C&C welcome!


Made of Stone
by Sean Gaffney

Sailor Moon is (C) 1997 Naoko Takeuchi.  The various authors I namecheck
are (C) themselves.  This fanfic is very bad for you and should not be taken
internally.


2:  Four

     *OK, don't panic,* Sean thought.  *You knew there was a possibility 
that she might do this.  The 20th-century Saturn aged ten years in a few 
minutes, didn't she?  It goes with the job.  Besides, look at it this way:
no more diaper changes.*
     Sean quietly went into the kitchenette to gather his thoughts.  He
checked the clock:  it was about 6am.  He and Hotaru needed to get out of 
here before Uranus and Neptune came along and tried to kill her again.
     The real problem was that he knew why they were doing it, or at least
thought he did.  Saturn was the senshi of death and destruction, and almost
destroyed the world when she awoke in the 20th century.  Serenity had told
him about Hotaru's death, where the girl had wasted away in a hospital.
At the end, her eyes were almost totally black, and Serenity said that she
could feel Hotaru battling with her soul for possession of her mind and
body.  If Saturn were reincarnated again, the same thing might happen, and
we might not be so lucky.
     The rational part of him was berating himself for getting involved like
this.  *I'm in enough trouble with the court already without getting involved
with this mess,* he thought.  There was the question of whether Serenity
might banish him for his crimes.  Much as he hated Crystal Tokyo, it was the
closest thing he had to home.  He didn't think he could stand being outside
in the real world.
     Where could he go for now?  There was the shelter, that was a 
possibility.  Of course, it would be impossible to stay too long in any one 
place.  Perhaps if he kept moving.  It wasn't necessary for him and Hotaru 
to be in hiding, just to remain unnoticed by the Senshi.  And Crystal Tokyo, 
for all its faults, was _huge_.  They couldn't possibly be everywhere.  
Perhaps they could roam the city, laying low but not totally out of sight, 
while he tried to figure out just how serious everyone was about this.  
The Outers would be adamant, he was sure.  The mission above all.  But he 
couldn't imagine Makoto or Ami condoning this.  Not in such a cold-blooded 
way, and especially now that she was growing up.
     "Hello?  Daddy?"
     The voice came from the doorway.  Hotaru stood there, leaning against
the wall sleepily.  She was also completely naked, a fact that didn't
register with Sean at first.
     *Daddy?*  he thought.  *Am I her father now?  I don't want to be a father!
Fathers, for one thing, are far more mature than I am.  Fathers wouldn't have
sat there unable to do anything while the mother died.*  He then noticed
Hotaru's unclothed state.  *Fathers would have been a _bit_ better 
prepared.*
     "Um...hello, Hotaru-chan.  No, I'm not your father.  My name's Sean,
and...I guess I'll be taking care of you for a while.  Let's find you some
clothes, OK?"  He smiled at her and went back into his room.
     Two minutes later, Hotaru stood in a pair of men's swim trunks that had
the string pulled taut, and a T-shirt that fit more like a dress, with the
words I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS, I _LIKED_ ISHTAR printed on it.
     She looked up at Sean cutely.  *Gods, how does she do that,* he thought.
*Every move she makes is utterly adorable.  If I don't watch it, I'm going to
get really attached to her.*
     "You look fine, Hotaru-chan!  Now, let's see what I can rustle up in terms
of food.  We're going to be running all over creation today, and..."
     "Why?"
     Sean turned.  He'd been hoping she wouldn't ask this question.  He truly
had no idea what to say.  How much of her memory was Saturn?  She could speak
and walk and all the other stuff that four-year-olds could do...but she was
one day old.
     *Well,* Sean thought, *I have a choice.  Don't tell her and risk her
finding out some other way...like having her powers come to life during a
confrontation - ick - or tell her who she is and risk...her powers coming to 
life _now_.  Either way, if things go wrong I'll be dead before you can say 
Death Reborn Revolution.*
     He looked over at her.  She was looking earnestly at him, eyes alight with
curiosity.  *So much for free will,* he mused.
     "Well, Hotaru-chan, there are some people after you.  You're a very
special girl, and some people don't realise that.  You're...*sigh*...you're
a reincarnation of the Sailor Senshi Saturn.  When you grow up, you'll be a
protector of this city, Crystal Tokyo.  In fact, you'll be the most powerful
of any senshi except for the Queen."
     Her eyes got really big.  "Really?"
     Sean grinned.  "Yup!  I told you that you were special!"  He looked at
the clock again.  "But we really need to leave here now, so that you'll have
a chance to prove to everyone just how special you can be.  Now, Hotaru-chan,
do you have any favourite foods?"  He was testing the limitations of her memory,
having no idea how it really worked.
     She shook her head, and Sean smiled.  "Then you'll be eating what I eat.
Let's pack!"
     The packing took longer than he thought, as Hotaru asked about every
single thing they packed.  He chose sandwiches, liverwurst on rye, and a few
apples.  *Have to get milk out there, I guess.  Why do I have this vision of
Hotaru's picture on the carton?*
     He stuffed the food into a bag and, after a few moments thought, added
both of his Walkmen and a few tapes.  *Just because we're on the run doesn't
mean we have to live like fugitives.*
     He took her hand.  "The first thing we're going to do is get you some
real clothes, and then we're going to take in the sites.  This is your city,
Hotaru-chan, despite what I may feel about it, and I'm going to give you the
grand tour."  He flung open the door, looked around approvingly at the lack
of senshi, and breathed a sigh of relief.  Turning, he thought about picking
Hotaru up and carrying her on his back.  The thought quickly vanished, and
he decided instead to just take a few more rest breaks than usual.
     "Where are we?"
     "Crystal Tokyo, Hotaru-chan."
     They went down the stairs, Hotaru still asking questions.
     "What's that?"
     Inwardly, Sean groaned.  *Yep, she's a four-year-old, all right.  I
don't know if I can take this for long.*

