Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Chasing the Moon ❯ Chapter Eleven ( Chapter 11 )

Chasing the Moon

 

NOTES: Thank you everyone for reading this so far. Unexpectedly, this story decided to alter its predetermined course on me and so I'm moving into "uncharted" territory. Things may be a little slow as far as updates considering the original 23 chapters I had all planned out are pretty much being scrapped. Things are becoming a bit more complex than I anticipated.... blame it on the betas.

 

Chapter 12 is being written, but don't expect it soon. With May coming up just next week and all the big movies coming out (Spiderman, Shrek, Pirates) work is gonna attempt to drown me. AND I'm housing sitting for two weeks and my brother is coming up for a week on military leave before he's likely to be shipped off in a few months. Point is, things are going to be getting a little crazy, but things are in the works.

 

Promise.

 

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Chapter 11: Prelude

 

 

Mamoru stood on his balcony and watched as the moon set gave way to the sunrise. He ignored the cool breeze drifting by his high-rise apartment despite his minimal attire.

 

Who are you? Why are you here? More questions about the new Senshi they had encountered several days ago circled his head. One question nagged at him incessantly, despite having no foundation.

 

How are you connected to Serenity?

 

The sun having now crested and sitting on the horizon during his internal deliberation, Mamoru turned to go inside. He grabbed a shirt at random and shrugged it on over his sleep attire as he walked into the kitchen and began to prepare for his day.

 

Several hours later he met up with Kunzite and Jadeite outside their University. After their usual good mornings Jadeite launched into his rant.

 

“Damn, Professor Zuko is impossible! She gave us two weeks to write our paper - two weeks - and it has to be a full 15 pages not including the citations plus we have to study for that exam next week too!” Jadeite panted a moment and Kunzite exchanged a look with Mamoru before they began to slowly inch away from their crazy-eyed companion. They left Jadeite ranting to empty air - not that he noticed in his full-steam-ahead mode - and hurried off to their business class.

 

Jadeite scrambled through the door just before the lecture began and gave his blank-faced friends a dirty scowl as he settled into his seat, promptly ignoring them for the rest of the hour.

 

Classes ended for the day and Jadeite was still in a sulky silence. Kunzite sighed mock-depressingly as he realized his flatmate would continue his tantrum even after they arrived at the suite he and the Shitennou shared. Mamoru merely laughed at his stoic friend, patting him on the back as he walked in the opposite direction.

 

Kunzite and Jadeite separated for their part time jobs and Mamoru walked into the Crown Arcade to catch up with his friend Motoki as he waited for the girls to get out of high school. He listened as Motoki chattered about the last couple of days - schoolwork, his job, Unazaki's newest boyfriend (of whom he hadn't met yet), his girlfriend Reika, the latest gossip about the Senshi and Shitennou. Mamoru hid a smile in his coffee mug as his friend rambled on about the Senshi.

 

The door chimed and Motoki called out a greeting and Mamoru turned at the familiar names.

 

A chorus of “hello, Mamoru-san” rang out as the group of girls caught sight of the dark-haired prince. Mamoru nodded and greeted each politely. The five girls settled into a booth in the back, Mamoru following a moment later after he refilled his mug. He settled next to a happily chatting Mina. Shortly after he had gotten comfortable, Zoisite and Nephrite walked in and made a beeline for the back booth. Ami stood up from her seat next to Makoto and allowed Nephrite to slide in next to his girlfriend before seating herself again, Zoisite sliding in after her.

 

“- got this really cute outfit for tonight. So is everyone looking forward to it?” Mina paused - for once - as she looked at everyone.

 

Rei smiled indulgently at the blonde before answering for everyone.

 

“Of course we are, Mina-chan. Who doesn't look forward to one of Michiru-san's concerts?”

 

Mina pouted at the priestess before starting her excited chatter again. After a few more minutes of Mina's ramblings and the various side conversations, the group of eight all got up and left the arcade to prepare for the evening.

