Lost And Found-A Galactic Sailors Story
(Insert hilarious author's note here)
Okay, so I can't write anything funny. Why? Because, I was twenty pages
into this when my computer ATE my story! And the whole disk, basically.
Out of fifteen stories, I have saved four. Sad, isn't it? Well, enjoy
regardless. I'll try and make this one better than it would have been.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own SM. We all know that fact. Why do I bother?
Because I have all the time to remind you. And, I can say this: YOU
DON'T OWN IT, EITHER! (Ghwa...ha...ha...)
Rated PG for some language and stuff.
Yours till the SM is mine or Christina's...
~Kate and Christina
P.S.Last names of married couples (i.e.-Amy and Greg's last name, Mina
and Andrew's last name...) are those of the husband's Japanese first
name. (i.e.-Mina Mokoti, Amy Urawa) My spelling SUCKS, so play along.
I'll try as hard as I can...
P.P.S.Since the bad guys live in space, day and night is different.
Please don't yell at me for bad continuity. It's there, just...
different...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
THE STORY SO FAR:
The Raider's aren't doing much better, but they're trying. Sailor
Moon has obtained the Galactic Rod, which is infused with all the power
of her office. The Raiders desperately want the rod.
Meanwhile, the Sailors are still trying to understand the powers
they have-why lockets get warm, and why the Raiders are so set on taking
over the planet.
And that, my friends, is where this story begins...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I'm bored." For the eightieth time in two hours, the pink-haired
Princess of the Earth glanced up from her homework. "When's dinner,
Alice?"
Sweeping an auburn hair out of her face, Alice Kino glared at her
friend. "When I finish, Reeny. If you're so concerned about when we're
eating, you make dinner on your own."
Reeny stuck out her tongue in response.
"Leave poor Alice alone, Reeny," commented a blonde teen. "After all,
she's nice enough to do this."
"Lyra's right," said a brown haired girl, who looked older than the
rest.
Reeny rolled her red eyes. "What would you know, Haley? She's
obviously not making dinner fast enough..."
"THAT'S IT!" Alice threw down her spoon in disgust. "Everything I do
is just not good enough! Great! Then YOU make dinner, Reeny!"
Phoebe, a girl with six thick blue braids in her hair, giggled a bit.
"I don't think that's a really good idea, Alice-chan."
Alice sighed a turned back to the stove, muttering under her breath.
"Lousy Reeny... you'd think she was starved by her parents or something... I
tell you..."
The last girl sat apart from the rest. Her hair was raven colored and
flowed down her back in a single ebony stream. She was tall and rather thin,
as was her mother, and her eyes were an incredible shade of green. Though
the others were working on homework or other important business, she was
staring out the window.
Phoebe rose and walked over to the girl. "And as for you, Tara-chan...
You know you're behind the material you guys are working on in current
events class. Why don't you and Haley..."
Tara looked up with bloodshot eyes. Her cheeks were streaked from
tears, and she was obviously upset. "Thank you, Phoebe, but I would much
rather just go home and visit with my mother..."
"Is everything alright?" Lyra looked up from her math homework. "Do
you want to talk about it?"
"No, I don't." Tara rose and smoothed her red and cream temple robes.
Haley cocked her head and stared. "Are you sure you don't want to..."
"WHY DON'T YOU GUYS EVER LISTEN?" Tara screamed, kicking her now-empty
chair in disgust. "I'm fine! Why can't you five just mind your own damn
business?" She stalked out of the apartment without another word, leaving
her schoolbooks behind.
The others exchanged concerned looks without words.
Frowning sadly, Phoebe glanced at the floor with her ice blue eyes.
"Chad's really sick."
"Who?" asked Alice, raising her eyebrows.
"Her father, Chad." She sighed a bit and toyed with a braid. "Some
sort of virus... not even my mom knows what the heck it is, guys..."
Trailing off she looked at the other four girls. "Sad, isn't it?"
"Very," commented Reeny with a tear in her eye. "If it were my father,
I'd be a total mess."
Haley nodded at Reeny's statement. "If it were Alex or Michelle...
Hell, even if it were Hannah..." she trailed off, not quite knowing what to
say.
Lyra frowned. "That explains why she's been in such a bad mood lately.
That even explains the outburst."
Alice remained silent. Stirring the soup she was cooking, she felt
four sets of eyes on her.
"What?" She whirled around. "Am I supposed to pity her?"
Reeny rolled her eyes. "You're supposed to be sympathetic."
"For one," began Alice, toying with the hem of her apron, "Tara is
totally spoiled rotten by her dad. Serves her right. Number two, she's a
brat. Period."
"I'm afraid to even ask what three is," groaned Haley under her
breath.
Alice glared at the older girl with scorn. "Besides," she said, a bit
more softly. "Tara is lucky to even know her father."
"Is that what this is all about?" asked Haley with wide aqua eyes.
"The fact that you don't know your father?"
"No. It's about the fact that she doesn't realize." Smiling sadly,
Alice sighed. "It's the fact that she doesn't realize how lucky she is to
have a father. We have things in a breath, and then they're gone, but..."
"We all act like they're ours by right until it's far too late..."
Lyra sighed a stared at her friends.
Reeny, enlightenment dawning on her face, smiled. "We have things we
don't care about... Like friends..."
"And sisters." Haley smiled a bit, thinking.
Phoebe nodded. "A crappy old brown houses by Crystal Hospital."
They all laughed at that.
Then, Alice spoke up.
"I may not like the kid, but I think we should help her out." Picking
up her spoon from the countertop, she shrugged a bit. "We're Scouts. We
vowed to work together; whether we hate each other or not."
The other four vowed commitment.
"Now," Alice said with a slightly twisted grin. "Who wants to eat?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Five figures sat in a small parlor, all bored and tired.
"Stupid Sailor Scouts," whined Greed, stroking her leather pants idly.
"Because of them, we had to be up late, listening to the King talk."
"No," corrected a man in red armor, "stupid you and Illness, not able
to beat a couple of teen brats."
Sneering, the black-haired woman stuck out her tongue.
Doubt rolled her eyes at this. "You children, must I always remind you
of your place?"
"What place?" Illness asked sarcastically, opening one of his brown
eyes. "The place behind you?"
"I never said that," Doubt smirked, her white hair shimmering in the
waning candlelight.
Looking at the woman in gray, Death wrapped an arm around Greed.
"Don't listen to her, dear. Doubt is just..."
A flash of silver light flared up in the middle of room, and the King
of the Raiders appeared with a scowl on his dark face.
"Neo-Sailor Moon has the Galactic Rod." His voice was grave and low.
Violence sneered. "I still say that the Galactic Rod is a legend."
"And so is Sailor Moon, I suppose," retorted Death, tightening his
grip on Greed. "And the Silver Crystal, and the Moon Kingdom..."
"DO YOU FORGET WHERE YOU ARE?" roared the King suddenly, his dark
crimson hair becoming ruffled by his sheer anger. "This is not the home
galaxy, where you five can fight like the toddlers that you are. This is the
Milky Way, where the Sailor Scouts live."
Greed pouted a bit. "Your Majesty, we're trying..."
"Trying?" His voice was soft and kind. Walking up to Greed, he traced
her jaw line with his index finger. "It's so relieving to know that you're
'trying'..."
Grinning, she nestled closer to Death. "Thank..."
"BUT TRYING ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH!" He yelled, staring into her green eyes
and glaring at her. "YOU HAVE TO SUCCEED!"
With another flash of light, he was gone.
Slipping out of Death's grasp, Greed let out a strangled sob and ran
from the room.
"Are you going to chase her?" asked Doubt mockingly.
Smoothing his black shirt, Death slowing shook his head. "Not until I
give you three a mouthful, I'm not."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"It's a coma, Raye." The young doctor slipped her hands back into her
white lab coat. Her face was pale and grim. It was obvious that she hadn't
slept much lately. "I wish that you'd..."
"No." The Priestess shook her head and stared at Chad. "I will not
send him to a hospital, Amy. Never."
