Orion Saga
Part 1
Quest for the Orbs
Chapter 6: Revelation
Zentora is walking home on Friday when she hears her name. Turning, she sees Haruka. "Um, hi."
"Hey. I wanted to apologize for the other day."
"It's okay."
"No, I wanted to make it up to you."
Zentora looks at her closely. "Thanks."
"Great. I'll be going to the gardens with Michiru on Sunday if you want to come."
"Okay…I'll meet you there."
Zentora is sleeping when something wet on her cheek suddenly wakes her. She bolts up, startled to see a dog on her bed. Her father laughs slightly at his daughter's surprised expression. Jalise stands in the door smiling with a cat in her arms. "What-"
"Good morning." She looks up to see both of them smiling at her.
She is unable to hide her obvious surprise. "What's going on? Am I dreaming?"
Martin looks at her. "Well, you did so well on your report card…"
Zentora looks at her parents in disbelief. In spite of herself, she blushes as she realizes what they are saying. "Thank-you."
"No, problem." Her father leaves the room. With the cat still in her arms, Zentora's mother sits on the bed.
"I can't believe you guys did this."
"You deserve it. You've been very good about this. And I know it's hard for you sometimes."
Zentora looks at her mother for a moment before hugging her. "Thanks." Smiling at her daughter encouragingly, she leaves.
"What on earth is the matter Usagi-chan?" Usagi turns away from her schoolwork to look at the black cat in front of her.
"Oh, Luna. I don't know." Closing a book, she places a hand under her chin. "I guess it's because we're battling again."
"It has been a while."
"Mhmm." Her usually bright blue eyes become clouded with thought.
"Usagi, is there something else you want to tell me?"
Sighing, she confesses to her guardian. "I'm not sure."
A sandy haired cocker spaniel walks quietly on a leash. A few feet behind him, Zentora clutches the end of the leash. She stops in front of an art supply store and glances in quickly to see a young man at the counter. "Hey."
Zentora backs up and the dog is at the shy girl's side quickly. With a welcoming smile, the young man greets her with an informal nod of his head.
"Hello." Following his lead, Zentora dips her body in return.
"I just came to tell you that you can come in if you like…"
"Your sign." Zentora motions to the sign bearing the 'no dogs allowed' symbol.
Running a hand through his brown hair, the young man looks at it. Chuckling nervously, he answers. "Yeah. The old owner of this place left that. I've been meaning to take it down. Oh, by the way, my name's Nuboro."
"Zentora."
"Well, Zentora-chan. I noticed you checking out the display."
"Yeah." Zentora nods a little.
With one hand in her pocket and the other at her partner's waist, Haruka strolls through the park. Within moments, she sees the young purple haired girl sitting on a bench staring silently at the flowers on the other side of the trail. Zentora is snatched from her thoughts when she hears her name. "Zentora-chan?"
Standing, she looks at them. "Hi." The sandy haired girl returns the greeting with a slight grin.
The smile is warm and Michiru's teal hair bounces as she speaks. "Have you been waiting here long?"
"No, I don't think I've been here that long." Glancing back to the flowers, they hear her soft voice as she speaks again. "The flowers are pretty."
"Yeah…come on. There are lots more." Haruka begins walking with Michiru's arm entwined in her own. Zentora joins them, walking at a steady pace.
The three of them go through the garden. Michiru and Haruka observe the quiet girl as she looks at the flowers. Michiru looks up at Haruka before speaking. "Zentora-chan?"
Flicking a strand of hair out of her eyes, she answers. "Yes, Michiru-san?"
Carefully, Michiru thinks of what to say. "The other day, when we were talking…you said there was no pint in following your dream."
Zentora turns from a flower to look at her. "I did." A strand of hair falls in front of her eye and she lets it stay there as she looks at the two older girls.
Haruka's blue-gray eyes dart toward Michiru's own aqua ones before looking at Zentora again. "Doesn't it bother you that if you give up, you can't do the one thing that you enjoy most?"
Lowering her liquid brown eyes, she takes a deep breath. "It makes me furious."
Something in the quiet voice stings Michiru from within. "Then why give it up?"
"Hmm…" Zentora pushes her hair back on her head, only for it to flip back over her eyes. "Because." Noting the raised eyebrows of the two, she answers. "It's easier, I guess."
"How?" Michiru's aqua eyes make contact with Zentora's and see something new in them. A sort of emptiness.
"It's easier than the pain of a relentless pursuit." Lowering her head, she balls her hands up at her sides into fists as she tries to open up to her new friends. "It's maddening to know you have the talent, but that you can't get close to being the thing you see." Tightening her fists, she continues in a small voice. "Then…that fear…it…" Quickly, she turns her head away and puts her back to them.
Haruka stares at the girl's back in surprise. She drops her hand from Michiru's waist and the teal haired beauty walks over to Zentora. Stopping a few feet away, she tentatively asks, "What is it you want so badly?"
