Uninvited Explorer 1/2 (Mika, Hotaru, Open)

[Saitou Mikayo]

(ooc: couldn’t fit it in the title so let’s say this is early afternoon maybe)

Mika wandered the palace halls curiously, eagerly peeking into open doors to see if she could see anything of interest. She had been bored over the New Year and had begged her mother to bring her to the palace. Honomi had finally gotten permission to bring Mika to work, but had told her daughter to sit still in her office while she actually got some of her work done.

The hyperactive thirteen year old had tried hard to do as she had been told. However, sitting still had never been one of her strong points. The moment her mother had left to take care of something, Mika couldn’t resist the temptation to explore.

Mika was now completely lost, not certain how to find her way back to her mother’s office. That didn’t bother her too much however, she was more interested in the possibility of actually seeing someone important like the queen or even one of the senshi. It never really entered her thoughts that she or even her mother might could get into trouble with her wandering.

[Tomoe Hotaru]

A flash of movement caught Hotaru's eye and she paused, lifting her head from the pages of the book she was flipping through as she walked down the hall toward her chambers. She paused, taking a step back to look down the corridor she had just passed to see a slender teenage girl walking down it, an energetic bounce in her step.

Blinking, the book closed with a soft snap, forgotten as it was tucked under the raven haired girl's arm before she slipped down the hall. To the best of her knowledge, she was the only adolescent here, and she was both intrigued as well as suspicious. After all the revelations in the past few days, she wasn't taking any chances with an unfamiliar face.

Her feet were soundless on the carpeted floor, closing in on the other female, and was surprised to note that she did recognize her actually. Though the name eluded her, she knew she had seen the other at school. But that still didn't explain what she was doing in the palace.

Blinking, Hotaru sighed inwardly. There was only one way to find out.

"Excuse me, what are you doing here? Are you lost?"

[Saitou Mikayo]

Mika was starting to become bored with her senseless wandering. After all she had explored quite a few halls and still hadn’t seen anyone important or interesting. What was the good of being in a palace if there wasn’t anyone exciting to see?

She had wandered into a new hall and found a new open doorway to peek into. The room was as empty and boring as all the rest had been. Mika had just started to turn and continue her way when she heard someone speak up.

Mika gave a surprised yelp and spun to face the speaker, already blushing slightly in embarrassment at having been caught snooping. She was caught a little off guard to find another teenager, but it didn’t take her long to recognize the other raven haired girl. Everyone knew who the senshi were and Saturn was no exception, not to mention the girl went to her school.

She tugged nervously at her braid, still flushing a little, as she murmured, “I ... I was exploring. I’m not lost exactly, though I don’t know that I could find my way back to where I started. These halls all look a like after a while..”

It suddenly occurred to Mika that she was standing here talking to a senshi like she had wanted to be able to do in the first place. Although she had seen Saturn at school, being here in the palace with her was an entirely different matter. It was far more interesting to be able to talk to someone famous in their own home then it was to talk to them while they were trying to be a normal kid.

Mika grinned brightly, previous nervousness and embarrassment forgotten, as she exclaimed, “You are Tomoe Hotaru aren’t you?” She immediately blushed again as she realized that she might prefer the more formal title, after all being a senshi was an important job. In somewhat of an apologetic tone, she murmured, “I mean Lady Saturn ...”

[Tomoe Hotaru]

Amusement dispelled Hotaru's suspicion momentarily at the girl's reaction and the rush of embarrassment clearly written on the flush creeping across her face. She had been right, this girl did go to her school. That still didn't explain why she was here, wandering the palace without a chaperon. Lucan wouldn't be too pleased were he to find out, no matter how innocent the girl's intentions. It was probably good she had come across her, and not someone else.

She nodded, her lips twitching slightly. "It is hard to find your way around. I don't think even I know where everything is in the palace yet. Usagi-chan told me there was a library, and it took me about three days to find it."

Blinking, she shifted awkwardly at the sound of her name from the other girl's lips, and especially in such a formal manner. She still hadn't become accustomed to hearing herself refereed to as 'Lady' or even the occasional 'Princess.'

Fighting her shyness, she inclined her head slightly. "Yes, I am. And please. . . there's no need for a title. I'm just Hotaru. I'm only referred to in a formal matter when I'm in court or representing it. It seems silly for someone my own age to call me Lady Saturn, though whichever you'd feel more comfortable with is fine . . ."