Looking sadly at her childhood friend, Amy sighed. "Raye, think of
him. It would save his life...it would increase his chance to live..."
"No." Kneeling on the floor, she closed her deeply purple eyes. "I
will do no such thing."
For the first time, Amy became aware of another presence in the room.
Tara had sat silently in the corner, thinking. Her green eyes were
blood shot; her cheeks were tear-stained. Short on sleep and on patience,
she watched the goings-on with a mute interest. But, when Raye said her
second 'no', Tara took in a sharp breath.
"Mother..." she said gently, shaking a bit. "Perhaps you should listen
to the Mistress of Mercury. It's possible..."
"Do you argue with me?" Standing in a single, graceful movement, Raye
lowered her beautiful eyes at her daughter. "You mean to tell me I'm wrong?"
Tara shook her head slowly, adverting her eyes.
"I'll tell you what's wrong," the Mistress of Mars continued, voice
wavering. "It's wrong that my daughter and childhood friend both want to go
against my wishes." She stormed towards the door then, as though it was an
afterthought, she whirled around.
"And..." Her voice was bitter and condescending. "It's wrong for
either of you to ask my husband-your father, Tara-to die in a room full of
machines and tubes. If he dies..." A tear rolled down her cheek and she
hastily wiped it away. "If he dies, he dies here."
And she was gone.
There was a heavy silence following Raye's leaving. Both Tara and Amy
just stared at Chad.
"Amy..." Tara bit her lower lip and let out a long sigh. "I just...I
just think you're right." She looked down at the floor and then up at the
blue haired woman.
Considering this, Amy put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Tara, know
this... I love your mother and father very much. Both of them... Well, we've
been friends as long as I can remember." A tear ran down her face, but she
smiled in spite of it. "And, I love you by... by default, if you will..."
She pulled her hand away from the young girl's shoulder.
"Why?" Tara asked softly, her voice nearly a whisper. "How could you
love a little thirteen-year-old girl like me?"
Amy laughed in spite of Tara's grave tone. "You're no little thirteen-
year-old to me. You're the Sailor of Earth, and someday, you'll be the
Mistress of Earth."
"I know," Tara said, her voice gaining strength.
Amy let another tear roll down her cheek. "Hope, Tara. Hope is all you
need. Don't you give up, because things look darkest when you give up."
Nodding at her friend's mother, Tara began to cry a bit. "Goodbye,
Mistress of Mercury."
"Amy," said the doctor, walking out the door. "My name is Amy."
Tara smiled. "Amy..."
And then, she began to cry.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sitting straight up in bed, Death shivered a bit. His dream had been
so real... so vivid. He could almost taste it.
Looking over at Greed, who was balled up in the sheets and sleeping
peacefully, he sighed slowly. "Why is it like this?" he murmured to himself.
"I just hope my dream isn't premonition." He touched the top of Greed's head
lightly and stroked her long, black hair. "I don't want to lose her."
The young woman stirred and looked up at Death with her emerald eyes.
"Well, hello," she yawned, taking his hand in hers. "Is it morning already?"
He shook his head slowly and kissed the top of her head. "I had a
dream."
Sitting up, her eyes grew wide. "Again?" she asked, amazed. "What
happened this time?"
He shook his head slowly. "I'd rather not concern you."
"I'm already concerned!" she yelped, clutching his hand harder. "I'm
terrified! You remember what the last one was about..."
Visions of her dying flashed back into his head. It seemed as though
each dream he had involved her death...except that one...
"Promise me something," he said seriously, staring at her. "Swear to
me that you'll let Illness take charge."
"WHAT?" she asked, blinking. "I'm his superior officer! Why should I
let him..." Looking into Death's black eyes, she swallowed hard.
He stared at her. "If you don't let him intervene, you will die in a
battle with the Scouts." A tear ran down Death's cheek. "And I can't let
that happen."
Leaning against his chest, Greed bit her lip to keep from crying.
"Oh...oh, my..." she murmured, letting a tear escape her eye. "Oh my..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Depositing her purse and keycard on the coffee table, Alice Kino
grinned. It was Friday... No school until Monday...
"Mom! I'm home!" she announced, ducking into the kitchen. Grabbing a
Sprite out of the fridge, she glanced around. Spotless. "Hmm..." she
murmured to herself. Shrugging, she walked into the living room and plopped
down on the couch. "Funniest thing happened in sewing class today," she
continued, turning on an old rerun of Pokemon. "I was at this one machine
and..." Stopping, she turned away from the TV. "Mom?" she called.
Standing, Alice made her way to her mother's bedroom. "Earth to
Mom...come in, Mom." Opening the door, she let out a sound that was half-
gasp and half-sigh. "Mom?"
The room was empty. No Lita.
Alice walked expectantly to the answering machine and glanced down at
it with a sigh. The blinking red light shone in the still-dark room like an
eye, shutting and opening at speeds that no one could ever measure.
Hitting the button, Alice feared the worst.
And received it.
"Hey Alice, my light," came Lita's always cheery voice. "I have to
work real late tonight-I'll be home around eleven. Why don't you call the
Scouts and invite them out for dinner? There's money on the kitchen counter.
Don't ever say I don't love you!" A chuckle came through on the machine.
"Well, nonetheless, I'll see you! Bye!" A click sounded on the machine, and
the little red light died after such a short life span.
Sighing, the auburn-haired girl bit her lip and flipped through the
phone book. "Hm...now, what name is Haley's number under? Ten'ou? Possible."
She flipped a few pages and smiled in success. "Ten'ou Alexandra, Michelle,
Hannah, and Haley. Bingo." She picked up the phone. "I think I'm in the mood
for pizza..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Pizza?" Haley grinned and looked into the mirror on the wall. "I love
it! I don't have any plans... Ooh! You're going to call Lyra and Phoebe,
too? Neat! I love it!" Nodding, she looked at Hannah and smirked. "Yep, I'll
pick you guys up. Eight? Okay. See you..." Hanging up, she turned her
attention to the black haired woman. "Hey, Hannah, guess who has a social
life!"
Hannah rolled her purple eyes, but didn't look up from her book. "Hey,
Haley," she retorted calmly, "guess what annoying little sister is going to
get a Silence Glaive shoved up her ass if she's not careful?"
The brown haired teen stuck out her tongue. "Your just jealous."
Looking at her sister, Hannah considered this. "I don't think," she
said calmly, "that I could be jealous of your stupid friends..." She bit her
lip and shook her head. "Wait, I could be jealous. I take that back."
Haley grinned in success.
"If one of them stole my boyfriend, that is," she continued, turning
back to her book. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."
Grimacing, Haley prepared to beat Hannah senseless. She wasn't in much
of a mood for stupid games. "Listen, you daughter of a bimbo..."
"Haley Jordan Ten'ou!" came a very strong voice from the doorway.
Whirling around, Haley groaned loudly. "Hi Mom," she said, facing
Michelle with a sigh. "What did I do now?"
Hannah smirked, stood, and left the room.
"You are not to speak to your sister like that," Michelle scolded,
placing her leather backpack on the floor. "I expect to come home from work
to a home, not a zoo."
"But Mom!" protested Haley, teal eyes pleading. "She started it!"
Shaking her head, the middle aged woman walked into the kitchen, her
daughter on her heels. "Why do I not believe that, Haley?"
"Cause I start all the fights, and I always provoke her..." Sipping a
half-drunken Coke, the teen sighed. "But why is that important? Shouldn't
you love us for our separate and adorable quirks?"
"I do!" Wrapping her arms around the girl, Michelle grinned widely.
"But..."
"But?"
"But annoying your adult sister is NOT a quirk!" Kissing the top of
her head, Michelle sat down. "It's mean!"
Haley sneered, but gave up and plopped into a kitchen chair. "OH!" she
suddenly said with a gasp. "I forgot! I'm going to Pizza Hut with the girls
tonight!"
"The girls?" her mother asked, glancing up from her cup of tea. "You
mean the Sailors?"