***

     "Your Majesty, please."
     "No," Queen Serenity replied.  "I gave you permission to do this, even
though I thought it was wrong.  Through the years, every time Saturn has been
born into the world, you two have killed her.  Every time, it has become
harder.  This time, she's gotten away.  I can only imagine she'll be growing
soon?"
     Michiru answered reluctantly.  "She looks about four years old already.
We saw her leave Sean's radio station.  She...she looks just like she did 
when we were raising her.  I -- "  Michiru couldn't continue, and broke down
quietly.  Haruka slid her arms around the woman, and looked up at the Queen
again.
     "You saw her right at the end, Highness.  She was one of the sweetest,
most gentle people I have ever met, and yet the darkness had almost consumed
her.  What would she be like now?"
     "Precisely," said Serenity.  "Now that she has had a thousand years of
rebirth and death, of frustration.  Each killing has gotten harder.  I
don't think that's accidental.  Saturn wants to live, and I'm not sure we're
powerful enough to stop her this time.  It almost devastated us when she was
Mistress Nine."
     She sighed, a deep sigh of frustration and pain.  "I should have thought
of this earlier.  It was a decision made when I was still unsure about myself,
when I didn't think I would be able to do this properly.  It was the wrong
decision."
     Looking up at Haruka and the now recovered Michiru, she said, "Please
find them and invite them to the palace.  We will not kill her.  But perhaps
if we find her quickly enough...have you talked about this with Pluto?"
     Haruka and Michiru looked at each other guiltily.  "Not this time.  I 
mean, Pluto's still getting into her position..."
     Serenity smiled.  "Meaning you don't want to deal with a 12-year-old."
     "My Queen, she only became aware of her powers last year..." Haruka 
began.
     Serenity kept smiling.  "Setsuna was aware of who she was from the
moment she could walk.  She just chose to tell _us_ about it last year.  I
think she wanted to have a normal childhood.  No Saturn or Pluto has ever
been able to do that, you know."
     "Haruka and Michiru stared at Serenity, stunned.  "She _knew_?" Michiru
exclaimed.  "Why wouldn't she tell _us_, of all people?
     "There are certain aspects of Pluto's psyche that are different this
time, as there are between you and your Silver Millennium selves.  When she
told us that she knew of her senshi past, I had a long meeting with her.  
She is even more secretive than her predecessor.  However, there is no 
malice in it.  I informed her that, as long as there was no danger to the
fabric of time, or to Crystal Tokyo, that she could behave however she 
wants.  I think that upset her; she wanted me to be flustered.  In many
ways, Pluto is still a child, yes.  Saturn is the only one of us who can
grow at the rate she does.  However, Setsuna is still Sailor Pluto.  That 
means that in situations as serious as this, you will consult with her."
     Serenity coughed.  "I apologise; I don't like to reprimand."
     Haruka and Michiru smiled.  Serenity's reprimands were the politest
they had ever heard.  Moreover, they got the point.  "Do you think the 
fact that Pluto hasn't contacted us means that Hota...that Saturn doesn't
have the blackness in her this time?  That there is no danger in a thing
like Mistress Nine emerging?"
     Serenity's smile seemed to dim.  "On the contrary, it is there.  I
can sense it, somewhere in the city.  It's the same force that took her
from us a millennium ago."
     Haruka tensed.  "Then why are you trying to stop us?!"
     "Because, as you say, Pluto has not said anything yet.  Which makes
me think that, perhaps, there could be a different answer this time."
She turned away, walking over to the throne.  "Have you ever wondered why
Sean is still in Crystal Tokyo?  Why he was brought here in the first
place?  Perhaps this is why.  Of all the people to come across the baby,
he was the one.  The one person not of the senshi who would fully 
understand the consequences of what he is doing."
     She turned back, and her eyes hardened.  "Find them both.  Please.
And then bring them here."

