And the Chibi-Scouts Learn to Cope...
Author's Ramblings: In case you're all wondering why I've been so...
sporadic...in posting, it's because I've been watching too much anime.
SMS, Weiss Kreuz, His and Her Circumstances, Neon Genesis Evangelion,
Kenshin, and so forth. And, in my watching, I've been neglecting all
things Galactic. Please, please forgive me. Onegai, minna. I didn't
mean anything by it... Really, I didn't... ::sigh::
Landis doesn't belong to me. ::snicker:: Oh, no. She doesn't. She's
herself... ::snicker 2::
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Last time:
That's right: Celeste and Peter are destined, and (finally) the young
Master of Freakin' Time can use "Dead Scream." Phoebe got into a fight
with Tara, because Tara has been ignoring the Scouts. Yadda, yadda.
Nothing interesting. Tina strangled Rob's cat. Rob has yet to know about
it. Yay.
And that, my friends, is where the story begins...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Another monster, dead..." sighed the young man, brushing a blonde
hair from his eyes and trudging down the hallway. "I can't believe those
Scouts! Always killing off my creatures! Always!" He screamed aloud and
paused in his walk just long enough to kick the wall. "They are nothing
more than thorns in my side, really!" Then sighing, he began to further
stride down the hallway, brow wrinkled in thought.
Popping out of her bedroom, Tina smiled warmly toward the man,
stretching her long arms over her head and yawning rather contentedly.
"Good morning, Rob!" she chirped, studying his face with her sweet brown
eyes. Seeing that his expression was glum, she frowned and wrinkled her
nose. "You don't seem too cheery, today."
He glanced toward her and raised a single eyebrow. She wore a
tiny, sleek black tank top and a pair of large, baggy blue cotton pants.
A slight smile touched his face. "You seem to be happy, this morning,"
he responded good-naturedly, once again studying the black floor before
him. "Don't you worry about the Scouts?"
"Why should I? That's YOUR department!" She chuckled, raising a
single hand to her mouth as he frowned at her. "Oh, sorry," she quickly
apologized rather sheepishly. "I didn't want that to sound rude! I just
meant that... Well..." Tossing her shoulder-length hair cheerily, she
shrugged. "I had a good day yesterday, that's all!" She stopped at a
nearby doorway and pressed the open button quickly. "Well, see you
later!"
"Later..." he echoed rather half-hearted, watching the door slide
quickly shut behind his co-worker. Once he was certain that she was
behind the thick stone surface, he let out a sigh and scratched the back
of his neck. "What the Hell is wrong with her?" he questioned himself
aloud, starting back down the hallway toward the "living room" area.
"You would think that she'd just rid the world of the Sailor Scouts or
something..."
Sighing in bewilderment, he pressed the open button on the living
room door and smiled, stepping into the room and taking a deep,
contented breath. Then, as the door shut, he sniffed the air more
carefully than before.
Rob made a face of disgust. "It smells of..." He closed his blue
eyes and took in one last breath. "Rotting flesh?"
And then, opening his eyes once again and glancing at the small,
furry body that dangled from a single strand of yarn, he screamed.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"It's been a busy week," commented the curly-haired 12th grader
with a long sigh, leaning up against the bank of blue-painted lockers.
"Two of those cat monsters, neither of which causes any problems, and
still no sign of the enemy becoming overly aggressive." She wrinkled her
nose, dissatisfied. "It's like those stupid badguys are afraid of us!"
Brown eyes glancing down the corridor of Crossroads School, Alice
Kino licked her parched lips and stared sadly at a tall, laughing girl.
"And Tara has still remained aloof..."
Lyra raised an eyebrow and glanced at her friend. "Hmm?"
Turning slightly red, the older girl quickly waved a hand.
"Nothing at all!" she replied quickly, turning her attention to opening
her locker. "I was just thinking that you're right. Totally right, in
fact, and..." She stopped and stared at the contents of her locker,
jawing dropping.
"And?" repeated the short girl, peering after her friend into the
small space. Then, expression going from confused to amused, she smiled
and held back a chuckle.
Pulling the bouquet of roses from her locker, the other girl made
a face and tossed them against the nearest wall. "It's really NOT funny,
Lyra," she protested, ensuring that the rather large picture of Todd
Walker followed the same trajectory as its partner, the flowers. "That
little maggot will NOT stop it with the stupid prom invitations! When
will he understand that I'm not interested?"
"When pigs fly and my mother stops calling at midnight?" retorted
the blonde teen, still chuckling. Receiving a stern glare in return, she
shrugged and cocked her head to one side. "Jeez, Al, you worry too much
about all sorts of things! Life's too short!"
"For you, maybe," sighed the older of the two, removing a few
textbooks from her locker and sliding them into her bookbag. "Sometimes,
the days go on forever, and I feel myself falling into a hole that I
can't get out of..."
Sighing, Lyra put a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. "Maybe
so," she responded sympathetically, smile full of compassion and caring.
"But you do know that we're all around to bail you out, right?"
"Right..."
"Hi-ya, Sis!" chimed a voice suddenly, and both girls jumped in
surprise before finding themselves glancing down upon a short, grinning
nine-year-old with gold pigtails. "Funny meeting you here!"
Mouth falling slightly open, the curly-haired teen stared.
"Celeste? What in heaven's name are you doing here?"
"Miss Mokoti!" called a loud, chipper voice from the other end of
the hall. A rather tall girl with brownish-gold hair and green eyes came
skidding to a stop in front of the threesome and smiled sweetly. "There
you are!" Blinking, she glanced at both the older teens. "And you found
Lyra and Alice! How cool!"
Groaning, the latter of the two mentioned slammed her locker door
shut and flipped her wavy hair over her shoulders. "If it isn't Landis-
the-student-counsel-goody-goody," she muttered, getting an elbow in the
ribcage from Lyra in return for her kind words. Coughing, she forced a
large grin. "I mean, 'howdy, Landis!'"
With a nod of acknowledgement, the tall girl turned toward Lyra
and seized both of her hands. "How does it feel to have a little sister
who passed the junior high entrance exams three years early, Lyra?" she
questioned, large eyes glowing with excitement. "All of us at the
Student Counsel just couldn't believe that a nine-year-old made such
high scores! Aren't you pleased?"
Lyra just blinked.
"SHE made Junior High?" coughed Alice, suppressing a laugh. "Come
on! She hardly can do anything when it's time to being a Sc..." She
froze and swallowed her word. "That is to say, when we...we, ummm..."
Landis raised an eyebrow and then, shrugging, laughed aloud.
"Well, whatever the case, we've got a genius in our mists!" she giggled,
musing the youngest girl's hair. "Isn't that right, kiddo?"
Nodding slightly, the green-eyed child stared at her shoes,
fingers idly tracing the hem of her uniform top. "Right, Miss Landis..."
she mumbled half-heartedly.
"Well, we're off!" exclaimed the Student Counsel President,
grabbing hold of Celeste's hand and starting off down the hallway. "I've
got to show her to first period, or else I'm toast!"
With a roll of her eyes, Alice slung her bookbag over her shoulder
and sighed. "Can you BELIEVE that girl, anymore?" she asked of Lyra,
shaking her head. "It seems that, every time I'm stuck talking to
Landis, she gets STUPIDER!"
Lyra wrinkled her nose and bit her lower lip, staring off after
the strange duo. "That's nice..." she muttered, eyebrows knitting
slightly together.
"Are you okay? You're acting really strange..." The 13th grader
cocked her head to one side and gazed at her friend in confusion. "Is
this about Celeste's test?"
Shrugging, the short blonde girl turned and started down the
hallway. "I don't know..." she whispered more to herself than to her
companion. "Something is odd..."
And it was all Alice could do to keep up with her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"It's a good idea, really, it is," he sighed, running a hand
through his shaggy brown hair as he bent down and looked the little girl
in the eyes. They were a dark, fathomless gray. "You don't have normal
interaction with other children, and every child needs friends..."
She crossed her arms and looked away, studying the bland tan tile
that covered the floor of the small second-grade classroom. "I have
companionship, father," she growled, tone dark and filled with anger. "I
find that companionship in my brother, and in Celeste, and in Ambriel. I
find that companionship in the kittens and in my aunts." Turning her
face to his, she bit her lower lip and held back the tears that were
welling up in her eyes. "And I find that companionship in you..."
Shaking his head, Terry planted a kiss on her forehead and
straightened her knee-length blue skirt. "You can do this, Aeris," he
smiled, ruffling her long hair. "You're a strong, stubborn girl and you
always use that kind of thing to your advantage. Second grade should be
a breeze for you, sweetheart."
With a half-hearted nod, the little girl crossed the classroom and
took the last empty desk, her new classmates all crowding around her and
asking questions. Smiling slightly, Terrence stood and started for the
door, where two others stood, waiting.
"You did the right thing with her, Terry," smiled the shorter of
the two women, patting him gently on the shoulder. "I didn't think that
Peter would take it so well, though..."
The taller woman tossed her sandy blonde hair triumphantly and
flashed the man a knowing smile. "Well, I'm glad that both of them are
finally IN school," she stated, starting down the hallway, hand-in-hand
with the other woman as they walked. "I'm so sick of those children."
"Alex!" scolded the short, aqua-haired woman, lowering her blue
eyes. "How could you say something like that?"
Tossing her head, the Mistress of the Heavens shrugged casually.
"I don't like children," came her bland reply as she let go of her
wife's hand and began down the hallway at a faster pace than previously.
"In fact, I never really have..."
Michelle froze in mid-step, staring after her partner. "What in
the world..." she breathed, blinking in amazement as she watched the
woman leave. "How could... What in the world... Alex?"
With a sigh, Terry patted his 'sister-in-law' gently on the back
and sighed. "Michelle, I'm sure that she's fine..."
"She's been acting oddly ever since Haley left," responded the
woman, glancing up at her friend. "It's bothering her, but she won't
admit it..."
"She's Alex, after all," laughed the young man with a shrug.
"Hasn't she always been like that?"
Nodding solemnly, Michelle just forced a smile. "I guess..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"You've been quiet of late," commented the small black kitten,
gently licking the sand from between the pads of her feet as she glanced
up at the small girl. The girl continued to swing idly on the single
wooden board as her pet spoke. Carina dropped her paw to the ground and
cocked her head to the side, ears perking out. "You alright?"
Sighing, the child leaned far back, letting her long red braid of
hair nearly scrape the dirt as she swung. "I just wonder where I came
from," she responded, voice reflective and rather wistful. "The others
all know their true natures, and then there's me..." She suddenly sat
straight up, digging her heels into the warm Earth and staring down at
her cat. "I don't get it," stated she firmly. "How is that I can be the
only ambiguous case?"
With a slight smile, the little kitten winked a single blue eye.
"Maybe that's your destiny," she suggested with a shrug, once again
focusing on her paw. "After all, the two children of the Guardian of
Time are to control Time, so..."
"Still, where is my mother?" asked Ambriel mournfully, cupping her
chin in her hands. "Why did she abandon me? Why don't the others care?"
Her Guardian froze. "What?"
"Am I wrong to assume that they don't care?" questioned the girl
coldly, standing and crossing over to the sandbox and gazing longingly
at the small castle she'd built there but a few moments before.
"Somehow, I think not. It's obvious that all they care for is
themselves."
"Themselves?" queried the cat quickly, following her charge across
the tiny courtyard as she spoke. "I think they care about you... After
all, you're a Chibi-Scout, too, and they're like you are..."
Ambriel sank slowly to her knees in the sand, the damp earth
dirtying her white royal gown as she did so. "They don't care!" she
exclaimed, tears welling in her gray eyes as she stared at the castle.
"No one does! I have no mother or father! All I am is Fate's little
pawn! Fate's pawn!" She slammed her fist into the sandcastle and burst
out sobbing, tears cascading down her cheeks. "They don't care! No one
cares!"
Hopping into the box and standing atop the ruined building, the
kitten lowered her voice to a growl. "You listen to me, Priestess of the
Silver Moon," commanded she sternly, eyes lowered to a glare. "You THINK
that they don't care, but they do! You don't want them to care, because
you're afraid of what real love is! You think you're alone, so you lie
to yourself and you believe yourself! You can't be doing that, Ambriel!
You can't!"
"What would you know?" countered the girl quickly, returning the
glare in kind. "You're nothing more than Diana's little apprentice!
Diana's little lackey and partner in crime!"
Eyes filling with tears, the little cat turned away from her
charge, staring at the ground wordless. Ambriel gasped and covered her
mouth, suddenly aware of the scathing accusation her words carried and
reached over to stroke the animal's fur.
With a choked sob, Carina jumped up and ran across the courtyard
and into Crystal Palace, not once looking back.
"Why..." The girl looked at her trembling white hands and felt her
own eyes once again fill up with tears. "Why did I say something like
that? She's my best friend..." Pressing her lips together, she brushed a
strand of hair from her face and glanced up at the sky, the morning sun
smiling down upon her. "Aren't we all just Fate's pawns, in the end?"
she questioned softly. "Aren't we?"
The rustling wind of spring held no answer.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"How in the world did she make junior high so soon, that's what I
want to know!" exclaimed Alice, slamming her can of Diet Coke onto the
tabletop. "I mean, I understand that she is a very, very smart girl, but
smart enough to make the sixth grade? That, I don't know..."
Shrugging, her blonde companion just stared down at her potato
chips, brown eyes not looking up. "I think that she knows something that
we don't about all this..." sighed the teen sadly, taking a single chip
from its bag and glancing at it. "I think something's wrong with this
picture, but I can't..."
"It's SOOOOO awful!" screamed a voice from the other end of the
cafeteria, and both girls glanced up. Running toward their little four-
person table was Landis, hair flying behind her as she flailed her arms
and tore across the room. "You two won't BELIEVE what I heard in the
teacher's offices!"
Rolling her eyes, the older of the two teens leaned back in her
chair and tucked her hands behind her neck casually. "Suzie broke up
with Evan after he kissed Marie on the neck but he claimed it wasn't
cheating since Marie was going out with Bob?" she asked rhetorically,
not even glancing at the tall girl.
The Student Counsel Officer raised a slender eyebrow in the d
irection of the sarcastic teen. "Is she feeling okay, Lyra?"
The third teen just shrugged.
With an exasperated sigh, Landis then plopped down into one of the
remaining two chairs. "It's awful!" she announced loudly, burying her
head in her hands. "The teacher's board that reviews the junior high
entrance grades said that Celeste got a perfect score!" Shaking her head
slowly, she sniffled. "It's AWFUL!"
"Awful?" questioned Alice, staring at the downtrodden teen. "How
is getting a perfect score so bad?"
Pulling her head from her hands, Landis shot her a confused look.
"You mean you DON'T know?" she questioned in downright disbelief. "If a
child aces the exam, it's automatic grounds for a full investigation!"
Lyra choked on her potato chips. "You mean... That is to say..."
she stammered, eyes wide. "They... They think my sister CHEATED?"
"Yeah!" responded Landis in a loud whine. "Isn't that AWFUL? They
think that sweet little girl must have gotten her hands on the answer
key or something..."
"Makes full sense to me," mumbled Alice under her breath,
warranting a very angry stare from her friend and the uninvited guest.
She shrugged and sat up straight. "Well, I'm sorry, but it makes sense!"
she argued. "Celeste is a sweet kid, and smart, yes, but to an extent.
Making it into here was amazing, considering the fact that children
under ten need to be in the top...umm..."
Landis rolled her eyes. "Five..."
"Five percentiles on everything," she continued with a nod toward
the Student Counsel girl. "That's amazing of itself, but the acing of
it... That's cheating, if I've ever heard it..."
Standing straight up and knocking her chair over, Lyra glared
daggers at her friend. "I don't BELIEVE you, Alice!" she shot angrily.
"How can you say that? She's my sister!" Pushing most of the lunches
from the table, she leaned over toward the older girl, eyes unmoving
from the other girl's face. "Would I cheat? No! Because I have been
brought up in a family where that is wrong, and I know right from
wrong..." She eyes began to well up with tears. "I know what my sister
is, and YOU know what my sister is, and everyone..."
"Lyra?" Landis reached out a hand toward the emotional 12th
grader. "I don't believe the rumors, either, if it helps..."
Wordlessly, the blonde girl tossed her head and started across the
cafeteria.
With a sigh, the auburn-haired girl took a sip of her miraculously
un-spilled Coke. "Sometimes, I worry about her..."
"You're not upset about what you just said?" questioned Landis in
shock, staring at the relaxed girl. "You could have just ruined your
friendship with her, forever!"
Smiling knowingly, Alice shrugged. "We've been through a lot
together," she told her companion languidly. "You can't even begin to
understand it... But..."
"But?" asked the other teen.
"But," finished Alice, "Lyra will always come back. It's her
finest point."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Damn it!" She bent further over the dark blue orb, glaring
daggers at it as she slowly moved her hands in a counter-clockwise
direction on either side. "Why the Hell don't these things come with
directions?" Sighing, she took the crystal ball in one hand and glared
at it. "All the famous badguys had crystal balls! Like Queen Beryl...
And the Wiseman..." She wrinkled her nose. "This is the LAST time I
order anything from '1-800-baddies.'" Tossing the ball against the wall,
she leaned back in her throne and yawned, stretching. "Well, if this
isn't boring..."
Suddenly, the door to the Throne Room burst open and Rob rushed
in, cradling what appeared to be the dead corpse of his cat. Evil Queen
Ginnie grimaced and glanced at the thick notepad labeled "To Do Before
Taking Over the World" that sat on her armrest. Sure enough, there was
"take down Dolly's dead body from the living room ceiling"... Number
856...
"Shoot... I've GOT to work on shortening this list," mumbled
Ginnie, scratching her head. Then, putting an evil smile on her
otherwise pale face, she glanced down at her minion. "May I help you,
Rob?"
Nodding quickly, the man sank to one knee, as was proper
procedure, before holding the dead body of his cat up above his head.
"Dolly's dead!" he cried, blue eyes welling with tears.
With a sigh, Ginnie floated down from her throne and took a good
look at the cat. Sure enough, she was dead... It appeared that her neck
was broken, and there was a lovely mark around her neck from where the
yawn had been. The Queen grimaced. "Uhh... It could have been old age?"
"No!" protested the man, hugging the corpse of his pet to his
chest. "She was hanging from the ceiling of the living room like a
sacrifice to a God or something!"
Shrugging, she began to float back up to her seat. "Hey, don't
look at me!" she retorted casually. "That is NOT in the 'Big Book of
Ginnie Worship.'" Then, waving a hand, she leaned back in her seat. "If
you beat the Sailor Scouts, you can avenge your cat's death." As his
face lit up, she grimaced. "AND NOT A MOMENT BEFORE!"
But Rob had already run off, giggling like a giddy child.
Ginnie sighed and pulled a tall glass of pink lemonade from null-
space. "I've got to work on my delivery," she muttered.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
With a yawn, Peter Chiba laid down on the couch, a slight smile
crossing his face. "And it was so much fun!" he announced gaily, patting
the little tan animal who was perched on the back of the couch. "The
other kids were all very, very nice, and I met Celeste's little brother,
Johnny, who's in my class!" He sighed and closed his red eyes. "Mother
had always said that school was important, but we just never went. And
now, here we are, in second grade!" His smile grew. "I don't think that
anything could ruin this day!"
"Brother!" called a voice from nearby, and he opened his tired
eyes to see his sweet twin sister standing the doorway. Her hands were
folded at her stomach, creasing the fabric in the blouse of her white
uniform as she smiled almost victoriously at him. "I heard some
interesting information at school today that just might be of importance
to you."
Sitting up on the couch, the little boy stretched out his limbs
and glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "You actually enjoyed yourself
today?" he questioned, disbelieving.
Still smiling, Aeris strode over and plopped down onto the couch
next to her brother. "Our dear friend Celeste made it into junior high
via the entrance exams," she informed him with a small yawn as she
settled into the couch. "It seems as though, beyond making it into the
junior high school, she also did something previously unrecorded--she
answered every last question correct."
Peter's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "She got every question
right? But..." He furrowed his brow. "No one's ever done that, which
means she must have cheated."
"That is the popular consensus, it seems," nodded his sister,
still smiling as she spoke. "My teacher was discussing it with your
teacher over lunch break. I found it to be quite an...enlightening...
conversation." She brushed a green-black hair from her multicolored
eyes. "Such a kind and sweet leader the Chibi-Scouts have, eh?"
