Forgotten Feelings

Chapter 49

Plans…

Please accept this added chapter as a way of apologizing for this update being late.

Enjoy!

X-xx-X

"Taric has failed. What do you plan to do, Laint?"

"My apologies. Except one, all of my subordinates are weak. I will send my last to finish the job. "

"I expect triumph, Laint, or I will personally execute you."

"…As you wish…"

X-x

"Serenity?" Hotaru opened the door and peeked in. No luck. Sighing, she closed the door, wondering where Serenity had run off to. Hotaru had thought for sure Serenity would go back to sleep, but she was wrong and was forced to look around the place.

'She knows this castle better than anyone else. She could be hiding anywhere!'

"You look desperate." She scowled before turning.

"Well, you're up now, huh, Téa?"

"Surprised?" asked the brunette. Hotaru shrugged.

"I don't know. More like disappointed. I thought witches burned in the daylight, you know?"

"Why you-!"

"Hotaru!" Téa was cut off by a smiling Joey running up to them.

"Hi, Joey. I didn't know you were up," Hotaru smiled.

"Yeah, I thought I was gonna sleep today away too! Anyways, I'm here to tell you to come to Yugi's room after dinner. Oh, hey, Téa," said the youth, noticing his friend for the first time.

"Hey, Joey. What's the meeting about?"

"Oh, umm, it's about stuff."

"Like what?"

"Ah, sorry, Téa, but you can't come to it. Only Serenity and Hotaru are allowed to be with us." Hotaru smirked.

"Oh, I'm sure she'll be busy and wouldn't be able to come either way."

"Ehh, well, that's all I was supposed to tell you. Oh! And Serenity is waiting for you in her room. She told me to tell ya. See ya!" With a wave, he went away, relieved to be away from the two girls.

"Well, I have places to be. Until we meet again, Téa," Hotaru smiled.

"They're probably going to kick you out," Téa snapped.

"Kick me out of what?"

"The group, stupid!"

"What group? I didn't know there was a group."

"You mean you have been in the group and not known? How stupid."

"Hmm, I wonder how you know they'll kick me out. Did it happen to you, I wonder?" With a smirk, Hotaru skipped away, leaving the girl alone.

"You won't beat me, you witches. You won't win either of their hearts. We won't let you." Another girl came out of the shadows. Téa turned to her.

"We won't let them, will we?"

"No," the other softly replied, almost hesitantly, "we won't."

X-x

"I've found you!" Two arms wrapped around her waist. Serenity looked behind her.

"Hotaru."

"I've been looking for you, you know? Where did you go?"

"That we'll discuss later, Hotaru. First, we must attend to other matters." Hotaru looked up to her.

"Which of the many matters?"

"Heh, that is true," Serenity said. She carefully unwrapped herself from Hotaru's grip and went to the bed, Hotaru followed.

"We have said to be cohorts, yet we have done little together towards the goal of ridding the Millennium Captor. I believe it is time we confront the two Star Knights." Hotaru looked shocked.

"You want to tell them who we are!"

"Should we put this off any longer, the risks will increase. If we can work together, then we can solve problems faster then us working apart. I am positive they have Antiquities Universus. How else can they have known so much?" Serenity asked, eyes serious.

"Antiquities Universus… Hmm… Antiquities translates into History of ancient times and Universus into universe. So, it's roughly 'History of the Ancient Universe', right?" Hotaru asked, trying to remember her teachings from her past life.

"That's about right, Hotaru. I'm glad you haven't forgotten much. That book is the only equivalent of the one we have, 'Answers to the Past'."

"Why do they have it? Such a holy book surely must belong in the library of Cosmos Palace, should it not?"

"I suppose it should, were it property of the Sailor Scouts."

"You mean it's not?"

"No. Look carefully at this book, Hotaru. What do you see?"

"Nothing. It's only a book."

"Look carefully."

"…There's…there's a dim light around it…it's getting stronger…"

"That's enough. If you continue to focus on it, it will throw you back. That light, did it look familiar?"

"It looked…it looked liked yours…"

"Mine?"

