~Siren of the Stars~
by Strawberry Moon Rose
How I see the beach house in my mind is very similar to the hotel in the SuperS special: The Return of Haruka & Michiru. Usagi's balcony is like the one that Michiru was looking out over the ocean at when that possessed maid attacked her. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about lol.
Chapter two, enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters. They belong to Naoko Takeuchi.
I wake up the next morning to a pounding fist outside my door. It's harsh and persistent, yanking me out of dreamland like a blaring siren.
"Usagi-chan! Get a move on or we're hitting the waters without you!" It's Minako's voice.
I groan and roll over, the waterbed sloshing me up and down. I squint into the honey morning glow that fills the all-white guestroom. I sit up and stretch, a yawn escapes me. It's summer vacation for Pete's sake! I should be able to sleep in...
"Put your swimsuit on, we're all waiting for you!" Makoto calls.
My eyes pop open. The ocean! Knowing me, it's probably noon and they want to go for a swim.
"Coming..." I mumble, my voice thick with sleep. Kicking my legs to the side of the bed, I get to my feet and start to get dressed. I rummage through my bag and pull out a pink one piece. It's similar to the one that moths ate through and I had to tie yellow ribbons in a few years ago, but new and much cuter.
I don't know why, but as I'm easing it up my half-asleep body, I look out the patio doors and pause. I can hear the ocean roaring outside. The sunshine on the water almost blinds me. There's something magical when I gaze in that direction, but I can't put my finger on it.
All remember is this beautiful song. Who sang it? Where did I hear it again? I think I had a crazy dream last night, but I can't remember what it was about. I hum the melody quietly to myself as I brush my hair and tie it up in two odangos, my signature trademark.
I step into my flip flops and grab a towel, wrapping it around my body. I put on my sunhat and big sunglasses before hurrying out into the hall and meeting my friends.
"Ready!" I smile and shut my door behind me. Everyone is there standing in their beach fashions; Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako.
"Good! Let's go!" Minako cheers and leads us down the hall. We descend down the stairs and into the vast living room. Haruka and Michiru are waiting for us near the door. Haruka is wearing a tank top and loose shorts. Michiru is in a mature black bathing suit and has a tote bag full of sunscreen and magazines over one shoulder and a large umbrella under her other arm.
"I've got brunch," Haruka says. She raises a big picnic basket and smiles at me. I lick my lips, tummy rumbling at the endless possibilities she could have cooked up. I'm especially looking forward to it since it seems I don't have time for breakfast.
All seven of us head outside. We walk down the porch steps and out past the mermaid fountain to the short, wooden gate. It's ten minutes before we get to the beach. We start down the hill where the grass melts to white sand, hot under my sandals. The sporadic trees around us offer little shadows from the strong morning sun. Even behind my floppy sunglasses I'm squinting.
"Race you to the water!" Rei calls and dashes off. We all run after her. I nearly trip, but manage to regain my footing before falling flat on my face. I get there last of course, right behind Ami. Laughing and dropping to our knees in the sand, we sit for a minute, trying to catch our breath while Haruka and Michiru catch up. Even though it's only mid morning, it's already warm.
A minute later and the couple joins us. Haruka takes the sun umbrella from Michiru and stakes it into the sand. She lays out a towel for her girlfriend to sit on under the shade.
Minako looks all around, hand shielding the bright sun from her face like she's searching for someone. After a minute she gives up and sits down again.
"This sucks! Where are all the hot guys at?" Minako sighs dejectedly. She's right, the beach is nearly deserted. There's a handful of people here and there, but mostly it's just us with the whole place to ourselves.
"Is that the reason you came here?" Michiru teases. She's lying on her stomach while Haruka squeezes sunscreen lotion into her hands and rubs it on Michiru's shoulders.
Minako stands up, shaking off the sand from the back of her legs. "Well yeah," she says and drops her towel. "Who else am I supposed to impress, the seagulls?"
We all stare at her. She's wearing the skimpiest orange bikini even imaginable. Every corner is tied with little strings. I feel awkward just looking in her direction. She has the curves to pull it off, but it's a miracle everything manages to stay in place.
Haruka even stops massaging Michiru to blush. Michiru follows her gaze and pinches her lover, making the dirty-blonde raise her shoulders sheepishly like she couldn't help herself.
"Minako-chan," I say, breaking the silence. "You can't be serious..."
Minako blinks. "Why not? You don't think it's cute?"
