~ * ~ The Light of the Future ~ * ~
By DarkWriter Jay
~
~ * ~ Chapter 1 : A Windy Start ~ * ~
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Lonely, tired, and hungry, she wandered down the quiet street with only her own soft foot steps to keep her company. As she passed an empty park of green grass and tall trees, she finally let it go.
"Mama!" she cried. "Papa! Why'd you have to go?!?" tears watered down her furry face, making it soggy. She stopped, too cold and too weak to continue, and sobbed to the memory of her loving parents.
~
"Diana!" Artimas and Luna ran through the glittering palace halls. "Serenity!"
"What's wrong Mama? Papa?" The small furry cat appeared up ahead around the corner. She was frightened by the tone her parents had in their voices..
"You must escape! Now, while you can!" rushed Luna. "We're under attack and Serenity seems to have disappeared. You must go, quickly! Before they -- "
"WATCH OUT!!!" Artimas jumped in front of Luna and was hit by a powerful attack. He was thrown to the ground like a child's play thing, but refused to cry out. "Diana..." he whispered from a couple of feet away, "...Diana...watch for the new scouts...you must go...you'll be needed later...You're the only hope for any future..." With that he closed his eyes. Gone.
* * * * * * * * *
"I have watched Papa," the cat whispered through her tears. "I've watched for a hundred years, and they haven't come. I don't know what to do, Papa. I don't know what to do..."
Worn out from crying, cold, and hunger, she fell asleep on the green grass and dreamed of the old days; days in which she was happy with her parents to guide her every step of the way.
* ~ * ~ *
Meanwhile, somewhere far away, something else was happening… Something evil. There was an area of land that few people knew about, simply called the Evil Land. You could only find it if you were truly evil. The people had a powerful king or queen, whoever they chose, and did little besides plan how to cause trouble. But the king they had was getting old; he would soon be gone. But, a young lady, quickly rising to power, knew the secret to an everlasting life...
* ~ * ~ *
"Ssertsim! Where is she?! Krad! She's your sister, where is she?!?!?" The ELK (Evil Land King) raged as loud as he could, starting his 'daily' tantrum in the immense throne room.
"I'm not sure master," answered Krad, and silently added, for a man who's supposed to be dying you sure can yell. She watched as he jumped form his giant throne of black gold and paced about with a maddening air.
Finally fed up from waiting, he roared, "Find her IMMEDIATELY!!!!" and kicked the throne for emphasis.
Krad, afraid that he would kick her next, turned and fled out the door as fast as she could.
* ~ * ~ *
Ssertsim, only a few minutes younger than her sister, was the brighter of the two. She was slightly taller and had hair the color of ashes, while Krad's hair was a dark ebony. Both had eyes of red fury that sparkled when angry, and could hide many things.
Ssertsim was surer of betrayal from her sister so she waited until Krad had left the throne room. She wanted to speak with the ELK personally (without any one around), and knew that Krad would be told to go find her. She grinned as the door was flung open-with such a force that it shook the surrounding 50 feet-and Krad stumbled out, probably just managing to evade the ELK's foot. She almost gave herself away by laughing as she watched Krad flee down the dark hall towards their rooms. She recovered herself quickly though and headed for the open door where the ELK was still pacing the floor.
"Highness," she whispered, walking in and bowing at the same time (wow, what a feat!)
"WHERE HA--"
"Sshh!!! I've been waiting for my sister to leave. She's been trying to find out my secret, and if she does, she'll use it for her own good. Only hers."
"All right," the king still looked suspicious, but agreed with his suspicious daughter. He *had* to know the secret, he just had too...
"The time to strike is very soon! We must strike tomorrow morning, or we lose the chance to execute this plan perfectly! I've got a place and a plan, I only need people." She held her breath patiently, waiting for his reply.
"I have the perfect thing for the job," and he grinned an evilly huge grin and laughed evilly to himself.
* ~ * ~ *
A light. Bright and pretty just like a full moon on a clear night. Just like the one Artimas used to wake her up in the mornings so long, long ago. It was bright and warm. It felt...like home. She started purring, feeling better than before.