"Yep," agreed Haley with a grin. "Alice's mom isn't around tonight,
and you know how that girl is..."
"No, I don't." Her voice was kind, not condescending. "How IS that
girl?"
"Lonely," responded the teen, running a hand through her short brown
hair. "It's just her and Mistress Jupiter, so..."
"I understand." Michelle continued her reading. "Go on..."
"Well, we're going out to dinner." Taking another swig of the cola,
she rose. "I'm picking them up in an hour, so I'd better get dressed..."
"Wait." The adult green eyes were serious and stared at Haley with
intensity. "May I talk with you?"
The girl plopped back down in her chair. The air in the room seemed
suddenly heavy, and Haley felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise.
Though the kitchen was large and open, Michelle's tone made it feel
very...cramped. "What?"
"Susan had a premonition yesterday," she began, fingering an aqua-
colored strand of hair. "In it, one of us was greeted by a new man in our
lives."
"A man?" she asked, wide-eyed. "But..."
"I have Alexandra," the woman responded, smiling to herself. "And
Hannah is dating that guy, and Alexandra most definitely has me..."
"Me or Susan?" Her teal eye grew extremely wide. "Man-eater Susan?"
"Or you," Michelle reminded her solemnly. "It could be you..."
Haley raised her eyebrows, considering this. It was a
little...scary...and definitely a foreign experience to her. A guy? She
liked guys, of course, but she had never met one that struck her fancy... A
boyfriend? Her heart was racing from the mere thought of it.
Hearing footfalls on the linoleum brought Haley back to the real
world. Looking across the kitchen, she saw Hannah standing in front of the
microwave, leafing through the junk in a drawer.
Glancing at her sister, Haley suddenly saw something she...just hadn't
seen before. The young woman was wearing a long, spaghetti-strapped dress
that was the most beautiful color of purple. The trim was black velvet, and
it sparkled ever-so-slightly. Straight, thick black hair hung down a little
past her shoulders, and her light purple eyes were accentuated by a pair of
black-rimmed glasses.
Haley smiled. Maybe she was cranky old Hannah...but she WAS gorgeous.
"Where are you going dressed like that?" asked Michelle, staring.
Hannah laughed, but didn't look up from the drawer. "I have the
university ball tonight with Brian... Don't you remember?"
Raising a teal eyebrow, she glanced at her child again. "I don't
remember approving of this."
"You did," Hannah assured her with a sly grin. "Ah-ha!"
It was Haley's turn to be puzzled. "What?"
Tossing her sister a vial, Hannah smiled. "Our Mace sprays, Sis.
Remember?"
"Last year's Christmas presents," Haley responded, glaring lovingly at
her mother. "Can I go get ready?"
"Yes..." Michelle sighed in defeat.
As she left, the teen stared at her older sister. "Oh, and Hannah...
You look great. Brian will have a heart attack just seeing you." She was
gone.
Hannah blushed, a bit embarrassed, and stuffed the Mace spray in her
purse. Sitting down in the chair slowly, she bit her lip. "I heard your
conversation, and I think you're wrong," she said thoughtfully, staring at
her mother.
Michelle's eyes widened. "Really, Hannah?"
Hannah knew that, as the Mistress of Saturn, her thoughts would be
easily heard. It wasn't every day that the most powerful of Mistresses could
disprove the ruling of Sailor Pluto.
"Mother... I think that Susan is the one who is going to end up with a
boyfriend..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Susan? Why Susan?" Neo-Queen Serenity stared at her husband from
across the large mahogany desk.
Endymion rested his elbows on the desk and stared into her eyes. The
eyes had always been the color of the ocean, but, when she was about to
start an argument, they would suddenly be fused with the most alluring
silver sparks.
The sparks were there by the millions, it seemed.
"You do not quite...understand...Terrence."
"It's odd enough that you have a brother," the Queen retorted, staring
at the snapshot that she had been handed. "But to expose him to the Guardian
of Time? That leans to the side of ludicrous, my love."
Considering this, he stared at her. "I have reason."
"What would that be?" Her voice was thoughtful, but a tiny bit
sarcastic.
"All the others are married." Endymion looked at the ceiling with
care.
"Married?" asked the Queen, raising an eyebrow. "What do their
marriages have to do with anything?"
"You do not understand Terrence. If you understood..." Shaking his
head, he sighed.
Serenity considered this, and ran her fingers through a long pigtail.
"Well, what about Michelle and Alexandra? Or little Hannah? Surely, they
could..."
"Michelle and Alexandra are...involved with one another." Endymion
felt himself grow wary because his beautiful wife was missing his point
entirely. "And Hannah's dating a young man..."
"Named Brian from the university. I know," Serenity interrupted with
audible annoyance in her voice. "But, WHY must we pair your brother up with
the only unmarried Mistress?"
"Let's just say that..." Biting his lip, he searched for the right
words. "Terrence is... He'd make all the husbands, boyfriends, and lovers
very..."
"He's seductive?" supplied the Queen, eyes wide. "He's lonely? A
flirt? Attractive? Alluring?"
Blushing, the King of the Earth focused his attention to the skylight.
"Terrence falls under the unique category of... Well..."
"I do not have time for your games, Endymion," she scolded, staring at
him. "Just tell me."
"All of the above."
Laughing aloud, the Queen stared at her husband. "You're serious?"
Seeing his stone face, she stopped laughing. "Oh, dear..."
"Terrence could use a woman like Susan in his life." He focused all of
his attention on convincing the Queen. "Someone who will slap him if
provoked, yell at him when annoyed, and get in his face when it's needed."
Serenity nodded, trying to understand. "So, you plan to play
matchmaker with man-eater Susan and your 'all of the above' brother,
Terrence?"
"You hit the nail on the head, dearest." Endymion reached out and
squeezed one of her hands with love. "What do you think, though?"
"Honestly?" The Queen sat up in her chair and looked straight into his
deep blue eyes. "Darien, I think you're the most wonderful man in the
galaxy. I'll go along with all this because I care about you and I love you
with all my heart and soul."
"I love you too, Serena." He smiled at the use of their pet names.
"But, beyond that," continued Serenity with a sly grin. "I think your
plan is absolutely insane."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Pizza? I'm absolutely starving!" Lyra grinned hugely and jumped up
and down a bit. "Eight? Cool. Haley's driving? Neat! See you later!" She
hung up the phone with a huge grin. "Ma?" she called from her place in her
room. "MA?"
Sliding down the banister in her school skirt, she ran into the
kitchen at a record speed. "MA!!"
Mina slammed the baby's spoon down on the kitchen table. "Lyra Star
Mokoti!" she scolded, glaring at her eldest daughter. "How many times must I
tell you not to scream from your room?"
"Any number of times?" she tried with a sweet grin.
"Wrong." Picking the spoon back up, she shoved mashed carrots into
Lila's mouth. "I am sure your baby sister here has better manners."
"Yes, Ma." Looking guiltily at the floor, the girl smiled shyly. "May
I go to Pizza Hut with some of the Sailors tonight?"
"You are to take Celeste and Becky to Sailor V tonight," her mother
responded coolly, adjusting her red bow with a spare hand. "So, no you may
not."
"Ma!" she pressed, annoyed. "Becky already saw Sailor V...twice!"
"And Celeste?" Mina asked, lightly blue eyes surveying her child.
"What about her?"
Lyra bit her lip, considering her view options. She could always stay
home and read... Or she could just lock Celeste in her bedroom...
"Take her with," suggested a strong but gentle voice from behind her.
"Celeste loves pizza, and you'd have a lot of fun with her."
Lyra smiled and turned to face her father. "Great idea, Daddy!" she
grinned, hugging him with love. "I think I'll do just that!"
"How will the Scouts react, Andrew?" Mina asked, staring at her
husband. "I'm sure they won't be happy with a six-year-old tagging along."
"It'll be a lot of fun for us!" She ran a hand through her corkscrew
hair. "And, besides, we can always come home later."
