Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi (I think thats how you spell it), and
Auriel is owned by AngelKate, so no sueing, please....and dont use Auriel for
making money, shes not yours.
The Solar Sailor
Chapter One: Mental Building Blocks
Cracks ran from the tips of her fingers, spider-webbing
across the hard packed earth. Scorching heat radiated from the
ground, burning her hands, causing her to cry out in pain. Moaning,
she dropped fully to the ground, arms crossed in front of her face,
protecting it. Her auburn hair whipped in the gale, blinding her. All
was lost, the Earth was dying, the Gods had made it so.
"Auriel!" The voice echoed through the deafening valley,
strengthening her, and reviving her resolve. Her Princess needed her;
she must fight, or die trying. Grunting with the effort that moving
cost her, Auriel rose, shaking like newborn foal against the damning
desert wind, her golden skirt slapping against her legs, raising
her head proudly in defiance of the hideous beast.
The High Speech tantalized her tongue, she faced the oncoming
force, and retaliated. "I am the one and only Solar Sailor! I stand
for Life, Fate, and Destiny; and I see your destiny is interlocked
forever with mine! Solar Flare Obscure!"
Powering up, a bolt of white heat shot from her golden
interlocked hands poised in front of her heart, cutting through the
short space that separated her and the revolting creature, stunning
it long enough for one of it's tentacles to drop two of the Sailor
Scouts. Mars and Jupiter rolled as they hit the ground, gracefully
coming to their feet, posed to begin the battle anew.
The creature tightened its hold on Princess Serenity and Sailors
Venus and Mercury. They moaned in pain, and Jupiter passed out, one
arm dangling limply from the octopus' slimy grip.
Seeing that, Mars screamed with frustration and rage. Powering
up, she clasped her red gloved hands together, and shrieked her
ancient warrior chant at the top of her lungs.
"Mars Fireball Ignite!" A direct hit! The ghastly thing let out
a long deafening wail. It reverberated through the valley, on and on,
growing louder with each passing second. Oh my Gods, my head, make it
stop!
Sailor Mars clasped her hands to her ears, and dropped to the ground.
Sailor Jupiter turned to Auriel, her hands turning white from the
pressure of holding them so tightly to her ears, "Turn it off, Auriel!
Turn it off!" Auriel looked at her bewildered. How could she stop the
creature's screeching?
* * * * * * * * * * *
Auriel awoke with a start, her head pounding, her ears still echoing
with the creature's keening wail. She was no longer dreaming, why
wasn't the sound gone? It screamed right by her ear. She blundered
for it, and grabbed her alarm clock, ripping it from the wall. It was
launched across the room as hard as she could throw it, bouncing
off the far wall and landing with a feeble clang on the floor. Ah,
blessed silence! She settled back in to her downy soft bedcovers;
flicking her red hair out of her amber eyes, smoothing the comforter
across her chest, then languorously stretching as the early morning
rays caught in her crystal dream-catcher and refracted, sending mini
rainbows to paint the walls and ceiling of her attic bedroom. I love
the sunrise. So peaceful, everyone's asleep and the world feels like
it belongs to me alone. Man, wouldn't that be nice? No one in the
world but my dreams and me? Dreams, don't they mean something?