 

“Don't forget,” Mina said softly before the group parted. “Tonight, after the concert. Gentlemen, will you be transporting?” To the unfamiliar, Mina seemed unusually serious, but the others knew better. The men nodded and everyone split up.

 

---------

 

Eos watched as Lana and Usagi darted between each other's bedrooms, trying to make the “perfect” outfit for tonight. She sighed, annoyed, as yet another wayward article was thrown on top of her. Did she look like a clothes hamper?

 

Whump.

 

“Bunny! Have you seen my gold-screened shirt?” Lana yelled from Usagi's bedroom.

 

“Don't think so. But I wouldn't recommend it, anyway!” Usagi yelled back from Lana's bedroom.

 

Lana rushed back to her bedroom, shirts and skirts and pants flying in her wake.

 

Whump!

 

Beneath the ever-growing mound, Eos developed an ear-and-tail twitch. As the pile grew heavier yet again, her whiskers and a paw began a counter-twitch. When air became a scarce commodity, she let out a roar worthy of a lion, and burst from the cavern of clothing. The sudden spray of clothing from the couch startled the two girls in midroom-dash, their startled shriek hidden beneath the roar. It was then that Haruka walked in. Haruka stopped and took stock of the situation: Usagi and Lana stood in the open hallway, hands clutching the other with startled and frightened expressions, clad in bras and bottoms; clothes everywhere and a few random pieces still falling; and Eos, panting heavily, tail straight out, fangs bared, fur standing on end, and growling violently enough to replace a vibrator.

 

Haruka blinked, took one look at the malicious gleam in the riled feline's eyes, and walked calmly into her room. The soft thunk and the click of the lock seemed to animate everyone in the room again. Eos let out another roar and leapt for the cowering girls who let out another set of shrieks and bolted for the closest room. They slammed the door shut, and then the door rattled with a loud thud. There was complete silence for a long shocked moment before the two girls burst into laughter.

 

From inside the safety of her room, Haruka shook her head as she adjusted the tie of her suit. Cracking open her door she could hear Eos yelling and ranting at the hiding pair, and the girls' muffled apologies and laughter. Opening her door a little wider, she yelled over the screams that she was leaving in 10 minutes with or without them. The announcement sent the girls into a rush of movement - and poor Ozzy once again became a casualty of fashion. Heaving a sigh, the cat resignedly crawled out and went to hide under the relative safety of the couch.

 

When the sounds of frantic dressing stopped, Eos and Haruka emerged from their respective sanctuaries; one covered in splotches of gray dust bunnies and the other in a masculinizing black dress shirt and pants, accented by a satin sky blue tie. Haruka caught sight of Eos's new gray patches and started poking fun at her. Lana and Usagi emerged from their respective bedrooms and stood amused at the sight of a small gray-speckled pink cat chasing around a tall fair-haired male.

 

“Haruka?” the two chorused in shock.

 

Haruka stopped and turned towards them with a smug smirk. Her smirk quickly turned into a grimace when Eos lunged and sank her claws into Haruka's ankles with a growl.

 

“Ow.” Harka looked down with a glare at the feline using her leg as an impromptu scratch post. “O-ow,” she said again, drawing out the sound. Eos ignored her. Haruka shook the cat-attached leg to no affect. At seeing Eos bounce around so, Lana and Usagi let out their suppressed giggles and Haruka transferred her glare to them.

 

Lana managed to control herself first and walked over to the pair. Carefully kneeling down in her ankle length skirt, Lana gently disengaged Eos's claws from Haruka's pants and ankles.

 

“Now, Oz-Oz, play nice,” Lana mock-lectured, wagging finger and all. “Besides, if you ruffle Ruka-chan, she'll have to straighten up and you know she takes forever and we're already gonna be late.” Eos pouted - as best as a cat could - but reluctantly disengaged her claws.

 

Eos settled down and then looked over her wards.