"Come home? You actually would?" laughed Andrew, dislodging himself
from his daughter's grip. "You'd enjoy that?"
"Why not?" Lyra grinned. "Ma?" Her light brown eyes stared at her
loving mother. "Please?"
"Go... Have fun..." Sighing in defeat, Mina turned back to the baby
with a slight smile. "Just don't get into trouble."
"THANK YOU!" Giggling, Lyra dashed off to her room.
Rolling her own eyes at Andrew, Mina sneered. "I don't like this,
dear..."
He wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "I know you don't... but
you'll understand eventually." He smiled knowingly. "I love you."
"Now what do YOU want?" she joked, staring up at him.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Greed was nearly asleep in his arms when she began talking.
"I need you to swear something to me, Death..." she murmured, staring
into his black eyes. "I love you, and this is important to me."
He nodded knowingly and smoothed her now messy black hair. "Anything
for you, love..."
"Anything?" she asked doubtfully, snuggling closer.
"Anything."
"If I ever die, Death," she carefully said, a tear in her eye, "I want
you to go on. I want to know that you will never give up."
"What a question!" he exclaimed in a soft tone. "I could never live on
with my one true love gone..." He kissed the top of her head. "Now, go to
sleep."
She lowered her green eyes at him. "Promise me right now, Death, or I
will get up and leave you."
"Alright, I swear it."
"AND MEAN IT!"
"I mean it!"
"Okay..." Greed kissed his chin lightly and nestled close to him.
There was a pause before either spoke again.
"I know..." she yawned, interrupting her own train of thought. "I know
how hard this must be for you..." Already half asleep, she closed her large,
green eyes.
Death shook his head. "No, Greed... You have no idea." Sighing, he too
closed his eyes, and soon they were both asleep.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Hmmm... I'd really love to..." Closing her math book carefully,
Phoebe sighed. "It sounds like fun, but my parents aren't home, so..."
Pulling the phone away from her ear, she rolled her icy blue eyes. "You
don't have to yell at me, Alice," she responded with a half-sneer. "Come
over after dinner for some nachos, okay?" She nodded and smiled as Alice
babbled. "Good deal. See you then." She hung up the phone with a grin.
Standing, she arched her back. Though only fifteen, Phoebe looked
about eighteen years old. Her midnight blue hair was pulled into six thick
braids, and her ice-blue eyes were lined with thick black eyelashes. Even
her mother, who was often a bit pessimistic and bossy, would admit that her
daughter was beautiful. Hands down.
"I feel like dancing," she said aloud, smirking to herself. "Dance
tryouts are in a few weeks, and I really want to make the team." Switching
on her radio, she began to stretch slowly, limbering up for her favorite
type of workout-modern dance.
And that was when she heard it...
"Sailor Phoenix..." The voice sounded almost like some sort of wind to
her. "Sailor Phoenix..."
Stopping in mid-stretch, the teen's eyes grew wide. "Huh?"
With the possible exception of the radio, silence filled the bedroom.
Hearing nothing, Phoebe shrugged and started her stretches again.
"SAILOR PHOENIX!" came the voice, this time harsh and rude. "Let me in
already! I'm freezing my ass off out here!"
This made her stop. "Who's there?" she asked, glancing around.
"If you don't let me in, I won't be here for long!" the voice screamed
loudly.
Walking out of her room and towards the front door, Phoebe continued
to talk. "Who are you?"
"I'm your Guardian! And if you don't open up, I'll freeze the death!"
A sneeze echoed through the house. "Try explaining THAT to the Queen and
Princess!"
Shaking her head in disbelief, Phoebe opened the front door of the
brown house.
Nothing was there.
"This isn't funny!" she yelled out to the pitch-black night. "Dad, if
you're behind this..."
"Hey, Phoenix," came the voice, incredibly close this time. "Do me a
favor and look down."
She did so and then proceeded to let out a gasp. Sitting at her feet
was a tiny cat.
The cat had orange fur on his back and white fur on his belly and
paws. Where the orange and white met on his forehead was the most noticeable
feature of the cat.
A golden crescent moon.
"What?" the cat asked, staring up at her with copper eyes. "Haven't
you ever seen a guardian cat before?"
Still staring, Phoebe swallowed and managed to grunt.
Shaking his head, the cat started to walk into the kitchen with a
sigh. "Close the door... It's cold out tonight. Then, we'll talk."
She started to do so, and then stopped in mid-motion. "Wait!" she
called to herself. "This is some sort of caffeine-induced fantasy! That's
all..." She laughed nervously. "There is NOT a talking cat in my kitchen...
I had too much coffee... Or maybe my stretching made all the blood rush to
my head..." A large crash sounded in the kitchen. "Or not..." She dashed to
the next room.
The cat sat innocently on the counter while the entire drawer of
silverware lay on the floor.
"Oops?" he asked sweetly.
Rolling her eyes, Phoebe knelt down and began picking up the mess.
"Who the hell are you?" she asked angrily. "And why in the name of heaven
did you burst into MY house, knock over MY silverware, and..."
"My name is Orb," he interrupted. His tone was no longer joking, but
serious and adult. "I am a Moon cat, just like Diana and her family."
"A Moon cat..." she repeated looking up at him.
Orb continued firmly. "I am the son of Luna and Artemis, the royal
guardians of Earth. I am here to help my sister with your training."
"Diana's brother?" Phoebe asked, eyes wide. She placed the drawer back
in its proper place. "How did you manage to knock that thing onto the floor,
anyway?"
"Luck." Orb jumped off the counter and then stared at Phoebe. "I have
to get to the Palace right away."
"Oh, no!" she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not walking
there-not in this weather."
"You live three flipping blocks away!" he argued, annoyed. "You can
take me to the Palace!"
She shook her head. "If you're so anxious, walk," she retorted,
staring at him. "I'm bigger than you, so what I say goes."
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
There was a long silence. Neither cat nor girl looked at one another.
"Phoebe..." Orb finally said, his voice cutting through the pause.
"I'm...I'm hungry..."
Grumbling, she got up and began to make him something to eat.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Peeking her head into Illness' large office, Greed smiled slyly. "Hey,
Illness!"
He looked up slowly at the young woman. Her hair was up in a ponytail,
which was very different from her normally severe braid. "Enter..."
She walked in, still with her ridiculous grin plastered on her face.
She wore a long green skirt with a long slit on the left side, and her
normally leather garb was replaced by a tight black tank top. "Want to go
get some pizza?" she asked, sitting on the very edge of his desk.
"Excuse me?" he asked, brown eyes wide.
She rolled her eyes and continued. "Death has a meeting with Doubt,
and I want to get some humanoid pizza!"
"Humanoid pizza?" he repeated, placing his book on the desktop. "Why
would you want to eat THAT?"
"Fine," she snorted, rising. "If you don't want to join me, I'll just
go by myself!"
Sighing, he rose, staring at her. Greed WAS beautiful, and a just
silly enough to strike his fancy. She could be conceded and rude... But she
was really kind underneath. "I'm sorry, Greed," he said softly. "I'm come
with you." Waving his hand, his robes turned into khakis and a brown polo
shirt.
"Really?" she cooed, grinning. "That's great! I hadn't heard your plan
yet, you know."
"My...plan?" he gasped, raising an eyebrow in response to her. "You
want to hear it?"
She looked surprised at that. "Of course!" was her grinning response.
"Shall we go?"
"Where to?" he asked, still surprised by her behavior.
Thoughtfully, she bit her lip. "I was thinking of this place called
Pizza Hut..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Celeste..." Lyra groaned. "Come on..."
The little blonde girl turned up her nose. "No way! I want to play
Sailor V!"
Rolling her eyes, the older girl rose and looked at her two friends.
Haley, ever the tomboy in her silver tank top and blue jeans, was
shaking her head slowly. "Can't you get her to come?" she asked with
annoyance in her voice.
The other girl, dressed in a conservative blue sweater and a long
black skirt, stared. "Lyra?" Alice asked, raising a long eyebrow.
