Title: A Fateful Arrow
Disclaimer: I do not own anything about Sailor Moon, including the characters.
Author's Note: This story does not really have a time period. If some things do not make sense, please have no worries and just go with the flow. If you have questions, please ask and I will try my best to answer them all. I am sure things in my mind are much clearer than how I have written them. Do not forget to review; I would love as much feedback as possible. This is my first story, so I would love some respectful criticism. Also, the story takes place outside of the Sailor Moon world. The only thing this story has to do with Sailor Moon, are the characters. Do not expect power of the Sailor Scouts. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

The forest is quiet as the sunlight beams past the rooftops of the trees. It dances along the floorboard casting shadows along the roots of the wooden oaks, giving it life. Softly, the wind blows, as specks of dust swirl in a frenzy to reach the high noon sun. Animals beckon to eat the falling leaves and nuts disturbed by the causal blow, leaving tracks for hunters to follow. It is a peaceful scene, one that should be appreciated, until the falling footsteps of a galloping horse and the screams of an unwilling passenger, break the surreal moment.

It happened not moments ago, that a crazed man looking for money and a helpless female began ransacking the nearest village he could find. The town was tucked away from the outside world, hidden behind the darkest of trees, never to surface within its own kingdom. Only when the bravest of adventures found their way around the twist and turns of the wooden maze, would they be rewarded with a breathtaking view of the sunlight. Still unwanted intruders found their way in, and with only the protection of the woods it left the village vulnerable from visitors of the outside world. How this man found his way in was beyond any of the villager's knowledge, but it seemed to be happening more and more. As the man galloped away, looking back only to smirk at the thought of how easy his target had been, did he process the thought of how to escape the closed in forest. He needed to getaway and fast, not because he was alarmed, but to enjoy his conquest. The rider looked down to inspect his greatest prize, as he gentle slid the back of his finger tips down the young woman's tear stained face.

Her hands were bounded by leather stripping, with a strap that was tied behind her head to keep her from talking. Her golden hair was in disarray as it hung forward, while she laid face down in front of the man's lap. Her legs and head were dangling on each side of the horse, as her curves pushed upwards as they rode. She was working in a wooden tavern in the center of town. She had stood up to him, refusing to give him the profits made from that day. He liked that she showed great courage. Her strength only made him want her more, so that it would make breaking her spirit that much sweeter. Suddenly, the man came upon the outskirts of the village, commanding his horse to stop so he could re-evaluate his position. He searched frantically for the way he came in, hoping he could take the same way back, but to his dismay there was no path. That was the magic of the forest, there was only one way in and one way out, and only the villager were familiar with its secrets. As he looked around, he became impatience, realization hitting him that he might not make it out of the forest. Finally, he toke hold of the girls hair, grabbing a fist full of golden locks, jerking her head in an upward motion. Looking deep into her dark blue eyes, he had hoped to see fear, but all he got was fire.

"Where is the path?" He said calmly, still holding onto her hair.

The girl did not respond, still just staring into his eyes.

"I will only ask you once more, where is the path?" This time screaming, as he thrashed the young woman's head around, trying to intimidate an answer out of her.

Wincing at the throbbing pain in her head, she shut her eyes trying to find some relief from his actions. As he waited impatiently for her response, she could smell his horrid breath in her face.

After a few seconds of silence, her eyes shot open, as she felt a cool metal tip pierce the side of her throat.

"Don't think just because I kidnapped you, that I find you a valuable asset." He said with a grin, showing off his yellow rotting teeth. "I can replace a bitch like you any day. Your life has no meaning in my hands." Lowering his head to whisper into her. Slowly, he began to add pressure to the knife. "Now where is the path?"

Evil lurked in the essence of his face. The girl could see that he spoke the truth of her death, but all she gave him was silence.

"I see." Nodding at her reaction, he slowly came into an upright position. "I guess your life has no meaning to you, as well. That is such a shame; you are such a beautiful girl." As his last response played into the girl's ear, she found herself closing her eyes, ready for the knife to burst through her neck.