Like the one I just had? Humph, if I told Mom about these reoccurring
nightmares, she'd probably just say that I've been watching too many
Sailor V movies, or ate something that didn't agree with me before
I went to bed. Heck, a month ago, I'd have agreed with her, but since
I've been having them every night, maybe I need to go see a
professional or something. A shrink or a doctor could probably help
me with these dreams. I don't know, maybe that isn't such a wonderful
idea, cause if I do that then Jacob; the Wicked Stepfather from the
West, might try to have me committed again. Still, what a strange
dream, the Sailor Scouts and me. What I wouldn't give to be a hero,
just once... With the sun warming her face, Auriel drifted back in to
a deep sleep.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Oh Luna," Serana whined, "why do we have to have Sailor business
at the crack of dawn? It's a holiday, can't we sleep in?" She
collapsed dramatically on to the steps in front of the temple next to
a yawning Mina, and a gritty-eyed Lita. "Serena," Luna admonished,
"you must start taking this Sailor thing more seriously. I know you
have done a lot of growing up in the past three years, all of the
scouts have, but this is important. The Negaverse has been vanquished,
the Wiseman conquered, and Galexia gone, but that does not mean that
the forces of evil will give up on this dimension. "There are things
in this universe even Queen Serenity would cringe from facing. You
must train yourselves to fight anything that comes along. Artemis
and I have decided from now on all the scouts will rise early on
weekends and holidays to train, and will give up one Saturday a month
to mock battles." The Scouts began to moan, but she cut in, "Tuxedo
Mask thinks it's a wonderful idea, don't you Darien?" Serena's head
snapped up as a shadow fell over her. Darien blocked the early morning
sun, tousle-headed, dark-eyed, and gorgeous as usual. To his right,
stood Lita's friend Ken, his light brown hair slightly mussed as well,
but sporting a gentle, tender smile for Lita alone. "Tuxedo Mask and
Jupiter Knight at your service Lady Luna." Darien bowed low, imitating
the royalty he once was, and laughing, picked Luna up and began
scratching behind her ears. Artemis glanced around from his
comfortable perch in Mina's arms. "Where are Raye and Chad? We need
to begin before the morning heats up. It's supposed to be a real
scorcher today, about hundred and two degrees. I don't know about
you girls, but if I were fighting, I definitely wouldn't want to fight
in that type of heat." Ami's voice drifted up from behind Advanced
Nuclear Physics, "Raye said last night that Chad was harder to wake
up than Serena. She's probably dumping water on him right now." "Hey,"
Serena protested, "I'm not that bad. I've gotten a lot better over the
past three years! I made it to the scout meeting on time, and I
haven't been late to school in eight weeks. Luna can tell you that."
Luna purred under Darien's gentle touch, her tail lashing with
contentment. "No, Meatball-head, it's true you're getting better as
you grow older. It only takes me twenty minutes to wake you now,
rather than the whole hour it took me two years ago. You're even
starting to remember your lunch too!"
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Solar Sailor, face me now. You are acting the part of a child, not a
warrior." Staff in hand, Sailor Pluto stood poised at attention,
her head tilted lightly to the side, observing Solar's reaction.
Behind her, in the far off distance, crows circled the Temple of the
Rising Sun. The Solar Sailor turned gracefully, her tapered hair
falling into her face, obscuring her eyes. She felt the power build
within her head, a fierce pulsing heat, throbbing with the tempo of
her heart. Pluto raised her hand against the sudden glowing of the
savage rising sun. "You don't seemed pleased, Bright-one. Does this
knowledge disappoint you?"
Solar's tired eyes slowly came in to view as she raised her head to
look Pluto fully in the face. "Sailor Pluto, I am proud to be one of
the Galaxy's chosen. I'm not shocked to discover I'm the only Solar
Sailor. I am aware that's it's a great honor to represent every sun in
the galaxy. "It's not that, but...I don't understand. Why must it be
this way? What will happen, has happened, to make it thus? Will there
be no Knight, no partner, to ease my duties as well?" Sailor Pluto
denied the plea with a shake of her head, her emerald hair cascading
over her shoulders. "I can not. It is dangerous for you to know so
much of your future already. No mortal being should know the will of
the Fates, even if you do stand for them. Destiny is your personal
guide, and you must fulfill her plan or all will be lost. Trust in me,
in all the other Sailor Scouts, and all will be well in the end."
"But..." Solar looked perplexed, "I will remember none of this?" Pluto
touched her forehead gently, "Hush young one, be calm. You are gifted
with the second sight. I swear upon my station as the Keeper and
Guardian of the Portal of Time that all will be revealed in due time.
"Enjoy these last innocent moments given to you, for once you discover
who you really are, you will never enjoy the simple pleasures of
drowsing in bed again. Go now, return to your home, the night is old
and your destiny waits. Dream of fiery comets shooting across the
night sky, of lovely ladies-in-waiting, and Serena's royal court.
Sleep well, tiny Princess, brightest of all the stars."
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Heeeyah!" Sailor Mars nimbly rolled under a lightening strike, but
slipped at last second and fell directly into the love chain Venus
was powering up. Combined with her new Firestorm, their powers fused
creating an actual metal chain. They both ended up hopelessly
entangled, struggling and yelling as Serena and Lita giggled
helplessly in the background. "Okay, Chad you grab this end, and I'll
pull from this side." Ken circled to the other side, and the boys
began tugging with all of their strength, grunting and jerking for
effect. "Ow! Chad, the chain's caught in my hair, wait you numbskull,
that hurts!" Raye yelped. Luna observed the proceedings from the
temple steps, groaning and shaking her head. Artemis slouched beside
her, and began meticulously cleaning the pristine fur on his snowy
front paws. "Well, what are we going to do with them?" she mused
aloud. Artemis didn't look up, "I (slurp) think (slobber) that what
we should do is (slurp, slurp) this. We need to ditch the early
morning training sessions. The girls aren't awake enough to fight
properly, except for maybe Ami, and only Darien has his head on first
thing in the morning." "Oh, really?" Luna drawled her ebony fur
bristling.
