Author's Notes
ImperialGuardian: I own nothing of Sailor Moon or Tales of Symphonia. I just love writing about them.
Raye: Aren't you running out of things to talk about for the game YET?
ImperialGuardian: The battle experience wasn't as focused as it'll be yet, but I just wanted to show the Symphonians that Serena CAN fight...hehe…
Raye: I can't believe you're still coming up with things to happen to us in that much time that has passed. AND WHAT DID YOU HAVE DONE TO LITA'S HAIR?
ImperialGuardian: Hey, the green was overdue! Anyhow, you'll find out later. As for the game, I LOVE IT so I can always find things to talk about. Like today, we're going to talk about one aspect of the game that I would love to get a chance to do!
Raye: You're really taking your time with this, you know that right? I mean, when are you actually going to have another REAL event happen?
ImperialGuardian: Soon… but there are some fun chapters that I want to write too…hehe…
Raye: You're hopeless.
ImperialGuardian: You know what? This is the longest we've spoken in awhile without you frying me! Hooray! (turns back)
Raye: (muttering) Won't last much longer… (preparing fireballs)
Looks Can Be Deceiving
Chapter 14: Riding Noishe…
"AAAWWW! He's SO CUTE!"
Luna meowed, as if to sound jealous. However, her cat eyes had fixed with his, and the two seemed to reach a silent, mutual agreement.
"And I thought Colette was bad," Genis muttered.
"Serena, you aren't scared of Noishe?" Lloyd asked, taken aback somewhat.
"Why should I be? With an adorable giant green dog as a pet, I could be a little jealous!" Serena replied, shooting a playful glance at Luna, who now turned her back to Serena. "Luna! I'm just kidding! I couldn't ask for a better friend!"
The animal she was now hugging whimpered some. It was literally, a giant white dog with green in various places, and ears that would be better fit on a rabbit. Serena rubbed behind his ears, giggling some.
"Friend?" Raine asked.
"Don't worry Noishe," Serena cooed. "I still think you're adorable!"
"She's avoided her cat again," the red headed older man, Kratos, thought, playfully curious.
The green dog howled, happy. Kratos was holding his forehead, and Luna was giving the dog, Noishe, a weird glare now.
"Wow Lloyd!" Colette said. "Serena is the first person not to see Noishe and think he was a monster!"
"I still don't get that whole protector of the universe thing you were talking about earlier," Genis said, looking at Serena in a questioning tone. "I mean, the universe is safe from what I can sense of it, short of mana depletion."
"The universe is bigger than this place," Serena corrected. "My job is to keep it safe from evil beings, kind of like a guard who protects a queen."
"The universe is a girl?" Colette asked. "How can you tell?"
"What's a universe?" Lloyd asked. Kratos and Raine sighed.
"It's an analogy," Raine explained to Colette. "And Lloyd, do you ever pay attention in my class? The universe is everything. It's a word that expands across the entire plane of existence. The stars, the ruins, everything."
"It's big—wait, did you just say ruins?" Lloyd asked, as Raine coughed.
"Serena, how can you possibly protect the universe when you're here?" Raine asked. Serena sighed. This was one of those times that she hated how bad of a liar she was.
"Luna," she said. "I'm sorry. I guess you were right."
"About what?" Luna wondered. "Wait, is she going to tell them that I talk?"
"About what? How can your cat be right?" Lloyd asked.
"I can't tell a lie to save my life!" Serena replied, as the group, including Luna, crashed. "However, I really can't tell you all the details just yet, but know this. What I protect, brings evils from everywhere in the Universe to claim it. If they knew I was here—well, then I would have to start doing my job—again."
"She'll never tell them that I talk," Luna thought miserably. Colette patted the cat softly on the head.
"It's okay Luna," she whispered. Luna wondered if she could have been Serena's sister in some lifetime. They looked surprisingly similar, and she seemed to know that Luna's distress was caused by the meatball-headed princess.
"So in essence, the evil comes to you," Kratos said. "What could be so important that you would risk the well-being of every place you could ever live in?"
