Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Unmei no Hoshi ❯ Episode 1: Atarashi unmei no hoshi! Haruka-tachi Amerika ni kuru ( Chapter 1 )

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Unmei no Hoshi

Destiny of Stars

by P.H. Wise

key:

< > indicates Japanese speech

" " indicates English speech

' ' indicates thought (when not used inside of " ")

Sailor Moon and its characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, and their use here is not for personal gain nor an infringment on the copyright. Tomoe Mirai belongs to Jack Koehler; Kazeno Yuubiko belongs to Merritt Baggett. Their use here is with permission. All other characters are mine (unless you're Jolly Blackburn or Brian Jelke, in which case you recognize your characters)."

--=- Seiyuu -=--

Meioh Setsuna: Kawashima Chiyoko

Tenoh Haruka: Ogata Megumi

Kaioh Michiru: Katsuki Masako

Tenoh Arashi: Hayashibara Megumi

Shiro Tetsuro: (open to suggestions)
Shiro Kazuko: (who is it that does the japanese Tendo Akane?)

Alice Grant: (who is it that does the japanese voice of Miaka?)

Steven Marsh: (who is it that does the dub voice of Yakumo?)

Robert Marsh: Mark Hamil

Hyali: (open to suggestions)

Episode 1: Atarashi unmei no hoshi! Haruka-tachi Amerika ni kuru

(A new destiny of stars! Haruka-tachi arrives in America)

Haruka and Michiru arrive in Boston for a 4 month trip to America with their daughter Arashi in tow. Waitasec... their DAUGHTER? How!? And why are they making her enroll in an American school for the duration of the trip?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Autumn, 29 AS (Anno Serenity) - 2??? AD

The Victoria slowly made its way across the restless waters. The ship was still several days away from its destination, so no land could yet be seen. The ocean stretched out around the ship for as far as the eye could see, its water lapping gently against the lower hull of the vessel as it glided towards the setting sun.

The westering sun clung to the horizon, relinquishing its reign of the heavens only with great reluctance. Its fires streamed upwards from that place where the sea and sky met in such a way as to make it seem as though the whole of the west was ablaze. Clouds like crescents of spun gold were scattered about in the western sky. Closer to the ship, puffy white clouds hung low, lit from below with shades of orange and yellow. The ocean was struck by the light in just such a way as for it to catch and reflect on the waters, so that to those onboard the ship, there seemed to be two sunsets; one above, and one below.

The Victoria was a newer model of ship that had come into fashion in the years following the Ice. Its design was strange but not unlovely, streamlined and having a certain quality to it that made it seem almost alive; a blending of technology with magic. Sporting several massive wing-like hydrofoils, it resembled nothing so much as a swan. Thanks to the magical element to the design, the swan-ship was able to safely reach speeds of up to one hundred and twenty miles per hour. This particular ship served as a passenger vessel - air travel was no longer safe due to the lingering affects of the Cataclysm in the upper atmosphere - and was currently more than halfway across the Atlantic Ocean.

On the main deck of the ship, a teenage girl with cherry-red hair leaned against the railing, the cold sea breeze gently stirring her hair as she gazed at the sunset.

She was a lovely young woman, even if her manner of dress did not make it obvious. Clad in black slacks and a navy blue coat with a white shirt underneath, she looked fairly androgynous (some would say slightly boyish). Had she actually been male (and there were some onboard the ship who, at first glance, mistook her for such), people would have called her bishounen.

The girl was not alone on the deck. Dozens of other people wandered here and there, some sitting, others walking, and still others just standing around and chatting (actually, most of them were honeymoon couples making out, but the girl was too naive to tell the difference). Most of them were high-class and clad in attire appropriate for the dinner that was to come in a few short minutes. Suits and dresses were the order of the day, it seemed. The only reason that the girl did not look completely out of place in her jacket and slacks was the fact that she seemed completely at ease with her surroundings.

An unexpected voice startled her out of her reverie.

"Arashi?"

The red-haired girl blinked and turned around. For a moment she seemed alarmed, but the alarm faded when she saw who it was that had spoken to her. She grinned. "<Konban wa, okaasan. Otousan.>"*

*(translation: Good evening, Mother. Father.)