Artemis continued on, unaware that her paw was slowly rising in the
air behind him, "Yes, really, think about it, they get their beauty
sleep, we get longer catnaps, it works out for everyone in the..."
Pop! Luna's paw caught him squarely on the back of the head. "Idiot!
What are we going to do if the Negaverse attacks while the girls are
asleep, huh? Say, 'Excuse me Mr. Evil creature from the Nega-moon,
but the Sailor Scouts are getting their beauty rest, could you come
conquer Earth some other time, like a few hours from now when they're
awake?' Really, Artemis, you surprise me!"
* * * * * * * * * * *
Auriel rose from her bed, rubbing the night from her eyes, and
grabbing her gold robe from the hook on the bathroom door, she slipped
inside. The silver nozzle in the shower slipped in her hand, but she
reflexively batted it to hot, and as the water heated, she brushed
her teeth and thought about her dreams. The shower was steamy, and
soon she could barely see the foggy reflection of herself in the
mirror through the warm mist. She rinsed, then raising one slender
hand, swiped it across the mirror.
Blinking, Auriel did a double take. Instead of the misty gold and
blue tiled bathroom reflected in the smudgy swipe, her mirror looked
out on to a slightly wooded area. The image was blurry, but she
couldn't tell if it was due to distance or the steam still pouring
from the shower. Hazy figures leapt and spun in the distance, rapidly
flitting in and out of the clearing. Heart pounding, she studied
the picture, wiping away the tenuous wisps of her hair that clung to
her cheeks and forehead. Narrowing her eyes, she squinted, and the
image solidified long enough for her to see the delicate, tiny
movements of the little people darting among the lush trees and moving
gracefully in the open glade.
Leaning in, she found that she could get a clearer image of the
moving figures if she concentrated on them one at a time. Focusing,
she bit her lip against the surprising sudden flare of pain in her
temple, moved in closer, and touched her nose to the mirror...
* * * * * * * * * * *
Lita crossed her lanky legs, and shifted on the hard concrete stairs.
Glancing over at Ken, she stretched her arms high above her head,
cracked her back, and snuck another peek at him through her long
lashes, as he sparred with Chad across the complex. He twirled tightly
on his toes, light brown hair flying, and swinging his scimitar
in a high arc, he gracefully parried Mars Knight's final thrust,
his powerful blow sending Chad sprawling to the ground. "Getting
winded Chad? Come on, cape-boy, watch your feet!" With a swirl of his
emerald cloak, he powered up, and a blast of green roses stabbed
the dirt in a ring around Chad's feet. "Whoa! Watch it dude, ya almost
nicked me with one. Those thorns hurt!" Chad looked up and shook his
dark shaggy hair out of his eyes as he grasped the helping hand
Jupiter Knight held out. One hard tug and Ken was on the ground with
him. They began a mock battle, rolling and wrestling around while the
entire squad watched and cheered good-naturedly. "Ugh, I give, Ken.
You're too tough dude. Training's not gonna help me much."
"That's not the point Mars Knight," Tuxedo Mask called from where
he and Serena were dueling. "You must keep training. Improve your
fighting skills to the point that no one can beat you, whether they
are a Sailor Scout," he parried a kick Serena shot at his head,
grunting, "a Sailor Knight, or a Starlight."
He flipped Serena over his head, and turned to Chad, removing
his top hat in one fluid motion. "If Jupiter Knight can best you,
imagine what the Negaverse will be able to do to Raye while you're
incapacitated."
Chad, exhausted from the fray, shook his head, and plucked at a
thorn on one of his rich carnelian colored roses. "Raye? Get beaten
by the Negaverse? That wouldn't happen in a million years. She'd bully
'em into giving up and going home to the dark moon. Even Nemesis
has got to be better than a pissed off Raye!"
"Chad, get up!" Raye's annoyed voice carried across the
courtyard. Chad leapt to his feet and stood shaking. Shooting a look
in her rampaging direction, he could feel the heat flashing from her
chocolate eyes. He glanced down at the still-lounging Ken, who quietly
snickered as Raye stalked their way. Abruptly stopping in front of
the cowering Chad, she glared down at Ken, "Don't you have something
better to do than corrupt him? Like fight, or train, or talk to Lita,
or something?"
