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Diamohns are Forever	By : SailorSol Category: Sailor Moon > General Views: 22490 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
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- 11
MAJOR CHANGES

Later the same day.

When the limousine returned to Aster�s house, Chimei was sitting on the porch next to Tori, with his powerful legs dangling off of the edge. The two of them both had tea bowls in their hands, and a small brazier with a metal pot sat on the porch between them.

Aster was about to ask about their preparedness for a fight when she noticed that Chimei�s favorite staff was leaning against one of the porch supports, in easy reaching distance, and Tori had his handgun in his lap.

�Is everything quiet?� Aster asked them.

The two men looked at one another, and then smiled.

�It is, now,� Tori said. �Tsukino-san and her cousin woke about an hour ago. Things were very loud for a while, while they cried and then the rest of the girls and Hanaichi took them back to the ofuro. That was about half an hour ago. All has been quiet since then.�

�Good,� Aster said. �Sensei, I have a request to make.�

�Tori and I were talking,� Chimei replied. �He was suggesting that I find someone to take over the dojo and spend my time teaching specific young women to defend themselves.�

�You anticipated me, Sensei,� Aster said. �I am certain that we could all benefit from a more rigorous training regime, even Washino.�

�Your shadow has his own standards,� Chimei said. �My concerns were also the protection of the young women. I am no sorcerer, but most of that ilk never expect a physical attack.�

�I will get you everything you need, Sensei,� Aster said. �We will order everything tomorrow.�

�You have guests right now,� Chimei observed, seeing the three men and her uncle waiting beside the car. �See to them, and we shall speak further later tonight.�

�Of course, Sensei,� Aster said. �Please make yourself at home. Due to the girls, you might feel more comfortable in the other house.�

�We shall see,� Chimei said. �Time will tell.� He nodded towards the others, and took another sip from his tea bowl.

Aster turned back towards the three kishi and her uncle.

�You guys must be hungry,� she said. �My plane boasts excellent food, but it still doesn�t compare with what the girls and I whip up. We�ll have dinner, and then I�ll show you over to the other house.�

�Tha�s a�right, hunny,� Vincent said in English. �Ah c�n whip up somethin� fer the guys.�

�I already said there�s no food over there,� Aster said. �We�ll go shopping in the morning. The best markets open just after dawn.�

�Ah� �preciate that,� Vincent said. �Now, jes� show me th� kitchen, an� I�ll fix supper fer all o� us.�

�No,� Aster said. �You are not kicking me out of my own kitchen. You may assist with dinner, but if I know Makoto, she�s already started dinner. Also, you know Nihongo, speak it.�

�Hai,� Vincent said. �Wakarimasu.�

�Good,� Aster said in Japanese. She smiled at the other two and beckoned the three of them to follow her onto the porch. Hosyu and Kenji were already on the porch, with slippers on their feet.

�I don�t know how much you know about Japan,� she told them. �You don�t go into a house with outdoor shoes on your feet. You change for slippers at the door and leave the outdoor shoes there.� She searched the rack of slippers she had and found some that she thought would fit her guests, and then waited while they changed their footwear.

When she came inside, Rei was in the dining room nursing another bowl of tea, and the other three Inners were all in the kitchen. Mina was making salad, Makoto was making the chocolate mousse, and Ami was cleaning up. Aster had taught all three of the girls her methods, so there were three separate timers ticking, at different stages of time.

�What�s for dinner, Mako-chan?� Aster asked as they came in. Makoto looked up and faltered for a moment, before recovering her composure and answering Aster.

�We had a load of pork chops and lamb chops,� she said. �So we made stuffed chops. We kept the lamb and pork separate. We also decided on a baked rice and cheese dish, and some steamed vegetables.�

�That sounds good,� Aster said. �I see you have dessert in hand. Ami, these poor boys had to eat airplane food. I know you can whip up a quick soup. I�m going to check on Usagi and ChibiUsa.�

She told the men to make themselves comfortable and then went to the back of the house, where the ofuro was.

She found Hana cuddling a towel-wrapped ChibiUsa while the girl sobbed into her shoulder. Haruka was holding onto Usagi, who was doing the same.

�They started about ten minutes ago,� Michiru said from where she was keeping an eye on everything. �ChibiUsa splashed Usagi, and Usagi started to say that she was beginning to act like Shingo, and that�s what did it.�

�I hope they calm down soon,� Aster said. �We have visitors, and I wanted to talk to ChibiUsa about them.�

�Visitors?� ChibiUsa turned her head to gaze at Aster through reddened, swollen eyes.