Tenoh Haruka and Kaioh Michiru stood a short distance behind Arashi, having just walked up from below deck. Both were well dressed; Haruka in a suit that did a fair job of hiding her figure, and Michiru in an elegant white dress. Michiru, the source of the aforementioned voice, couldn't help but smile in return. Her daughter had an infectious grin. "<Konban wa, Arashi-chan. Did you finish your studies today?>"

Arashi blinked, her smile fading somewhat as she responded in a serious tone of voice, "<Hai. I learned the material, okaasan.>"

Michiru nodded, a playful half-smile on her face, "<Ara, then you won't object to showing me what you've completed, right?>"

Arashi sweatdropped, "<Ano... that is... ahehehe...>" Outnumbered and taken off guard, she was forced to resort to her secret weapon: the kawaii puppy-dog look.

Michiru shook her head softly, genuinely amused by her daughter's antics. "<Have it done before we reach Boston, Arashi-chan.>"

"Hai!" 'Whew.' Arashi thought, 'Stay of execution... granted.'

Haruka laughed and ruffled Arashi's hair, "<Hime-chan,>" she said, "<we're going to dinner now. Want to come with us>?"

Arashi nodded, her grin quickly returning. "Un!"

Although she was genuinely happy to be in the company of her parents, Arashi also had a somewhat... darker motive for coming to dinner. If she were to skip dinner, she would miss out on all the fun that she had worked so hard to set up! Arashi tried very hard not to think about the 'preparations' that she had made for dinner, as doing so would make her giggle, and if she were to start giggling for no reason, then Haruka or Michiru would probably suspect that something was up. Arashi was not entirely successful; while she did not giggle, her expression still looked like that of a cat which had cornered a mouse.

Haruka and Michiru noticed Arashi's expression, sweatdropped and exchanged glances.

*******

**** Later, in the main dining area ****

Haruka and Michiru sat at their table in the ship's dining room, eating their evening meal and talking about the specific details of their mission. Arashi mostly tuned out the conversation as she looked around the room.

Anyone else would have thought the dining room a fantastic place. About half of the space in the room was taken up by the tables, each one set with expensive china and fine silverware. Beyond the tables there lay a dance floor, which took up the rest of the space in the compartment save that used by the stage where a string quartet was now performing. Three great crystal chandeliers hung overhead, filling the room with light.

Anyone else would have thought the dining room a fantastic place. Arashi didn't. In fact, she found it more than a little boring. Arashi as somewhat ... unaffected by riches and extravagance (read: spoiled rotten).

The other tables in the room were all occupied by men and women in suits and dresses, each utterly convinced of their own importance, and each staring down their noses at the others. Arashi's gaze settled on the table nearest to her, at which a pair of American VIPs sat, blissfully unaware of the doom that had been hung (literally) over

their heads.

She looked upwards, checking to see that everything was in place. no one had spotted it. Good. She had done some very hard work to make sure that it would be difficult to spot before it was actually set off.

Haruka glanced at Arashi. "<Hime-chan, what's on your mind? You haven't touched your food.>"

Arashi blinked and paused before answering, hoping that her startlement did not show on her face. "<Ano, why do we have to spend such a long time in Boston? A trade agreement can't possibly take four months. You know I hate that city.>"

Michiru looked at her daughter, compressing her lips to a thin line as she considered her answer. She decided to tell the truth.

<It's true that the trade deal will not take anywhere near four months. The reason we're staying for so long is that you're going to attend the local school for the rest of the semester.>"

All things considered, Arashi took this news fairly well. "<NAN DESU DE!?>", she shouted, battle-aura flaring as she surged to her feet.

Most of the people in the dining room turned to stare at Arashi after that outburst. For a long moment a heavy silence hung in the air... and then Arashi seemed to notice the stares for the first time. She sweatdropped and sat down rather heavily, her battle aura winking out as she did so. Her red face was at this point no longer entirely due to anger. "<What were you thinking, okaasan!? Otousan!? You KNOW I hate Boston!>"

Michiru's shook her head. "<Arashi, it's important. Don't fight us on this.>"

"<But WHY!? Staying here for four months just so that I can go to school!? There's no reason for it! It's insane! Why send me to some stupid, back->" "<Hime-chan,>" said Haruka, interrupting Arashi in mid-rant. "<It's not so bad. The school is known for its good music program. They have one of the best high school orchestras in America.>"

Arashi scowled at her parents, plainly not about to give in.