Ken laughed and rose from the ground in one fluid motion, "You
are right Raye, as always." He took her small-gloved hand in his and
lightly brushed his lips across her knuckles, leaving her speechless.
"With your permission, fair lady, I shall depart." He swept his
forest-green cloak over his right shoulder, and with a dramatic
flourish, departed. Raye, momentarily distracted, shook her head and
groaned. "What are we going to do with him?" Her attention returned
to the chastised Chad. The return of her ill temper was dramatic
and sudden, the scarlet bow on her Scout uniform trembling with her
anger. "What do you think you're doing? You can do so much better,
I know you can. Go out there and try it again! If you don't get your
act together, you'll put us all in danger!" She shoved him violently
on his wide chest, he backed up a step to regain his balance, and shot
her a wounded puppy look, his shaggy hair covering his eyes.
"Look who's talking Raye, you're not fighting very well today
either. In fact, you're so clumsy, I can barely tell you and Serena
apart." Raye glared up at Mina, laughing in the uppermost branches
of her favorite oak tree. "Maybe we'd better get you your own set of
meatballs for your head! What do you think Ami, two buns for Raye as
well?" Mina taunted from her tenuous perch on the tree branch where
she and Raye had been practicing balance in battle. Raye abruptly
pivoted, her long ebony hair swirling around her shoulders, and shoved
off the step, powering up as she sprinted toward the laughing Mina.
"Mars Fireball Ignite!"
"Venus Love-Chain Encircle! "
Mercury looked up from her data entry in her mini-computer
as the battle cries cut through the air, and smiled. Her fingers
danced over the keyboard, neatly documenting her thoughts in her
personal folder, Scouts/Ami/doc/diary. Raye can be awfully tough on
the Scouts at times, especially Chad and Serena, but she is impatient
with them only because she knows the potential they all possess to be
great warriors. Raye, herself, is already a great warrior, both in
spirit and mind. As a priestess, only she could commune with the
sacred fire without her mind being forever altered. One day she will
own this temple, hopefully with Chad by her side to help her. If she's
lucky, he will have learned enough self-discipline to see in to the
flames as well. Would another fire scrying tonight to tell us if this
training is doing any good? I don't think she would, but Raye might
alter the reading so she can sleep later. Perhaps that isn't such a
great plan after all. We all need the sleep, especially after that
sleepover at Lita's last night, but what about the Negaverse?
Will we be awake enough to face them? And how about the Knights?
Are they strong enough to survive should we be destroyed in battle
one day? Lord knows we've had enough close calls. Hmmm, I wonder what
Greg is doing right now? Is he home still sleeping? Sometimes I feel
such an affinity with him. Could he be my destiny? Is he Mercury
Knight?
Amy's eyes widened as she realized her blunder. Quickly, she
deleted the errant thoughts and continued analyzing and entering
the Scouts' weak points in battle in to her new program.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Far away, amber eyes tightened, and their focus shifted from the blue
one to the two warriors still scuffling in the trees. Gold chains
flashed and fireballs flew, they singed the trees, but neither gained
an advantage, or backed down a step. The trees swayed with the force
of their battle, tiny splinters of wood flying off the branches
where they nimbly landed, perfectly balanced. Her eyes throbbed,
as a green-white heat built up in her temple, quieting to a dull
burning sensation along the nape of her neck. Her fingers tingled
as the sensation of a million tiny needles shrieking across her skin
exploded in her lower back. The figures momentarily blurred...
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Ready to give up Raye?" Mina flashed her famous grin, tossed her long
blond locks, pirouetted lightly on her shaky branch, and nimbly
dropped to the ground, narrowly missing Raye's dangerous Phoenix
as it shot after her. Raye tossed her sweaty, tangled hair behind
her shoulder and sent a scathing glare in Mina's direction. "Not on
your life girl, I've got you cornered now!" Mina giggled, "Only if
cornered means that my enemy's branch is breaking right under her
feet!" Raye yelped as a crack splintered the air and the thin branch
gave way beneath her weight. Sailor Venus dived under the branch and
caught Sailor Mars as she fell, barely an inch off the ground. There
was complete silence for a few seconds, then the normal forest sounds
resumed. They looked at each other solemnly for a moment then broke
in to helpless laughter, tears streaming down their faces, as they
hiccuped and giggled away the stress of the fight. "Oh, are you two
all right?" A concerned voice interrupted their merriment, and they
looked up to find Prisma and Catsy standing above them, arms
overflowing with bags, and the delicious aroma of freshly baked bread
permeating the air around them. Prisma tossed an errant strand of
mossy-green hair out of her eyes, and shifted her bags more
comfortably. "We heard from Birdie that the Scouts have early morning
training now, so we decided to bring you some snacks to get you
through the day. Avery baked the bread before going to the shop,
Birdie roasted the chickens last night, and we volunteered to make the
sweets and deliver the food." "Oh, wow guys, that is so nice!" Mina
helped Prisma with her bags as Raye stood, brushing off the back of
her uniform and picking bits of grass out of her hair. She reached
for Catsy's extra bag, and instead got her heavy sales purse full of
sample cosmetics from the Four Sister's store. Back at the temple,
as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask were locked in hand-to-hand combat,
exchanging kick for punch, the light witted taunts flew among the
company, and everyone was betting on Tuxedo Mask to win this skirmish.
