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"Wow... where am I?" Chouko, as Sailor Chibi Dantooine, whispered to either Sailor Chibi Naboo or Sailor Yavin as she discovered herself in a place she had never been before. She looked around for what seemed like an eternity before snapping back to reality. Chouko noticed Ippin had closed the gate and had de-transformed, as had Kairikuku. Chouko wasn't sure how the exact process, but she thought hard about de-transforming, and she was back to normal again.
"This is the Room Behind the Waterfall. It's where all the senshi of this universe can just hang around and be themselves," Kairiku said, smiling. "Let me introduce you. HEY, EVERYONE!! WE'VE GOT A NEW SENSHI!!" At the yell of Kairiku's voice, six people ran in. Five were female and one was a young man.
"Is this everyone that's around? Oh, well. Everyone, this is Chouko. She's a new senshi from Earth, Sailor Chibi Dantooine. Why don't you introduce yourselves?" Kairiku urged.
"Okay. I'm Lys, otherwise known as Sailor Chibi Bakura," a girl around the age of sixteen with brown hair with purple and metallic blue streaks in it said, shaking Chouko's hand.
The next one up was a girl around the age of thirteen. Chouko noted that her hair looked a lot like a Chibi-Usa's hairstyle. "I'm Sutaru or Suta-chan. I'm also Sailor Corellia, for the record. And about that record, I think you should probably start taking notes. There are PLENTY of us," she said with a chuckle. Chouko smiled and giggled softly.
"I'm Benjamin V. Skywalker," the young man said, shaking Chouko's hand.
Skywalker? Why does that name sound so familiar...? Chouko thought. Suddenly, it hit her. One of her friends back on Earth had been a complete nut for Star Wars. She remembered being dragged to see The Phantom Menace at least 20 times, being forced to endure Jar Jar Binks and the temptation she had of using him for popcorn target practice everytime he appeared on screen. It couldn't be... could it?
I'M IN STAR WARS?! Chouko thought, not realizing she was staring at Ben, who was giving her a mildly confused look.
"And I believe you've finally realized what all the Earth-borns eventually realize," Kairiku whispered to Chouko. The surprised girl half-acknowledged it with a small nod, but it was really just a reaction to being spoken to.
"How about we move on before your face gets frozen that way?" a red-headed woman said.
"Oh! Sorry. Yes, ma'am." Chouko said, snapping back into the present. She blushed a bit and looked at the floor.
"Newbies," the red-head said with a sigh. "I'm Mara, and you can stop looking at the floor unless the only thing you want to see is our feet. And don't call me 'ma'am'. It makes me sound old. "
"Yes... er... Mara." Chouko said, catching herself before the word "ma'am" slipped out again. "Mom HAD to make me go to those 'Proper Young Lady' classes, didn't she?" she mumbled. She looked up and made a mental note not to get on Mara's bad side.
A young woman with black hair with green tips was next to speak up. Does everyone here have weird hair? Chouko thought. "I am Nom Da'Gara, Sailor Dathomir. It is always a good thing to have a new ally on our side." Chouko got the feeling she'd never hear Nom speak in contractions.
Xarae stepped up near Chouko. They made eye contact as Xarae scanned Chouko's prescence through the Force. She's innocent enough, but she's yet another senshi with no real contacts to the Force, Xarae thought. Really. Is Earth just swarming with senshi that don't have a clue as to what the Force even is? She cast a look to Ippin, who shrugged half-heartedly. Chouko bit her lower lip in anxiety as Xarae sighed. "I'm Xarae. Nice to meet you," she said, not sounding too particularly thrilled.
Chouko smiled weakly and nodded, but could barely contain a shudder. Xarae had seemed to look into her mind, and any way you put that, it's an unsettling feeling.
"It's nice to meet all of you," Chouko began, smiling warmly. "I hope we can all get along well and be friends. However, is it okay with you all if I just... you know... investigate this place a bit on my own?"
The others all couldn't find a reason why not, and they all had other things to do anyway. With an appreciative nod, Chouko plopped the sleeping Pinku on a nearby cushion and went off to investigate.
Meanwhile, Pinku was dreaming.
The pink kitten lay in a wooded area. Considered a "freak" because of her odd coloring and the fact she was the runt of the litter, she had been chased off by the litter of cats she came from. The poor thing had been injured by an older, angrier member of her cat family. Just as the kitten was about to give up hope, she heard lighthearted humming. Opening one tired eye, she noticed a human girl, roughly around the age of four. The little girl skipped to a small patch of flowers and picked a few. "Mama will like these," she said happily. Turning her head, she noticed the kitten. With a startled gasp, she dropped the flowers and ran up to the little creature.
