Hello! ^-^ This story stars ChibiUsa & Hotaru and is set in an
alternate reality. I’ve been wanting to write something about this
theme of a slave and her owner falling in love for quite a while now.
I’d like to thank Boco the Chokobo for all of the wonderful ideas
that went into making this fanfic. ^-^ This story deals with some
adult issues, so please read responsibly. The characters belong to
Naoko Takeuchi and I’m merely borrowing my favorite couple, though
I’m sure they wish I wasn’t with all the stuff I put them through. ^-
^;; All of the situations and this alternate reality are my own, so
please don’t take them without permission. I borrowed many other
characters for cameos, so if you can spot them all, drop me an e-
mail. ^-^ Or if you just like the story or have any comments about
it, I would love to hear them. ^-^


Finally Free
by Amazoness Duo
amazonessduo@hotmail.com


The large stone building was crowded with people. Bodies crammed
next to bodies as everyone struggled to get past, trying to peer into
the brightly lit cages at those trapped within. The smell of people
permeated the air, the sound of voices droning out other voices until
it became a nearly deafening roar. The new shipment had come in and
was on display for all to see. Girls and boys in cages all throughout
the building were being poked and prodded by the vast throng of
customers. All searching for something in particular. 
	It was organized chaos at its finest. Like some amalgamation of a
carnival freak show and a slave auction, people came and went in
densely packed lines, going from cage to cage. They would inspect the
creature before them for a bit, studying them for more than a few
seconds if they were interested. Then they would move on or get the
attention of one of the well dressed employees about buying one of
the half naked ‘animals’ in the cages. People came and went, cages
opening and closing as the employees went from one perspective
customer to another.
	There was a wave of fear for all of those in the cages. Most were
frightened out of their minds, hundreds of people looking them over
like furniture. Curiosity gnawed at each of them as their fates
seemed to hang in the balance. And there was nothing they could do
but wait. The small, steel cages were much too tiny to move freely,
much less turn around in their confines. And so they could do nothing
but watch and pray to whomever may be listening that things would
work out. That this nightmare would soon end. 
	In contrast to the frightened thoughts of those in the tiny cages,
those outside had a general sense of excitement. A certain electric
thrill ran through the air as they continued their inspection. This
was an altogether amazing event for most, the sheer amount of choices
mind boggling. Children giggled playfully as they stared into the
cages, poking in with stubby fingers and whatever else they may have
with them while absentminded adults paid little to no attention, too
busy with their own gawking at the prisoners. 
It was in this jumble of anarchy and confusion that a pink haired
girl made her way along the rows upon rows of cages. Rather petite of
stature, she didn’t stand out much in the crowd. Her long pink hair
was done up in two cones, the rest falling to either side and
reaching just above her shoulders. Her red party dress with gold trim
felt a little out of place next to the hardly clothed people in the
cages, but she didn’t seem to notice. She was just as ecstatic as any
of the others there, if not more so. Oh, how she had longed for this
for so long now. Having just turned sixteen, she was now given the
chance to pick out her birthday present. But what to pick? They all
looked so cute! It was difficult to decide what she wanted. 
	Peering into a cage, the pink haired girl’s crimson eyes followed
the movements of a small dark haired girl. Smiling sweetly, she moved
closer, trying to get a better look. Long, dark wings unfurled from
the dark haired girl’s back as she came closer. Her long, dark hair
fluttered behind her as her aquamarine eyes peered out fearfully. The
wings began beating faster as she tried to escape the small cage, but
she again failed. With each failure came the sickening revelation
that she would never be free again. ChibiUsa noted with some dismay
that her wings had been clipped. Even if she was free, she wouldn’t
be able to fly. 
	“Poor girl,” ChibiUsa whispered, holding onto one of the cold steel
bars. The girl inside continued to flutter her wings in agitation,
but their beating slowly began to diminish. Drawing her knees up to
her chest, she seemed to be giving in to the futility of it all. 
	It took ChibiUsa a moment to realize that someone was yelling at
her to get back. Glancing around, it took her a moment to spot the
man. He was behind the cage and pulling it back out of the way.
Watching it curiously, she spotted a slightly younger blue haired
girl, her long pigtails trailing behind her as she smiled into the
cage. 
	“Oh, she’s so cute! I’m going to name her Misao. You’re coming home
with me, aren’t you, Misao?” the blue haired girl asked happily. Of
course, asking the pet was pointless. It wasn’t up to her at all. But
the girl was obviously pleased with the bird girl that she had picked
out. 
	ChibiUsa smiled and continued on, glancing in cages as she did so.
She was glad that the bird girl had gotten an owner. But that still
didn’t help her decide who she should get for a pet. Her father was
somewhere around here, but she had lost him a while ago. It hadn’t
been hard, moving through the vast sea of people. She just wanted
some time to pick out a pet for herself without someone looking over
her shoulder. She wanted this pet to be all her own. 
	Brushing back pink bangs, the teenager walked alone through the
crowd, looking in cage after cage of pets for sale. She saw another
bird girl, with tan skin and coppery hair, long dark wings fluttering
uselessly. Next to her was an ice blue haired girl, but she couldn’t
quite figure out what type of animal she was supposed to be. It took
her a moment to realize that she was in a tank rather than a cage,
water surrounding her as she tried to swim in the enclosure. The
scales on her tail were all beautifully iridescent, reflecting the
bright lights of the building in rainbow colors. In the next two
cages were a leather clad cat and a white haired mouse, respectively.
The mouse was cowering in a corner of her cage as the cat hissed
loudly at her, raking long finger nail-like claws against the bars.
Next to the mouse in yet another cage was a green haired frog girl
who was dozing peacefully. And even further on was a simply gorgeous
woman with beautiful rainbow colored butterfly wings. She seemed to
be a little older than a good deal of the pets there. 
	Many had caught her interest, but none had really been the one that
ChibiUsa wanted. She wasn’t quite sure what she was looking for
herself, but she knew that she would find it if she only kept looking. 
	Passing by a butterfly boy and a pony boy, ChibiUsa paused for only
a moment before moving on. Someone already seemed interested in them,
a boy a little older than her, and she was looking for something else
anyway. She just couldn’t tell what exactly. 
	Fingers rolling along the edge of a cage, the crimson eyed girl
relished the cold feeling beneath her fingers. The room was almost
unbearably hot, the air humid. She could hear the loud sounds of the
air conditioning in the background, but it just didn’t work with all
of these bodies back so closely together. Deciding to ignore it, her
other hand wiped across her sweat drenched brow. 
	A low growl startled her out of her thoughts, drawing the young
consumer’s attention to the cage near her. With a quick motion, the
tiger that was in there lunged towards her fingers. Shock pumped
through her small body as her hand jerked back reflexively. A scaly
fish boy began laughing at her as she passed him and another hawk
boy. She resolved to be more careful, holding the hand that had been
lunged at protectively. 
	Just what was she looking for? What type of pet did she want? She
couldn’t tell. A smile graced soft lips as she walked past what
looked to be a family of cats. The parents looked to be a slender
female cat with long dark hair and a male cat with only slightly
shorter white hair. The kitten was adorable, with short, dark violet
hair done up in odangos near her ears. This one seemed a lot tamer
than the tiger. Large curious eyes looked up at her, as if they were
studying ChibiUsa in the same way she was being studied herself.
ChibiUsa giggled softly and scratched behind the kitten’s ear,
hearing a distinct purr in reply. “You’re just a sweetie, aren’t you?
I’m sure someone’s gonna get you soon.” She giggled again as the purr
grew louder. Slowly pulling her hand away, she took another step
forward, glancing back at the cage and smiling for a moment before
heading forward. 
	And suddenly, she spotted something moving near the back of what
she had thought was an empty cage. Taking a few steps closer, she
hunched over to try and get a better look inside the cage. In the
back, there was a scared looking girl, her skin as pale as a sheet of
paper. Her long black tail moved slowly, her knees drawn up to her
chest. The dark ears that jutted out of her raven hair twitched
occasionally. Large, violet eyes watched ChibiUsa cautiously. It
looked like she was trying to fade away into the shadows at the back
of the cage, the poor kitten looking helpless in the tiny steal cage.
Crimson eyes brightened as the newly christened sixteen year old girl
leaned forward to get a better look. The kitten didn’t make a sound,
only the movement of the dark tail and violet eyes showing that she
was awake. She looked so shy, holding herself like that. So lonely.
So cute.
	ChibiUsa smiled happily as an employee came by to see if she needed
help. “I want this one!!”

	“So what are you going to name her?” ChibiUsa’s father asked
curiously as they drove home a short time later. His pink haired
daughter sat in back with her new pet, still holding the catgirl’s
leash. The catgirl really didn’t seem to be doing much, just watching
the events from her large, scared violet eyes.
	ChibiUsa tilted her head to the side thoughtfully, watching her
feline companion closely. She was still so excited to finally have
her birthday present. And what a birthday present at that! Her very
own catgirl... And such a cute one, too.  It was a thrilling
experience. 
	Pink hair flew around ChibiUsa’s head as she shook it, trying to
clear her thoughts. She couldn’t just let the catgirl run around
nameless. But she didn’t want to name her just anything. Those sad,
violet eyes and her beautiful ivory skin made her gorgeous to look
at. She needed a lovely name to go with it. But what would fit this
skittish kitten? And with such a lonely, haunting feel about her, it
was hard to find something suiting. “I think I’m going to name her
Hotaru,” she said at last. 
	Her father raised an eyebrow, looking back at his daughter through
the rearview mirror. “You’re going to name your pet cat ‘firefly’?”
	ChibiUsa pouted, scooting closer to the catgirl. Hotaru tried to
scoot away, but just managed to wedge herself against the door.
“Yeah, because I think it fits her perfectly. She has a real gothic
beauty to her. And she looks so sad. So I like the name.” She smiled
sweetly at the catgirl, who looked down quickly. 