*SPLASH*
Diana jumped up and ran. She had totally forgotten where she was. In the park they always let the sprinklers go early in the morning, about the time that the sun comes up.
She ran for a couple of blocks before she finally stopped to dry off. Her stomach let off a very loud growl, reminding her of how long it had been since she'd last eaten anything.
"People aren't as generous as they used to be, are they kitty cat?" Startled, Diana turned to see a young girl of about 15 years old. She was tall with blondish, shoulder-length hair and green eyes. She looked kind...and maybe even generous? Diana hoped so.
"Meow," she said innocently.
"Yeah, I know. You're pretty thin. I'll bet you're hungry. Come with me and I'll find you something to eat," and the girl picked her up gently and walked down the street.
Food! She's going to feed me! thought Diana, as she started to purr. Maybe she'll even give me some milk! I haven't had milk for...nearly forever! Literally! Please give me some milk!!!
The girl took her to a somewhat small building. There were an awful lot of people going in and out; most of who seemed to be wearing only rags. Over the door, a sign read "Volunteers at Work - Need a Rest?" A homeless shelter! This girl wouldn't leave her at a place like this, would she?
"Hey Carrie! Another stray, huh? When are you going to stop being so nice to these animals?" Another girl, slightly younger than the one that was holding her (Carrie?) walked over and started to pet Diana.
"Nope, never. I love these guys, and I'd help 'em all out if I could," Carrie responded with a grin. "Speaking of help, I need to get to work. Would you take her in and get her something to eat? Betty's probably throwing a fit, because I'm a few minutes late," she gave Diana to the other girl and walked over to a younger one who seemed to be crying.
"Well kitty, shall we go inside and find you something to eat? I'll bet you'd like that, huh?" They went into what appeared to be a kitchen, only it was *HUGE*. But the girl just walked on, through another door, got out a bowl, put some food in it and walked back out.
No milk? thought Diana. This is the last time I come here to eat! She looked at the dish on the floor. Chicken!!! Yummmmmm!!! And she started to gobble it up. Before she got very far though, the girl came back in and set another bowl on the floor beside the first. Milk!
"There you go poor little kitty cat. I'll bet you just love a meal like this! Yeah, Carrie is too soft sometimes, but she can sure find the cutest little cats!" Why did humans get all cutesy with cats?!?!?!?!? But Diana purred anyway. After all, this girl had given her chicken and milk!
* ~ * ~ *
Carrie walked over to the little girl with a smile. Betty was homeless, but still spoiled somehow. Her mother tried to calm the girls' tears, but it did no good. She wanted 'her Carrie'.
"Hey Betty, you didn't think I'd leave you alone, did you? You know I'll always come back. I might be late, but I'll always come back," Carrie bent down and gave the girl a hug to comfort her.
"You promised to be early today! You were late last time, and you said that you'd be early to make up for it!" sobbed Betty.
"I know I did, but do you know why I was late today? I was late because I found a cat. Do you want to go see her? I'll bet she'd love to have someone take care of her," Carrie tried to cheer her up.
"I can't. Mommy's allergic to animals. But can I go see her anyway? Please???" Betty looked at her mother with pleading eyes.
"Go ahead. But not for too long."
"Thank you, Mommy!" she grabbed Carrie's hand and took off for the building.
* ~ * ~ *
"Now!!!! We must go now! It's perfect! Let's go!" Ssertsim headed for the boat. Another creature got in beside her. He was short and rather...flimsy. Not to mention he didn't look strong enough to hold himself up, let alone attacking.
"*THIS* is your idea of a perfect creature!?!?!?!?!?!?!?" hollered Ssertsim at the ELK as he came out.
"No. I said I had the perfect creature for this job. Not the perfect creature. I have to test you. If you have the perfect plan, then you will not need too much help. He will be of little concern to me if he is lost, so you may take him for a trial."
"But...he'll only-"
"What? You don't think you can do it? Are you backing out on me? You know the penalty of retreating without my permission! Now go!"
With a flash of dark light and a swish of the ELK's angry hand, they were gone.
* ~ * ~ *
'What was that?' Diana stopped eating and looked up. Something wasn't right. Something was going to happen. Her heart sank in her chest. She hadn't found any senshi yet; she may be too late. But I can't give up! I have to try to do *something!* She ran out of the building, away from the people who had helped her, out to where the trouble would be.