The kitten tried to hiss in an effort to scare away what might be considered a potential enemy, but the girl didn't run. The girl's deep blue eyes reflected empathy and compassion. "It's okay, kitty, I won't hurt you," the girl whispered. The kitten, too tired to object, allowed the girl to pick her up. As the child ran, carrying the kitten, she whispered, "I can take you to Mama, kitty-cat. She can make you all better." The kitten lapsed into unconsciousness.
When the kitten's eyes flickered open, she was in the lap of a woman. The young girl still stood sentinel, her big blue eyes still reflecting pity. "Mama, can you help the kitty?" the small girl asked, looking up.
"Yes, I can, honey." the woman said. The kitten tried to look up, but she was too weak. "I'll use the crystal."
The kitten felt a warmth in her, healing her. She was feeling better already. The scratches were gone, and she began to feel like she could trust these people. She shut her eyes. She owed her life to these people, and she would never, ever forget about that. Right before she fell asleep, she heard the mother whisper something in her ear. "Now, you hold a special power within you, a power that will lie dormant until my daughter awakens it with the power of the crystal. You will know when the time comes." The voice faded away as the kitten fell asleep.
Pinku awoke with a start. Why am I on a pillow? she thought for a moment, realizing nobody else was around. Chou-chan? Where is she? The dream... I have to find Chou-chan! She leapt up and ran, following an internal instinct as to the whereabouts of her owner.
She was all alone, strolling and trying to soak in as much of the place as humanly possible. It was odd, being away from Earth, but never in her wildest imagination had she dreamed this whole "galaxy far, far away" was real. Looking up, she saw spaceships flying. She was intriged for a moment, before one that looked especially like an airplane flew by. Her hands began to tremble as tears formed in her eyes. The airplane-like ship hovered in the sky, seeming to mock her. Chouko dropped to her knees and hugged herself. "Please.... not here too..." she whispered, tears streaming down her eyes. "Please... not the memories... please!"
Too late.
She was young, in her nightgown and playing with her favorite doll. No more than five years old, she sat near the large window in her home. It was night, and near the time she should be going to sleep. Her mother sat on the sofa nearby reading the newspaper. "Mama?" her mother looked up. "Mama, when Tenchi gets home, will he play with me?" Her mother smiled.
"Yes, little one, I'm sure Tenchi will play with you. But in the morning. It's almost time for you to go to bed." her mother said.
"Yes, Mama." little Chouko said, brushing out her doll's thick black hair again. "I'm glad Tenchi's coming home from England for the summer."
"So am I. I've been wondering how your brother has fit in at Oxford." Noticing the confused look on her daughter's face, Chouko's mother smiled and said, "The big college in England."
"Oh." Little Chouko giggled. Though her brother was thirteen years older than her, he had always been very nice to his younger sister. Some of her friends from the neighborhood who had brothers always said that Chouko was lucky to have such a considerate brother. When he had gone to England to go to college, he had promised Chouko that they'd play together in the summer. "Daddy's gone to pick him up?"
"Yes. He knows it's almost bedtime for you, and he didn't want you to get overly excited. You know you'd never be able to get back to sleep after this little family reunion," her mother said.
Little Chouko turned to look outside. Something made of fire was soaring through the air. Being young and naive, Chouko exclaimed in a scared voice, "Mama!! The sky's on fire!"
Her mother looked up from her paper and rushed over to the window. "Oh my God... Oh my God..." She held Chouko close and backed away from the window. "Chouko, go to bed right now!"
"Mama, what's-" little Chouko began.
"Now!" her mother urged. Chouko, scared and confused, ran up the stairs to her room. Halfway, she stopped on the stairs and listened. She heard her mother breathing prayers as the television turned on. An urgent news report was on. From her spot on the stairs, Chouko could only make out a few words, "Air Tokyo... freak fire... emergency landing... all casualties." She heard her mother burst into sobs and yelling what sounded like, "No! No! My son! No!"
Chouko crept up the stairs. She hadn't known what 'casualty' meant, but she knew it was bad. What had happened to Tenchi?!
The next morning, the house was filled with family members and friends. All were dressed in grievous clothing, and many were crying or were grave. Her grandmother didn't pinch Chouko's cheeks. It had to be bad. Then, she found out what the word 'casualty' meant.
It meant death. And it meant her brother would never be coming home.
She was back to the present. She was thirteen again, but still on her knees with tears streaming down her eyes. "My fear again," she whispered. Every time she was near an airplane or something that resembled one, that memory resurfaced. That horrible memory.
She felt something soft against her arm. Looking, she saw Pinku was nuzzling against her arm in a sympathetic way. "Oh... Pinku... I'm sorry," Chouko said, picking up the kitten. "You must be wondering why I'm crying. It's the horrible memory, Pinku-chan... the memory of the airplane... and death... and..." She was sobbing again. Pinku mewed quietly and actually seemed to care about Chouko's sadness.