He bit his lower lip and glared at her. "Celeste just wouldn't do
that!" he protested loudly, anger in his voice. "She would never cheat
on anything! Destined leaders and rulers like the Keeper of the Nebulae
would never... Never ever..."
"She cheated on the exam, believe it or not," retorted Aeris
coolly, her smile still touching her lips, "and it is thought that she
obtained the answers in advance. And that is odd, because no one knows
how she could have accomplished that..." Then, in mock surprise, she
pushed the palms of her hands against her cheeks and formed her mouth to
a perfect 'o'. "But, wait, she is the omnipotent Keeper and a destined
leader of the world! She can do ANYTHING!"
"I didn't mean it like THAT!" shot her brother, wrinkling his nose
in disgust. "You're twisting it around, and you know it!"
Standing, she lowered her colorful eyes in his direction, and they
faded to a horrible color of black. "In light of what your little
girlfriend did, I'm challenging her rule as leader of the Chibi-Scouts,"
growled Aeris in a low tone. "I do not believe that she, a cheater, has
the right to rule. And I do not believe you have much of an ability to
go against me in this, either."
"But..." Gulping back the lump in his throat, Peter watched as his
twin strode out of the room and slammed the door behind her. With a deep
sigh, he leaned against the back of the couch. "How is it that my own
sister could be so cold?" he queried aloud, pressing his lips together.
The cat on the back of the couch leapt onto the boy's lap and
smiled slightly. "I think that this goes deeper than just being about
cheating," sighed Galileo, glancing at his charge with concern. "I'm
starting to wonder if she has any logic at all, given the
circumstances..."
"What circumstances?" asked Peter, staring down at the little ball
of tan fur. "She's just acting like a spoiled jerk, that's all!" He
clenched his hands into fists and glared up at the ceiling angrily. "She
doesn't care about my feelings, this time, or Celeste's! She just wants
to be in charge!"
Sighing, Galileo hopped down off the child's lap and turned away
from him, starting for the door. "Either that," he responded softly, "or
she's lonely."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"You guys, play like you want to win!" screamed the young soccer
coach, tossing down her clipboard as she jogged along the sidelines of
the long field, tennis shoes thumping on the cool green grass. "Get the
ball!" She watched as her oldest player, in a certain odd half-
heartedness, tried to steal the ball away from a member of the opposite
team. "Celeste, you're slacking!" she yelled once again, brushing a
strand of brown hair from her eyes. "Not a trait I like in you!" The
blonde girl just stared at the ground. "Ambriel, do it!"
The other female defensive player glanced at the coach, nodding
slightly as she ran for the ball. Her foot went toward the white-and-
black object, but she only managed to entangle her legs with the other
child's and tumble onto the ground.
A whistle blew and Haley clenched her fists in frustration. "TIME
OUT!" she hollered, picking up her clipboard from the ground and wiping
away a bead of sweat with the back of her hand. "Chiba and Mokoti, get
your butts over here!"
As all the other players giggled amongst themselves, the two who
had been singled out trudged over to their furious coach, heads bowed.
The redhead was even limping a bit.
"What are you two doing out there?" spat the adult, glaring at the
children. "I know that you can handle things far greater than a soccer
game, so what gives?" Neither glanced up, and she pressed further.
"Celeste, you hardly made an attempt, and Ambriel, that fall was
pathetic! If you have been focusing..."
"It's SOCCER, Haley!" shot the blonde girl, her fists clenched at
her sides as she glared up at the adult. "You're pretending like the
fate of the world is at stake! It's not!"
The young woman raised a hand into the air, ready to strike the
child, and then froze. The green eyes that were on her face didn't
blink, and the girl did not flinch. She just stared upward, accepting of
her fate.
Shivers running down her spine, Haley lowered her hand and sighed.
"Martin and Trudy, you're in for these two!" she called to a boy and
girl who were sitting on the sidelines. "Defensive positions."
The duo nodded and ran out onto the field. The game resumed.
Sinking to the ground, both girls sighed and glanced at their
coach, who was once again completely preoccupied with the goings-on in
the game.
Ambriel turned to her friend. "Is something wrong?" she asked
softly, resting her chin in her hands.
"Nothing you could fix," responded Celeste coolly, staring off
into space. "I've just got a lot to deal with right now."
The redhead huffed and tossed her messy braid behind her back.
"You make it sound like I'm completely helpless, you know."
"Maybe you are." The blonde sighed again and closed her eyes,
falling onto her back in the cool grass. "After all, you live locked up
in that great Palace all the time, served whatever you please."
"And you think that it's all fun and games, don't you?" retorted
the younger of the two, gray eyes narrowing. "You have no idea what I go
through every day, do you?"
Celeste snorted. "What? Do you sometimes have to dress yourself or
something horrific like that?" She sat up and glared at the girl. "All
you are, Ambriel, is spoiled. You wouldn't know true unhappiness and
despair if it bit you in the butt."
And, with that, she picked up her gym bag and began to walk away,
with a pair of sad gray eyes staring after her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Grimacing, she leaned against the countertop, slowly straightening
her leg. Every movement, even the slightest of them all, caused her
great distress in the humid weather they were having. With a grunt of
effort, she took a step forward, toward the stairs. Her leg felt like it
was burning from the inside out.
"You look like you're in a lot of pain," came a bland statement
from behind her. Gently opening her gray-green eyes, Alexandra saw an
icepack dangling in front of her face and smiled slightly. "You know
that the doctor told you to keep it iced when it aches, but you're
trying to walk on it."
Seizing the pack, she hobbled over to a chair, putting minimal
pressure on the sore leg. "You're not my mother," she retorted, pressing
the pack against her knee. Her eyes glanced up and at the savior, who
was leaning against the counter with her beautiful wavy tresses falling
over her shoulders. She smiled. "But thank you, anyway."
Face showing no humor, Michelle sat down in the chair beside her
wife and stared at her. "You've been acting odder than normal," she
stated with a slight raise of an eyebrow, "and it seems to me that your
comment about the children today was more out of line than normal." She
took the other woman's hand and squeezed it tightly between her own
hands. "Must I remind you that there are NO secrets between Neptune and
Uranus?"
"Maybe there are?" questioned Alex, smiling hopefully. The
expression opposite hers, however, did not change. She gulped. Sighing,
she closed her eyes and leaned back against the chair, shaking her head.
"It's not really the kids, Michi. It's me."
"You?" asked the musician, cocking her head to the side. Then, she
smiled gently. "If you're worried because you're getting older, let me
ASSURE you that you're just as good as--"
Blushing slightly, the taller woman coughed into her hand and
smiled knowingly at her wife. "Not that..." she sighed, almost laughing.
"I KNOW that, however..." Her smile faded into a frown. "Doesn't it
stink that there is nothing on this planet that is biologically ours?"
"Hmmm?"
"Well..." She shrugged and glanced up at the ceiling. "Peter asked
me about destined couples, and I got to thinking how unfair it is that
we can't have our own children. After all, we're just as good as
Endymion and Serenity, right?" She shook her head slightly and wiped a
tear from her eyes. "And yet, we're incapable of having our own
children. I don't find it fair. It's not fair!" she yelped, as though
she was in pain. Sitting straight up, she leaned forward and brought her
lips to Michelle's for a long moment, kissing her passionately before
pulling away. Once she did so, she stared at her own hands, almost
ashamed. "If someone can honestly tell me that all this love isn't
worthy enough for it's own fruit, I will never again think of
children..." She buried her head in her hands, near tears as her breath
came in ragged gasps.
Touching her lips to her wife's hand, the shorter of the two women
just sighed. "You mean that, all this time, you were so against children
because, in the end, we can't have our own?" Upon receiving a nod in
response, Michelle tangled her fingers in the sandy hair and touched
their cheeks together. "I don't care about that..." she whispered
gently, nearly crying. "I don't care about babies or biological remains
upon this Earth... All I care about is you." She smiled and stood up,
walking over and sitting down in the lap of the woman she loved. "You."
Alex smiled slightly and then grimaced uncomfortably. "That's
great, dear," she responded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "But you're
really hurting my leg..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"How to bet the Sailor Scouts..." Rob wrinkled his nose as he sat
down on the park bench, stretching out his long legs as he glanced up at
the extremely cloudy sky. It looked like it was going to rain any
minute. With a shiver, he yawned and folded his hands over his stomach.
"And I have the strangest feeling that, if I fail, Tina's going to have
some fun teasing me about it..."
Sighing once again, he stood and glanced slowly around the area.
It was a big athletic park, and nothing much was going on, barring a
peewee soccer game. He smiled a little at the prospect of interrupting
the little kids' game. Would that catch the attention of those pesky
Sailor-fuku-wearing teenagers?
He thought so.
"Dark circle!" he screamed, picking his slow stride up to a run as
he waved one hand in the air. Slowly, a ring of bright red, cracking
energy appeared in the very center of the soccer field before him. All
the children shrieked and scattered, but it was too late. The ring sent
out small, arm-like beams of energy and attacked anyone with ten or
twelve feet of it. Stopping in his run, Rob beamed, quite proud of
himself.
And then, to his horror, a young woman stood up despite the
obvious danger and pain that she was facing, and raised something small,
round, and shiny into the air. He gasped and stared at her, amazed.
Long brown hair fell in her face, but she was, no doubt, one of those
pretty Sailor Soldiers. He'd watched them fight before...
Orange and silver ribbons of light erupted from the little round
thing. Slowly and rather majestically, they encircled her, slowly
pulling tight and forming into a Sailor fuku. With a wicked grin, the
young man remembered Ginnie's words.
'If you beat the Sailor Scouts, you can avenge your cat's death.'
He was going to enjoy this.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"No more fighting!" commanded Celeste sternly as she sat at the
bus stop, staring down at her little yellow-and-purple transformation
pen. "I don't want to have to FIGHT, damn it! I'm nine, and I want to
ACT my age!"
But, despite all her hollering, the stick was still a warmth that
was nearly uncomfortable. She wrinkled her nose and rested her head in
her free hand.
There was a long moment of silence as she sat, near tears, alone
in the bus stop. Nothing really moved or occurred. Above her, in the
sky, thunder crackled, heralding the coming storm. She sighed and opened
her eyes, the tears in them stinging as she glanced down at the stick.
At her destiny.
"It's really not fair, you know," she commented to it with a shake
of her head. "I would just like to fit in. Be normal. But I can't...
Can I?"
Standing, she fled the bus stop and began to look for a dark
alley.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I hate this part!" whined Sailor Moon, dodging a large bolt of
red energy as it flew toward her. "All the running and avoiding and
parrying and..."
Throwing an attack at the ring of red and watching it sizzle out
into nothingness, Sailor Comet wrinkled her nose and glared at the
leader. "This is no time for games, Moon!" she spat, rolling away from a
counter-attack that stemmed from the ring. "Somebody's got to do
SOMETHING!"
Diving onto her stomach and pulling Comet with her, Sailor Polaris
glared at the ring of red energy and made a face. "I'm sure that Aeris
or Peter could take this thing out!" she called to the present Scouts.
"Not in my ear..." groaned the brunette teen, rolling away from
her loud friend. "I don't need to go deaf..."
"Then where the HELL are the Chibi-Scouts?" questioned Aurora
Borealis, wiping sweat from her brow as she threw an attack at the ring
and watched it fizzle out. "If a 'Dead Scream would take care of it,
then... EEEK!" Just as a bolt came flying toward her, Sailor Phoenix
grabbed her around the stomach and pulled her to the ground, leaving the
energy to soar above and past them.
With a slight cough, the blue-haired Scout let go of her friend
and shook her head. "You ARE an idiot, Aurora B.," she scolded with a
slight smile. "We're talking a BRAZEN idiot..."
Just then, the ring of energy disappeared, leaving no proof of its
existence.
Sailor Moon stood slowly and glanced around the area, looking for
the ring of red or, at least, for its owner. "That is SO odd," she
stated, bewildered. "It just disappeared..."
"And where the HELL are Ambriel and Celeste?" asked Comet,
brushing the hair from her eyes and stepping nearer to the rest of the
Sailor Scouts. "They were here at the game, I SWEAR it, and then--"
There was a loud crackling sound that cut her off, and suddenly
another ring of red appeared. This one, unlike the previous, was about
the thickness and consistency of a rope, and took no time in capturing
all five of the Scouts in its circle and pulling them tightly together.
They fought with it, attempting to kick and squirm their ways out, but
it was not use. They were trapped.
Chuckling, a young man stepped out of thin air and stood right
before Sailor Moon, smiling wickedly. "Good afternoon, Sailor Ladies,"
he greeted, with a slight bow. "My name is Rob, and I am quite glad to
make your acquaintance."
Red eyes lowering into a dangerous glare, the leader of the Sailor
Scouts wrinkled her nose in the direction of the stranger. "What the
Hell do you want?" she spat.
He smiled, reaching forward and caressing her cheek lightly with
his hand. "Feisty Miss Moon," he cooed, hand trailing down her cheek and
neck toward her locket. "I wonder what you're like under that pretty
Sailor fuku..."
In one swift movement, she brought her boot-covered foot up to
connect with his groin. Rob yelped out in pain and doubled over,
clutching himself. Sailor Moon, on the other hand, tossed her head of
pink hair proudly. "Pervert."
Glowering at her, the young man stood, still a bit dazed from his
injury. "You little slut!" he hollered, grabbing her by the collar of
her fuku and pulling her body against the rope of energy. She screamed
in pain, for the energy was suddenly very, very warm and the thin fabric
of her fuku did little to protect her body against it. Smiling evilly,
he drew her nose to touch his and patted the top of her head. "Are you
going to behave, Miss Moon?" he asked sweetly.
She spat in his face and pulled herself from his grasp, tossing
her head once again. "Go to Hell," she shot angrily, tone low and
unforgiving. "Don't think that you're going to win, bastard."
He slapped the young woman across the face, but she didn't so much
as flinch. Her red eyes remained lowered, angry but tearless, and he f
urrowed his brow at her. "Doesn't that hurt?"
"Never..."
"STOP!" commanded a chorus of young voices from behind Rob. He
whirled around and raised an eyebrow. There, standing in a short line,
were four children. Two wore Sailor fukus, with a girl in white skirts
and a boy in a tuxedo standing between them. He froze in place.
"And you are?"
"Pretty Sailor suited Sailor Scout, Sailor Chibi-Star!" shot the
tallest of the foursome, flipping her pigtails behind her shoulders.
"The leader of the Chibi-Scouts..."
The other girl in the Sailor fuku laughed rather cockily. "You are
no longer the leader!" she spat at the older girl, colorful eyes lowered
into a glare. "No good-for-nothing cheater should rule the Chibi-Scouts
with her iron fist!"
Chibi-Star did a double take. "What the Hell are you talking
about? I did NOT cheat on that test!"
Snickering, the one in all white pointed a finger at the single
boy. "So your girlfriend cheats at tests? If THAT'S not the stupidest
thing I've heard in a million years..."
"Bite me, you spoiled brat!" shot Chibi-Star, glaring at the
redheaded girl. "You're not really an angel, anyway! You're a bastard
child!"
The boy gulped and glanced at the oldest. "Now, Celeste..."
"And you shut up, too!"
As the bickering between all the younger Scouts continued, the
Galactic Sailors all stared at them. "Their maturity is astounding,"
sighed Phoenix with a shake of her braids. Then, she put a hand on the
rope and closed her eyes. "Phoenix..."
"Hell no!" yelped Aurora Borealis, squirming and attempting to get
away from the rope as her friend touched it. "We ALL remember what
happened last time you tried something like that..."
"Heat..."
Comet tried to back away from the blue-haired Scout and tripped
over Polaris' foot. She, in turn, got the edge of her skirt wrapped
around the hilt of Moon's sword. And, in one swift movement, the
standing Scouts all fell into one giant, tied-together heap of Sailor
Scouts.
"Get off of me!"
"Only when Phoenix moves her hand!"
"That's not MY hand... But Moon's sword is definitely a little two
close for comfort!"
"You perv!"
"Well, I mean it! Get it away!"
"That's not the sword... I think that's Aurora's hand..."
"Is NOT! Go to Hell, Comet!"
"Sorry, but I think that IS her hand!"
"Eeek!"
"And the other one's no better..."
"Listen, you sicko, it's not MY fault! I have nowhere to put them,
anyway!"
"And my parents always said that I'D be the lesbian when I grow
up..."
"COMET! SHUT UP!"
"Could someone get their boot out of my butt?"
"Sorry..."
Rob, who was watching both the fight between the Chibi-Scouts and
the awful pile of older Scouts as they tried to situate themselves,
sighed miserably and shook his head. "GREAT," he commented to himself,
eyes half-closed in blatant amazement at the stupidity of his
adversaries. "They're ALL children..."
And then, suddenly, something purple cut through the air, slicing
through the red rope-like substance that held the Scouts together.
Sailor Moon, who happened to be on the top of the pile, fell off and
onto the ground rather hard, cursing loudly. Everyone else jumped up and
scattered, because no one wanted to know whose hand was where (and the
like).
With a sigh, the Starlit Prince hopped down from the tree branch
he was perched upon and raised an eyebrow in the direction of the
strange young man, his cape swirling dramatically behind him. "You
threaten the future of good in this universe, and I will not stand for
it," he stated, glaring at the man. "I am the Starlit Prince..."
"WATCH OUT!" commanded Polaris quickly, scrambling to her feet
from where she was still laying, dazed. "He's a tricky bastard!"
Rob raised a hand and pointed it straight at the other young man's
chest, whispering an odd word in some unknown language. Suddenly, a bolt
of red energy poured from the palm of his hand and shot at the Starlight
Prince. Top hat flying off, the Prince sunk to his knees, howling in
agony. And the red continued.
"Phoenix Heat Flashing!"
"Starlit Streak!"
"Rainbow Wave!"
"Comet Crater Close!"
The sky lit up with the four attacks, and Rob turned his head
slowly to see them coming straight at him. With a string of swears, he
blinked out of existence in a puff of red smoke, and the attacks flew
past their mark and dissolved in midair.
"Richard!" screamed Polaris, dashing to where her Prince had
fallen onto his chest, gasping for breath. "Richard! Say something!"
Coughing a bit, the young man sat up, smiling weakly as he reached
out to touch her curly hair. "I think...I need...a nap..."
With a sad smile, eyes full of joyful tears, she lunged forward
and hugged him around the neck. "Thank GOD you're alright..."
Rolling her red eyes, Sailor Moon glanced around the area with
obvious disdain. "Well, he got away..."
And then, her eyes were drawn to another odd sight...
Sailor Chibi-Star and Angel Moon were standing about two feet away
from one another, just screaming their lungs out. Not too far away were
the Pluto twins and, low-and-behold, they were participating in the same
sort of activity.
"You're a spoiled little Princess!"
"Get off it! She's NOT my girlfriend!"
"Lair!"
"You cheated! How come you're still the leader?"
"The point here is that I should rule the Chibi-Scouts!"
"Bite me! You're not deserving!"
"I DID NOT! Everyone THINKS I did!"
"An one-hundred percent is just a TAD odd, then, Chibi-Cheater!"
"You little ass! Come here so I can beat the stuffing out of you!"
"I am TOO deserving!"
"Oh yeah?"
"You come HERE!"
"YEAH!"
"NO WAY! Get off your rotten duff!"
Sighing, the Sailor Scouts all glanced at one another in a mix of
annoyance and disbelief. "I think," commented Phoenix dryly, "we need a
Scout Meeting."
The others quickly agreed.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"How come I'm not a Sailor Scout?"
Green eyes glancing up from her textbook, Tara Yuuichirou glanced
at the little boy before her. His hair, shaggy and unkempt, fell into
his bright purple eyes, but he paid no regard to it. Just as she did, he
knelt before the little table, only he was staring straight at her
instead of studying, as she was. She raised a slender black eyebrow and
turned back to her studies. "I'm sorry, Josh," she responded, "but I
haven't he foggiest what you're talking about."
He didn't move from his spot, and the eyes upon her did not blink.
"Yes, Sissy, you do."
Closing the text slowly, she folded her hands on the tabletop and
smiled sweetly at him, determined to appease him. "What is it that you
want to know, exactly?" she questioned in a tone that clearing stated "I
am just humoring the boy."