Celeste yelped aloud. "I want to play Sailor V!" she screamed at the
top of her little lungs. "I want to play Sailor V!"
Just then, a young man came up and smiled at the three teens. "Need a
hand?"
Lyra stared at him and got a strange deja-vu feeling in the pit of her
stomach.
He was probably about six feet tall and had extremely dark red hair
that was accented with the most graceful waves. His royal-blue eyes were
rimmed by silver glasses, and everything about him seemed...perfect? That
word fit the young man perfectly.
"I don't think you could handle THAT rugrat," Haley said in a tired
tone. "She's practically evil..."
Smiling, he stooped down and looked into Celeste's vividly green eyes.
"Hey, cutie. What's your name?"
She stared at him for a minute, and then some type of trust dawned on
her face. "I'm Celeste. Who are you?"
Lyra blushed and bit her lip. "Sorry, sir... She doesn't know
better..."
"It's okay," he returned, still focusing on the little girl. "My name
is Richard Umino."
Richard... Lyra sighed wistfully at his name, staring down at him.
Noticing her behavior, Haley laughed a bit.
"Come on, Lyra," she whispered, stifling a giggle. "Someone that cute
is BOUND to have a girlfriend."
Brown eyes grew wide. "You can see through me that easily?"
"Of course," Haley retorted, leaning against a wall. "After all, we're
Scouts. That kind of makes us sisters."
Meanwhile, Richard held out his hand to the young girl. "Will you come
with me?"
"I don't want to eat with Lyra." Celeste's young voice was a bit sad.
"She and her big kid friends will just ignore me."
"Well, I'm all by myself. How about I eat with-Lyra, was it?-and her
friends?" Richard smiled charmingly at the little girl. "Is that okay?"
She winked. "Yep!" Taking his hand, she allowed herself to be lead
back to the group of older girls.
"...Come ON, Lyra," Alice was whining as they approached. "Haven't you
ever tasted the Feta Cheese and Spinach Deluxe?"
"It's to DIE for," agreed Haley with a grin. "No meat, either, so it
keeps you fit and strong."
Lyra wrinkled her nose. "Gag me. Give me old-fashioned pepperoni any
day."
"Ditto," he spoke up, standing right behind Lyra. "Pepperoni pizza is
by far the greatest thing."
Her eyes widened as she heard his voice. Richard was surely the nicest
guy... But Lyra knew her mother, Mina-The-Warden, would never let her date.
"By the way," she said, turning around and looking at him. "My name is
Lyra Mokoti."
Mokoti? Why was that name familiar?
The one in jeans smirked. "They call me Haley Ten'ou."
Richard bit his lip. Ten'ou? Where had he heard that name before?
"And I," chimed in the auburn-haired girl, "am none other than Alice
Kino."
Kino? That name was familiar too...
Lyra smiled and played with a strand of blonde hair. "Thank you so
much for getting my sister to listen! I owe you something..."
"How about dinner?" he asked, hoisting the littler girl onto his
shoulders.
She blinked. Once. Twice. Dinner?
Richard, seeing Lyra's reaction, laughed. "I didn't mean it like you
think," he said reassuringly, looking down at her. "Celeste wouldn't leave
that machine unless I agreed to eat with you guys."
"Oh..." sighed Lyra with a disappointed grin. "Well, then, sure!"
"Great!" Richard responded with a smile. Something about the girls
nagged him... But what was it?
Shrugging his suspicion off, he followed them to the table.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"There's so much I wanted to tell you... So many things that I wanted
our family to do and to BE..." Sighing, the Mistress of Mars wiped a tear
from her cheek. "But, no more. I do this for you...because...I don't want
to...to..." Unable to finish the sentence, she raised her locket slowly.
"Mother!" Tara cried, running into the room. She had been watching her
mother's actions for the last few moments, and was shocked by the act she
was about to make. Maybe this was the only way... "Mother, don't!"
Raye gasped and turned to look at her daughter. The girl was extremely
tall and thin, and her green eyes were slanted ever-so-slightly as part of
her Shinto heritage. Pitch black hair hung well past her slender waist, and
most notably, a green and tan locket hung about her neck. She was Tara
Yuuichirou, thirteen-year-old Shinto Priestess who loved nature, hated bees,
and would protect the Cherry Hill Temple with her life if necessary. But
then, if she stepped into the light at the right angle, she was that
defender of love and justice, Sailor Earth.
"Yes, Tara?" she asked softly, clutching the Mars locket closer to her
body.
"Mother, I don't believe what you were about to do!" she scolded,
kneeling next to her mother with a deep sigh. "What would Father say?"
The High Priestess sighed. "He'd be alive and I would be dead. It
wouldn't matter..." A tear rolled down her cheek, and she wiped it away
quickly.
Tara took her mother's hand in her own. It was cold and shaking...
Raye was shaking.
"Father has always said to live for the moment," she sighed, staring
at her father. "And I'm sure he'd say it now."
Gulping, Raye bit her bottom lip. "But I can't bear to live if
he...if..." she started crying, this time not hiding it back.
A silence filled the room as Tara stared at her mother. She had never
before seen Raye so upset or sick about something... Her robes were wrinkled
and dirty, her hair was tangled, and there were black bags under her eyes.
The timeless maiden was turning into a sickly old woman before her
daughter's very eyes.
"I can't let you do such a thing, Mother," Tara told her, a tear
running down her own face. "I need you more than ever, now. You're a Sailor,
too... Or, you were." She hugged her mother and stared into the purple eyes.
"I love you...and I love him. But I don't want to lose you if it's his time
to go..." Tara began to cry.
And Raye, taking her child into her arms, cried with her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Greed and Illness sat in a booth, talking about their plans for Galaxy
domination.
"So, I think that the Observatory would be a great place to attack."
Illness turned the map towards her.
Rolling a strand of dark hair between two fingers, Greed studied the
Crystal Star Observatory. "Hmm... Central location, large area, strong
building..." She nodded and smiled at Illness. "I like it!"
He smiled and took a bite of his vegetarian pizza. "I'm glad." Then,
he sneered. "Listen to that bunch of kids."
The table next to the little booth had three teen girls, a young girl,
and a young man sitting at it. Laughing loudly, the man took a bite of his
pizza.
"I couldn't believe it the first time I meet the Princess, myself!" he
chortled. "She was just SO scatter-brained..."
A girl with dark blonde hair laughed. "I know! And she has the unique
habit of talking in riddles..."
"Constantly!" agreed a girl with very short brown hair.
Greed grimaced. All that noise was giving her a bad headache. "SHUT
UP!" she yelled at the girls, glaring in their direction. "You're a in
public place! You don't laugh so loudly in a public place!"
The three girls looked at one another and then all blushed deeply.
"Sorry..." murmured the one with the auburn hair.
Sneering, Greed turned back to her pizza...
And was promptly hit in the head with a meatball.
Turning very slowly towards the group of girls, she gritted her teeth.
"The source of that wad of beef better not have been from where I think it
is..."
The littlest girl at the table was now in the lap of the man, who was
trying his hardest not to laugh.
"I'm so sorry, Miss..." The short girl with the blonde curls stood up.
"She's only six; she doesn't know..."
"OUT!" Greed stood, knocking her cup of coffee over. "EVERYONE OUT!"
While people ran from the restaurant, Illness grabbed her thin wrist.
"Greed..." he warned, brown eyes staring up at her.
She glanced down at him, shrugged, and looked to the group of girls.
All four girls and their male friend were still at the table, afraid of what
was going to happen.
Greed transformed into her normal clothing. "The rugrat and Blondie
stay." Her voice was icy and evil. "The rest of you-out."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Susan, relax."
The green haired woman looked at the Queen of the Earth. Serenity, of
course, was sitting straight up on the teal-colored sofa, one hand around
her teacup and the other hand tight in Endymion's. Her face was placid-
perfect, even-as it had been since her birth.