	Laughing, her father turned a corner. “That’ll change once you get
her home and well fed. Then she’ll be a much happier cat. She looks
pretty skinny, so that’s most likely the problem.”
	Nodding thoughtfully, ChibiUsa reached forward, smiling gently at
Hotaru. “It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. I’m taking you home. You’ll be
happy there.” Her fingers brushed through the catgirl’s soft hair.
Hotaru closed her eyes and tried to pull further away, but there was
nowhere to go. Her pointed cat ears twitched slightly. Seeing the
catgirl like this was a little disturbing. She had seen how happy
pets usually looked with their owners, but this catgirl looked
entirely withdrawn, afraid of the situation. It did make sense that
she would be scared. She was still young and probably hadn’t been
anywhere else before. But that just strengthened ChibiUsa’s resolve
to get closer to her new pet, to make it feel comfortable at home.
She was her kitten now, so she'd make sure she was happier. 
	Exuberance filled the genki pink haired girl as she watched her
pet. Finally having one, she was extremely pleased with her choice in
a birthday present. She was just so cute. And all hers. She had
promised to take good care of her before her parents would let her
have one. She was the perfect birthday present, a real live catgirl.
And to think that she hadn’t had any idea of what to ask for for her
birthday until a few weeks ago. 

	Sitting in the park weeks earlier, ChibiUsa had been pondering the
same question over and over for the past few days. Her sixteenth
birthday was nearly upon her and she still didn’t know what she
wanted. It was a big stepping stone and her parents seemed pretty
thrilled. A big party was planned with all of her friends and family.
But she couldn’t think of a thing that she wanted. Little things that
didn’t matter, but nothing that seemed to fit the occasion. So she
had gone shopping with Ruruna and Naruru to clear her mind and wound
up broke. Again. They had gone on to another antique shop, but she
just wanted to rest her aching legs. They’d been shopping since they
had met up hours earlier. So she took her break to set her mind back
on the question at hand. 
	An elegant looking girl around ChibiUsa’s age with milky white skin
and long dark gray hair drew her attention. Not because of her
astonishing beauty, which was certainly evident in the midday light,
but because of what she was holding. A long, pink leash that was
linked to the collar around another girl’s neck. The other girl had
short brunette hair and was walking on all fours across the grass.
The pale girl seemed to be enjoying herself immensely, following
after the girl on the leash with a camcorder in her other hand. It
was a very peculiar sight to behold. 
	“Good girl, Sakura-chan! You’re such a sweet puppy. You just work
all of that energy out, darling. My cute, genki Sakura-chan can’t be
kept in a house all day,” the mistress said in a soft, melodious
voice. It wasn’t until then that ChibiUsa noticed the large, floppy
ears on the brunette’s head or the short furry tail just above her
tail bone. So that was a pet! She watched in astonishment as the
puppygirl continued to run around on the grass, the dark haired
heiress holding onto the leash and following the puppy’s motions with
her camcorder. “Fetch, Sakura-chan!” Pulling a small pink stick out
of her purse, the woman tossed it in front of her pet. Sakura hurried
to get it, biting down on it and bringing it back to her mistress.
The dark haired girl knelt down, scratching behind the puppy’s ears
and smiling delightedly. “Oh, you’re such a good girl.”
The brunette’s eyes closed, her tail wagging happily. 
	“Wow!” Getting to her still sore feet quickly, ChibiUsa approached
the two girls. “That’s amazing! Is she your pet? She’s so cute!”
Seeing the puppygirl up close, ChibiUsa marveled at the site. A mix
between a normal girl and a puppy, she made an adorable pet. 
	Stormy blue eyes shimmered as the woman nodded. A bright smile
crossed her face as she continued petting Sakura. “Hai, she is. Her
name is Sakura-chan. I’ve had her for years now. Her mother was a
show winner. Isn’t she sweet? She’s the sweetest puppy imaginable.” 
	Sakura was starting to blush from the praise, but her tail still
wagged happily as her mistress’s fingers continued playing through
her hair. “Hi,” She said, a little shyly. 
	ChibiUsa blinked in surprise, nearly falling back in the grass.
“She can talk, too? She must be really talented.”
	“Oh, she can talk really well. And about the cutest things. And
yes, she’s very talented. I have tapes and tapes full of all the cute
things Sakura-chan can do,” the woman said, still smiling her
trademark smile. 
The puppy girl was leaning against her by now and still blushing a
deep red. “Tomoyo-sama...” She looked like this happened often, but
that she still hadn’t really gotten used to it. Sighing, she started
licking at Tomoyo’s palm while her mistress continued talking with
the girl that looked like a bunny. She’d chase her, but Tomoyo
probably wouldn’t want her to. And besides, she really didn’t feel up
for a chase right now.
	“She’s so kawaii!! I bet she makes a terrific pet,” ChibiUsa said,
still amazed by the girl on the leash. What a wonderful idea. She had
no idea pets were so exciting. Her shoulders slumped slightly as a
sudden realization hit her. The pale girl did look remarkably
wealthy. “She probably cost a fortune, though.” There went that idea.
She’d have to find something else to get for her birthday. And it
seemed like such a good idea, too!
	Tomoyo shook her head, giggling softly at the ticklish feeling of
Sakura’s tongue. “No, not really. Sakura-chan was a gift from my
mother a few years ago, but I don’t believe they’re really that
expensive. It might take a while to save up, but with all of the
things you bought,” she motioned towards ChibiUsa’s bags back on the
bench, “you should be able to afford it after a while. I honestly
think you should. I’m so lucky to have my cute Sakura-chan.” Another
bright smile lit her face as she looked down at the puppy girl.
Sakura perked up, as if waiting for something, sniffing. A horn
honked in the distance, catching all of their attention. Tomoyo
looked back towards a waiting limousine. “Oh, I must be going. I hope
you can get a pet. They really are wonderful. I don’t know where I’d
be without Sakura-chan.” Standing up elegantly, she brushed down her
long skirt. “Come one, Sakura-chan. Let’s go home. I’ll give you a
nice bath.”
	Sakura waved and followed her mistress, standing up on two feet
this time, pulling alongside of her. Both girls disappeared into the
limousine. 
	Watching them drive off, ChibiUsa’s hair was tossed around by the
wind. She barely seemed to notice, too deep in thought to care. That
was what she wanted. A pet. A pet all of her own. Running back to the
bench, she grabbed her things and headed home. That’s what she would
ask for. Oh, it was perfect!

	ChibiUsa brushed back some pink hair from her eyes, squinting in
the afternoon sun, her reverie fading. Her brand new pet was still
sitting sulkily in the car, dark eyes glistening in the shadows.
“C’mon, Hotaru-chan. We’re home now.” She smiled sweetly at the
catgirl, motioning for her to follow. The catgirl looked at her for a
second, but dropped her gaze just as quickly. ChibiUsa’s father
yelled for her to come in, grabbing her attention away from the shy
new pet. “Just a minute, papa!” Her crimson eyes returned to the
catgirl. Kneeling next to the open door, she reached in slowly. “It’s
okay, kitty. We’re home now. Home. I’m going to take good care of
you. I promise. There’s nothing to be scared of.” Her hand gently
stroked the catgirl’s side. Her pale skin was exquisitely soft to the
touch. ChibiUsa’s fingers continued to trail up and down as she
smiled. “Please?” Another request from her father to head in caught
her ears, Hotaru’s ears perking up at the same time. She sighed and
got back to her feet, smoothing down her skirt. “Well, we better get
going, Hotaru-chan. Come on.” She whistled, but the only reaction she
got from the catgirl were her ears perking up again. The pink haired
owner tugged lightly on the leash. This finally seemed to get the
catgirl’s attention. Pulling lightly, the pink haired girl led her
birthday present inside.
	Hotaru followed behind her owner slowly, taking no notice of her
surroundings. What was the difference between here and the pet shop?
At least she wasn’t in a cramped cage anymore. But now she was all
alone. Most of the others would have been thrilled to have been
bought like this. But being in this strange new place by herself was
scary. She should be grateful to have her own mistress now, but it
was all too new, too frightening. Everything was happening too fast.
At least her mistress was pretty. And she seemed nice. But who knew
what would happen? Not that it mattered. She was only a pet. Her life
was at the sole discretion of her mistress. It was why she lived.
	Pushing the door to her room open, the proud new owner could hardly
hide her excitement. This had to be her best birthday ever. Her
lovely pet was just perfect. Better than she could have dreamed.
“Well, here it is. This is my room.” She gestured broadly with her
free hand to their surroundings. The bed was along one wall, red and
white bedsheets topped with neatly placed bunny dolls. The room was a
little cluttered with little possessions here and there, but it
didn’t look messy. Long, frilly white curtains hung over the bedroom
window that overlooked the backyard. Some clothes from this morning
lay discarded in a corner. Several letters were arranged neatly on
her bedside, all sporting ‘Happy Birthday’ somewhere on them. Next to
the bed lay a large maroon fuzzy basket with some small cat toys in
it. Next to it were a food and water dish. 
	Grinning in excitement, ChibiUsa walked towards the bed. Resistance
tugged at the hand holding the leash. Turning back, she saw the
catgirl frozen in the doorway. “It’s okay. This is your room now,
too, Hotaru-chan. See? This bed is for you. And the toys and
everything. Isn’t it cute? We went and picked it out this morning.
It’s all for you.” She tugged lightly at the leash, pulling Hotaru
out of her stupor. The shy girl looked down, but slowly walked up
behind her owner.
	Hotaru’s catlike eyes took in the little things on the floor, even
in the dim light. It was all for her? She’d never had anything
before. Just another kitten at the pet store, she was lost in the
crowd. Usually afraid or lonely even amongst all the others. She was
a little overwhelmed to be given anything at all. Especially when she
herself was a birthday present. The thought seemed ludicrous. Like it
didn’t quite fit. She was a pet. Pets didn’t have anything. No, it
must have just been phrased wrong. That had to be it. Her eyes shut
quickly when ChibiUsa finally got to the light switch. 