Serena ducked as four crimson roses flew at her head, missing her buns
by an eighth of an inch at most. "Moon Tiara Magic!" Her tiara was
barely deflected by Tuxedo Mask's cane, but caused enough of a
distraction for her to roll under the next barrage of roses sent her
way, and lock her right leg around his left ankle. She rocked
backwards, setting him off balance, sending him sprawling. He caught
his balance by rolling as he hit the ground and pivoting on his right
foot to a standing position. Sailor Moon groaned as he brought out his
sword. "Come on Serena, ready for the big leagues now? You've done
well so far, but in a solitary fight you won't stand a chance!"
With that last parting shot, he swung the scimitar in hard arc aiming
for her legs. She rolled away from the swing, dodged the sharp rose
he launched at her head, and powered up, his teasing taunts ringing
in her burning ears. So he thinks just because he's Tuxedo Mask, he's
the greatest warrior of all time? I don't think so! Let's deflate
Darien's ego a bit. "Moon Tiara Stardust!" The tiara shot from her
hand and circled around Darien, tripping him up. When he hit the
ground this time he didn't immediately retaliate. He simply sat there
with a gig sloppy grin on his face. I love it when she gets annoyed.
She's too cute for words. I swear I can see steam rolling out of her
meatballs right now! If looks could kill, I'd be six feet under
right about now, but at least by riling her up I'm helping with her
training. She just gets so determined to win, she doesn't think about
the dangers she's facing, just about defeating Nega-scum. Now
serious, he leapt up, and soon they were back to the punch for kick
formula they had been exchanging earlier in the fight. Mars and Venus
rounded the corner with the two sisters close behind, just as Serena
got in a lucky kick. Darien crumpled to the ground, holding his
stomach, the breath knocked out of him momentarily. "Oh no! Darien!
Did I hurt you muffin?" Serena dropped to her knees beside his prone
form, removing his mask, and staring anxiously in to his white face.
They all shrieked when he abruptly snatched Sailor Moon's wrist and
dragged her down, pinning her tightly beneath him. Their faces an inch
apart he smiled at Serena and lightly kissed the tip of her upturned
nose, "Fooled ya Meatball-head." Ken laughed long and hard as Serena
vainly struggled to retaliate. His laughter rolled across the air,
rich and strong. Lita burned bright red as he turned to her and
flashed their secret, quiet smile at her. Serena continued to struggle
and blaspheme Darien's name as Catsy and Prisma laid out the
mid-morning snack. For once, food didn't interest her, she was too
caught up in revenging herself on Darien for his frightening
little stunt.
Mercury rose from her cramped position hunched over the computer,
moved across the complex, and tranquilly lowered herself to the soft,
freshly cut grass. She assisted Catsy in laying out the checkered
blanket, then rummaging through the picnic basket Lita had packed
for all of them the night before, her hand brushed something pointed
behind the potato salad. She discovered a picture of a considerably
younger Ken and Lita hanging upside down from a jungle gym tucked
in the far back of the basket. She turned to the back of the photo,
a small feeling of guilt at reading it scraping her nerves, but her
curiosity won over.
Dear Lita, Remember this day? I fell and broke my arm right after the
flash went off. You walked with me three miles to the nearest
hospital. Our friendship has always been special to me, almost as
special as you, and my memories of this day, and the day you broke
up with bozo and came running to me for comfort. The rain poured down,
soaking us to the skin, turning your bouncy ponytail in to a stringy
mess, but you were still beautiful. I remember playing in the rain
afterwards, and watching your face light up when the lightning
crashed. You were never lovelier than in that moment and I swore then
and there that the next person to ever hurt you would have to answer
to me. I know I can never replace your lost family, I won't even try,
but please consider me your eternal protector from this day on. With
Love, Your "Rainy Day Man" Ken
Mercury smiled sweetly, and carefully replaced the picture. When Ken
wrote that caption, he probably had no idea that he was Jupiter
Knight. He would have simply been putting his feelings to paper,
unaware that his destiny would soon be knocking, or that he was in
fact fated to be Lita's personal guard, and represent the male half
of Jupiter for the rest of eternity. Though their feelings for one
another shone clearly on their faces they were both too shy to attempt
a relationship. It was in part, due to insecurities, but mostly Ami
guessed, they both assumed the other viewed them as merely a friend.