Michiru's expression hardened. "<Arashi, Pluto was the one who suggested this. SHE said that it was important.>"

Arashi realized that her jaw was hanging open and shut it with an audible click. Sailor Pluto. When Sailor Pluto said something was important, you could ignore her only at your own peril. Arashi had to take several deep breaths before she was able to respond. "<... Fine, I'll do it.>" With that said, she dropped her gaze to the ground and whispered angrily, "<Pluto no baka!>"

*Somewhere out there, Pluto sneezed*

Haruka and Michiru exchanged glances. They both regretted having to force Arashi into it, but... Pluto HAD said that it was important, and only a fool would go against Pluto's advice. If only she could have given them some idea as to WHY it was important. The only hint that she had given them was that the trade agreement that they had come to negotiate between Crystal Tokyo and the United States would succeed or fail based on whether or not their daughter attended the local school. Haruka felt a brief surge of annoyance. If only Pluto hadn't left that hint so open ended.

"<I'm sorry, Hime-chan. It really does have to be done.>"

Arashi just nodded faintly and then focused on her tea, no longer paying attention to the conversation between Haruka and Michiru. 'I guess I forgive them. But still, they should have spoken to me about it first. I wish Hotaru ne-chan were here. She'd know what to do.. I do NOT want to go back to... back to 'that city'.' Arashi shuddered faintly, remembering what had happened the last time she had been in Boston. She still had nightmares about those hideous, eight-legged crawling things.

Abruptly, Arashi realized that both of her parents were looking

at her with concern.

"<What's wrong, Hime-chan?>" Haruka asked.

Arashi hesitated before replying. "<...Nothing.>"

'Just some bad memories,' she thought to herself. Wanting to turn her mind to a more pleasant subject (and also eager to see if her preparation had paid off), Arashi reached down and tugged on a small, thin wire that ran just past her chair along the floor.

Haruka nodded, not noticing the wire.

"<Ara, that reminds me, I want you to promise me that when we get to Boston...>" *CRASH* "MEEEEOOOOOOOWW!!!"

Michiru trailed off, turning to look at the nearby table at which the American VIPs were sitting, an expression of disbelief on her face.

Frogs.

Soapy water.

An angry cat.

Kitchen supplies.

Spluttering, angry Americans.

The few people in the dining room who didn't just stare in shock burst into incredulous laughter. Haruka was among the latter group, which brought several stares. Though such things may indeed be funny, this group of people, at least, didn't think it was acceptable to actually show that you thought it was funny.

Arashi watched the goings on with a *very* satisfied smile on her face. After a moment, she looked to her mom and asked, "<Promise that when we get to Boston...?>"

Michiru's eye began to twitch. "<... that you'll try to stay out of trouble.>"

*******

******* Later ********

Arashi sat at the desk in her cabin, staring blankly at the book that lay open in front of her. Sure, since she had quite literally nothing else to do, she COULD have used her time constructively and studied for the remainder of the trip to Boston. She COULD have. But after five minutes of reading through the book in front of her, her frustration level had risen at an alarming rate and she found herself unable to continue. Sheet music covered the floor, and next to the bed was an open (and empty) violin-case. The violin itself lay forgotten on top of the bed itself.

'Stupid Boston. Stupid Americans. Stupid perfect authentic cadences. Stupid, stupid, STUPID parallel fifths and octaves!'

*WHUMP*

The book on music theory that she had been staring at hit the wall, a victim of hurricane Arashi.

It wasn't fair! Her mom totally over-reacted! Now she was grounded to her cabin for the rest of the way to America. Still, all the had needed to do to convince herself that it had been worth it was to picture the two men as they had been when she last saw them - covered in soap suds and trying desperately to get the frogs off of their clothing, and the frogs slipping through their fingers as if they had been covered in grease (The frogs hadn't actually been covered in grease, of course. Glycerin, yes. Grease, no. She'd found the Glycerin in the back of a cleaning supply closet. What it had been doing there was beyond her), with the screeching cat and the pots and pans...

After some time had gone by, there came a knock on the door to her cabin.

"<Come in!>", Arashi snapped.

Haruka opened the door and poked her head in. "<I just have one

question, Hime-chan.>"

"<Yes?>"

"<... where did you get the frogs?>"

Arashi sweatdropped, her anger forgotten as she attempted to answer this most difficult question.