	“Well, here it is. I hope you like it,” ChibiUsa said with a smile,
twirling around on one foot to gesture to the room a last time before
plopping down on her bed. Her crimson eyes stayed on the catgirl with
a childlike enthusiasm. It was almost surreal to see one up close.
Her very own at that. And she was so pretty, too! Just wait until
Ruruna and Naruru found out. They would be so surprised. Hotaru
averted her gaze, shifting around uncomfortably, her tail swishing
slowly from side to side. “You’re soooo cute.” A giggle escaped the
pink haired girl as she pulled on the leash playfully. “You can come
closer. It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.” 
	Taking an awkward barefoot step forward, Hotaru inched closer to
her mistress. That warm smile managed to draw the dark haired catgirl
ever nearer. Feeling another gentle tug on the leash, she kneeled
down in front of her having nowhere else to go. Her hands and knees
on the floor, her tail continued moving nervously behind her as big
violet eyes looked up at her owner. The smile was still on that face
framed by pink, her hand moving down slowly. Hotaru flinched a bit
when ChibiUsa’s fingers touched the side of her face, trailing
upwards into her raven hair. What did she want? Not that it mattered.
She was her pet. Her mistress could do whatever she wanted with her.
Hotaru’s curiosity continued to grow as the fingers ran through her
hair. But suddenly it didn’t matter. Her eyes closed and she began to
purr. Quietly at first, but it began to grow louder. ChibiUsa’s
fingers were scratching right behind her ear. It felt very nice with
those gentle fingers in her hair. Her tail began to move more
happily, as if completely unaware of the previous nervousness of the
girl it was attached to.
	A musical giggle escaped ChibiUsa lips as she watched her new pet.
“I’m really glad I picked you, Hotaru-chan.” She continued to pet the
kitten for a few more minutes, enjoying the soft purring sound the
catgirl made. 
	“ChibiUsa-chan, dinner!” 
	“Coming!” Sighing, the pink haired girl petted the girl one last
time before standing up. The purring slowly came to a stop. Big,
violet eyes looked up at her in confusion. She smiled down
apologetically. “I have to go get dinner. You should probably eat,
too. I’ll be back in just a bit.” Scratching behind Hotaru’s ear
again, she quickly made her way to the door, glancing back in at the
solemn looking catgirl. ‘She looks so serious all the time,’ ChibiUsa
thought to herself. “Bye, kitty!”
	Hotaru watched as her mistress left the room, nervousness gnawing
at her again. It hadn’t been too bad when she had been there with
her, but now she was alone in this scary place. And she didn’t know
what to do. This was all new to her. This was home from now on.
Curling up into a ball, she began to cry.

	Later that night, the catgirl was balled up in her basket, wide
awake. She couldn’t get to sleep in her strange new surroundings.
Every small sound startled her right when she started to fade away to
the land of dreams. She had finally given up trying to sleep a short
time ago. Lying there, staring at the wall, she contemplated her
existence. Sold like the animal she was, she was now property of her
mistress, the girl in the bed behind her. It was a dream for many to
get sold at the auctions. To have their own master or mistress. To
have a home. But she was still so afraid. No one had taught her what
to do once she was bought. Part of her had thought that she never
would be. Who wanted a lonely looking cat, anyway? Apparently, this
pink haired girl. She sat up slowly, her head peaking up across the
bed. She could see ChibiUsa’s feet sticking out from under her
blankets, the warm cloth tangled around the pink haired girl oddly.
In the darkness, her catlike eyes could still make out the nightgown
she was wearing, though the color looked faded. Her pink hair was let
down out of the odangos she had seen it in earlier. She really was
very pretty. And she was looking at her. Hotaru’s eyes widened in
surprise and she quickly ducked back down, pulling her knees to her
chest as she tried to pretend she was asleep.
	“Can’t sleep?” the sweet voice of her owner whispered. Hotaru
froze, unsure of how to respond. Creaking sounds came her way as
ChibiUsa crawled across the bed. The sound finally stopped and she
relaxed slightly. A hand brushing through her hair nearly made her
jump in shock. Turning around, she spotted her mistress’s head over
the edge of the bed, watching her with that warm smile again. “It’s
okay if you can’t sleep. I always have trouble in a new place, too.
You wanna sleep on the bed?” 
Hotaru nodded slowly, shyly. ChibiUsa smiled again and sat up,
gesturing for the catgirl to follow. Standing up, the dark haired pet
hesitantly crawled onto the edge of the bed, curling into a ball
there. She felt ChibiUsa’s feet brush against her side as her
mistress pulled the blankets around herself. Hotaru was a little
surprised. Wasn’t she supposed to be in her basket? Well, this was
nicer. It felt soft and the blankets underneath her were warm. And it
did feel more comfortable to be closer to her owner. She was very
sweet and managed to make this whole thing much easier for Hotaru to
handle. Lying there in silence, she tried not to move much lest she
disturb the pink haired girl. But it was still cold in the room
despite being on top of the blankets and she couldn’t help shivering
slightly. She was only lightly clothed.
	Giggling softly, ChibiUsa sat up again. “Still cold, huh? Here, get
in the blankets. It’s warmer.” She watched the quiet catgirl for a
long moment, holding up the blanket invitingly. “Come on. It’s okay.”
Smiling reassuringly, she scooted over and patted the bed next to
her. “Come here.” The violet eyed pet looked back at her hesitantly,
still sitting with her legs tucked under her at the foot of the bed.
She sure was a reluctant pet. She didn’t seem very open around
people. But she was ChibiUsa’s now so it didn’t matter. The pink
haired owner was just glad to have her. Sighing, she took her pet’s
arm. The pale skin was very soft and cold. “Oh, you poor thing. You
must be freezing. C’mere, Hotaru-chan.” Pulling lightly, the catgirl
slowly crawled up beside her. ChibiUsa smiled again and pulled the
blankets up. “Here you go.” Hotaru sat there, staring at her. The
young owner sweatdropped. Taking Hotaru’s arm again, she pulled her
closer and toward the head of the bed. “Okay, now lie down.” The
catgirl lay her body down on ChibiUsa’s pillow, her head to the side.
“No, not like that.” 
Hotaru winced, closing her eyes.  She didn’t know what she was doing
at all. Humans had never been around her very much so she just didn’t
understand what she was supposed to do to please her mistress. Now
she’d probably hate her for being disobedient. And she didn’t want
that at all. Her mistress seemed so nice. What was she to do now?
The fear etched on Hotaru’s face sent a chill through ChibiUsa. Her
catgirl looked so sad. She shook her head quickly. “No, I didn’t mean
it like that. It’s all right. Don’t be sad.” Another smile crossed
her face as she tried to reassure her new pet. This was getting to be
a lot of work. But still... She liked it. It was nice having her
here. Her cute catgirl. It was nice to have the responsibility of
her. To take care of her new pet. Placing her hands on Hotaru’s
shoulders, she positioned her on her back, pushing down until her
head was finally on the pillow. Dark hair formed a halo around the
catgirl’s head on the pillow, her kitten ears barely jutting out of
the hair. Hotaru looked at her in confusion but followed her
directions. Satisfied with her work, ChibiUsa pulled the blanket up
around the both of them. “There. See? Much warmer, Hotaru-chan.” She
smiled brightly as she hugged herself under the blanket, trying to
get warm again.
Shyly, Hotaru smiled back. “Thank you,” her soft voice whispered. 
	Giggling, ChibiUsa propped herself up on an elbow. “So you can
talk. I was wondering when you were gonna say something.” It had
almost been a surprise to hear Hotaru speak. She had started to think
that she wouldn’t. Hotaru’s voice was very soft, but lovely. It fit
the shy catgirl perfectly. “You have a very pretty voice, Hotaru-chan.”
	The dark haired pet blushed a cherry red, shifting slightly under
the blankets. It was already strange to be sleeping this way, like a
human girl, but now she was embarrassed as well. She hadn’t known
what to say earlier. And her owner’s comments were flattering. This
whole day had taken quite a toll on her. It just seemed to be one
surprise after another. “A.. arigato...” she whispered, quieter this
time. 
	Petting her catgirl gently, ChibiUsa smiled again. “Sleep well,
Hotaru-chan. I’ll see you in the morning.” Something brushing against
her side caught ChibiUsa's attention. It was warm and furry, moving
in quick motions. Reaching down, she grabbed a hold of the furry
intruder. Hotaru’s eyes went wide as ChibiUsa gripped it. “Oh...
Sorry.” She sweatdropped as she let go of Hotaru’s tail. Yawning, she
let her crimson eyes fall shut. “Sweet dreams, kitty.”
	Hotaru watched closely as ChibiUsa’s breathing steadied and she
drifted off to sleep. Her mistress looked so calm and peaceful. So
cute. She noticed that the pink haired girl was holding onto a white
stuffed bunny with a big red bow. Purring softly, she snuggled next
to her owner, yawning tiredly and showing her sharp teeth in the dim
light. It had been an exhausting day. Before long, she was passed out
beside her pink haired owner.
	
	J-pop meandered through ChibiUsa’s room as morning light filtered
through her window. Something about ‘my darling and my dentures’
played on the radio. ChibiUsa was still too tired to care. The pink
haired girl rolled over in bed, moaning about the unjustness of it
all. School was always such a tiresome thing. Sure, she got to see a
few friends, but was it really worth all of that pain of stuffy
teachers trying to force things upon you? Especially when she had her
own pet now. That’s right! ChibiUsa sat up in bed, suddenly awake.
Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she scoured the room for any trace
of her catgirl. But where was she? It couldn’t have been a dream,
could it? Her heart started to slow back down to it’s usual beat when
she saw Hotaru heading back into her room from the doorway on all
floors. ChibiUsa’s slippers were in her mouth. “Awww... How sweet of
you, Hotaru-chan. You’re such a good kitty.” Grinning happily,
ChibiUsa slipped out of bed, kneeling next to the catgirl and petting
her warmly. “My good little girl. Yes, you are.” Taking the slippers
from Hotaru’s mouth, she quickly slipped them on. “I wanna stay home
and play with you, Hotaru-chan. School doesn’t sound like any fun.”
Pouting sadly, she just watched her new pet for several moments.
Finally reaching forward, Hotaru tensed up under ChibiUsa’s warm hug.
“I’ll see you soon, Hotaru-chan. We can play when I get home.”
	Hotaru watched her mistress with inquisitive violet eyes as
ChibiUsa walked all over the room sticking things in her bookbag.
“Where are you going?” she asked curiously, trying to keep the
nervousness out of her voice. She didn’t want to be left alone again.
And why couldn’t she come with? She’d be good. She was well behaved.
Not like some of the pets she could remember back at the pet store.
“Skool?”
	Nodding quickly, ChibiUsa began getting dressed, tossing the
nightgown to the floor as she dug through her closet for her school
uniform. She stood in front of the closet clad in nothing but her
slippers and her white cotton panties, but didn’t seem to notice as
if she were alone. It was just her pet, after all. She nodded
absentmindedly as she pulled her blouse over her head, then paused
and pulled it off, looking for a bra. “Yeah, school. It’s this real
boring place where they try to force us to learn things.” She stopped
again, turning an anklet over in her fingers thoughtfully before
discarding it. “I’m doing pretty well this semester, though, so I
can’t blow it off and stay home with you. Even if I really want to.
If I do well enough, I’m thinking of going into government.” She took
out a black lavender ribbon and tied it in her hair on one of her
odangos after fixing it to her usual hair style. “Then when I get
older I could get a nice big house for us and you could have gourmet
cat food and all sorts of good stuff.” Checking the mirror, she
smiled and went back to the closet.
	Violet eyes followed her mistress back and forth across the room as
Hotaru sat on the floor. Her owner really was very pretty. She had
beautiful curves that fit her small frame wonderfully. A small sigh
escaped Hotaru’s soft lips. Too bad she wasn’t a catgirl. But she did
make a nice mistress nonetheless. “Will you be back soon?” Hotaru
asked hopefully.
	“You’re so sweet, Hotaru-chan,” ChibiUsa commented as she pulled
her skirt on. “Hai. Well, kinda. Sometimes it seems like a long time.
But I’ll be back this afternoon. I promise.” She smiled as she bent
down and scratched behind Hotaru’s left ear. A giddy feeling went
through her as she watched the dark haired pet’s eyes close and heard
her purring again. This whole pet thing was turning out to be great.
Hotaru really did seem like the perfect choice. It was even better
than what she’d thought when she’d met that rich girl and her puppy.
	Hotaru didn’t answer, just tilting her head to the side, her tail
moving back and forth as she watched her pink haired owner head for
the door. “Goodbye, mistress,” she said at last.
	Pausing for a moment, ChibiUsa stood in the doorway, fumbling with
her bow. That had sounded awkward. But thinking it over, it did make
sense. Hotaru was her pet at any rate. Smiling over her shoulder, she
waved cheerfully. “Bye, Hotaru-chan! See you this afternoon! I bet
you’ll have more fun than me.” And with that, she disappeared off to
the mysterious ‘skool’. 
	Sighing, Hotaru clasped her hands in front of her and watched the
empty doorway where her mistress had just been. “I doubt it, mistress.”

	Many hours later, an exhausted student made her way home,
shouldering her bunny shaped bookbag on a weary shoulder. Opening the
door with the key she kept with her, ChibiUsa pushed the door open
with a sigh of relief. It was good to be back home again. A smile
crossed her lips as she remembered the catgirl waiting for her. She
had found it difficult to concentrate at school all day with the
knowledge that Hotaru was at home. School just seemed extraordinarily
mundane compared to her brand new pet. “Hotaru-chan?” she said as she
took off her shoes near the door. There was no answer. But then, she
was a quiet catgirl, so that shouldn’t be too strange. Pulling her
slippers back on, ChibiUsa walked back towards her room. The door was
still wide open as she’d left it. And there was Hotaru lying on the
floor. Reading a book. “Hotaru-chan?” ChibiUsa asked incredulously.
She knew that the catgirl was obviously smart. But that she could read?
	The book dropped from Hotaru’s hands as she scrambled to a sitting
position. Her violet eyes were wide with fear as she looked towards
her owner. ‘She saw me? She’s not supposed to know that. It’s my
little secret.’ She didn’t know what to say. Or what would happen to
her. Maybe she’d give her away. Hotaru knew that pets usually didn’t
read. Why would they need to? Tears began to well up in her eyes. It
was just the day after she’d been bought and already she had ruined
everything. She was really beginning to like her mistress, too. She
wanted to explain, to try to fix things, but nothing would come out
of her mouth. She felt helpless, trapped. She wanted to run away.
	“I... Hotaru-chan..” ChibiUsa shook her head and knelt next to her
kitten. She picked up the book that had dropped to the floor. It was
one that she had gotten for her birthday. A hand reached out and
gently stroked Hotaru’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Hotaru-chan. I’m just
surprised. You can read? I didn’t think pets could read.” She smiled
sweetly to show that she wasn’t angry, managing to calm the catgirl
slightly. 
	Hotaru nodded weakly, sniffling. “Hai...” She wasn’t angry at her?
Why not? Not that it wasn’t a good thing. But she had always been
afraid about someone finding that out. “My mother taught me... before
she died..” Hotaru said sadly. Reading always reminded her of her
mother, bringing back bittersweet memories of the kind woman and her
death that had left Hotaru all alone. So she liked to read when she
had the chance. It always felt like her mother was watching.
	“Oh...” ChibiUsa looked down at the book for a long moment. So that
was how. It hadn’t occurred to her that anything might have happened
to Hotaru’s family. She hadn’t thought about that sort of thing when
it came to pets. No wonder the poor catgirl looked so lonely. “I’m
really sorry, Hotaru-chan.” She smiled softly, handing the book back
to her pet. It took Hotaru a minute to slowly reach out and take it
cautiously. “If you really like to, you can go ahead and read any of
my books. I don’t read them all that much anyway with all I need to
read for school. And I’m more of a manga girl myself.”
	Holding the book against her chest, Hotaru kept her eyes on her
slightly shorter owner. “Really...? You’d let me?” she asked
curiously. All of this time she had been afraid of getting in
trouble. She was so surprised that ChibiUsa would allow her to. Her
mother had told her never to let a human see her read. Her owner
really was so kind. “Thank you, ChibiUsa-sama..” Smiling meekly, she
hugged the book tighter, still looking into the pink haired girl’s
pretty crimson eyes. She was so lucky to have a mistress like her.
	ChibiUsa watched the eager look in Hotaru’s eyes as she held the
book. The catgirl was so cute. The pink haired girl was really
beginning to enjoy learning all of these new things about her pet.
She really did have a lot of personality. Hotaru was becoming more
and more captivating. And she was all hers, which made the whole
thing even better. She didn’t have to share Hotaru with anyone. She
was like her very own personal friend. Gazing back into those violet
eyes, she began scratching absentmindedly behind Hotaru’s left ear
again, eliciting a soft purr from the catgirl. “You can read all you
want, Hotaru-chan. I want you to be happy here.”
	Hotaru blushed softly and nodded. “I am happy here with you,
ChibiUsa-sama.” She had been so lonely for so long. She was an
outcast back at the pet shop. And ever since she had lost her mother,
she had no one else to turn to. But this lovely girl had taken her in
and was being so sweet to her even though she was just a pet. It was
almost too good to be true. Her mother must have helped her get this
mistress.
	Giving Hotaru a hug that the catgirl slowly relaxed into, her tail
still moving behind her, ChibiUsa blushed a bit herself. Hotaru was
already figuring very prominently in her mind. The catgirl was just
so much more fun and fascinating that her friends at school who were
much more concerned with boys and certain fads. She couldn’t wait for
the times when she could be with her kitten. Everything else just
seemed to take a backseat to that in her mind. Smiling, she kept
petting Hotaru as she held onto her, enjoying the soft purr in her
ears. It was so much fun to be with her. And it felt very nice to
hold her. Actually, she could feel the barely clothed girl trough the
thin cloth as she held onto her, now that she thought about it. “I’m
gonna need to get you some clothes soon, Hotaru-chan,” she mentioned
thoughtfully, still holding her.
	Hotaru blinked, her face inches from ChibiUsa as she watched her.
“Why?”
	A giggle escaped ChibiUsa’s lips and she shook her head.
“Nevermind, Hotaru-chan. You just read your books and I’ll bother
with the rest. I have to take care of my pet, don’t I?”
	Still watching, Hotaru finally nodded when ChibiUsa seemed to be
waiting for her. “I.. uhh.. Yes, mistress.” It seemed to be the right
answer so she relaxed, looking into those beautiful scarlet pools
again. ChibiUsa smelled very nice. Just like her slippers had
earlier. And the bed. Yes, she was beginning to like that smell very
much. It was soothing and made her feel warm and safe inside. 
	ChibiUsa sweatdropped a little at the close proximity, but aside
from it seeming a little odd, it really didn’t bother her. In fact,
she was enjoying the chance to be so close to her pet, especially
with how shy the catgirl was. Reaching down, she stroked Hotaru’s
tails, playing with the swiftly moving pendulum. “Of course. My cute
little pet, Hotaru-chan.” She should start her homework. She should
feed the catgirl. But she just wanted to sit there.  

