"Pleeeeeeeease, Mother? I just want to go on a picnic with Hotaru! Pleeeeease?" Usagi leveled the full power of her charisma on her mother in an attempt to be allowed to leave the palace grounds.
"I'm just worried for your safety, Usagi. What if someone realizes who you are out there? At the very least, you'll be mobbed. At the worst you could be seriously hurt!"
Usagi cast a glance at Hotaru, who took a quick step back from the argument with outspread hands. She wasn't going to be stuck between these two! Getting involved in an argument between the two most potent personalities in the world wasn't her idea of a peaceful way to spend the day. Usagi stuck the tip of her tongue out at Hotaru and turned back to argue the case with her mother.
"But I went back into the past to learn how to fight, and protect myself! I'll be fine! Really! Besides, Hotaru will be with me, so even if something does happen, she'll be there to help!"
Neo-Queen Serenity's face softened, and she relented with a smile. "Very well, but I don't want you wandering far, Small Lady. And you have be back before nightfall."
Usagi knew when she'd won. She curtsied to her mother, then turned with a flash of pink hair to her friend. "C'mon! Let's go! There's this favorite spot I used to have by the river! I haven't seen it since I came back!" Usagi snatched up Hotaru's hand and pulled her down to the palace kitchens just as Setsuna strode into the throne room with a worried look on her face. The two girls arrived at the kitchens in time to see an efficient Makoto directing the preparation of lunch.
"Usagi! Hotaru! What can I do for you?" Hotaru stepped up.
"We need a picnic lunch. Usagi and I are going out to eat by the river and-"
"Hey!" Makoto's voice boomed out in a yell, "No you don't!" She snapped the wooden spoon she'd been using at Usagi's questing fingers. "That's a delicate dish! You'll ruin it!"
"But it smell so goooood," Usagi groaned, eyeing it longingly. Makoto grinned and ruffled Usagi's hair.
"Well, some things never change. I guess packing that picnic is the only way I'll be able to get you out of here before you ruin lunch, hmmm?" Usagi assumed an innocent expression, but Hotaru giggled a little and nodded. Makoto sent a few of the kitchen helpers off to gather a basket and cloth, the turned to the two girls. "Well? Any special requests?"
"Mmmmm...nihon soba, please. And tea." Hotaru licked her lips in anticipation.
Usagi threw her arm wide. "Anything at all, except carrots!" Makoto smiled, gave one more warning glance to Usagi as her hands began to twitch toward the simmering pots again, and walked off to pack their lunch.
"I wonder what has Setsuna so worried," Hotaru mused as the stood in one corner of the kitchen, near the door, to keep out of everyone's way. "She hasn't been herself since I've come back."
"Puu did seem worried," Usagi agreed. "There might be a problem, but let's not worry about it now. This is the first time I've been able to see you since the night I got back." She cocked her head. "How are you feeling? I'm sorry about running off that night, but your coughing. . ." Usagi looked down uncomfortably, then met Hotaru's eyes again. "It worried me, a lot."
"It's really nothing, Usagi. Don't worry about it."
Usagi still looked a bit doubtful, but nodded just as Makoto thrust a heavy, well filled basket in their faces.
"Here you two go. Now scat, before any more muffins mysteriously disappear!" She winked at Usagi and gently pushed her out the door as Usagi guiltily hid a nibbled muffin in her hand. They walked to the park, and Usagi spread out the large checkered cloth on the bank of the river while Hotaru began to pull out their food. Hotaru ate slowly, savoring the rare experience of sunshine falling on her face while she at a delicious meal with a friend. She listened to Usagi chatter between mouthfuls of food, and began to enjoy the sounds of life around them. When Usagi polished off her piece of cake for dessert she pointed at a group of people about her age who were playing an energetic game of Frisbee. "C'mon, let's go play with them! That looks like fun!"
Hotaru leaned back with the rest of her cup of tea and smiled indulgently. "I don't think I'm up to it. I'll just sit here and bask in the sun while you play."
Usagi nodded and ran off eagerly, and they played energetically for a while. Then one of the boys walked up to Usagi and pointed to Hotaru's reclining figure, making her strain her ears to catch what was said.
"Who's that?"
"That's my friend Hotaru."
"Why's she just sitting there like that?"
Usagi immediately took a defensive stance. "She's tired. What's it you?"
"But she's so much older than you, and look at how she's just wearing black! Why are you hanging around someone like that?"