"Easy for you to say," muttered the Guardian of Time with sarcasm in
her voice. Glancing at Alexandra, she lowered her eyes. "And you-don't even
say anything!"
Alexandra opened her mouth in mock surprise. Sitting on the piano
bench, she batted her eyelashes sweetly. "Me?" she asked with mock
innocence. "Why me?"
Rolling her eyes, Susan turned back to the King and Queen of Earth
before plopping down in a chair. She'd forgotten who long it had been since
the last time she wore human shoes... Her feet felt like they were on fire.
"Now, Susan," Endymion said, his blue eyes staring into her scarlet
ones, "you know that your duties to us are not just to protect Crystal
Tokyo."
Serenity nodded, a hopeful look lighting up her face. "Yes! And this
IS for the common good."
Alexandra chuckled from her seat.
Lowering her eyes, Susan glanced to her friend. "Go to Hell." Turning
back to the royalty before her, she sighed. "How does this help the common
good, my Queen?"
"Uh..." Serenity stared at the ceiling, a blank look on her face.
"Well..."
Endymion cleared his throat. "Terrence is part of the royal family,
Susan, and it is your duty as a Sailor Soldier to help the royal family when
they are in need."
"And he NEEDS someone to show him Tokyo!" announced Serenity, a
delighted smile crossing her face.
This set Alexandra off. Laughing hysterically, she rolled off of the
piano bench. "That is the STUPIDEST thing I have ever heard!" she giggled,
clutching her side. "You are all really too much!"
Michelle entered the living room and bent over, talking to Alexandra
in a hushed tone. Making a face, the blonde stood, brushed her clothing off,
and sat back on the bench, her aqua-haired 'wife' joining her. "I'm sorry,
Susan." Michelle blushed.
Beginning again, the Queen sat up tall and took a long sip of her tea.
"Please, Susan," the Queen cooed, staring at her friend. "We've known each
other for a very long time. Will you not help?"
Bristling, Susan rose and stood across the coffee table from Serenity.
Lowering her eyes for a moment, she took in a sharp breath. "Serenity..."
"Maybe you should listen to her." Michelle's high voice was loving and
sweet, but had a firm quality to it. "The Queen and King would do anything
for us. Perhaps we need to return her favor..." Trailing off, she focused
her green eyes on Susan's garnet eyes, hardly breathing.
Playing with the silver band on her finger, Susan sighed. "Queen
Serenity," she said, her voice gaining the timeless tone that only Sailor
Pluto had. "I have saved your butt time and again. I have battled evil,
protected Reeny, sent you back and forth from past to future, controlled
Talismen, and nearly stopped time for you. For my love of you, and Endymion,
and of the world." She paused, looking to both King and Queen, and then to
the women she would almost call her sisters. "And I will show Terrence
around for you, too."
Serenity grinned and started speaking, only to have the Guardian of
Time hold up a firm hand.
"I'm not doing this for companionship," Susan said quickly.
Smirking, Alex giggled. "Hey... That explains it. Michi, would you
like a three..." Being elbowed firmly in the stomach, the blonde shut up.
Sighing, Susan shook her head. "I am doing this for you." Smoothing
her long scarlet skirt, Pluto headed for the stairs. "If anyone wants me,
I'll be in my room..."
Michelle smiled at the King and Queen. "I don't know what your motive
was, but I'm glad you convinced her." Blushing, she rested her elbows on her
knees. "I've really missed Susan."
Endymion rose. "I'm glad that we've pleased more people than
ourselves." He and his beautiful wife started for the door. "Thank her for
us, will you?"
"Of course..." smirked Alexandra, rising with them. "We might hassle
her first about all this, though."
Serenity glanced disdainfully at the woman. "Mistress Uranus," she
scolded. "You'll do know such thing."
"Not while I'm within earshot, she won't," Michelle agreed, catching
the Queen's gaze.
"I'm glad," smiled Serenity. "Goodbye Uranus... Neptune."
Once the King and Queen left, Alexandra collapsed onto the couch.
"It's just you, me, and Susan."
Michelle smiled and joined her lover on the couch. "And Susan is much
too busy pouting to think of us..."
"Are you really that glad to see her, Michi?" Alex asked, smoothing
the aqua hair that hung near her face.
Michelle smirked shyly and hugged the blonde. "What does it matter?
She's our friend." Michelle kissed Alex lightly on the cheek. "And it seems
to me that she's here to stay."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Pacing nervously, Alice stared at Haley. "Are you going to sit there and do nothing?" she asked, staring across the women's washroom and at her friend.
Haley bit a fingernail idly and repositioned the way she was sitting on the sink. "What do you want me to do? Rush out there, transform for Greed's viewing pleasure, and then get myself beaten to a bloody pulp? I think not!" She looked up and into the chocolate eyes of the girl that was Sailor Aurora Borealis. "You're to impulsive for your own good."
Raising an eyebrow, Alice looked to her. "I don't know what you mean, and I don't care. Our friend is out there."
"I love her as much as you do," Haley said solemnly. "But I don't see how we can fight them without the others."
Pulling her brooch from her skirt pocket, she sighed and glanced at it. "I wish that..." Gasping, enlightenment dawned on her face. "The lockets get warm!"
"Excuse me?" asked Haley, raising her eyebrows. "They get warm?"
Alice nodded, grinning. "When one of us transform, the rest of our lockets get warm. That's why we showed up at Crystal Academy when you and Pheebs got attacked!"
Smiling slyly, Haley shrugged. "Then, I approve of fighting." Pulling her own locket from around her neck, she looked at Alice. "You're too impulsive, but you're also far too smart."
"Thanks." Raising the Locket of Light, Alice cleared her throat. "Aurora Borealis Galactic Power... MAKE UP!"
"Comet Galactic Power... MAKE UP!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"So, Phoebe," Orb asked, eating a bologna sandwich with a grin on his white and orange face, "what are your parents like?"
Looking up from her spinach salad with care, the blue-haired girl considered this. "My dad is a surgeon-world famous, too."
"And your mom?" he asked, not knowing the dangerous territory he was stepping into.
Phoebe sneered. "She's a cranky little bigot," she commented, staring at her dinner. "But, besides that, she runs all of Crystal Hospital."
Orb smiled. "Mother always said that Amy Anderson would amount to something."
"You knew my mom?" Phoebe dropped her fork in shock. "What was she like as a kid?"
Orb shrugged. "I didn't know her, but Mother, Father, and Diana did. Very well, actually." He sighed a bit and looked into her blue eyes. "From what I've learned, your mother was always concerned about being the best at everything and never failing."
"Never failing..." Phoebe sighed, sniffling a tiny bit. "But she doesn't understand that I am a normal kid and person. She expects me to be her and a Sailor. That's it."
"Hard, isn't it?" Orb laid down on the cool surface. "Trying to be someone you're not..."
"I am a teen girl!" she announced a bit loudly and in a dire British accent. "Hath I not teenage eyes? Burnt by the same fire, hugged by the same Greg, laughed at by the same Moon Princess and enlightened by the same books as my mother is. If you bite me, do I not yelp? If you cry on my shoulder, do I not sympathize? If you hand me a computer, do I not program it? And if you expect me to be Amy Anderson, do I not FAIL?"
Rolling his copper eyes, Orb smirked, half amused and half annoyed. "Bravo, bravo. I'll call the Oscar Nomination Committee and get your name on the ballot. Meanwhile, I was trying to have serious conversation with you."
Sticking out her tongue, Phoebe sat back down in her chair. "You're just jealous because I am a really good actress and you..." She stopped, digging suddenly into her pockets.
"What?" he inquired, staring at her.
Clasping something in her hand, Phoebe stared at the guardian cat. "My locket just got really warm..."
"That means danger!" He sprang to his paws and stretched quickly. "If you transform, you'll be able to home in on the other Scouts."
"Pizza Hut," she said, trying to take the disc off its chain. "They're at Pizza Hut."
"Amazing!" Orb gasped, staring. "You're the first one I've heard of that can sense them prior to transforming."