*******

******* Three days later *******

When Arashi awoke, it was to the noise of someone knocking loudly on the door to her cabin. She lay on her bed for a few seconds, hoping that whoever it was would go away. When the knocking showed no sign of being about to stop anytime soon, she rubbed her eyes and sat up, glaring at the door. "<All right, I'm up. Who's there?>"

The door opened, and Haruka poked her head in. "<We've docked,

Hime-chan,>" she said, a smile on her face, "<and unless you want us to

leave you here, you need to get packed and meet us up on the deck in ten minutes.>"

Arashi grumbled something to the effect of, "<All right, whatever, at least then I won't have to see Boston,>" and promptly pulled the covers over her head and tried to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, Haruka wouldn't let her. Smiling cheerfully, she pulled the covers off her daughter's bed. Again unfortunately, Arashi didn't let go of them, which meant that the girl wound up face down on the floor.

"<... OK, I'm up.>" the fallen red-head managed in a weak voice.

"<Glad to hear it. Meet us on deck in ten minutes, ne, Hime-chan?>"

With a sigh, Arashi untangled herself from her blankets. Once she had climbed to her feet, she scowled at the back of her retreating 'father', but her heart really wasn't in it. She wasn't angry, really, just annoyed. Why *Boston*? Of all the places in the world to take a semester of school, why did she have to do it in Boston? And why did Haruka have to be so cheerful about pulling her out of bed? "Hai." she grumbled, just before Haruka stepped out of the room and shut the door. 'Maybe I'll feel better after I kill something,' she thought, but again, her heart wasn't in it.

Alone once more, Arashi set herself to the task of getting showered and dressed at what probably came close to the speed of light (well, compared to how long it normally took, that is). Fifteen minutes later, she was up on the deck with her parents, ready to face the world. And the media.

*******

-Channel 5 News, live from the harbor-

"I'm Lyndsay Williams with Channel 5 News. We're here live at the Boston harbor, awaiting the arrival of the Japanese ambassador. Her ship has just docked, and she should be coming down the gangplank at any moment. According to our sources, she'll be accompanied by both her partner and her child.. And here they are now!"

*The camera pans towards the boat, where three people have just begun to descend the gangplank towards the dock. The first is an elegant and very lovely woman with turquoise hair, the second is a rather androgynous sandy-blonde woman, and the third is an equally androgynous red-haired person who may or may not be female*

"There they are, folks! Haruka Tenoh and Michiru Kaioh - Sailor Uranus and Neptune of Serenity's court! And the young person with them must be Ms. Kaioh's.. um, child, Arashi!"

*The three step off of the gangplank onto red carpet, where they are greeted by both the flash of multiple cameras and a group of United States officials. The gathered crowd goes wild, screaming and cheering loudly at the sight of the representatives of Serenity's court, but said representatives display varied responses to this accolade. Haruka grins and waves to the crowd. Arashi grimaces, as though she finds the display to be distasteful, and Michiru's expression remains blank. Not that anyone notices. Haruka and Michiru shake hands with the officials and they exchange a few words before they are led down towards the Limo that waits for them at the end of the red carpet. They steadfastly ignore the gathered reporters. Through it all, Arashi seems to be enjoying herself, occasionally speaking to her parents or to one of the officials.*

"Here to negotiate a new trade agreement between the United States and Japan, Ms. Kaioh is reportedly staying in Boston for the next four months. You saw it first on Channel Five News!"

*The camera shows Haruka, Michiru, and Arashi get into the Limo, fading to black as the vehicle pulls away from the curb.*

*******

The city of Boston was much changed from its pre-Ice incarnation. The original city had been destroyed in the Great Cataclysm. Neo-Boston was barely 1/4th of the size of the original. Despite its much reduced size, it served as one of the primary eastern port cities in the United States.

The new Boston for the most part consisted of small buildings of wood and stone. The skyscrapers of the late twentieth century had been destroyed in the Cataclysm and people simply lacked the desire to rebuild them. The house provided for the visiting dignitaries was something of an exception to the trend towards small buildings of wood

and stone. It was nicer than most of the other homes in the city,

standing as it did at the top of the island that had, before the land

had been altered by the cataclysm, been known as Bunker Hill, it

provided one with a spectacular view of the surrounding area. With

two stories, it was one of the larger homes in the area. The yard

attached to the home was precisely as expansive as one would expect of such a place, though perhaps 'yard' was in this case something of a misnomer. The property was wild for the most part, home to a fair sized wood, the boundaries of which did not end where the property line did. The road leading up to the house itself cut through the wood in a highly innocuous manner. When driving along it, one was never quite sure if the road continued ahead, or if they were about to collide with that next tree. Immediately around the home, the forest parted and left a wide open area which had been taken advantage of by the designers as a place for several gardens.

