
Dark eyes narrowing angrily, she hissed, "You're still the same, scrawny little runt that I remember so well, Hotaru. Do you think that just because you were singled out for something special, you've become a different person? Someone important? You will never be, Hotaru, no matter how the title of Sosei-sama deludes your confidence and mind. You're too weak. You're not strong enough. And you will _never_ be a princess again."
Drawing herself up, Hotaru retorted proudly, "I will _always_ be a princess. I am a strong person and much stronger than you. I don't have to hit little girls because I lack pride and confidence. You're nothing but a twisted snake. One day, you'll realize how meaningless your life is. I will be remembered forever as a senshi. You will be nothing. Dust. Eaten away by scavengers and your hate. Scorned as a rotten queen of Saturn. The planet is ashamed of you; your people are ashamed; even your husband is shamed."
"You will never be the true Sosei-sama. You will fail!!" Throwing these last words at her, the queen disappeared into the crowd, seething.
"Hotaru-chan...you know it wasn't true, ne?" her father asked worriedly, "she's nothing but a witch and a coward, just like you said."
Before she could answer, Haruka stepped forward. In her blunt, straightforward way that had become dear to her friends, she said, "When you become Sosei-sama, you will always remain Hotaru-chan to us. Your otou-san will know you as Hotaru-chan in his heart and with his words forever. And when you are revered and loved, that hated woman will be nothing compared to you. You will be everything, and even now, you are everything."
Looking at her, tears forming rapidly at the corners of her eyes, she whispered the only thing she could. "Arigato gozaimisu, Haruka."
Caelum