"Yes…it was the same light that you emit when you're Cosmos…"

"Hmm, I didn't notice that. You're right, however. That light is akin to those of the Sailor Scouts. One can say it is an early development of a Scout's aura. This book was written by the mother of the first Cosmos. Father doesn't know how many Cosmos there have been before me. He could not have known I am only the third. He could not have known either, that this was not written by the second's mother."

"You mean, the mother of the first Cosmos…"

"Exactly. Both you and I know who that is…"

"She wrote that book?"

"It appears Grandmother Selene was quite bored, wouldn't you say?"

X-x

"Do you think she figured out your secret?" Selene looked to her brother.

"What do you mean?"

"Her visit appeared strange to me. As soon as the book was mentioned, though, I remembered who it was that wrote it."

"It was a long time ago, Helios," Selene said, taking a sip from her nectar. Helios chuckled.

"Yes, and somehow, Serenity figured out it was you who wrote it. How do you suppose that came to be?"

"She's clever, Helios, too clever for her own good."

"I thought all Cosmos were that way?"

"Not this one, she isn't," Selene grinned.

"A favorite, I see."

"You can say that."

"Any idea on how she found out about you?"

"You never read it, did you?"

"Nope, don't have time for your little projects."

"Well, if you happen to read it, it tells of a young Moon goddess asking Zeus to let her pick the warrior who would embody light. She was a young goddess, wanting only fame and power."

"Ah, I remember her. She was so naïve. I suppose time does make everyone grow up, even goddesses."

"Stuff it."

X-x

Hotaru picked at her food, thinking of the things that would happen shortly and how fast the day had gone by. She sighed, earning a look from Yugi.

"What's wrong?" asked the concerned teen. Hotaru smiled at him, cringing slightly. What would he say when he found out?

"I'm ok, just a bit tired."

"You had a bit too much to drink at the ball. Maybe that's causing your weariness," Yami theorized, sipping his drink. Hotaru shrugged and looked to Serenity, who was busy looking over some documents in a folder.

"Are those the papers you have to look over?" Hotaru asked.

"Hmm-hm," Serenity answered.

"What are they about?" tried the young one again. Serenity looked over the top of the folder, her eyes warning her. Hotaru numbly turned to her plate once more. Yami glanced sideways to Serenity as she was to his right.

"I saw your father with that same folder before."

"How observant of you."

"Let me see it."

"No. Eat your lunch."

"What are they about?" Yami repeated.

"It doesn't concern you. While we're talking, I need you and Yugi to come with me after this little meeting of yours today."

"And if we refuse?" He was a little mad at her. Serenity gave him a look.

"I'll personally drag you."

"Well, wouldn't that be fun?"

"Don't worry about him, Serenity," Yugi soothed. "I'll make him come."

"So, what are we going to talk about?" Hotaru asked, turning to the meeting she and Serenity had been invited to attend.

"I'd rather we not talk about it here," Yami answered. Hotaru looked to Yugi, but he only shook his head. Hotaru huffed a bit before eating her pasta.

X-x

They entered a secret room which Yugi had discovered. Both Serenity and Hotaru knew about it, of course, but said nothing. Yugi smiled at Hotaru, assuring her it wasn't anything dangerous and pulled her down to sit next to him on the couch. Serenity had wanted to stand, making her own thoughts without anyone noticing, but Yami had forcefully made her sit on an armchair, he standing next to it to push her down into it whenever she tried to get up.

"Sorry about the whole secrecy thing, but I don't think anyone else should hear this," Yugi began.

"How odd. I thought it wasn't a matter of high importance," Serenity said, chin resting on a hand which was resting on the armchair, leaning away from Yami. OK, she was a little bit mad at his bossy nature…

"Well, ok," Tristan caved. "We didn't want to cause a scene in public."

"What do you mean?" Hotaru asked, confused. Joey hesitated.

"It's about Téa, Hotaru, and we know how you, err, don't get along with her." Hotaru scowled.

"What about her?" Her tone was dark and quite familiar to Yugi's ears.

"She, um," Tristan began again, only to dwindle off. Serenity looked to Yami. He glanced her way.

