A pillar of strength, admired by all her followers, staring blankly out at them all until someone calls her name. Then she smiles, carefree and immortal.
"Sailor Venus!"
The blonde haired, orange clad warrior waved to the child that called her name so sweetly. Venus looked down at the crowds of people that were gathered below to hear her speech. It was depressing for her, but exciting at the same time. She was dressed in a light orange tunic that fell off her shoulders and was tied high on her waist, the skirt falling to her thighs, golden laces trailing up her arms and legs. She wore burnt gold clips in her hair and her sky blue eyes always seeming to be thinking a step ahead, playfully so.
"My people, today a great honor has been bestowed upon me. I am to join the Moon Kingdom and help to guide and protect their princess. It has been a long time since we have been called upon for duty, but this peace could not last forever. It is with a heavy heart that I must bid farewell to you all until the threat passes and I can once more rule over you properly. Until I return, I have instructed…"
The crowd in the back could barely hear what their princess was saying. Venus was raised by her mother in the palace to rule them, and, if the need ever arose, to protect Princess Serenity. The Moon Kingdom was the center of power; they had inherited the silver crystal and protected it with their lives. In response, the royal families of the planets in their solar system pledged allegiance and devotion to the royal line of the white pearl planet. There had been peace for so long that they had almost forgotten that there was a higher power the Queen of Venus answered to. She was to send her daughter, who was the appropriate age to be a scout, to the moon to help protect their princess. The people were uneasy, but they knew that the Venus line was always the leader in any Sailor party that protected the royals of the moon. It was an honor and a privilege.
That day Venus stared into the crowds of her followers, her admirers, her people. She felt a sob form in her throat and turned away quickly, brushing aside the tears that threatened to fall. Her soft shoes made no sound on the marble floors as she went to see her mother, kneeling before the aging queen to hear her words of wisdom.
"Sailor Venus, leader of the Sailor Soldiers, protector of the Moon Princess, today you shall embark on a journey to the Moon so that you may better aid this universe. You have trained hard for this day my dear, and now it is time to prove that you are the leader you were meant to be." The queen held out a sword to Venus, who stared at it quietly before rising, stepping up to her mother and offering her hands for the blade. "This sword has been passed down from one ruler of Venus to the next, each Sailor Soldier Leader wielding it should the need ever arise. Today I present it to you, Venus, and hope that you will do well with it and draw from its strength."
Venus stared at the sword as it laid in her hands, slowly moving to grip the handle and hold it up high. The guards watched curiously as their rulers did the private ceremony, taking in as many details as possible so that they could tell their families later how brave their young princess looked when she held the sword aloft.
"Come now Venus, let's get you ready for your journey." Queen Venus led her daughter to the transportation room, offering her a small bag. "I've asked the chefs to pack your favorite foods, hankies, and your brush set with your mirror." The princess looked as if she might cry again, tears forming but not dropping. Her mother opened her arms and Venus ran into them, holding onto her tightly and sniffling. "Don't cry, Cricket, this threat will pass and you will be able to return to us soon."
Venus pulled back and nodded, wiping her eyes. "I'll miss you, mother."
"Good luck, my dear."
Venus took the bag and sword before turning, taking in a deep breath and stepping into the transporter. In a heartbeat she was floating through the stars, moving further and further away from her palace and kingdom below. She let out a sigh, looking for the small white sphere where the Moon people lived. She was only sixteen, what good would she do protecting a princess?
On the surface of the Moon Kingdom, a small crowd waited for the last arrival. A girl with a long white dress on stood at the front, her hair styled into two buns, the lengthy locks flowing to her ankles, blue eyes gazing curiously upwards. An azure haired girl in a matching colored sailor suit, a brown haired girl in a green and pink suit, and a raven haired female in a red and purple suit stood to her left. Two cats, one black with red eyes, the other white with blue, sat on either side of the girl in white. The queen, some palace knights, and a few other people of the kingdom stood by watching, waiting.
An orange bubble floated down slowly, landing in front of the princess and glowing brightly before it disappeared in a small *pop!* and a shower of sparkles. Standing where the bubble had been was Venus, her long blonde hair falling to her thighs, still dressed in her ceremony robes. She looked around at the people there and blushed, appearing alarmed.
"Ah, you must be the princess! And the other scouts! And the Queen of the Moon!" She pointed at each person there who she recognized, looking surprised and embarrassed. "And I'm in my palace robes still, what do I do!"
"Hush Venus, it's alright." Queen Serenity smiled at the teenaged warrior and tilted her head slightly. Princess Serenity smiled and giggled, stepping up to Venus and taking her hand.
"Hello, I'm Princess Serenity, it's nice to meet you, Venus!"
Venus stared at the princess. She's so young looking, she thought. The princess couldn't have been more than fourteen, but there was an innocence about her that made Venus smile in return.
"So you're the leader of the Sailors?" The raven haired girl stared at Venus with what seemed to be a glare, sizing her up and crossing her arms. Venus took a step back, warily looking the female over as well. Her raven locks and amethyst eyes were the least inviting and instead seemed to be issuing a challenge.
"Be nice Mars, Venus is here to help!" The green and pink clad, brown haired girl gave Mars a light flick on the ear, making the snobby girl jump and lash out quickly, half shrieking at the very tall female next to her.
"Now girls," Queen Serenity started, looking at the scouts and then at her daughter. "You all are new to each other, and four of you arrived today. I'm going to put you all in rooms located in the same area of the palace, alright? Each of you will have your own room, but they will share a common room. Serenity, do you want to show your guardians to their rooms?"
