Disclaimer: I just own this fic heh.. and the made up characters gosh darn it!
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Wedding Crashers
Chapter Twenty-five
Celestyna's pulse was racing as she opened her door and scanned the sitting room for Seiya. Not finding him in there she quickly crossed the room and rapped sharply on his door. She heard his muffled response of "What?" and smirked. Throwing caution to the wind she turned the knob and opened the door. "Seiya get up!" She shouted at his shadowed frame which laid upon the bed, the covers shielding his face from the light filtering in from the sitting room.
Sitting up abruptly in bed he squinted and placed his hand over his face. "What is it Celestyna?"
"Luna just called and told us to get over to Serena's now." She told him as she grabbed his clothes that were draped across a near by chair and threw them at him before exiting the room.
Seiya lowered his hand as the door closed behind Celestyna leaving him in darkness, the dwindling sunset the only light creeping through the blinds on his window. Her words finally registering in his sleep clouded mind Seiya threw the covers off his half clothed frame. He dressed in a matter of minutes and was slipping his shoes on as Celestyna once more knocked on his door.
"Are you decent yet or do you have to primp some more?" The sarcasm could be heard through the wooden barrier causing Seiya to roll his eyes heavenward and sigh.
"I'm done your highness." He shot back at her as he opened the door.
Raising a brow at the clipped tone in his voice Celestyna turned around and headed straight for the door. "Taiki and Yaten are on there way there now. I called Taiki on his phone. Luckily he, Yaten, Ami and Mina were hanging out together at the arcade."
Following her out the door he closed and locked it before walking with her to the elevator.
"The limo is waiting down stairs." She told him matter of factly as the doors closed in front of them.
Arching a brow Seiya turned to give Celestyna a curious look. "You've been busy. Did you by chance call the fire brigade and the military while you were at it?"
A sound of disgust could be heard from her rigid frame as the doors of the elevator opened. Striding out before him she tossed her wine colored hair over her shoulder and scowled. "My sister is not the only woman of action in the family."
As they slipped into the waiting limo Seiya felt guilty for being sarcastic towards her. "I'm sorry Celestyna." He said as he watched her stare out the tinted window of the limo.
Her shoulders seemed to sag slightly as she lowered her head and closed her eyes. "It's ok Seiya, I just have this feeling that something big has happened is all."
Leaning over Seiya patted her hand briefly in a comforting gesture before sitting back in his seat. "It's good to see that you have most of your strength back and took the initiative by waking me up, calling the driver and getting in touch with the others."
Opening her eyes Celestyna sat up straighter in her seat and tried to look as regal as possible. "You can't keep a princess down for long." She said, her voice taking on a snobbish quality that was ruined by the grin that spread quickly over her face. Looking at each other they both laughed.
Shaking his head Seiya coughed softly as his laughter finally subsided. "So did Luna say what was going on?"
Shaking her head Celestyna chewed on her bottom lip as a thoughtful expression came into her eyes. "She didn't say, she sounded very urgent over the phone. She's quite a remarkable cat being able to use the phone like that."
Nodding Seiya smiled slightly. "Remarkable is an understatement when it comes to Luna."
As the limo slowed to a stop in front of Serena's apartment Celestyna and Seiya unbuckled their safety belts. Leaning over Seiya opened the door and stepped out. Celestyna took the hand that he extended towards her and climbed out after him. Looking around she spotted Yaten, Taiki, Ami, and Mina walking towards them in the distances. Giving them a small wave Celestyna released Seiya's hand and stepped towards Serena's gate.
The sound of an engine cutting off behind her drew her attention and she turned around to find Darien's car parked behind the limo. A small flutter in her chest caused her to blush and she thanked the darkness for the cover it gave her face. She watched with bated breath as he opened his door and closed it behind him. Their eyes seemed to lock over the hood of his car and it felt like an electric shock being sent through her body. 'What is this feeling I keep getting around him?' She thought to herself as she dragged her gaze away.
Straightening her shoulders she looked at Seiya and found him staring at her curiously. "What?" She hissed questioningly at him.
"Nothing princess.. nothing at all." He replied softly, a smirk lifting the corner of his lips as he slipped his hands in his pockets.
The two couples joined Celestyna and Seiya at the same time a Darien. "What's going on?" Ami asked Celestyna worry showing in her eyes.
Shrugging Celestyna leaned against the closed gate. "I have no idea. I was sleeping when Luna called me and told me to come over here. Seiya and I got over here as fast as we could."
The sound of running foot steps echoed in the night and the group turned to see both Lita and Rei running towards them. Finally coming to a stop in front of them the two girls looked around the group as they caught their breath. "We left the temple right after we got your message Ami." Rei said breathlessly.