"Are you going to tell me?" she asked.

"Téa has a sibling," Yami informed, still gazing at the girl looking up at him. He couldn't help it. He blamed it on his persona.

"WHAT!" Hotaru cried, standing up. Joey and Tristan cowered back.

"We didn't know either, 'Taru," they began.

"She only told us yesterday. We think Téa might want to enroll her to our school," Yugi said, trying to calm down the girl.

"How old?" Hotaru demanded.

"She's about our age," Joey answered meekly, quite afraid of the deadly look in the young girl's eyes.

"Calm down, Hotaru," Serenity instructed, looking at her friend. Yami was still looking at her. Legs crossed, hair falling like cascades around her petite body, and an aura of command, she seemed completely sure of herself.

"You're not very surprised," he noted as Yugi took Hotaru into his arms, saying nothing bad would happen. Her eyes turned to his once more.

"Why should I be? I was informed of this just hours ago."

"WHAT!" Yugi sighed, his efforts gone to waste.

"How did you know?" Yami asked, leaning down slightly to face Serenity.

"Téa has already enrolled her. It's only a matter of days before the girl shows up."

"And we just let her in? Just like that!" Hotaru screeched, fuming all over the place.

"Father can be dense at times, Hotaru," Serenity said, closing her eyes.

"But, but! ARGH!" Hotaru pulled her hair, frustrated.

"I could just blow something up right now!"

'Don't you dare.'

"The girl may not prove to be a problem for you, Hotaru," Serenity said, her voice calm and not at all steely and cold as in their mind-link.

"Maybe," grumbled the soldier. Serenity smirked slightly and got up.

"If this was all you wanted to tell us, I'll be leaving. Joey, Tristan, there's a new game in the Rec Room. Just tell the supervisor I said you could play with it." Only dust was left of the two youths.

"As for you two," Serenity turned to the brothers.

"Come with me."

"Hime," Hotaru's voice reached her ears.

"What is it?" Hotaru hesitated and then looked to Serenity.

"Must we?"

"Do you even have to ask that?" Serenity passed her, heading to her room and expecting them to follow her. Hotaru sighed.

"What's wrong?" Yugi asked, taking her hand. Hotaru shook her head and quickly left to follow Serenity. Yugi frowned.

"Come on," Yami said to him.

"Something's up and I have a feeling we won't like it."

X-x

Yugi closed the door behind him. This was only the second time he had been in Serenity's room and the first for Yami…He smirked, wondering how the ancient pharaoh was feeling…

Yami could literally feel the power within the room, just waiting to be summoned. He took a look around. Everything was silver, white, or light pink. Hotaru's room had been made up of black and violet.

'Complete opposites of each other, but still close,' Yami thought. He breathed in the smell of roses…Serenity's smell. He looked to her. She was closing all the windows, dragging the curtains over them. Hotaru turned on the lamps in the room, casting them into a warm-lit room.

"What do you want to talk about that is so secretive?" he asked. Serenity looked to Hotaru.

"This must be done, Hotaru. Will you back down?"

"No, I will not," Hotaru said, face set as she suddenly held a violet crystal in her hands. Yugi looked to her.

"Hotaru, where did that come from?" Hotaru smiled gently at him.

"From within me, silly." Serenity began to glow brightly, Hotaru joining her shortly. Yami covered his eyes, the light blinding.

"What's going on?" he heard Yugi call out. He was about to answer when he was suddenly thrown on his back.

"What the?" He opened his eyes to see… Cosmos sitting on top of him, legs crossed to her side and staff across her lap. She looked to him intently.

"Will you not change, Knight, and return the favor?" she asked softly. Yami stared at her, slowly shifting forms. Cosmos narrowed her eyes.

"Not surprised, are you?" Tranquility smirked. Cosmos shook her head.

"Well, I'm not either. The illusion you placed was a great distraction, however," Tranquility smirked. Cosmos scowled.

"So, you did manage to figure it out."

"Oh, I did. And I wasn't very happy…" He took hold of her arm and pulled her down to him while he leaned on his elbow.

