Disclaimer: Naruto, Sailor Moon, and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles, their characters, settings, etc, belong to their respective creators. All original characters belong to ME!
Chapter 28: Sailor Guardian
While the search for Selene and her kidnapper commenced, Gaara was left with the daunting task of damage control. He had a sneaking suspicion who kidnapped Selene and he was sure it was due to that 'Celestial Guardian' thing. He made a mental reminder to…deal with a certain Suna ninja later. Most of the guest had returned to their hotels for the night, the only ones left in the grand hall were the Kages, Ampris, Lord Mizu, and a few White Ninja.
"This is a vile breach of the peace!" Lord Mizu was furious and for good reason. His future was on the line, at least he believed it to be. "Lord Kazekage, I expected such from you!"
"Now hold on a second…" Naruto had become the voice of reason now; in these times, the goofy guy's voice worked to calm people down on such occasions. "We don't know anything yet. You can't start accusing anyone until the facts are found."
Lord Mizu was not appeased. "Spare me! We all know this happened because Lord Kazekage wanted to marry the princess! Is that not true, Lord Kazekage? That you were to marry the princess?" No one was saying anything about that. "It is a well-known fact the Sobaku line of ninja are power hungry! What would happen if such a person gained control of the White Ninja!?"
Ampris decided to speak her peace on the matter.
"Lord Mizu…This…Turn of events has actually turned in your favor." She frowned. "I was to publicly disapprove of this…wedding during the ceremony…I am sorry, Lord Mizu, but the Emperor will not permit the union you have planned."
That took the lord of the land aback. However, he was the only one that was surprised. The kages expected something to happen.
"Wh…What?"
"I discussed it will MizuKage while we were in the back awaiting our entry." Ampris stated. "Whatever the princess told you, it was under false pretenses. The only one the Emperor approves of is Gaara Sobaku. No one else…He is her Endymion after all…and that is something we of Crystal take quite seriously."
Gaara didn't know whether to be embarrassed or prideful from Ampris' statement. He had a feeling though that since the Land of Crystal wholeheartedly believed Selene was the reincarnation of a famous ruler, only the reincarnation of the king would be permitted. Did this mean they believed that to be him? Prince Apollo DID speak strangely to him during their conversation, something about 'two souls'…
Whatever the reason, it seemed the Crystal lands would accept no one but Gaara to be with their only princess and that made him feel pretty darn good inside.
"But…But Selene came to ME!" Lord Mizu shouted.
"She came to you to save an ancient friend." Ampris glared at him. "To us…that is a form of blackmail, Lord Mizu…And we of Crystal do NOT approve of such dealings."
Ah…So THAT was why the White Ninja were so mad. Their princess had been blackmailed, at least to them. The White Ninja were very honorable…to have someone blackmailed would be considered very dishonorable to them.
"Be thankful this happened, Lord Mizu…" Ampris continue her cold stare. "Because if things continued…I fear you would not be alive to see your honeymoon."
Lord Mizu glared back at her. "Is that a threat?" How dare this…woman threaten him! She had not title yet!
"No, Lord Mizu…" Ampris shook her head. "Merely a suggestion…for even the Crystal Kage herself would not be able to stop the White Ninja from…acting to protect a member of the royal family."
A White Ninja came bursting in, eyes bewildered. She was shouting words in that odd language that the White Ninja sometimes spoke. Word got around that it was called the White Language.
All watched the White Ninja in the room turn rigid. Even Ampris had a look of shock and awe upon her face.
"Are you sure?" She asked the White Ninja at the door who nodded vigorously.
"She comes this way!" The White Ninja gasped.
"What is going on?" MizuKage was the first to ask the question on everyone's minds. The White Ninja were acting as though they had seen a ghost or were expecting one to show up at any moment.
The answer came barreling through the door in the form of a woman. Gaara immediately recognized her as Haruka Tenno, the Suna ninja he once ordered to be Selene's guard while she was in Suna. However, she was certainly not dressed for the role at all…Rather she wore the skimpiest of clothing any in the room had ever seen. A white sailor top that fit like a second skin, a short blue skirt that matched the sailor collar around her neck…Yellow bows were at her back and chest, while white gloves and short heeled boots adorned her arms and feet. A golden v-shaped tiara rested upon her forehead, the blue jewel at its center seemed to match the color of her stern eyes. Her presence caused the White Ninja in the room to take a knee, their heads bowed in deep respect towards the scantily clad woman.
She placed a hand on her hip, a look of complete supremacy about her.
"Party's over. So call off your men before more of them get hurt."
Lord Mizu was the first to respond.
"Who…Who the hell are you!?"
Ampris raised an eyebrow at him, a small smirk forming upon her face. "She is from our lands, Lord Mizu…A Celestial Guardian…Guardian Uranus…Or more commonly…Sailor Uranus." She looked towards MizuKage. "I would do as she suggests, MizuKage. The Outer Guardians were said to be very protective of their princess…"
THIS was a Celestial Guardian!? Seriously!? She looked nothing like a warrior!
The woman approached, the White Ninja immobile from their kneeling forms.
"Tomorrow morning we are leaving and never coming back." Sailor Uranus sounded like she ruled the world. "And we are taking Selene and Michiru with us."
"Who…Who do you think you are!? Demanding such things!" Lord Mizu was aghast! How dare this woman…this…harlot come in here and practically demand things!?
Ampris immediately spoke words in the White Language and the White Ninja immediately disappeared to do whatever tasks commanded of them.
"Preparations will be ready, Guardian Uranus." Ampris was giving Sailor Uranus great respect.
"Good."
