It took around two years of avid reading and mounting frustration for this day to arrive. Why frustration? Because I love, adore the thrill of writing but… I'm just too damn perfectionist, always taking editing and sentence construction very seriously, and if a text isn't the best I could have written, then there's no point in turning it public. Summing up, even though I like to think of myself as pretty fluent in English, my vocabulary and expressions knowledge is far from being the same as with my native language, and I'll never write in English as I'd do in Portuguese; I guess that the idea of turning a good story into a bad one because of this has held me back from writing a fan fiction, at least until today… What happened then? Well, sitting in front of a computer screen with nothing to do (my boss is away), while time drags by and outside people are soaking up this amazing Saturday's sun in the beach, can do wonders for my mood, even lead me into writing a fan fiction!! J
So here I am, starting a story from scratch, I mean, not translating anything I've written before, so it's kind of a new adventure… PLEASE support/help me in this challenge, every critic as long as constructive is welcome: review!!
Disclaimer: at the age of 11 I had a dream, and there were senshi protecting the galaxy, evil threatening earth, silver, blue, pink haired people, youmas sucking people's energy… but Naoko Takeuchi was faster putting it down on paper, so I guess Sailor Moon is © Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, Toei Animation. Seriously, Naoko must be a very special lady to have inside her something as inspiring as Sailor Moon. I do own the plot however.
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Ending the wide introduction, this will be a multi-part series, taking place 3/4 years after Stars; comments/suggestions send to Argenta@clix.pt . I'm still not sure, but probably every main character will take part on this, though I'll be focusing on Minako. I'll follow mostly on the manga plot (you can't find well defined character's personalities in the anime…), with some exceptions along the way.
Author: Sandra Santos
July 2002
Road to Utopia
Prologue
There are no doors to the moonlight; no window, no curtain can prevent the dancing moonbeams from sneaking inside every room, from painting every dreamer's sleep. The earth cycles had been changing ever so subtly for the past few years, as if preparing for a future placed somewhere ahead, but no one seemed to question the moon's growing presence on the night sky, nor the abnormality of the sea tides.
Still, if some tried to block the rays from entering, closing windows and shutters, others welcomed them in all their intensity, feeding on the energy. Somewhere in the heart of Tokyo, a room was glowing, bathed in moonlight, as if the moon knew it was her own soul lying inside.
A young woman was sprawled in a narrow bed, silky strands of hair brought to life by the reflections, in a metallic explosion where gold and silver were trying to overcome each other. In spite of the peaceful luminescence, her forehead was beaded in sweat, as a result of the constant tossing and turning; she was obviously a troubled soul.
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A woman dressed in pure glimmering white, with fairy wings on the back, was silently walking along crystal corridors, one hand caressing the smoothness of the walls around her, receiving and giving energy to the living palace. As she walked, the long silver hair made up in two buns, characteristic of the Royal Lunar Family, trailed behind her in the floor like a long mantle, marking the Queen's passage with a magical aura. Suddenly, she came to a stop, and leaned against one of the clear walls; with a sort of maternal pride, the goddess surveyed the city, her blue eyes filled with visions of beauty and crystal perfection.
"Crystal Tokyo…" she whispered. 'If only I could see the people from here… they are my people after all, and I'm hardly ever with them… I wish I could really know them, not as their Queen but as a friend! Their happiness is so vital to me… After the cleansing with the Ginzuishou there aren't any bad feelings, but still I wanted to be closer, to all of them!'
With a disappointed sigh, she continued walking, dragging her feet in a sign of reluctance. But then, all of a sudden, the silver hair trail stopped, and she giggled with pure happiness, like a child who's just had the best idea of the century. The golden crescent in her brow glowed intensely, and in a flash of light she was gone, leaving only moon dust filling the air.
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Minako had always loved the spotlight. What can a girl do if she's born Venusian?! Not even the fact that she was past 1000 years old could change the truth that blood is thicker than juice or something like that. But lately… well, it was starting to get on her nerves, all the attention, the adulation that she somehow felt was not for her but for another person: the Princess of Venus and leader of the Sailor Senshi. Was there a single soul in the Solar System who didn't dream about meeting the Senshi? Who didn't know their adventures turned into legends by heart? No, and that was a certainty as big as the Earth. Or the Sun. Or maybe Jupiter. Anyway.
If there was something Minako had dreaded in her early years, was solitude. She always had to be surrounded by people, even she wasn't aware of their presence. And yet lately she had grown to treasure it, even go through strange schemes to get some time for herself, alone, just Minako with Minako. And today, well, she had just had the most wonderful idea!! After all, anonymity is what she had been lacking lately, so now Sailor Venus was wandering around the streets of Crystal Tokyo in the skin of a fifteen-year-old boy, with tons of pimples in his chin. 'Mental note: never ever return the Luna Pen to Artemis. It's so much practical to use it, instead of draining on my energy… Can't let the others know I have it, though. Blood would be shed, I'm sure.'