I would love to do something for them, but I really don't want to
meddle. If they are fated to be together, it will eventually show.
Maybe it would be best if I left the matchmaking to destiny and the
power of love.
Ami, a quiet voice sounded in her head. Ami, don't be so
practical, give them their flirtations, it won't last long, no one is
fated save for the Prince Darien and Princes Serena. Have you
forgotten your protector, your love, Zoisite, so soon?
"Who said that?" Mercury whipped her head around, her eyes
quickly analyzing the grove and coming up empty.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Auriel backed away from the mirror, a fine trembling consuming
her body. How had she known the girl's name, her history? Had the girl
heard her thoughts? She reluctantly returned to the mirror. Her
fingers trembled from the combination of fear and the beginning
of a powerful migraine. She ran the tips lightly over the damp
surface of the mirror, smudging it further, almost obliterating
the small one's face. Ami, the figure in the blue uniform, was
scanning the area with a visor hooked up to the mini-computer
in her lap. All was silent around her, not even the trees stirred.
Does she detect me? Oh, what is going on? Goddess, protect me, I can
stand it no longer. Apparently her readings were negative, for the
visor was soon stored away, but Ami's fingers flew over the keyboard,
her eyes slowly scanning the clearing as she typed. Auriel breathed
a sigh of relief, her breath lightly fogging the smudgy swipe her hand
had made. The pain subsided momentarily, so she leaned closer in...
* * * * * * * * * * *
Who had spoken? Ami activated her VR Visor, hooked it in to the
mini-computer and analyzed the grove. No negative energy apparent
anywhere, the Scouts' collective body temperatures were up, and Luna
was peacefully dozing next to Jupiter stretching on the steps. Where
did that voice come from?
Ami deactivated the visor, and returned to her computer, fingers
flying over the keys, as she examined the clearing through narrowed
sapphire eyes.
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Place: Cherry Hill Temple, grove behind temple
Scouts/Location: Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask are deep in
conversation near the back entrance. No noise from their conversation
is reaching me, so I suppose Serena isn't whining. Luna is sleeping
in the sun near Jupiter on the temple steps, who seems to be
stretching out the kinks of her sparring with Raye earlier, and
watching Ken and Chad. Chad and Jupiter Knight are both gulping down
water about fifty feet from me, and discussing "battle tactics"
for the Concrete Olympics. I believe they should do well at the
competition, but I know Luna and Artemis are worried that they will
injure themselves skateboarding, and not be able to fight if the need
arises. Raye and Mina are sitting with Catsy and Prisma in the shade
of the trees. I believe they are recounting their mishap with the
chain earlier, or maybe the skirmish in the trees, I can't be sure.
I don't know where Artemis is, I assume he's napping in the temple
where it's cool, or in the shade of the trees. Situation: I could be
hearing things, but at approximately 10:20 a.m., I heard a voice speak
to me telepathically. It appears no one else has heard it, they are
all continuing with their previous activities. There is not even a
variation in the timbre of Luna's purring, I can hear it from here.
My placement: I am seated on the picnic blanket, which Catsy and
Prisma brought. I was helping them unpack the food Lita brought for
lunch when I found a picture of Lita and Ken taken a few years ago.
I read the inscription on the back and thought about the Sailor
Scouts, the Sailor Knights, and fate. Now, I'm stuck with this odd
feeling that the voice in my head is real and not a hallucination
from the heat, or the stress of the day. Could it be from the
Negaverse? What if it's Queen Serenity trying to contact me? What am
I going to do? If I bring it up calmly over lunch, maybe Luna won't
go lunar and insist we train for the rest of our lives. We need the
practice, but we also need the rest. Serena is flagging from the heat
already and Mina's about ready to drop, despite the break she and Raye
took earlier. It is so hot already. Artemis said it was supposed
to be a hundred and two by early afternoon. I feel so bad for he and
Luna. It's not like they can just peel off their fur and cool off. I
wonder where the heat is coming from? It's never been this hot before.
