Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Where the Sky meets the Ocean ❯ Depart Uranus ( Chapter 1 )

A warm wind carried the new days sunlight into the lofty bedroom, filling the sheer curtains hanging over the cut out windows and doors, billowing the sheets crowning the four-poster. The golden rays slowly mounting intensity as the sun drew nearer, washing over the limestone castle, carved right into the side of a stand of ancient mountains, wheat colored stone in the summer light, though in the winter the caps freeze over and mimic the color of the stars speckled across a crisp night sky. In the sky-kissed palace, in the amber drenched room, in the four-posted bed with gilded bed sheets lay a warrior. Lightly tanned flesh covered sleek muscles and experienced defense mechanisms, stretching and churning with the movements of the host.

Tossing and turning in an effort to awaken, only to flop back down and sigh in frustration, perhaps at the confusing dreams, could be at the soreness in her limbs, most likely at the cold empty space to her right. Finally she sat straight up and stared at it, willing it to be occupied by someone who cared for her, but despite all of her frivolous wishes on shooting stars, and visits to the tarot reader who said a lover was in store any day, it remained bare. Extra pillows with gold satin cases sat lifeless on that right side of the bed, a nightstand stood timeless and ready to receive a master, all of which the lonely woman cleaned and cared for day after day in the hope that there would be someone to use them.

Balling up her loneliness and chucking it into a sigh, she slipped out of bed and padded across the warm rock and lazy rugs to her dresser. Her favorite mat underfoot, the one with the dragon woven in navy and gold, she opened the large oaken cabinet and briefly scanned the inhabitants before pulling out some loose black bellbottoms and sun colored tunic. She stretched her arms up over her head and let out a lion-like yawn, and then rubbed the sleep from her eyes on her way to her own nightstand. A gold belt encrusted with topaz and onyx found its way around her middle, her neck became encircled by the Uranus sigil on a gilded chain, an earring and hair brushing later she was out on the balcony.

A summer breeze kissed her closed eyelids and grinning cheeks while she greeted the day with opened arms and glorious heart. Whatever work she had done on her short blonde hair was blown to pieces by the playful gale, whipping it around her ears, across her forehead, tickling the back of her neck. An odd bellow chimed in the distance, drawing her attention out across a sea of clouds. Sunlight slanted, reflecting, shimmering across nightshade scales, mingled beams of amber and lapis swooping on enormous wings. Ivory talon and indigo mane in flights refrain did glisten bellow rumbling again across the valley of cumulus.

Her face lit up with glee at the sight of her favorite dragon, and on impulse she brought her fingers to her lips and let out a shrill whistle. Upon hearing his mistress, the wyrm reared up, only to plunge beneath the cloud sheet, and after a few moments he emerged off to the left of the balcony. Haruka pounced up onto the railing, spread her arms out like wings, and closed her eyes as the free fall took her. Her entire gut lurched and churned from the motion while tears streamed from her tightly closed eyes, flowing into her swirling hair. The fabric of the tunic spilling out behind her, flared legs flapping against her bare feet. Kicking out of her bliss in time to grasp the shoulders of the drake and fasten her knees around his spine and straddling it tightly as he rocked forward for another nosedive.

A flurry of bubbles and ripples cascade outward from where she resurfaced in the pool. Droplets sprayed from her hair and lips, forming rivers of crystal clear running down the ridges in her skin, in the grooves of sleek muscle and ridges of her bones. With a quick stroke she was gliding on her back through the center of the pool to the eastern edge, smooth valleys in her wake. Upon reaching the marble edge, she hoisted herself out and onto the deck in one fluid pull and gracefully strode over to retrieve her sea colored robe off of a nearby boulder. With every step she could feel the planets pulse deep under the floor, a constant reminder of how far beneath the surface she was.

She walked silently through the dim lit halls, carved out of the subterranean rock, adorned with shells and paintings, with water dripping constantly from crystal coated stalagmites into ornately carved pillars to pool. They would fill up with the mineral rich water, which maids would collect and filter out to make salts for the bath and the kitchen. Occurring naturally in jade and amber colors, the droplets were augmented by the eerie teal florescent gems set into the walls for lighting. There were also lanterns mounted in between the larger jewels, but the overall light was very low at that level of the fortress.