"Did you get in contact with the other..." Lita began to ask but the sound of Haruka's car coming to a stop behind Darien's answered her question for her.
They watched as the remaining scouts climbed out of Haruka's car. Trista tossed a glance in Celestyna's direction briefly before following the outer scouts up to the gate. "Looks like the gangs all here." Haruka said dryly as she saw Celestyna and the other Starlights.
Celestyna placed a hand on Seiya's shoulder as the young man stepped forward prepared to continue on with the argument, or worse. "I think we all better go inside now." She said, her voice soft yet commanding at the same time. The group around her nodded in agreement and Seiya relaxed slightly. Dropping her hand to her side Celestyna followed the others through the gate and to the front door.
Darien was the one to knock on the door and the rest waited as patiently as possible for Serena to open the door. When the door opened it was not Serena that stood in front of them but a young man the same height as Darien, his hair as white as snow. "It's about time you guys got here." He said sternly as he stepped away from the door to allow entrance.
Stopping dead in her tracks in front of him Mina's eyes widened as she took in the young man's handsome appearance and the sound of his voice. "Artemis?"
Artemis nodded and watched as Mina paled slightly, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Luna and I will explain in a moment after everyone's inside and settled. Serena should be coming to any minute now"
An alarmed look flashed on everyone's face as they took in his words. Stepping up to him Celestyna was the first to speak. "She fainted didn't she?"
Smiling slightly Artemis replied, "I told Luna that she would. Too bad I didn't bet money on it."
Shaking her head Celestyna suppressed a chuckle as she turned away from him and walked into the living room. The rest of the group were still in the entrance way astounded at Artemis' appearance.
Dropping to her knees beside Serena she took the young woman's hand in her own. "Serena?" She called out softly and watched as the Serena's eyes fluttered open and confusion come into their blue depths before she recognized Celestyna's face.
"Celestyna? What are you doing here?" but before Celestyna could answer she continued on, "I just had the strangest dream Luna and Artemis were human." Placing her free hand on her fore head she closed her eyes.
Squeezing Serena's hand gently Celestyna shook her head as Serena once more opened her eyes. "Serena it wasn't a dream."
Snatching her hand away Serena shot up into a sitting position and looked around the room her eyes coming to rest on a nervous looking Luna sitting in one of the arm chairs.
Appearing as if she were about to faint again Serena began to fall back on the cushion.
"Oh no you don't." Celestyna said firmly grabbing Serena's arms bringing her back up into a sitting position. "Is she always like this?" She tossed over her shoulder at Luna.
"She used to be worse. Tears and wailing used to be her forte'." came a masculine response from above her. Looking up she found Darien standing above her. She looked down quickly as she felt the warmth creep back to her cheeks and busied herself by shaking Serena gently. "Stamp out of it Serena!" She commanded and was rewarded by Serena once more opening her eyes. "Luna and Artemis are human. I don't know how it happened but it did so deal with it." With the last bit said she dropped her hands away and stood up. "Now if you don't mind I'm going to use your bathroom as soon as I find it."
"It's upstairs and to the right next to Serena's room." Darien replied for Serena taking in the blond girl's dazed expression.
Giving him a grateful smile Celestyna walked back into the entrance area. "She's awake now." She told the group shooting a meaningful glance at Seiya before turning her back on them and walking up the stairs to the second story.
Finding the bathroom quickly she took care of her business, washed her hands and checked her appearance in the mirror grimacing slightly at her her disheveled appearance. The tiredness had finally disappeared from her face and the much needed sleep and brought a glow back into her skin. Opening the door she looked down the hall. 'I wonder if Serena has a brush I can use?' She thought to herself as she turned the door knob of Serena's bedroom door. She hadn't found one in the bathroom so the next place would more than likely be the bedroom.
Flipping on the light Celestyna walked into the room and closed the door softly behind her. She smiled as she took in the decor of Serena's room finding that the young blond Earth woman had almost the same taste as her. "You can't go wrong with flowers and lace." She said softly as she made her way to the vanity. Sitting on the bench Celestyna reached out, took Serena's brush in her hand and began to run the bristles through her waist length hair. Unlike Serena Celestyna didn't put all her hair up in two buns and two ponytails. Instead she opted to put part of it up in two buns and allow the rest to flow freely down her back and her shoulders. (Similar to Luna's but with straight burgundy wine colored hair)
As she reached out to place the brush back in it's place something in Serena's half opened jewelry box caught her eyes. Opening the jewelry case the rest of the way Celestyna's eyes widened as she saw the unique star shaped locket, it's gold shimmering in the light of the room.
