In the Shadow of Starlight
By Ms. Moonstar
Chapter 12
Nightfall on Kinmoku was again the picturesque scene of a desert planet. The lack of clouds made
a clear view of the stars in the sky possible to see. The moon of Fighter was waning to the south in the night sky. The sailor senshi whom the planet was named finally arrived at her destination. She had regained consciousness earlier and had found herself approaching the crumbled buildings of the remains of a small town. Now looking at them, she found herself wondering how anybody would be able to live here. The cart stopped in front of one of the less tumbled down structures that was two stories. Standing in front was a stern looking older couple. Fighter did not resist as she was pulled bodily from the card and forced to kneel before them.
"So, this is the little traitor, is it?" the voice of the woman said in a sneer.
The leader of the Starlights lifted her head to glare up at them. Both had pinched faces that looked cross. The woman had chestnut brown hair tied back into a tight bun, a long narrow face, and dark green eyes. The man next to her was a taller man, with blond hair tied back in an aristocratic ponytail, blue eyes, and face full of sharp features. Both were wearing clothes of the Kinmoku elite. Again Fighter wondered why these people of such high social rank would return to this devastated planet.
"A bit scrawny for manual labor isn't she?" asked the elite man in an annoyed tone.
Well you try being starved, beaten, and overworked for a month and see how skinny you would be. Snorted the raven-haired Starlight to herself.
"I suppose we'll have to take her, we need a servant." the woman said in boredom. "Get up you wench!" she snapped at her.
'My name is Sailor Star Fighter, guardian of her highness Princess Kakyuu. And you will address me as such!" Fighter hissed, knowing full well that this would lead to punishment. But she didn't care, she had enough of being treated like a slave, of having her name spit on like it was poison, of standing and taking everything that was dealt when she was reprimanded by people who were supposedly 'higher' than her.
The wagon driver kicked her in the shins, causing her to fall hard onto her knees to the ground.
"Listen you little whore, you and that woman that calls herself princess of this planet are nothing more than dirt under my feet!"
"Besides," continued the nobleman in a haughty tone, you're kind are much better slaves than guardians. Look what you did to this planet." He swept his hand lightly around the empty buildings.
A red hot anger swept throughout the leader of the Starlights, anger that she had not felt until the day she had fought Sailor Uranus when she thought that the wind senshi was a turncoat. Again flashes of red skipped through her mind as the images of Kakyuu and the inner senshi dying, that fight with Uranus and Neptune, the battle with Galaxia surged in her mind's eye.
Fighter shot up from the ground and before anyone could restrain her, had her hands around the nobleman's neck, threating to clamp down on the man's throat, her eyes narrowed to slits as she looked at him.
"Listen you son of a-" Fighter had began to hiss, but never got any further than that. Something heavy struck her head making her collapse to the dry land. She was lashed by the cart man's whip. A stinging pain ripped throughout her body with every lash that was delivered to her already broken body. She had to bite her lip to hold back her screams, making it bloody. To her horror, Fighter saw the dark liquid of her own blood pooled around her and dripped into the dry cracked surface of the ruined cobblestone.
The horrific punishment lasted until the man seemed to grow tired from the exertion and lowered the whip. He gave the raven-haired Starlight a swift kick in her already bruised ribs. Her Sailor Collar was now almost completely gone, as were her gloves. Most of her ponytail was now nearly completely pulled from its tie, leaving it hanging over her shoulders. Scratches and burns appeared on her sunburned skin. She was barely holding on to consciousness as she heard one of the men speak.
"We don't want to dirty our hands. Take her out to the desert and dump this trash." Sneered the old nobleman, "We'll pay you extra for the trouble."
"Right," laughed the brutish cart man, who again took Fighter by the hair and threw her into the back of the cart. She landed hard onto the splintered wood and this time could not suppress a cry of agony. She felt the vehicle lurch forward as she lay face down of the cart, not having the strength to even lift her head during the entire journey.
When the wagon finally came to a halt, Fighter could do nothing as she was dragged from the back by her arm, landing hard on the ground with such force that pain ripped through her body.
"So long, you little wench." sneered the man, with a cruel laugh with one final kick to her back.
The raven-haired Starlight heard the squeak of the wheels as they moved, the sound fading further and further into the distance. Soon the only noise she could hear was her own ragged breaths. As darkness started to invade, and her awareness faded away, her last thoughts were of her comrades.
"Maker.....Healer....Kakyuu....I'm...." The last of her consciousness slipped away, leaving her prone in the arid desert.
To be continued.
A/N: Sorry for such a short chapter! This is the first of the three chapters detailing where each one of the remaining Starlights and Princess Kakyuu end up.
Next chapter: In Salvo (In Safety) Maker's arrival