Joshua shrugged and cocked his head to one side. "Well, I've known
for a LONG time that you're a Sailor Scout, Sissy--"
She suddenly began to choke on her own salvia, completely
astounded.
"--and I'm curious to why I'M not one..." He pouted slightly,
little shoulders drooping notably. "I mean, there's all those girls and
then there's Tuxedo Mask and the Starlit Prince... So why isn't there a
Tuxedo ME?"
Sighing, she leaned back on her elbows and shook her head
slightly. "Josh," she replied in a cool, calm tone, "I'm not a Sailor
Scout anymore. I quit." She let out another long sigh and closed her
large green eyes. "I suppose that I even became a Scout because Mother
said, but I know now that I don't WANT to be one." She smiled and opened
her eyes, staring across the table at the confused little boy. "In order
to be a Sailor Scout," she told him, "you have to give up a normal life.
You can't play with friends after school, or go shopping, or even crack
a textbook without wondering when the next time it is that you'll have
to risk your life." Shrugging, Tara sat back up and re-opened her book.
"And that's not something that anyone should be forced to do."
He furrowed his brow, still staring at her. "Okay, Sissy," he
returned softly, lips pressed together, "if you say so..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Reeny, please tell Celeste that she's a cheater and that I cannot
ever face her again."
"Celeste, Ambry feels that you are a cheater and that she will
never again face you."
"Well then, Reeny, please tell Ambriel that if she'd pull her head
out of Serenity's BUTT long enough to glance at the truth, then at least
she'd be able to not face the REAL me."
Kicking at the carpeting, the Princess of the Earth glared at the
two girls, who were sitting back-to-back on the floor, both glaring at
nothing in particular. "This is SO stupid!" yelled she, tossing her pink
pigtails behind her shoulders. "I am WAY too old to play this game!"
Ambriel held her head high, still refusing to glance at the girl
who had once been a close friend. "Well, if Celeste would just
apologize, then you'd not have to 'play this game,' Mama," she responded
coolly.
"And if that little whore of a five-year-old would take the time
to address the truth," shot the blonde child with anger in her voice,
"then all of us would be getting along just fine..."
Reeny sighed and rolled her eyes. "Any luck over there?" she
called to the two older Scouts who sat with the Pluto twins.
"None!" pouted Phoebe warily, crossing her arms over her bright
yellow T-shirt as she spoke. "It's like Aeris has gone catatonic, and
Peter's all upset for no good reason..."
Staring straight into space, unmoving, the green-haired girl
cleared her throat and lowered her colorful eyes. They immediately
turned black in color. "I will not move from this spot," she said in a
calm, demure tone, "until I am recognized as the leader of the Chibi-
Scouts over that cheater."
Suddenly springing into action, the blonde girl stood and stomped
across the Urawa living room. Without hesitation, she slapped the
younger girl across the face. Aeris still did not move. "Forget you!"
screamed Celeste loudly, hands clenched into fists. "You don't know
anything, you little actor!"
"Don't you talk to my sister that way!" hollered the brunette boy
suddenly, pulling his head from his hands to glower at his destined.
"You ARE just as they say you are, Celeste!"
"You shut up, Peter! You have NOTHING to do with this!"
In the same manner as her blonde friend had, Ambriel rushed to her
feet and stood opposite the oldest girl. "You leave him alone!" she
commanded sternly. "He was just protecting his sister!"
Immediately, a ruckus broke out between the four children, with
Peter, Ambriel, and Celeste all screaming and Aeris still sitting
completely motionless.
Sighing, Alice buried her head in her hands. Once the battle had
ended, the Galactic Sailor Scouts had managed to pull the four Chibi-
Scouts apart and force them to come to a little Scout Meeting. That
meeting, of course, had been designed only to attempt to keep their
fighting to a minimum, and--in theory--to solve the problems at hand.
However unfortunate it was, though, Lyra had insisted on taking Richard
home for some rest, and Haley felt she had an instant obligation to
check on the people who could have been hurt in the battle. This left
three Galactic Sailors versus four angry Chibi-Scouts in a battle of
wits.
But, noted the auburn-haired teen as she stared at the warring
children, the Galactic Sailors really weren't doing any good. They had
tried to mediate the situation, but none of the children felt like
talking it out. Arguing, however, was quite a strong point.
"Galileo's the cutest!"
"That fat little ball of fur and lard? What about my Carina?"
"Carina? PUH-LEASE! Cassiopeia is the most beautiful kitten, with
her fur of molten silver and eyes of the forest..."
"Ooh! A poet AND a cheater!"
"I will not budge from this spot until..."
"Shut up, you little braid-headed priestess! At least I HAVE
parents!"
"Don't you talk to her like that!"
"I desire to lead the Chibi-Scouts in true fashion..."
"Why not?"
"Because I said so!"
"Well, shove--"
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" seethed the pink-haired woman suddenly,
springing to her feet and glaring down at the three loud children. They
all froze, Celeste with one of her hands pulling at Peter's short hair
and the other holding Ambriel by the collar of her soccer shirt. Even
Aeris, who really hadn't been doing much in the first place, stopped
talking and glanced up at the Princess of the Earth, in awe.
There was a long moment of silence. Nothing moved. The tension in
the air was nearly tangible.
Then, in a manner that was almost too calm, Reeny walked up to
Celeste and gently removed her hand from Peter's head. She also freed
her "daughter" of the steal grip that held her neck. There was another
moment of silence as she smoothed her school uniform, and then she shook
her head slowly.
"Go home."
"Huh?" questioned the blue-haired teenager, blinking at her leader
as she spoke. "What do you mean 'go home?' You've got to slap them
around or SOMETHING..."
Alice hit Phoebe upside the head with a nearby throw pillow.
Still eerily calm, Reeny folded her hands and smiled gently. "I
want you all to go home," she stated, "and I want you to think. I want
you to think about the fate of the Chibi-Scouts, and what you're doing
to the fate of the WORLD." She picked up her schoolbag off an armchair
and shrugged. "Later."
And, with that, she opened the living room door and strode out,
slipping on her shoes and leaving the house, still completely calm.
"She's finally lost it..." murmured the girl with the throw
pillow. "Took her nineteen years, but she FINALLY lost it..." Then,
seeing that the children were still present, she dropped the pillow and
snapped into action. "Get going! Get out! GET!"
The kids, all terrified of Alice, jetted out of the house without
another word on the subject.
Still rubbing the spot on her head where she'd been beamed, Phoebe
stared up at her friend. "I've NEVER seen this side of you," she gaped,
amazed. "You're so very bossy and domineering..."
The auburn-haired one blushed guiltily and focused on the floor.
And then, Phoebe grinned, giving her companion a wink and a
"thumbs up." "I like it!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Damn it!" he swore, kicking the wall of the corridor as he stood
alone in it, sweat dotting his brow. "I don't believe I lost to those
little toddlers!"
There was a light flash of blue, and another person appeared. Her
hair, which usually fell freely into her eyes, was pulled back into a
ponytail and she wore a frilly yet black apron over her already raven-
colored uniform.
And her expression was grim. "I'm sorry, Rob," she stated in a
truly apologetic voice, "but I'm trying to bake in the kitchen, and all
your yelling and cursing might cause my cake to fall."
He furrowed his brow. "What the Hell do you know?" he hissed,
angry but still not daring to raise his voice and let the cake fall.
"You're not worth a thing, after all! You're not even fighting for
Ginnie's cause!"
Tina wrinkled her nose and stared at the young man. "That may be
true in a sort of symbolic sense," she retorted, slowly untying the knot
in the front of her apron. "For, though I may not be doing much in the
name of Ginnie, I CAN fight."
"Oh really, girly-girl?" snorted Rob haughtily, unzipping the
jacket of his uniform to reveal nothing more than a small, sleeveless
undershirt. "I so much as DARE you to bring it on!"
She too drew off her jacket, only she wore a normal T-shirt
beneath, which was colored the same unfriendly ebony as the rest of her
garb. "You DO realize that I'm trained in several martial arts, right?"
she questioned rhetorically, tucking the few loose strands of hair into
her ponytail. "I could snap your neck with my eyes closed."
Without warning, her words brought a jarring image to his mind. He
could suddenly see his cat, her neck broken, hanging from the ceiling of
their living room. Clenching his eyes shut, he grimaced and tightened
his fists.
And then, it all made sense.
'I could snap your neck..."
"YOU KILLED HER!" roared the man suddenly, all the rage that he
had hidden away for the time after he defeated the Sailor Scouts
bubbling to the surface as he said those three words. "You killed Dolly,
you heartless bitch!"
Bowing rather haughtily, the young woman smiled a sweet smile at
the man. "But of course," she retorted coolly. "How else was I to rise
to the ranks above you if that little tattle-tale was in my way?"
"You're already above me, and you were above them all!" he
countered, pulse already quickening from his rage. "You had no reason!"
She shrugged. "Reason to you is different than what is reason to
me," came her short reply. "Now, are we to fight? I'm loosing patience,
to be honest."
He tossed his head. "I will avenge her, Tina."
"Over my dead body, perhaps."
And, with that, a battle began.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"It's getting late," yawned the young woman, glancing at her watch
and then at the short girl who was standing at the door rather
sheepishly. "You should be at home, in bed. Ma's probably ripping her
hair out over you."
With a shake of her head, the girl strode into the small
apartment, kicking off her shoes and replacing them with a pair of small
purple slippers. "She knows where I am," she replied briefly, walking
through the little entryway and over to the couch, where she sat down.
"But I need to talk to someone about my entrance exams, so it might as
well be you."
Lyra raised a blonde eyebrow and trudged over to where her sister
sat, staring at her in brazen doubt. "Is that to say that you
actually...cheated?" she managed, voice catching in her throat.
"No, I didn't..." Celeste began and then, glancing up at her
sister, she stopped. With a gulp, she closed her green eyes and buried
her head in her hands. "Or I did! I don't know WHAT went on when I took
that test, Lyra! I don't know!"
She sat down beside the younger girl and wrapped an arm around
her. "If you did cheat, 'Leste," she cautiously assured her sister,
"then I will see to it that your hearing is fair and..."
"That's just it!" roared she, springing from her seat and crossing
to the single window in the room, unable to bring herself to glance at
the older girl. "I sat down to take the test, 'cause Ma said it was good
for me, and the answers started pouring into my brain. One after
another, like raindrops in a storm!" She brought her fist down onto the
sill, breath coming in ragged gasps. "It was the Keeper, not me! SHE did
all this!" The girl began to shake, tears rolling down her face as she
stared out at the newly set sun. "And I can't control it... I just
can't..."
Shoulders falling slightly, the curly-haired teen sighed and
stared at her hands. "So this is what the whole fight with the other
Chibi-Scouts is about?" she asked softly, chewing on her lower lip.
"This is all about the cheating?"
Nodding, she turned to look at her sister, tears still trailing
down her cheeks. "I hate the way I feel," she stated rather bluntly,
pressing her lips together. "I hate knowing that they've lost all faith
in me..." She sunk to her knees in the plush carpeting and once again
buried her head in her hands. "But the Goddamn Keeper doesn't listen to
me! She doesn't come when I call, or react when I need her to, and now
she cheats for me!" She tore her face from her hands and stared up at
her sister. "I WANT TO BE A NORMAL GIRL! I WANT TO BE NORMAL!"
Without words, Lyra crossed the room and walked over to the young
child, drawing the back of her hand across her face without an inch of
hesitation. "None of us can be normal," she stated without anger in her
soprano lilt. "We have a destiny, and we're stuck with it, so get over
it!" She placed her hands on her hips and glared down at the girl. "I'm
sorry that you can't control the Keeper," she continued, tone actually
softening slightly. "And I know that this life means a lot to you. But I
can't do anything about it, and neither can you."
"I want to go to elementary school," sighed Celeste, rubbing the
large red mark on her cheek but not looking up at her sister. "I want to
control my powers. I want to salvage my friendships. I want to know how
I feel about Peter."
With a slight smile, her elder sister sunk to her knees in the
carpeting and brushed some of the thick blonde hair from the child's
eyes. "You'd be amazed at what you can do when you focus," she assured
the girl, leaning forward and kissing the top of her head. "I know
that--if you think about it--you can find a way out of your mess."
"Really?"
Lyra nodded, and her smile grew. "And I'm sorry I slapped you,"
she apologized, noticing the bright mark on the child's cheek for the
first time. "I didn't know I hit you THAT hard."
Giggling a bit, Celeste wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.
"This time," she responded, "I think I deserved it."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
With a long, miserable sigh, the little girl drew her legs to her
chest and stared out the window at the back yard. It was dark out, and
it was raining, the tiny droplets from the sky falling one after another
into the grass. Her colorful eyes, which had remained their hateful
black for most of the day, ached. She'd held back so many tears. She'd
been upset--upset that Celeste, for whom she held an infinite amount of
trust, had cheated, and upset that the others didn't see any worth in
changing leaders. They were all at one another's throats, an unusual
circumstance indeed... And even her own brother found it necessary to
join the pointless bickering. And even SHE, the most adult and calm of
the four Chibi-Scouts, had stooped to the low of attacking him and the
others. Sighing, Aeris wiped a tear from her cheek, staring down at the
little damp spot on her finger. How had this one, brave tear escaped the
dams that she'd set up? She blinked back more tears and stared out at
the falling rain.
"Do they not understand?" she questioned in a weak, shaking voice,
talking to no one. "No, they COULD not. When one really considers it,
they have others who they can rely on. And lean on." With another sad
sigh, she leaned her head against the cool glass windowpane and allowed
the tears to stream down her pale cheeks. "And, when I really consider
it, I have absolutely NO one." She bit her lower lip, hard, and the
taste of blood flooded her mouth. "Now..." she stammered, the words
catching in the back of her throat. "Now I understand how Mother must
have felt..."
A warm hand was suddenly on her shoulder, and she opened her
aching eyes only to stare up at a short, smiling blonde man. He held out
a rather large box of tissues. "You alright?" he asked softly, sitting
down on the small window seat beside the girl. "Because it seems to me
that you're not."
"I'm fine, Mister Hartford," she lied quickly, studying the floor
so he would not see her tears. "I was just thinking..."
"Thinking, Aeris," he retorted, still smiling sweetly at her,
"usually does not involve so many tears." Brushing a strand of green-
black hair from her face, he once again pushed the tissues closer to
her. "And my name is Brian."
She glanced up and wiped her nose with one of her tiny fists,
staring at the man in complete shock. "Mister Brian... I don't know how
to thank you..."
He shook his head quickly and, pulling a tissue from the box and
pressing it into the palm of one of her hands, let the smile fade from
his pleasant face. "You need to act like a normal little girl," he
stated in a sober manner. "You have been given a gift that your mother
and my wife both did not receive. You can life just like every other
child your age, warrior or not." Smiling again, he watched her blow her
nose with a hint of amusement in his expression. "Never lose that
special power in your heart that I know you have, kiddo."
A grin dawned on her face and she pressed her lips together.
"Thank you, Mister Brian," she said with a slight bow of her head. "I
think I now know why Miss Hannah likes you so much."
He rolled his eyes and stood, leaving the cardboard box where it
sat. "All this 'Miss' and 'Mister' stuff is really annoying," he
responded, starting out of the little den with a shake of his head. "The
name is Brian. And she's Hannah."
"Alright then...Brian." She smiled up at him, genuine adoration in
her tone.
As he reached the door, he stopped and turned around, one hand
still resting on the doorframe as his copper eyes gazed at the child
through his glasses. "And one last thing, Aeris," he stated, voice
somber. "I honestly hope that you NEVER know the true loneliness that
your mother must have felt."
Her smile faded as she nodded slightly. "I hope so, too," she
responded coolly, glancing back out the window. "I really do."
Opening the door, he winked at her. "Now that," he returned as he
strode into the next room, "is that Pluto fighting spirit I like so
much."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Can I ask you a question, Lisa?"
The young blonde woman wiped the sweat from her brow with the edge
of her apron and glanced down at a small redheaded girl who wore nothing
more than a white nightgown and a pair of pink slippers. She frowned.
"Ambriel," she sighed, looking down at her flour-covered hands and at
the bowls of bread dough that covered the countertops, "the cook's sick
and, therefore, I'm baking tomorrow's bread. Could you ask me next
week?"
She pouted and crossed her arms. "But I want to know NOW!" she
protested rather loudly, clambering up atop the single wooden stool
that was in the middle of the kitchen. "It's important... It's about
the Chibi-Scouts, and..."
Punching down a large lump of dough, she rolled her eyes at the
child and began to knead the bread. "You have until the timer rings,"
she responded rather coolly.
Gray eyes glanced up at the timer on the stove. Three minutes.
"Where do I come from?" she questioned.
Lisa snickered and shook her head of blonde hair. "I am not going
to be the one to explain the birds and the bees to you, young lady," she
stated with amusement.
Ambriel wrinkled her nose. "Not THAT, either," she retorted. "Who
are my parents? You MUST know something, since Mama wouldn't tell me..."
She glanced at the child in doubt, a slight smile kissing her
lips. So she'd already tried Reeny for the information? Well then...
"Your mother was the High Priestess of the Silver Moon," she told the
girl, still kneading the dough. "She'd been an angel, but she'd fallen
in love with a human and ended up being banished from Heaven." She
sighed wistfully and cleaned her hands of flour. "It's a sad story,
really..."
"She was an angel?" asked the child in doubt, staring. "But why
the heck am I here now? The Silver Moon..."
"Existed a few thousand years ago, I know," admitted the single
adult with a shrug. "I really can't pretend to know how exactly you got
here... Must have been reborn or something..." A timer rang, and she
smirked. "Time's up, kiddo."
The girl blinked and glanced up at the timer she'd studied
previously. "I still have a minute!" she protested loudly, making a
face.
Picking up a small, white timer, Lisa beamed and tossed it to the
child, who made no hesitation in catching it. "That one, however, is
up," she countered with a smirk. "I told you, I've got bread to bake."
"Well... I'm an angel and she was an angel..." Smiling, she hopped
down off the stool and placed her hands on her little hips. "I'm going
to reunite the Chibi-Scouts and help defend the world! Just wait!" She
tossed her head. "I'll be the best Angel of the Moon EVER!"
As she jetted out of the room, excited, the young woman smiled.
"Smart little Ambry..." she sighed. "So smart..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Brushing her pants off gingerly, the young woman shook her head
and glanced disdainfully at the body. "I TOLD you," she sighed, rolling
her dark brown eyes. "I'm a master in several forms of martial arts..."
She rested her hands on her hips, her expression almost regretful. "Rob,
when will you learn?"
The man didn't reply, not that Tina had expected him to. He was
dead, which was actually in her best interest, given that he wanted to
kill her. She crouched down next to his body, wiping a single dribble of
blood from her lower lip. "What a waste," she mumbled, patting his head
of blonde hair. "It's truly a shame that I had to break his neck like
that..."
Suddenly, a tiny marble-sized red crystal tumbled out of his
pocket and fell onto the floor, rolling a few feet on the cold marble
surface before hitting Tina's black leather boot. She cocked her head
to one side, staring down at the item. "Hmmm..." Picking it up, she
scrutinized the oddly smooth surface and the almost nonexistent weight
of it as it laid in her hand. "Well, I can't easily waste his last cat-
monster," she sighed, a certain twang of guilt in her voice. "What's a
girl to do?"
And, in a blink of blue, she vacated the area, crystal still in
hand.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Taking a long swig of her tea, Phoebe Solaria Urawa leaned back in
her chair, allowing her head of blue braids to fall back and stare at
the ceiling. "I think I was the one to learn something by this trouble
with the Chibi-Scouts," she breathed with a slight smile touching her
lips.
From his spot in the middle of the kitchen table, Orb raised a
little orange eyebrow in her direction. "Oh, really?" he questioned,
turning back to his thick packet of computer printouts. "And what would
that lesson be?"
She didn't respond immediately, but instead glanced across the
kitchen at a small family snapshot that was sitting beside the answering
machine. There was, of course, her father, his brown-black hair falling
slightly into his eyes. Next to him stood her mother, ocean-blue eyes
smiling and light azure hair slightly windswept. And then, she stood in
front of them, no older than twelve years old, wavy hair out of their
braids and cascading around her face.