"Do you enjoy playing with me, little princess?" Cosmos sucked in air. His eyes were on her, daring her to answer.

"Saturn?" Yugi's voice spared her from answering. She yanked away and looked to her right where Saturn was.

"Tranquility is with us. Will Meiyo not join us?" she called out. Yugi looked their way, raised an eyebrow in question to Yami and let Meiyo take over. Saturn sighed.

"I guess you know now," she said. Meiyo gave her a look.

"It's…hard to grasp…"

"Well," Saturn smiled, "at least you're not freaking out and denying it!"

"Should we be?" Tranquility asked, still trapped, though he didn't mind…

"It's only the normal reaction," Cosmos informed him.

"You forgot we're not normal," Tranquility said. Cosmos only glared.

"You're not…angry?" Saturn asked Meiyo.

"No, just a bit surprised. But, I think I knew your identity deep down. Remember the night of your wings? I called out to you…" Meiyo said, taking a step towards Saturn.

"You couldn't know. We didn't know if you were friends or foes."

"If it helps, Saturn saw you changing into your form the other day in the garden maze," Cosmos said, finally rising.

"She what!" Tranquility yelped.

"Hush, Tranquility. We must not be heard," Cosmos said, placing a finger upon his lips.

"We only allowed you to see our true identities because time is precious," Saturn said, looking to Meiyo.

"You're talking about the Millennium Captor," he replied.

"You two have a book that has data on the Universe, am I right?" Cosmos asked.

"We might," Tranquility responded.

"No, not 'might', you do. Bring it at once!"

"You have one as well, don't you?" he hissed back.

"Bring it!" Glaring, Tranquility reached into his cape and brought out the book. Cosmos looked at it.

"You were right, lady," Saturn said quietly.

"Saturn, take out our book…" Meiyo watched as Saturn's eyes dropped slightly, a light shining in the outstretched palms she held out.

"This is out Holy Book," Cosmos said as it materialized.

"You found out about us through this?" Meiyo asked.

"Just as you used your Holy Book to gather information on us," Saturn countered, taking the book to Cosmos.

"Knights, our time runs short. Have you read about defeating this threat?" Cosmos asked gravely. They nodded.

"Then you must know the requirements."

"Chaos must be on our side," Meiyo began.

"We need the two Sacred Pulchellus Lluvias, two other Star Knights," Tranquility continued.

"The four Knights must be balanced out, the Holiest of Crystals brought together," Saturn added.

"And both Chaos and I must have our trusted warrior by our sides, our heart filled with the necessary emotion," Cosmos finished.

"Yes, this is our task that lies before us." The room was silent as the information sank even deeper into the soldiers.

"The other two Knights…where can they be found?" Cosmos asked finally. Meiyo and Tranquility shared a look.

"We could go to Astrum Templum," Meiyo supplied.

"That is home to all of the Star Knights," Tranquility explained.

"Are there Knights with dark and light persona?" Saturn asked. She received a nod.

"Those tears… I have a feeling they won't be in this planet…"

"What makes you say that, Lady?"

"They were brought into this plane in Pax Lunaris and that is deep within the dimension of the gods, Caelum…"

"Then let's go there!" Meiyo said eagerly. Saturn smiled sadly.

"You two would have to go. We will have to stay behind and look for the remaining Knights."

"I doubt we can do even that, Saturn," Cosmos warned.

"What do you mean?"

"Astrum Templum is home to Star Knights, which are the children of the Holy Nebula. We are children of the Holy Galaxy Cauldron. Our two energies are different. Think of Cosmos Estate… Only Sailor Scouts are allowed permission to enter. Anyone else suffers ad nauseam before dying. This might be true for this place as well…"

"Then what can we do? Are we going to let them do all the work?"

"They will handle the easy part of the job. You will guard against anymore people losing their Soul Flower. I will get the other necessary requirements."

"Your emotions have to be in check. You're not ready for anything yet," Tranquility said sternly. Cosmos glared.

"I am capable of taking of myself."

"Not with those rampant emotions." Meiyo and Saturn shared a look.

"Now is not the time to fight! We have to get ready," Meiyo said, coming between the two.

