She had been putting it off for far too long, and while the going was good and she was still recovering, Super Sailor Tsui figured that now was the best time to investigate her own homeworld of Tsui. It was all Kallichore’s fault, but she couldn’t really be angry with her friend for igniting her curiosity and getting the ball rolling in visiting the constellation, her home of the past, as she had been putting it off for far too long now. Besides, she needed to know what the connection was between Kallichore the moon and Tsui of the past, and perhaps the answer would lie on the surface of the main star of Tsui, Delta Andromadae, whatever that may have entailed. Unlike visiting Kallichore, a satellite, or even the Moon itself, Delta Andromadae was a star, a giant, burning ball of gas, connected to two OTHER stars, all part of a larger constellation called Baihu, or White Tiger. Who does one step on the surface of a star?

Well, besides burning up before even reaching a close enough distance to realize what the hell was going on. The very thought had frightened Tsui, despite the knowledge of knowing it would not, or could not, harm her, as she had managed to live there in the past. If the Super Sailor Tsui of the past could walk on either of the three stars that made up the constellation, than she could do the same now!

“Well, it’s now or never,” Super Sailor Tsui said to herself, as she stood on the same roof top that she and Kallichore had trained and then later departed for the moon of Kallichore, though now she stood alone. She had wanted to invite Kallichore along with her (for emotional support, of course, as well as simply wanting to include her friend just as her friend had included her), but she felt that she had to do this alone. She had to see what her home constellation was like before bringing any passengers along, on the off chance that it was uninhabitable and she died within seconds of making it to her home. No need to kill others along with her, Tsui thought with a morbid grin, and she prepared herself to enter the tiger’s den (or, in her case, the Turtle’s Beak constellation), raising her phone and trying to concentrate. “If one seeks the cub, one must go into the tiger’s den.”

The first one to have spoken those words was an ancient Chinese general during the Three Kingdoms era, named Lu Meng of the Kingdom of Wu, a nation by the Sun Family who were said to be represented by tigers. How fitting that the quote would come to mind now, as she felt a calm overtake her as she rose her Senshi cellphone higher. She could feel the same vertigo take her and pull her off of her feet, but she dared not close her eyes this time. She wanted to see everything, absorb everything, and despite her best efforts, she was forced to slam her eyes close when a bright, blinding light shone above and then consumed her. This was it! She was going straight for Delta Andromadae! She’d fry for sure!

“What a way to go... in a literal blaze of glory!” Tsui said aloud to herself, preparing her body for the flames to consume her, but there were no flames, no more blinding light, but there was a humid heat all around. The air was thick from it and almost edible to Tsui, as she breathed in and out a few times to realize that, though thick, the air was quite breathable. She opened her eyes and found herself in what she and Kallichore half anticipated she’d be in once she made it to Tsui, a jungle. “Tigers live in jungles... seems legit.”

It were as though she had stepped foot into the movie set of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Tsui risked a few bold steps forward to take in her surroundings, wondering how it was possible for a star, a constellation of stars, could hold such a luscious jungle; perhaps she wasn’t on Delta Andromedae after all, but a planet or satellite circling the star? That would make a lot of sense... it was a rather foolish thought to think it possible to walk on a burning sta, despite being a Sailor Senshi. The jungle seemed overgrown, wild, out of control, and she suspected that there was life as she could hear birds calling, insects making an awful racket as well, which likely meant that there were bigger predators to feast on the birds and insects. “Bigger predators could mean a bigger problem to deal with, so I best keep on my toes. Or else the hunter may become the hunted.”

And Tsui had no intention of allowing that to happen, so she moved about quietly and slowly, trying to keep an eye on her surroundings but also for any sign of an intelligent civilization or the remains of one (if Tsui had the same fate as so many other homeworlds during the Sailor Wars.) Perhaps a stone or a pillar that would lead to a temple or a village? Or, if her home constellation wanted to be helpful, perhaps send her a vision, but given how helpful Kallichore the moon had been for her friend, she certainly wasn’t expecting any assistance from Tsui or Delta Andromedae.