Rei snorts and stands up after her. "If you go in wearing that thing, the waves will knock it right off."
Makoto nods in agreement. "She's right, Minako-chan. Don't you have anything a little more practical?"
Minako laughs and waves her hands. "Don't worry about it, guys! It's fine. Besides, who knows when a group of cuties will come walking by? I'll take my chances." With that, she trudges into the water.
We look at each other and shrug before running in after her.
The water is cool and feels nice compared to the rising temperatures in the air. The sandy is squishy, oozing between my bare toes. I run my fingers through the ultra blue water, swirling it around. A wave comes and splashes up to my chest, soaking the ends of the blonde hair that streams from my odangos.
I doggy-paddle out as far as I can while still touching the bottom. I enjoy the salty water bobbing me up and down. It's a good feeling.
"Think fast!"
I turn around just as a mini tsunami splashes me in the face, stinging my open eyes. I wipe my wet bangs back and look up at Rei. She's wearing a cheeky grin, clearly the culprit.
"Why you!" I laugh and dive after her, determined to soak her back. I whirl my arms, trying to make the splashes reach farther out.
"Incoming, Usagi-chan!" Makoto gets me this time. She shrugs apologetically and swims away. With her athletic body, she's faster than I am, cutting through the water like a knife through butter.
It's not too long before I realize somebody's missing from our water fight. Back on the shore, Haruka is laying out next to Michiru with her hands behind her head. Ami is close by, sitting in the sand with her nose in a book.
"Hey Ami-chan!" I shout. My voice carries across the open beach. "What're you waiting for? Come on in! The water's fine!"
"You're studying again?!" Minako yells. "Summer vacation is for fun!"
"Don't make me carry you in here!" Makoto warns with a laugh.
The blue-haired girl smiles and shuts her thick textbook. Setting it on a towel, she runs in after us in her light blue one piece.
"I guess just for a little while won't hurt. But I really need to get ahead on my studies..." The second her toes touch the foamy sea, Ami seems to forget what she was talking about. She closes her blue eyes and sinks down until it's up to her neck. She looks really beautiful in the water. It's her element and where she belongs, just like Michiru.
I'm so busy admiring Ami I don't notice when Rei snags one of our beach balls that floats by and chucks it at me. The harmless plastic smacks my shoulder.
"Tag! Usagi's it!" She yells and swims away.
I grin and grab the slippery ball. It's hard to get a good grip on it because it's wet. When I throw it, the wind carries the light ball and it lands short, hitting Minako instead of Rei.
"Minako-chan's it!" I say.
The light blonde ignores my call. She then turns around, baby-blue eyes frantic. "Guys!" Minako cries. "I need your help!"
My brows pull together. "What's wrong?"
Minako sinks unusually lower into the water and scans all around her. I notice her hands are to her chest.
"Don't tell me...you lost your top." Rei seems very amused. She has one brow raised and a crooked smirk painted on her face. I know she wants to say, 'I told you so!'.
Minako nods and turns in a circle, trying to find it. "I don't know, it just came undone all of a sudden! I went to tie it again, but that stupid wave came and swept it away. Now I can't find it! Quickly guys, help me!"
"Okay," I tell her and start looking too. It's almost impossible, the water is so blue and dark. If it floats we'll be able to spot it, but if it sinks there's little chance we're going to see it again. By now the current could have swept it far away to the bottom of the ocean.
"This is bad. This is so bad," Minako mumbles over and over. She's really panicking. I would be too if I was half naked.
"It's gonna be okay, Minako-chan," I say, trying to calm her down. "We'll find it."
"Uh oh," Makoto says, staring off towards the shore. "Don't look now, but there's that group of guys you were hoping for."
"You're joking," Minako utters and whips around.
Unfortunately, she's not. Wading into the waters, three handsome blonde men with rippling muscles and sun kissed tans are carrying surfboards under their arms. My stomach sinks when I see they're coming towards us.
"Hey girlies!" one of them calls, "wanna hang ten with us?"
"This isn't good," Ami says, giving a sympathetic glance in our direction.
Minako turns around and sinks as low as she can until the sloshing water is up to her chin. "This can't be happening!" she squeals, trying her best to cover herself.
I search faster. I wander away from the girls in case the water took it farther out than we are looking. With my eyes strained in front of me, I see nothing but the same blue waves over and over for the next few minutes. It starts to give me a mild headache. Suddenly, I spot something and dive for it, only to hold a piece of slimy green seaweed between my fingers. Flicking it off under the water, I continue my hunt.