Rolling her eyes, she raised her locket. "That's because they told me where they'd be." She cracked her knuckles. "Phoenix Galactic Power... MAKE UP!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Reeny wiped her brow in exhaustion and leaned the broom against the side of the temple. "Anything else, Tara?"
Tara smiled. The entire ordeal with her father was eased dramatically by the Princess' unending help at the temple. Her meager and currently dim existence seemed to have one single light in it-the light shed by a pink-haired girl with pigtails. "I think we're pretty good to go." Looking at her watch, Tara gasped. "It's nine at night, Reeny! You've been here since noon!"
"So?" the Princess winked. "Anything for a friend, Tara." She yawned a little. "I'm tired though," she finally admitted with a knowing grin.
In a rare moment of caring, the dark-haired teen wrapped her arms around the Princess. "Thank you so much, Princess. I don't know what I'd do without you!"
Rolling her eyes, Reeny hugged her friend back. "No Princess talk, Tara!"
Sighing, she focused her green eyes down to her shorter but older friend. "Sorry, Reeny... I got caught up in the moment."
Diana, from her seat on a rock, smiled. "You two..." she chided sweetly. "My mother would yell at you guys... I'm glad that you both have friends."
The Shinto Priestess smiled a bit. "My mother would probably name twenty other chores waiting for me..." She stopped and felt for her locket. "Uh-oh..."
Reeny searched her too-big temple robes for the Locket of the Moon. Gripping it, a realization came to her.
"It's warm!" she exclaimed, surprised.
"Not again..." groaned Tara, biting her lip.
Diana jumped onto the ground and stood between the two. "Glad you're both excited about this, but come on! We've got evil to fight!"
"Other Sailors to save!" chimed in Reeny.
"And powers to use!" Tara smiled.
"Ready?"
"When you are!"
Reeny held her golden locket high. "Moon Galactic Power... MAKE UP!"
Tara followed suit. "Earth Galactic Power... MAKE UP!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Both Lyra and Celeste huddled under a table, nervously awaiting their fate.
Greed helped herself to another piece of pizza. "You guys can relax a bit. I'm not done with my dinner yet."
"And after that?" the blonde teen trembled.
Whipping her braid behind her, the Raider shrugged. "Then, you die."
Gulping, Celeste reached out for her big sister's hand. "Lyra..." she whispered, squeezing the soft but sweaty hand. Biting her lower lip, she sighed. Better late then never. "Lyra, I have to tell you something."
"Shhh..." Holding a finger to her lip, Lyra shook her head of curls. "I'll get us out of this; don't you bother yourself with worrying."
Furiously shaking her head, Celeste stared at her elder sister. "That's not it, though. I want to tell you about..."
Glaring at the two, Greed held a finger to her blood red lips. "Shush. I can't eat when you're loud." Taking a huge bite out of her slice, she looked down at them again. "Oh, and would you get up? I can't stand to see you two lay there like animals!"
Grabbing the tiny hand of her sister, Lyra rose shakily. Her heart was pounding in complete fear, and she couldn't help but think that her death was near. It was a scary experience-so much danger, so little time...and no where to transform.
Celeste looked at Greed and felt her knees grow week. She had never once been so scared in her entire life. "Lyra..." she hissed through clenched teeth. "Can I please tell you something?"
Not looking away from her dinner, Greed shook her head. "I said shush. I mean it." She drank some coffee slowly. "Don't make me mad. You wouldn't like it."
Illness took a bite of his pizza. "Who are you two, anyway?"
Trembling, Lyra felt beneath her blouse. Her locket, of course, hung in its proper place. If only she could get out long enough to transform... And Celeste-sweet, naïve Celeste-was in more danger than she was. At least she was Sailor Polaris. At least she could fight back. Celeste? No defense. No hope...
"Stop right there!" came a strong female voice.
Another voice called out to the two Raiders. "Don't even think about hurting them!"
Nearly choking on her pizza, Greed slammed her fist down on the table. "SHIT!" she yelled unceremoniously. "Why didn't we think of those Sailor brats?" Looking at Illness, who was still eating, she lowered her eyes. "Are you concerned?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Not in the least."
A brown haired girl in a gold and orange fuku appeared with her arms crossed over her chest. "I am the sporty Sailor Comet, and I will protect the world's dawn of life."
Sporty? Lyra stifled a laugh, looking down at her sister. Little Celeste was amazed by Scout.
"And I," said another Scout, this one with a lavender and dark blue outfit, "am the kindly Sailor Aurora Borealis. Holding to the movement of the stars, I protect those in need."
Greed bristled. Pulling her long sword from its scabbard, she lowered her deep eyes. "Surrender now," she growled, voice low and evil, "or prepare to fight."
Aurora Borealis and Comet looked at each other. "Uh..."
Lyra rolled her brown eyes. Idiotic Scouts.
"Celeste," she hissed, crouching down. "Go hide under a booth. Okay?"
The little girl shook her head vehemently. "Not without you!"
Kissing the top of the little one's head, Lyra let a tear roll down her cheek. "Trust me on this, 'Leste," she cooed, wiping the tear away. "I can take care of myself."
Hugging her sister, Celeste grinned. "I sure hope so." She took off like a flash for the other side of the room.
"Good luck guys," Lyra mouthed, winking at the two Scouts. "I'll be back."
Raising her sword, Greed smirked. "Goodbye."
"COMET CRATER CLOSE!" screamed Comet, willing the attack to work.
Illness rolled his eyes and stuck out a hand. "Dark Rebuttal," he muttered.
The attack was countered.
Comet's mouth fell open. "What was that?"
Shrugging, Aurora Borealis cracked her knuckles. "Aurora Borealis," she yelled, spinning in a circle. "SHINING!"
Light began to shimmer down from the ceiling.
Illness sighed. "When will you learn? Dark Rebuttal!"
The light quickly faded.
"Shit..." sighed Comet, pacing a bit. "We're screwed."
Smoothing his brown robes, Illness pointed to the Scouts. "Sit."
They both found themselves forced to sit on the floor.
"What the heck?" asked Aurora, trying to stand with little success.
Struggling with whatever was holding her down, Comet groaned. "Crap."
"Leave them alone!" came two new voices.
Greed rolled her eyes. "MORE Sailors?" Kicking a table, she clenched her fists. "How many do they need?"
Sailors Polaris and Phoenix stood before them, standing back to back.
Polaris smiled. "I won't let you hurt innocent teens and kids."
"And I won't let you destroy Pizza Hut," Phoenix said. "Phoenix Heat..."
"DON'T!" screamed both Comet and Aurora Borealis in unison.
"FLASHING!"
Illness shrugged. "Do it the hard way. Dark Rebuttal."
The stream of fire and steam disappeared.
Phoenix's mouth fell open. "WHAT WAS THAT?" she shrieked at Illness, her ice blue eyes glaring at him. "HOW COULD YOU STOP MY ATTACK?"
"Shut up," Illness sighed, waving an arm.
Her mouth kept moving, but no sound came out. Flailing her arms and jumping up and down, Phoenix tried to scream. Nothing.
Polaris bristled. "Okay, let's try this again."
"WAIT!" a male voice hollered.
All four Scouts glanced upward, towards the top of the salad bar.
There, in his purple cape and black tuxedo, stood the ever adult Starlit Prince.
And, next to him and clutching onto his leg, was Sailor Chibi-Star. The littler Scout looked positively terrified; her large green eyes were bloodshot, her pale cheeks were stained with tears, and her blonde pigtails were messy.
Sailor Polaris paled as a double dose of deja vu washed over her. Shakily, she swallowed. "Uh... Why should I wait?" she asked the young man cautiously.
It wasn't the Starlit Prince but Chibi-Star who spoke up. Staring at the Sailor of the North Star, she stood a little taller. "Because he's going to Darkly Rebut you!"
"Huh?" She raised a blonde eyebrow.
The Starlit Prince shook his head. "You and someone else need to attack at the same time or..."
"Well, duh!" commented Comet from her seat on the floor. "I could have told her that."