Even though lost in her/his own thoughts, Minako couldn't help notice a stunning young girl in a park nearby, with shimmering silver hair falling past her shoulders, 'Hmmm looks just like Yaten… or Kunzite… ohhh stop drooling' who seemed to be having the time of her life. A huge grin plastered on her face, and blue eyes twinkling like stars, she would jump around into people's conversations, giggling at every word she heard, not in the least ashamed by such a rude behaviour. Venus smiled, feeling lighter, and went back to her thoughts.
Her disguise was wonderful. 'Oh I'm so smart!! Wait till I tell Ami, she'll be so proud of me!! Or maybe not… what am I thinking, the Senshi would kill me if they knew I left the Palace without telling them!! Though I can't see why, it's not like I'm in any kind of danger, besides no one could ever recognise me, even if I can't change this blasted silver hair!!'
After two hours of giddiness, while she behaved as a teenager who's never been out alone and is seeing everything for the first time, the silver haired girl was floating in a bubble of pure happiness. Now she truly felt connected to her people, at least she had been one of them, and had sensed how happy they all were in that perfect world she had created with such love.
Remembering Neptune's words on her favourite place in the whole city, she decided to have a look at the Silver Harbour. The walk itself was unforgettable for her, taking in all the surroundings, smells, colours, voices, but all of a sudden she came to a halt. Gasping, her senses were drowned in the most beautiful sight she had ever laid eyes on; it was just like Mare Serenitas, but enriched by the warm sun reflections, which oddly had a silvery glow in them. Almost hypnotised, she walked to the docks, and sat with her feet dangling in the air, occasionally splashed by the calm waves. There she stayed, eyes closed, breathing the sweet air, for what seemed hours.
"Serenity…" the girl's head jerked up at the sudden invasion of her thoughts. Startled, she looked around, since the only ones who shared a mental link with her were Endymion and the Senshi, and the voice didn't belong to any of them.
"Don't look any further, for you have found me."
"Who are you?" Serenity decided to follow on the link.
"The one you came looking for."
"I wasn't looking for anyone."
"Yes you were, my caring Queen. Indeed you came here looking for me, looking for a reassurance that would still the anxiety that's been tormenting you, and stop the fear of being so apart of your people that any harm could befall them."
Serenity lowered her head, not sensing evil in the voice, only such a sounding inevitability that made her dread the next words.
"And will I get that reassurance?"
"No." the Queen jumped when she heard the voice not in her head, but right in front of her. Gathering the courage to look up, she faced a wrinkled old-man's face, with a long white beard streaked with grey. Yet the eyes were of a black so vivid that pierced her mind, and held a great wisdom only compared to the one seen in Pluto's eyes, where you could read the past, present and future. Just like in his eyes. Feeling a shiver down her spine, Serenity looked straight into that darkness, searching for an answer. "Dear Queen, in your loving naïveté you built a Utopia. A beautiful one, but still a Utopia. Beware, it shall crack around you."
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A blue cat was suddenly jerked from her comfortable position under the blankets, when in a blur of movement Tsukino Usagi flew of her bed towards a column of books, half forgotten in a corner of the square room ( which itself was a clear sign of the girl's obvious lack of studying enthusiasm). Slowly one red lazy eye fluttered open, trying to focus, and as soon as what she was seeing settled in, both her eyes flew wide open, and the perfectly shaped crescent moon in her forehead shone golden, mirroring the cat's confusion.
"Usagi… what are you doing?" the voice was deep and resonant, surprisingly wise even for a cat "Is that really a dictionary in your hands, at 4 in the morning?!"
"Luna, I can't see, it's too dark!!" a twinge of impatience was noticeable "And if I switch on the lights, father will probably wake up…"
"But, what it is you're looking for?"
Usagi's head snapped up, a new idea shining in the clear blue sky eyes.
"You are such a smart kitten, Luna…" a brief amused smile, immediately replaced by the anxiety that seemed to be dominating her "Do you know what 'Utopia' means?"
Luna hopped from the bed and moved to the corner, purring softly when the moonlight caressed her fur. With a velvety paw she leafed through the dictionary, all feline concentration, and stopped a few pages ahead. "Can you read?" Usagi shook her head "We cats have a night vision… Listen, 'Utopia: an imaginary place or state of things in which everything is perfect: a vain quest for a political Utopia; Utopian: having or aiming for Utopia; idealistic; not realistic: Utopian ideals'."
Usagi fell silent.
That's a wrap!! With the Prologue, at least… I'm a bit tired now, almost morning and I'm still up, I do know I should be studying instead but hell, my lack of motivation is a longer story than Road to Utopia will ever be… Self-pity, me? Noooooo….. Never! Anyway, I really doubt I'll have any reviews, but if you read this, please please just write a small one, I could really use a boost. Comments/suggestions send to Argenta@clix.pt ok? Good night!