A PARENT'S LEGACY
Chapter 1: "Summoned"
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.


Sailor Moon and all related characters are (c)2014 by Naoko Takeuchi and are used without permission, but with respect. Story is (c)2014 by Bill K.


Rei Hino walked down the corridor of the Crystal Tokyo palace with a calm, but purposeful gait. She gave cursory nods to the palace staff she met along the way, but did not stop. They all recognized through experience with the priest that she was focused on something important and at times such as these she often let manners slip by the wayside. Given all of the times she had been an aid both to the general population of the city and country and to the beloved Queen herself, such things were easily forgiven and forgotten.

"I wonder what it is this time," a cleaning attendant wondered to herself. The woman, just nineteen, was relatively new to the staff and didn't have as much experience with the priest as others. As such, the woman's manner still intimidated her. Rei came up to the door to a living quarters and stopped.

"No identification," she whispered. The environmental control computer immediately countermanded its programmed identification response to the person inside the room. Rei stood there for a moment, focusing on her feelings to make sure she'd sensed what she thought she did.

There was no doubt. It washed over her like a wave. Her head bowed for a moment over what she sensed. Then the priest made a decision. Her hand touched a panel next to the door. Sensory devices embedded in the panel scanned her fingerprints. The door hissed open softly. Rei entered the Royal Chambers and crossed over to the entrance to one room. She pressed her hand to another panel and that door opened as well.

Huddled in the bed, as forlorn a sight as Rei could ever remember seeing, was the three-year-old princess of Crystal Tokyo and of Japan. The girl's sadness was like a slap in the face to the priest. The child looked over her shoulder to see who had entered. She wasn't accomplished enough to disguise her disappointment.

"Hi, Auntie Rei," Chibi-Usa mumbled. Rei crossed over to the bed.

"Can't sleep, Muffin?" Rei asked. She sat down on the side of the bed. The child rolled over onto her back to face her visitor.

"I'm trying," she offered. "I'm trying to be a big girl like Daddy wants." She didn't continue, but looked down with disappointment in herself.

"Muffin, you know your Mom and Dad want to be here, don't you?" Rei offered, her hand resting gently on the girl's shoulder. "You know what's happening with the world. This border dispute with China is very delicate and the Chinese refuse to talk to anybody except your Mom. She and your Dad have to be there. She wants to be with you - - but other people need her, too."

"I know," Chibi-Usa replied with a fatality that should be unknown in the mind of a three-year-old child. She kept a calm, though sad, exterior, but Rei could sense the loneliness and heartache of the girl. Rei could feel tears welling in her eyes and flashback memories to those days long ago when her own mother had died and her father was too busy courting power to tend to her.

"Muffin," Rei began, pausing to let the emotion clear out of her voice. "Would you like me to tell you a story?"

"You're not too busy?" Chibi-Usa asked, trying to conceal her hopefulness.

"I'm never too busy for you," Rei smiled as a teardrop escaped and trickled down her cheek.

Shifting on the bed so that she sat next to Chibi-Usa's head and shoulders, Rei searched her memory for something to enchant the little girl while the pink-topped tot snuggled against her.

"OK, ready?" Rei asked. Chibi-Usa nodded, her red eyes filled with both expectation and gratitude. "Once there was a great king named Ryujin. He was a great and powerful dragon and he ruled over all the sea and all the creatures in the sea from his mighty palace under the water. He was a good king and just, but only to those who respected his power. To those foolish enough or arrogant enough to challenge him, he could be a terrible and unforgiving adversary. Ryujin had a daughter, Toyotama-Hime, who all considered the most beautiful woman any had ever seen."

She looked down to see the effect the story was having on the child. Chibi-Usa was listening with rapt attention, digesting and analyzing every word she said.


Jun sat at her computer station, trying to concentrate on the latest news out of Colombia. Since finding out her birth parents were Colombian, Jun had regularly followed the news streams out of the country as it rebuilt itself from years of disaster, oppression and neglect. But today's news was mundane and uninteresting. That was a good thing for Colombia, because mundane was a definite step up from disaster and oppression. But it didn't do much for her flagging interest.

"If Jun-Jun is bored, she can always play 'dolly' with Palla-Palla," Palla-Palla offered from her doll house corner.

Jun didn't respond, but she did keep her disdainful expression hidden.

"That wasn't a nice thing to think!" huffed Palla-Palla.

"Stop reading my mind," sighed Jun.

"Princess Kagura says you're an old grumpy pants!" Palla-Palla replied, shaking her Princess Kagura doll at Jun.

"Princess Kagura should mind her own business," muttered Jun.

"And she says it's not her fault that Jun-Jun doesn't have a boyfriend!" Palla-Palla added petulantly.