Her hands fluttered nervously as she reached up to tuck her hair back behind her ears. Now that she had determined the other teenager wasn't a threat, her cold confidence had faded to leave her normal unease with others her age, with strangers she did not know well.

"You're. . . forgive me, I should know your name. We go to the same school, correct? Why are you here?"

[Saitou Mikayo]

Mika wasn’t entirely certain who Usagi was, as she knew the queen as Serenity. She figured she was someone important in the palace though so she didn’t ask. Instead she just squeaked, “Three days ...” She glanced around the hall again before turning back and adding, “I don’t think I could figure out all of these hallways even in three days. There’s too many of them.”

She grinned brightly and nodded in agreement. “Hotaru it is then.” Mika was more then happy to call Hotaru by her name. Calling her Lady Saturn made her feel as if she were speaking to someone far older then herself. With the name situation settled, Mika was far more interested in asking questions then she was in thinking about what the proper way of speaking to someone was. “Do you have to be in court or representing it often? Is it dreadfully boring to be in court?”

Mika watched Hotaru nervously tuck her hair behind her ears and picked up the fact that her companion seemed uneasy. At first she couldn’t begin to think why she was nervous until Mika remembered that she hadn’t ever seen Hotaru actually socializing with the other kids at school. Could it be that Hotaru was nervous around her? This struck Mika as odd, after all why should a girl that helped save the world be nervous around a person like her? She knew that Hotaru usually kept to herself at school and wondered if maybe she just wasn’t use to making friends. That wouldn’t do at all, Mika was now determined to become this girl’s friend.

“My name is Saitou Mikayo, but everyone just usually calls me Mika. Yeah, we go to the same school.”

Mika flushed again when her new friend questioned why she was there. She tugged uncomfortably at her braid once more remembering that her mother had told her that she wasn’t suppose to go wandering the halls. She had been suppose to sit still as she had been told, but that had been so hard to do. Who would want to sit in a boring office room when there was an exciting palace to go and explore. She giggled nervously before saying, “Mama brought me to work with her since I was bored at home and kept begging to come here. She told me to stay in her office while she worked, but then she went off somewhere to do something for the queen. I couldn’t stand it anymore and had to go exploring a bit. I guess I’m in trouble now aren’t I ...”

Her eyes suddenly widened at the thought of all the guards and secret service people she had seen on the way into the palace. “Y ... you aren’t going to hand me over to a guard are you? I didn’t mean to go wandering in places I wasn’t suppose to ... it was just so hard to sit still any longer.”

[Tomoe Hotaru]

Hotaru nodded absently, her eyes flicking up the corridor. “I know. There are a lot of them. I haven’t really explored a whole lot myself- I’ve mainly kept to my own chambers and the central rooms. I probably should explore a little more though. It’s important to know, all things considered.

It was a weighted question the other teenage had brought up, and Hotaru had to consider a moment before answering. “To be perfectly honest, my role in court is still the topic of much debate. I’m the youngest, so it causes a bit of conflict as to how much I should be involved. Since things have only recently been established, I haven’t really had much of an opportunity to be in court, besides at the few formal functions. That will most likely be changing soon though. At least I hope so-”

Her voice cut off, her mood darkening slightly, unaware of her eyes turning a colder, darker color of purple. She knew the others were still trying to decide how to handle her and her position in court. It was a tricky, delicate business. They wanted her to have a happy, normal life of a typical teenager, and yet they could not keep her out of the matters of state and senshi life, as much as they might wish to. Sighing, she pushed the thoughts aside, returning to the present and the girl before her, attempting an awkward little smile.

“Mika,” Hotaru repeated, testing the name out. Yes, she remembered it now. She had watched her curiously at their school, but had never acted as if she were afraid, which had been somewhat startling.

“Your mother works here?” It shouldn’t have been so surprising; the establishment of the palace had opened up the need for many jobs, and it would make sense that some of those working here would have children at the school. Hotaru made a mental note to learn more about the palace staff- it could prove important to know who they were and what connections they had.

Startled, Hotaru took a step backward at the panic in Mika’s voice. “Turn you over to a guard? Of course not- you’re a curious teenager, not a criminal.” Lightly she reached out, hesitating for a moment before placing her slender hand on the other girl’s shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. The moment she had caught Mika’s gaze, she had been certain there was no ill intent in this girl. Innocence, and quite a bit of adventure as well as curiosity, but no malice. Keeping her voice as soft and as nonthreatening as she could, she tried to reassure her. “You wandering around the palace is certainly nowhere near as bad as some of the things I’ve done recently. Please, don’t give it another thought.”