Picking up the locket she placed it in the palm of her hand and felt a jolt of energy shoot of her arm causing her to gasp softly. Opening the locket she listened to the music as it played softly in the quiet room. As the song ended Celestyna looked at herself in the mirror and was shocked to find tears on her face. Looking back down at the locket she closed it and felt her heart tighten in her chest. "Why does this locket seem so familiar to me?" She asked herself softly as she gently caressed the top of the locket.
Suddenly a sharp pain shot through her head causing her to close her eyes. Scenes flashed in her mind, images of a beautiful palace bathed in moonlight, her laughter accompanied by the sound of a young man's voice calling out to her to wait for him. In the vision Celestyna found herself turning towards the voice, the faint image of someone hurrying towards her. She heard herself laugh once more before turning back around before the young man came close enough to see him clearly.
The vision changed and she found herself admits a battlefield surrounded by people. Cries of pain and anger echoed in her ears and she felt an intense urge to run. She had to find him before her father. She couldn't let her father find him. She heard the sound of a feminine scream pierce the night and turned to watch her sister fall to the ground. "No!" she heard herself shout and started forward only to be dragged backwards. "Celestyna, it's to late to save her." She heard the young man's voice once more.
"Where do you think you're taking my daughter!" She heard someone shout from behind them causing both her and the young man to stop abruptly.
The sound of steel clashing against steel drowned out the young man's response. Celestyna felt him try to push her away but she wouldn't have it. "No, I won't let you fight him. He's my father and I love him almost as much as I love you." Was her impassioned cry as she heard her father draw his sword blade from the scabbard.
Once more the man attempted to push her away. "I don't want to kill him Celestyna but I will not run either." Finally pushing her away from him the young man drew his own sword, his face shadowed from her view. She watched as the forms of two men came together in battle.
Slipping her hand into her robe pocket her fingers caressed the cool metal of her most prized possession as she watched the figures before her clashing in battle. Sending up a silent prayer she closed her eyes. The sound of someone crashing to the ground caused her eyes to fly open and stare in horror at the scene before her. The younger man now had his back to her and was laying on the ground, the older one poised above him, his blade ready for the final blow.
She knew then at the moment that her life was not worth living if it was without him. Slipping her hand out of her pocket she raced forward as the older man drew back his sword preparing to plunge it into her love's heart. The young man began to stand up slowly, his movements showing the pain in which he must have been feeling. Neither he nor her father saw her until it was too late. As the blade of her father's sword darted out to skewer the young man Celestyna stood in front of him her eyes pleading with her father to stop. The pleading look turned to one of pain as she felt the blade pierce her heart. Falling backwards into the arms of the young man she cried out.
At the sound of metal hitting stone she glanced up at her father and the light around him seemed to dim more and more as her life's blood drained from her body. "What have I done?" She heard him whisper as he stepped away from the two of them.
Her vision almost gone she looked up into the face of her love and looked into the blue depths of his eyes which were wet with unshed tears. "My love." She managed to whisper as she felt the beat of her heart begin to slow and the coldness take over her body. "I will find you again." She heard him promise as the darkness took her. The last thing she felt was soft lips gently press against her own as her last breath left her body.
The pain in Celestyna's head subsided allowing her to open her eyes. Looking down at the locket she felt the stabbing pain in her chest as if the sword wound was fresh. Someone knocking at the door caused Celestyna to gasp and shove the locket back into the jewelry case. Her heart racing she stood up from the bench and hurried to the door. Opening it she found Luna there, a curious expression on her face. "What were you doing in Serena's room?" She asked as she stepped back to allow the young woman into the hallway.
"I- I was looking for a hair brush. I had to fix my hair." Celestyna managed to reply, her voice slightly shaky. Walking past Luna she hurried down the stairs leaving the older woman to watch her retreating form, a worried look in her amber eyes.
End of Chapter Twenty-Five
Yes it's been a while but writer's block hits us all every now and then. I had to take a sledge hammer to mine. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I know there wasn't any Seiya/Serena action but I just couldn't help writing this chapter.
Luna: If my cat was in human I'd freak, pass out, freak and pass out again. She's probably slap me into consciousness and tell me to get up and fix her something to eat lol. Thanks for the animated fighter again heh.. it roxxurs! Thanks for the encouragement also. Hopefully the site will let me load this chapter.
Kaelien : you better update soon on both of yours.. don't make me hunt you down. Heh
Myri78 I wish your team all the luck in the world heh.
Laina: Believe this story is far from over lol.
Sailor Fire Star Sorry it wasn't updated as soon as you would have liked but thanks for the review
Farsta Hopefully you're still out there reading. I can't finish all that soon without it seeming rushed. But I love the review.