 

Usagi stood by the entrance hall, her hair shining like platinum under the lights. Her hair was put up in her typical twin buns, but her streamers had been braided and twisted around them into an elegant sort of crown, the excess hair streaming partway down her back in a silky veil. She wore a white, two piece pantsuit; a long sleeved mandarin-styled shirt with silver cording, her pants had wide legs that gave the illusion of a skirt shot through with silver thread that shone when the light caught them. Her makeup was minimal but dramatic: a dark gray eye shadow for a smoky eye effect and a pale pink satin sheen lipstick. Being limited in finances, she wore simple silver chandelier earrings that hit just below her chin and a silver beaded bracelet.

 

“You look lovely, Usagi,” Eos said proudly. Then she turned her attention to Lana who now stood several feet away, putting the finishing touches on her look.

 

Lana stood in front of the living room mirror, her reflection revealing that she wore a strapless, rosy pink gown that matched almost exactly the color of Eos's fur. The high cut of the bodice was offset by a gold ribbon along the hem and a low waistline that was marked by a gold-corded belt; the two ends of the belt fell to the hem of the skirt. Her black based shoes were clearly visible, as well as the rosy straps that kept them on her feet and a simple gold anklet. Her pink and red streaked blonde hair fell in curls and waves down her back, but was held off her face with concealed clips and bobby pins. Her makeup was a bright white eye shadow and a gold-sheen gloss. She wore no earrings, and a simple unadorned black ribbon as a choker.

 

“And you, Lana, look like quite the lady,” Eos commented.

 

“For once,” Haruka mumbled. At Lana's glare, she smiled innocently.

 

“Can we go now?” Usagi asked impatiently, her black-heeled boots tapping audibly.

 

Lana and Haruka laughed, gathered their coats, and met Usagi at the door. A quick “behave” at their Companion and the trio finally left for the concert.

 

“Peace and quite at last!” Eos cried joyfully. She leapt onto an armchair and settled for a nap.

 

Shortly afterward, banging and laughing and loud music could be clearly heard from the suite apartment across the hall.

 

Eos groaned and buried herself under a pile of clothes.

 

----------

 

Mamoru, the Senshi, and the Shitennou all milled around Michiru's backstage dressing room, waiting for the world-renowned violinist to return from the final curtain call. They had split into smaller groups, conversing quietly amongst each other. After a short wait, Michiru walked into the room and set down her violin in its case with a fond smile.

 

“Konba'wa, minna,” (1) she said politely as she bowed to everyone. “I hope you enjoyed the show?”

 

“Really, Michiru-san,” Mina sent her a jovial smile, “after we've known one another so long, there's no need to be so formal!”

 

Michiru gave a warmer smile at the blonde's words and the agreement of the others. Hotaru walked over and wrapped her small arms around Michiru's waist.

 

“You were beautiful, Michiru-mama,” Hotaru said as she snuggled into Michiru's embrace. She pulled back slightly and looked up. “Why was it sad?”

 

“Sad, Hotaru-chan?” Setsuna spoke up from the back.

 

“We thought her playing was moving as always,” Zoisite added.

 

Michiru smiled again. “If it was sad, Hota-koi, I did not intend it to be so. Now, if we are all still awake enough, shall - ”

 

A knock on the closed door diverted everyone's attention as silence abruptly descended.

 

“Kaioh-san?” a young girl's voice came from the other side of the door.

 

“Ah, come in, Teniko-san,” Michiru called out.

 

A small, lavender-haired girl who looked no older than 12, stumbled into the room with a large bouquet of bronze calla lilies and a smaller bunch of white jasmine blossoms.

 

“These are for you, Kaioh-san,” Teniko said, blushing as she noticed all the people in the room looking at her. She gently laid down the flowers, handed Michiru the card that came with them, and felt after a polite bow to the room's occupants.

 

After the door clicked shut, all the girls - even the shy Ami and more reserved Setsuna - burst into chatter about who sent the quiet and reserved musician the flowers. The men kept back as the girls `oohed' and `aahed' and caressed the flowers.

 

“You know,” Jadeite idly said to the others, “I think I'm actually jealous of the floral attention.”

 

“And how is that a surprise?” Mamoru commented dryly. Jadeite responded with an indignant `hey!'

 

Nephrite stepped in before Jadeite through a tantrum, with Zoisite and Kunzite quietly watching in amusement.