As she walked up a few ramps, winding through the maze-like structure, the brightness became noticeable in comparison, and by the time she reached her room, only one level below the surface, it was about equivalent to a night full of moonshine and starlight on a snow covered plain. Which there were plenty of in other parts of Neptune, farther to the north there were great expanses of tundra mixed into the constant ocean, filled with perilous icebergs. To the south it was no warmer, but the swiftness of the deep currents kept the surface from forming sheets.

Because now there was enough light to see them, grand tapestries and paintings of watercolor decorated the corridors, depicting scenes of great adventures in the icy lands to the north, and miraculous journeys by sea. Sprawling murals of sea serpent slayers, unbelievable creatures discovered in the depths, beautiful maidens dancing for the ocean goddess. Having seen them so many times before, she only glanced before taking out a small silver key and unlocking the door to her chamber and shutting it on reaching the inside. Sighing as she slipped out of now soaking robe, and putting in a special cabinet set in the wall next to the hearth, which was always burning dull sea colored flame with the special oil harvested from the glands of sea serpents, which makes extremely long lasting fuel.

When still in the body of the beast it acts to retain heat, and will not ignite because the very scales and flesh of it act as a retardant. Shaking the water from her hair, she reached onto her dresser for a special beach plant extract to make it dry, and keep it strong. Michiru slipped into the customary robes of a priestess of the sea, and took her silver pentacle with a perfect pearl in the center out of the jewelry box. Looking in the mirror at her lonesome reflection, a lone tear strayed down her gentle cheekbones, curving to meet her jaw and dropping idly onto the warm stone as she fastened the amulet. Moving silently out the door and locking it behind, she headed down the lifeless hall toward the temple chamber.

The huge oak doors of the great chamber swung open, and in walked a pant wracked, sweat soaked Haruka. All of the eyes were fixed upon her adrenaline drenched form, shaking and begging for air she gave her most respectful bow, and stumbled down the golden carpet that led to her seat at the head of the room, to the right of the empress, who was to the right of the emperor. They were, however, not her parents, and she was no princess, but more a guardian of the planet, a third in command. Yet, she never desired power or authority, and her satisfaction never came from protecting or guiding the people, but serving the planet and working with her dragons. She simply wasn't a people person.

She did her very best to pay attention as the meeting was called to order, and the members of the council debated several mundane local issues, but she inevitably drifted off in a daydream. No longer was she seated in the vast council hall on Uranus, but flying with a dragon through the cosmos to a far off planet, simple and blue. Swirls of cloud coated the distant sphere, giving a feeling of movement and mystery. As she drew closer, great expanses of grayish ice came into view, and the lines of the blue ocean became more defined. Just as her dream spirit was entering the atmosphere, the empress snapped her attention back to the issue at hand, which of course had shifted since she was last listening. The empress just shook her head, and went on to repeat that several abrupt negotiations had taken place since the last meeting. To enforce the long standing alliance that had deteriorated over the last few decades, the High Priest of Neptune has proposed his finest disciple and Uranus's greatest warrior get to know each other, and hopefully become close friends.

It was arranged that Haruka be sent to the watery planet for the next half year, and in a display of trust, bring the priestess back to Uranus for the remainder of this year to reseal the bond between the two planets. Each would spend their time learning about the other's way of life, and report back to their council and so forth. The empress's explanation was minimal at best, as though there were a lot of details excluded and a handful of political reasons beyond what was said, but she didn't much care as long as it got her away from this place. She needed an adventure, an opportunity, and its true she was very excited about the idea but the magnitude of her situation had long to set in. Still in her dreamy daze, she asked with only moderate interest when she would be leaving for this journey of diplomacy, and this answer finally brought her into the light of reality.

Tonight, tonight she would be taken from her home and sent to an alien world, to befriend some crazy religious nut to appease her people. Her head was spinning with questions that had no answers, and confusion that couldn't be soothed. So little time, so little time to think, or act, or even breathe. She decided to focus on that for now. As her pulse began to lessen in its erratic struggle, she glanced around the room at all the stone cold faces of the council, twisted men with ancient faces and cynical ambitions, no consolation, pity, or concern of any kind was to be found on any one of them. The tapestries on the walls of dragons, and knights, and beautiful sunsets all turned to a dead dusty color in her eyes, cold and forsaken. Walls of empty stone and wind, lacking all substance, came to resemble her sunken heart, stomach churning, fear driving away all coherent thought, she still couldn't breathe and for several moments she thought about not even trying. But eventually reality came into full focus, and the excitement cancelled out some of the disbelief and anguish.