�Visitors, Hime-chan,� Aster said �Are you up to seeing them?�

�I don�t know,� she said uncertainly. �Who are they?�

�Planetary Kishi,� Aster said. �They are going to want to hear from you about the future, as much as you can tell them. It�s very important for you to tell them that they are there. I know Pluto will tell them her version of events.�

�Puu�s being mean,� ChibiUsa said. �We need to do something about her.�

�We will, Hime-chan,� Aster promised. �We will.�

�I can�t tell them more about the future than them being there,� ChibiUsa said. �I hope they understand.�

�Of course they will,� Aster said. �Just tell them what you can. Everything else will work itself out.�

�Aster, can I talk to you?� Hosyu�s voice startled all five women, coming from outside the ofuro doors.

�Oops,� Aster said, rising to her feet. �Somehow I think that we�ve been found out.�

�If we have,� Haruka said, her arms tightening around Usagi. �He won�t tell, will he? I mean, you won�t have to explain about the others.�

�True,� Aster said. �I�ll let you know how things go. If she needs to calm down more, try the old-fashioned method.�

�Do you have enough sake?� Haruka asked. She reached for a towel and wrapped it around the shivering girl in her arms.

�Of course,� Aster said. �There�s two kegs in the freezer, and four more in the basement. She probably has zero tolerance for alcohol. I doubt that it will take more than two or three flasks to get her passed out.�

�She needs to eat,� Hanaichi said, standing up with ChibiUsa in her strong arms.

�Okay,� Aster said. �No drugs until after dinner. I know Usagi wouldn�t want to miss Mako-chan�s chocolate mousse.�

�Aster,� Hosyu�s voice reminded her that he was waiting.

�Coming,� she said. She cupped Usagi�s face in her hands and kissed the girl on the forehead, exerting just a bit of power. She was rewarded with a warming sensation under her lips, and the sight of the moon just above Usagi�s eyebrows when she pulled away.

She stepped out of the ofuro and beckoned for her uncle to follow her.

She led him to the solarium and turned on one of the three light switches. Hidden lights came on, making just enough illumination to see as she led Hosyu to her favorite seat, which looked out on the garden.

Small solar-powered lights that resembled traditional garden lights were strategically placed all over the grounds. She sat down and looked out at the grounds, and waited for Hosyu to speak.

�What was that all about, in there?� Hosyu asked her. �That business about Planetary Kishi, and the future, and you calling that little one Hime-chan?�

Aster took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a few moments.

�It�s a long story, uncle,� she said. �It goes back ten thousand years.�

�Is there a short version?� he asked.

�Yes,� she admitted. �I�ll give you that, right now, so that we don�t miss dinner. We can go over the rest afterwards. We won�t have to hide anything. What I tell you, though, you cannot tell anyone who doesn�t already know, ever.�

�You�re family, Aster,� Hosyu said. �What you tell me will stay with me. Kenji knows all of my secrets, though. Will you let me share yours with him?�

�If you can be sure he will keep the secret,� she said. �It will take a great deal of time for the others to trust that you can keep the secret.�

�Very well,� Hosyu said. �I can understand. Who is involved in this secret of yours?�

�Everyone,� she replied. �Everyone here except for you and Kenji is involved.�

�Involved in what?� Hosyu asked.

�I�m a Sailor Senshi,� Aster said. She waited silently while Hosyu dealt with the information. While he was thinking, she felt Washino approach. She reached down into the shadow where he was hiding and beckoned him to her.

He appeared out of the shadow, drawing a gasp of surprise from her uncle.

�I�m not lying, Uncle,� she said. �I�m not even exaggerating. My stepfather attacked the girls because they are Sailor Senshi. He made a pact with Beryl, a minor queen of the Dark Kingdom, for sorcerous powers. He used them to murder my mother. He used them to abuse �Cinda and me when we were children, and then make us forget. He used them to make his second wife into a youma when she objected to the way he treated us. He used them to find the Sailor Senshi, kill their families, and he was trying to abuse them. I�ve managed to stop him at every turn.

�There is only one thing I can do now,� she continued. �I have to gather everyone together so that we�re not vulnerable. The Kishi are coming from the United States. My only worry, now, is for the families of three of the Senshi, and you. Takara already has �Cinda. I�m working on freeing her.�

�What can I do?� Hosyu asked.