She certainly wasn’t expecting a low growl to be heard coming from behind her, either, and she immediately looked back at the predator that had successfully caught up with her. Yet, there was nothing there, or at least, nothing she could immediately see, and that actually struck a chord of fear within the normally brave Tiger Senshi. She stepped closer to the bushes but she still couldn’t see anything, and no sooner did she pull her full attention in that area did she hear a growl come from behind her again, followed by the snapping of a twig, letting her know that whatever was behind her was huge. “And let me guess, you won’t even be there when I turn around?”

She spun about in a fluid motion but she was proven wrong, and a pair of bright blue eyes peered at her through the darkness of the foliage, giving her a warning before opening its mouth and revealing two rows of razor sharp teeth, followed by a deep, feral roar. Tsui felt her courage abandon her, but only for a brief second. She had openly challenged the Negaverse Generals Benitoite and Painite, and even stood her own against the General-King Zinkenite, and she was going to cower before an animal on HER homeworld?

Unlikely!

It gave another growl, followed by a mighty roar, and Tsui returned the gesture with gusto. “I’m Super Sailor Tsui, the proud Senshi of Tigers and warrior of the White Moon Court!” Tsui growled right back, her words as strong as her fists would have been, and her stance was firm, either too brave or too stupid to be afraid and back down. And she even dared a step closer, as though to openly challenge the opponent. “This is -my- home, and you will show me respect! Now, show yourself!”

The beast had remained silent for a moment, and for Tsui, the silence was more unnerving and intimidating to her than the feral growls, as it was hard to predict what its next move would be. Would it pounce and she’d be forced to defend herself or flee? Would it reveal itself from the foliage and welcome her home? Or would it merely snort in her general direction and stalk away, as it was doing now? No, Tsui was certainly not expecting that, and her eyes caught sight of a familiar looking striped tail as the creature turned around and stalked away. This would have relieved a normal or more timid person, but Tsui was neither normal nor meek. Not by any stretch of the world. This insulted... this infuriated her! She called back to it and actually gave chase, hell bent on both seeing the creature in full and stressing the point that she was trying to get across. “Excuse me, but that is extremely rude! Don’t you know who you’re turning your back on? Don’t you know who I am? I am Super Sailor Tsui!”

But the beast did not stop or slow down; if anything, it flew into an all out run, and Tsui was an athletic person, very fit in both from her gymnastic training and her nightly Senshi duties, but she could not deny the creature’s speed, as it was practically gliding through the foliage. Running on all four legs certainly gave the creature the speed advantage and despite Tsui’s speech, it had the home advantage and knowledge of terrain working in its favor. But that didn’t stop Tsui. Tsui kept after it, despite the growing distance between them, or the branches and bushes that smacked against her upper body, chest and face, as she was pushed on by her determination and pure stubborn nature. Where was this creature going? Would it leader her, like the visions on Kallichore? Could it be her home constellation trying to guide her? If so, then what choice did she had but to follow? ’I must know the connection between Tsui and Kallichore! And this beast will show me!’

And yet, the creature had managed to outsmart Tsui (in hindsight, not a truly difficult task if one truly knew Tsui). It had taken a sudden turn and disappeared through a vine bush, and Tsui figured she’d try to catch the creature midway, leaping into the foliage to her left to cut off its retreat, but there was no ground for her boots to land on. She saw her death coming in the most brutal way imaginable and of course fate would once again mock her by throwing her off a cliff. Though, this cliff was more like a bluff, much to Tsui’s relief, as the angle of the slope allowed for the Tiger senshi to tuck down and roll, saving herself from the threat of an immediate injury or death. After a few rolls and a few colorful metaphors, Tsui eventually collided with a tree but thankfully she was only left dazed, and she fought against the dizzy spell and her freshly bruised ego to get a bearing on her new surroundings. Worst case scenario, she had tumbled into a pit full of the striped creatures and would now become their next meal. Yet, there were no animals in sight, but to Tsui delight and confusion. There was, however, in the short distance, a worn down temple, overgrown with vines and other plant life, and the sight of it was enough to wipe away the humiliating rough and tumble excursion she was forced to endure. “Well... what do you know? Maybe Tsui was being nice and guiding me... speaking of, where did it go?”