"No, that's Jun-Jun's own fault," Jun frowned. "Seems like every guy I meet doesn't seem to measure up. I hate to say it, but I think Quad ruined me for other men. Or maybe I'm just too picky. What do you think, Palla-Palla?"

She swung her chair around and looked at her sister. Palla-Palla happily had a doll in each hand and was making them dance.

"Why am I asking you?" Jun sighed. Just then Ves walked in, dressed for one of her martial arts sessions and sweating like it had gone overtime. "You win or lose?"

"It was just practice," Ves shrugged. "What's up your ass?"

Jun sighed dramatically. "Cere is out with Hiroki. Hotaru and Yutaka are 'studying' together. And Usa and Helios are flying." She scowled. "You suppose we've already had our shot at love?"

"What, like me and Rudolfo?" Ves asked.

"Or me and Quad."

"Never knew what you saw in him."

Jun glared.

"Usagi-Mama says you can have more than one true love," Palla-Palla spoke up.

"Yeah, like Kino-Sensei," Ves added. "She was married once and now she's with Mizuno-Sensei."

"And Miss Minako-Ma'am was married a whole bunch of times," added Palla-Palla.

"So it's not like you've had your shot and now you gotta be celibate the rest of your life."

"What's 'celibate'?" Palla-Palla asked. Then, reading it on one of the other girl's minds, she put her hands to her mouth. Then she began giggling. "Palla-Palla is celibate!"

"Damn right, and it better stay that way," grunted Ves.

"I guess you're right, Ves," Jun shrugged. "I suppose there's another guy out there for me. I'm just tired of looking."

Suddenly Palla-Palla stood up. Jun and Ves looked over to her and saw a faraway look in her eyes and a solemn expression on her face.

"Hey, what's up?" Ves asked.

"Palla-Palla heard someone ask for help," the teen replied and headed for the door.

"I didn't hear anything," Jun responded. But Palla-Palla didn't stop, exiting the room. After glancing at each other, Jun and Ves scrambled to go after her.

Over the Crystal Tokyo palace, a majestic winged white horse soared through the brilliant blue sky. Astride the horse was a beautiful young woman, her long pink hair flowing behind her and her long bare legs clutching the shoulders of the great graceful beast. Her hands clutched the horse by its neck and those hands felt the pulse of the equine's veins as it climbed into the sky and then rode a wind current down toward the Earth.

"Your joy is quite infectious, Maiden," Pegasus thought to his rider.

"Gods, this is so much more fun when I'm not being a mope!" Usa exclaimed. The wind rushed across her face and through her hair. She threw one hand up and arched back. Pegasus angled his wings and swept back up into the sky. The couple climbed back up into the sky, then came down in a circular spiral.

"It is gratifying to know that you are once more capable of joy," Pegasus thought to her. "You so easily carry burdens upon you that are often not yours to shoulder. I love to see you with the light in your eyes and a smile upon your face. This is the way you should always be, in my opinion."

"Then I just have to spend more time around you," Usa giggled.

"Are you tiring?" the equine asked silently.

"Are you kidding? This is almost as good as sex!" Usa exclaimed. Then she grew a perverse smile. The teen leaned in and pressed her lips up to the winged horse's ear. "Almost."

Pegasus glanced back at her and if it was possible for a horse to leer . . .

And then Usa stiffened for a moment. She relaxed instantly, but her hand went up to her forehead.

"Maiden?" Pegasus asked with concern.

"We need to land," she told him.

Without question, Pegasus angled down and came to a soft landing on the aeropad atop the palace. Waiting there were Palla-Palla, Jun and Ves. Usa dismounted and brought her hand up to her temple again. Then Palla-Palla caught her attention. The girl was staring at her.

"You heard it, too, didn't you, Princess," Palla-Palla said. Pegasus changed back into Helios and his hands grasped Usa by her shoulders to steady her.

"Then it wasn't a hallucination?" Usa asked. Palla-Palla shook her head.

"What's going on?" Ves demanded.

"I," Usa began. "Someone was calling me - - asking for my help - - our help." She frowned at the memory. "At least I think that's what it was."

Without warning, Usa headed for the aeropad entrance to the palace. Everyone moved to follow her.

"I've got to talk to Aunt Rei about this," Usa declared.

Inside the shrine built into the palace, Rei Hino conducted her trade and calling. When Usa had told her what had happened, the priest immediately took her hand and led the teen to a room within the shrine. In the center of the bare room was an ancient blackened fire box cast of iron. Rei built a fire within the metal pit and sat down before it. She instructed Usa to sit to her right and Palla-Palla to sit to her left. Jun and Ves were allowed to stay in the room under the admonition that they not speak or act in any way. They agreed, Ves reluctantly, and watched the priest take the hands of the two girls and instruct them to take the hand of each other.