The weather has been really odd recently. First the chill, then the
earthquakes, now this heat. The prophets on the street are foretelling
of the apocalypse, and Luna stepped up our training because she thinks
the Negaverse could be powering up for an attack. We (the Inner
Scouts) have all been having weird dreams with desert wastelands
and another scout, though we haven't checked with the Outer Scouts
yet. Speaking of the Outers, they refused to come to practice this
morning, and Luna let them get away with it. Oh well, maybe it wasn't
destined to be. History: Destiny has a big hand in all of our lives.
We believe we are all destined for a Sailor Knight (though some of us,
like Mina, the Outer Scouts, and myself, haven't found ours yet),
except for Serena. As far as we can see, she is the only protector
of the moon, unless Darien's alter ego, the Moonlight Knight, was the
Moon Warrior's counterpart, which seems like the most likely solution.
As Sailor Moon, Serena will most likely end up marrying Darien. In
their past lives, when she was the Moon Princess and Darien the Prince
of the Earth, they were engaged, but it was not destined to be. They
were killed when the power-hungry Queen Beryl and her minions
(including the Four Generals) attacked. The remaining Moonchildren
were killed in the subsequent battles. All the rest of the planets
were demolished in the attack, thus rendered uninhabitable.
Queen Serenity, Serena's mother, caught all of our souls with the
Imperium Silver Crystal, and sent us all to the future to be
reincarnated. Yet, until recently, none of us remembered any of it,
our past lives, the royal court, anything. See
Scouts/InnerSenshi/doc/history for more detailed information
on the collected histories of the Inner Scouts. The Outer Scouts are
reluctant to share their lives with me for documentation,
especially Setsuna, but if I remain persistent, hopefully they will
help me with the Scouts' histories. I am currently documenting
all of the information the Inners remember about the Four Generals,
Ann and Alan, Queen Beryl, Fiole, etc. Basically, I'm starting a
database on any Sailor enemy, including those whom accepted cleansing
from the Silver Crystal, including the Four Sisters. Hopefully
it'll help us with future enemies as well.
"Ami! Ami!" Serena's voice cut through the clacking of the computer
keys, and Ami glanced up to see everyone clustered around her. They
all stared at her, worried faces in a tight ring above her dark head.
Running her hand along the back of her neck, she flushed, and wiped
the sweat off on her skirt. "You okay, Ami?" Lita's brow furrowed.
"We've been calling your name for several minutes now. You weren't
answering, so we got worried. Is the heat getting to you?" She laid
a cool hand on Ami's forehead and shook her head, her long chestnut
ponytail bobbing. "You feel cool enough, but you're so pale, and your
cheeks are flushed." She reached under Ami's short, dark hair and
brushed the back of her neck. "Your neck's clammy. Maybe you'd
better lie down out of the sun." Ami smiled thankfully, and closed
her computer. Perhaps Jupiter was right, maybe the sun had gotten
to her after all. There's no way she could have heard that voice,
it was all her imagination. She laid the computer on the ground and
tried to stand, her legs wobbling. She managed to rise to her feet,
but her knees buckled and she dropped to the ground. The world was
orbiting around her, colors flashing a brilliant rainbow of blues and
greens. Her eyelids dropped over her eyes, and when they opened again,
she found herself in the familiar dark comfort of Raye's room. The
walls were papered with rock star posters, and her small altar to the
fire-spirit squatted in front of a brightly colored paper screen in
the corner of the room. The room was dim, shadows loomed in the
corners, and Ami could hear her heart thump along her temples in the
stillness. Raye's room always reeked of jasmine or cinnamon, and
today was no exception. Ami could feel the strong inscence swirl
around her legs, brushing her ankles, and raising goosebumps along
her arms. She tried to move, but her body refused to cooperate.
Something's not right, I can feel it. Someone's watching me. Where
are the others? Why aren't they here? I can't move, why can't I move,
my legs won't budge! Ami tried to move her legs again, this time
slowly. Still, there was no reaction. She tried to quell the panic
rising like a tidal wave in her mind. Okay, Mercury, stay calm, you
can deal with this, it'll all be okay. You're a smart girl, you make
straight A's, you can think your way out of this one.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Auriel opened her eyes when the cool water pattering against her face
filled her mouth to overflowing. Sputtering, she sat up, gasping
for air, and glancing around. Though she was disoriented, she could
see that she was still in her bathroom, though now lying naked in her
shower. Did I hit my head? Oh, my body aches all over! What did I do?