Usagi stepped back a little. "She's my friend, like an aunt."
"Hey, leave her alone!" one of the girls called out, "Let's get back to the game!"
The inquiring boy shrugged and drew back his hand to throw the Frisbee when Hotaru suddenly sat up with a gasp. Something was wrong--she could feel it echoing through her soul. "Usagi!" She stood up and packed up the blanket and the remains of their lunch, then ran up to the children, who'd stopped their play at her cry. "Usagi!" Hotaru placed a worried hand on her shoulder. "Can't you feel it? Something's wrong!"
Usagi shook her head. "Feel what, Hotaru?" Hotaru opened her mouth to answer when one of the girls close to the river bank screamed. Everyone turned in time to see a creature made of an oily substance pull the girl towards the suddenly churning water of the river.
Other girls screamed at the sight, and one of the boys asked shakily, "What can we do?" as a couple others took either a step forward or back, depending on their bravery. Usagi didn't waste a second on hesitation.
"Moon Crisis Power! Make Up!"
Hotaru gasped as Sailor Chibi Moon ran over to rescue the girl, then let loose with her own cry. "Saturn Crystal Power! Make Up!" She watched the children around her draw back in fear as she lifted her Silence Glaive and ran after Chibi Moon.
The creature had dropped the girl on the bank of the river when it saw Chibi Moon and realized she was a greater threat to it. Saturn caught a glimpse of the girl crawling to safety as she ran forward to protect her friend. The Small Lady was in her care! She couldn't let any harm come to her! "Silence Wall!" she screamed and aimed the force field at Chibi Moon. Now that her charge was safe, Saturn spared a glance for the shocked children watching a pitched battle take place in front of them. "Get down!" she ordered them, then turned toward the slowly advancing monster. Chibi Moon was watching her with worry, obviously wanting to join in on the fight, but Saturn couldn't allow that.
She raised her glaive, and an unnatural silence descended on the field. Saturn brought it down with a cry of "Silence Glaive Surprise!" The monster flew into disgusting bits of oily goo, splattering against nearby trees and the force field surrounding Chibi Moon. Saturn looked at Chibi Moon, and the shield dissolved into nothingness. Chibi Moon ran up to Saturn, who stood leaning on her glaive.
"Saturn! Are you all right?" Chibi Moon ran her eyes over her friend with worry.
"I'm fine. It's almost as dangerous to onlookers for me to fight as it is for them to be attacked." Saturn closed her eyes and detransformed. She placed a hand on Chibi Moon's shoulder. "Let's go check on your new friends, hmm? Make sure I didn't hurt any of them too badly." Hotaru felt herself turn from Chibi Moon's friend into the authority figure, and she could feel Chibi Moon pulling away because of it, but she didn't have a choice. She still had that uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she wanted to get back to the Crystal Palace as soon as possible. She checked over the children, and most had nothing but minor cuts and scrapes, so she quickly healed their hurts, then went to the one boy who'd been hurt badly. As she stepped up to the nervous boy she recognized him as the one who'd given Usagi trouble about her. Chibi Moon was holding him in a sitting position. She looked up at Hotaru.
"I think his leg's broken. He didn't get down fast enough when you told everyone to."
Hotaru winced in sympathy. "I'm sorry, young man, but I didn't have time to give you more warning. Let's see if we can do something about your leg."
"Y-you're Princess Serenity? And Sailor Saturn?" the boy stammered, overwhelmed. "But you were just playing Frisbee with us!"
Chibi Moon sniffed. "So? Can't princesses play Frisbee?"
The boy just looked at both of them, and didn't say anything else. Hotaru ran her fingers along his injured legs, then smiled in relief. "It's just a bad sprain. Here, let me heal that for you." She sent her power into the boy's body, and felt everything knit back together. As soon as she drew her hand back again, she felt the boy shy back in fear, and bile rose in her throat. Even when she helped them, they were afraid of her.
She covered over her hurt with official briskness. "Well," she stood and clapped her hands together as if brushing dirt off of them, "you're healed as good as new." She turned to Chibi Moon. "We have to get back to the palace, Chibi Moon, I feel something's still not right there."
"I believe you!" Chibi Moon pointed toward the center of Crystal Tokyo, where the spires of the palace were visible over the other buildings. "Look!"
Hotaru saw the tips of the spires had changed from clear sparkling diamond to a flat, black color. Immediately she transformed back into Saturn, and the two of them ran back to the palace.
*****