Phoebe sighed, recalling the day they'd spent at the park, which
was where the picture had been taken. It had been only four weeks after
her parents had finally decided, after numerous years (and fights), to
not have any more children. The news, she recalled, had been devastating
to her. All her life, she'd wanted a little brother to play video games
with her. And she'd always wanted to teach a younger sister, long hair
messy, how to dance ballet. But her mother's job came first. Her
father's job came first.
So, she was an only child. Not something she was pleased about.
"Did I ever tell you that my parents decided not to have any more
children when I was twelve?" she asked the cat in a very conversational
tone. He glanced up once again, obvious confusion in his expression. "I
had wanted a little brother or a sister for years and years," she
clarified with a long sigh, staring into her tea cup, "but my mother was
too busy with the hospital and didn't want to sacrifice all she had
before her for another baby. And Dad was just..." She shrugged. "He's
Dad..."
Orb blinked at her, still confused. "Does this have something to
do with what you think you learned?" he inquired, bewilderment in his
tone.
Resting her chin in her hands, elbows on the table, she let out a
mournful sigh. "I would really like a little sibling," she told the cat
somberly. "I've really ALWAYS wanted a sister or brother, but upon
seeing the sweet, special relationship that Lyra and Celeste have..."
"WHAT relationship?" gaped the cat, eyebrows arching into the air.
"Lyra wasn't even at the meeting!"
"And the twins have a gift," she sighed, picking up her teacup and
draining the rest of it. "Each other."
With a long sigh, he looked at her and smiled sweetly. "Phoebe,
you can't control your parents, you know..."
She nodded, still silent, and took her cup to the sink. Then, out
of no where, she shot him a large grin and a wink. "Oh well!" She
grinned, starting for the door. "I already have you and Orion!"
He scowled at her back. "AND WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Another nasty monster?" Sailor Chibi-Star skidded to a stop in
her sandals, staring at the giant red-furred cat that was sitting in the
middle of Main Street. It wasn't really doing anything more than getting
soaked by the heavy rain, but its eyes were glittering with hate as she
Chibi-Scout approached it.
She sighed, shaking her head. "I'd had a nasty feeling, but THIS
is ridiculous!"
"So, then," drawled a young, feminine voice from behind her, "do
you suggest we defeat it?"
Whirling around, she smiled slightly upon seeing Sailor Chibi-
Pluto and her twin brother, the Master of Time, standing behind her,
Time Staffs drawn. Then, remembering the fight that they all were
having, she narrowed her eyes and tossed her head. "I'm the leader!" she
protested stubbornly, turning her back to the twosome. "I don't need
your help!"
There was a pause before she felt the weight of a hand upon her
shoulder. "Well, you might not need us, Celeste," stated Peter softly
from behind her, "but we need you."
She glanced suspiciously at his gloved hand, unmoving.
"Maybe we were a little too mean to you," spoke up another young
voice. There was a glimmer of white and then Angel Moon appeared, a
sweet smile crossing her lips. "After all, you're the leader, right?"
"And you did not cheat," admitted Chibi-Pluto in a rather
reluctant tone, walking to stand before the blonde girl. "Perhaps I was
a bit too rash in my judgement of you and your test taking abilities."
She blushed and focused on the ground. "About that..."
Suddenly, the giant monster hissed, shooting lightning at all four
Chibi-Scouts. Angel Moon shrieked out and tried to counter the attack,
but it was too strong for her to parry. All of the children went flying
in various directions, landing on the hard, wet pavement.
"What a creature!" announced Chibi-Star, slowly climbing to her
feet and finding herself unhurt. Upon getting no response from her
fellow Scouts, she glanced around to find all three of them lying prone.
She gulped and clenched her fists. Now, she really was alone!
Rushing over to where Angel Moon laid, her white robes covered
with dirt and water, she shook the smaller child. "Are you okay?" she
questioned quickly once the girl had groaned and rolled over onto her
back.
Gray eyes slowly fluttered open, and she glanced at her leader. "I
thought you didn't need us," she laughed, slowly sitting up. "That's
what you said."
The eldest of the Chibi-Scouts blanched noticeably but said
nothing.
"So, you need us?" questioned Peter with audible amusement in his
voice as he rolled onto his stomach and glanced across the street at the
blonde girl.
She glanced up at the monster, which was hissing its lightning
into the night sky. The rain still poured down on the four children, and
the clouds seemed well ready to split completely open.
"And you require the help of your subordinates to defeat this
evil?" smiled the green-haired Chibi-Pluto, pushing a few tresses from
her vividly blue eyes. "Or shall we 'lackeys' leave you?"
Smiling, Sailor Chibi-Star straightened her fuku and placed her
hands upon her hips. "Let's get to it!" she announced.
The monster, which had heard her exclamation, glanced down at the
quartet of young super heroes as they assembled themselves. It smirked
proudly, staring down at the Scouts.
"You take a rainy night and make it into a watery Hell!" yelled
the leader of the group, bright green eyes lowered and face stern. "And
for that, I cannot forgive you! Agent for love and justice, I am the
pretty sailor-suited soldier Sailor Chibi-Star!"
"And we're the Chibi-Scouts!" chorused the other three children.
Flipping a strand of hair over her shoulder, Chibi-Star pointed a
single finger at the creature. "In the name of the Gold Star, I will
punish you!"
With a snort, the cat-monster hissed another bolt of lightning at
them. The four children all launched themselves high into the air,
easily avoiding the attempt.
Both of the children of Pluto, still in mid-air, raised their Time
Keys. "Double Dead Scream!" they hollered in unison.
A large ball of purple-colored energy flew toward the cat. Unable
to dodge the powerful attack, the creature howled out in pain and sunk
to the ground, shaking in agony.
Angel Moon smiled and, hovering above the creature on her large,
feathery wings, pointed the palms of her hands at the cretin, glaring.
"Angelic Glow!" she screamed.
Pure silver energy shot toward the cat-thing. Once again, it
screamed out and began to shake violently. Then, it became completely
motionless.
Still standing in front of the creature, glaring, Sailor Chibi-
Star thrust one hand into the air. With one deep breath, she reached
into null-space, using all her strength to call the Staff of the Keeper
of the Nebulae into being. Beads of sweat dribbled down her face, mixing
with the crisp spring rain. Her head ached terribly from the attempt.
Suddenly, something warm wrapped around her free hand. She opened
one of her green eyes and glanced sideways to see a smiling Peter
standing next to her. On his far side, no doubt holding his hand, was
Chibi-Pluto, and Angel Moon stood beside her.
Chibi-Star smiled and refocused her energy, reaching into null-
space. For a long moment, it seemed as nothing would happen and then,
out of no where, there was a flash of golden light.
The Staff had appeared.
She pulled her hand from Peter's, taking the long rod in both
hands and pacing toward the motionless cat-creature. It seemed to still
be breathing, but it was nearly impossible to tell from the safe
distance she was maintaining. Sighing, she glanced back at the other
Chibi-Scouts, who were silently cheering her on, and then focused on the
monster.
"Gold Star, I beseech you," she whispered, voice hardly audible in
her own ears, "please let this work. They're counting on me..." She
closed her green eyes, remembering the sweet smile that the young Master
of Time had shared with her. She smiled, too.
Then, there was a strange pressure in the air, almost like a clap
of thunder without any sound. Nothing moved, and the atmosphere seemed
to be filled with a strange, unseen energy. Slowly, Sailor Chibi-Star
opened her eyes...
And, as she did, the monster suddenly reverted back into its tiny,
pebble-sized form.
Gasping for air, she sank to her knees, the Staff disappearing
back into null-space. The other Chibi-Scouts rushed forward, surrounded
her as she knelt on the damp pavement, trying to breathe.
"You alright?" questioned Peter quickly, touching one of her
hands.
With a small nod, the girl turned her green eyes on where the
monster had laid. Already, Chibi-Pluto was gathering up the remains,
studying it intently with her odd eyes. "That was amazing..."
Angel Moon cocked her head to one side, red braid flipping water
about as she did so. "You can't control the Keeper, can you?" she asked
softly, blinking at her friend and leader.
The older girl blushed and chose to remain silent.
Smiling, the redhead reached out a hand, no doubt offering to help
the other child. "Well, that's okay!" she chirped merrily. "We have
plenty of time to help you with that! Don't worry!"
They broke out in laughter.
From atop a nearby building, seven others watched the goings-on
with intent interest. No one spoke for a long moment as they watched the
children all begin to laugh, despite the fact that they were both
soaking wet and battle-worn.
Then, the young woman with the cone-shaped buns and long pigtails
spoke. "I'm really proud of them, you know," she commented with a slight
smile.
The young man with silver-white hair beside her blinked in
amazement. "You are, Maiden?" he questioned in doubt. "I would think
that you're still angry..."
"Reeny doesn't hold grudges!" giggled Sailor Phoenix, tossing one
of her dripping braids over her shoulder. "She'd never stay mad!"
"That fact ignored," sighed the Starlit Prince, shaking his head
slowly, "what happened with Chibi-Star's cheating fiasco to make the
other children forgive her so quickly?"
Everyone glanced suspiciously at the curly-haired blonde at his
side.
Rubbing the back of her neck, she smiled and glanced up into the
overcast sky. "All I know is that she didn't cheat," she responded
rather quickly, a small blush creeping across her cheeks. "I doubt she'd
tell me much more..."
Aurora Borealis raised an eyebrow. "She's your SISTER!" she
protested loudly, making a face. "Why WOULDN'T she tell you?"
With a slight smile, Sailor Comet ran a hand through her tangled
brown hair. "Well, it's a good thing that they're getting along once
again."
"You're telling me!" grinned Moon, her thumbs in her sword belt as
she spoke. "I was seriously afraid for their futures..."
With a roll of her eyes, Phoenix crossed her arms over her chest.
"And yet you stomped out of my house when we were trying to reconcile
them..."
"What's this?" questioned Helios teasingly, poking his girlfriend
in the ribs.
She tossed her head indignantly. "Never mind..."
Winking rather slyly, Aurora Borealis smiled knowingly at Helios.
"Ran away nice and quickly..."
"Shut UP..."
"Doesn't sound like you wanted to help..." smirked the blonde-
haired Polaris rather scandalously.
"I didn't mean anything by it!"
"You sure?"
"Shut up already, Richard!"
"Positive?"
"I SAID SHUT UP!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The white limousine pulled up to the curb at Crossroads School
just as the majority of the student body was arriving. All the children,
grades 6 through 13, gathered around the elegant-looking vehicle, ooh-
ing and ahh-ing and wondering both aloud and silently who could possibly
be within the strange white car. Amongst these onlookers was a short
12th-grader with corkscrew curls, namely Lyra Mokoti.
"I heard it's the oldest daughter of one of Serenity's new
bodyguards!" announced the Student-Counsel-President, Landis, as she
forced her way past Lyra and to the front of the growing crowd. "And, as
the President of Crossroads' Student Body, I think I should great her!"
There were audible groans and some rude words from members of the
throng of people. But a glare from Landis was a glare that could freeze
all life, so no one dared to say anything loudly enough to be recognized
by name.
With a bite of her lower lip, Lyra checked her watch and frowned
noticeably. "That's funny," she muttered, not listening to the excited
exclamations that heralded the limo's door being opened. "Alice is
running late, today..."
"WHAT THE HECK?" chorused over fifty school-aged children. Brown
eyes were pulled from a small watch...
And, obviously, it came as a huge surprise when a scowling Alice
Aurora Kino, knuckles white around the handle of her bookbag, stomped
out of the car and slammed the door behind her. Upon noticing that the
entire crowd was staring at her, gaping, she lowered her eyes further
and pursed her lips. "What?"
The single word, low and angry, echoed through the schoolyard as
all but two of the makeshift audience members scattered at a record
pace.
Landis, her gold-brown hair blowing in the small breeze,
straightened the bow of her uniform and poked the blonde teen in the
ribs. "What's her problem?" she hissed under her breath so the fuming
Alice wouldn't hear her.
"Lyra, if you see Todd you'd better relay to him that if he EVER
pulls this again, he will NEVER be able to reproduce!" roared the
auburn-haired girl loudly, fists clenched to the point that her knuckles
were white. Her brown eyes sparkled with hatred. "That little ass rented
me a limo for the day! Could you IMAGINE?" She kicked a stone as hard as
she could, watching as it ricocheted off various objects and rolled to a
stop in the center of the school driveway. Then, glancing at her friend
and the tall brunette beside her, she paused and raised an eyebrow.
"Hey... Where's Celeste?"
Suddenly noticing the girl's absence as well, the blonde whirled
about and made a face. "I could have SWORN she left around the same time
I did, too..."
"I TOTALLY forgot!" exclaimed Landis loudly, eyes widening as she
spoke. "There was a small computer crash last night and, when they went
back on, something BAD happened!"
With a roll of her eyes, Alice smirked and rested her free hand on
one of her hips. "They accidentally deleted a few of your grades and
then ruined your chances for valedictorian?" she mused, mood quickly
improving as she teased the enthusiastic girl.
Frowning and furrowing her brow, Landis glancing warily at Lyra.
"What IS her problem?"
The blonde girl shrugged and forged innocence.
Sighing, the Student Counsel President slung her bag to rest on
her shoulder and sighed. "They LOST Celeste's test scores and records!"
she announced, causing a few nearby seventh-graders to stare at her and
giggle a bit. Tightening one of the two blue ribbons in her hair, she
sighed. "It's almost like she never took the test," she commented rather
sourly, adjusting her bag over her shoulder a bit more before turning
away from them. "Anyway, she's back at Harbor Elementary, and that's
that. See you later, girls!"
As the cheery teen left to join a group of her giggling cohorts,
Alice raised an eyebrow and scratched the side of her head curiously.
"Her test records are completely gone?" She glanced rather suspiciously
at her curly-haired friend, who had her nose buried in a thick
literature book. "Lyra, do you know anything about this?"
She didn't look up. "Hmmm?"
"What happened to Celeste's tests?" demanded the auburn-haired
one, wrinkling her nose. "You would know..."
Brown eyes remained on the book as the girl turned and began to
stroll away. "No, actually, I wouldn't..."
Her friend scurried to catch up. "But you HAVE to know! You're
her sister!"
"I don't know anything, honestly... You're too suspicious..."
"Lair!"
"No, I'm not."
"TELL ME!"
"Honestly, Alice..."
"Come ON, Lyra... PLEASE?"
"No."
"But..."
"No."
"LYRA..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Maybe I don't want to be alone," grumbled the little girl,
gingerly leaning back on her elbows as she watched a group of her
classmates play wiffle-ball. They were laughing and smiling as the small
plastic orb soared through the air and landed in the thick green grass,
causing her to sigh miserably. "But, then again, what choice do I have?
I'm stuck here, with Father at work and Mother...where ever..." She
wrinkled her little nose and picked up a battered copy of "Anne of Green
Gables." "But, at least I can enjoy myself..."
"HEADS UP!" screamed a young, female voice, and Aeris Chiba
glanced up with her colorful eyes to see a small brown-haired girl
tearing across the field straight toward her, ponytail streaming behind
her as she ran. Sighing, the green-haired child stood and started to
walk out of the way...
And she gasped when a small white ball fell into her hands.
"Good catch!" praised the brunette child with a large smile
crossing her face. "I didn't know you played ball!" Her grin grew as she
wiped a large spot of dirt from her pleated blue skirt. "Aeris, right?"
She nodded shyly, glancing down at the ball in her hands,
expressionless. Gripping it tightly, she held it out to the strange
girl.
"Hey, don't be shy!" laughed the girl, taking the ball away gently
and still grinning excitedly. "I'm Sarah Mokoti! Want to play with us?"
Motionless, Aeris glanced at the large group of children who were
gathered in the dirt field, faces and hair and uniforms dusty from too
many encounters with the still-damp ground. And then she looked to
Sarah. The brunette girl was grinning, with mud dotting her face and
uniform. She pressed her lips together and then, out of nowhere, she
smiled.
"Why not?" she shrugged, running into the field with her
classmates and leaving "Anne of Green Gables" far behind.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chibi-Scouts Say!
(Celeste appears, Cassiopeia draped over one of her shoulders.)
Celeste: Howdy! Today, I'M doing the Sailor Says segments! We learned a
valuable lesson, didn't we?
Cassiopeia: (smiling) Yep! We learned that--
(She is interrupted by the rest of the Chibi-Scouts, in civilian form,
appearing and holding their cats, as well.)
Ambriel: (resting her hands on her hips and glaring) YOU didn't tell us
that you were doing this! Why don't WE get to help?
(Celeste freezes. Kanji for "Foiled again!" scrolls behind her as one of
her eyebrows begins to twitch.)
Celeste: Well...
Aeris: (with a sigh) Quite unjust for the remaining Chibi-Scouts, do you
not agree?
Peter: (wrinkles his nose) It's unfair, right?
(They start arguing rather loudly.)
(Ara hops off her owner's shoulder to cross the little stage and glare
angrily at the silver cat.)
Ara: (angry) And why didn't you tell US about this?
(Cassiopeia sweat-drops. Kanji for "Trouble..." flashes behind her.)
Cassiopeia: (quickly) There's a good reason... Really... Uhh... It's
just that...
Galileo: (rolls eyes) Thought so.
Carina: (wrinkles nose) You DON'T care about us, do you?
Cassiopeia: (timidly) Well... I didn't mean it... I mean... Ummm, it
happens that... Uhh...
(Meanwhile, the Chibi-Scouts have begun a giant fistfight. The cats join
in.)
Celeste: (climbing out of the giant pile of arms and legs and feet and
claws and clothes and whatnot) The Chibi-Scouts say...
(Everything pauses as the Chibi-Scouts and pets smile at the camera.)
ALL: See ya!
(Fight resumes.)
-I Know-
Look around...
(Ambriel stares down at Tokyo from the top tower of Crystal Palace)
So many things aren't clear...
(Aeris and Peter stand before the Gate of Time with terrified
expressions)
Don't worry, though...
(Haley smiles and turns a page in her book)
You know that I'll be there...
(Orion and Orb chase after the kittens)
A lot of things are so uncertain...
(Tara, near tears, bites her lip)
The future's on its way...
(Michelle holds Delaney, an amazed smile on her face)
Look into my crying eyes...
(Reeny wipes tears off her cheeks while Serenity watches nervously)
Don't take your love away!
(Alice slams the door in her father's face)
Sometimes, the road looks long...
(Lyra looks up at the North Star)
And sometimes, the world seems wrong...
(Phoebe hugs her mother around the waist)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six Galactic Sailors hold up their lockets)
Sometimes, you feel weak...
(Richard grabs onto the wrist of a falling Celeste)
And sometimes, the future looks bleak...
(Terrence shakes his head as Sailor Pluto walks through the Gate of Time)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(Ambriel, Celeste, and Aeris all hold up their transformation pens)
Times will change...
(Tara, robes flying, chases Joshua around the courtyard)
People will change, too...
(Haley plays with her now-long hair)
But deep inside...
(Helios takes Reeny's hands in his)
I always will love you...
(Richard bends down to kiss Lyra)
I suppose there are questions now...
(Peter tugs on Terrence's pant leg)
The answers are so far...
(Alice and Phoebe dive for a floating sphere and miss)
But look at me and smile now...
(Hannah and Brian both smile as Alex takes Delaney into her arms)
I am your guiding star!
(Lyra and Richard stare at Celeste and Peter, who are watching the
sunset)
Sometimes, the road looks long...
(Lyra looks up at the North Star)
And sometimes, the world seems wrong...
(Phoebe hugs her mother around the waist)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six Galactic Sailors hold up their lockets)
Sometimes, you feel weak...
(Richard grabs onto the wrist of a falling Celeste)
And sometimes, the future looks bleak...
(Terrence shakes his head as Sailor Pluto walks through the Gate of Time)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(Ambriel, Celeste, and Aeris all hold up their transformation pens)
I know...
(Chibi-Pluto, the Angel Moon, and Chibi-Star stand together)
I know...
(The Galactic Sailors stand together)
All you need is love...
(All nine girls stand together)
All you need...is...love...
(The Prince and Princess of the Stars kiss)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Yay! The end! It's wonderful!
Oh, and--by the way--the SMS dub is awesome. EVERYONE should see it!