[Saitou Mikayo]

Mika listened quietly as Hotaru described her role in court. She noticed the fact that her new friend’s mood was darkening, her eyes turning a colder, darker color of purple. This didn’t bother her terribly much as she figured it was because she was upset with how the other senshi were treating her. If it had been her that was a senshi she wouldn’t want to be protected either. As far as Mika was aware, Saturn had the same jobs and duties as the other senshi did. At least that’s what she thought anyway. She didn’t really think it was fair if the others were trying to keep Hotaru away from what she was suppose to do just because she was younger. Mika didn’t really understand much about how someone became a senshi, but if the others had allowed Hotaru to be one then they ought to let her do what she was suppose to do.

She returned Hotaru’s smile and sympathetically said, “You mean the adults are giving you that line that all adults love to give kids. I know better then you because I’m an adult and you should be a kid as long as you can and not worry about this adult stuff kind of line right? I guess not even being able to be a senshi can stop the adults from treating you like a child can it.”

Mika nodded encouragingly when Hotaru repeated her name before saying, “Yeah, mama is one of Neo-Queen Serenity’s aides. She does a lot of little things to help her out, well I’m not really certain of everything she does but I assume she’s helping the queen out. It all looked a little boring to me, a lot of paper work and stuff but mama’s happy and I got to visit the palace because of it.”

She grinned brightly before adding, “I even got to meet a senshi. I mean I suppose I could have met you all along at school, but it was so much cooler meeting you here. Now we can be the best of friends ...”

Although Hotaru hadn’t really said or even indicated that she’d want to be friends, Mika simply assumed that they would be. She liked meeting and befriending new people and Hotaru was no different. As far as she could see Hotaru was a nice girl, though she seemed little lonely at school. Now that they were friends though, Mika felt confident that Hotaru wouldn’t be lonely anymore ... she wouldn’t let her be.

Mika relaxed the moment Hotaru said she wasn’t going to turn her over to the guards. In fact, she became instantly curious as to what Hotaru was referring to when she said that wandering the palace wasn’t anywhere near as bad as some of the things she’d done recently. Mika gazed with interest at her new friend and curiously asked, “What kinds of things?”

[Tomoe Hotaru]

She blinked, giving Mika a surprised look. She. . . understood? It was silly of her to just realize this, but she wasn’t the first young woman to be treated like this by the adults around her. The epiphany was somewhat. . . relieving. At least this was typical, if nothing else in her life. “Yes, that’s exactly what they’ve been saying to me. I suppose you’ve heard it yourself a time or two?” She smiled ruefully. “Being a senshi doesn’t help me one little bit in this matter I’m afraid. If anything, it only makes it worse. They want me away from that danger that comes with the position, want me to be normal- whatever that means.” Her smile turned a bit sad, sighing. “I’m afraid I don’t know how to be normal or like other teenagers at all.”

“I’m certain Usagi appreciates all your mama’s help,” Hotaru responded with a gentle smile. Seeing the slight confusion in the other girl’s eyes, she attempted to clarify. “Usagi is Neo-Queen Serenity’s name, one of them any way. It’s how most of us closest to her address her when we are being less formal. I’m not sure if you knew that or not.”

She felt her cheeks warm at the admiration in Mika’s voice. It was one thing to be stared at and whispered about by others, she had never before thought she would be admired, considered a celebrity of a sort. It was an odd feeling, and her heart gave a strange little jerk at the girl’s declaration of them being friends- best friends. “You want to be my friend?” she asked timidly, her hands suddenly twisting together. “Aren’t you. . . aren’t you afraid of me?”

Mika’s warmth and cheerful energy were something she hadn’t realized she desperately missed until now- she needed a friend like this, a friend her age, who could sympathize and understand the frustrations of youth, someone who could keep her smiling even when she felt like crying.

