Title: Shichi-Go-San Name: Gramarye E-mail: gramarye@rochester.rr.com Part: Part 1 Rating: G+ (Y7) 1 Here we go...another story by Gramarye. All necessary notes are at the end. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The night was calm, filled with soft breezes that gently ruffled the young girl’s hair. She lifted her head to look up at the clear, starry sky, dazzled by the thousands of twinkling points scattered across the heavens like a great handful of spilled confetti. “Mama, why are there so many stars in the sky?” she asked, tug- ging on the cool hand that held her own. Her mother looked down at the wide-eyed child, then returned her gaze to the sky. “I was once told that the stars represent every wish that has been or will be made. That is why you wish upon the first star you see at night: ‘Starlight, star bright, First star I see tonight I wish I may, I wish I might, Have the wish I wish tonight.’ ” “What did you wish for, Mama?” “Ah, that I can’t tell you. You must never tell your wish to anyone, or it won’t come true. Wishes are meant to be a special se- cret. Now, it is time for you to go to bed, little one.” “Will Daddy come and tell me a story?” “Yes.” “About Sailormoon? Please, Mama, about Sailormoon?” The mother smiled absently. “I think that can be arranged. Let’s go inside.” The young girl extended her arms, and her mother picked her up. The girl snuggled into the warm and comforting embrace, feeling safe and secure in the protecting arms that held her so close. Nothing could harm her; no fear could touch her when Mama and Daddy were near... * * * “Mama! Daddy!” Chibi-Usa bolted upright, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her cry seemed to linger in the room, as if it had been reflected off the silent walls. Quickly, she turned her head to see if her sudden awak- ening had jolted Usagi and Luna out of their sleep. Fortunately, Luna was still curled up at the foot of the bed, and Usagi was buried deep beneath the bedclothes like a hibernating bear. Nothing would wake her until the alarm clock went off——and often not even that could rouse Usagi. Carefully, so as not to disturb Luna, Chibi-Usa let go of the blankets that she had been clinging to so tightly. She slipped out of the bed and crept to the open window. The many stars seemed dimmer than she remembered. The difference was probably due to the bright- ness of the lights coming from the center of the city. Or perhaps it was the painful tears clouding her eyes. “How can it be so different here? The city lights didn’t shine so brightly at home...” she whispered, clenching her hands into tiny fists. “Oh, Mama, Daddy, when can I come home? I hate it here. I know I need to be strong, but I miss you both so much....” She leaned against the windowsill, pressing her hot forehead against the panes of glass. A solitary tear dripped onto the glass, and slowly coursed a path down the transparent surface. “Mmmm...Mamo-chan, I want ice-cream....” Usagi flipped over in bed, nearly knocking Luna to the floor. Chibi-Usa dashed back to the bed and pulled the sheets up over her head, trying to pretend that nothing had happened. Only Luna, who had been shaken awake so rudely by Usagi’s noc- turnal gymnastics, heard the muffled sobs of the lonely and frightened little girl. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Shichi-Go-San By: Gramarye Part I: Saijitsu – Time of Celebration “Esmeraude!” The harsh voice rang through the cold hall like a note struck on a frozen gong. “Yes, Prince Demando-sama?” Esmeraude materialized rapidly, al- though apparently not rapidly enough to please the prince. “You seem to be having difficulty with your plans to gather en- ergy, as well as your many failed attempts to track down and capture the Rabbit. I want a full status report, along with your newest plan.” Esmeraude nervously cleared her throat and fluttered her fan. “I have discovered that there is a special festival for young human children, called by the inane title Shichi-Go-San. I plan to attack the Hikawa Shrine, one of the places where the festival is being held. The Rabbit is of an age where she would be sure to participate, and even if the little pest isn’t there a calculated attack would surely bring out the Senshi.” “I seem to recall that Rubeus and the traitorous Sisters at- tempted to assault the same place, and were defeated with relatively little difficulty. What makes you so sure that attacking the Shrine for a second time will be more effective?” “Prince Demando-sama, Rubeus was trying to imbue the Hikawa Shrine, a Crystal Point, with dark power. It is not the point that I am after, but the Rabbit.” Esmeraude could feel a thin sheen of sweat begin to break out on her forehead. If