-No Doubt �Six Feet Under�
The tension in Koby�s bedroom had reached unbearable levels. Sooner or later � most likely sooner � one of the 3 girls was going to crack and lose their temper with the other side.
Michiru felt that she had her temper taken care of, it was Haruka�s that she was worried about. Haruka was not the type of person to back down from a challenge, and that was exactly what Koby was doing � challenging her.
Carefully, Michiru surveyed the scene before her. Koby was shifting her gaze from Michiru, to Haruka, to the henshin stick that Michiru held in her hand, then back to Michiru. Depending on who or what she was looking at, Koby�s face wore either a determined look or a curious look.
She could plainly see Haruka fighting to control her quick temper. Koby was still grasping her arm tightly, but Michiru trusted Haruka to restrain herself from flipping Koby over her shoulder and out of the door. Even though Haruka was tough on the outside, she was soft when it came to the people that she loved, and that included Koby.
Indeed, it had been Haruka who was reluctant to have to make Koby fulfil her destiny. She had admitted this to Michiru earlier in the day.
�I would rather let her go on living her life oblivious to the fact that we exist than force her to have to fight for the safety of the world,� she had said quietly to Michiru after Michiru had taken out her Deep Aqua Mirror and had seen Koby sitting in front of the school, waiting for her mother. �I know that this is the perfect time to tell her, but I wish that there was another way.�
Michiru had agreed, but deep down inside they both knew that there was no way out of it.
As she gazed at Koby�s continuously changing expressions tenderly, Michiru understood why Koby was acting the way she was. The sudden abruptness of everything must have made it seem very conspiracy theory-ish, naturally spurring on Koby�s curiosity. After all, it all revolved around her life and future. She had every right to demand the truth.
Michiru felt motherly love welling up inside of her. It was a feeling she hadn�t felt since Hotaru had left their care. Koby may not have been her daughter by birth, but she was still a member of the family.
�I must tell her,� Michiru thought. �We�ve dragged her so far into it that it would be wrong just to leave her like this.�
�Koby,� Michiru said softly, soothingly, trying to relieve some of the stress in the room. �Answer this question honestly. Do you believe in destiny?�
Koby seemed rather taken aback at the question, but that didn�t stop her from answering firmly. �No. I don�t. I like to believe that I have complete control over my life.�
Michiru sighed lightly and thought, �This might be difficult�. Taking a seat on the neatly made bed, Michiru said, �I�m going to ask you to be patient as I tell you what you want to know. I want you to accept everything that I say as the truth. You know that you can trust us, don�t you? Even if you don�t know why.�
Koby nodded slowly, but didn�t say anything.
�Good. Now why don�t you let go of Haruka�s arm and sit over here,� Michiru suggested, patting the section of bed to her right.
�Oops, sorry,� Koby blushed and released Haruka�s arm. �Thank you for not killing me.�
�It�s okay. Besides, how could I kill a kid like you?� Haruka said as she shut the bedroom door and leaned against it.
Koby took a seat on the bed next to Michiru and looked at her expectantly. Kindly, Michiru looked back at her.
�This will take some time to accept completely,� Michiru warned before starting.
Shaking her head, Koby told her to go on. �I don�t care. Just tell me.�
�Okay.� Michiru took a deep breath and began. �Even though you don�t want to believe in destiny, that�s what all this is about � destiny. Koby, you are destined to become Sailor Centauri, a protector of this planet.�
�Woah, woah, woah� hold up. Sailor What?� Koby broke in, sounding quite alarmed.
�Sailor Centauri. I assume you�ve heard something about the other Sailor Senshi in Japan? Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Saturn?�
Koby nodded slowly. �On the news once I think. They�re like� super heroes or crime fighters or something, right?�
�They are.�
�And you�re telling me that I�m one of these Sailor girls?�
�That�s right. Haruka and I are as well. I�m Sailor Neptune, princess of Neptune, and Haruka is Sailor Uranus, princess of Uranus.�
�Uh,� Koby started to say, but stopped when Michiru held up a hand to quiet her.
�I know you have a lot of questions, but I�m going to have to ask you to wait until I�ve finished explaining to ask them.�
Koby shrugged, then nodded her assent.
Michiru continued with her explanation. �As I said before, you are Sailor Centauri, a princess of a planet that revolved around the closest star to the sun, Alpha Centauri. In your previous life an unknown force destroyed that planet, and you were the sole survivor. Although we aren�t certain about any of this, we believe that your parents � the King and Queen of whichever planet you came from � found some way to teleport you to the Moon Kingdom just before their death. They must have thought that you�d be safe there.