"Lady, can't you sneak into Caelum again and see Selene? She must know of the whereabouts of the tears!" Saturn said. Cosmos looked away.

"I could risk it, Saturn… but Ares wants my blood for making him a laughing stock before his father. Next time, I might not get away with only a slap."

"WHAT!"

"I thought I told you to hush!" Cosmos said dangerously as she covered his mouth with her palm. His eyes glared.

"Tranquility and I know Apollo. We can get him to find out for us," Meiyo said, once again being the one to impeded disaster.

"Can't we at least try to see Astrum Templum?" Saturn begged. Cosmos looked to Tranquility. He reached out and yanked her hand away.

"I doubt Apollo wants to kill you. He's always anxious to hear about you two," he said.

"Is he now?" Cosmos asked.

"He says he helped raise you two." Saturn grinned.

"That was so long ago…"

"Exactly how long ago?" Meiyo asked.

"Um, I'm not sure you want to know," Saturn said, her cheeks coloring at the mention of her age…

"I can handle it. Tranquility is over 5000 years old. You can't top that," Meiyo said matter-of-factly only to be staring at a wickedly sharp blade.

"One more word," Tranquility warned.

"5000 years old?" Cosmos asked, eyebrows slightly rising.

"I might be," he coolly replied.

"Lady, do you think he…" Saturn started, staring at Tranquility. Cosmos hesitated before reverting back to her normal form.

"Lady! What are you doing?" Serenity looked to Tranquility. He was five thousand years old…that made him old enough to be alive during the Silver Millennium!

"No, you can't be," she muttered. Tranquility gave her a look.

"I can't be what? That old? Well, I know my body doesn't look it, but-"

"Of course it doesn't look it! Do I look my age?" Serenity snapped.

"I wasn't saying anything!"

"You're only sixteen, aren't you?" Meiyo asked.

"Meiyo!" Saturn yelled indignantly. He looked to her.

"What?"

"That's not something you ask!"

"What is your exact age?" Serenity asked.

"Five thousand seventeen," Tranquility said, also reverting back to his normal form.

"It's the perfect age…"

"But, we lived in a special dimension," Hotaru said, following the example. Yugi looked confused as he banished his own powers.

"Why does it matter how old he is?"

"No, it doesn't matter. I forgot about that bit. There is no possible way that he was alive with us," Serenity concluded.

"You're talking about the Silver Millennium, aren't you?"

"Where did you hear such a thing?" Hotaru asked.

"It's in the book. I started reading about you two. Hotaru, are you the same Hotaru that was princess of Saturn?" Serenity scoffed as she sat down in an armchair.

"I wonder what makes you say that?" she said sarcastically.

"Why is it that everyone tells us to not delve into your pasts?" Yami continued, ignoring the girl.

"I don't know," Hotaru said silently as she went to stand by Serenity.

"Apollo told us that not even Zeus can handle it," Yugi remembered.

"That old fool can't do much these days," Serenity said.

"You say that without so much of a care," Yami noted.

"Why should I care? He cannot do anything to me."

"And if he tried to, he'd have to get through me," Hotaru giggled.

"You claim to be that strong?"

"We don't claim, we are," Serenity answered Yami.

"OK, enough of that. We need to start. You guys will come with us to Astrum Templum and talk to Apollo. We'll get the information out of him and then continue on," Yugi said.

"We should go at midnight tomorrow. You can prepare that way. We'll meet in the entrance to the garden maze," Hotaru said. Serenity nodded.

"Should we be transformed?"

"No, just come. Maybe if you aren't screaming out 'Sailor Scout', you won't get hurt," Yami said.

"OK, it's settled. At midnight tomorrow, we go."

X-xx-X

End Heavenly Interference Minor Arc…End Castle Melody Major Arc…

I apologize to you all, readers, for how late this update is. Due to my inability of keeping personal matters out of here,the last chapter wasdelayed. Again, I apologize and will accept all the critiscm I may receive.

CosmosAngel1

Remember, we are all stars…

Youko

Update: We shall say in the reply. For those anonymous, check my bio.