***

     Hotaru was having a ball.  Sean had taken her all over the place, to
buildings with food and clothes and toys.  She kept asking about them
all, even though it seemed as if he was getting tired of her doing so.  
That was what made it more fun, of course!
     The problem was, they kept on having to stop every half hour or so 
because she was getting tired.  Hotaru would insist that they go on, but 
then she'd start to feel woozy and Sean would force them to rest.
     *Stupid body!* she thought.  *I should be able to do whatever I 
want.  Instead I've got this stupid body that makes me tired, and I can't
see everything because I'm too short to see anything because of my
_stupid_ body and I wish that I wasn't so tired...*
     Even as she thought this, she was beginning to feel fatigued.  Sean
had brought her to a place he called a museum, with all sorts of big
planes and cars, and even more boring pictures of people.  Sean stopped
her to point out a few more.  She was so sick of looking at pictures 
she'd stopped asking questions, to see if he'd get the hint.
     He hadn't.  "See, Hotaru-chan?  This is a shot from where Crystal
Tokyo was first created, back in the early 21st century.  You can see all
of the senshi...well, except for you, but...anyway, this was a big day!"
     Focusing on the picture, Hotaru noticed that three of the people
weren't smiling.  "Why aren't those people smiling, Sean?"
     She could see Sean getting uncomfortable, which she knew meant that
there was something that he didn't want her to know.  She got more 
persistent.  "WHY?  WHY?  WH-"
     Three whys did the trick.  Sean shushed her and sat down on a bench.
"Well, Hotaru-chan, the girl who came before you as Saturn, who was also
named Hotaru, had died that year.  Those other three senshi had brought
her up, so they felt as if their own child had died.  They loved you very
much."  Sean seemed somewhat subdued as he said this.  Hotaru could tell
his thoughts weren't with her.  She should draw attention to herself in
some way.
     But she was still looking at the picture.  It stirred odd thoughts
in her head, complicated ones that she hadn't had before.  Memories of
names...

     #Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama, Setsuna-mama, don't worry.  I'll always
love you, and I'll always understand.#
     #Usagi-chan...Serenity...promise me that you won't let it happen
again.  Promise me.#
     #I'm sorry...I should have been stronger.  Forgive me...#

     Hotaru was aware of Sean clutching at her, screaming in her ear, but
she could barely hear him.  Instead, there was a fog that seemed to fill
up her body, that invaded her mind, and it was telling her to wake,  it
wanted her awake for some reason...but she was already awake, wasn't she?
     Hotaru collapsed screaming to the floor.

