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Earth - October 31 / November 1, 2011
"So it's just the twins?"
Taiki smiled a little sadly and nodded. After the Shitennou took the twins to find their siblings, he had taken Rsin out Trick-or-Treating to try and help her get over her fears. He returned to Jinia's house shortly after Hikari had arrived and told everyone that the twins were home. He was now trying to explain why he hadn't told the others about the Shitennou's plan. "The Shitennou were hoping that by bringing them back like that, it would make it easier to open a portal back to Gaea. They didn't want to say anything ... in case it didn't work."
Jinia nodded slightly. "Argent-san is supposed to be here tomorrow to try again, I ... did they say ..."
"Yaten's fine," Taiki replied, watching the tension leave the darker-haired woman. He glanced over at Michiru and smiled. "So is Haru-chan. Turns out they were saved by Helios before the island sank, but they couldn't contact anyone because of ... because of something Cronos had done centuries ago."
"But Ymede-san said that Cronos was dead," Michiru replied.
"That must have been what broke the spell on Zoi-chan," Ami replied. "And you said the twins were back to normal as well? Cronos' death must have been the key to it all."
Usagi nodded slightly. "We can ask the twins, after they have rested. I'm sure it was not an easy journey for them."
Taiki chuckled. "I think it was harder on Neph and Zoi. The twins landed on them." He glanced toward Rsin and smiled. "And we found out something else rather interesting."
"Rsin-chan is Jadeite." Usagi smiled at the little girl as well, then glanced at the others. "She has never hidden who she was from me. Not like the others."
Rsin glanced up at the older girl helping her go through her candy and frowned. "Why haven't you gone to see them yet, Kari?"
Hikari smiled a little and shrugged. "I figure they'll be swamped with visitors for a while. I can wait to see them."
"But you don't really want to wait, do you?" Rsin asked, tilting her head to the side.
Hikari raised an eyebrow at the little green-haired girl. "You know, you have completely changed in the last few months. What's gotten into you?" She started laughing as the green-haired girl just grinned and went back to her candy. 'Somehow, I don't think Rsin is the only one that's changed.'
London, December 2011
"I'm bored."
"If you say that one more time, I'm shaving your head."
"You wouldn't."
"Try it and see."
Mara rolled her eyes and kept walking past the room her brothers were sharing with Urani, Hiko and Yo-Ichi. Upon arriving in London, the Senshi had found that Minako's old friend, Katrina, had managed to secure an old estate just outside the city that belonged to a family friend. It was smaller than Dr. Alvarson's mansion, but since everyone wasn't with them, it was the perfect size for their group. Of course, it did mean that everyone had to share a room with at least one other person, but no one seemed to mind.
With the return of the twins and the good news from Argent that, with the gateway the Shitennou had opened and the portal generators on the Kinmokunai ships, she thought the others would be able to return, Taiki and Kakyuu had postponed the wedding. That left the two redheads and all their kids free to spend the holidays in London with the others.
"Tai is threatening to shave Asht's head again."
Kakyuu chuckled slightly as she motioned for Mara to join her on the couch. "And here I thought your brothers would actually like being in England."
"I think they'll like it once they can get outside and play," Usagi replied, smiling slightly. It had taken Shi and Sarah both threatening to move to Nemesis with the triplets to get her to come with the group, but she was glad she had. Even if it had been raining every day since their arrival. "Your Aunt Makoto isn't outside playing with her powers again, is she?"
Mara shook her head. "No. I think she's in the kitchen, trying to talk the British lady into letting her cook. I didn't get too close, cause it sounded as though they were arguing over something called 'Blood Pudding'." She frowned slightly and looked up at Usagi. "Are British people vampires?"
"No, sweetie. It's just a name. I don't think there's any actual blood in it." Usagi frowned slightly. "At least, I hope there isn't."
"Shi-chan! Come back here!"
Shi came bouncing into the room and grinned at the adults. "You haven't seen me. I didn't come this way." She bounced out through another door just as Mi-ko came running into the room.
"Have you seen Shi-chan?" Mi-ko was holding a towel to her hair, but stray strands had fallen down, revealing the source of her aggravation with the blonde. Her naturally gray hair was now an odd shade of purple.
Mara smiled a little and pointed at the other door. "We haven't seen her. She didn't come this way."
Mi-ko grinned at the little girl and left through the indicated door. A few moments later, they could all hear the blonde yelp as she got pelted with snowballs.
"No blizzards in the house, Mi-ko!" Kakyuu chuckled as a few flakes flew into the room and landed on her hair. "At least the relationship between those two hasn't changed."