Shaking her head, Zentora looks up to see a vendor selling roses. Leaving Michiru and Haruka, she walks over to her. Haruka watches her speak to the woman as she pays for a rose. She sees Michiru turn to her with sad eyes.
As the flower is passed to Zentora's hand, something strange happens. It begins to glow in her hand, twisting and bending. With a look of amazement, she drops the flower and steps back. Within seconds, a pink skinned woman is standing in front of her. Vines cover her neck and ankles. Her hair forms a rosebud, and her dress looks like flower petals.
Haruka looks up to see Zentora standing in front of a monster. "Michiru! Look!" Looking up in the direction where Zentora went, Michiru's eyes widen at the site of the vicious vine vamp.
In a state if shock, Zentora watches helplessly as the vendor's energy is drained. Throwing the old woman aside like a piece of trash, she looks at Zentora. "Well, little girl. Looks like you're next. Rose Vine!" A thorn-covered vine shots out of her neck and Zentora jumps over it, landing smoothly. "Oh, a challenge." She smiles at Zentora who looks at her. "Rose Vine!" Zentora dodges the second time, but the third time, her movement is anticipated and she is caught.
"Aaagh!" The spiny thorns embed themselves in her wrist and wrap around her arm, squeezing it like a snake with a mouse. She can not help but yell from the pain being inflicted on her.
"Oh…does that hurt? Let me help." Rosevine throws her across the sidewalk and the girl is stopped by a tree, only to fall among the beautiful flowers she had been admiring before. Michiru looks on with wide eyes and turns to her partner.
"Let's whack that weed."
"Right!"
"Uranus, Planet Power!"
"Neptune Planet Power!"
Mamoru gives Usagi a flower from the vendor. "I'm sorry, Usa-chan." He is referring to having stared at Zentora when they were at the festival. Since then, she had been pretty upset with him. "You know you're the most beautiful girl I know."
Taking the flower, she looks at him. "Arigatou, Mamo-chan."
"I didn't mean to make you feel bad." His eyes are sincere as he looks at her. He leans over to kiss her when they see a bright light.
Usagi's head snaps up as she pulls away. "What was that?!"
"I don't know. Maybe we should check it out." He reaches for his rose.
Uranus and Neptune are still fighting when Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen arrive. Sailor Moon squeals. "Aaagh! What is that?"
"Sailor Moon! Use the Spiral Heart Moon Rod!"
"Right. It's time to prune this plant." Sailor Moon points her rod at Rosevine. "It's over!"
"Not if I can help it. Rose Vine!" A vine knocks the rod from Sailor Moon's hand and they all look on in disbelief as their leader is lifted off of the ground.
A purple light flashes and an arrow snaps the vine holding Sailor Moon. The tiny senshi falls to the ground and before anyone can react, a disk rips their enemy in half. Holding her moon rod, Sailor Moon looks at the others. "What just happened here?"
Tuxedo Kamen looks up to see someone running from the vendor's stand. "Wait! You!" Frustrated, he detransforms and walks over and looks behind the counter to see the old woman open her eyes. "Are you alright?"
"Yes."
"Here, let me help you." Walking around to the other side of the stand, he helps her.
Having already gone back to their regular forms, the other senshi look at Mamoru as he walks over to them. Haruka looks at Michiru as she remembers the girl. "Zentora!"
Michiru nods. "Yes, we have to find her."
Usagi looks at up. "Zentora?"
"Yes, we were here with her when that plant showed up. It threw her somewhere." A worried look creeps over the face of the graceful musician.
Mamaoru speaks up. "We'll help you find her. Splitting up, they each wander around the area checking bushes and trees until Mamoru calls out to them. "She's over here!"
The others run over to see Mamoru kneeling over the girl at the base of the tree. Lying on her side, the purple hair partially covers the closed eyes. Haruka bends down next to Mamoru. "Zentora-chan. Zentora-chan?" She shakes the girl gently, the others watching until they hear her soft groaning.
"Ugh…"
"Zentora-chan? Are you alright?" Looking up, Zentora sees Haruka and a young man standing over her. Slowly, she tries to sit up and his helped to her feet. Haruka looks at the girl.
"Zentora-chan, you're hurt." Michiru's eyes look over the girl's left arm. Passing over the tears in her shirt, she sees that the girl's arm is bruised and bleeding in at lest three places.
Holding her upper arm with the other hand, she shakes her head. "I'm okay."
"Are you kidding? It could be sprained or something. We'll take you to get it checked out."
Usagi sits on a bench as she watches Zentora being helped by Michiru and Haruka.
"Usa-chan?" Sitting next to her, Mamoru's face takes on a questioning look. "It's there anything wrong?"
"What happened back there, Mamo-cahn?" She looks at him. "That's the third time someone's stepped in to help us. "Who could it be?"
"I don't know." He looks at her, putting an around her small frame. "I don't get know, but we'll find out."