"My life," Serena replied distantly, and said nothing more about it, as she hugged Noishe again. Her eyes were welling up with tears as her face was hidden in Noishe's fur. He didn't object, and Serena was glad. She'd have to be careful about this secret. She couldn't tell them that yet. Sure, she could tell them about Sailor Moon, but she just couldn't bring herself together to tell them the rest of her story just yet. She would tell Colette tonight, but she wanted to gauge her reaction first. She wanted to see how the Chosen of Mana reacted, in order to give her advice on how to explain it all. Being a princess, it would make her life seem more precious. It might make them think she couldn't fight with them. She wanted to help, and if she had to sway the Chosen of Mana to get them to understand, she would.
"Hey Serena, since Noishe seems to like you so much already," Lloyd started.
"Maybe he'll let you ride him!" Colette announced. Serena stifled what remained of her tears, and forced a smile on her face. She removed her face from his fur, looking at Noishe with an expectant look.
"Really?" she asked, giggling some. Noishe barked once, as Serena looked from Noishe to Luna. Luna had a Chesire grin again. Noishe knew their code? Smart dog. With a quick jump, she landed on his back gently, as the dog took off.
"WAIT A SECOND NOISHE!" Lloyd shouted. "BAD DOG!"
"Hang on tight Serena!" Colette called out.
"Noishe, what did you and Luna agree to?" Serena demanded, holding onto the scruff of his neck as he flew. She could hear the shouts of the others far behind her. Then, her ears picked up a whoosh. Looking around, she saw something flying through the air. Then, without warning, Noishe halted abruptly, as she flew off and crash-landed bridal-style into the arms of a man. After Serena realized she hadn't struck the ground, she slowly opened her eyes.
"Are you all right?" the man asked. Serena couldn't believe it…
"Your Highness," Zelos said softly to the princess, as she giggled.
"Hello Zelos. Who is this young man? Certainly he cannot be your brother," the princess asked. Darien bowed, giving a formal, knightly, hello. (A/N: A kiss on the hand…hehe.)
"I am Prince Endymion."
"Wow! A real prince? You are taking him to meet father, right? Where does he hail from?" the princess asked again, her eyes lit up like stars.
"His nation is called Earth, right?" Zelos asked, as Darien gave him a suspicious glance. How did this man know that? "Yup, it's a really small place that's far away from here."
"Wow! Father will be happy to meet you Prince Endymion!" the princess exclaimed.
"I hope so," Darien said regally. As Zelos and Darien walked down the hall, Darien began to speak, but Zelos beat him to the punch.
"Yes, I know where you come from. No, I'm not going to tell you how, and no, I can't read your mind," Zelos said quickly. Darien sighed. This guy could be creepy when he wanted to.
His guard rose, as the two walked along. Could he be an enemy? Why else would he have need to know his name, his home? He was positive this wasn't Earth. His body had told him so the moment he had arrived in the metallic hellhole. This place had a similar feeling, but it wasn't home. He didn't expect people here to know anything about his home, since they seemed so backwater, once Darien had left on the rheaird. These people were up to something, and it would be his new mission to find out before something happened to his Serena…
Raye looked everywhere. This didn't make any sense. She threw clothes aside, she flipped the beds over. She searched the kitchen, she swiftly checked through the small woodland around her home. She even looked up in the trees, and underneath rocks. Finally, she went over to the sleeping girls.
"Girls?" she whispered at first. None of them stirred. "Trista? Amara? Rini? Hotaru? Girls, wake up!"
They slowly stirred.
"What's a-matter Raye?" Rini grumbled.
"It's Michelle," Raye whispered. "She, Luna, Artemis, and Diana are all gone!"
"What?" the group demanded in chorus, each of them getting up quickly now. Trista looked wide-eyed.
"You weren't expecting that, were you?" Amara asked Trista, who shook her head. Suddenly, there was a jingle of a small bell, the five of them on alert. Their eyes darted left and right, trying to locate the noise. Then came the familiar, high-pitched mew.
"Diana!" Rini exclaimed, as Diana jumped out from the brush they had crashed beside, and into Rini's expectant arms. "Where were you?"
"Rini! You have to come see this!" she replied, as the group followed after the gray kitten back into the brush. Raye was shocked to see Michelle waiting patiently, transformed as Sailor Neptune.
"I suggest you all transform. We may have just found our way to Serena and the others," she said, pointing to a glowing circle behind her, a wide grin on her face…