“Oh. . .” Hotaru flushed again, looking down. “I was caught spying on a meeting the other day that the Inner Senshi and the Queen were having. I was upset at being excluded. . . and well,” she fumbled awkwardly with her words, ducking her head. “I crawled into the air vent to listen in, and was found out by the head of security. He deposited me in Usagi's office and then I had to have a talk with her.” She sighed, shaking her head at the memory, giving Mika another wry smile. “Your crime is nowhere near as awful as that one. Yours was committed in complete innocence while mine. . .well, lets just say I don't think they'll be holding meetings where there are any unguarded vents from now on."

[Saitou Mikayo]

Mika sighed dramatically and said, "Oh have I ever, mama and papa never seem to tire of saying that to me. They don't seem to want to realize that I'm not a little girl anymore. I can handle more stuff then they give me credit for." Her smile turned teasing as she added, "I guess if not even a senshi can escape it then there is no hope for the rest of us."

She frowned a little bit when her new friend took on a sad tone and said she didn't know how to be normal or like other teenagers." Mika reached over and laid a hand on the other girl's shoulder and murmured, "I like you just the way you are. You don't need to be like other teenagers. It's best when people are all a little different, otherwise wouldn't it get boring to live in a world full of people exactly the same."

Mika listened to Hotaru with wide eyed awe, to think that she knew the queen by such an informal name. She shook her head and said, "I didn't know her by any other name but Neo-Queen Serenity. It must be nice to be able to know her so informally. From all the times I've seen her she seems really nice."

She blinked in confusion when Hotaru asked her if she was afraid of her. She couldn't see any reason why she should be afraid. Hotaru seemed like a really nice girl and she was a senshi. The senshi had saved and protected the world hadn't they? Why would she be afraid of someone like that? Finally she took a step back and studied her friend, almost like a scientist might study a lab speciman. After a moment she grinned brightly and said, "I don't see any reason to be afraid of you. You're just a girl with very cool powers. Why would you think I would be afraid of you?"

Mika giggled softly and said, "You really spied on the queen and the other senshi? I don't think I'd be brave enough to do something like that. Exploring palace halls without premission is as brave as I get ... was the queen awfully mad?"

[Tomoe Hotaru]

A small laugh of amusement bubbled free of her throat, and Hotaru couldn’t help but smiling. “It comes with youth, I suppose, though it’s been quite some time since I’ve really felt young. It’s such a frustrating time.”

She was startled by the subtle intensity in Mika’s voice, examining the other girl closely at her declaration. She had barely met her. . . and yet, she was beginning to like her as well. It had been a long lonely few years without a best friend, and though no one could ever replace Chibi Usa, she felt that perhaps Mika might come close. “You’re right- though some how it sounds better when you tell me it than when the adults do.” A grin curved her lips. “Another symptom of being a teenager, perhaps?

“Usagi is the most wonderful kindhearted person I’ve ever met,” Hotaru told her softly, a fond note creeping into her tone. “I’m afraid I don’t know her quite as well as the Inner senshi, though I hope to be able to spend more time with her soon. But you would love her, she’s an incredible person, Mika.”

The honesty in the answer floored her. Either Mika didn’t really know what kind of powers she had and didn’t care, or she did know and wasn’t troubled by it. Truly touched, she could help but reach out and touch the other’s arm in a light gesture of thanks. “There are many who are- even my fellow senshi were. My powers. . . they are. . . dark. People are afraid of what I can do.”

“I wasn’t much thinking about being scared, just angry,” Hotaru admitted. “When Lucan pulled me out he did give me quite the fright though, I admit.” She hesitated, considering things. “I don’t honestly know- I think she was more upset that I didn’t feel as if I could talk to her directly or come in the room myself. But considering there hasn’t been much one on one interaction between us, I suppose it makes sense that we don’t really know how to treat each other.”

Shifting her weight, she frowned, realizing they were standing in the middle of the hall. “Would you like to go somewhere to sit down?” she suggested tentatively. “If you want to continue talking, or if you were hungry we could go to the kitchens or just explore. . . or if you’d prefer me to help you find your mother, I would be willing to do that as well.”

[Saitou Mikayo]

Although she didn’t really know any of Hotaru’s history, or for that matter much of the Senshi’s history, she did understand that Hotaru was having a difficult time feeling like the kid that everyone thought of her as. She nodded sympathetically and murmured, “It’s frustrating for all of us teens really. We’re almost grown up ourselves, not really kids anymore, and yet the adults just want to keep on protecting us and treating us like we don’t have any sense at all.”