Hotcha!
--Kate
Author's Ramblings: In case you're all wondering why I've been so...
sporadic...in posting, it's because I've been watching too much anime.
SMS, Weiss Kreuz, His and Her Circumstances, Neon Genesis Evangelion,
Kenshin, and so forth. And, in my watching, I've been neglecting all
things Galactic. Please, please forgive me. Onegai, minna. I didn't
mean anything by it... Really, I didn't... ::sigh::
Landis doesn't belong to me. ::snicker:: Oh, no. She doesn't. She's
herself... ::snicker 2::
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Last time:
That's right: Celeste and Peter are destined, and (finally) the young
Master of Freakin' Time can use "Dead Scream." Phoebe got into a fight
with Tara, because Tara has been ignoring the Scouts. Yadda, yadda.
Nothing interesting. Tina strangled Rob's cat. Rob has yet to know about
it. Yay.
And that, my friends, is where the story begins...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Another monster, dead..." sighed the young man, brushing a blonde
hair from his eyes and trudging down the hallway. "I can't believe those
Scouts! Always killing off my creatures! Always!" He screamed aloud and
paused in his walk just long enough to kick the wall. "They are nothing
more than thorns in my side, really!" Then sighing, he began to further
stride down the hallway, brow wrinkled in thought.
Popping out of her bedroom, Tina smiled warmly toward the man,
stretching her long arms over her head and yawning rather contentedly.
"Good morning, Rob!" she chirped, studying his face with her sweet brown
eyes. Seeing that his expression was glum, she frowned and wrinkled her
nose. "You don't seem too cheery, today."
He glanced toward her and raised a single eyebrow. She wore a
tiny, sleek black tank top and a pair of large, baggy blue cotton pants.
A slight smile touched his face. "You seem to be happy, this morning,"
he responded good-naturedly, once again studying the black floor before
him. "Don't you worry about the Scouts?"
"Why should I? That's YOUR department!" She chuckled, raising a
single hand to her mouth as he frowned at her. "Oh, sorry," she quickly
apologized rather sheepishly. "I didn't want that to sound rude! I just
meant that... Well..." Tossing her shoulder-length hair cheerily, she
shrugged. "I had a good day yesterday, that's all!" She stopped at a
nearby doorway and pressed the open button quickly. "Well, see you
later!"
"Later..." he echoed rather half-hearted, watching the door slide
quickly shut behind his co-worker. Once he was certain that she was
behind the thick stone surface, he let out a sigh and scratched the back
of his neck. "What the Hell is wrong with her?" he questioned himself
aloud, starting back down the hallway toward the "living room" area.
"You would think that she'd just rid the world of the Sailor Scouts or
something..."
Sighing in bewilderment, he pressed the open button on the living
room door and smiled, stepping into the room and taking a deep,
contented breath. Then, as the door shut, he sniffed the air more
carefully than before.
Rob made a face of disgust. "It smells of..." He closed his blue
eyes and took in one last breath. "Rotting flesh?"
And then, opening his eyes once again and glancing at the small,
furry body that dangled from a single strand of yarn, he screamed.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"It's been a busy week," commented the curly-haired 12th grader
with a long sigh, leaning up against the bank of blue-painted lockers.
"Two of those cat monsters, neither of which causes any problems, and
still no sign of the enemy becoming overly aggressive." She wrinkled her
nose, dissatisfied. "It's like those stupid badguys are afraid of us!"
Brown eyes glancing down the corridor of Crossroads School, Alice
Kino licked her parched lips and stared sadly at a tall, laughing girl.
"And Tara has still remained aloof..."
Lyra raised an eyebrow and glanced at her friend. "Hmm?"
Turning slightly red, the older girl quickly waved a hand.
"Nothing at all!" she replied quickly, turning her attention to opening
her locker. "I was just thinking that you're right. Totally right, in
fact, and..." She stopped and stared at the contents of her locker,
jawing dropping.
"And?" repeated the short girl, peering after her friend into the
small space. Then, expression going from confused to amused, she smiled
and held back a chuckle.
Pulling the bouquet of roses from her locker, the other girl made
a face and tossed them against the nearest wall. "It's really NOT funny,
Lyra," she protested, ensuring that the rather large picture of Todd
Walker followed the same trajectory as its partner, the flowers. "That
little maggot will NOT stop it with the stupid prom invitations! When
will he understand that I'm not interested?"
"When pigs fly and my mother stops calling at midnight?" retorted
the blonde teen, still chuckling. Receiving a stern glare in return, she
shrugged and cocked her head to one side. "Jeez, Al, you worry too much
about all sorts of things! Life's too short!"
"For you, maybe," sighed the older of the two, removing a few
textbooks from her locker and sliding them into her bookbag. "Sometimes,
the days go on forever, and I feel myself falling into a hole that I
can't get out of..."
Sighing, Lyra put a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. "Maybe
so," she responded sympathetically, smile full of compassion and caring.
"But you do know that we're all around to bail you out, right?"
"Right..."
"Hi-ya, Sis!" chimed a voice suddenly, and both girls jumped in
surprise before finding themselves glancing down upon a short, grinning
nine-year-old with gold pigtails. "Funny meeting you here!"
Mouth falling slightly open, the curly-haired teen stared.
"Celeste? What in heaven's name are you doing here?"
"Miss Mokoti!" called a loud, chipper voice from the other end of
the hall. A rather tall girl with brownish-gold hair and green eyes came
skidding to a stop in front of the threesome and smiled sweetly. "There
you are!" Blinking, she glanced at both the older teens. "And you found
Lyra and Alice! How cool!"
Groaning, the latter of the two mentioned slammed her locker door
shut and flipped her wavy hair over her shoulders. "If it isn't Landis-
the-student-counsel-goody-goody," she muttered, getting an elbow in the
ribcage from Lyra in return for her kind words. Coughing, she forced a
large grin. "I mean, 'howdy, Landis!'"
With a nod of acknowledgement, the tall girl turned toward Lyra
and seized both of her hands. "How does it feel to have a little sister
who passed the junior high entrance exams three years early, Lyra?" she
questioned, large eyes glowing with excitement. "All of us at the
Student Counsel just couldn't believe that a nine-year-old made such
high scores! Aren't you pleased?"
Lyra just blinked.
"SHE made Junior High?" coughed Alice, suppressing a laugh. "Come
on! She hardly can do anything when it's time to being a Sc..." She
froze and swallowed her word. "That is to say, when we...we, ummm..."
Landis raised an eyebrow and then, shrugging, laughed aloud.
"Well, whatever the case, we've got a genius in our mists!" she giggled,
musing the youngest girl's hair. "Isn't that right, kiddo?"
Nodding slightly, the green-eyed child stared at her shoes,
fingers idly tracing the hem of her uniform top. "Right, Miss Landis..."
she mumbled half-heartedly.
"Well, we're off!" exclaimed the Student Counsel President,
grabbing hold of Celeste's hand and starting off down the hallway. "I've
got to show her to first period, or else I'm toast!"
With a roll of her eyes, Alice slung her bookbag over her shoulder
and sighed. "Can you BELIEVE that girl, anymore?" she asked of Lyra,
shaking her head. "It seems that, every time I'm stuck talking to
Landis, she gets STUPIDER!"
Lyra wrinkled her nose and bit her lower lip, staring off after
the strange duo. "That's nice..." she muttered, eyebrows knitting
slightly together.
"Are you okay? You're acting really strange..." The 13th grader
cocked her head to one side and gazed at her friend in confusion. "Is
this about Celeste's test?"
Shrugging, the short blonde girl turned and started down the
hallway. "I don't know..." she whispered more to herself than to her
companion. "Something is odd..."
And it was all Alice could do to keep up with her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"It's a good idea, really, it is," he sighed, running a hand
through his shaggy brown hair as he bent down and looked the little girl
in the eyes. They were a dark, fathomless gray. "You don't have normal
interaction with other children, and every child needs friends..."
She crossed her arms and looked away, studying the bland tan tile
that covered the floor of the small second-grade classroom. "I have
companionship, father," she growled, tone dark and filled with anger. "I
find that companionship in my brother, and in Celeste, and in Ambriel. I
find that companionship in the kittens and in my aunts." Turning her
face to his, she bit her lower lip and held back the tears that were
welling up in her eyes. "And I find that companionship in you..."
Shaking his head, Terry planted a kiss on her forehead and
straightened her knee-length blue skirt. "You can do this, Aeris," he
smiled, ruffling her long hair. "You're a strong, stubborn girl and you
always use that kind of thing to your advantage. Second grade should be
a breeze for you, sweetheart."
With a half-hearted nod, the little girl crossed the classroom and
took the last empty desk, her new classmates all crowding around her and
asking questions. Smiling slightly, Terrence stood and started for the
door, where two others stood, waiting.
"You did the right thing with her, Terry," smiled the shorter of
the two women, patting him gently on the shoulder. "I didn't think that
Peter would take it so well, though..."
The taller woman tossed her sandy blonde hair triumphantly and
flashed the man a knowing smile. "Well, I'm glad that both of them are
finally IN school," she stated, starting down the hallway, hand-in-hand
with the other woman as they walked. "I'm so sick of those children."
"Alex!" scolded the short, aqua-haired woman, lowering her blue
eyes. "How could you say something like that?"
Tossing her head, the Mistress of the Heavens shrugged casually.
"I don't like children," came her bland reply as she let go of her
wife's hand and began down the hallway at a faster pace than previously.
"In fact, I never really have..."
Michelle froze in mid-step, staring after her partner. "What in
the world..." she breathed, blinking in amazement as she watched the
woman leave. "How could... What in the world... Alex?"
With a sigh, Terry patted his 'sister-in-law' gently on the back
and sighed. "Michelle, I'm sure that she's fine..."
"She's been acting oddly ever since Haley left," responded the
woman, glancing up at her friend. "It's bothering her, but she won't
admit it..."
"She's Alex, after all," laughed the young man with a shrug.
"Hasn't she always been like that?"
Nodding solemnly, Michelle just forced a smile. "I guess..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"You've been quiet of late," commented the small black kitten,
gently licking the sand from between the pads of her feet as she glanced
up at the small girl. The girl continued to swing idly on the single
wooden board as her pet spoke. Carina dropped her paw to the ground and
cocked her head to the side, ears perking out. "You alright?"
Sighing, the child leaned far back, letting her long red braid of
hair nearly scrape the dirt as she swung. "I just wonder where I came
from," she responded, voice reflective and rather wistful. "The others
all know their true natures, and then there's me..." She suddenly sat
straight up, digging her heels into the warm Earth and staring down at
her cat. "I don't get it," stated she firmly. "How is that I can be the
only ambiguous case?"
With a slight smile, the little kitten winked a single blue eye.
"Maybe that's your destiny," she suggested with a shrug, once again
focusing on her paw. "After all, the two children of the Guardian of
Time are to control Time, so..."
"Still, where is my mother?" asked Ambriel mournfully, cupping her
chin in her hands. "Why did she abandon me? Why don't the others care?"
Her Guardian froze. "What?"
"Am I wrong to assume that they don't care?" questioned the girl
coldly, standing and crossing over to the sandbox and gazing longingly
at the small castle she'd built there but a few moments before.
"Somehow, I think not. It's obvious that all they care for is
themselves."
"Themselves?" queried the cat quickly, following her charge across
the tiny courtyard as she spoke. "I think they care about you... After
all, you're a Chibi-Scout, too, and they're like you are..."
Ambriel sank slowly to her knees in the sand, the damp earth
dirtying her white royal gown as she did so. "They don't care!" she
exclaimed, tears welling in her gray eyes as she stared at the castle.
"No one does! I have no mother or father! All I am is Fate's little
pawn! Fate's pawn!" She slammed her fist into the sandcastle and burst
out sobbing, tears cascading down her cheeks. "They don't care! No one
cares!"
Hopping into the box and standing atop the ruined building, the
kitten lowered her voice to a growl. "You listen to me, Priestess of the
Silver Moon," commanded she sternly, eyes lowered to a glare. "You THINK
that they don't care, but they do! You don't want them to care, because
you're afraid of what real love is! You think you're alone, so you lie
to yourself and you believe yourself! You can't be doing that, Ambriel!
You can't!"
"What would you know?" countered the girl quickly, returning the
glare in kind. "You're nothing more than Diana's little apprentice!
Diana's little lackey and partner in crime!"
Eyes filling with tears, the little cat turned away from her
charge, staring at the ground wordless. Ambriel gasped and covered her
mouth, suddenly aware of the scathing accusation her words carried and
reached over to stroke the animal's fur.
With a choked sob, Carina jumped up and ran across the courtyard
and into Crystal Palace, not once looking back.
"Why..." The girl looked at her trembling white hands and felt her
own eyes once again fill up with tears. "Why did I say something like
that? She's my best friend..." Pressing her lips together, she brushed a
strand of hair from her face and glanced up at the sky, the morning sun
smiling down upon her. "Aren't we all just Fate's pawns, in the end?"
she questioned softly. "Aren't we?"
The rustling wind of spring held no answer.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"How in the world did she make junior high so soon, that's what I
want to know!" exclaimed Alice, slamming her can of Diet Coke onto the
tabletop. "I mean, I understand that she is a very, very smart girl, but
smart enough to make the sixth grade? That, I don't know..."
Shrugging, her blonde companion just stared down at her potato
chips, brown eyes not looking up. "I think that she knows something that
we don't about all this..." sighed the teen sadly, taking a single chip
from its bag and glancing at it. "I think something's wrong with this
picture, but I can't..."
"It's SOOOOO awful!" screamed a voice from the other end of the
cafeteria, and both girls glanced up. Running toward their little four-
person table was Landis, hair flying behind her as she flailed her arms
and tore across the room. "You two won't BELIEVE what I heard in the
teacher's offices!"
Rolling her eyes, the older of the two teens leaned back in her
chair and tucked her hands behind her neck casually. "Suzie broke up
with Evan after he kissed Marie on the neck but he claimed it wasn't
cheating since Marie was going out with Bob?" she asked rhetorically,
not even glancing at the tall girl.
The Student Counsel Officer raised a slender eyebrow in the d
irection of the sarcastic teen. "Is she feeling okay, Lyra?"
The third teen just shrugged.
With an exasperated sigh, Landis then plopped down into one of the
remaining two chairs. "It's awful!" she announced loudly, burying her
head in her hands. "The teacher's board that reviews the junior high
entrance grades said that Celeste got a perfect score!" Shaking her head
slowly, she sniffled. "It's AWFUL!"
"Awful?" questioned Alice, staring at the downtrodden teen. "How
is getting a perfect score so bad?"
Pulling her head from her hands, Landis shot her a confused look.
"You mean you DON'T know?" she questioned in downright disbelief. "If a
child aces the exam, it's automatic grounds for a full investigation!"
Lyra choked on her potato chips. "You mean... That is to say..."
she stammered, eyes wide. "They... They think my sister CHEATED?"
"Yeah!" responded Landis in a loud whine. "Isn't that AWFUL? They
think that sweet little girl must have gotten her hands on the answer
key or something..."
"Makes full sense to me," mumbled Alice under her breath,
warranting a very angry stare from her friend and the uninvited guest.
She shrugged and sat up straight. "Well, I'm sorry, but it makes sense!"
she argued. "Celeste is a sweet kid, and smart, yes, but to an extent.
Making it into here was amazing, considering the fact that children
under ten need to be in the top...umm..."
Landis rolled her eyes. "Five..."
"Five percentiles on everything," she continued with a nod toward
the Student Counsel girl. "That's amazing of itself, but the acing of
it... That's cheating, if I've ever heard it..."
Standing straight up and knocking her chair over, Lyra glared
daggers at her friend. "I don't BELIEVE you, Alice!" she shot angrily.
"How can you say that? She's my sister!" Pushing most of the lunches
from the table, she leaned over toward the older girl, eyes unmoving
from the other girl's face. "Would I cheat? No! Because I have been
brought up in a family where that is wrong, and I know right from
wrong..." She eyes began to well up with tears. "I know what my sister
is, and YOU know what my sister is, and everyone..."
"Lyra?" Landis reached out a hand toward the emotional 12th
grader. "I don't believe the rumors, either, if it helps..."
Wordlessly, the blonde girl tossed her head and started across the
cafeteria.
With a sigh, the auburn-haired girl took a sip of her miraculously
un-spilled Coke. "Sometimes, I worry about her..."
"You're not upset about what you just said?" questioned Landis in
shock, staring at the relaxed girl. "You could have just ruined your
friendship with her, forever!"
Smiling knowingly, Alice shrugged. "We've been through a lot
together," she told her companion languidly. "You can't even begin to
understand it... But..."
"But?" asked the other teen.
"But," finished Alice, "Lyra will always come back. It's her
finest point."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Damn it!" She bent further over the dark blue orb, glaring
daggers at it as she slowly moved her hands in a counter-clockwise
direction on either side. "Why the Hell don't these things come with
directions?" Sighing, she took the crystal ball in one hand and glared
at it. "All the famous badguys had crystal balls! Like Queen Beryl...
And the Wiseman..." She wrinkled her nose. "This is the LAST time I
order anything from '1-800-baddies.'" Tossing the ball against the wall,
she leaned back in her throne and yawned, stretching. "Well, if this
isn't boring..."
Suddenly, the door to the Throne Room burst open and Rob rushed
in, cradling what appeared to be the dead corpse of his cat. Evil Queen
Ginnie grimaced and glanced at the thick notepad labeled "To Do Before
Taking Over the World" that sat on her armrest. Sure enough, there was
"take down Dolly's dead body from the living room ceiling"... Number
856...
"Shoot... I've GOT to work on shortening this list," mumbled
Ginnie, scratching her head. Then, putting an evil smile on her
otherwise pale face, she glanced down at her minion. "May I help you,
Rob?"
Nodding quickly, the man sank to one knee, as was proper
procedure, before holding the dead body of his cat up above his head.
"Dolly's dead!" he cried, blue eyes welling with tears.
With a sigh, Ginnie floated down from her throne and took a good
look at the cat. Sure enough, she was dead... It appeared that her neck
was broken, and there was a lovely mark around her neck from where the
yawn had been. The Queen grimaced. "Uhh... It could have been old age?"
"No!" protested the man, hugging the corpse of his pet to his
chest. "She was hanging from the ceiling of the living room like a
sacrifice to a God or something!"
Shrugging, she began to float back up to her seat. "Hey, don't
look at me!" she retorted casually. "That is NOT in the 'Big Book of
Ginnie Worship.'" Then, waving a hand, she leaned back in her seat. "If
you beat the Sailor Scouts, you can avenge your cat's death." As his
face lit up, she grimaced. "AND NOT A MOMENT BEFORE!"
But Rob had already run off, giggling like a giddy child.
Ginnie sighed and pulled a tall glass of pink lemonade from null-
space. "I've got to work on my delivery," she muttered.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
With a yawn, Peter Chiba laid down on the couch, a slight smile
crossing his face. "And it was so much fun!" he announced gaily, patting
the little tan animal who was perched on the back of the couch. "The
other kids were all very, very nice, and I met Celeste's little brother,
Johnny, who's in my class!" He sighed and closed his red eyes. "Mother
had always said that school was important, but we just never went. And
now, here we are, in second grade!" His smile grew. "I don't think that
anything could ruin this day!"
"Brother!" called a voice from nearby, and he opened his tired
eyes to see his sweet twin sister standing the doorway. Her hands were
folded at her stomach, creasing the fabric in the blouse of her white
uniform as she smiled almost victoriously at him. "I heard some
interesting information at school today that just might be of importance
to you."
Sitting up on the couch, the little boy stretched out his limbs
and glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "You actually enjoyed yourself
today?" he questioned, disbelieving.
Still smiling, Aeris strode over and plopped down onto the couch
next to her brother. "Our dear friend Celeste made it into junior high
via the entrance exams," she informed him with a small yawn as she
settled into the couch. "It seems as though, beyond making it into the
junior high school, she also did something previously unrecorded--she
answered every last question correct."
Peter's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "She got every question
right? But..." He furrowed his brow. "No one's ever done that, which
means she must have cheated."
"That is the popular consensus, it seems," nodded his sister,
still smiling as she spoke. "My teacher was discussing it with your
teacher over lunch break. I found it to be quite an...enlightening...
conversation." She brushed a green-black hair from her multicolored
eyes. "Such a kind and sweet leader the Chibi-Scouts have, eh?"