Tsui pulled herself up to her feet and actually climbed the tree that she had rammed into to get a good look around to see where the striped creature had gone. She was certain that it was guiding her to this temple in its own fashion and she wanted to thank it, as well as get a good look at it, and to her surprise, she could see the creature at the very top of the bluff. Her suspicions were confirmed, and once she got a good look at it, she felt foolish to have not thought of it before. It was a white tiger! Of course, what better guide than the animal of her sphere? It peered down at her with bright, but familiar blue eyes, and there was an intelligence behind it, as it had bowed its head and faded away into the jungles once more, as though it had served its purpose.

“Thank you! Though, you could have been a little friendlier about it!” Tsui called back to the beast that seemed to have merged into the jungle, but her train of thought came to a crashing end when the tree she was standing on had suddenly snapped and sent her tumbling again. This time, however, Tsui was able to catch her footing and had managed to make it to the bottom both in one piece and on both feet this time around. No, Tsui wasn’t going to be caught with her britches down a second time on this trip, and without wasting time, she made her way towards the temple, her mind whirling with so many thoughts at once. What would be inside of the temple? Was there even a way to get inside, or would that be another test for her to pass? Perhaps her home constellation was testing her, as it seemed that no matter how far she walked, she didn’t seem to be getting any closer to the temple. How much time had passed? Her legs were getting heavy, her chest was starting to burn, and she could feel exhaustion creeping up on her, but she pushed herself to go just a little further. Just a little further, surely she’d make it to the temple...

’The tiger’s den is inaccessible, traveler.’ The booming voice that came was loud and sudden, and Tsui could not help but slam her hands over her ears, though that did nothing to blow out the howling roars she heard in those words. Who was talking to her? How? Was it her constellation? Three blue orbs shone in the distance from where the temple laid, growing closer and brighter, forcing Tsui to squint and bring a hand over her face as it threatened to consume her. What the hell was happening?! ’Your stripes are too new and lay on the surface but do not penetrate the skin beneath. Leave now... return when they have been seared into your very soul!’

“Stripes... but... I just EARNED my stripes?! What do you mean, seared into my soul? Who are you?” Like earlier, Tsui had dared to challenge that mysterious voice, but there was nothing she could do this time. Whatever it was, it wasn’t joking, and when the light had consumed her, Tsui could feel the pull of vertigo bringing her back to Earth. She didn’t go quietly, though... that simply wasn’t Tsui’s style. “NO! I... want to see what’s in that temple! I want to know what connection Kallichore and I have! DAMMIT! DON’T YOU DARE SEND ME BACK!”

It not only dared, but it delivered, and Tsui wasn’t too surprised to not only find herself back on the same rooftop, but a neighbor yelling out of their window. “It’s ten at night and my kids are trying to sleep! Stop your caterwauling, you drunk hoodlum, and go to sleep, or I’ll call the cops!”

Tsui could barely contain the rage within her, but it took every ounce of her considerable free will to not walk to that edge and give him a piece of her mind. No, the Senshi of the White Moon Court already had a bad reputation and she didn’t need to throw more fuel into the fire. So, instead, Tsui glared back up at the sky and spat, moving off of the roof and making the short trek home to try to figure out what the mysterious voice had meant. “Whatever... next time I’ll bring Kallichore, and the two of us are going to beat down the door with our own fists if we have to!”

It was never a threat, but a promise with Tsui.

(Word Count: 262 cool