As she became ready for her demise, she heard a swift 'swiss' in the wind. Trying to look up to see what the noise had been, she felt the grip of the man's hands' loosen on her head. Finally, after a few seconds, his grip let go all together, which made it easier for her to look up at the questioning sound. It did not take long for her to discover what the noise had been. The rider's body was still in the same position; however, an arrow had penetrated through the back of his head popping out from the right eyeball. Red liquid began to trickle down his face, as if he were crying tears of blood, and the tip of the arrow was covered in internal particles. His mouth was agape for his finally response to her, but he was not able to get it out. She quickly scrambled her way off the horse, but suddenly felt her feet give out, making her land on her butt with a smack. As she tried to hoist herself off the ground, the robber started to collapse under his grotesque weight, making the freshly dead body go stiff. Releasing the horses' rein and the knife, his body quickly shifted, landing on the opposite side of the ground with a big thud. She watched in shock, as the man's lifeless body was laid out in front of her, not even realizing the silhouette behind her.

Carefully, the figure reached out to grasp the girls shoulder, twisting her around. The girl became tense from the action, but cautiously relaxing after seeing her heroes face. With one swift move, the savior cut the girls leather bonds, allowing her to move and speak freely.

"Serenity!" exclaimed the girl, giving her rescuer an appreciative hug.

"Mina, are you alright?" Serenity asked with concern. Stepping back to inspect the kidnapped girl making sure she was not injured.

"Better than usual, I am alive thanks to you." giving Serenity a wide grin to let her know she was perfectly fine.

"Yes, but I am sorry it had taken me so long to kill him. I did not intend for him to get that far." she said with a sigh of relief. She was glad Mina was safe. Her sister tends to get herself into these ordeals, and usually Serenity is right there to save her, but this time the robber switched directions on her. She had seen the man riding in on the East. Hoping he would come back the same way, she decided to set up watch. However, he rode into the West, proving he had no sense of direction.

"Why do you always do that Mina?"

Mina looked at her sister, noting the irritation in her voice. "I can't help it. No one else can do it; someone had to stick up for the villagers."

"I know, but I told you that was my priority. Father entrusted me with your life and the protection of the villagers. I do not acquire your help. You are only going to get yourself killed." Serenity was exhausted. She had been in the trees all day, waiting for unwanted criminals to breech through the forest. She had been on watch for months, and it was starting to become monotonous.

"I know that, but it just seems unfair that you are the only one that has the burden of guarding the town. No one else is here to help you, and these crimes have been happening more frequently over the past few months."

Mina had a point, but Serenity could not risk her little sisters' well being. "Well, lucky for us the numbers of intruders have dwindled down. There was a time when we would get multiple thieves, now they are down in numbers. Obviously, there are rumors of strong safeguard amongst our village, even if it truly is only one person protecting our lands.

"Aye, but how long can one keep this up?" Mina said, expressing her worries to her sister.

Serenity did not answer her worried sister, leaving Mina annoyed. Serenity never answered her question about her own health and happiness.

"Well" Mina said with a sigh. "It just too bad they do not know it is a woman. How I would love to see the men's faces, if only they knew a female had put them in death's grip. Mina said with a small laugh.

"Yes, it may be funny, but I need them to keep thinking that there are men in this village, even if they are on the battle grounds of war against our neighboring kingdom." Serenity toke her focus off her sister, to glance at the body lying on the ground. The robber's body had become swollen, with the skin casting shades of purple and blue from the lack of oxygen, letting Serenity know that it was time to bury the dead.

Serenity glanced back at her sister, examining her again. She was so feminine compared to her. The only things they had in common was their hair and body shape. Serena had blue eyes like her sister, but they were not a deep ocean blue. However, it was not how her sister looked, but how she presented herself, which was of elegancy. She had grace like a well trained dancer and manners that could only come from her noble mothers teaching. Mina was not to blame for Serenity's lacking in womanly etiquettes. Their father wanted a son first, after that nothing else mattered. However, to his disappointment he got Serena instead, but that never stopped him from raising her to be a man. He trained her to be a skillful fighter, battling her into the ground every day, but she could not grasp the techniques of a sword, which had made him truly disappointed. Seeing as how harsh he was with Serena, her mother vowed that if their next child was to be a girl, she would teach her to be an enchanting woman, instead of a ruthless man. It was a good thing her mother had the chance with Mina, because a few years later her mother had passed away. Passing along her womanly traits from mother to daughter.

"Go home Mina, let the villagers know that I caught the criminal. Make sure everyone is safe." Serenity softly demanded.

"What about you?" Mina said as she took the reins of the stolen horse, quickly raising herself upon the saddle.

"I have to bury the dead." Serenity said tiredly, slowly walking over to the dead body, really not wanting to deal with the situation at all.

"If you ask me, none of these men deserve a proper grave."

"That maybe true, but even in war everybody deserves to be buried." as she smiled up at Mina.