"Looking for this?"
The voice startles me. I don't think there is anybody else in the waters besides us and those surfer dudes. I jump a little and turn around.
Treading a couple feet away from me is a pretty girl my age. I'm taken aback by how beautiful she is, I gasp a little. Her short bangs drip water into her mysterious blue eyes. At the nape of her neck, her long black hair is cascading out of a ponytail. She's sunken as low as Minako is hiding in the water, but I don't question it for long because she has an orange bikini top in her hand.
My eyes go big. "You found it! I'm so glad! That's my friend's, she's going crazy looking for it. She'll be so happy!" I swim over to the girl.
When I get closer to her, I see her face light up.
"Hey, you're the girl from before!" she says, surprised. Maybe a little happy too.
I blink and stare at her, confused. "Eh?"
She looks away and smiles a little. "You don't remember?" I can't tell if it's a statement or a question.
I sweat drop and scratch the side of my cheek. "Um... Have we met somewhere before?" I ask.
The girl raises her eyebrows and points to herself. "You mean you don't recognize me?"
I shake my head. She looks vaguely familiar, but I don't think I've seen her before. Definitely not if she's from around here.
"Huh." She looks dejected and turns away. "I guess I'm not as memorable as I thought..." she mumbles to herself.
I have no idea what she's talking about so I just smile and point to her hand. "Um, can I have that back? My friend would be really happy..."
To my surprise, she starts chuckling and swims so close to me it makes me feel uncomfortable. "You're silly," she says and dives away.
I whip around, but she's gone. I look everywhere, but I can't find her. Impossible! She has to be under the water or something.
"Over here."
I glance up. She's a good twenty five feet away from where she was. Boy, she's a fast swimmer!
"How rude!" I call to her. "If you find something, you should give it back!" I can feel myself pouting like a kid, but I don't care. What is with this chick? I don't even know her!
"If you want it come and get it, Odango!" she says and dips back under the water.
I frown, clench my fist, and grit my teeth. There's an angry, annoyed mark on my forehead. "What an easy-going bastard! And nobody can call me 'Odango' except Mamo-chan!" I grumble to myself. I don't even have time to go after her before she pops up in the water right in front of me.
She holds out her hand, offering me the top. I quickly snag it from her before she decides to dive off with it again. She smiles at me, amused. Whoever she is, she's still sunk deep in the water, all I can see is her head above the blue waves.
"See you later, Odango!" She waves over her shoulder and disappears again.
I stare at that spot, half-expecting the mysterious girl to resurface, but she doesn't. I don't know how to feel right now. Irritated? Confused? Relieved? Probably a combination of all three.
"Usagi-chan! You found it! Thank god!"
I turn around and Minako is treading over to me. To be honest, I forgot all about finding her bikini top.
"I didn't find it, this other girl did," I tell her. I turn around, but I don't see her anywhere. Did she swim back to shore already? Squinting into the late morning sun, the only people I see in the white sand are Haruka and Michiru. Two fishermen walk by and a little girl with her mom stroll along, but that's it. She's gone.
"What girl?" Minako takes the skimpy material from me and quickly ties the strings back around her.
I frown. "You guys really didn't see her? She was pretty like a model and had dark hair. She was just here."
Minako looks at me like I am speaking alien. "Alright then Usagi-chan, whatever you say..."
It's obvious she doesn't believe me.
We swim all day, but I never see her again. I don't know why it bothers me so much, but it does and I continue to keep an eye out for her until the last minute when the sun sets and we all go inside for supper.
Everyone's tired from a long day at the beach, including me. While Haruka's cooking supper downstairs, I go up to my room to shower and change out of my wet suit and into warm, comfortable pajamas.
My guestroom not only has a balcony with an awesome view of the ocean, but a personal bathroom. Of course, everything is all white; the porcelain toilet, sink, and bathtub. I get in the shower and I stand under the stream of hot water, relaxed. Rinsing my hair with sudsy shampoo, I wash out the ocean water.
If the rest of the summer is going to be this fun, I'll never want to leave! Tomorrow we're going to make sand castles and Minako wants us to bury her completely.
I step out and wrap a fluffy towel around my body and tie my yellow hair up into a towel turban. I go back into my room and ransack my bag for a nightie. As I'm digging, I hear a little tapping noise like someone is drumming their fingers on glass. I look around, but I don't know where it came from. I ignore it and turn back to my bag when I hear it again.