 

“So what does it say,” Nephrite called out to the entranced girls.

 

His comment caused another flurry of activity as Michiru was now being encouraged to open and read out loud the sender's note. Blushing, she opened it and read the note silently first. Her blush abruptly vanished and her normally fair complexion paled.

 

“What's wrong, Michiru-san?” Rei asked concernedly.

 

Michiru cleared her throat and read aloud.

 

“ `Greater than the Ocean's depths,

a simple token of affection from Heaven

who passes along greetings from the Day and Night.

Great expectations for your next performance.'”

 

Michiru put down the card next to the flowers. “There's more than Sailor Sun,” she murmured into the silence.

 

“I think it's time for that meeting now,” Mamoru suggested.

 

Everyone nodded, quietly gathered their belongings, and left. Michiru held tightly onto her violin and the flowers, an unfamiliar feeling tugging at her heart.

 

-------------

 

“Wow!” Usagi gushed. “That was incredible! She was just amazing!”

 

“I know!” Lana gushed too. “It was like you could see the music!”

 

“Like embracing the ocean,” Haruka added, crossing the room and removing her tie.

 

Usagi and Lana exchanged glances. Usa neatly hung her jacket and crossed over to Haruka standing in the moonlight streaming in from the window. She snaked her arms around Haruka's hips and leaned her cheek against the quiet racer's back.

 

“I know, Kaze-chan, I know.” Usagi tightened her embrace. “They're not ready. It's hard, I know, but it'd do more harm than good before the Trials.”

 

“They could fail,” Haruka countered sharply, fists clenching and body tensing further.

 

“Do you really believe that?” Usagi countered back softly. “They don't know what's coming, they're still… stuck in a rut, so to speak. We must have faith in them, Kaze-chan.” Usagi tightened her hug again. “We will watch and we will guide. We can even intervene to a point,” Usagi nuzzled her face into Haruka's slowly relaxing back now, her voice thickening. “We must believe they are strong enough.”

 

Haruka sighed and turned in Usagi's embrace, wrapping her arms around the petite blonde as she relaxed completely. Haruka met Lana's eyes over Usagi's head as Lana crossed the room to sandwich-hug Usagi.

 

“That which does not kill you, makes you stronger,” Lana whispered comfortingly. “They have a lot of strength in them to temper.”

 

The three blondes all sighed before letting a comfortable silence envelope them.

 

“Hey,” one of them said minutes later, “where'd Ozzy go?”

 

------------

 

“Sisters, assemble!” a tall, spiky haired man called from his place in the shadows.

 

Four women who bore little resemblance to each other - other than their eccentric taste in clothes - materialized together in the center of a large and mostly empty chamber. Surrounding them were a dozen black-surfaced mirrors, one of which the man stepped out from behind.

 

"Tell me, Sisters," the man began slowly, "how it is managed that a team of extensively studied weaklings could overcome one of your carefully crafted droids(2)?" His voice grew louder and faster with his agitation, black flames and shadows flickering around his frame. "They should not have been any hindrance to your conversions! So tell me why both droid and egg was destroyed by these nothings!"

 

Three of the Sisters cowered before him in the face of his wrath while the fourth gritted her teeth and tried not to look so afraid. One of the cowering Sisters, her long hair a dark lilac that matched the spiky tutu skirt she wore over a dark pink bodysuit, stepped forward hesitantly.

 

"What, Katzy?" the man snapped at her.

 

Katzy flinched at his tone but stood still.

 

"Rubeus, it wasn't our fault!" she whimpered.

 

"Yours, you mean," one of the others muttered scornfully.

 

"Shut up, Avery. You made them!" Katzy snapped back.

 

"Enough!" Rubeus roared. They all cowered more as his aura flared menacingly. "Katzy, you were supposed to stay and watch over the egg, to make sure nothing disturbed it while it rooted and buried. Your negligence lost His Majesty a valuable egg!" Rubeus raised a hand and allowed his aura to condense around it in black fire.