Rei's head bowed and she began mumbling prayers that none of the others could quite make out. After a few moments, Usa bowed her head as well. Palla-Palla just stared ahead, looking at nothing in particular. At once the lights in the room seemed to dim until the strongest light was the fire burning in the center. Its light cast odd shadows onto the faces of the three ringing it. Unaffected, Rei continued to chant. Suddenly Ves tensed up.

"I heard something," she whispered, anxiously scanning the room. Jun gestured for quiet and Ves nodded, but still continued to shift her eyes warily.

The three sitting around the fire began to take more shallow breaths. Palla-Palla continued to stare blankly. Jun swallowed. It was like the teen's spirit had abandoned her body. Momentarily Palla-Palla opened her mouth, as if to speak, then hesitated.

"Speak," Rei said distantly. "We will hear you out."

"I seek the champion, Sailor Moon," Palla-Palla said in a voice not entirely her own. "I seek the Princess Usagi." Ves started to lunge for Palla-Palla, but Jun held her back.

"I'm here," Usa replied curiously.

"I speak for another," the entity said through Palla-Palla. "I ask on behalf of Urusham, mightiest of the Village By The River, to travel to his world and aid him. He is on a quest for truth and justice, a quest that could cost him his life and the lives of all in the village."

"Of course, I'm willing to help," Usa replied softly. "But why me? How does someone of your world know of me?"

"I sought out the counsel of the Great Spirits and they told me of you. For among them great are the tales of the legendary warrior of love, Sailor Moon," Palla-Palla transmitted. "She who traveled the universe spreading peace. She who fought on behalf of the oppressed and the powerless. She who defeated Beryl and Metallia, who put to route Pharaoh 90, who bested Nehelenia and even defeated the mighty Galaxia herself..."

"Oh," Usa murmured, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice. "You want my Mom."

Palla-Palla was silent for a beat. "My apologies for offending you," she said. "Are you not Sailor Moon?"

"I'm not THAT Sailor Moon," Usa replied.

"But the power I sense from you," Palla-Palla said with confusion. "The message I sent was for the great Sailor Moon. If you received it, then you are the one I seek. Please do not hold my lack of knowledge against our Urusham. He is in need of your power and skill. I fear that if you do not aid him, he will act alone and perish from the attempt."

With that, the door to the room opened. Rei sagged and the lights seemed to return to normal.

"What's going on in here?" Queen Serenity asked.

Rei shook her head. "I'm sorry. I've lost him."

"Mom!" fumed Usa. Ves ran up and supported Palla-Palla.

"I sensed a presence in the palace!" Serenity shot back. "How was I supposed to know not to come in? And what were you doing anyway?"

"Someone was trying to ask for my help!" fussed Usa. "We were trying to communicate with him. But now the connection is broken and we don't even know where it was from!"

"Well, I'm sorry!" Serenity shot back. "Rei?"

"I was just boosting the signal," Rei replied, rubbing her temple.

"Palla-Palla knows where Mr. Magic Man was calling from," Palla-Palla spoke up. She still seemed a little spent and Ves protectively supported her.

"Do you think you could lead us there if we used Sailor Teleport?" Usa asked her. The teen responded with a nod that petered out from fatigue. "OK, why don't you rest up and we'll start out when you're feeling better."

"So we're going to help this guy?" Ves asked. "Even though we don't know nothing about him?"

"Aunt Rei, did you sense whether he was sincere?" Usa turned to the priest.

Rei sighed. "I didn't sense any deception," she replied measuredly. "But it really works better if I can make eye contact. Don't take it as guaranteed."

Everyone could see a moment of indecision cross the face of The Princess. They could see she was considering the possibility of this being a lure or deception of some sort. Suddenly the Queen reached out and seized her daughter's hands.

"If someone needs Sailor Moon's help," Serenity said with conviction, "and if your instincts say you should help them, then you should help them. That's the first, best reason for having the abilities you have."

Pride seemed to swell in the breast of The Princess.

"OK, Mom," Usa nodded.

"Just," Serenity continued, biting her lip, "please be careful. You know how much I worry about you!"

Usa rolled her eyes.

"Well, you almost managed a mature gesture," sighed Rei.

"You be quiet, Rei Hino!" fumed the Queen.

As The Princess left the room and her mother followed her, reminding her about every precaution there was to take, Jun began slowly walking toward the door. Ves had already carried Palla-Palla out and Rei was dousing the fire in the fire pit.

"Well, once more into the line of fire," Jun commented to no one in particular. "I wonder what this 'Urusham' looks like. It'd be nice if he was gorgeous."

"A word of advice from someone who has done this a time or two," Rei commented as she began cleaning the fire pit. "Concern yourself less with what this man looks like and concentrate on accomplishing your mission with maximum success and minimal casualties."

"Yes, Hino-Sensei," Jun replied. But it didn't stop her from wondering.

Continued in Chapter 2