Usagi nodded, her small smile returning. Ever since Shi had returned from Gaea, her attitude toward everyone had changed. She was closer to the elder Minako and Hotaru, but relaxed enough around the others that she would actually stay in the room for more than five minutes with them. She still refused to admit who she was, even if they had told her that Zoisite had nothing to fear from them. Hikari had become a complicated subject with the blonde. While they both insisted they were still friends, it was obvious that things were not the same between them, even if Hikari wanted them to be. Even Shi's relationship with Miyo seemed to be different. Before they had been inseperable, now they weren't even sharing a room. The only person Shi was acting the same toward was Mi-ko, the reincarntion of Kunzite.
They had been friends in the past, of course, with Kunzite looking after Zoisite as though he was his brother, not Nephlite's. But Beryl had changed that. She had twisted their relationship into something more, though Usagi could never be quite sure what. But the bond was still strong enough that it pulled Kunzite's soul to Zoisite's, light years away from the Moon Kingdom, to be born on Kinmoku. 'I do not know if they would thank you for what you did, Beryl, but I do. I do not think Shi would have survived without the other Shitennou.'
"Usagi-hime?"
Usagi pulled herself from her thoughts and smiled at the blue-haired girl that had spoken. "You don't have to call me, Princess, Mara-chan. Unless you want me to start calling you Saffir."
Mara smiled a little. "I don't mind being called that. It's only the others that do not like their old names. They do not like the fear they still bring up in everyone."
"It was a dark time in our past. If it even was our past. I think that the world you and the others came from ... was not the future of this world."
"Another dimension? That makes sense. But, I think we'd like to stay in this one. Nemesis was ... cold. And barren. Earth is warm. Even when it's snowing."
Mi-ko grinned at Mara as the last of the snow flakes fell onto the younger girl's head. "Come on, little one. Let's go find the others and go spend some of our Dema's money."
Kakyuu raised an eyebrow at the temporarily purple-haired girl. "And just what do you plan to buy?"
"Buckingham Palace? We figure it might be big enough to finally fit us all in." Mi-ko grinned slightly. "Don't worry, Princess. I'm just kidding. We're going clothes shopping since Miyo keeps complaining that her clothes don't fit her anymore. And yes, we're taking Shi-chan. If she can dig her way out of the snowbank."
"Snowbank?" Kakyuu stood, glanced toward the doorway, then shook her head and sat back down. "I don't want to know."
Usagi grinned. "I'm sure she'll be fine. After all, she is the-"
"King of Fire." Shi smirked as the four turned to look at her. She had managed to melt the snow enough to pull herself free, but she was still soaking wet. Fire danced around the tips of her fingers as she playfully glared at her childhood friend. "Kunzite!"
"Not in the house!" Kakyuu glared at the two until the signs of their 'fight' vanished. "It's bad enough that you do these things at home, but please ... this house does not belong to us. And it is very old. You have to be careful."
"My apologies, Princess." Shi pushed her hair out of her face, then reached over and grabbed Mara's hand. "Last one upstairs is a rotten egg."
Usagi watched the three girls take off running and smiled. "And here we were hoping for a calm vacation."
Gaea
"Stop fidgeting." The blonde looked between her companions and sighed. "Kou, if you don't relax, I'm going to ask Riein to sedate both of you."
"Sorry." Seiya Kou and Jilo Seiya looked at each other and shared the same nervous smile.
Yaten Kou shook her head as she watched them. "The similarities between you two are scary."
"Now you know how we all felt dealing with you and Kaish." Niu smiled a little at the gray-haired women. After learning that the twins were indeed safe on Earth, the redhead had revealed her past to the other StarLights. It was confirmed quickly that she was indeed Taiki's sister and the two Kous hadn't let her out of their sight since.
Yaten made a face at the older woman. "We weren't that bad!"
"No, you were worse," Illion replied. He smirked at the gray-haired woman. "I'm sure Jilo and the others would love to hear some of the stories of what you and Kaish did when you were kids."
"We don't need a history lesson, thank you, Illion. Especially not ancient history." Kaish shifted her youngest daughter into her lap and glanced at Seiya Kou. "How in the world did you ever manage twins?"
"Very carefully," Seiya replied, smiling slightly.
When the singer started pacing again, Rosalind pulled her into a chair beside her and held her there. "Seriously, I'm going to Riein in two minutes."
"Sorry!" The two black-haired women smiled at each other again as the rest of the group started laughing.
Today was the first test. The first time they would be able to see whether or not the Kinmokunai ship's portal generators would actually be able to open a portal anywhere close to Earth. With the Shitennou opening the rift and pulling the twins through it, the ships around Gaea had been able to trace the source. They now had the coordinates of 'home'. But because they didn't know how the ships were going to react, the tests were taking place far from the planet and targetting somewhere a lot closer. If all went well, Xavier and Cure should be signalling their parents from the ruins on the Moon, any minute now.