�When Queen Serenity found you on the palace grounds, she had no idea who you were � until news of the destruction of a planet revolving around Alpha Centauri reached her ears later that day. Queen Serenity allowed Haruka and I to adopt you because we had wanted a child of our own. Obviously it would be hard for us to have one by ourselves.�
�You� you raised me?� Koby asked quietly.
�We did,� Michiru affirmed.
�You were such a cute kid,� Haruka piped up from the door. Koby started. She had forgotten that Haruka was there. �Quite rambunctious too,� Haruka added as an afterthought.
�But you were so much more than that. We were 18 when we adopted you, 24 when you first showed any sign of having power. No one was surprised that you were a protector of your planet. It had long been thought that kingdoms other than the Moon Kingdom had Senshi, as we did. What surprised everyone was how much power you had. As a six-year-old child, you sure gave some people a scare. Some even said that your powers rivaled Saturn�s � the strongest of us all,� Michiru told Koby.
�We thought that was absolutely wonderful,� Haruka put in. �Michiru and I were so proud of you � even if you weren�t related to us by blood. When Serenity ordered your training when you turned 7, we were only too happy to oblige. That�s when you showed other powers as well.�
�That�s right. Not too long after you began your training, you started having dreams that foretold the future. But it wasn�t just any old part of the future � it was the battles and enemies that we would have to fight or face. But, it was a raw and unrefined talent. Few in the kingdom possessed that skill, and it had taken them many years to master the subtle art of interpreting them correctly. So, when you started telling us about a dream you had where the Moon Kingdom was destroyed in a huge battle and everyone died, no one believed you.�
�Not even Michiru and I,� Haruka said sadly. �A year later we regretted not listening to you when you were one of the first casualties of Beryl�s attack. You tried to take Beryl on by yourself � at 8 years old. Michiru and I couldn�t stop you�� Haruka trailed off and the three were immersed in an awkward silence.
A small frown formed on Koby�s brow as she rested her elbow on her knee and put her chin in her hand to think. Haruka and Michiru watched her closely.
Finally, Koby removed her chin from her hand and tucked a strand of hair that had escaped from her soccer ponytail behind her ear. �It makes sense,� she said slowly, �but like I said, I don�t believe in destiny, so it�s going to take some getting used to.�
Haruka sighed deeply. �I�m sorry Koby, but you don�t have time to get used to it.�
�What do you mean?� Koby questioned, clearly confused.
�When we,� Haruka replied, indicating herself and Michiru, �had remembered our former lives, we made a vow to not inform you of your previous life unless it was absolutely dependent on the survival of Earth.�
�Why? Why would you do that?�
Haruka stopped leaning against he door and crossed the room. She took a seat on the bed beside Koby and, looking her in the eye, said, �We didn�t want to tell you because we cared too much about you. When you become a Senshi, you put the rest of your life second. We�ve known who you are for years because Michiru has a mirror that shows the truth. When we saw how much you were enjoying your life, we wanted to let you live it without the burden that you now have.�
�But,� Koby prompted, sensing there was more.
�But,� Michiru continued, �we need you on our side now. The Earth�s safety depends on it. Lately there have been multiple attacks world wide like the one in your dream. We � along with the rest of the Senshi � have started calling them Soul Stealers. The attacks are so coordinated and thought out that we suspected that there was more to come.�
�A month ago our suspicions were confirmed when one of the Soul Stealers said something about a Galactic Army or a Galactic Empire right before I wasted him. That�s when we knew that we needed your help.� Haruka looked at Koby as if she was sorry about everything that had just been said.
�So you�re just going to throw me into a battle with a powerful army?� Koby cried. �How fair is that?�
�Don�t worry,� Michiru said to pacify Koby. �The main force is still at least a year away. If you start your training immediately, you will be ready.�
�What we�re going to ask you to do now is to make a choice,� Haruka said softly. �The object in Michiru�s hand is your henshin stick. Take it and you will forever be bound to your destiny. Leave it and your destiny belongs to you and only you. It�s up to you.�
Michiru held the stick up for Koby to take if she wanted. Koby stared at it, thinking furiously. In the back of her head, Haruka�s words echoed. �When you become a Senshi, you put the rest of your life second.� Then Michiru�s voice countered with �We need you on our side now. The Earth�s safety depends on it.�
�What do I want to do?� Koby asked herself. �I have to choose. Do I really want to put my friends and dreams second, or should I take the risk of having Earth be captured and those things not matter any more?�
To Koby, the choice was obvious. �I have to do it � even if it terrifies me.�
With a slightly trembling hand, Koby reached out and grabbed her henshin stick tightly.
Chapter 7
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