 

"No! They're here!" Katzy cried as she dropped to her knees and cowered defensively.

 

Rubeus paused and lowered his hand slowly, the fire still dancing around his fingers menacingly. Katzy, realizing nothing had happened yet, looked up into the calculating countenance of her leader.

 

"They defeated the droid, but it was a simple one, and then the egg hatched. They were losing, they were! Sailor Sun came out of nowhere though, and helped them. If it wasn't for her they'd be fertilizing claimed ground by now. I swear! And where that Sun-brat goes, the others are surely with her, too."

 

Rubeus remained silent and still for a long, drawn-out moment.

 

"Go!" he suddenly barked out at them.

 

The four women each fled to a dark-surfaced mirror closest to her, and at their touch each mirror suddenly reflected a different room before they fled through the mirrors' surface and they grew dark again. Standing alone in the Room of Mirrors, Rubeus touched his still-flaming hand to the mirror closest to him. Laying his hand flat on the glass, he let the fire engulf the surface and called out a name.

 

"Wiseman."

 

After a moment, his flames abruptly extinguished and an image not his own appeared in the mirror. The figure floated in darkness, a dark robe covering the body from head to seated feet, and only the masculine voice and decrepit hands gave hint to what lay beneath the concealment. The floating crystal orb that often accompanied it was absent. (AN: I am very insecure about my description of Wiseman, both here and further down, so suggestions and comments are much appreciated.)

 

"What is it, Rubeus?" the dark and chilling voice inquired emotionlessly.

 

"I was assured, Wiseman," Rubeus sneered, "that the senshi(3) of Tokyo were both weaker than the Trio and unprotected by them."

 

"That is correct. Their abilities have registered below the strengths of the three we had first encountered here on Earth. Infiltrating the energy spots here will be easier than those on the mirroring side of the planet. The three have no need to be here when Tokyo already has its own defenders. And they are preoccupied here, as well." Wiseman's neutral tone slid into boredom, as though he had reiterated this same speech to another often.

 

"Then please explain to me why one of them was encountered here!" Rubeus waved sharply at the opposite mirrors, which flared briefly with black flames, and began to replay the final moments of the recent battle. It started with the child-youma that had hatched from the disrupted egg and played through to Sailor Sun's intervention and the youma's eventual demise. "And where Sun is, the Moon follows," Rubeus paraphrased from the Sister, the images fading away.

 

Wiseman said nothing as his skin-distorted hands emerged from beneath his robes and the gray hued crystal ball appeared between them. Rubeus hid his cringe at the sight of Wiseman's light-rippling skin and avoided looking at the crystal ball entirely. There was something inherently disturbing about the sight of those unnatural hands intimately caressing the dead sphere.

 

"I will look into this," Wiseman said, a flicker of amusement in the voice before he faded quickly from the mirror. "Do nothing until instructed otherwise," came the disembodied voice dismissively.

 

Rubeus shook the hand that had touched the mirror disgustedly, sneered at the blank-faced glass, and then stalked away into the shadows.

 

-----

 

A man sat half concealed in shadow, his pale hair and clothes reflecting the dim light and appearing to glow on its own. He twirled a glass of red liquid lazily in one hand as he listened to a darker-looking young man reading a report.

 

"The egg we entrusted to Rubeus has been destroyed. The protective droid sent with it didn't collect enough energy to bury it completely and it hatched prematurely. The Nightmare inside it was unable to merge with the location and was destroyed after the droid. The site is now useless to us as a point of penetration and foundation." He paused and looked up from the report. "Prince, it was noted that Sailor Sun assisted the destruction of the premature hatchling."

 

The hand and liquid stilled.

 

"There has still been no sightings of Sailor Uranus for some time now and Sailor Crescent was not engaged in the recent fight. It could be they have all split up."

 

"Sun and Moon have an intricate relationship: one invariably follows the other," the seated prince commented almost absently. "Sailor Uranus may have met some outside... misfortune. We can only hope." He remained silent, but he began to swirl the liquid again.

 

"I shall refrain from sending more eggs then, until the situation is better evaluated?"