With her left arm, bandaged and in a sling, Zentora walks into the apartment. Looking around, she quietly steals away to her room. "Zentora!" Turning, she sees her mother coming toward her. Jalise runs slender hand through the cascade of black waves falling past her shoulders as she casts worried eyes on her child. "What happened?"
"Nothing, I-um."
"Zentora."
She thinks for a moment. "I fell in a rose bush and sprained my wrist."
"You poor thing!"
Zentora had to have her over-shirt removed and stands before Jalise in a black tank top. Her upper arm is bandaged just below her shoulder and her arms is wrapped, only to expose her fingers, which she looks at now.
"Does it hurt?"
"No, I'm fine."
"Well, I'll feed Sirius and Pup anyway." These were the names her daughter had given to her new companions. It was strange how quickly she seemed to do it, as the animals looked like no other names would suit them.
Zentora nods at her mother's words and goes into her room. Nestled next to each other on the bed, Zentora's new pets pop their heads up when their mistress enters. After she sits down, the dog stands and walks across the bed. Whimpering, it licks her left hand and nuzzles the sling. Smiling slightly, Zentora gently ruffles his ear.
: Locked away in a castle, a girl is in an enormous bed. While she lies there in a deep sleep, four orbs form a band and surround her head. The girl's eyes suddenly snap open and she rises. Walking out onto the balcony, her opaque eyes gaze at the sky. One by one, the stars are cast in darkness; each one exploding like an overheated light bulb. Planets begin to whither as the lives on them are ripped away. With each star that dies, it seems a person crumbles along with it. :
Gasping, Zentora sits up and opens her eyes. Turning her legs over the side of the bed. The purple hair moves as she shakes her head. Upon feeling something touch her leg, Zentora looks down to see Pup's head in her lap. A soft voice echoes through her mind. 'What is wrong?"
Eyes narrowed she stares at the dog. An expression of worry lines its face. Leaping onto the bed from the chair it had been sleeping on, the cat sits next to her.
"What are you?"
In a calm voice, the dog answers, his words echoing through her mind. "Please do not be frightened. We are here for your aid."
"How-how are you doing that? How are you in my head?"
"I cannot vocalize the way Sirius does."
"Sirius?" Zentora looks at the cat.
Turning to her mistress, she answers. "Yes?"
"I don't understand what's happening." The quiet voice is fearful.
Pup nuzzles her. "It's alright. We'll explain."
Sirius looks at Pup as she settles herself on the bed. "We are your guardians. You are Sailor Orion." We managed to track you down a few weeks ago and gave you the amulet of Ourania."
"You mean the star with the amethyst in it?"
"Yes, it's what you use to transform. We've been looking for you for sometime." Zentora continues to listen to them as they speak with her.
She listens intently. Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she tries to remember some of what they tell her. Pup notices the expression on her face. "What did you see in your dream?"
"Darkness and death." The soft voice carries an unusually cold tone to it.
"Of who?"
"It was universal."
With a grave expression, Sirius looks at her mistress. "Was there anything else?"
"There was a girl with some spheres around her head. There were four of them."
"That explains why you were sent Earth. Those were the orbs of Nova."
"What?"
"Four orbs were made. These orbs manifest themselves in the dream stones of humans. These orbs posses the power of death and the miracle of life. It is imperative that you retrieve them. If they were to fall into the wrong hands, then whatever destruction you saw in your dream is probably very close to what will happened in reality."
"How will I find them?"
"You'll know them when you see them."
The translucent eyes are pensive. "What happens to the holders when the orbs are orbs are taken?"
Pup gazes at Sirius. His feline counterpart's sparkling green eyes focus on her charge. "It isn't as bad as what will happen if you don't take them."
"Do they die?"
Pup shakes his head. "No."
The tenderness in his voice causes the girl to look at him. "It's worse than death isn't it?" Their silence at her question makes her close her eyes, having more than received her answer. "I understand."
In an effort to change the subject, Sirius looks at Zentora. "Have you transformed yet?"
"I don't remember."
Pup cocks his head to one side. "What do you mean?"
At their worried glance, the girl turns her head. "I'm sorry…I don't know." She looks at the wall. "But sometimes, I have a strange feeling. It's like I sense something and then everything goes black. It's like I don't exist."
"Don't exist?"
She looks at the striped cat on her bed. "Yes, It's happened at least three times already. Whenever I snap out of it, I can't really remember anything. It's almost like I have a sense of myself, but I'm not sure what I'm doing."
"Sounds strange." Pup jumps onto the bed. Placing a paw on her shoulder to steady himself, he places the other on her head. "Try to think back to your last one."
Zentora closes her eyes and concentrates. Pup closes his as well and sees her falling in some flowers and then vanishing as her senshi form appears. When he opens his eyes, he looks at her. "Those were your transformations."
"Shouldn't I be able to remember them?"
"Yes, you should." He places his paw back on her head and Sirius does the same. "Sometimes, having not transformed for a while, your human self becomes unaware of its senshi half. It should be alright now."