"Yes Momma." Serenity smiled brightly at Venus and turned, her multi-layered dress flowing out around her as she floated down the hallway, leaving the receiving room. No one moved after her, so Venus followed, Jupiter and Mars after her, and Mercury took the rear, looking at a book and barely paying attention to where she was walking.
"You'll like it here Venus, everyone does. And if you miss your planet just come see me!" Serenity had one cat on each side of her, both of them seeming to be looking for something. "Luna? Artemis?"
The black cat perked up, smiling up at the princess. "Nothing Serenity, just guarding you."
The young princess puffed her cheeks out, pouting. "Venus is here for that now, and Mars and Jupiter and Mercury!"
Luna looked down, seeming embarrassed. "My apologies, princess. Artemis will be with Venus while she learns about the palace ways."
Venus looked at the white cat, who was keeping awfully quiet. He turned and looked at Venus, sighed, and then looked away. The blonde soldier turned her head away, a bit hurt, and puffed her cheeks out in a similar way that the moon princess had. Behind her, she could hear Mars snort softly. It only annoyed the robe clad warrior more.
"Ah, here we are! Everyone, your room has your name on it." Serenity stood in the common room. It was a beautiful white and pale golden decorated room with a large screen high up on the wall next to the main entrance, chairs, a huge couch, a sizable table, and plants in vases adorning the walls and smaller tables. There was a sky light that took up most of the ceiling and fairy lights everywhere in the area. The four soldiers stopped, admiring the room. One wall had a bookshelf with beautiful ivory colored volumes waiting to be read. Before anyone noticed, Mercury had disappeared into her room and quietly closed the door. Serenity smiled and laughed quietly.
"She's shy…"
Jupiter laughed to herself, the tallest girl in the group, she definitely stood out with her chestnut colored hair pulled up into a pony tail and her deep emerald eyes. She patted Serenity on the head and smiled at her before walking towards the plaque with "Jupiter" printed in lovely script and went to her room as she asked a question she didn't intend to get an answer for. It was more of a polite pleasantry. "I'll see you all at dinner?"
"Food? Of course!" Serenity smiled happily, beaming. Mars stared at her, shocked a princess would like eating. Or, admitting she liked eating, anyway. Venus grinned, adding that she couldn't wait. Jupiter looked a bit surprised she had gotten an answer, wiggled her fingers, and then closed the door.
"Hmph." Mars went into her room, shutting the door quickly yet managing to do it elegantly. Venus and Serenity looked at each other and shrugged.
"Want to see your room?" Serenity gestured to the door next to hers, where Venus's name was carved into an ivory plaque that matched the other four. "I hope you like it, I tried to decorate for everyone."
"You did? How thoughtful." Venus smiled at the slightly shorter girl, shifting her bag on her shoulder and opening the door slowly. The first thing she saw was that the room had a large balcony. Going over to it, she set her bag down next to her bed and stepped onto the landing, gazing at a sprawling garden with a pool of silvery liquid in it. White flowers adorned almost every tree and bush, but pink, yellow, and light shades of other colors weren't uncommon either. "Beautiful…"
"I know; that's my favorite place to go to here. The reflection on the pond is so still that you can see the stars." Serenity took a seat on a backless couch, draping herself over the raised armrest. She placed her head on her hands, her eyes closing a little as she spoke. "Are you going to miss your home?"
"Probably, but I'll be back when this threat passes, right?" She smiled bravely before she went and set her sword on the wall mount above her king sized bed. The rest of the room was as beautiful as the balcony, with an opening that led to her bathroom, a desk, bookshelf, and more fairy lights. The gossamer curtains that hung over her bed were tinted orange, as was the marble that made up the room.
"I really hope you like it here." Serenity smiled warmly at Venus and she felt her heart give out to the young princess and her sincerity.
"Me too. Thank goodness I didn't have a suitor back home." Venus grinned and Serenity smiled, laughing softly. "Do you have any suitors, Princess?"
"Hnnnngh… Nu-uh." Serenity shook her head quickly, which made Venus stare at her with a playful and curious expression. "Weeeeell…" The princess sat up and Venus perched on her bed, listening as the teenager talked about the midnight colored, black armor wearing man she had met at one of the council meetings between Earth and the Moon. "He had to have been from Earth, no one here has hair that's such a color… Well, Mars does, but…" Serentiy pouted. "I hope we'll all get along."
"Give them time," Venus said, stroking Serenity's long hair. She felt a warm, fuzzy affection for her, like a little sister, although the older girl never knew what it was like to have a sibling. "They just need time to adjust to being here." At least, that's what I hope, she thought.
When Serenity left Venus unpacked her bag. There were a few clothes in there for formal occasions, her favorite sweets, and an orange diary with a matching pen. She set the book on her shelf, put the cookies on the nightstand next to the bed, and changed into her night gown. After setting her brush, hand mirror, comb, and ribbons on the vanity dresser, she hung up her dresses and went to take a nap before dinner. She was scared of not doing a good job, but she knew she'd have to do her best. And how hard would it be to watch a bubbly fourteen year old princess?
A/N: Who's excited about the new Sailor Moon that's coming out in 2013? I am! I wanted to write about the moon kingdom for ages and my favorite scout is Venus, who I want to focus on. I hope you all like this chapter!
2017 A/N: ...I started this how long ago? I'm finally updating the grammar and some flow of the story.