Mika giggled softly and nodded in agreement. “That’s right, it’s a symptom of being a teenager. It’s far easier to listen to someone your own age then it is someone that can’t possibly know how you feel anymore. After all it’s been a long time since they’ve been a teenager hasn’t it?”

She listened as Hotaru told her about Usagi and grinned brightly at the fond note she heard creeping into her new friend’s tone. “I wish I could know her as well as you do, she sounds like someone I would love to know.” Mika pointed around her at the palace before adding, “She’s brought the world together hasn’t she? To bring all these different kinds of people together must take an incredible person, even I know that.”

Mika frowned somewhat, still having a little trouble understanding why someone, especially the other senshi, would be afraid of Hotaru. Her powers were dark? They were afraid of what she could do? What could she do that the other Senshi couldn’t do?

Technically speaking, Mika knew one or two of her fellow students that were somewhat afraid of the senshi because of the things they could do that no one else could. She was fairly certain there were probably a few adults that didn’t understand the Senshi either and history had shown that some people were always afraid of things they didn’t understand. Every single one of the Senshi had powers that Mika couldn’t possibly possess, but that didn’t mean that they were scary people. As far as she was concerned the Senshi, Hotaru included, had all protected the world. They had even been doing it before people knew who they were. That meant that they were good people, not someone to be afraid of.

Shrugging just a little and giving her new friend a smile, Mika said, “That’s just because they don’t know you very well. Your Senshi friends aren’t afraid of you now are they and neither am I. The others, well the world will learn not to fear you either ... you just have to let them know you better.”

Mika nodded in understanding before saying, “Well now you know that you can come talk to her whenever you need to, so maybe things like that won’t happen again. I’m glad you didn’t get into big trouble though.”

She grinned brightly when Hotaru suggested going somewhere other then the middle of the hall, all of her suggestions were great ones. She’d love to continue talking to her new friend and she was beginning to get a little hungry so the kitchens would have been a great place to visit. Then again, to continue exploring the palace would be fun. Mika knew that she probably should find her mom and let her know that she was ok and not getting in to trouble, at least not anymore, but the other ideas held more merit for her. “I’d love to continue talking with you and exploring the palace. Though I am getting a little hungry ...” Mika giggled lightly and added excitedly, “If it’s really ok then maybe we could go get something to eat, talk some more, and explore later unless you have somewhere else to go ... and I guess maybe we might ought to stop by and tell Mama where I am. If she’s returned to her office and noticed I’m gone then she’s probably worried ...”

[Tomoe Hotaru]

How self absorbed was she? Hotaru couldn’t help but ask after hearing Mka’s words. Really, she was no different from many of the other youth her age, struggling to make the transition from child to adult. Hers was only more unusual than most. “You’re right,” she answered quietly. “Silly of me to not realize that. Another symptom of adolescence- self absorbance. It seems I’m not safe from it either.” She gave a small rueful smile. “The adults do want to protect us, but they don’t seem to realize that we want to do the same for them.”

A deep feeling of gratitude, along with something else was beginning to take root in her heart, something she hadn’t felt since. . .since Chibi Usa. “It is. I hadn’t realized how much I missed having someone closer to my age to talk to, and it’s no wonder I have- you understand me better in less than five minutes than some of the others have in all these years.” Mika’s laughter was infectious, and she couldn’t help giving a small chuckle in return. “I suppose it has. . . they’re in their mid twenties now. They forgot rather quickly it seems.”

“Maybe I’ll have to introduce you to her,” Hotaru suggested, hearing the wistful tone in Mika’s voice. “If you would like that. I’m not sure when, since she’s busy most of the time. But if you want and she’s willing, I’ll try to arrange it.” She was glad that Mika sensed Usagi’s special, incredible nature even having never met her- it gave her hope that what was so easy for this young teenager to see would be seen by everyone.

She saw the confusion that flickered across Mika’s face; she didn’t know then. Hotaru wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or somewhat disappointed. If she had known it would have made things much easier to have that out in the open. As it was, she didn’t feel she could really bring it up, or even explain that she was the one who bore the power over Death. Now didn’t feel like the right time, when they had just met. It was better to leave such heavy discussion till they knew each other better.

The wisdom the other girl spoke though startled her. “Yes, that’s all I can really do,” she mussed. “They’ll either learn or shun me forever. I can’t do anything to change it.” Sighing, she admitted inwardly that if they weren’t a little afraid of her she would be surprised; only fools were not afraid of such oblivion.