So she nodded her head, and they applauded in approval, and sent her off to pack her belongings. Dragging her feat and spirit down the airy hall back to her room, a few empty tears of confusion trailed down and fell behind her on the ripe peach carpet. Shivers racked her frail body as she walked in and sat on her bed, speechless, breathless, streaming tears of lifeless hate as she stared at the empty space in the bed that might never be filled. With every passing thought she grew paler, and she desperately tried to will herself up to begin packing, to distract herself, but her legs refused all logic she attempted to muster. As the minute passed, slowly but surely, a tiny fraction of a bit at a time the light was fading, and the end drew nearer to sucking her in.

Finally her mind and emotion shut down completely and raw instinct got her up to put her few belongings in the chest by the wall. It had been her fathers, before he was killed in a battle; they never really explained it at all, claiming she was too young to understand when she knew perfectly well she'd been lied to all along on the matter. They wanted to be rid of him, he was a threat to their comfort, they only kept her on the council to keep anyone else from suspecting the dead obvious. And now they were finally getting around to offing her as well, sending her away to some colony of human sacrificing priests, or maybe they aren't completely psycho and they just accidentally let her drown. Crazy nightmarish scenes of torture and death flashed across her eyes as she packed away her clothes in the chest, then she moved to get her mothers jewelry. She too, had mysteriously disappeared when Haruka was only seven. Sighing, and shaking her head vigorously to ward off the bad images, she moved to the locked drawer at the bottom of the dresser, and carefully inserted a small golden key.

Inside laid a sword, gilded and inlaid with crystals of wondrous luster, and the blade was sharp and flawless. It had been her father's most treasured heirloom, though he never got the chance to hand it down himself. She had discovered it in his bedroom, and kept it hidden from her foster royalty and their unforgiving minions. It was always very special to her, giving her great comfort and relief knowing that if the monsters beneath her bed ever decided to crawl out, she could run to the drawer to unveil its radiance, and scare them all away. This was the case several years ago; anyway, now she felt safe knowing that if any of the council members tried anything funny she could whip it out and slice them into bite sized shreds.

Every day since she realized her vulnerability, she trained with the saber in secret, practicing the dips and thrusts she observed the other soldiers using when play fighting. Swordplay and dragon riding were her two main defenses she kept tucked away for her parents murderers, but there were plenty of techniques she displayed out in the open, boxing with the off duty guards, exercising and meditating at all hours and all regions of the palace. Though theses displays were thought to support her civic duty, her career track was just a side thought. Her mind was on strength and vengeance, and it was this devotion that kept her opposition at bay for so long, but they had her pinned this time.

After admiring the artifact for several minutes, she sighed again and nestled it between the folds of her nightclothes. A layer of cloaks followed, then her collection of dragon claws and fangs, but as there were a great number of them she could only take those very most important to her, like the last baby tooth of her favorite drake, the one that caused her to be late to council. A sleek, sharp talon followed suit, one she had taken from a dragoness whose clutch was destroyed, and in her sadness she impaled herself upon the jagged mountainside. Her tail, menacing crimson and intricately shaped went also, and a beautiful jade colored scale that was discovered in a cave not far from hers. Most of the treasure discovered in a raid of the alpha males cave while he was away courting had to be left behind, but she took a number of old coins and her prized gold chain mail, which she had taken to be appraised at pawn shop deep in the lower city, and it was found to be worth five thousand silver pieces. But she had no use for the money, and decided to keep it as a trophy. Lastly of the dragon cash she took a vial of fine crystal, etched with a glorious wyrm in flight, filled with deep scarlet dragon blood, a hundred years old at least. After staring at the liquid for a time, she set it next to her stuffed golden dragon her mother had made when she was just a child and locked the chest up tight. With a mighty heave it was in her arms, and being escorted through the windy doorway…