***

     It was rising now, feeding on her pain and fear.  Saturn was not yet
fully in control, so it exerted as much of its force as it could.  It told
her that her real mother was dead, that Saturn had killed her.  It said
that she had her friends trying to kill her, that they all hated her and
wanted her to die.  It pounded in her head that Setsuna, Haruka, Michiru,
all of them wanted her _DEAD_.
     Suddenly there was a resistance.  It could hear another voice, outside
the girl's head, soothing her, stroking her hair, and whispering that
everything would be all right.  The girl tried to explain that everyone 
hated her and wanted her dead, but the other voice insisted that wasn't
true, that they didn't hate her.  The other voice also said that he loved
her.
     Suddenly it sensed a loss of control.  The girl wasn't relying on it
anymore, it couldn't feed on her.  This had happened once before, a 
millennium ago, when her father had attempted to soothe her.
     It decided to wait.  If it bided its time, surely another opportunity
would present itself.  Saturn was still unsure, had still not taken control.
It had to strike before she did.
     Next time, it was sure.  The next time, it would make its influence
known.  To all.

***

     "No, that's all right.  Thank you for the offer."
     All Sean wanted to do was take Hotaru and get out of here.  
Unfortunately, the denizens of Crystal Tokyo were always polite and helpful,
so as soon as they saw her collapse, they bombarded him with offers of help.
After all, illness was incredibly rare here, and seeing someone collapse was
unheard of.
     Finally, after assuring everyone that he was taking her right to Queen
Serenity to get her looked at (yaright), he made his way out of the museum.
*I suppose it'd better be the shelter after all,* he thought, and wended his
way down a side street.
     Hotaru lay in his arms, and seemed to be sleeping normally.  She looked
a little more pale, but that was about it.  Seeing her screaming in pain
like that had scared the life out of him.  He'd never felt so helpless 
before.  All he could do was hold her as she convulsed...
     *Stop it,* he yelled at himself, but that did not prevent the memories
from churning up in his mind...

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

Twelve years ago.

     Serenity waited in her throne room.  This was the time when she usually
met with her subjects, but she hadn't been doing much of that lately.  All
of the senshi had been preparing for the Black Moon War as best they could.
     Not that there was a whole lot they could do.  They knew exactly what
would happen to them.  Serenity knew what would befall her people, her city,
and it cut her heart open to think about it.  She would have welcomed not
knowing the future, not being aware for the past thousand years that this 
day would come.
     However, Sean Gaffney had asked to see her today.  At first, she was 
going to politely refuse, but then she realised.  Sean must know exactly
what was going to happen.  For that reason, she let him in.
     He was dressed in the outfit he wore on his 'arrival', which was the
closest he ever came to formal attire.
     Serenity turned to him.  "Yes, Sean?"
     Sean knelt in a bow.  "Your Highness, I wanted to run something by 
you quickly if you don't mind."
     Serenity smiled.  Sean, even though he had picked up the motions of
respect to the throne, had never really gotten the hang of talking to the
Queen.  It was fairly refreshing, actually.  A number of her subjects 
tended to avert their eyes when talking to her and so forth.  Sean was 
direct and to the point.
     "Um...well, your Highness, I've no idea _exactly_ when it's going to 
happen, but I do know it's soon.  You know.  That which must not be
mentioned?"
     Serenity sighed.  "The throne room is unlikely to be bugged, Sean.  You
may talk about the Black Moon Family."
     Sean blinked.  "Of course, my apologies.  Um...well, I kind of know
what's going to happen, and..."
     Serenity began to get the drift of his conversation.  "Sean, do you
want permission to leave Crystal Tokyo again?"
     Sean jerked up.  "No, no!  Um...I was out there a couple of years ago, 
and believe me, I've had my fill of outside for a while.  Nothing like
30th century North America to remind you why Crystal Tokyo is still the
most wonderful place on Earth.  No, I'm planning on staying.  But...well,
I've found this place.  It's underground, and fairly well hidden.  I was
thinking I could turn it into a shelter."
     Serenity frowned.  "You need my permission to build a bomb shelter?
Sean, if you want to, just -- "
     "That's not it either.  God, I'm terrible at this.  I want your
permission to bring others in.  I feel bad enough as it is that everyone
will be dying soon - " Serenity flinched, and she saw Sean wince - "My
apologies, your Highness.  Um...I want to see if I can save some of them.
I'm making it independent of outside air, so that the poison can't get in, 
and...well, as I said, it's pretty out of the way."
     Now Serenity saw what he meant.  Knowing the future was one thing,
but he wanted to change it.  He wanted to save some of the people.  She
should have seen this coming.  Sean had been getting increasingly 
frustrated over the past few years.  Pluto had said that he'd been brought
here for a purpose, but all he'd done was start a radio station, gather a
few fans, and annoy Rei.  He needed to do something to justify himself, 
and he thought this was it.
     Perhaps it was.  Pluto had not told Serenity exactly what Sean's 
purpose in Crystal Tokyo was, only that there was a possibility that his
presence would lead to Crystal Tokyo's destruction.  Serenity could see
that Pluto was deliberately avoiding the other possibility, not even
wanting to mention it.  And so Serenity respected her silence.
     She didn't want to think of Pluto, not now, though.  Knowing how
little time she had left made it difficult for her not to cry.  Instead,
she turned back to Sean, who was staring at her uncertainly.
     "I agree, with one condition.  You must not reveal to _anyone_ else
what will happen.  You may not tell them of the Black Moon Family's 
invasion."
     This seemed to upset Sean.  "How am I supposed to get them to go 
into a shelter if I can't tell them why?"
     Serenity merely smiled.  "I will also let you know about half an 
hour before when the Family will invade.  But that is all I can do.  I
cannot defy history.  The rest...that is up to you."