	“ChibiUsa-chan, I love you,” the white haired boy whispered softly
as his fingers trailed through her cotton candy pink hair. A crimson
blush, the same color as her eyes, made it’s way across her cheeks.
She had thought he’d never say that. Her crush on him had gone
unreturned for so long. As he leaned forward, she realized with
sudden shock ‘He’s going to kiss me...’ Closing her eyes, she waited
anxiously for the magical moment. “Elios...” She pursed her lips as
she waited, her heart pounding in her chest like a freight train.
Would he? She could feel warm breath against her lips, sending an
electric spark throughout her body. Frantic thoughts hurried through
her mind as seconds stretched out into infinity. Her body tensed as
she waited for the kiss that would seal her fate. Warmth washed over
her cheek, slightly wet and a little scratchy against her soft skin.
Confusion quickly shook her anxiety away. What was he doing? Kissing
her cheek? It sure didn’t feel like a kiss. Well, not quite. Shifting
a bit to the side, she felt the warm feeling continue on her left
cheek, moving up and closer to her lips. An unexpected giggle escaped
her as the unidentifiable feeling continued its journey forward,
tickling her cheek. Just what did he want? Wasn’t he going to kiss
her? “Elios?”
	Scarlet eyes fluttered open in curiosity, searching for the object
of her full attention. “Elios?” she asked again. Blinking in the
darkness, she tried to find the white haired boy. The warm feeling on
her cheek continued, closing ever closer to her lips. Her blush
deepened as she sleepily tried to spot her crush. Her eyes finally
found an ethereal figure leaning over her, a pale figure in the dim
moonlight offset by jet black hair that fell around the pale face
like a veil. Like some unearthly angel, the creature sat over her,
continuing the sweet caress of ChibiUsa’s cheek as if nothing had
changed. The pink haired girl shifted in bed, now utterly confused.
Where had Elios gone? What was happening? And what was that feeling?
It slowly dawned upon her that the warm feeling was her cheek being
licked. But why would Elios be licking her cheek? Her still sleep
addled mind clicked and whirred as it slowly put everything together.
Violet eyes sparkled in the dim light above her, watching her with
catlike intensity. “Hotaru-chan?” the young owner asked suddenly,
sitting up. 
The catgirl moved quickly and with agile grace disappeared into the
darkness. Straining to see the catgirl in the darkness, ChibiUsa’s
fingers reached up to her cheek. The soft flesh still had some saliva
on it from where Hotaru’s somewhat scratchy tongue had passed over
it. So it had all just been a dream? Well, the part about her crush
at the least. But if that was the case, then why was her heart still
beating so quickly? Her fingers traveled from her cheek over to her
lips, lingering there for a second. The warmth that had spread
through her cheek now felt like it was melting through her body,
coating every inch of her. She didn’t know quite how to explain it.
The excitement from the dream dared not dissipate into the night air
just yet. It held onto her, as if the dream wasn’t ready to depart.
Her mind drifted back to her pet’s insistent licking and the
beautiful silhouette that her eyes had awakened to above her. A
cherry red blush colored her cheeks as she sat on her bed, still
drenched in sweat from yet another of many absorbing dreams. The pink
haired girl had never kissed anyone yet, which made it very difficult
to listen to Ruruna and Naruru’s constant boasts. Her dreams often
led her up to what she had built up into her mind to be the
penultimate romantic moment, but had never crossed the threshold,
always leaving her curious as to what would have happened had she
been asleep only a brief moment longer. 
ChibiUsa finally caught sight of her pet in the darkness. Violet
eyes glinted in the shadows near the foot of her bed. As if she were
being drawn to those distant stars, the young owner began crawling
across the bed to the still mostly hidden catgirl. “Hotaru-chan?
Hotaru-chan, you don’t need to hide, kitty.” A soft giggle filled the
silent room. “You’re so shy. Come here.” Sitting in front of the
catgirl on the middle of the bed, ChibiUsa motioned for her to come
forward. “It’s okay. Come here, kitty.” Hotaru slowly complied,
crawling towards her pink haired owner. Her pale figure slowly came
into view, her tail moving slowly in the moonlight. ChibiUsa could
still feel her heart pounding in her chest, her mind furiously trying
to go in every direction at once. She remembered Hotaru’s tongue
along her cheek, so close to her own lips. The feeling was baffling.
It left her wondering about what would have happened had she waited.
She had to remind herself that Hotaru was a catgirl and that it was
probably just her licking her owner as she remembered the puppygirl
had done with the rich girl. But still she couldn’t banish the
thoughts from her mind. Hotaru moved a little closer at her
insistence, her hand still motioning her forward. 
Hotaru complied with her mistress, moving ever closer on all fours.
Her eyes burned with catlike curiosity as she watched the pink haired
woman before her, her hands stopping right before ChibiUsa’s knees.
She hadn’t slept, preferring instead to keep a silent vigil over her
beautiful owner. She had merely been cleaning ChibiUsa’s cheek when
the human girl had woken up, but her sudden movements had frightened
the skittish kitten. Her owner looked cute when she was asleep. Her
pink hair had framed her cute face beautifully in the dark room, her
hands resting on her pillow, her lips forming a sweet pout. She was
surprised to see her awaken so suddenly when it was her experience
that the pink haired girl slept all night long. She had been here for
weeks now and that pattern hadn’t changed in the least. Well, with
the exception of when ChibiUsa wound up staying up with her, but once
the crimson eyed owner was asleep, she generally stayed that way.
Hotaru moved closer still, smelling intently as she moved closer,
enjoying the comforting scent of her mistress.
Blushing, ChibiUsa watched as Hotaru’s angelic face came nearer, her
small nose twitching ever so slightly as she did. Violet eyes peaked
out from behind their shadowy veil at her. That face that had held an
almost constant fear or pain to it now held a gentle contentment.
Sometimes the fear and the pain returned, but ChibiUsa had been happy
to see it slowly ebb, the catgirl’s smile coming more easily as time
went by. The pink haired girl found herself spending more and more of
her time with her precious pet than with her best friends. They were
nice and all, but they didn’t captivate her the same way her gorgeous
kitten did. There was something about the girl’s shy nature and her
total devotion that had quickly snagged ChibiUsa’s attention. She had
even blown off Ruruna and Naruru when they were going to the movies
because of the jealous look she had seen in the catgirl’s deep pools
of violet. Part of that scared her, that she would rather stay home
with her pet than go hang out with her friends. But she had found it
much more enjoyable than gawking at passing boys and staring at
outfits that she could never hope to afford. They had passed the
night pleasantly, playing cards of all things. ChibiUsa had won every
game. She had begun to suspect afterwards that Hotaru had let her
win, but she had such an enjoyable time spending the night sitting on
her bed and playing the games that it hardly seemed to matter. 
It was really a curious situation she found herself in. She knew
that pets were really amazing to have simply from all of the stories
she had heard, but this was much more than she had expected. Unlike
the rest of her friends, ChibiUsa felt that she could really tell
Hotaru things, that she could talk to her about anything. The dark
haired catgirl didn’t judge her. She listened to whatever her
mistress had to say, her cute little cat ears moving along with the
words. She didn’t have to pretend around Hotaru. And that made her
feel so spectacularly free inside. It felt like the shackles that
held down her heart were suddenly released when they were all alone.
Hotaru had asked her why she pretended so much in front of people,
why she hid her feelings behind a veil of happiness and genki energy.
ChibiUsa had tried to explain, but none of her explanations sounded
good enough, even to herself. “Because I want people to see the
happy, smiling me. I want that to be who they remember. I don’t want
to burden others with my problems. I want them to like the genki me
that they see,” she had finally settled on.
“I like you,” Hotaru had said simply. “I don’t think you should have
to pretend for everyone else, ChibiUsa-sama. Even when you’re sad, I
like you. Especially when you’re sad. Because then I can really see
all of you. I know I can’t help much, but just being next to you,
seeing your sad eyes, it makes me wish that I could be with you
always.” Her quiet voice had spoken earnestly from her heart. It had
shaken the young owner. She had grown up hiding her pain and troubles
from others, always being the perky and bubbly girl she had thought
they wanted her to be, but the catgirl was content with who she was
even when that façade was nowhere in sight. 
And now ChibiUsa found herself staring deeply into Hotaru’s endless
violet orbs, breathing quickly as they sat in the darkness on her
ruffled sheets. The catgirl waited with endless patience, looking
back at her curiously as ChibiUsa’s mind wandered from memory to
memory. Laughing in embarrassment, ChibiUsa placed a hand behind her
head. “Goment nasai... I guess I’m still sleepy after all.”
Hotaru nodded slowly, still watching her mistress. A small smile
crossed her lips. She liked watching the pink bunny-looking girl
sleep. “I hope you sleep well, ChibiUsa-sama,” her soft voice prayed. 
	Shaking her head quickly, ChibiUsa tried to collect her thoughts.
Not thoughts exactly, because she couldn’t quite understand them all.
It was mostly a jumble of feelings, scattered throughout her heart
like flotsam. She collected them up, trying to make sense of them.
The burning sensation from earlier had only managed to grow more
intense as she watched the beautiful catgirl’s ivory skin nearly
sparkle in the moonlight. “No, that’s not what I meant. I don’t feel
like sleeping right now. Hotaru-chan, I...” She shook her head. Why
was this so difficult? What did she want to say? Whatever it was, it
certainly shouldn’t be this difficult. Hotaru was her pet. She had
gone out and picked her out. Hotaru was hers. So why was she having
such a hard time forcing out whatever it was that clung to her? A
frustrated sigh escaped her lips, causing Hotaru’s ears to twitch
noticeably. “Hotaru-chan, I want to kiss you,” she got out in a rough
whisper, her cheeks burning up. Was that it? Was that what she had
wanted to say? Well, not quite, but it was close enough. 