 

The silent prince gave a nod, then flicked his fingers dismissively. The young man bowed and then left his Prince to his shadows, drink, and thoughts. In his place, a faint image began to glow.

 

A shadowy woman kneeled gracefully on the floor, her every attribute seemed pale: skin, hair, gown. Her long hair pooled around her, her hands frozen in the motion of running through the strands, and glinting from her shadowed face was a golden upturned crescent moon sitting proudly upon her forehead.

 

-----

 

Usagi was having a nightmare; or rather, Usagi wished she was having a nightmare. The unpleasant dreamscape was based on reality, though, and it was a memory she wished she could forget.

 

The attacks had been gaining frequency and there still seemed to be no pattern to them. They were lucky to be on summer break because there was little chance the three of them could have remained awake in school. But this attack came during the day. Haruka had felt the intruder's presence most strongly since she was closest to the place, but Usagi and Lana - transformed into Sailors Crescent Moon and Sun, respectively - came quickly after Haruka specified the location. When they arrived they found Haruka already transformed into Sailor Uranus, but curiously she hadn't engaged in a fight yet; she motioned them to remain quiet.

 

Peering cautiously from their concealment, they saw why. The doll-like youma they had become familiar in fighting was doing nothing. In fact, it wasn't even disguised; the featureless sphere that was its head bore only a down-turned black crescent moon, its black and blocky body was vaguely male, and it was standing completely still. At its feet lay a large black egg which appeared to pulse regularly with a faint black light. Several feet from this doll and egg were two arguing women; one with long wavy hair in a pink bodysuit and purple spiky tutu, the other was slightly shorter and had white hair in a braid and wore what looked like a one piece blue swimsuit. They argued quietly until one got angry enough to start yelling. The argument became a shouting match that the three eavesdropping Senshi could clearly hear.

 

“The droid is supposed to gather energy to incubate the egg after we bury it,” the white haired one yelled as she pointed at the subjects.

 

“No,” the pink and purple one shouted back, “we give the droid an order, it buries the egg, and guards it while it rows inside the energy pocket. The droid keeps the egg from hatching too soon.” She stood to her superior height and looked clearly condescending. “We don't do anything besides give the droid the order to guard the egg and then leave.”

 

The three had heard enough and decided to make their presence known before the others had a chance to retaliate.

 

“That's enough!” Uranus shouted as she stepped out from behind a tree. “With the Heavenly Winds' mighty force, I shall eliminate all who threaten a clear sky with their dark intentions. Sailor Uranus!”

 

“The light of my Sun reveals all to me and no shadows can stand in my way. Sailor Sun!”

 

“Ever present at night or day, the Moon sees all; your evil plans will not be allowed and shall end on my edge. Sailor Crescent Moon!”

 

Sol and Crescent stepped out on opposite sides of the same tree.

 

“We will defeat you!” they all cried in unison.

 

The two women blanched and then shouted at one another again.

 

“You're older, Berty, do something,” the taller one yelled as she backed away.

 

“You're bigger, Katzy, you do something,” the white one retorted as she, too, stepped back. A black swirling portal opened behind her. “Buh-bye!” she cheered with a mocking wave and then vanished into the darkness.

 

Katzy paled further and then barked out at the immobile droid. “Vinella! Awake and use these bugs as fertilizer! Feed them to your seedling and make it strong!” Then she, too, disappeared through a black hole.

 

The battle with the plant-warped droid was long and tedious, but with no buildings or people to worry about they could be more aggressive. Crescent had stepped back for a breather and noticed the egg behind the youma had put down roots and was partially buried in the ground now. Knowing this could not be anything good, she rushed to attack the egg while the droid was preoccupied with her companions.

 

Usagi, still dreaming, heard herself screaming and tried to pull away.

 

`Don't touch it! Don't break it! Nooo!'

 

The rooted egg came apart easily and messily. The thick shell was surprisingly fragile and the internal liquid substance spread everywhere. When the egg came apart, so did the droid. Unlike the droid, which disintegrated soon after, the parts of the egg stuck to everything it touched. Soon after, it became acidic and began to spread. Crescent, who took the brunt of the gunk, had a short screaming fit before she was engulfed in the stuff.

