Crescents and Flares

Authors: White Plume and JadeShadow

Author's Note: This is a complete spoof on the Sailor Moon episodes, although it gets pretty good at the end. My friend and I wrote this last year, and it has just been located; therefore, it's going to be published. It's nearly a whole notebook of chicken-scratches and edits, so it's going to have several chapters. I'll get it out as soon as possible. The good little bits are JadeShadow's; mine are the completely sappy ones that are full of weak fluff. Oh, and *these* mean italics.

Rated PG for a kiss or two, I suppose.

Enjoy!



Chapter One: The Kidnapping (and the kidnappees)



Serena raced down the street. "I can't believe it!" she panted. "It's the first day of school, and of *course*, Luna didn't wake me up…" Serena began to mimic Luna. "You've got to learn responsibility! As the Moon Princess, and the future Queen, it is your duty! Well, Luna, what if I don't *want* to be all that? It's hard enough to get to school on time!"

As she skidded around a corner, she slammed into something short… and pink. Serena was knocked to the ground, but the obstacle remained upright. Staring upward dizzily, the blurry figure began to take shape. It was Rini. She could tell, even though Rini wasn't facing her.

"Rini!" Serena exploded at her back. "What are you doing?! You're supposed to be at the house, thinking up ways to annoy the heck out of me!" Rini, who normally would have responded with a cutting remark to properly humiliate Serena, didn't move. Serena jumped up and marched around to Rini's face. Immediately noticeable was the lack of any sparkle in Rini's eyes. Instead of normal pupils, there was only a black haze. Having gone through this herself, Serena realized the inevitable (for the sake of this fic). Rini was under a spell.

Serena then tried various tactics to break it. She shook Rini, yelled at her, tried to surprise her, and mentioned things they had done together. None of them worked.

A sudden cackle brought Serena into a guard stance. Gazing around slowly, she finally discovered the source. It was a stunted midget, perched atop a stone wall overlooking the sidewalk.

"That's not going to work, you know," he tittered. "Nothing can break *my* spells."

"So it's you who did this to her," Serena growled. "Let her go! She can't be of any use to you!"

The dwarf sniggered again at this. "Actually, she can. Mistress Nicophrant has *great* need of her. Speaking of whom, the Mistress of the Neo-Negas should be missing me by now. Ta-ta!" He jumped down and erected a forcefield around himself and Rini before Serena could react. His fist hovered over Rini's head, then, with a shower of black dust, they were gone.

"No!!" cried Serena. She fell to her knees, staring in shock at the place where Rini had been just moments ago. "This can't happen!"

Whistling was suddenly heard. Serena scrambled to her feet, ready to attack if it should turn out to be another of this…Nicophrant's… cronies. It was Darian. He stopped short at her pale face and trembling hands.

"Darian!" she gasped out. "They've got Rini! He took her, and I couldn't stop him! Help!" Darian grabbed her shoulders and gave her a light shake.

"What do you mean? Who's got Rini?" Serena stamped her foot in frustration and told the story as quickly as she could. Darian lost no time in dashing towards Serena's school, with her only steps behind him.

"Why are we going to the school?" she panted, barely able to keep up with Darian and his long strides.

"We have to get the others, Serena! There's no way just you and I can take them. We need their extra power!"

Serena nodded and ran faster.

* * *

When they finally burst through the double doors of the school, all the staff in the office glanced up.

"Serena…" a disapproving secretary muttered. "Late, of course."

"Please, it wasn't my fault! My cousin, Rini, was kidnapped just a couple minutes ago!" Gasps and shouts followed this startling pronouncement. "I need some students to help me look for her! It's very vital; I can't rescue her without them…please, get them out of class! I don't know how long we'll be, but without them, I know Rini will die!"

A secretary stood up. "Serena, you do know that any work you miss will have to be made up?" Serena nodded impatiently. "Then…I suppose I can call them. Their names?"

As the announcement went through the PA system, Serena took a chair next to Darian and tried to catch her breath. "Everything will be okay," Darian murmured in her ear. "We'll get her back safe and sound. We've done it before, haven't we?" Serena nodded shakily and waited for her friends to arrive.



Well, what do you think? Just review and let me know! C'mon, it only takes a second!

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