	The catgirl sat in silence for a long moment, her dark eyes
concentrating fully on her mistress. Her own pale cheeks had flushed
a deep red themselves, though it was hardly evident in the dim light.
She nodded slowly, her black hair fluttering a bit as she did so. Of
course, ChibiUsa was her owner. She had to do whatever was asked of
her, whatever her owner expected of her. But this was so much more
than normal obedience. This was something that she knew she wanted
herself. That she had wanted for some time now. That her mistress
would ask that of her... Her heart swooned at the thought. Her
mistress was such a kind and loving person, the first person who had
ever really cared about her. She treated her more like a friend than
an animal. She was so cute and funny to watch. Hotaru was completely
enamored with her sweet owner. The thought of being with her in such
a way was absolutely delicious. So as her pet, she must comply. But
all of Hotaru’s soul was fully behind the action. 
	Leaning forward a little awkwardly, ChibiUsa placed her hands on
Hotaru’s bare shoulders. Her heart felt like it was pounding between
her ears by now. The fact that she had never kissed anyone before
made itself painfully well known in her mind. But she did know that
she wanted this to be her first kiss. Licking her dry lips, ChibiUsa
moved forward slightly before pausing again. Moving her head to the
side, she tried to position herself better. The fact that Hotaru was
a girl hardly mattered in her mind and it probably hadn’t even
occurred to Hotaru with the blissful look on the angelic girl’s pale
face. Hotaru was also her pet, so such trivial things as what gender
she was hardly mattered at the moment. Moving forward once more,
ChibiUsa felt her lips press inexpertly against those of her devoted
catgirl. The soft petals of Hotaru’s lips parted briefly and she once
again felt that soft yet scratchy tongue press against her skin, but
this time it was on her own lips. The sensation was sweetly
overwhelming. ChibiUsa closed her eyes and kissed the dark haired
girl again, this time letting her own mouth part when the dark haired
girl’s tongue came out. Her lips moved around it, starting Hotaru at
first before her own tongue brushed against the scratchy one entering
her mouth. 
‘She’s your pet. You shouldn’t be doing this,’ ChibiUsa’s mind cried
out. ‘She’s your pet so of course you can do this,’ it retaliated.
‘Damn it, she’s Hotaru-chan and I want to do this,’ she concluded at
last. Her hand slowly moved up over Hotaru’s bare stomach, caressing
the satin soft skin as she made her way upwards. Her heartbeat
continued it’s maddening tempo as she continued higher. She was happy
to find that Hotaru’s heart was beating just as rapidly, thumping
rapidly in the raven haired catgirl’s chest. After what felt like an
endless pause as she worked up her determination, ChibiUsa’s hand
moved to the right under Hotaru’s simple nightshirt, cupping the
delicate skin of one of her small breasts. The catgirl let out a
startled cross between a purr and a moan as ChibiUsa’s hand caressed
the small mound. Hotaru’s arms wrapped around her mistress, pulling
her closer as they continued to kiss. By now, whatever arguments
ChibiUsa’s rational mind had tried were completely forgotten, lost in
the swirling storm that had overtaken whatever conscious thought was
left in her. There were wonderfully soft lips and piercing violet
eyes and warm skin that she could feel through the thin fabric of her
pajamas. And there was a joyous sense of relief, as if she had
finally found what she had spent an eternity searching the world over
for. “Hotaru-chan...” she whispered, her voice sounding different
than she had last remembered. It was her voice, but it wasn’t at all
controlled. It was only now that she had completely let go that she
could see.
Hotaru wasn’t completely aware of what was going on. Her mind had
become clouded over as the kiss had overtaken her. She was vaguely
aware of ChibiUsa’s hand in her blouse, of her fingers against her
skin. That sent a blush all the way down to her shoulders. The
thought that she was completely at her mistress’s mercy sent a shiver
through her ivory body. She didn’t know if she had quite expected
this or not. She knew that she belonged to the pink haired girl, but
this hadn’t really crossed her mind. She would do anything for her,
and she was only all too willing to follow along with her mistress’s
wishes. 
Slowly pulling away, ChibiUsa tried desperately to catch her breath.
She felt dizzy, her mind swirling in ecstasy as she sat back. Her pet
slowly opened her eyes, watching her closely. Swallowing, ChibiUsa’s
tongue moved around in her mouth, still used to the other’s presence
from moments before. This certainly hadn’t been one of the reasons
she had wanted a pet in the first place, but it was certainly a
wonderful surprise at the moment. The teenage girl was extremely
happy to have the closeness that her pet was all too willing to
provide her with. But just as she was an inexperienced kisser, so too
was she lost in exactly how to go about initiating anything sexual
between the two of them. The catgirl sat still, completely docile.
ChibiUsa sighed, her mind racing. Her mind finally settled on the
kiss. “Hotaru-chan, I want you to take off your clothes,” she said
quickly, trying to keep herself from blushing a deeper shade of
crimson than she already was. The dark haired catgirl complied shyly,
looking away from her mistress as she pulled the simple nightshirt
off, sliding off the plain white panties a moment later. The pink
haired owner watched all of this intently, taking in all of her
feline companion in the dim moonlight that sparkled over her body.
Reaching forward, ChibiUsa pulled the panties off of Hotaru’s foot,
pulling at them slightly as she held them up. They had an
intoxicating smell, and the knowledge of where they had just been
only served to entice her even more. 
Hotaru sat on her knees in front of her mistress, watching shyly as
she waited for whatever was to come next. This had certainly come as
a surprise to her, but not as much as it could have been. She had
known from the start that her mistress was completely in charge in
whatever she decided to do. Hotaru was only her pet. She was to go
along with whatever she wished. So she waited, nude in front of her
mistress, her body barred for her. Her tail moved quickly, betraying
the excitement that was building within her. Her animal instincts
wanted to come into play and they were very difficult to suppress at
the moment. She had the sudden urge to pounce the pink haired girl,
but through force of will she managed to push the thought deep down. 
If this had all been a dream, ChibiUsa would not have been at all
surprised. What did come as a surprise was the fact that she wasn’t
waking up from all of this. Part of her was expecting it all to come
to a close at any second. It had already gone much further than any
of her other dreams had dared. She had finally received that
intoxicating first kiss. Yet it was moving far beyond a simple kiss.
Hotaru was simply stunning in the moonlight, her gorgeous body on
display for ChibiUsa alone. Her fingers reached out slowly, brushing
some of the catgirl’s dark hair away from her violet eyes. “Hotaru-
chan... You’re so beautiful. Every inch of you,” she stated as her
fingers trailed down Hotaru’s bare shoulder. The catgirl shivered at
her touch, causing ChibiUsa to pull her hand away. Hotaru looked up
suddenly, disappointment evident in her eyes.
ChibiUsa held her hands in her lap, blushing deeper than she was
sure she ever had before. Her pink hair hung past her shoulders,
still messy from hours of sleep. The burning inside of her was now
almost unbearable. She swallowed nervously as she tried to think. Her
mind kept going to vivid images. Again, the feeling of Hotaru’s skin
against her, the feel of her warm and slightly scratchy tongue
entered her mind. “Hotaru-chan, I want you to... Umm…” Not being a
particularly vulgar girl or even an overly sexual one, ChibiUsa was
having a very difficult time describing what she meant to the catgirl
in front of her. “I want you to lick me again...” she finished at
last. She was about certain that she would pass out from blood loss
around then. If her mother ever heard her say anything like that...
She shook her head quickly, banishing the thought of her parents
having any idea of what she was currently engaged in. The catgirl
moved forward, her tongue brushing ChibiUsa’s cheek once more. The
pink hair giggled a bit at that, but the giggle was shortlived as
another blush overtook her. “No, I meant I want you to lick me
somewhere else, Hotaru-chan,” she said softly. 
Seeing the curious look that the catgirl gave her, ChibiUsa reached
down and pulled her pajama bottoms off. The cool air hit her bare
skin instantly, but it did little to quell the firey sensation within
her. Despite having watched Hotaru undress mere moments earlier,
ChibiUsa was still embarrassed about being seen in only her pajama
top and panties, even if she had undressed in front of her pet
countless times. It took her a moment before she could work up the
courage to pull her bunny stylized panties down her legs, leaving her
bare skin to the scrutiny of the dark haired catgirl. She sat there
for a long moment, her bare skin against the ruffled sheets that she
had been sitting on. Her legs parted slowly, her eyes never leaving
the catgirl sitting quietly in front of her. She swallowed nervously,
part of her wondering just what the hell she was doing. Disregarding
whatever part of her was protesting, ChibiUsa reached down past the
soft pink hair that marked only a small patch of the bare skin from
her waist down. Her crimson eyes remained on Hotaru as her fingers
held herself open, her blush intensifying as she saw Hotaru’s violet
eyes looking between her legs. Her first instinct was to close her
legs tightly, to grab for the pajama bottoms that she knew were
hopelessly out of her grasp. But she saw the Hotaru now understood
what she meant. The nude catgirl moved forward on all fours, quickly
moving between ChibiUsa’s spread legs. The pink haired girl’s heart
crashed thunderously in her chest as she waited. She could see
Hotaru’s midnight black hair and her equally dark ears followed by
her beautiful ivory back that led all the way down to her dark tail
that swished rapidly back and forth over Hotaru’s flank. That was the
last thing she saw before she felt Hotaru’s hot breath on her, the
catgirl having finally reached her destination. The pink haired girl
rested her head back on her pillow, staring up at the roof as she
felt Hotaru’s nose brush past her small patch of pink hair. 