He bit his lower lip and glared at her. "Celeste just wouldn't do
that!" he protested loudly, anger in his voice. "She would never cheat
on anything! Destined leaders and rulers like the Keeper of the Nebulae
would never... Never ever..."
"She cheated on the exam, believe it or not," retorted Aeris
coolly, her smile still touching her lips, "and it is thought that she
obtained the answers in advance. And that is odd, because no one knows
how she could have accomplished that..." Then, in mock surprise, she
pushed the palms of her hands against her cheeks and formed her mouth to
a perfect 'o'. "But, wait, she is the omnipotent Keeper and a destined
leader of the world! She can do ANYTHING!"
"I didn't mean it like THAT!" shot her brother, wrinkling his nose
in disgust. "You're twisting it around, and you know it!"
Standing, she lowered her colorful eyes in his direction, and they
faded to a horrible color of black. "In light of what your little
girlfriend did, I'm challenging her rule as leader of the Chibi-Scouts,"
growled Aeris in a low tone. "I do not believe that she, a cheater, has
the right to rule. And I do not believe you have much of an ability to
go against me in this, either."
"But..." Gulping back the lump in his throat, Peter watched as his
twin strode out of the room and slammed the door behind her. With a deep
sigh, he leaned against the back of the couch. "How is it that my own
sister could be so cold?" he queried aloud, pressing his lips together.
The cat on the back of the couch leapt onto the boy's lap and
smiled slightly. "I think that this goes deeper than just being about
cheating," sighed Galileo, glancing at his charge with concern. "I'm
starting to wonder if she has any logic at all, given the
circumstances..."
"What circumstances?" asked Peter, staring down at the little ball
of tan fur. "She's just acting like a spoiled jerk, that's all!" He
clenched his hands into fists and glared up at the ceiling angrily. "She
doesn't care about my feelings, this time, or Celeste's! She just wants
to be in charge!"
Sighing, Galileo hopped down off the child's lap and turned away
from him, starting for the door. "Either that," he responded softly, "or
she's lonely."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"You guys, play like you want to win!" screamed the young soccer
coach, tossing down her clipboard as she jogged along the sidelines of
the long field, tennis shoes thumping on the cool green grass. "Get the
ball!" She watched as her oldest player, in a certain odd half-
heartedness, tried to steal the ball away from a member of the opposite
team. "Celeste, you're slacking!" she yelled once again, brushing a
strand of brown hair from her eyes. "Not a trait I like in you!" The
blonde girl just stared at the ground. "Ambriel, do it!"
The other female defensive player glanced at the coach, nodding
slightly as she ran for the ball. Her foot went toward the white-and-
black object, but she only managed to entangle her legs with the other
child's and tumble onto the ground.
A whistle blew and Haley clenched her fists in frustration. "TIME
OUT!" she hollered, picking up her clipboard from the ground and wiping
away a bead of sweat with the back of her hand. "Chiba and Mokoti, get
your butts over here!"
As all the other players giggled amongst themselves, the two who
had been singled out trudged over to their furious coach, heads bowed.
The redhead was even limping a bit.
"What are you two doing out there?" spat the adult, glaring at the
children. "I know that you can handle things far greater than a soccer
game, so what gives?" Neither glanced up, and she pressed further.
"Celeste, you hardly made an attempt, and Ambriel, that fall was
pathetic! If you have been focusing..."
"It's SOCCER, Haley!" shot the blonde girl, her fists clenched at
her sides as she glared up at the adult. "You're pretending like the
fate of the world is at stake! It's not!"
The young woman raised a hand into the air, ready to strike the
child, and then froze. The green eyes that were on her face didn't
blink, and the girl did not flinch. She just stared upward, accepting of
her fate.
Shivers running down her spine, Haley lowered her hand and sighed.
"Martin and Trudy, you're in for these two!" she called to a boy and
girl who were sitting on the sidelines. "Defensive positions."
The duo nodded and ran out onto the field. The game resumed.
Sinking to the ground, both girls sighed and glanced at their
coach, who was once again completely preoccupied with the goings-on in
the game.
Ambriel turned to her friend. "Is something wrong?" she asked
softly, resting her chin in her hands.
"Nothing you could fix," responded Celeste coolly, staring off
into space. "I've just got a lot to deal with right now."
The redhead huffed and tossed her messy braid behind her back.
"You make it sound like I'm completely helpless, you know."
"Maybe you are." The blonde sighed again and closed her eyes,
falling onto her back in the cool grass. "After all, you live locked up
in that great Palace all the time, served whatever you please."
"And you think that it's all fun and games, don't you?" retorted
the younger of the two, gray eyes narrowing. "You have no idea what I go
through every day, do you?"
Celeste snorted. "What? Do you sometimes have to dress yourself or
something horrific like that?" She sat up and glared at the girl. "All
you are, Ambriel, is spoiled. You wouldn't know true unhappiness and
despair if it bit you in the butt."
And, with that, she picked up her gym bag and began to walk away,
with a pair of sad gray eyes staring after her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Grimacing, she leaned against the countertop, slowly straightening
her leg. Every movement, even the slightest of them all, caused her
great distress in the humid weather they were having. With a grunt of
effort, she took a step forward, toward the stairs. Her leg felt like it
was burning from the inside out.
"You look like you're in a lot of pain," came a bland statement
from behind her. Gently opening her gray-green eyes, Alexandra saw an
icepack dangling in front of her face and smiled slightly. "You know
that the doctor told you to keep it iced when it aches, but you're
trying to walk on it."
Seizing the pack, she hobbled over to a chair, putting minimal
pressure on the sore leg. "You're not my mother," she retorted, pressing
the pack against her knee. Her eyes glanced up and at the savior, who
was leaning against the counter with her beautiful wavy tresses falling
over her shoulders. She smiled. "But thank you, anyway."
Face showing no humor, Michelle sat down in the chair beside her
wife and stared at her. "You've been acting odder than normal," she
stated with a slight raise of an eyebrow, "and it seems to me that your
comment about the children today was more out of line than normal." She
took the other woman's hand and squeezed it tightly between her own
hands. "Must I remind you that there are NO secrets between Neptune and
Uranus?"
"Maybe there are?" questioned Alex, smiling hopefully. The
expression opposite hers, however, did not change. She gulped. Sighing,
she closed her eyes and leaned back against the chair, shaking her head.
"It's not really the kids, Michi. It's me."
"You?" asked the musician, cocking her head to the side. Then, she
smiled gently. "If you're worried because you're getting older, let me
ASSURE you that you're just as good as--"
Blushing slightly, the taller woman coughed into her hand and
smiled knowingly at her wife. "Not that..." she sighed, almost laughing.
"I KNOW that, however..." Her smile faded into a frown. "Doesn't it
stink that there is nothing on this planet that is biologically ours?"
"Hmmm?"
"Well..." She shrugged and glanced up at the ceiling. "Peter asked
me about destined couples, and I got to thinking how unfair it is that
we can't have our own children. After all, we're just as good as
Endymion and Serenity, right?" She shook her head slightly and wiped a
tear from her eyes. "And yet, we're incapable of having our own
children. I don't find it fair. It's not fair!" she yelped, as though
she was in pain. Sitting straight up, she leaned forward and brought her
lips to Michelle's for a long moment, kissing her passionately before
pulling away. Once she did so, she stared at her own hands, almost
ashamed. "If someone can honestly tell me that all this love isn't
worthy enough for it's own fruit, I will never again think of
children..." She buried her head in her hands, near tears as her breath
came in ragged gasps.
Touching her lips to her wife's hand, the shorter of the two women
just sighed. "You mean that, all this time, you were so against children
because, in the end, we can't have our own?" Upon receiving a nod in
response, Michelle tangled her fingers in the sandy hair and touched
their cheeks together. "I don't care about that..." she whispered
gently, nearly crying. "I don't care about babies or biological remains
upon this Earth... All I care about is you." She smiled and stood up,
walking over and sitting down in the lap of the woman she loved. "You."
Alex smiled slightly and then grimaced uncomfortably. "That's
great, dear," she responded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "But you're
really hurting my leg..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"How to bet the Sailor Scouts..." Rob wrinkled his nose as he sat
down on the park bench, stretching out his long legs as he glanced up at
the extremely cloudy sky. It looked like it was going to rain any
minute. With a shiver, he yawned and folded his hands over his stomach.
"And I have the strangest feeling that, if I fail, Tina's going to have
some fun teasing me about it..."
Sighing once again, he stood and glanced slowly around the area.
It was a big athletic park, and nothing much was going on, barring a
peewee soccer game. He smiled a little at the prospect of interrupting
the little kids' game. Would that catch the attention of those pesky
Sailor-fuku-wearing teenagers?
He thought so.
"Dark circle!" he screamed, picking his slow stride up to a run as
he waved one hand in the air. Slowly, a ring of bright red, cracking
energy appeared in the very center of the soccer field before him. All
the children shrieked and scattered, but it was too late. The ring sent
out small, arm-like beams of energy and attacked anyone with ten or
twelve feet of it. Stopping in his run, Rob beamed, quite proud of
himself.
And then, to his horror, a young woman stood up despite the
obvious danger and pain that she was facing, and raised something small,
round, and shiny into the air. He gasped and stared at her, amazed.
Long brown hair fell in her face, but she was, no doubt, one of those
pretty Sailor Soldiers. He'd watched them fight before...
Orange and silver ribbons of light erupted from the little round
thing. Slowly and rather majestically, they encircled her, slowly
pulling tight and forming into a Sailor fuku. With a wicked grin, the
young man remembered Ginnie's words.
'If you beat the Sailor Scouts, you can avenge your cat's death.'
He was going to enjoy this.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"No more fighting!" commanded Celeste sternly as she sat at the
bus stop, staring down at her little yellow-and-purple transformation
pen. "I don't want to have to FIGHT, damn it! I'm nine, and I want to
ACT my age!"
But, despite all her hollering, the stick was still a warmth that
was nearly uncomfortable. She wrinkled her nose and rested her head in
her free hand.
There was a long moment of silence as she sat, near tears, alone
in the bus stop. Nothing really moved or occurred. Above her, in the
sky, thunder crackled, heralding the coming storm. She sighed and opened
her eyes, the tears in them stinging as she glanced down at the stick.
At her destiny.
"It's really not fair, you know," she commented to it with a shake
of her head. "I would just like to fit in. Be normal. But I can't...
Can I?"
Standing, she fled the bus stop and began to look for a dark
alley.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I hate this part!" whined Sailor Moon, dodging a large bolt of
red energy as it flew toward her. "All the running and avoiding and
parrying and..."
Throwing an attack at the ring of red and watching it sizzle out
into nothingness, Sailor Comet wrinkled her nose and glared at the
leader. "This is no time for games, Moon!" she spat, rolling away from a
counter-attack that stemmed from the ring. "Somebody's got to do
SOMETHING!"
Diving onto her stomach and pulling Comet with her, Sailor Polaris
glared at the ring of red energy and made a face. "I'm sure that Aeris
or Peter could take this thing out!" she called to the present Scouts.
"Not in my ear..." groaned the brunette teen, rolling away from
her loud friend. "I don't need to go deaf..."
"Then where the HELL are the Chibi-Scouts?" questioned Aurora
Borealis, wiping sweat from her brow as she threw an attack at the ring
and watched it fizzle out. "If a 'Dead Scream would take care of it,
then... EEEK!" Just as a bolt came flying toward her, Sailor Phoenix
grabbed her around the stomach and pulled her to the ground, leaving the
energy to soar above and past them.
With a slight cough, the blue-haired Scout let go of her friend
and shook her head. "You ARE an idiot, Aurora B.," she scolded with a
slight smile. "We're talking a BRAZEN idiot..."
Just then, the ring of energy disappeared, leaving no proof of its
existence.
Sailor Moon stood slowly and glanced around the area, looking for
the ring of red or, at least, for its owner. "That is SO odd," she
stated, bewildered. "It just disappeared..."
"And where the HELL are Ambriel and Celeste?" asked Comet,
brushing the hair from her eyes and stepping nearer to the rest of the
Sailor Scouts. "They were here at the game, I SWEAR it, and then--"
There was a loud crackling sound that cut her off, and suddenly
another ring of red appeared. This one, unlike the previous, was about
the thickness and consistency of a rope, and took no time in capturing
all five of the Scouts in its circle and pulling them tightly together.
They fought with it, attempting to kick and squirm their ways out, but
it was not use. They were trapped.
Chuckling, a young man stepped out of thin air and stood right
before Sailor Moon, smiling wickedly. "Good afternoon, Sailor Ladies,"
he greeted, with a slight bow. "My name is Rob, and I am quite glad to
make your acquaintance."
Red eyes lowering into a dangerous glare, the leader of the Sailor
Scouts wrinkled her nose in the direction of the stranger. "What the
Hell do you want?" she spat.
He smiled, reaching forward and caressing her cheek lightly with
his hand. "Feisty Miss Moon," he cooed, hand trailing down her cheek and
neck toward her locket. "I wonder what you're like under that pretty
Sailor fuku..."
In one swift movement, she brought her boot-covered foot up to
connect with his groin. Rob yelped out in pain and doubled over,
clutching himself. Sailor Moon, on the other hand, tossed her head of
pink hair proudly. "Pervert."
Glowering at her, the young man stood, still a bit dazed from his
injury. "You little slut!" he hollered, grabbing her by the collar of
her fuku and pulling her body against the rope of energy. She screamed
in pain, for the energy was suddenly very, very warm and the thin fabric
of her fuku did little to protect her body against it. Smiling evilly,
he drew her nose to touch his and patted the top of her head. "Are you
going to behave, Miss Moon?" he asked sweetly.
She spat in his face and pulled herself from his grasp, tossing
her head once again. "Go to Hell," she shot angrily, tone low and
unforgiving. "Don't think that you're going to win, bastard."
He slapped the young woman across the face, but she didn't so much
as flinch. Her red eyes remained lowered, angry but tearless, and he f
urrowed his brow at her. "Doesn't that hurt?"
"Never..."
"STOP!" commanded a chorus of young voices from behind Rob. He
whirled around and raised an eyebrow. There, standing in a short line,
were four children. Two wore Sailor fukus, with a girl in white skirts
and a boy in a tuxedo standing between them. He froze in place.
"And you are?"
"Pretty Sailor suited Sailor Scout, Sailor Chibi-Star!" shot the
tallest of the foursome, flipping her pigtails behind her shoulders.
"The leader of the Chibi-Scouts..."
The other girl in the Sailor fuku laughed rather cockily. "You are
no longer the leader!" she spat at the older girl, colorful eyes lowered
into a glare. "No good-for-nothing cheater should rule the Chibi-Scouts
with her iron fist!"
Chibi-Star did a double take. "What the Hell are you talking
about? I did NOT cheat on that test!"
Snickering, the one in all white pointed a finger at the single
boy. "So your girlfriend cheats at tests? If THAT'S not the stupidest
thing I've heard in a million years..."
"Bite me, you spoiled brat!" shot Chibi-Star, glaring at the
redheaded girl. "You're not really an angel, anyway! You're a bastard
child!"
The boy gulped and glanced at the oldest. "Now, Celeste..."
"And you shut up, too!"
As the bickering between all the younger Scouts continued, the
Galactic Sailors all stared at them. "Their maturity is astounding,"
sighed Phoenix with a shake of her braids. Then, she put a hand on the
rope and closed her eyes. "Phoenix..."
"Hell no!" yelped Aurora Borealis, squirming and attempting to get
away from the rope as her friend touched it. "We ALL remember what
happened last time you tried something like that..."
"Heat..."
Comet tried to back away from the blue-haired Scout and tripped
over Polaris' foot. She, in turn, got the edge of her skirt wrapped
around the hilt of Moon's sword. And, in one swift movement, the
standing Scouts all fell into one giant, tied-together heap of Sailor
Scouts.
"Get off of me!"
"Only when Phoenix moves her hand!"
"That's not MY hand... But Moon's sword is definitely a little two
close for comfort!"
"You perv!"
"Well, I mean it! Get it away!"
"That's not the sword... I think that's Aurora's hand..."
"Is NOT! Go to Hell, Comet!"
"Sorry, but I think that IS her hand!"
"Eeek!"
"And the other one's no better..."
"Listen, you sicko, it's not MY fault! I have nowhere to put them,
anyway!"
"And my parents always said that I'D be the lesbian when I grow
up..."
"COMET! SHUT UP!"
"Could someone get their boot out of my butt?"
"Sorry..."
Rob, who was watching both the fight between the Chibi-Scouts and
the awful pile of older Scouts as they tried to situate themselves,
sighed miserably and shook his head. "GREAT," he commented to himself,
eyes half-closed in blatant amazement at the stupidity of his
adversaries. "They're ALL children..."
And then, suddenly, something purple cut through the air, slicing
through the red rope-like substance that held the Scouts together.
Sailor Moon, who happened to be on the top of the pile, fell off and
onto the ground rather hard, cursing loudly. Everyone else jumped up and
scattered, because no one wanted to know whose hand was where (and the
like).
With a sigh, the Starlit Prince hopped down from the tree branch
he was perched upon and raised an eyebrow in the direction of the
strange young man, his cape swirling dramatically behind him. "You
threaten the future of good in this universe, and I will not stand for
it," he stated, glaring at the man. "I am the Starlit Prince..."
"WATCH OUT!" commanded Polaris quickly, scrambling to her feet
from where she was still laying, dazed. "He's a tricky bastard!"
Rob raised a hand and pointed it straight at the other young man's
chest, whispering an odd word in some unknown language. Suddenly, a bolt
of red energy poured from the palm of his hand and shot at the Starlight
Prince. Top hat flying off, the Prince sunk to his knees, howling in
agony. And the red continued.
"Phoenix Heat Flashing!"
"Starlit Streak!"
"Rainbow Wave!"
"Comet Crater Close!"
The sky lit up with the four attacks, and Rob turned his head
slowly to see them coming straight at him. With a string of swears, he
blinked out of existence in a puff of red smoke, and the attacks flew
past their mark and dissolved in midair.
"Richard!" screamed Polaris, dashing to where her Prince had
fallen onto his chest, gasping for breath. "Richard! Say something!"
Coughing a bit, the young man sat up, smiling weakly as he reached
out to touch her curly hair. "I think...I need...a nap..."
With a sad smile, eyes full of joyful tears, she lunged forward
and hugged him around the neck. "Thank GOD you're alright..."
Rolling her red eyes, Sailor Moon glanced around the area with
obvious disdain. "Well, he got away..."
And then, her eyes were drawn to another odd sight...
Sailor Chibi-Star and Angel Moon were standing about two feet away
from one another, just screaming their lungs out. Not too far away were
the Pluto twins and, low-and-behold, they were participating in the same
sort of activity.
"You're a spoiled little Princess!"
"Get off it! She's NOT my girlfriend!"
"Lair!"
"You cheated! How come you're still the leader?"
"The point here is that I should rule the Chibi-Scouts!"
"Bite me! You're not deserving!"
"I DID NOT! Everyone THINKS I did!"
"An one-hundred percent is just a TAD odd, then, Chibi-Cheater!"
"You little ass! Come here so I can beat the stuffing out of you!"
"I am TOO deserving!"
"Oh yeah?"
"You come HERE!"
"YEAH!"
"NO WAY! Get off your rotten duff!"
Sighing, the Sailor Scouts all glanced at one another in a mix of
annoyance and disbelief. "I think," commented Phoenix dryly, "we need a
Scout Meeting."
The others quickly agreed.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"How come I'm not a Sailor Scout?"
Green eyes glancing up from her textbook, Tara Yuuichirou glanced
at the little boy before her. His hair, shaggy and unkempt, fell into
his bright purple eyes, but he paid no regard to it. Just as she did, he
knelt before the little table, only he was staring straight at her
instead of studying, as she was. She raised a slender black eyebrow and
turned back to her studies. "I'm sorry, Josh," she responded, "but I
haven't he foggiest what you're talking about."
He didn't move from his spot, and the eyes upon her did not blink.
"Yes, Sissy, you do."
Closing the text slowly, she folded her hands on the tabletop and
smiled sweetly at him, determined to appease him. "What is it that you
want to know, exactly?" she questioned in a tone that clearing stated "I
am just humoring the boy."