The island on which the house was placed was fairly large - perhaps three miles across, and was connected to the main-land by means of a small bridge.

Arashi stepped through the front door of that house, holding a small suitcase. The lower floor housing, among other things, the entry hall, the kitchen, a living room, a study, and a full sized dining room, while the upper floor held two bedrooms (each equipped with its own full bathroom), several guest rooms, and a library. An ornate spiral staircase connected the two floors.

Arashi looked down to undo her shoes... and so never noticed as the Time Staff bopped her on the head.

"ITTE!" she yelped, putting a hand to her head and glaring at her attacker, only to find that her attacker was no longer there. 'Pluto no baka' - the words rose unbidden in her mind. She grimaced. Great, just great.

"<Is something wrong, Arashi-chan?>" came Michiru's voice from behind her.

"<Iie,>" she replied, "<Nothing's wrong. I'm going to bed.>"

Michiru blinked, thinking to herself, 'Going to bed? It's not even noon yet..'

Before either of her parents could say anything, the red-haired girl headed upstairs and disappeared into one of the smaller bedrooms, figuring that they would probably want the master bedroom to themselves.

Arashi spent the rest of the day reading. She fell asleep at about 8:00 that evening.

*******

That evening, Michiru and Haruka found themselves on the balcony outside their bedroom, enjoying both the cool breeze and each other's company. They stood quietly for several minutes, neither one wanting to break the silence, and especially not with bad tidings. Michiru was the one who finally spoke.

"<The sea is beginning to rage. Another wave is coming.>"

"<You feel it too?>" Haruka asked.

Michiru nodded faintly. "<Something strange and unexpected is about to happen.>"

"<Do you think it's the Black Moon?>"

Michiru shook her head, "<No, I'm sure Pluto would have given some warning if that were the case.>" As soon as she had spoken the words, she realized that Pluto very well might not warn them, but it was too late to take the words back.

Haruka grinned, "<Are you sure it's not just Arashi that we're sensing?>"

Michiru shook her head, smiling faintly, "<That girl is out of control.>" Her voice took on a slightly playful tone as she said, "<Ara, maybe we should have named her 'Ranko'?>"(1)

Haruka smirked, but her good humor quickly faded when she felt the wind whispering to her again. "<So, it's a new enemy, then?>"

"<Maybe. Does it bother you?>"

Haruka didn't even have to think about that one. She shook her head almost immediately. "<...It doesn't matter, as long as I'm with you.>"

"<I'm not going to let you go tonight.>" Michiru said, smiling impishly as she wrapped her arms around Haruka.

Haruka grinned, "<That's my line.>"

--=- END EPISODE ONE -=--

--=- OMAKE -=--

After some time had gone by, there came a rapping (rap-tap-tapping) on her chamber door.

Arashi: "<Come in!>"

Haruka: *opens the door and pokes her head in* "<Nevermore,>" she says. Only this, and nothing more.

Arashi >.<;

--=- OMAKE -=--

Arashi realized that her jaw was hanging open and shut it with an audible click. She had to take several deep breaths before she was able to respond. "<... Fine, I'll do it.>" With that said, she dropped her gaze to the ground and whispered angrily, "<Pluto no baka!>"

Suddenly, the world lurched, and Arashi's vision was filled with darkness as dizziness nearly overcame her.

Michiru shook her head. "<Arashi-chan, you shouldn't have said that. You know full well that naming the Dark One calls her attention to you...>"

--=- END -=--

(1) - In this context, 'Ranko' means 'Wild child.' Hey, stop groaning!

You're supposed to laugh! *grumbles*

Comments? Criticisms? Do you like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know!

Let's keep it civil, please. Flames will be laughed at. MSTies will also be laughed at, but in an entirely different manner than flames. 8)

stillwell_phw@hotmail.com

www.geocities.com/stillwell_phw/wisefics.html

"One of my advisors will be an average five-year-old child. Any flaws in my plan that he is able to spot will be corrected before implementation."

- If I ever become an Evil Overlord