In the Shadow Of Starlight
By Ms. Moonstar
A/N: Here's the latest chapter to this fic. I apologize for the lateness, but I had finals and the holidays to keep me busy. Hope your holidays were good!
^_^ Enjoy! And please don't forget to review, thanks!
Chapter 4: Healer's Discovery.
The only sound Healer could hear was the crunch of pebbles under boots. Pushing her bangs from her face, a feeling of uneasiness passed through her as she walked down the
deteriorated city. Healer shuddered as she looked at the crumbled buildings in hopes of finding one stable enough to enter. At last, the silver haired Starlight saw a structure that
seemed unscathed among the destruction around it. I wonder how that happened She thought. Taking a deep breath, Healer moved to the alleyway, going from sunshine to shadow in
only a moment.
A side door stood ajar, illuminated by the flashlight the small Starlight had pulled out from a rough brown journey bag. Healer figured that it had been left open from people fleeing the
building as people inside had tried to flee during Galaxia's invasion. Edging her way into the structure, she let her eyes adjust to the complete darkness before moving her flashlight to
survey her surroundings. The room itself was a clutter of broken shelves, fragments of broken glass and other items that were scattered on the floor and cabinents. As her flashlight
swept over the room, she realized that it was once a kitchen. This must have been a restaurant, and perhaps the family lived above it. Odd though, Healer did not smell any
decomposion that would have been common with so much food aroud her. The small Starlight went to the cabinent, it's door half off of its hinges, opened it, and shining the light into the
crevices. It had only taken a second for Healer to see several roaches scatter about the shelf, trying to escape the light. She quickly extracted her hand, she decided that she would not
explore the shelves any further.
Suddenly she heard a loud thud like something hitting the floor directly overhead. Healer listened intently to see if there were any noise. She breathed evenly, counted to ten, but heard
nothing, shrugging it off as a rat. Healer rummaged through the other cabinents, finding little that she could salvage for their own purposes, stuffing some non parishables into the
knapsack. Turning on heel, she was about to head for the door when something stopped her in her tracks. She heard the sound of light footsteps above her head." Probably a rat." She
muttered to her self. Healer would have left it at that, but her instincts told her otherwise. She sensed a human prescence.
Grumbling, the silver-haired Starlight pulled her Star Yell from her pocket and made her way to the stairs to what she believed to be the second floor in the dim light. Ascending the
steps, she carefully tapped the toe of her boot on each on the wood to be sure which were safe and which were not to ascend until she reached the landing. Her hand holding
the flashlight in one hand, and brandishing her Star Yell in the other, she cautiously walked down the hallway. There were four rooms, with each door open. The silver-haired Starlight
slunked into the first, realizing that it was a tiny playroom. After exploring the other two, she reached the final one that looked like the master bedroom where the noise had materialized.
Healer carefully slipped into the somewhat bigger room, once again shining the light all around it. "I am Sailor Star Healer, guardian of her highness Princess Kakyuu and demand you show yourself!" There was no noise once again. Healer rolled her eyes. Sure, it had to be sane to order rats to come out with their hands up. She moved to leave, when she heard the closet door in the corner begin to open. The silver-haired Star senshi whirled around, about to call her attack, but stopped in an instant when she saw what had caused the sound.
A head of a little girl no older than four years old peeked out, her chocolate colored eyes filled with fear. Healer's mouth stood, her mouth agap in shock. How could this child be here
now? Kneeling, she gently put down her Star Yell and called to the child.
"Please come out little one, I won't harm you." The little girl, stepped out into the light of Healer's illuminator. She was dressed in a ragged and faded blue dress, her feet bare and dirty.
Her eyes were large and her face was sunken in, scratched and pale.
"What's your name, little one?" she asked in a tone that was almost motherly. The little girl opened her mouth to speak, but did not say anything for a moment. Finally, she whispered in
a tone that Healer could barely discern.
"Mika."
"Have you been hiding in there this whole time, child?" the silve-haired star senshi asked, nodding to the now unoccupied closet. The girl shook her head, and inspite of Healer's kind
prompting, said nothing more. Pushing her communicator button, the small Starlight told the little girl, "Don't worry. My friends and I will take care of you, I just need to meet withl them." Taking Mika's hand she said, "Would you like to meet the princess?"
The child's eyes widened with delight.
TBC...........