What happened? Her head throbbed with a dull ache, and the dim blue
glow of the night-light she preferred to use when she showered,
stabbed along her optic nerves. Auriel curled in to a tight ball and
whimpered. Did I pass out in the shower again? I hate these migraines,
they will never leave me in peace. I'd better get out of the shower
and dry off or I'll catch cold or something. Sitting up, she struggled
to reach the temperature knobs, and after two or three minutes of
struggling, she managed a catlike bat to the off position. She groaned
from the effort that it cost her, and lay down again on the wet tiles.
She carefully rolled out of the shower, holding her head as steady
as she could so she wouldn't jar it and send her headache in to
hyper-drive again. The blue and gold tiled floor of the shower was
littered with blue handled razors and Herbal Essences shampoo bottles,
which were normally neatly stacked along one edge of the shower,
now an obstacle to the dry world outside the shower. I must have
knocked them down when I fainted. On hands and knees Auriel crawled
across the cold tiles of the bathroom floor to the towel rack. Pulling
her fuzzy gold towel off the rack and wrapping it around her
goose-bump-coated body took an amazing effort. She moaned softly
and laid her head against the chill floor, snuggled in to the huge
terry-cloth towel and drifted in to sleep.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Outside the temple, the Scouts discussed battle tactics around the
fried chicken and freshly baked bread stuffed in the corners of their
mouths. The sisters had left shortly after Ami fainted, wishing them
a good day, and promising to call later that evening. "Shouldn't
we check on Ami?" Lita asked, her brows drawn together. "She could
be in shock and might need a hospital or something." Mina looked up
from her cherry pie and shook her head, her blond hair shining in the
sun. "No, she's sweating which means it's not heat stroke. I think
it's just heat exhaustion. Just give her an hour nap, save some food
for her for later, and she'll be okay. Serena and Darien are just in
the next room doing their homework, they'll hear her if she moves,
and if she needs them she'll call out or something. Besides, she's
going to be upset if we spent all this time fussing over her and not
getting Scout business accomplished." "Mina's right," Raye agreed,
poking a snoring Chad in the side, "Ami just needs a little rest.
She's been so worried these days, after all, school and scout business
doesn't always coincide well. She's trying so hard to get early
admission in to that Ivy League medical college in America, she's
stressing herself out. It's making her sick!" Luna licked a stray bit
of tuna off her whiskers as she assessed the group. I am so glad that
they are using their heads. I can remember a time when they left all
the thinking up to Ami. They've been scouts for how long now, two
years, three? Three, I think. My girls are truly growing up, even
Serena. Luna's eyes misted as she remembered her first glimpse of the
Moon Princess. Even in the Silver Millennium, Serena had been a
handful. Granted, mostly due to Queen Serenity, she had been a better
mannered handful, but never the less, a mild trial at times. When Luna
and Artemis had been growing up, mere kittens in the royal court,
Serena had been a child as well, hair shining golden as the sun,
tearing around the castle with pigtails flying. Luna had stepped
carefully in to shadow of a rose bush in the Moon Garden, purposefully
stalking a yellow amazon butterfly delicately feeding on the nectar
of the golden-sheened roses. Just as she settled down in to the pounce
position, tail lashing, and muscles tightening, suddenly an explosion
of ivory skirts and yellow streaming pigtails burst from the side door
of the palace. The butterfly flew off, leaving Luna with no easy prey,
and an appalling feeling of having failed as a cat. A kindergarten
aged Serena fairly flew down the pebbled path, running as fast as her
short legs would take her. "Garden!" she yelled, as two footman chased
after her with a parasol and her lunch. She moves fast for a
five-year-old, the young Luna thought, and dived in to the thorny
bush as Serena streaked by, sending up dust clouds which coated the
ebony cat, now painfully stranded in the rose bush.
Luna shook her head, clearing the distressing memory of being
slowly extracted from the bush by the royal groundskeeper.
Glancing towards the temple, her brow furrowed. She's been a trial
ever since. Silly Serena, the meatball head, now Sailor Moon the
Champion of Love and Justice. Hard to believe, but true. Well, at
least she's grown up enough to admit her limitations and learn from
her mistakes. She'd better, college isn't going to be as easy for her
as it will for Ami, she's not a talented singer like Raye, Mina's
life as a model wouldn't suit her, and no cooking academy in their
right mind would take her over Lita.
Darien will have to watch over her closely, I suppose. I hope
he's up to the challenge of protecting her from herself for the rest
of his life. I know I'm not, I'll have my paws full with the Scouts
and Artemis.
* * * * * * * * * * *
This story is by AngelKate, not me.
Ja ne ^_^
(see you later)
-Jason Monti
http://www.student.smsu.edu/j/jmm769s