Joshua shrugged and cocked his head to one side. "Well, I've known
for a LONG time that you're a Sailor Scout, Sissy--"
She suddenly began to choke on her own salvia, completely
astounded.
"--and I'm curious to why I'M not one..." He pouted slightly,
little shoulders drooping notably. "I mean, there's all those girls and
then there's Tuxedo Mask and the Starlit Prince... So why isn't there a
Tuxedo ME?"
Sighing, she leaned back on her elbows and shook her head
slightly. "Josh," she replied in a cool, calm tone, "I'm not a Sailor
Scout anymore. I quit." She let out another long sigh and closed her
large green eyes. "I suppose that I even became a Scout because Mother
said, but I know now that I don't WANT to be one." She smiled and opened
her eyes, staring across the table at the confused little boy. "In order
to be a Sailor Scout," she told him, "you have to give up a normal life.
You can't play with friends after school, or go shopping, or even crack
a textbook without wondering when the next time it is that you'll have
to risk your life." Shrugging, Tara sat back up and re-opened her book.
"And that's not something that anyone should be forced to do."
He furrowed his brow, still staring at her. "Okay, Sissy," he
returned softly, lips pressed together, "if you say so..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Reeny, please tell Celeste that she's a cheater and that I cannot
ever face her again."
"Celeste, Ambry feels that you are a cheater and that she will
never again face you."
"Well then, Reeny, please tell Ambriel that if she'd pull her head
out of Serenity's BUTT long enough to glance at the truth, then at least
she'd be able to not face the REAL me."
Kicking at the carpeting, the Princess of the Earth glared at the
two girls, who were sitting back-to-back on the floor, both glaring at
nothing in particular. "This is SO stupid!" yelled she, tossing her pink
pigtails behind her shoulders. "I am WAY too old to play this game!"
Ambriel held her head high, still refusing to glance at the girl
who had once been a close friend. "Well, if Celeste would just
apologize, then you'd not have to 'play this game,' Mama," she responded
coolly.
"And if that little whore of a five-year-old would take the time
to address the truth," shot the blonde child with anger in her voice,
"then all of us would be getting along just fine..."
Reeny sighed and rolled her eyes. "Any luck over there?" she
called to the two older Scouts who sat with the Pluto twins.
"None!" pouted Phoebe warily, crossing her arms over her bright
yellow T-shirt as she spoke. "It's like Aeris has gone catatonic, and
Peter's all upset for no good reason..."
Staring straight into space, unmoving, the green-haired girl
cleared her throat and lowered her colorful eyes. They immediately
turned black in color. "I will not move from this spot," she said in a
calm, demure tone, "until I am recognized as the leader of the Chibi-
Scouts over that cheater."
Suddenly springing into action, the blonde girl stood and stomped
across the Urawa living room. Without hesitation, she slapped the
younger girl across the face. Aeris still did not move. "Forget you!"
screamed Celeste loudly, hands clenched into fists. "You don't know
anything, you little actor!"
"Don't you talk to my sister that way!" hollered the brunette boy
suddenly, pulling his head from his hands to glower at his destined.
"You ARE just as they say you are, Celeste!"
"You shut up, Peter! You have NOTHING to do with this!"
In the same manner as her blonde friend had, Ambriel rushed to her
feet and stood opposite the oldest girl. "You leave him alone!" she
commanded sternly. "He was just protecting his sister!"
Immediately, a ruckus broke out between the four children, with
Peter, Ambriel, and Celeste all screaming and Aeris still sitting
completely motionless.
Sighing, Alice buried her head in her hands. Once the battle had
ended, the Galactic Sailor Scouts had managed to pull the four Chibi-
Scouts apart and force them to come to a little Scout Meeting. That
meeting, of course, had been designed only to attempt to keep their
fighting to a minimum, and--in theory--to solve the problems at hand.
However unfortunate it was, though, Lyra had insisted on taking Richard
home for some rest, and Haley felt she had an instant obligation to
check on the people who could have been hurt in the battle. This left
three Galactic Sailors versus four angry Chibi-Scouts in a battle of
wits.
But, noted the auburn-haired teen as she stared at the warring
children, the Galactic Sailors really weren't doing any good. They had
tried to mediate the situation, but none of the children felt like
talking it out. Arguing, however, was quite a strong point.
"Galileo's the cutest!"
"That fat little ball of fur and lard? What about my Carina?"
"Carina? PUH-LEASE! Cassiopeia is the most beautiful kitten, with
her fur of molten silver and eyes of the forest..."
"Ooh! A poet AND a cheater!"
"I will not budge from this spot until..."
"Shut up, you little braid-headed priestess! At least I HAVE
parents!"
"Don't you talk to her like that!"
"I desire to lead the Chibi-Scouts in true fashion..."
"Why not?"
"Because I said so!"
"Well, shove--"
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" seethed the pink-haired woman suddenly,
springing to her feet and glaring down at the three loud children. They
all froze, Celeste with one of her hands pulling at Peter's short hair
and the other holding Ambriel by the collar of her soccer shirt. Even
Aeris, who really hadn't been doing much in the first place, stopped
talking and glanced up at the Princess of the Earth, in awe.
There was a long moment of silence. Nothing moved. The tension in
the air was nearly tangible.
Then, in a manner that was almost too calm, Reeny walked up to
Celeste and gently removed her hand from Peter's head. She also freed
her "daughter" of the steal grip that held her neck. There was another
moment of silence as she smoothed her school uniform, and then she shook
her head slowly.
"Go home."
"Huh?" questioned the blue-haired teenager, blinking at her leader
as she spoke. "What do you mean 'go home?' You've got to slap them
around or SOMETHING..."
Alice hit Phoebe upside the head with a nearby throw pillow.
Still eerily calm, Reeny folded her hands and smiled gently. "I
want you all to go home," she stated, "and I want you to think. I want
you to think about the fate of the Chibi-Scouts, and what you're doing
to the fate of the WORLD." She picked up her schoolbag off an armchair
and shrugged. "Later."
And, with that, she opened the living room door and strode out,
slipping on her shoes and leaving the house, still completely calm.
"She's finally lost it..." murmured the girl with the throw
pillow. "Took her nineteen years, but she FINALLY lost it..." Then,
seeing that the children were still present, she dropped the pillow and
snapped into action. "Get going! Get out! GET!"
The kids, all terrified of Alice, jetted out of the house without
another word on the subject.
Still rubbing the spot on her head where she'd been beamed, Phoebe
stared up at her friend. "I've NEVER seen this side of you," she gaped,
amazed. "You're so very bossy and domineering..."
The auburn-haired one blushed guiltily and focused on the floor.
And then, Phoebe grinned, giving her companion a wink and a
"thumbs up." "I like it!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Damn it!" he swore, kicking the wall of the corridor as he stood
alone in it, sweat dotting his brow. "I don't believe I lost to those
little toddlers!"
There was a light flash of blue, and another person appeared. Her
hair, which usually fell freely into her eyes, was pulled back into a
ponytail and she wore a frilly yet black apron over her already raven-
colored uniform.
And her expression was grim. "I'm sorry, Rob," she stated in a
truly apologetic voice, "but I'm trying to bake in the kitchen, and all
your yelling and cursing might cause my cake to fall."
He furrowed his brow. "What the Hell do you know?" he hissed,
angry but still not daring to raise his voice and let the cake fall.
"You're not worth a thing, after all! You're not even fighting for
Ginnie's cause!"
Tina wrinkled her nose and stared at the young man. "That may be
true in a sort of symbolic sense," she retorted, slowly untying the knot
in the front of her apron. "For, though I may not be doing much in the
name of Ginnie, I CAN fight."
"Oh really, girly-girl?" snorted Rob haughtily, unzipping the
jacket of his uniform to reveal nothing more than a small, sleeveless
undershirt. "I so much as DARE you to bring it on!"
She too drew off her jacket, only she wore a normal T-shirt
beneath, which was colored the same unfriendly ebony as the rest of her
garb. "You DO realize that I'm trained in several martial arts, right?"
she questioned rhetorically, tucking the few loose strands of hair into
her ponytail. "I could snap your neck with my eyes closed."
Without warning, her words brought a jarring image to his mind. He
could suddenly see his cat, her neck broken, hanging from the ceiling of
their living room. Clenching his eyes shut, he grimaced and tightened
his fists.
And then, it all made sense.
'I could snap your neck..."
"YOU KILLED HER!" roared the man suddenly, all the rage that he
had hidden away for the time after he defeated the Sailor Scouts
bubbling to the surface as he said those three words. "You killed Dolly,
you heartless bitch!"
Bowing rather haughtily, the young woman smiled a sweet smile at
the man. "But of course," she retorted coolly. "How else was I to rise
to the ranks above you if that little tattle-tale was in my way?"
"You're already above me, and you were above them all!" he
countered, pulse already quickening from his rage. "You had no reason!"
She shrugged. "Reason to you is different than what is reason to
me," came her short reply. "Now, are we to fight? I'm loosing patience,
to be honest."
He tossed his head. "I will avenge her, Tina."
"Over my dead body, perhaps."
And, with that, a battle began.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"It's getting late," yawned the young woman, glancing at her watch
and then at the short girl who was standing at the door rather
sheepishly. "You should be at home, in bed. Ma's probably ripping her
hair out over you."
With a shake of her head, the girl strode into the small
apartment, kicking off her shoes and replacing them with a pair of small
purple slippers. "She knows where I am," she replied briefly, walking
through the little entryway and over to the couch, where she sat down.
"But I need to talk to someone about my entrance exams, so it might as
well be you."
Lyra raised a blonde eyebrow and trudged over to where her sister
sat, staring at her in brazen doubt. "Is that to say that you
actually...cheated?" she managed, voice catching in her throat.
"No, I didn't..." Celeste began and then, glancing up at her
sister, she stopped. With a gulp, she closed her green eyes and buried
her head in her hands. "Or I did! I don't know WHAT went on when I took
that test, Lyra! I don't know!"
She sat down beside the younger girl and wrapped an arm around
her. "If you did cheat, 'Leste," she cautiously assured her sister,
"then I will see to it that your hearing is fair and..."
"That's just it!" roared she, springing from her seat and crossing
to the single window in the room, unable to bring herself to glance at
the older girl. "I sat down to take the test, 'cause Ma said it was good
for me, and the answers started pouring into my brain. One after
another, like raindrops in a storm!" She brought her fist down onto the
sill, breath coming in ragged gasps. "It was the Keeper, not me! SHE did
all this!" The girl began to shake, tears rolling down her face as she
stared out at the newly set sun. "And I can't control it... I just
can't..."
Shoulders falling slightly, the curly-haired teen sighed and
stared at her hands. "So this is what the whole fight with the other
Chibi-Scouts is about?" she asked softly, chewing on her lower lip.
"This is all about the cheating?"
Nodding, she turned to look at her sister, tears still trailing
down her cheeks. "I hate the way I feel," she stated rather bluntly,
pressing her lips together. "I hate knowing that they've lost all faith
in me..." She sunk to her knees in the plush carpeting and once again
buried her head in her hands. "But the Goddamn Keeper doesn't listen to
me! She doesn't come when I call, or react when I need her to, and now
she cheats for me!" She tore her face from her hands and stared up at
her sister. "I WANT TO BE A NORMAL GIRL! I WANT TO BE NORMAL!"
Without words, Lyra crossed the room and walked over to the young
child, drawing the back of her hand across her face without an inch of
hesitation. "None of us can be normal," she stated without anger in her
soprano lilt. "We have a destiny, and we're stuck with it, so get over
it!" She placed her hands on her hips and glared down at the girl. "I'm
sorry that you can't control the Keeper," she continued, tone actually
softening slightly. "And I know that this life means a lot to you. But I
can't do anything about it, and neither can you."
"I want to go to elementary school," sighed Celeste, rubbing the
large red mark on her cheek but not looking up at her sister. "I want to
control my powers. I want to salvage my friendships. I want to know how
I feel about Peter."
With a slight smile, her elder sister sunk to her knees in the
carpeting and brushed some of the thick blonde hair from the child's
eyes. "You'd be amazed at what you can do when you focus," she assured
the girl, leaning forward and kissing the top of her head. "I know
that--if you think about it--you can find a way out of your mess."
"Really?"
Lyra nodded, and her smile grew. "And I'm sorry I slapped you,"
she apologized, noticing the bright mark on the child's cheek for the
first time. "I didn't know I hit you THAT hard."
Giggling a bit, Celeste wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.
"This time," she responded, "I think I deserved it."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
With a long, miserable sigh, the little girl drew her legs to her
chest and stared out the window at the back yard. It was dark out, and
it was raining, the tiny droplets from the sky falling one after another
into the grass. Her colorful eyes, which had remained their hateful
black for most of the day, ached. She'd held back so many tears. She'd
been upset--upset that Celeste, for whom she held an infinite amount of
trust, had cheated, and upset that the others didn't see any worth in
changing leaders. They were all at one another's throats, an unusual
circumstance indeed... And even her own brother found it necessary to
join the pointless bickering. And even SHE, the most adult and calm of
the four Chibi-Scouts, had stooped to the low of attacking him and the
others. Sighing, Aeris wiped a tear from her cheek, staring down at the
little damp spot on her finger. How had this one, brave tear escaped the
dams that she'd set up? She blinked back more tears and stared out at
the falling rain.
"Do they not understand?" she questioned in a weak, shaking voice,
talking to no one. "No, they COULD not. When one really considers it,
they have others who they can rely on. And lean on." With another sad
sigh, she leaned her head against the cool glass windowpane and allowed
the tears to stream down her pale cheeks. "And, when I really consider
it, I have absolutely NO one." She bit her lower lip, hard, and the
taste of blood flooded her mouth. "Now..." she stammered, the words
catching in the back of her throat. "Now I understand how Mother must
have felt..."
A warm hand was suddenly on her shoulder, and she opened her
aching eyes only to stare up at a short, smiling blonde man. He held out
a rather large box of tissues. "You alright?" he asked softly, sitting
down on the small window seat beside the girl. "Because it seems to me
that you're not."
"I'm fine, Mister Hartford," she lied quickly, studying the floor
so he would not see her tears. "I was just thinking..."
"Thinking, Aeris," he retorted, still smiling sweetly at her,
"usually does not involve so many tears." Brushing a strand of green-
black hair from her face, he once again pushed the tissues closer to
her. "And my name is Brian."
She glanced up and wiped her nose with one of her tiny fists,
staring at the man in complete shock. "Mister Brian... I don't know how
to thank you..."
He shook his head quickly and, pulling a tissue from the box and
pressing it into the palm of one of her hands, let the smile fade from
his pleasant face. "You need to act like a normal little girl," he
stated in a sober manner. "You have been given a gift that your mother
and my wife both did not receive. You can life just like every other
child your age, warrior or not." Smiling again, he watched her blow her
nose with a hint of amusement in his expression. "Never lose that
special power in your heart that I know you have, kiddo."
A grin dawned on her face and she pressed her lips together.
"Thank you, Mister Brian," she said with a slight bow of her head. "I
think I now know why Miss Hannah likes you so much."
He rolled his eyes and stood, leaving the cardboard box where it
sat. "All this 'Miss' and 'Mister' stuff is really annoying," he
responded, starting out of the little den with a shake of his head. "The
name is Brian. And she's Hannah."
"Alright then...Brian." She smiled up at him, genuine adoration in
her tone.
As he reached the door, he stopped and turned around, one hand
still resting on the doorframe as his copper eyes gazed at the child
through his glasses. "And one last thing, Aeris," he stated, voice
somber. "I honestly hope that you NEVER know the true loneliness that
your mother must have felt."
Her smile faded as she nodded slightly. "I hope so, too," she
responded coolly, glancing back out the window. "I really do."
Opening the door, he winked at her. "Now that," he returned as he
strode into the next room, "is that Pluto fighting spirit I like so
much."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Can I ask you a question, Lisa?"
The young blonde woman wiped the sweat from her brow with the edge
of her apron and glanced down at a small redheaded girl who wore nothing
more than a white nightgown and a pair of pink slippers. She frowned.
"Ambriel," she sighed, looking down at her flour-covered hands and at
the bowls of bread dough that covered the countertops, "the cook's sick
and, therefore, I'm baking tomorrow's bread. Could you ask me next
week?"
She pouted and crossed her arms. "But I want to know NOW!" she
protested rather loudly, clambering up atop the single wooden stool
that was in the middle of the kitchen. "It's important... It's about
the Chibi-Scouts, and..."
Punching down a large lump of dough, she rolled her eyes at the
child and began to knead the bread. "You have until the timer rings,"
she responded rather coolly.
Gray eyes glanced up at the timer on the stove. Three minutes.
"Where do I come from?" she questioned.
Lisa snickered and shook her head of blonde hair. "I am not going
to be the one to explain the birds and the bees to you, young lady," she
stated with amusement.
Ambriel wrinkled her nose. "Not THAT, either," she retorted. "Who
are my parents? You MUST know something, since Mama wouldn't tell me..."
She glanced at the child in doubt, a slight smile kissing her
lips. So she'd already tried Reeny for the information? Well then...
"Your mother was the High Priestess of the Silver Moon," she told the
girl, still kneading the dough. "She'd been an angel, but she'd fallen
in love with a human and ended up being banished from Heaven." She
sighed wistfully and cleaned her hands of flour. "It's a sad story,
really..."
"She was an angel?" asked the child in doubt, staring. "But why
the heck am I here now? The Silver Moon..."
"Existed a few thousand years ago, I know," admitted the single
adult with a shrug. "I really can't pretend to know how exactly you got
here... Must have been reborn or something..." A timer rang, and she
smirked. "Time's up, kiddo."
The girl blinked and glanced up at the timer she'd studied
previously. "I still have a minute!" she protested loudly, making a
face.
Picking up a small, white timer, Lisa beamed and tossed it to the
child, who made no hesitation in catching it. "That one, however, is
up," she countered with a smirk. "I told you, I've got bread to bake."
"Well... I'm an angel and she was an angel..." Smiling, she hopped
down off the stool and placed her hands on her little hips. "I'm going
to reunite the Chibi-Scouts and help defend the world! Just wait!" She
tossed her head. "I'll be the best Angel of the Moon EVER!"
As she jetted out of the room, excited, the young woman smiled.
"Smart little Ambry..." she sighed. "So smart..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Brushing her pants off gingerly, the young woman shook her head
and glanced disdainfully at the body. "I TOLD you," she sighed, rolling
her dark brown eyes. "I'm a master in several forms of martial arts..."
She rested her hands on her hips, her expression almost regretful. "Rob,
when will you learn?"
The man didn't reply, not that Tina had expected him to. He was
dead, which was actually in her best interest, given that he wanted to
kill her. She crouched down next to his body, wiping a single dribble of
blood from her lower lip. "What a waste," she mumbled, patting his head
of blonde hair. "It's truly a shame that I had to break his neck like
that..."
Suddenly, a tiny marble-sized red crystal tumbled out of his
pocket and fell onto the floor, rolling a few feet on the cold marble
surface before hitting Tina's black leather boot. She cocked her head
to one side, staring down at the item. "Hmmm..." Picking it up, she
scrutinized the oddly smooth surface and the almost nonexistent weight
of it as it laid in her hand. "Well, I can't easily waste his last cat-
monster," she sighed, a certain twang of guilt in her voice. "What's a
girl to do?"
And, in a blink of blue, she vacated the area, crystal still in
hand.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Taking a long swig of her tea, Phoebe Solaria Urawa leaned back in
her chair, allowing her head of blue braids to fall back and stare at
the ceiling. "I think I was the one to learn something by this trouble
with the Chibi-Scouts," she breathed with a slight smile touching her
lips.
From his spot in the middle of the kitchen table, Orb raised a
little orange eyebrow in her direction. "Oh, really?" he questioned,
turning back to his thick packet of computer printouts. "And what would
that lesson be?"
She didn't respond immediately, but instead glanced across the
kitchen at a small family snapshot that was sitting beside the answering
machine. There was, of course, her father, his brown-black hair falling
slightly into his eyes. Next to him stood her mother, ocean-blue eyes
smiling and light azure hair slightly windswept. And then, she stood in
front of them, no older than twelve years old, wavy hair out of their
braids and cascading around her face.