Demando didn’t approve... “Are you positive that you can handle the Senshi? There were other incidents where you sadly underestimated them...” “You have nothing to fear, Prince Demando-sama. I will play upon the most powerful weakness that threatens the bond between par- ents and young children——Rebellion.” “Interesting. Just be sure that you do not fail as miserably as you have done in the past. That is all.” Esmeraude bowed deeply and vanished. Demando, with a heavy sigh, swirled the wine around in his glass to release its fragrant bouquet. He then called up an image of a beautiful and regal lady, robed in the purest white, with delicate angel’s wings. “Ah, my enchantress, you and I will soon be together. Only the vision of your loveliness can keep my mind focused on the goals at hand,” he said softly. With a scornful glance at the place where Es- meraude had stood, he added, “Thinking of you always manages to keep me from despair in the face of utter incompetence.” * * * “Chibi-Usa-chan! Wait for me!” Startled, Chibi-Usa turned around; making Luna-P hit her in the forehead. “Owwww!” When she recognized who was calling after her, she smiled brightly. “Momo-chan! What’s going on?” School was out, and she was looking forward to heading home for some of Ikuko-mama’s deli- cious cookies. Momo-chan sprinted the last few meters, and in between gasps for breath she managed to convey her message. “My mother said that since she was taking my Takeshi, my younger brother, shopping for clothes right after she leaves work, I was sup- posed to come to your house. Tsukino-san said that I could, and my mother will pick me up later.” “Oh! That’s great.” The two little girls set off to walk the few blocks to the Tsukino residence. “Why does Takeshi need to buy new clothes all of a sudden?” Chibi-Usa asked. “Well, he’s three, and he needs a kimono for Shichi-Go-San. It’s this Saturday, and all of our relatives are coming over for a big dinner and party.” Momo-chan brushed a stray piece of hair out of her eyes. “Shichi-Go-San? What’s that?” The confusion in Chibi-Usa’s voice made Momo-chan stop dead in her tracks. “You mean you don’t know what the Shichi-Go-San festival is? Didn't your parents ever celebrate it?” “My parents...” Chibi-Usa trailed off, feeling her throat clench with sad memories. She swallowed to dispel the lump that was forming. “No, I’ve never heard of it.” “Maybe you were too little to remember. After all, I don’t re- member much from when I was three.” “What is Shichi-Go-San?” “Well, it’s this big festival, where you get all dressed up in really fancy clothes. You go with your parents to a shrine, and there are all of these stalls that sell candy and toys. People give you candy at the shrine, and then you go home and give the candy to your relatives who came for the party. You get presents, and lots of food, and everything!” “Presents?” Chibi-Usa’s eyes lit up. Momo-chan could practi- cally see the wheels turning beneath the puffy pink pigtails. Then, abruptly, Chibi-Usa turned to Momo-chan. “How old do you have to be?” “Well,” Momo-chan said, a troubled look in her eyes, “You have to be seven, five, or three. That’s why the festival is called Shi- chi-Go-San... it means ‘Seven-Five-Three’.” “Wow! That’s great! I’m five, so I can get all of those pres- ents too! And you said it’s this Saturday?” “Hai.” replied Momo-chan. “But you can’t——” “I have to go tell Ikuko-mama all about it!” Chibi-Usa took off at breakneck speed, with Luna-P frantically bouncing behind her. “Wait! Chibi-Usa-chan...” Momo-chan sighed, then began to chase after her friend. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- That’s it for Part I. I apologize for its brevity, but the next chapter should be quite a bit longer. Now, for what you’ve all been waiting for...THE EXPLANATIONS! This story takes place (if you couldn’t already tell) during the sec- ond half of the R season, after the BSSM episode 77. For those of you who are too lazy to look it up, that’s after Chibi-Usa knows the alter egos of the Senshi, after Mamoru and Usagi are back together, but be- fore the whole trip into the future part that reveals Chibi-Usa’s par- entage. You can, if you want to, e-mail me at gramarye@rochester.rr.com. I’d like that very much. Disclaimer: Sailormoon-tachi and all related characters do not belong to me. This is a test of your Emergency Fanfic Disclaimer Broadcast System. If this were an actual emergency, you would proba- bly be running away screaming just before your computer exploded, since the Copyright Police would have stormed your house, parachuted onto your front lawn, and tossed several smoke or tear gas grenades inside. Don’t panic, though. They used Agent Orange on my house.