Standing up, she allowed Pinku to go to the ground. "I'm okay, Pinku, I really am." she backed a bit, but she knocked into something...
Someone, actually.
Spinning around, she saw an extremely tall man of seven feet. He had deathly pale skin, black eyes, white hair, and had a malicious look in his eyes. "You own the cat Geri described," he said, evil dripping from the very words. "The pink one that... scratched her perfection."
Chouko couldn't speak. The tears in her eyes were dry as she backed away slowly. "Wh-what do you want?" she said, her voice showing her fear.
"I want you, little girl, ... and your cat... to pay for that action!" the man exclaimed. "I, Sith Lord Korriban, will make sure of that!"
Something inside Chouko told her to do one thing: Transform. Now. "Chibi Dantooine Power... Make Up!" she yelled, grabbing her transformation brooch from her pocket. She was now Sailor Chibi Dantooine. Then a voice spoke up.
"Stop there! It's bad enough that you're picking a fight with a newbie, but a CHIBI newbie?! Now that takes the cake! I hope you're ready to fight with..."
"The Sailor Jedi!" the voice and eight others proclaimed. Sailor Chibi Dantooine looked to see all the people she had met in the Room Behind the Waterfall along with two others she hadn't met yet.
"Ugh! Even more pests!" Sith Lord Korriban exclaimed, sending Force lightning out. The lightning crackled ferociously and hit a few Sailors, some harder than others, with the ones that had been hit harder staggering to their feet.
An odd notion set in Chibi Dantooine's mind, to say a phrase she never would have thought of saying. Oh, well... "Butterfly Confusion!" Chibi Dantooine exclaimed. With a swirl of majestic colors an incredible amount of multicolored butterflies swirled out of everywhere. However, it being her first attack, it kind of went... haywire. About half of the swirling butterflies swarmed around Sith Lord Korriban, while the others focused on herself and the other sailors. Dizziness pursued. Many of the senshi were quick to recover, some staggering for a minute.
"You're not supposed to hit US!" an angry Sailor Yavin exclaimed. Most of the other senshi yelled in agreement with Yavin.
"Sorry! I didn't know it would do that!" Chibi Dantooine stated.
Sith Lord Korriban looked as though the hordes of swirling, confusing butterflies had no effect. With an evil chuckle, he caught one in his hand and crushed it. "Puny attack, honestly. Now see what I have to offer!" he yelled. "Death Lightning Blast!!"
Time seemed to slow down for Pinku. She saw the black lightning coming at the sailors. The time has come, a voice in the kitten's head stated. With a determined look flitting across her face, the pink kitten leapt in the line of fire of the black lightning, receiving it all. She was thrown a few feet and landed, skidding for a moment.
Sith Lord Korriban laughed insanely. "Well, at least the cat won't survive!" Observing the senshi were readying themselves for attacks in his direction, he said, "I am no fool. I know I'm outnumbered. Just let that pathetic excuse for an animal be your example that the same could easily happen to you all!" With that, he vanished.
"Pinku!!!" Sailor Chibi Dantooine yelled, running to the fallen kitten. "Pinku! Please! Don't die!"
Pinku did not move.
Chouko didn't have the energy to transform from her state as Sailor Chibi Dantooine. She felt... for a lack of a better word... terrible. Tears slowly streaming down her eyes, she cradled the limp body of Pinku. She knew all the other senshi stood around her, prepared for whatever may come next.
She was walking home from school, her mind wrapped in trying to figure out the math assignment of the day. Suddenly, as she passed by a vacant construction site, she heard a pitiful mew. Stopping in her walk, she ventured a bit into the site to see a deep hole. A small pink kitten was at the bottom, looking up with a begging look in her large, blue eyes.
"I'll get you out, kitty," Chouko said, looking around. "Now if I could only find something useful... aha!" Grabbing a length of rope from nearby, she lowered it into the pit. "Sink your claws into the rope, and I'll pull you up!" Why am I talking to a kitten? It's not like she can understand me, Chouko thought. To her surprise, the kitten grabbed onto the rope with its claws.
With a shrug, Chouko pulled the rope back up. "You don't seem to be hurt," she said. If the kitten could smile, it would have been doing so, very widely, in fact. It mewed and bounded right onto Chouko's shoulder. "Hey!" the surprised girl exclaimed. "Making yourself at home, are you?" The kitten batted Chouko's long braid with her tiny paws. "I'll call you... Pinku."
Was it just her... or did this kitten seem familiar?
You saved me, Pinku-chan. Not once, but twice! Once from that insane Sith Iyagaru person in the park, now from that Sith Lord Korriban guy. It almost makes me think that you were my guardian. I owe you, Chibi Dantooine thought, closing her eyes. Then, she felt it. A soft, barely steady beat on Pinku's neck.