Hotaru was now running mostly on instinct, glad to let her animal
side take charge of herself for the time being. Her nose pushed into
her mistress’s soft pink hair, brushing the soft skin underneath. Her
ears perked up at the soft moan that elicited from her owner. Her
tail continued to dart back and forth as she leaned forward again,
her nose trailing downward across the hot skin. She was entirely
focussed on ChibiUsa, entranced by the situation she found herself
in. Her rough tongue began to trail along ChibiUsa’s soft petals the
same way she had trailed along her cheek not too long ago. She slowly
began to lick at the sweet skin, garnering more moans and movement
from the pink haired girl. She was so happy to be able to cause such
sounds from her mistress. She continued licking, her tongue moving
over ChibiUsa’s fingers as well as what lay between them. She
wrinkled her nose at the strange taste that replaced the salty taste
of ChibiUsa’s skin further up. After a moment, she began licking
further between her mistress’s fingers, enjoying the interesting new
taste. Her ears followed every moan, every sound that came from the
pink haired girl. ChibiUsa continued to shift along the bed,
squirming as Hotaru’s tongue continued along its path. Hotaru’s hands
rested on ChibiUsa’s warm thighs so she wouldn’t have to move around
as much to compensate for ChibiUsa’s movements. 
Breathing heavily, ChibiUsa’s fingers of her free hand buried into
Hotaru’s soft dark hair, narrowly missing one of her ears. “Hotaru-
chan!” she whimpered, her scarlet eyes closing tightly as she felt
Hotaru’s warm tongue against her most sacred of treasures. Hotaru’s
tongue continued to caress her, the catgirl eagerly sending the pink
haired girl into the heights of some distant heaven. “Hotaru-chan...”
Her toes curled up in the sheets underneath her, her bare skin still
meeting Hotaru’s warm tongue. ChibiUsa moaned louder as the catgirl
found her pearl, her tongue sending sparks through her entire body.
Hotaru licked at it more intently at the sound of her moans, barring
her sharp teeth against it. ChibiUsa’s hands gripped onto the sheets
as she moaned one last time, her muscles tensing up as her whole body
felt like it was on fire. She collapsed to the sheets a short time
later, breathing heavily and even more disheveled than when she had
first awakened. Hotaru crawled up next to her, still naked, and
curled against her side. ChibiUsa smiled softly as she wrapped her
arms around the catgirl. “Hotaru-chan...” she whispered softly,
kissing her pet with what little strength she still had. Hotaru
smiled back, watching her intently. ChibiUsa fell asleep to those
endless violet eyes and Hotaru’s warm purr. 

	ChibiUsa felt herself unable to concentrate at all during class
several days later. Her head lay against her cold desk as she school
day continued to drag on like molasses pouring slowly from a jar. Her
mind was a jumble of thoughts, all struggling for dominance in her
confused mind. The flurry of conflicting information was too much for
her, but she didn’t no how to deal with it all. She had lost interest
in Elios a short time ago, her crush disappearing as quickly as it
had appeared. She blamed it at first on the fickleness of such
things, but that didn’t exactly fit. Crushes had come and gone
before, but usually not with such sudden surety. Maybe she was just
becoming more mature, realizing when her feelings were merely the
product of an overactive teenage mind. Which was true in some way,
she now saw. Elios had been a nice guy and all, but not someone that
she could spend an eternity with. 
Which brought her to her next group of thoughts. Who did she want to
spend eternity with? That question produced a rather clear image, but
she quickly dismissed it, trying to keep her fear from overcoming her
panicked heart. ChibiUsa hadn’t ever had any interest in girls in the
first place, and this was infinitely more confusing than finding out
she was in love with one of the female members of the species. They
weren’t even of the same species. ‘How do you fall in love with your
pet cat?’ her mind asked for what had to be the thousandth time. And
once again she came up blank. 
	Her mind had been consumed with thoughts of the pale catgirl as of
late, drowning her in their intensity. She had tried to quell the
rising feelings at first, but they quickly became too much for her to
hold back. They bubbled up around the barriers she had set in place,
knocking them down as if they had never been there at all. The
growing warmth in her heart showed through in everything she did,
pouring forth whenever she was with her pet. What had at first
frightened her now merely confused her. She was trying to understand
just what had happened, where the distinction had been made. When had
friendship, the relationship between the pet and her mistress, turned
to love? And what did she say to Hotaru about it? This would have
been easier if she was younger. In her childlike innocence, she had
quickly come to decisions regarding matters of the heart, moving on a
pure and simple instinct that had always served her well. That same
instinct that bothered her whenever Hotaru would call her mistress.
She wasn’t just a pet. That’s what this all boiled down to. Hotaru
was far more than some simple object of amusement. She was ChibiUsa’s
best friend, something that she would have to be careful not to
mention around the possessive Ruruna and Naruru. And it wasn’t the
same as with Momoko. They could talk and she liked spending time with
the peach girl, but it was nowhere near as captivating as the
catgirl’s presence. 
	ChibiUsa tried to cloak her true feelings behind a happy façade
that dazzled most people. Hiding her feelings had always been second
nature. Her father was an important politician. She couldn’t be going
around like an open book. But often her heart would push off the
boundaries and restrictions she laid on it, pulling her in all sorts
of different directions. This had always been frustrating for her,
this contradictory force pulling her in two directions at once. It
sometimes left her feeling empty inside, struggling with the feelings
in her heart and the painting she tried to portray to the world. Did
any of her friends really know her at all? Hotaru did. Those sad eyes
saw deep inside of her, as if she could see directly into ChibiUsa’s
soul. The pink haired girl shuddered at the thought, remembering the
feeling of those endless violet orbs on her, asking why she lied so
much about how she felt. 
	It was with this dual nature that ChibiUsa found herself struggling
once again. The fact that Hotaru was her pet was becoming less and
less important. It seemed silly to use that as an excuse. That she
meant so much to her immediately nullified the little problem of
Hotaru being a catgirl. Her heart was beginning to shred through the
curtains that had hidden it, and it was difficult for her to maintain
any semblance of a mask in Hotaru’s presence. Instinct and rational
thought grappled in the recesses of her mind, struggling between
suppressing her feelings and following her heart. As was so often the
case, ChibiUsa’s instincts eventually came out on top. 
	Pink hair bobbed as ChibiUsa heard the bell ring. Finally! Grabbing
her bunny bookbag, she hurried out of class. She had things she
needed to do. She left her confusion at her desk, determined to see
where the path in her heart led.

	Papers surrounded Hotaru’s barely clad form as she sat on the floor
in ChibiUsa’s father’s room. She wasn’t supposed to be in there, but
she had grown curious. And, as the saying goes, curiosity killed the
cat. Hotaru had finally found it almost impossible to ignore the
dark, almost imposing room that she had normally avoided. She had to
find the answers. And there they were, in black and white in front of
her.
	It had started simply enough. That pleasant scent that signified
her mistress always had a strong affect on her. All of her senses
would come alert when it reached her nose, catlike instinct going
crazy. It worked well with the rest of the pink haired girl’s
presence to drive her completely crazy. It was something she enjoyed,
but a small thought had begun to nag at the back of her mind. She
knew that smell and that reaction from somewhere else. Well, not that
exact smell and not that exact reaction. There was something in
specific about ChibiUsa that got her heart pounding. But that tensing
of her muscles and that almost maddening thought to pounce on the
pink haired girl seemed familiar. She had finally come searching for
answers.
	The strange feelings weren’t the only reason she had gone looking
for proof to her suspicions. She had to ashamedly admit that she had
a more selfish reason. She was in love with her mistress. She knew
that now. Denial had set in stubbornly at first. Hotaru’s broken
heart had not wanted to allow herself to get hurt again after all of
the pain her life had afforded her. It had tried to escape that by
denying the feelings in her heart. ChibiUsa was her mistress, so of
course she was the most important thing to her. She was supposed to
feel strongly about her mistress. But that wasn’t the full truth.
Watching the pink haired girl while she slept, waiting anxiously
everyday for her to return home, wanting nothing more than to be with
her constantly, it all burned too brightly in her heart. Nothing she
had read could have prepared her for the tumultuous feelings that
sent her heart reeling. It wasn’t a happy realization by any means.
When she had discovered that she was in love with her mistress, she
had cried for many hours until her tears had finally given up on her
completely. Pain had wracked her lonely heart because she knew she
could never be with her mistress. They could never be together. She
would always be alone, watching her mistress from afar. She was only
her pet, after all. She was nothing more than her plaything. This was
her last hope, that perhaps she could prove that they could be
together, that she could be with her mistress always. Of course, she
wouldn’t be her mistress anymore if she was right, would she?
	The answer she had been searching for lay written on the paper in
front of her, painfully obvious yet carefully hidden. ChibiUsa was
not the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino. She was, in fact, not human
at all. She was a pet as well. Or at least, she had been. The
Tsukino’s had been devastated when their first daughter had died
during childbirth. Mrs. Tsukino couldn’t have any other children. The
couple so wanted a child, but they couldn’t have one of their own. So
they had purchased a very young pet, a pink haired bunnygirl. They
had her tail and ears surgically removed while she was still a baby
and had raised her as their own child. 
	The truth hadn’t been entirely surprising to Hotaru, though she had
wondered if she was hoping for the impossible. If ChibiUsa was a
bunnygirl, then it meant that they could be together. It meant that
if ChibiUsa did return her feelings as she suspected, it would be all
right for them to be in love. There wouldn’t be any social stigmas to
worry about if two pets were in love. She wasn’t just in love with
ChibiUsa because she was her mistress. Their love wasn’t forbidden.
This filled Hotaru with a profound sense of relief. The familiar
feeling finally had a memory attached to it. She had first seen a
bunnygirl back in a petshop. She had hissed at the girl and tried to
pounce on her, but she hadn’t been able to get out of her cage. So
part of ChibiUsa’s scent had alerted that catlike part of her mind to
the bunny aspect of her mistress. Her bare toes curled happily in the
carpet as she purred. Yes, she couldn’t wait to see ChibiUsa. She
would tell her everything and they would be together forever. She
hoped. Part of her was worried about the pink haired girl’s reaction
to it. What would she think? Would her heritage frighten her?