"Wait a minute!" Lord Mizu had a sudden revelation. "It was you!" He pointed to the harlot of a woman. "YOU kidnapped the princess!"
Sailor Uranus raised an eyebrow. "Kidnapped? I would call it rescued." She gave him a glare. "I don't take kindly to people trying to manipulate Odango Atama. Be glad I promised her I wouldn't harm anyone in this room because if it were up to me…" She raised a fist and all watched the sparks that appeared. The kages knew it to be power…whether it was chakra or not…It was indeed power.
"You, sir…" Sailor Uranus' voice went down an octave. "Would be laying in the same crater your guards are currently napping in."
"Hump…I'm not afraid of some harlot!" Lord Mizu raised his nose. "MizuKage, I demand this woman be arrested! She has disturbed the peace!"
A calm MizuKage looked toward Ampris then at a local ninja.
"Tell everyone to stand down." The ninja was gone in a puff of smoke.
Lord Mizu was shaking in fury and bewilderment. Nobody was listening to him! HIM! The lord of the land!
"This…This is treason!"
"Treason happened when you started this mess in the first place, Lord Mizu." MizuKage stated. "Though I would think some of the burden should be placed upon your princess, Ampris. Her actions could have caused…difficulties."
"Don't go blaming Odanga Atama because you idiots can't get it together." Sailor Uranus spoke up, her tone hinting at anger. She did NOT like the insinuation from Mizukage's words. "She did what she thought was necessary for a person's happiness…That is all that any of you should be worried about, the happiness of your own people. However…The people should not expect you to sacrifice your own happiness for theirs. That is how the Land of Crystal is run. Everyone, be they of royal blood or a mere common child, works for each other's happiness. There is no jealousy or hatred or lust for power…The people and the royals work as one. THAT is true peace." She turned to leave, her voice turning all but deadly.
"Lord Mizu…If I EVER see you come near Selene or Michiru…Make no mistake…I WILL kill you."
Meanwhile, Michiru couldn't help but stare as Selene made her worship to the full moon atop the highest building in the village. After the kidnapping, she felt compelled to follow Makoto after the perpetrator. She had been there when the light surrounded Haruka, the ninja from Suna, and when it went away, a deep sense of recognition plowed Michiru's mind.
Sailor Uranus.
The name was replaying over and over as she stared bewildered at Haruka's barely dressed form. Makoto wasn't surprised though, for she rushed to get Selene out of the way. She grabbed Michiru's hand and dragged the woman away just as an intense light covered the area.
Now Michiru was here, amazed again at Selene. She was a rare creature to be sure…Graceful and elegant. The mirror had brought Michiru to this princess and now she didn't want to stay away.
"It's hard to look away, ne?" Haruka was suddenly at her side, still dressed in those odd clothes. Haruka gave her a lazy smile. "Tell me something…When you look at her…" She gestured to Selene. "What do you feel?"
Confused, Michiru set her eyes on Selene again who was finishing her dance. She gasped as white wings sprouted from Selene's back.
"What…do I…feel…?" It was hard to explain really. Seeing Selene for the first time in the mirror, she had the urge to go to Suna and meet her. It felt as though Michiru's soul was screaming to be at the side of this unknown, mysterious princess. Her family had always believed in reincarnation, stating it was how the gods granted the very few the chance to start over. When Michiru finally got the chance to see Selene, and the young woman called her "Sailor Neptune", Michiru had known the truth…That her soul recognized Selene…Her soul knew Selene from a previous life.
She remembered the time she spent with Selene, calling her Usagi and giggling like a school girl. It was a deeply magical time. Michiru was sure Selene had once been called Usagi from the previous life. Why though…why did she feel so protective of the princess? Had they been family in the previous life? Lovers? Whatever the reason, Michiru could not stop the deep connection. It was flowing around her like the soft waves upon the shore. She closed her eyes, hearing the sea right now. It surrounded her senses, something that happened when her mind was trying to tell her something.
A hand touched her shoulder, Haruka was smiling at her…her voice in sync with the crashing waves.
"It's our turn to protect her…Michiru…Sailor Neptune…"
The ocean stopped its call. Those words hit the lady hard. They brought tears to her eyes, tears that wouldn't stop flowing.
The worship over, Selene's wings retract into the elegant seal upon her back. Exhausted, Selene began to fall but not into the arms of a nearby White Ninja, rather, it was Lady Michiru that caught her.
The light of the moon was over them, shining brightly. Lady Michiru held the sleeping princess in her arms, a flow of emotions bursting forth. The lady realized her soul was singing.
"Dear one…I promised I would protect your heart…And that is what I will always do."
Makoto watched the light of Neptune surround Lady Michiru. Every awakening was different, always has been, always will. Haruka's senshi powers awakened because of her wanting to protect Selene, Michiru's awakening was happening because she deeply valued Selene's friendship. The light of Neptune gone, Lady Michiru was now replaced by Sailor Neptune…It was a sight that brought the White Ninja guards to their knees.
Two Sailor Senshi had fully awakened themselves. Two had proclaimed what they would protect…Selene's heart and happiness…That was two of the four objects the Inner Senshi were tasked to protect…the heart, the happiness, the spirit, and the love of the Moon Princess. This is what made the inner Guardian's friendship so strong. And though Makoto wanted to awaken like Michiru and Haruka, she knew it wasn't the right time. The Outer Senshi needed their long awaited time with the princess and Makoto was going to let them have it.
However, that didn't mean she wasn't going to stand around and let this mess sort it out! She was going to do her best to help Selene until the other Outers could be awakened.
Maybe then the world would finally have what Usagi once wished it had…True peace.
Next Time: A Princess' Lament