***

     Sean starred at his handiwork.  Looked pretty stable, though he wasn't
a great judge of architecture.  He'd put enough food and supplies in it
for two months.  That should be enough time, the invasion was fairly quick.
     *Assuming this _is_ the manga,* he thought.  Knowing what was going
to happen wasn't nearly as frustrating as thinking you did and then being
proved wrong.  He'd found a few inconsistencies with what he'd read.
Chibi-Usa had been born only eight years ago, so that was different.  And
the Lights were still around, though Serenity had sent them, along with 
Uranus and Neptune, off on a mission to avoid messing up the timelines.
     Sean sighed.  *Ordinary 20th-century anime fan is zapped into one of
the more popular titles.  Let's face it, I'm only fooling myself.  I'm in
an authorfic.  And when I find myself, I'm going to kill me for what I've
done to me.*
     That seemed to be it.  He had one last thing to do, and he was all 
set.  Luckily, while Crystal Tokyo citizens may be placid, and uncaring 
about the stasis they existed in, they still had curiosity.  That was what
Sean was counting on.

***

     He'd just received the word from Serenity.  Half an hour until the 
end.  It was fairly depressing.  Despite his problems with it, Crystal 
Tokyo was home.  If it hadn't been, he'd probably have run off somewhere 
else when the invasion came.  Instead, he was here, trying to save at least 
a few lives in a desperate attempt to be heroic.
     *This is really stupid,* he thought one last time.  Then he pulled the
sheet off the large sign he'd attached to the front.
     There weren't too many people around, this was a pretty out of the 
way place, as he'd told Serenity.  Still, a few people were making their 
morning rounds, when they came across a large, flashy-looking sign above a 
nondescript building.
     THIS WAY TO THE GREAT EGRESS!!! it read.
     A few people wandered over, to find Sean dressed up like a carnival
barker, waving a pointer around.
     "Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, may I direct your 
attention to the door in question!  At first, it seems to be merely an 
ordinary door.  But inside lies a cavalcade of wonders merely dreamt of
by fantasists!  Why, we've got jugglers, we've got clowns!  Short, dusky
beauties will read you poetry while serving coffee, and barbershop
quartets will terrorise you with their close-harmony singing!  Why, if
you enter now, I'll throw in, at no extra charge, a free set of 
continental luggage!  You have no idea what this door can do for you if 
you enter!  It slices, it dices, it lifts, it separates, it can turn you 
into a nine-year-old Hindu boy!  Simply enter now, give half an hour of 
your time, and I guarantee you'll never regret it!  And best of all, my 
friends, it's absolutely FREE!!!"
     The door lay open invitingly, and several people went inside.  They
were rather surprised by what they found.  A large space blocked off by 
several curtains.  There appeared to be a few corridors off to the side.
But what dominated the room was a large clock, which was ticking at 19 
minutes, and seemed to dazzle the eye.  They sat down, willing to be 
entertained by the odd man.  After all, with such an introduction, 
whatever was happening had to be _big_!