Clutching the towel around my body, I stand up and listen hard. Not a second later, I see something small and hard hit the balcony doors. I frown. Unless I am seeing things, I'd guess someone is throwing rocks at my window.
Now curious, I walk over and squint out into the twilight. It's still light enough out that I can see the pebbles that hit the glass right in front of my face! I yelp and jump back, heart pounding. Slightly irritated now, I push the doors open and step out onto my personal balcony.
The ocean hiss fills my ears again. The air is warm and damp for the end of the day. For a split second I wonder if it's those surfer boys out in the water fooling around. Whoever was throwing those had to be swimming; there's nothing else out back but the ocean in every direction.
"Who just did that?" I call down nervously. I hug my towel tighter and lean over the balcony edge in search of the delinquent.
To my surprise, somebody is actually down there. I rub my eyes to make sure they're not playing a trick on me. It's that girl from earlier! She treading in the water again, up to her neck. When she sees me, she grins and waves.
"Hey, Odango!"
I gape. What is she doing out there? I shake my head and get it together. "Was that you who threw those?" I yell down over the edge.
She smiles and nods.
"Why?!"
She looks at me like that is a stupid question. "Because I want to see you again, Odango," she says innocently.
I frown and put my hands on my hips. "My name is not Odango! It's Usagi! Tsukino Usagi! And how did you know I'm staying here? Are you like, stalking me or something?" I smile and lean against the edge, a little flattered.
She chuckles. "I told you, we've met before. I can't believe you don't remember someone cool like me." She brushes her wet bangs out of her eyes the way a pretty boy idol would.
I sweat drop. I can feel the waves of self-confidence rolling off her from three stories up.
"You should come for a swim," she says casually and swishes her hand in the water.
"I don't even know you, you Peeping Tom," I protest, trying not to sound interested in that idea. And it's true, I don't know her. But I think she's right; I've met her somewhere before. It's foggy like a distant dream, but she looks familiar and I'm curious. Besides, she's really pretty and I've got free time. It shouldn't matter what I do with it, right?
She laughs and glances up at me again. "Nice towel by the way."
"Huh?" I look down, totally forgetting I am standing in nothing but a pink bath towel. I touch my hair and realize it's still wrapped up in one too. I blush and hug it tighter against me. Perv!
She laughs again. "Suit yourself, Odango." She moves her hand in the water and playfully splashes up in my direction.
What happens next is weird. Suddenly the water she sprayed up seems to be floating in the air, the clusters glistening in the orange twilight. My eyes go wide just as the sprinkles rain down over me.
My jaw drops. I wipe the side of my face with the back of my hand. "How did you do that?" I ask, amazed. She's thirty feet below me and she didn't even splash that hard. There's no way it could have reached me, especially when it seemed to ride the air like magic.
The girl shrugs. "Oh that? That's nothing..." With a flirty smile, she spreads her arms out. I should know what's coming next.
The next splash is even bigger and drenches me like a curling tidal wave. The water slops down my face and into my blue eyes. It's so heavy, it nearly knocks my towel off. I sputter and look down at the puddle of water at my feet now.
She's laughing. If I'm not so pissed off I would notice how cute it sounds. She has a beautiful voice, rich and creamy like chocolate. I imagine she'd be a good singer.
I wipe the water off my face and glower down at her. "That's it!" I say, trying to keep a straight face. I know I must look pretty silly and it's hard not to laugh along with her. "What's your name anyways?" I demand while suppressing a grin.
The girl smiles smugly. She tilts her head to the side and looks right at me.
"Seiya," she answers, "Seiya Kou."
I play with the name in my mind. It means 'starry night'. It's fitting considering the stars popping out above us in the sky. "Really? Well Seiya, you're gonna get it!" I threaten. It's supposed to sound scary, but it comes out more playful than I intend.
She raises her brows and pretends to be scared. "Oh no! What are you gonna do?"
I hike my towel up and say bravely, "You just wait and see! I'm...I'm coming down there, and you'll be sorry!"
Seiya grins and sinks lower in the water, satisfied. "Good. I'll be waiting, Odango..." Even from all the way up here, I see her wink at me. My heart does something really funny; it flutters. I can feel it dancing in my chest and my stomach tingling. I quickly look away, unsure what this feeling is. But there's one thing I know for sure;
I'm going to find out.