“I hope not,” she said, shaking her head as she recalled the storm of emotions from that day. “One experience with that was more than enough. I’m relieved that I wasn’t in too much trouble though, since Usagi is technically my guardian while my parents are away. I was expecting. . . well, I don’t know really.”

“Of course it’s ok,” Hotaru assured softly, unable to hide her amusement over the excitement lighting Mika’s eyes. “As long as you’re with me, there shouldn’t be a problem. Particularly if your mother is part of the staff here. If You’re worried, lets find her and let her know where you are. And then we can go to the kitchens. Makoto won’t object to us finding a snack.” She shook her head lightly, causing her raven colored tresses to sway. “No, I have nothing to do, and no one to spend my time with. I’m happy to spend it with you. Come on.”

She reached out unconsciously to grasp Mika’s hand to pull her along, then stopped, hesitating. The motion had been so familiar it nearly brought tears to her eyes- so often she had grabbed Chibi Usa’s hand in such a way, and the similarity of the moment was hard to cope with, but she forced herself to breath, and relax, to get the emotion under control. Now it was only her own uncertainty that kept her fingers mere centimeters from the other girl’s not sure whether the contact was appropriate or not, especially since they had just met and were only new friends.

[Saitou Mikayo]

Mika nodded in agreement and murmured, “I suppose eventually they will realize we are old enough to know what we are doing ... or at least realize that they have to let us make our own mistakes. They did and they turned out just fine.”

She grinned brightly and said, “We can only hope that we won’t forget how it feels to be a teenager when we get to be their age.”

Mika hesitated a little. While she would love to meet the queen, the idea of actually doing it was a little daunting. How did one act around someone like her? Although her mother worked here in the palace, Mika hadn’t been around any high government officials or all the important people that wandered through the palace and so it was a little bit exciting and frightening to think she might meet the highest official around. Still as she had told Hotaru, the queen had always seemed nice when she had seen her from a distance and the way that Hotaru spoke of her only added to that belief. “I’d like that I think ... if she really didn’t mind anyway. I know running a world wide kingdom and government must take up lots of time and maybe she wouldn’t want to bother meeting one teenager, but if she did I’d certainly love to meet her.”

She gave Hotaru a reassuring smile and murmured, “They won’t shun you. Why should they? I told you, the other kids will learn to like you just fine. Don’t worry so much.”

Mika grinned brightly. “We should probably find mama, otherwise I’ll get in trouble. It shouldn’t be too hard to find her, well that is if you know where the office is ... which I don’t.” She giggled nervously before saying, “She’s one of the queen’s aides if that helps any ...”

She didn’t hesitate to grasp Hotaru’s hand when the other girl hesitated. She gave her new friend another bright smile before tugging her in the direction back down the hall in the opposite direction she had been traveling. Mika might not know exactly how to get to her mother’s office, but she knew that she had come from that direction.

[Tomoe Hotaru]

A small giggle escaped Hotaru’s lips. “Just fine? Well. . . that’s a bit debatable.” She laughed out loud, and startled herself- when was the last time she had laughed like this? Sobering slightly, though still smiling, she said a little lightly, “I certainly hope I don’t make some of the same mistakes.”

She nodded in agreement. “I hope so as well. It’s frightening to think though that a person can forget so rapidly.”

A smile curved her lips; Mika was nervous about meeting Usagi, but not afraid of her? It was quite the change in the traditional flow of things. “She wouldn’t mind- she’d probably welcome it. Usagi has a way of making you feel important, even when you feel at your most insignificant. I think she misses being able to meet new people as freely as she used to. . .” Shaking her head slightly, she gave a crooked smile. “We might even just run into her walking down the hall.”

“Why indeed,” she murmured, not wanting to talk about it any further. She wanted the chance to get to know the other girl a little better before she sprung that on her. At Mika’s remark, she couldn’t help grinning a little. “I’m afraid I can’t help worrying- it comes with the territory. I’ll try to be better though.”

Hotaru nodded; it was probably the best thing to do. She didn’t want Mika’s mother to think her daughter was hanging out with a trouble maker or something worse. A good impression was always best to make on parents- at least, that’s what she thought, never having had too much experience with the matter. “All right. I imagine she’ll probably be in the wing with all the other offices. If she’s one of Usagi’s aids, then she’ll certainly be there.”