"You are to good Serenity." Before Serenity could give a negative response, Mina was riding off towards the village, Serenity watching as her back disappeared into the woods.

Looking around Serenity felt at peace, even with her surrounding company. She loved the woods, her father discovering that she had a talent for climbing trees early on in her youth. After the entire let downs of her sword fighting skills, he thought he might have a chance if he taught her how to use a bow. The moment he placed the weapon upon her hand, she was instantly in love. No other weapon felt right. It was heavy at first, being her father's bow, it was too big for her, but she learned how to compensate. It toke months for Serena to figure out the bow, but her father was very impressed with the progress she had made. Finally, by the time Serena was thirteen, he trusted her enough to let her go hunting with him. Serena's father explained that hunting was about patience and intuition, teaching her the rules of gaming. Hunting had brought her to life. She had made her first kill, staying in one spot for hours, as an unsuspecting male deer ate. Holding her arrow steady she pulled the bow tight, waiting a few more minutes, as the animal came into her line of vision. With one final breath she let go of the arrow, hearing the sound of the string vibrate through her ears. She loved that sound, but most of all she loved the last breath taken before the kill. It was like time slowed just enough for her to connect to something beyond herself, reaching in before letting it go. It brought her peace. Her father was so proud and enthusiastic, that he promised her a new bow for her eighteenth birthday. However, by the time her birthday was upon them, her father was headed down the path of war. The village had heard news of it spreading to their kingdom, and through the town was hidden from wanders; it still did not shield their men from certain tragedies. Serenity hated the thought, but it was good for her father, he needed to let off some steam. After their mother's sudden death, he had become so closed off, cold and malice. She hoped with his return, the pain of her death would only be a scar instead of a deeply cut wound.

Before her father left for his journey, he had spoken to Serenity, guaranteeing that word would spread of the towns lack of defense. He made her swear to protect the village and her sister at all cost, even if it meant losing her life in the process. Of course, there was no hesitation when it came to agreeing with him, he did not have time for weakness. However, she still felt an uncertain feeling deep within her. She was comfortable with killing animals, it was only meant to feed villagers, but could she kill a human? She had never imagined the sensation of what it would be like to pierce through human flesh, but she would soon find out. On that day, twenty men came to their village on the intent of theft and rape. Serenity had no choice in the matter, killing the intruders was the only way to save her village. She would never forget that moment, her first human kill. He was hovered over her sister ready to have his way with her in their own home. He was so into having her, that he never heard Serena come behind him. She was poise to shoot, but still she hesitated. Serenity could feel her hands shaking, as the bow strained for release, yet she could not get her bearings. Glancing down, Serenity could see her sister fearful and crying. Mina had never carried such an expression, causing Serenity to swell with anger. She called out to the man in front of her, as he turned around to see who was intruding in on his fun. Before he could even do a full turn, Serenity had the target lined up, and with her final inhale of breath, she released the arrow. She could hear as the arrow penetrated through the soft flesh, it was a completely different sound than from killing an animal. The arrow hit its mark, right in the juggler. Serenity had no time to make sure if Mina was ok, before she swayed around, bow already loaded again, piercing it next victim. As she fought, Serenity felt something pumping through her veins, the feeling was intoxicating. After the battle, Serenity was able to kill seventeen men, one running away into the woods, before she could ever reach him. She was not sure if he would make it out alive, nor did she care. Killing these beasts of men was all that mattered. However, sooner or later she would come to realize her talents with a bow and arrow would be a curse.

That fight was two years ago, and she was afraid her father was never coming back. She was tired of killing; she lost herself a little every time she claimed a victim's life, even if they were evil. She was not cut out for war, 'I guess that is the only thing that makes me a woman' Serenity though to herself. As Serenity walked over to the man's corpse, she hovered, looking down at him.

"Am I to turn out like you?" Serena asked, knowing he would not replay back.

Gently, she placed her brown leather hunting boot on the back of his head. Ever so lightly she reached out to clutch the feather end of the bow, with one quick twist of motion, the arrow shot back out the way it came in. Serenity examined the top, to see if the arrowhead was good enough to use again. Once she decided that is was still in good condition, she flicked her wrist, watching the blood splatter along the grassy plain. In time the rain would wash the stains away. She looked at the body, only to sigh out in frustration for her father unneeded rule to bury the dead. She had done it so much now that it had become second nature, and as she kneeled down to start digging the grave, she could not help, but wonder if this was her only fate.