 

Usagi fell into a darkness first, and then a battle scene.

 

“Princess!” A bloodied, orange and yellow Senshi grabbed her arm. “Princess, you should remain in the palace. It's not safe for you here!” The woman - Venus, her mind had whispered to her then - pushed her back to a large and still whole building.

 

The scene blurred and she was in darkness again.

 

What nightmares do you hold? A sibilant voice hissed from the black.

 

Then she was in the palace, this time more ruined.

 

“Serenity!” a familiar voice called.

 

Usagi turned to face a ragged Sailor Uranus. She looked around before realizing Uranus meant her. Uranus, too, looked around carefully as she stepped closer.

 

“Baby sister,” she whispered, “you should be inside. With Mother and Solanara.” The sound of crumbling stone and faint yelling caused Uranus to pull Usagi further into the palace. “It's important you all stay safe!”

 

“And you, Elder Sister?” Usagi heard herself say formally.

 

Uranus paused only long enough to give her a sardonic smile.

 

“I am recognized only as the child of Uranus, koneko(4), not the Moon. You know that. I love you all, but I belong out there with the others.”

 

But you are a child of Serenity, too, Usagi thought. The idea startled her, but not as much as the responding thought from Uranus.

 

And only Mother, sister, you and I know that. Only we can know that.

 

Somehow the two had come to an enclosed room without Usagi's notice. The doors opened at a touch and waiting inside was a fancily dressed Lana and a familiar woman; a woman with pale hair in twin buns-and-streamers and a gold moon on her forehead.

 

“My daughters,” Queen Serenity's musical voice was melancholic and resigned. “I love you all. Watch out for one another.”

 

Then there was a bright light that covered everything and Usagi in civilian form was staring up into the dazed and concerned faces of Sol and Uranus.

 

Sisters, her mind whispered, memories of another life flooding through.

 

We're here, she heard them chorus inside her head with amazement.

 

Usagi had sat up and all three burst into simultaneous tears and hugs and jumbled words as the memories poured through them.

 

In the early morning light Usagi came awake in her bed and held back her tears.

 

We're all right, she consoled he self. We're together again. We have each other. A tiny voice whispered that there should be others as well, but she quickly silenced it. We are Celestial.

 

With those dubiously reassuring thoughts, Usagi slipped into a quiet dreamless sleep, not acknowledging the voice that whispered things weren't supposed to happen like this.

 

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(1) Konban'wa, minna: "Good evening, everyone" - if my spelling & translations are accurate

(2) droids: in the manga, at least, the Black Moon did not transform others into monsters, but constructed dolls called 'droids' that they used as youmas instead.

(3) senshi: reiterating, capitalized indicates the Sailor Senshi, lower case includes the Shitennou and the Senshi because it means "fighter(s); warrior(s)" if my translations are correct

(4) koneko: kitten, one of Haruka's pet names for Usagi.

 

 

Thank you all for reading, and please leave a review!

 

Please let me know what you think of my attempts at humor in the beginning. I'm not really a humor-writer, since mine's a little skewed, so I'd very much appreciate any and every feedback about it!

 

Anyone itching for a good fic, go read Sparkling Moon Phoenix's works. Sailor Solaris: Hidden Destiny is an amazing original storyline and I just love the way she writes so I'm sure no one would be disappointed when reading! :bows head: I love reading, but I myself am not diligent about reviewing. >_<

 

Final note: I have made a Yahoo!Group (you can find it through my bio page) for anyone interested in looking. I've got some unseen works-in-slow-progress in the files, and I'm hoping to do a bit more reader-interaction with it. Adopt-a-bunnie, scene-requests, a reader's-contest and such things. I know it's something that'll probably take up email space, but yahoo registration is free and doesn't require a yahoo email at least, and I'd really like to see my reader's interact with each other and myself. Who knows, you could influence this and/or future stories. Anyway, I'd like to see people join, but don't feel you have to.