***

     Sean sighed, put down the megaphone, and covered the sign over again.
No sense attracting attention now, he thought.  He'd gotten around 20
people or so in there.  They would probably be a little annoyed with him
when the shit hit the fan, but, in his opinion, it was infinitely 
preferable to being dead.  He'd explain when he got back in there.
     Looking up, he saw a cute blonde girl run up to him.  "Am I too late?"
she asked.  "I went home to get my brother, but he wasn't there."
     Sean smiled.  "No, you're just in time.  Lemme open the door again..."
     Suddenly a shadow fell over them.  Turning around, the girl saw a 
handsome young man with white hair, wearing an inverted black moon
crescent on his forehead.  It was the last thing she saw.  He quickly 
picked up the screaming girl, and as Sean watched in horror, burned her
alive using only his hands.  She cried out one last time, then her charred
corpse hit the ground.
     Sean looked up.  His mind wouldn't let him think about the little 
girl's death.  *Fuck,* he thought.  *They're about five minutes early.  
Doesn't the Black Moon Family believe in keeping a schedule?*
     He quickly ran for his life.  Taking off as far from the shelter as
he could, he was relieved to note that the young man did not appear to
be following him.  *Any luck I can get,* he mused.
     Suddenly, he smacked into someone else.  Female, he noticed.  She
grabbed him and began to help him up.  That was when he noticed that
she also wore a Black Moon crescent.
     He didn't even have time to think as the flesh was torn from his
body.
     Esmeraude dropped the corpse and moved to her brother.  "The palace?"
she asked.
     Demand smiled.  "The palace."

***

     Suddenly, he was alive again.  That was the only way to describe it.
A force came and just _lifted_ him into the air, repaired his body, and 
then set it down.  As he looked around, he could see the city repairing
itself.  It was over.  Serenity had won.
     He sank to the ground.  He'd been killed.  He remembered every little
detail of his death, and it almost made him throw up.  He began to shiver.
     Slowly, he controlled himself and got up.  He started to stumble 
back over towards the shelter.  He felt fine now, stronger, but his mind
was in no shape to deal with that, so he stumbled because he thought that
he should.
     The girl was laying on the ground.  The one he hadn't been able to
get to the shelter in time.  She was crying with great shuddering sobs.
He helped her to her feet, but as soon as she saw him she drew away.
     *Of course, she probably associates me with her death.*  He let go
of her and tried to smile.
     "Go find your family, little one.  Let them know you're all right."
     Looking back at him one more time, she ran off without a word.
     Sean sighed, and then turned towards the shelter.  The door was
opening, and people were emerging.  They had a haunted look about them.
For Sean and the others, it was as if time had stopped after their deaths.
These people had seen the entire war, however.  They blinked at seeing 
the outside restored.  Crystal Tokyo looked good as new.  Serenity's
magic at work.
     Many of the people were crying, looking at the people recovering on 
the street and not being able to take it.  They had never been prepared
for this, not in the entire history of Crystal Tokyo.
     Sean walked away, not even bothering to check on them.  *Well,
congratulations, Sean,* he thought.  *You saved them.  Do you feel like
a hero now?*
     No, he didn't.  He still would have done the same thing.  Anything
was preferable to dying, even if it was only temporary.  He'd done the 
right thing.  That he was sure of.
     He got home, but got no sleep that night.  Whether it was the 
experience of dying or the faces of those coming out of the shelter, he 
couldn't say.
     The nightmares began the next night.