Phoebe sighed, recalling the day they'd spent at the park, which
was where the picture had been taken. It had been only four weeks after
her parents had finally decided, after numerous years (and fights), to
not have any more children. The news, she recalled, had been devastating
to her. All her life, she'd wanted a little brother to play video games
with her. And she'd always wanted to teach a younger sister, long hair
messy, how to dance ballet. But her mother's job came first. Her
father's job came first.
So, she was an only child. Not something she was pleased about.
"Did I ever tell you that my parents decided not to have any more
children when I was twelve?" she asked the cat in a very conversational
tone. He glanced up once again, obvious confusion in his expression. "I
had wanted a little brother or a sister for years and years," she
clarified with a long sigh, staring into her tea cup, "but my mother was
too busy with the hospital and didn't want to sacrifice all she had
before her for another baby. And Dad was just..." She shrugged. "He's
Dad..."
Orb blinked at her, still confused. "Does this have something to
do with what you think you learned?" he inquired, bewilderment in his
tone.
Resting her chin in her hands, elbows on the table, she let out a
mournful sigh. "I would really like a little sibling," she told the cat
somberly. "I've really ALWAYS wanted a sister or brother, but upon
seeing the sweet, special relationship that Lyra and Celeste have..."
"WHAT relationship?" gaped the cat, eyebrows arching into the air.
"Lyra wasn't even at the meeting!"
"And the twins have a gift," she sighed, picking up her teacup and
draining the rest of it. "Each other."
With a long sigh, he looked at her and smiled sweetly. "Phoebe,
you can't control your parents, you know..."
She nodded, still silent, and took her cup to the sink. Then, out
of no where, she shot him a large grin and a wink. "Oh well!" She
grinned, starting for the door. "I already have you and Orion!"
He scowled at her back. "AND WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Another nasty monster?" Sailor Chibi-Star skidded to a stop in
her sandals, staring at the giant red-furred cat that was sitting in the
middle of Main Street. It wasn't really doing anything more than getting
soaked by the heavy rain, but its eyes were glittering with hate as she
Chibi-Scout approached it.
She sighed, shaking her head. "I'd had a nasty feeling, but THIS
is ridiculous!"
"So, then," drawled a young, feminine voice from behind her, "do
you suggest we defeat it?"
Whirling around, she smiled slightly upon seeing Sailor Chibi-
Pluto and her twin brother, the Master of Time, standing behind her,
Time Staffs drawn. Then, remembering the fight that they all were
having, she narrowed her eyes and tossed her head. "I'm the leader!" she
protested stubbornly, turning her back to the twosome. "I don't need
your help!"
There was a pause before she felt the weight of a hand upon her
shoulder. "Well, you might not need us, Celeste," stated Peter softly
from behind her, "but we need you."
She glanced suspiciously at his gloved hand, unmoving.
"Maybe we were a little too mean to you," spoke up another young
voice. There was a glimmer of white and then Angel Moon appeared, a
sweet smile crossing her lips. "After all, you're the leader, right?"
"And you did not cheat," admitted Chibi-Pluto in a rather
reluctant tone, walking to stand before the blonde girl. "Perhaps I was
a bit too rash in my judgement of you and your test taking abilities."
She blushed and focused on the ground. "About that..."
Suddenly, the giant monster hissed, shooting lightning at all four
Chibi-Scouts. Angel Moon shrieked out and tried to counter the attack,
but it was too strong for her to parry. All of the children went flying
in various directions, landing on the hard, wet pavement.
"What a creature!" announced Chibi-Star, slowly climbing to her
feet and finding herself unhurt. Upon getting no response from her
fellow Scouts, she glanced around to find all three of them lying prone.
She gulped and clenched her fists. Now, she really was alone!
Rushing over to where Angel Moon laid, her white robes covered
with dirt and water, she shook the smaller child. "Are you okay?" she
questioned quickly once the girl had groaned and rolled over onto her
back.
Gray eyes slowly fluttered open, and she glanced at her leader. "I
thought you didn't need us," she laughed, slowly sitting up. "That's
what you said."
The eldest of the Chibi-Scouts blanched noticeably but said
nothing.
"So, you need us?" questioned Peter with audible amusement in his
voice as he rolled onto his stomach and glanced across the street at the
blonde girl.
She glanced up at the monster, which was hissing its lightning
into the night sky. The rain still poured down on the four children, and
the clouds seemed well ready to split completely open.
"And you require the help of your subordinates to defeat this
evil?" smiled the green-haired Chibi-Pluto, pushing a few tresses from
her vividly blue eyes. "Or shall we 'lackeys' leave you?"
Smiling, Sailor Chibi-Star straightened her fuku and placed her
hands upon her hips. "Let's get to it!" she announced.
The monster, which had heard her exclamation, glanced down at the
quartet of young super heroes as they assembled themselves. It smirked
proudly, staring down at the Scouts.
"You take a rainy night and make it into a watery Hell!" yelled
the leader of the group, bright green eyes lowered and face stern. "And
for that, I cannot forgive you! Agent for love and justice, I am the
pretty sailor-suited soldier Sailor Chibi-Star!"
"And we're the Chibi-Scouts!" chorused the other three children.
Flipping a strand of hair over her shoulder, Chibi-Star pointed a
single finger at the creature. "In the name of the Gold Star, I will
punish you!"
With a snort, the cat-monster hissed another bolt of lightning at
them. The four children all launched themselves high into the air,
easily avoiding the attempt.
Both of the children of Pluto, still in mid-air, raised their Time
Keys. "Double Dead Scream!" they hollered in unison.
A large ball of purple-colored energy flew toward the cat. Unable
to dodge the powerful attack, the creature howled out in pain and sunk
to the ground, shaking in agony.
Angel Moon smiled and, hovering above the creature on her large,
feathery wings, pointed the palms of her hands at the cretin, glaring.
"Angelic Glow!" she screamed.
Pure silver energy shot toward the cat-thing. Once again, it
screamed out and began to shake violently. Then, it became completely
motionless.
Still standing in front of the creature, glaring, Sailor Chibi-
Star thrust one hand into the air. With one deep breath, she reached
into null-space, using all her strength to call the Staff of the Keeper
of the Nebulae into being. Beads of sweat dribbled down her face, mixing
with the crisp spring rain. Her head ached terribly from the attempt.
Suddenly, something warm wrapped around her free hand. She opened
one of her green eyes and glanced sideways to see a smiling Peter
standing next to her. On his far side, no doubt holding his hand, was
Chibi-Pluto, and Angel Moon stood beside her.
Chibi-Star smiled and refocused her energy, reaching into null-
space. For a long moment, it seemed as nothing would happen and then,
out of no where, there was a flash of golden light.
The Staff had appeared.
She pulled her hand from Peter's, taking the long rod in both
hands and pacing toward the motionless cat-creature. It seemed to still
be breathing, but it was nearly impossible to tell from the safe
distance she was maintaining. Sighing, she glanced back at the other
Chibi-Scouts, who were silently cheering her on, and then focused on the
monster.
"Gold Star, I beseech you," she whispered, voice hardly audible in
her own ears, "please let this work. They're counting on me..." She
closed her green eyes, remembering the sweet smile that the young Master
of Time had shared with her. She smiled, too.
Then, there was a strange pressure in the air, almost like a clap
of thunder without any sound. Nothing moved, and the atmosphere seemed
to be filled with a strange, unseen energy. Slowly, Sailor Chibi-Star
opened her eyes...
And, as she did, the monster suddenly reverted back into its tiny,
pebble-sized form.
Gasping for air, she sank to her knees, the Staff disappearing
back into null-space. The other Chibi-Scouts rushed forward, surrounded
her as she knelt on the damp pavement, trying to breathe.
"You alright?" questioned Peter quickly, touching one of her
hands.
With a small nod, the girl turned her green eyes on where the
monster had laid. Already, Chibi-Pluto was gathering up the remains,
studying it intently with her odd eyes. "That was amazing..."
Angel Moon cocked her head to one side, red braid flipping water
about as she did so. "You can't control the Keeper, can you?" she asked
softly, blinking at her friend and leader.
The older girl blushed and chose to remain silent.
Smiling, the redhead reached out a hand, no doubt offering to help
the other child. "Well, that's okay!" she chirped merrily. "We have
plenty of time to help you with that! Don't worry!"
They broke out in laughter.
From atop a nearby building, seven others watched the goings-on
with intent interest. No one spoke for a long moment as they watched the
children all begin to laugh, despite the fact that they were both
soaking wet and battle-worn.
Then, the young woman with the cone-shaped buns and long pigtails
spoke. "I'm really proud of them, you know," she commented with a slight
smile.
The young man with silver-white hair beside her blinked in
amazement. "You are, Maiden?" he questioned in doubt. "I would think
that you're still angry..."
"Reeny doesn't hold grudges!" giggled Sailor Phoenix, tossing one
of her dripping braids over her shoulder. "She'd never stay mad!"
"That fact ignored," sighed the Starlit Prince, shaking his head
slowly, "what happened with Chibi-Star's cheating fiasco to make the
other children forgive her so quickly?"
Everyone glanced suspiciously at the curly-haired blonde at his
side.
Rubbing the back of her neck, she smiled and glanced up into the
overcast sky. "All I know is that she didn't cheat," she responded
rather quickly, a small blush creeping across her cheeks. "I doubt she'd
tell me much more..."
Aurora Borealis raised an eyebrow. "She's your SISTER!" she
protested loudly, making a face. "Why WOULDN'T she tell you?"
With a slight smile, Sailor Comet ran a hand through her tangled
brown hair. "Well, it's a good thing that they're getting along once
again."
"You're telling me!" grinned Moon, her thumbs in her sword belt as
she spoke. "I was seriously afraid for their futures..."
With a roll of her eyes, Phoenix crossed her arms over her chest.
"And yet you stomped out of my house when we were trying to reconcile
them..."
"What's this?" questioned Helios teasingly, poking his girlfriend
in the ribs.
She tossed her head indignantly. "Never mind..."
Winking rather slyly, Aurora Borealis smiled knowingly at Helios.
"Ran away nice and quickly..."
"Shut UP..."
"Doesn't sound like you wanted to help..." smirked the blonde-
haired Polaris rather scandalously.
"I didn't mean anything by it!"
"You sure?"
"Shut up already, Richard!"
"Positive?"
"I SAID SHUT UP!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The white limousine pulled up to the curb at Crossroads School
just as the majority of the student body was arriving. All the children,
grades 6 through 13, gathered around the elegant-looking vehicle, ooh-
ing and ahh-ing and wondering both aloud and silently who could possibly
be within the strange white car. Amongst these onlookers was a short
12th-grader with corkscrew curls, namely Lyra Mokoti.
"I heard it's the oldest daughter of one of Serenity's new
bodyguards!" announced the Student-Counsel-President, Landis, as she
forced her way past Lyra and to the front of the growing crowd. "And, as
the President of Crossroads' Student Body, I think I should great her!"
There were audible groans and some rude words from members of the
throng of people. But a glare from Landis was a glare that could freeze
all life, so no one dared to say anything loudly enough to be recognized
by name.
With a bite of her lower lip, Lyra checked her watch and frowned
noticeably. "That's funny," she muttered, not listening to the excited
exclamations that heralded the limo's door being opened. "Alice is
running late, today..."
"WHAT THE HECK?" chorused over fifty school-aged children. Brown
eyes were pulled from a small watch...
And, obviously, it came as a huge surprise when a scowling Alice
Aurora Kino, knuckles white around the handle of her bookbag, stomped
out of the car and slammed the door behind her. Upon noticing that the
entire crowd was staring at her, gaping, she lowered her eyes further
and pursed her lips. "What?"
The single word, low and angry, echoed through the schoolyard as
all but two of the makeshift audience members scattered at a record
pace.
Landis, her gold-brown hair blowing in the small breeze,
straightened the bow of her uniform and poked the blonde teen in the
ribs. "What's her problem?" she hissed under her breath so the fuming
Alice wouldn't hear her.
"Lyra, if you see Todd you'd better relay to him that if he EVER
pulls this again, he will NEVER be able to reproduce!" roared the
auburn-haired girl loudly, fists clenched to the point that her knuckles
were white. Her brown eyes sparkled with hatred. "That little ass rented
me a limo for the day! Could you IMAGINE?" She kicked a stone as hard as
she could, watching as it ricocheted off various objects and rolled to a
stop in the center of the school driveway. Then, glancing at her friend
and the tall brunette beside her, she paused and raised an eyebrow.
"Hey... Where's Celeste?"
Suddenly noticing the girl's absence as well, the blonde whirled
about and made a face. "I could have SWORN she left around the same time
I did, too..."
"I TOTALLY forgot!" exclaimed Landis loudly, eyes widening as she
spoke. "There was a small computer crash last night and, when they went
back on, something BAD happened!"
With a roll of her eyes, Alice smirked and rested her free hand on
one of her hips. "They accidentally deleted a few of your grades and
then ruined your chances for valedictorian?" she mused, mood quickly
improving as she teased the enthusiastic girl.
Frowning and furrowing her brow, Landis glancing warily at Lyra.
"What IS her problem?"
The blonde girl shrugged and forged innocence.
Sighing, the Student Counsel President slung her bag to rest on
her shoulder and sighed. "They LOST Celeste's test scores and records!"
she announced, causing a few nearby seventh-graders to stare at her and
giggle a bit. Tightening one of the two blue ribbons in her hair, she
sighed. "It's almost like she never took the test," she commented rather
sourly, adjusting her bag over her shoulder a bit more before turning
away from them. "Anyway, she's back at Harbor Elementary, and that's
that. See you later, girls!"
As the cheery teen left to join a group of her giggling cohorts,
Alice raised an eyebrow and scratched the side of her head curiously.
"Her test records are completely gone?" She glanced rather suspiciously
at her curly-haired friend, who had her nose buried in a thick
literature book. "Lyra, do you know anything about this?"
She didn't look up. "Hmmm?"
"What happened to Celeste's tests?" demanded the auburn-haired
one, wrinkling her nose. "You would know..."
Brown eyes remained on the book as the girl turned and began to
stroll away. "No, actually, I wouldn't..."
Her friend scurried to catch up. "But you HAVE to know! You're
her sister!"
"I don't know anything, honestly... You're too suspicious..."
"Lair!"
"No, I'm not."
"TELL ME!"
"Honestly, Alice..."
"Come ON, Lyra... PLEASE?"
"No."
"But..."
"No."
"LYRA..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Maybe I don't want to be alone," grumbled the little girl,
gingerly leaning back on her elbows as she watched a group of her
classmates play wiffle-ball. They were laughing and smiling as the small
plastic orb soared through the air and landed in the thick green grass,
causing her to sigh miserably. "But, then again, what choice do I have?
I'm stuck here, with Father at work and Mother...where ever..." She
wrinkled her little nose and picked up a battered copy of "Anne of Green
Gables." "But, at least I can enjoy myself..."
"HEADS UP!" screamed a young, female voice, and Aeris Chiba
glanced up with her colorful eyes to see a small brown-haired girl
tearing across the field straight toward her, ponytail streaming behind
her as she ran. Sighing, the green-haired child stood and started to
walk out of the way...
And she gasped when a small white ball fell into her hands.
"Good catch!" praised the brunette child with a large smile
crossing her face. "I didn't know you played ball!" Her grin grew as she
wiped a large spot of dirt from her pleated blue skirt. "Aeris, right?"
She nodded shyly, glancing down at the ball in her hands,
expressionless. Gripping it tightly, she held it out to the strange
girl.
"Hey, don't be shy!" laughed the girl, taking the ball away gently
and still grinning excitedly. "I'm Sarah Mokoti! Want to play with us?"
Motionless, Aeris glanced at the large group of children who were
gathered in the dirt field, faces and hair and uniforms dusty from too
many encounters with the still-damp ground. And then she looked to
Sarah. The brunette girl was grinning, with mud dotting her face and
uniform. She pressed her lips together and then, out of nowhere, she
smiled.
"Why not?" she shrugged, running into the field with her
classmates and leaving "Anne of Green Gables" far behind.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chibi-Scouts Say!
(Celeste appears, Cassiopeia draped over one of her shoulders.)
Celeste: Howdy! Today, I'M doing the Sailor Says segments! We learned a
valuable lesson, didn't we?
Cassiopeia: (smiling) Yep! We learned that--
(She is interrupted by the rest of the Chibi-Scouts, in civilian form,
appearing and holding their cats, as well.)
Ambriel: (resting her hands on her hips and glaring) YOU didn't tell us
that you were doing this! Why don't WE get to help?
(Celeste freezes. Kanji for "Foiled again!" scrolls behind her as one of
her eyebrows begins to twitch.)
Celeste: Well...
Aeris: (with a sigh) Quite unjust for the remaining Chibi-Scouts, do you
not agree?
Peter: (wrinkles his nose) It's unfair, right?
(They start arguing rather loudly.)
(Ara hops off her owner's shoulder to cross the little stage and glare
angrily at the silver cat.)
Ara: (angry) And why didn't you tell US about this?
(Cassiopeia sweat-drops. Kanji for "Trouble..." flashes behind her.)
Cassiopeia: (quickly) There's a good reason... Really... Uhh... It's
just that...
Galileo: (rolls eyes) Thought so.
Carina: (wrinkles nose) You DON'T care about us, do you?
Cassiopeia: (timidly) Well... I didn't mean it... I mean... Ummm, it
happens that... Uhh...
(Meanwhile, the Chibi-Scouts have begun a giant fistfight. The cats join
in.)
Celeste: (climbing out of the giant pile of arms and legs and feet and
claws and clothes and whatnot) The Chibi-Scouts say...
(Everything pauses as the Chibi-Scouts and pets smile at the camera.)
ALL: See ya!
(Fight resumes.)
-I Know-
Look around...
(Ambriel stares down at Tokyo from the top tower of Crystal Palace)
So many things aren't clear...
(Aeris and Peter stand before the Gate of Time with terrified
expressions)
Don't worry, though...
(Haley smiles and turns a page in her book)
You know that I'll be there...
(Orion and Orb chase after the kittens)
A lot of things are so uncertain...
(Tara, near tears, bites her lip)
The future's on its way...
(Michelle holds Delaney, an amazed smile on her face)
Look into my crying eyes...
(Reeny wipes tears off her cheeks while Serenity watches nervously)
Don't take your love away!
(Alice slams the door in her father's face)
Sometimes, the road looks long...
(Lyra looks up at the North Star)
And sometimes, the world seems wrong...
(Phoebe hugs her mother around the waist)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six Galactic Sailors hold up their lockets)
Sometimes, you feel weak...
(Richard grabs onto the wrist of a falling Celeste)
And sometimes, the future looks bleak...
(Terrence shakes his head as Sailor Pluto walks through the Gate of Time)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(Ambriel, Celeste, and Aeris all hold up their transformation pens)
Times will change...
(Tara, robes flying, chases Joshua around the courtyard)
People will change, too...
(Haley plays with her now-long hair)
But deep inside...
(Helios takes Reeny's hands in his)
I always will love you...
(Richard bends down to kiss Lyra)
I suppose there are questions now...
(Peter tugs on Terrence's pant leg)
The answers are so far...
(Alice and Phoebe dive for a floating sphere and miss)
But look at me and smile now...
(Hannah and Brian both smile as Alex takes Delaney into her arms)
I am your guiding star!
(Lyra and Richard stare at Celeste and Peter, who are watching the
sunset)
Sometimes, the road looks long...
(Lyra looks up at the North Star)
And sometimes, the world seems wrong...
(Phoebe hugs her mother around the waist)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six Galactic Sailors hold up their lockets)
Sometimes, you feel weak...
(Richard grabs onto the wrist of a falling Celeste)
And sometimes, the future looks bleak...
(Terrence shakes his head as Sailor Pluto walks through the Gate of Time)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(Ambriel, Celeste, and Aeris all hold up their transformation pens)
I know...
(Chibi-Pluto, the Angel Moon, and Chibi-Star stand together)
I know...
(The Galactic Sailors stand together)
All you need is love...
(All nine girls stand together)
All you need...is...love...
(The Prince and Princess of the Stars kiss)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Yay! The end! It's wonderful!
Oh, and--by the way--the SMS dub is awesome. EVERYONE should see it!
Hotcha!
--Kate