"A pulse!" she gasped. Some senshi murmurred quietly, while others squealed happily at this. Now you CAN'T die, Pinku! Please... All she could do was wish. Wish as hard as she could that Pinku would survive.
Then, it happened. Her silver transformation brooch's top popped up, revealing a heart-shaped crystal inside. Chibi Dantooine heard a gasp from one of the senshi she didn't know yet, but wasn't paying attention to the world around her. The crystal started to glow peculiarly, and the odd aura covered Pinku entirely. Chibi Dantooine looked strangely calm while this happened, as if it was as natural as breathing.
After a few minutes of awe, the glow subsided from Pinku's body. However, the light pink kitten now had a magenta mark on her forehead that somewhat resembled a heart that had not been there before. The brooch's top closed snugly back onto the other half, covering any proof that there was a crystal inside. Chibi Dantooine blinked a few times and held her hand to her head. "What happened? I remember... hoping Pinku would get better... then... a strange feeling... and a crystal..." she trailed off.
All the others were now detransformed and gathered close. The one that had gasped simply muttered, "That crystal..." but said nothing else. An odd air of wait seemed to come from nowhere.
Then... Pinku opened her eyes.
"Pinku! You're alive!" Chibi Dantooine exclaimed. She detransformed, and hugged the kitten close to her.
"Chou-chan..." a small, high-pitched voice that sounded like a very young girl said. "I'm so glad... you're okay. I see... you found out... about... the crystal." It sounded very tired, as if it had gone through quite an ordeal.
Chouko's eyes widened along with nearly everyone else's. "Yes, I said it," the voice said. Pinku wriggled out of Chouko's hug and stood in front of everyone. "I was awakened. The power of the crystal woke the power of speech that has been lying dormant ever since I was first healed by Chouko's mother with the power of that very same crystal. Apparently, Chouko is born sometime in the future, but sent to be reborn on earth... the details are foggy. I was appointed her guardian after I was healed in the future. That's about all I know right now."
"Wow! Another talking cat!" Lys laughed. "Isn't that an interesting thing?"
"Fascinating," Xarae said honestly. "Perhaps you will remember more of this future in due time, Pinku."
"I hope I do, anyway," Pinku replied.
Kairiku was giving the cat a strange look. So... Pinku was a talking cat like Scylar and Solai? If so... why was she so freaked out by the fact that a talking pink kitten was standing in front of her? "Eh... I guess I'll get used to it," she muttered.
Benjamin Skywalker wore the same expression as Kairiku. "How many of these things ARE there?" he mumbled.
"How many whats?" Mara asked, seemingly unphased.
"Cats with vocal cords," Ben replied.
"I do not know," Nom said. "But I am beginning to think that I will never be surprised by supposedly 'abnormal' things happening in my prescence."
Ippin jumped and laughed at her surprise. "I OWN a talking cat! It shouldn't surprise me!" she laughed. She noticed that Chouko and Pinku had not met two of the senshi that had appeared. "Ah. This is Koumi. She doesn't talk much," Ippin said, gesturing to a girl with dark hair. Koumi nodded and smiled. "And... Rene?" Rene was busy trying to ask the kitten a question.
"Excuse me, kitten, but did you say that Chouko's MOTHER healed you in the future?" Rene asked.
"Why yes, I did," Pinku said. She narrowed her blue eyes at Rene. "You seem... familiar... somehow..."
Rene pulled out her heart crystal. It had matched the one inside Sailor Chibi Dantooine's brooch perfectly.
"You!" Pinku exclaimed happily. "You were the one who gave me the dormant power of speech with the heart crystal! The one in Chouko's brooch is the future version."
Rene paled. "Then... that means..." She and Chouko stared at each other for what seemed to be a long time. "I can't believe it," Rene whispered, putting away the crystal. "I- I have a daughter."
"Woah... this is... weird," Chouko whispered. She watched as Rene sat down from the full effect. "Do I have to call you 'Mom'?"
"She isn't technically your mother yet, Chou-chan," Pinku repremanded. "Remember that."
"So I don't exist?" Chouko asked.
Pinku rolled her eyes. "It'll make sense one day."
Chouko turned to Rene and sat down next to the surprised and slightly shocked woman. She smiled, giggled, and said, "So... who's my dad?" Rene blushed heavily and giggled.
About the Senshi in this story:
Chouko/Sailor Chibi Dantooine
Kairiku/Sailor Chibi Naboo
Ippin/Sailor Yavin
Lys/Sailor Chibi Bakura
Sutaru/Sailor Corellia
Ben/Coruscant Knight
Mara/Sailor Vjun
Nom/Sailor Dathomir
Xarae/Sailor Iridonia
Vergesso/Sith Lord Korriban
Geri/Sailor Sith Iyagaru
Koumi/Sailor Kessel
Rene/Sailor Dantooine