�We will keep his attention here,� Aster said. �I doubt if he will pay any attention to you in Kyoto. Also, I don�t have any close female relatives for him to attack.�

�What do you have to do with this?� Hosyu asked. �The last I looked, all of the planets were taken. You aren�t Sailor Venus.�

�No,� Aster said. �There is one major body in the system that no one has seen a Senshi for, though. It is one that many people would never consider, since it�s not a planet.�

�I don�t understand,� Hosyu said. �Please don�t speak in riddles, Aster.�

�I am the Senshi of the Sun,� she said, still looking out at the garden. �I hold more power than any Senshi, except perhaps for Sailor Moon. We don�t know, since we don�t know what the limits of her power are, with the crystal. The Kishi are our counterparts. Each satellite also has a Senshi or Kishi. Washino here is Kishi Charon. His power comes from one of the satellites of Pluto.�

�Pluto only has one satellite,� Hosyu said.

�Only one that modern astronomy has discovered,� Aster said. �There are two more: Cerberus and Hades. Chimei, out front, is Kishi Hades. He is the arms master. Tori, my other bodyguard, is Kishi Hermes. He is a satellite of Mercury. The three men who arrived are Kishi Moon, Kishi Jupiter, and Kishi Sol.�

�So one of them is your opposite,� Hosyu said. �He is the yang to your yin.�

�Something like that,� Aster said. �I need him to balance my power, even if his power is significantly less than my own.�

�You don�t have enough girls here to be all of the Senshi,� Hosyu pointed out. �Who�s missing?�

�Sailor Pluto,� Aster admitted. �She keeps herself separate. She always has. Her predecessor didn�t, but that was then and this is now. The other missing Senshi is Terra, the balance for Tuxedo Kamen. Don�t ask me why he ended up in that outfit, or with that ridiculous hat. I�m just glad that he finally got rid of it, according to reliable sources.�

�Aster,� Hosyu said, his voice chiding her. �You�re still holding back.�

�Do you really want to know?� Aster asked, turning to look at her uncle for the first time. �Do you need to know that everything you know is going to be wiped out by a cataclysm of ice sometime in the fairly near future? Do you need to know that this whole situation started ten thousand years ago, after a thousand years of peace, and that it�s not over yet? Do you really need to hear that?�

�Is that what you�re not telling me?� he asked.

�It�s not my secret to tell,� she said. �I�ve already said too much. I�ve already told you who some of them are, and you can probably figure out the rest. I wish I knew how to take the knowledge from you.�

�That won�t be necessary,� another voice intruded on their conversation. Aster and Hosyu both turned to see Usagi standing in the doorway. She was wearing an ivory house kimono and looked every inch the queen she would someday be.

Without thinking, Aster stood as she approached them. Aster was not surprised to see Haruka and Minako come in behind her and take up flanking positions.

�I�m sorry, Princess,� Aster said. �I should have told you. I didn�t want you to hand things over to me. I wanted to see you go farther.�

�I will,� Usagi assured her. �When you and your uncle came back here, Haruka told me what she knew, and then Minako confirmed it. How could you think that having my warleader would make me weak?�

�I didn�t think it would make you weak,� Aster said. �I thought you wouldn�t grow anymore. I wanted to see how much more of the Ginzuishou you could use. Your mother couldn�t use half what you have. According to the legends, there is farther to go.�

�Then we�ll find out together,� Usagi said. �I need you supporting me, not hiding from me.�

�Pluto won�t like it,� Aster said. �She�s convinced that none of the Kishi except for Endymion is in the future, and I�m not there, either.�

�Pluto is an advisor,� Usagi pointed out. �Nothing less, nothing more. I am free to ignore her advice. ChibiUsa tells me that you are in the future, and I will take her word over Pluto�s.�

�If that is what you wish, Princess,� Aster said. She inclined her head to the younger girl in much the same way that, in another age, samurai would to one another when one was in charge of the other.

�Actually,� Minako said. �I was sent back to tell you that dinner is ready. I caught up with Usagi and Haruka headed this way.�

�We shouldn�t keep Makoto waiting,� Aster said. �I�ll tell the others that I trust you, Uncle, but it�s up to them if they trust you.�

�Understood,� Hosyu said, rising to his feet himself. �I will have a talk with Kenji later.�

***** *****

Aster slipped out of the house in the darkness. She looked around her and then made her way to the old teak tree that stood five yards from the solarium. She could feel a tightness in her chest, and her blood boil with an anger that was not hers.

She walked around the trunk, headed for the small staircase that led to the tree house. She was surprised to see Vincent standing at the foot of the stairs, talking to Kunzite.

�Kunzitosama?� she said softly. �Why are you angry?�

�It has nothing to do with you, Hoshiko,� he said, beckoning her to him. �It is something that I should have taken care of long ago, and I did not. Now, the damage is done.�

�I�d still like to remove his shaft for him,� Zoisite�s voice filtered down through the leaves.