* ~ * ~ *
Carrie took Betty inside to see the cat.
"Where is she Carrie?" Betty looked all around the room, and not finding the cat, looked back at Carrie with confused eyes.
"I'm not sure, Betty. Maybe she left," but seeing an almost full dish of chicken and another of milk still on the floor, she didn't think the cat would leave.
"Carrie! Betty! Come on! We have to go! Now!" Carrie's friend rushed in the door, grabbed Betty's wrist, and ran out the back. Carrie, confused and frightened, ran back out to the front to see what was going on. Everyone was running, so she started to make her way to the source. This was a place of rest for the homeless, NOT a place to come and scare people away! Angry, she finally saw what was causing the commotion. A small, flimsy creature was throwing some sort of energy out at random people.
"Hey! Quite that! This is not a place for people...or creatures...to come and attack at their own will!" Having drawn attention to herself, she had to dodge several attacks herself.
Diana, watching from a tree, was startled. Carrie was brave to stand up to
him like this. She watched for awhile longer before she noticed something funny on Carrie's forehead. Was that...could it be...? Uranus!! The sign of Uranus! A senshi! Thinking quickly, she jumped out of the tree and called to Carrie.
"Quick Carrie! Transform!" she tossed her a yellow pen with the planet Uranus on top. It was all sparkly and shinny. "I'll explain later. Say the words that are in your heart! Hurry!"
Carrie, too worried about the other people around that had been hit, didn't waste anytime. She couldn't.
"Uranus Power!" In a flash, Sailor Uranus stood in the place of Carrie. "Now you pay!" she yelled at the monster. "Uranus...Wind...Extreme!!!" A gust of golden wind whirled around the creature, confusing him. He could not throw attacks at her if he could not tell where she was. The wind died down, and he fell to the ground breathless and tired.
"Uranus Wind Extreme!" Uranus attacked again. But before it reached him, he was gone. Uranus, exhausted, looked for Diana, found her, and motioned for her to follow. She headed home; they would have told her to anyway. In an ally she stopped to de-transform.
Reaching her house, she invited Diana in. Carrie only lived with her cousin, Alex, who was probably off buying more whoopee cushions or something in that manner.
"So, a cat that can talk. What happened? Why am I one of the legendary scouts?" Carrie started.
Diana sighed. "To start, yes, I am a talking cat. I am Diana, daughter of Luna and Artimas, the guardians and friends of the late Neo-Queen Serenity. And the past, I cannot yet reveal. I, we, must find the other senshi first. You are Sailor Uranus, sailor scout of the sky. And the first scout to be found. You will stay and help, right?" Diana hadn't done this before, and she had always been afraid that one of the scouts would refuse to help.
"Of course I'll help! I've always known that I had something more to do. Now I know what it is. I can finally help people. I can really help them."
"Yes, but they must not know your identity. You have to keep it a secret. If
the enemy finds out who you are, they'll have a big advantage."
"And that brings us to my next question. Who attacked us, and what did they want?" Carrie tried to comprehend all the new ideas.
"I don't know. That is one more thing that we'll have to discover together."
* ~ * ~ *
"Next time I will not be defeated so easily," thought Ssertsim. She was already making a new plan.
* ~ * ~ *
Author's Notes: Here's Chapter 1. Kay was being... well... evil. I guess that would come from her; she's a Slytherin. Aren't they supposed to be evil? Anyway, Kay's next task is to proofread chapter 2. So, ah, don't expect the next chapter anytime soon, right Kay?
Kay: What? I wasn't listening!
See! She's evil, and I'm a Gryffindor.... You think that we have a few problems?
In other news, we were looking around and found a new story to read. What was it again, Kay?
Kay: What? I wasn't listening!
Gee... That's just like her... Anyway, it's called "In the Moon's Reflection" and it sounds pretty cool, and it's funny too! It's by a person called "Slytherin Supporter".... I wonder if Kay has anything to do with that person... Is she going behind my back again?
Kay: What? I wasn't listening!
::Grumble:: Until next chapter, k?
Kay: WHAT!?!?!?!?!