Everyone was nervous, but none more so than the two StarFighters. Riein was overseeing the test on Gaea. Rishi was running things on the ship itself. Miyoshi was on the Moon with Haruka and Tosh, Jilo's little sister. In the last few months that they had been on the planet, Jilo's family had become Seiya's family. And the singer was just as concerned about them as she was her own children.
"How are we going to survive having two of you around all the time?"
"There won't be two of us around all the time, Yaten." Seiya's smile turned sad as she turned to face the gray-haired woman. "Jilo's life is here."
"But that doesn't mean I won't be dropping by to visit every so often," Jilo replied, her smile also sad. Of all the 'doubles', the two younger StarFighters had become the closest. "We all will."
"We may as well just buy the whole town. It would be easier than adding on to the mansion again," Kaish replied.
Yaten nodded. "What about you, Rosa? You guys planning to come visit Earth anytime soon?"
"We've been thinking about it. Pandora and I are definitely interested in meeting this Usagi you all are always talking about," Rosalind replied. "Especially since Haru-chan said she acts like Hecate."
"She did in High School. Still does on occasion," Seiya replied. "Especially when you get her and Rei-chan in the same room when they think no one is watching."
Kaish frowned. "How can they ever think no one is watching? There's too many people in that house!"
"Easy. There are so many people in that house that finding yourself alone is nearly impossible, but the odds of something more interesting coming along in the next thirty seconds are pretty good. So, if you sit still for long enough, people forget you're there."
"We are so moving you out of that house when we get home," Yaten replied. She grinned and walked over to the chair Rosa was still holding Seiya in. "I'm thinking you'd probably like somewhere near our good friend, Mr. Quinn. You know, the reporter? I'm sure he'd love to do a story on you and your twin sister over there."
"You're the one with the twin."
"But you two look more alike."
"Oi! Who'd want to look like you?"
"Ree kind of looks like her. Devari too, though she looks a little more like Kaish." Jilo started chuckling as she looked between the two siblings. "But both of you look more like Kai than anyone. Even Urta."
"Urta? I don't think we've met her yet," Yaten said as she sat beside her sister.
Jilo shook her head. "You didn't. She was only on Gaea for a few minutes before Kai took her back to the ship. She seemed anxious for her not to meet the two of you."
Rosalind nodded slightly. "She seemed anxious to be as far from these two, or Kaish's kids as possible. Did something happen between her and Devari?"
Jilo shrugged. "No one knows. All we know is that one day they were the best of friends, the next, they seemed to hate each other. The Princess couldn't even send them on missions together for fear that they'd kill each other."
"Surely they weren't that bad," Kaish replied, glancing at her sister.
"Oh yes, they were." Niu frowned at her own memories of the two older women. "I made the mistake once of mentioning Devari's name in front of Kai, I thought she was going to kill me. I was certainly happy to see her leave the fleet."
"Kai left? When? And why?"
"Shortly after Niu and the others arrived. It was all around the same time that things between Kai and Devari went bad, too."
"The same time as the attack by Galaxia." Yaten frowned. In this world, they had learned, there had been no Kaish to sacrifice herself for Kakyuu. There had been no Hunter at all on Kinmoku when it fell. And though the warriors that had been taken by Galaxia had all returned, Kakyuu did not. The 'Ultimate Warrior' had not been satisfied merely with taking the Princess' Star Seed, she had destroyed her, trapping the weakened woman on Kinmoku before it was destroyed. Another difference between the dimensions - there was no 'time pocket' here. This Kinmoku was gone forever. "Do you think ..."
"Think what, Yaten?"
Yaten shook her head slightly. "Never mind. Just thinking out loud."
Seiya frowned at her long-time friend and was about to ask more questions, when the communicator beside her started beeping. Rosa was faster, especially since she still had one of Seiya's arms trapped between her and the chair. The blonde activated the communicator and frowned at the display screen. "I don't recognize this source code."
"Aunt Haru?"
Yaten grinned at the voice on the communicator and grabbed it from the blonde's hand. "Hikari?"
"Dema?! How- Where are you?"
"Still on Gaea. Where are you?"
"London. Miyo-chan and I were working on some of the communicators when this one just started beeping. How is this-"
"Woah, did she just say Miyo-chan?"
Seiya had pushed Rosa away the moment she heard the voice say Miyo. A million theories were running through her mind at the moment, but the main fact was - they had found a way to contact home. "Zavi, please tell me you guys are recording as much data from this as you can."
"Don't worry, we are."
"Uncle Seiya?"
"Dema?"
"Miyo, whatever you do, keep that communicator working."