�That would do no good, Zoisito,� Kunzite said, wrapping Aster in his arms, and his cape. �To do so would not stop him, only make him � creative.�

�Taiyono,� Aster said, turning towards Vincent. �What are they talking about?�

�Nothin� honey,� he said. �Somethin� that happened a long time ago. I�ll leave you t� your evenin�. I wuz jus� askin� if�n they new anythin� �bout Akari.�

�Nothing yet,� Zoisite�s voice came out of the branches again. �We are searching every place that Takara has access to, but that is a lot of places.�

�Try Beryl�s fortress,� Aster said. �She kept me in a living crystal, in a corner of her bedchamber. It would probably appeal to what passes for a sense of humor in her to do something similar to my sister.�

�I�ll check myself,� Zoisite said. �If that red-headed witch has her, I�ll � �

�Do nothing, Zoisito,� Kunzite�s quiet voice carried the authority of ten thousand years of command. �You will remove Akari and report to the Queen. She will decide Beryl�s punishment, and Takara�s.�

�She�s already planning new torments, just for him,� Zoisite said, malicious laughter in his voice. �She�s very displeased that Hoshiko gained her powers, and she is livid at the idea that Akari has hers.�

�She did,� Vincent said. �She had her powers, and she was usin� them.�

�Queen Metalia will not be pleased,� Zoisite said. �I will be back shortly, Kunzitosama. Nephrite is searching tonight, and I want to tell him about what Hoshiko said. Better he find Akari there than me. He has a better control of his temper.�

�Tell Jadeite,� Kunzite advised. �He has a better control. He is not doing anything productive.�

�He is looking for Takara,� Zoisite pointed out.

�As I said,� Kunzite replied, a tight smile on his lips. �He is doing nothing productive.�

�Yes, Kunzitosama,� Zoisite said. He vanished in a swirl of sakura petals.

Kunzite reached out to caress Vincent�s cheek, only to have the younger man flinch away from him. Vincent turned away with a muttered �sorry� and nearly ran across the yard to the other house.

�What happened, Kunzitosama?� Aster asked, looking up at her love. He looked down at her with true pain in his eyes.

�He was abused by an older sibling,� he replied. �The damage is done. He will never trust a man again, the way he trusted us when he was a child.�

�I guess he and I are more alike than anyone thinks,� she mused, looking in the direction that her planet partner had left them.

�What do you want to do today?� he asked her, trying to distract her from the anger he could feel building.

�Something you won�t help me with,� she growled. She turned and buried her face in his chest, breathing in his scent. As always, it calmed her as if she could not remain angry in his presence.

�What would make you happy?� he asked. �You know what I cannot do. What you wish would violate what little trust your partner has in me, and would violate the local laws where the individual lives.�

�I know,� she whined. �That doesn�t mean that I have to like it. It also doesn�t mean that I can�t want to kill him. I�ll settle for Takara, though.�

�If he appears here,� Kunzite said. �I promise that I will hold him still for you. From the marks on him when he attacked Sailor Moon, though, you don�t need much assistance.�

�He runs away,� Aster said. �Well, if I can�t spend the evening making someone hurt, can I spend it pleasing you?�

�I was hoping you would say that,� he confessed before he bent down and captured her lips in a kiss that nearly scorched the tree next to them.

Neither one of them was aware of the eyes watching from two different houses.

***** *****

In the solarium of Aster�s house, Haruka wrapped her arms around Michiru as they watched the embrace grow more heated, before the two lovers climbed the stairs to the tree house.

�He�s going to betray her again,� Haruka said. �This time, it will kill her.�

�This time,� Michiru said. �We don�t have someone keeping us away from her. We�re all on the same planet. She�ll have us to show her love, like we should have been able to back then.�

�You�re right,� Haruka admitted. �They won�t catch us napping again.�

***** *****

In the solarium of the house that Aster kept up for her uncle, Hosyu and his valet watched the embrace with awe, and then with fond memories.

�She�s like her mother,� Kenji breathed. �Even her enemies love her.�

�Fire and ice,� Hosyu agreed. �He may have to fight her, but he loves her. I hope fighting him doesn�t destroy her.�

�She has loving friends, Master Hosyu,� Kenji reminded him. �They will help her, and heal her. Nothing will destroy her while they are alive.�

�I wish that Nari possessed such friends,� Hosyu said. �Takara would not have been able to stand against them.�

�That is why Aster will not suffer her mother�s fate,� Kenji assured him. �You should rest, Master. Morning will come too soon.�

TBC
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Diamohns are Forever