	The front door opened, alerting Hotaru to the return of her
mistress. Her heart pounded deafeningly in her chest as she held the
paper to her chest. She still wasn’t sure what to do. But she knew
she wanted to be with her mistress above all else. A strange scent
startled her out of her thoughts as the steps grew closer. That
didn’t smell like ChibiUsa. Her violet eyes shot towards the door as
ChibiUsa’s father entered the room. Her heart practically stopped. 
	“What the hell are you doing?” he asked in shock as he surveyed the
room. His daughter’s pet catgirl was sitting in the middle of some of
his most important papers, holding one tightly to a chest. Noticing
ChibiUsa’s fake birth certificate lying next to her bare leg, he felt
panic easing it’s way out from his stomach. He had gotten home early
and had decided to hurry home and get some rest after the recent late
nights he had been pulling. But he certainly hadn’t expected to see
this. ‘Calm down,’ he commanded himself. ‘Be rational. She’s only a
catgirl. She can’t read. She doesn’t know what any of it is. Just
scold her and hide those papers somewhere else.’
	Hotaru stared up at the graying politician with concern in her
violet eyes. She held the paper even tighter as he came forward.
Steeling her courage, the shy catgirl met his eyes. “She’s a
bunnygirl, isn’t she?” her soft voice whispered. His forward advance
stopped immediately. “She was a pet, wasn’t she?”
	“Oh my God...” Panic began to pump quicker through his body as he
stared at the catgirl, her deep violet eyes meeting his in curiosity.
He idly wondered if he was about to have a heart attack as his heart
beat furiously in his chest. “You can read..” This couldn’t happen.
Some damned catgirl couldn’t have found out his daughter’s dark,
dirty little secret. He would not let his entire career, his entire
reputation, his happy family get torn apart by some loathsome animal.
He could lose everything if this got out. His career would be hurt
beyond repair if it got out that his daughter was a bunnygirl. 
	Nodding slowly, Hotaru looked down at the paper in her arms. “You
never told her. You hid it from her so she wouldn’t know. And you let
her get a pet of her own. It’s almost ironic. A pet owning a pet.”
She smiled weakly, showing her fangs. To ChibiUsa’s father, she
looked like some hellish demon. “I understand. You just wanted to
protect her. But I have to tell her. She has to know who she is.”
	“Who.. Who the fuck are you to decide something like that..? You’re
just some damned pet... I’m her fucking father.. You have no right
telling her that.” His hands were shaking now, an irrational rage
building inside. How dare this cat come in and try to ruin his life?
How dare she exert power over him? She was only a pet. 
	Hotaru shook her head quickly, dark hair flying just above her bare
shoulders. “No, you don’t understand...” her quiet voice was barely
above a whisper. “I... I have to tell her.. She needs to know...
Because.. Because I love her. So she has to know that she’s a pet,
too..” Her violet eyes grew more focused as she stood up. She felt a
cold determination growing within her. She would be with the one she
loved. She would give her whole heart to ChibiUsa. But the only way
they could be together was if she told her who she really was. It was
the only way that her mistress could love her back, if she knew that
she was a pet.
	Blinding pain erupted through Hotaru as an insanely loud noise
filled her ears. An acrid smell filled her nostrils as she fell
backwards. Her eyes barely caught a glimpse of the gleaming metal
object in the man’s hands as she collapsed like a rag doll to the
floor. She felt as if the air had all been forced out of her in a
split second. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t catch her
breath as she lay panting on the floor, gasping fruitlessly. A
coppery taste invaded her mind as she began to cough uncontrollably.
Tears spilt down her cheeks as she kept trying to catch her breath.
What was happening? Why did her lungs burn so badly? She could dimly
hear him over her, angry words laced with venom assaulting her as she
lay helplessly on the floor. Her hand weakly grabbed at her chest
only to find her simple blouse soaked with blood. It continued to
poor out onto her shaking hand as her heart pumped desperately. He
had shot her through the lung and she was rapidly bleeding to death.
“ChibiUsa-sama...” her voice got out before breaking. Fire burnt
through her side as she felt his foot kick her in the ribs. 
	“You fucking bitch!! Do you think she’s going to save you? Do you
think that I’d let you ruin my life?! My career?! That I’d let you
come in and take my baby girl away from me?!” He ran a hand through
his graying hair as he tried to catch his breath. She couldn’t hurt
him anymore. The vicious demon lay dying on his bedroom floor. All he
would have to do now would be to get rid of her and this whole
painful episode would be over with. If ChibiUsa missed her pet cat,
he would just go buy her a new one. Preferably a deaf and mute one
this time. He heard the catgirl whimper his daughter’s name again on
the floor and drove his foot into her stomach, shutting her up. 
	Hotaru couldn’t see anymore, her vision finally fading out as she
lay on the floor. Her body still ached horribly, but it was becoming
distant, as if it were someone else’s pain. The room was gone, left
far behind. Her body was slowly starting to slip away as she came to
the dim realization that she was dying. Her heart cried out in
anguish as she found that ChibiUsa could not come to her rescue. No!
She didn’t want to die yet. She had wanted to die many other times in
her life, praying to be with her mother again, but she had a reason
to live this time. In her mind’s eye, she saw the pink haired girl,
smiling serenely, her arms behind her back. She had to live. She had
to see ChibiUsa again. Struggling to her knees, she coughed up more
blood onto the already soiled carpet. Yes, she would be with her
mistress. Forever. Despite the pain, she thought she might be able to
make it to her feet after all. This man would not stand in the way of
her heart. “Chi...” she got out weakly before another gunshot rang
out. Hotaru’s lifeless body fell in a heap on the floor.
	“Oh God!! Please no...” The politician turned at the sound of his
daughter’s voice. The gun fell from cold fingers, clattering to the
floor near the catgirl’s dead body. He reached out slowly, shaking
his head. He realized dimly that his fingers were shaking. “ChibiUsa-
chan, I... I had to... She was... She was going to destroy you, my
little girl...” his words came out shakily as he watched his daughter
hurry to Hotaru’s side.
	“Hotaru-chan!!! Hotaru-chan!!” ChibiUsa cried out helplessly. She
clutched onto the catgirl’s still warm body, holding it tightly
against herself, praying that she would move in her grasp. “Please...
Please say something.. Please do something... Anything!! Hotaru-
chan!!! No!! Don’t leave me like this!!! Say something!!!” she
demanded, shaking the girl in her arms. Hotaru lay limply against
her, unmoving. ChibiUsa burst out into fresh tears, sobbing
uncontrollably. “You can’t leave me... I.. I love you... I love you,
Hotaru-chan.. I said it.. You mean everything to me... So open your
eyes.. Oh please, just open your eyes.. I mean it.. I mean it with
all my heart.. I love you...” Her fingers clutched desperately onto
the pale girl’s skin as her body shook with each breath the pink
haired girl managed between sobs. Her skirt and blouse were now
soaked with blood, a stark contrast with how neat and clean they were
mere moments before. The flowers she had bought Hotaru lay near the
doorway, forgotten instantly as she had seen her fallen love. What
had happened? What had gone so horrendously wrong? She had finally
given in to the inevitable pull of her heart only to find the girl
that lay at the center of her heart dead in her father’s bedroom. Why
was this world so cruel? Why would it take such a gentle, shy spirit
away? 
Bitter tears fell down ChibiUsa’s cheeks, dripping onto Hotaru’s
pale cheeks as ChibiUsa cupped her chin, looking into her lifeless
violet eyes. “Hotaru-chan..” Her father was mumbling something, but
she couldn’t hear him. Her thoughts were too dashed to concentrate on
anything but the broken girl in front of her. “Hotaru-chan..?” she
asked again, her pink lashes throwing tears as she blinked them
furiously in an attempt to see through the burning veil they formed.
Her lover looked back at her blankly, vacantly. She wasn’t there
anymore. The spark inside of her that had been ChibiUsa’s pet catgirl
was gone, already having fled to somewhere far away. “I love you..”
ChibiUsa whispered as she began to cry hopelessly, hugging Hotaru
with all of her strength. 
“She was going to take you away from me, ChibiUsa-chan.. I had no
choice. I couldn’t let her take you away.. I couldn’t let her ruin
everything for us.. I’ll buy you a new catgirl.. I’ll let you get any
pet that you want.. All right, honey? You can get whatever you want..
She was just a pet anyway.. No big loss..” He turned to his daughter,
trying to concentrate. He hadn’t expected her to get home. He was
just going to tell her that Hotaru had run away, that she had simply
left when he had accidentally left the door open. But this made
things infinitely more complicated. His eyes caught on something
shiny as ChibiUsa reached out and wrapped her fingers around it. It
took a moment for it to click in his mind, the gun clicking back at
the same moment. “No..” he whispered breathlessly. 
The cold metal of the barrel pushed painfully past cotton candy pink
hair as ChibiUsa felt it bite into her skin. Her tears still fell
silently down her cheeks, but she wasn’t shaking anymore. She shifted
her other arm, holding Hotaru warmly against her. This was it. It was
over. She couldn’t live without Hotaru. That was part of what had
made her realize that she loved the catgirl. Her life was incomplete
without her. So she wouldn’t continue down life’s path alone. She
couldn’t. Even if her body lived, she was already dead. This life was
over. She felt the trigger tense under her finger as she pulled it.
It kicked in her hand and fell to the floor as she slumped against
Hotaru. She actually thought she heard the gunshot, but that couldn’t
possibly be true. She died the second she pulled the trigger.
Everything faded to black as she saw the roses lying discarded by the
door, her lifeless body leaning against Hotaru’s.
Hotaru’s smiling face and vibrant violet eyes greeted ChibiUsa as
gun smoke filled the air and two girls lay dead and entangled
together in a lover’s embrace back in a room far away.