A strange little tingle of warmth flooded her at the contact, and found herself holding Mika’s hand firmly, not wanting to let go. There was something very appealing about the fresh, wide eyed enthusiasm in this other girl, and she wondered if maybe, just maybe, they really could be friends, as good of friends as she had been with Chibi Usa. Before she never would have thought it possible, but now. . .

She quickened her pace to match Mika’s, amusement coloring her voice as she said, “I thought you didn’t know which way to go.” Her eyes quickly assessed their surroundings and tugged Mika down a corridor she knew lead to the offices. After a few moments they reached several doors with name plates for different departments, and she glanced at them briefly, pausing to listen for activity, then moved on to a room that had voices coming faintly from it. Hotaru raised her hand to lightly tap on the door before pushing it open and peering inside. “Excuse me, we’re looking for someone. . .”

[Saitou Mikayo]

“I’m sure that we won’t make the same mistakes that the adults in our lives have made,” Mika replied loftily before grinning broadly and adding teasingly, “We’ll make all new ones!”

Mika shrugged and said, “It’s probably not really that they forgot per say. It’s probably more that they are so caught up in being adults now they just aren’t thinking about it. I guess.” She shrugged again before grinning and adding, “Adults are just adults. Who can say how they think... we certainly won’t until we become one ourselves.”

She frowned a little and murmured, “It must be a lot harder being a queen then I thought. I can’t imagine not being able to just go down the street to talk to someone new whenever I wanted to.” Mika brightened at Hotaru’s next words and added, “You know it never once occurred to me that I might casually run into the Queen while I was exploring her home uninvited. Guess it’s a good thing I found you first.”

She let the matter drop, sensing that her friend no longer wanted to talk about it. Mika grinned and nodded importantly as she said, “It’s always a good idea not to worry too much over things. It makes you sad, much better idea to have a good outlook on whatever you are thinking about.” Of course Mika knew very well that some things you couldn’t help worrying about, but for the most part she liked to be optimistic.

Mika nodded in agreement. “That sounds right, there were a lot of offices all clustered together.”

She gave Hotaru a brilliant smile and a wink before murmuring, “I don’t know how to get back to the office, but I did remember that I had come from down this hall. At the end of the hall however I’ll be lost.”

Mika followed where Hotaru led. Once they reached several doors with name plates on them she began to feel as if she were in more familiar territory. She glanced curiously at the door that Hotaru tapped on before suddenly grinning and saying, “That’s the one. I recognize it now. This is mama’s office ...”

She slipped in through the door, dragging her friend with her without waiting for someone to reply to Hotaru’s question. It never really occurred to her that her mother might be busy speaking with anyone at the time and that she should wait politely on the other side of the door until given permission to enter. Mika wasn’t necessarily an impolite girl, but she was a hyper one and sometimes she didn’t really think about the consequences of just diving into an action before thinking it through first. It was her mother’s office and she had been allowed in earlier, therefore she just assumed that she would be able to just walk in now.

Honomi glanced up in surprised relief when first Hotaru peeked in followed by her daughter barging all the way into the room. She had been worried when she had returned to her office only to find that her daughter was missing. It hadn’t taken her very long to figure out that her hyper-active daughter had probably gotten bored with just sitting there and had taken it upon herself to explore the palace.

This of course worried Honomi as she knew that Mika could get into trouble if she had been found wandering about in restricted areas. Her daughter was a curious child and would find away to get into trouble if left to her own devices. However before she had been given a chance to go and search for the missing girl her boss had come in. Honomi could only hope that Mika would turn up on her own and not get into some sort of mischief.

Honomi recognized the dark haired girl with her daughter as being Lady Saturn and briefly wondered how Mika might have run into her. She could only hope that Mika hadn’t been bothering the senshi. Her relief for the return of her daughter quickly shifted into annoyance as Mika unceremoniously barged into the office interrupting her meeting with the queen. “Mika! You can’t just barge in without getting permission to do so.”

Honomi glanced apologetically toward the queen and murmured, “I’m very sorry for her interruption Your Majesty. She knows better I assure you ...”

Mika blinked in surprise at her mother’s response before noticing who her mother was speaking to. She flushed bright red in embarrassment and swallowed down her momentary panic. Holding tighter to her new friend’s hand for courage, Mika quickly bowed and murmured, “I’m ... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt ...”