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

     Hotaru woke up.  She was happy to see that the thing screaming in 
her head was gone.  In fact, they weren't in the room with the pictures
anymore.  Instead, they seemed to be in a dimly lit room with no windows,
shelves stacked with cans.  Sean was standing near a wall, attempting to
stick something into the light switch.  It zapped him and he quickly
backed away.  Hotaru giggled.  Sean always cheered her up.
     He turned towards her.  "Hi, Hotaru-chan.  How are you feeling?"
     She smiled.  "I'm fine.  Where are we going next?"
     She saw Sean roll his eyes.  "It's late, Hotaru-chan, and you need
to sleep.  We'll stay here for the night.  I don't think anyone knows
of it apart from Serenity, and I don't think she'd be searching for us.
Besides, even if you aren't tired, _I'm_ exhausted, and I need to sleep
just as much as you do."
     She pouted a little, but then saw Sean start to droop, so she 
grinned.  She remembered something from when...whatever it was had
happened.  That Sean had done something.  Said something.  What was it?
     Suddenly she remembered.  "Sean?"
     He was laying out two sleeping bags.  "What is it, Hotaru-chan?"
     She looked up at him with a serious expression on her face.  "Do
you love me?"
     He seemed very startled by the question.  Then he smiled at her
again.  "Of course I love you, Hotaru-chan.  Why do you ask?"
     She grinned again.  "Just checking."
     "Well, don't worry.  I'll _always_ love you, Hotaru-chan, no matter
what."
     "Even if I become Sailor Saturn?"
     That made him jump, and he almost backed away from her.  She 
wondered if she had said the wrong thing.  She wasn't even sure what 
she had meant, just that it was something she needed to ask.
     Finally he looked up, and he was smiling again.  "Yes, Hotaru-chan.
Even then."
     He settled down and set aside some clothes.  "Just in case you have
another growth spurt," he said.  She could see he was getting tired, he 
could barely keep his eyes open.  He got out a weird earmuff thing, put
it on his head, and said, "Goodnight, Hotaru-chan.  Go to sleep now."
     "What's that?" she asked.
     "Hm?" he said, with his eyes still shut.  "It's a Walkman.  I
can't go to sleep without listening to music.  I've got one for you in
here if you'd like..." He reached into their bag and pulled out another 
one of the devices, handing it to her.  "There should be a tape in it.  
Jus' put the headphones on an' hit play.  G'night...<yawn>...
Hotaru-chan."  He lay back down.
     She put the earphones on and hit the start button.  Immediately, 
her ears were assaulted with sound.  After fiddling with the thing, she 
found a dial that reduced it.
     She lay back down and listened to the music.  She turned and
looked at Sean.  He was asleep, but he still had a serious expression 
on his face.  She liked it better when he smiled.
     *Maybe he'd smile more if I got bigger.*  With this in mind, she
slowly fell asleep, the music and her thoughts running together in her
head.

***

     Sean woke up, and slowly remembered where they were.  He'd better
get a move on.  He had decided to take Hotaru-chan just outside the
city.  The homeless from around Japan all gathered around the edges of
the city, and he knew there would be less of a chance of them being
found.
     He quickly turned back to Hotaru.  He wondered if she'd grown
during the night.
     She wasn't there.  Immediately, he began to panic.  He quickly
scanned the room, shouting out "HOTARU-CHAN?!"
     "In here!" called a voice.  He sighed with relief.  The bathroom,
of course.  He began to gather up their belongings and pack for their
next journey.
     He could hear her come up beside her.  "Is this OK?"
     Turning, he looked at her in shock.  She looked about sixteen
now.  She was dressed in an off-the-shoulder blouse and hot pants.  
The reason they were off the shoulder and so tight was that Sean had
bought clothes through the age of twelve, but not older.  She didn't 
have a bra, as he hadn't really thought that far ahead, so her breasts 
were very obvious to the eye.  She looked up at him in amusement.
     "Gah?" was all he got out.
     She smiled.  "You think you've got problems?  I just went through
puberty in one evening.  Not recommended, unless you have the stamina
of your average Grateful Dead fan."
     That did it.  Sean's eyes rolled up, and he fell back down to the
floor with a not-so-graceful plop.
     "Was it something I said?" Hotaru mused.


End of Part 2

--Sean Gaffney