Belting Comet on the head, Phoenix tried to talk again, but was unable to. Jumping up and down, she clutched her throat furiously.
Polaris rolled her eyes, taking a mental inventory of the situation. Phoenix couldn't talk and, therefore, couldn't attack anyone; Comet and Aurora Borealis were stuck sitting on the floor, unable to do much more than talk. That left..."
"Chibi-Star!" Polaris yelled. "Attack them with me!"
"Not so fast!" retorted Greed, holding up her sword. "You're not getting past me that easily!"
Lobbing a purple rose at the Raiderette, the Starlit Prince looked down at his little friend, Chibi-Star, and then to Polaris. "Now!"
"Starry Sky..." began Polaris, raising a hand high.
Chibi Star stood with both arms above her head. "Small Star..."
"Smash!"
"Shatter!"
Both drew their hands away from their bodies and downward in a perfect synchronism.
"Wow..." cooed Comet.
Aurora just stared, wondering how Chibi-Star and Polaris could be so much alike.
Pulling the rose out of the leather covering her stomach, Greed stared at the shimmering glass and rolling ball of stardust that was coming towards her and her companion, Illness.
"We'll be back!" she growled, throwing the rose on the floor and disappearing.
Illness snarled. "Make no doubt about that!"
Attempting to stand, Aurora sighed in relief. Her legs finally obeyed and she rose. "Whew..."
Phoenix cleared her throat in delight. "I CAN TALK!"
This amused the Starlit Prince, and he laughed. "Glad to hear it. So long, Scouts."
"Bye!" Chibi-Star chimed in, reattaching herself to his black pant leg.
Polaris' brown eyes grew wide. "Wait! Aren't you going to tell me..."
They were gone.
"Who you are?" she finished, disappointment filling her young voice.
A young male voice spoke up. "Don't fret, Polaris-a lot of things are yet to come. Maybe, someday, he'll tell you who he is!" The voice was chipper and understanding.
Phoenix grinned and scooped up a small orange and white cat. "May I present..."
"Orb, your newest Guardian Cat!" the cat chimed in, his crescent moon glinting in the light.
Suddenly, the door burst open and Sailors Earth and Moon entered the restaurant. Sailor Moon held the Galactic Rod in a hand looked ready to kill someone.
"Where are they?" she asked in a confused tone, spinning around to survey the entire room.
"Gone, Reeny," responded Comet. "Lyra freaked them out."
Wrinkling her nose, Moon pouted. "Aww, shucks..."
Diana rolled her red eyes. "And I thought she was starting to be a real hero..." Glancing at Phoenix, she did a double take. "Orb?" Her eyebrows rose to astronomical heights.
Winking a copper eye, Orb grinned. "Seems as though I'm back for a stay, Di," he sniggered.
Diana sighed. "This is NOT my week," she muttered.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sitting on the green sheets of her bed, Susan sighed deeply. Even her room at the house had become unfamiliar... She had spent too long at the Gates of Time. So long, in fact, she had forgotten the simple joys of life.
Sipping her tea, Susan bit her lip, drawing a bit of blood. "Maybe my premonition was just calling me to come home. I've sure missed this place... I've even missed Alexandra!" Laughing at herself, she glanced into the mirror.
She had grown a few inches since her days as an active Scout; her darkly hunter green hair had become more wavy, and nearly reached her ankles. Scarlet-framed glassed complemented her garnet eyes and sat low on her nose, giving her a dignified and adult look. But, in her opinion, she looked too severe and...too stern.
Shaking loose the fat bun that held up half her hair, she smiled a bit. "I never thought I'd be back here... not after defeating Galaxia..." Smiling wider, she blinked back tears. "But, here I am."
The door opened a bit, and Susan felt herself spin around in anticipation.
"Aunt Suse!" shrieked Hannah, throwing herself into the tall woman's embrace. "I haven't seen you in what seems to be an eternity!"
Susan laughed a bit and smoothed the girl's nearly purple hair. "I'm here now, aren't I?"
Leaning her head on Susan's shoulder, Hannah smiled. "I guess you are, Suse..." Looking up with teary eyes, she swallowed to keep from crying. "I've been through a lot...And I'm so glad to finally see you..."
"So am I," Susan muttered. "So am I..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Orb and Diana sat at opposite ends of the Urawa's living room, glancing suspiciously at one another.
"So, you and Orb are siblings?" asked Reeny, stuffing several chips in her mouth.
Diana rolled her red eyes. "Sadly, yes."
"You're just jealous because Mom likes me better!" Orb retorted, sticking out his pink tongue.
"Am not!" the pink cat returned.
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
It had been going on like that since the little orange and white cat had arrived. Even Lyra confessed that she and Becky, the sister directly younger than her, didn't fight as much as the two cats.
"Yes, we are," Orb finally said in response to the Princess. "Diana is three years older than I."
Diana wrinkled her nose. "Orb was spoiled rotten by Mom and Dad."
"Was not!" Orb retorted.
Rubbing her temples slowly, Haley sighed. "Cut it out, alright? I've had enough of your childish bickering."
The blonde Scout shifted her weight. "You alright, Haley? You seem stressed out."
"I don't know..." Haley sighed, blinking. "I feel like I'm going to pass out..."
"Weird." Phoebe stood. "Want some aspirin?"
Haley shook her head, breathing deeply. "Someone call my Mom and have her come get me and the car..."
"I'm on it!" Alice jetted out of the room and towards the kitchen.
Orb sighed. "Fight lag," he muttered.
"Fight lag?" asked Diana, rolling her eyes. "Do you ALWAYS make things up, or just occasionally?"
"I'm not making this up, you jerk!" he snapped, focusing his copper eyes on his older sister. "Stop nagging me and listen for a nanosecond..."
"Would you be quiet?" Haley's bloodshot aqua eyes focused on the cat. "I feel so sick..."
Phoebe helped her up slowly. "Celeste is asleep in my parent's room... I'll put you in there. Okay?"
Haley could hardly manage to nod.
"It's just fight lag," Reeny said quietly. "After battles that involve a lot of danger and being attacked, you get really tired."
"How come only she felt it?" asked Lyra, listening with interest.
Reeny shrugged. "I don't know... Maybe she finally gave up..."
"She IS strong," Tara whispered from her seat by the window. "Very strong."
"Like your father?" Alice entered the room and her dark eyes flew to the thin girl. "Strong like him?"
Tara just managed to nod.
Alice shrugged. "Hannah and Susan will be here in about ten minutes."
"SUSAN?" Diana's eyes grew wide. "Why the hell is she here?"
Looking up at the stars, Tara gulped. "I don't know for sure... But I can sense it..."
The pink cat jumped off the table. "What is it?" she asked, staring at her charge.
Green eyes focused on the furry cat. "Susan is here to fall in love," she said seriously.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Greed threw her sword against the wall. "I have never been so...nice...in my life!"
Rolling his black eyes, Death sighed. "You're a great actress, dearest. Illness probably thinks you like him." He opened his arms to her.
Sticking out her tongue, Greed snarled. "Will you shut up, already? I hope that I can be mean again...soon..." Looking at his open arms, she sighed and gave him a tight hug.
"Don't you worry..." he breathed into her ear. "Soon enough you'll be able to be yourself..."
Raising an eyebrow, she looked up. "What is that supposed to mean?"
He swallowed. "I think...I think Illness is going to die."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Endymion paced back and forth, wringing his cape in his hands. He was nervous, and the look in his blue eyes sure showed it.
From her seat behind the large desk, Serenity sighed and tried to distract her husband. "Calm down," she cooed, looking at him with noticeable concern. "You'll give yourself an ulcer, dear..."
"But Susan is late!" Endymion yelped, glancing at his watch for the eightieth time.
Serenity raised an eyebrow and idly adjusted her crown. "What is wrong with her being late?"
He rolled his eyes. "She's the flipping Guardian of Time, Serenity! She shouldn't, therefore, be late!" He kicked a chair. "And Terrence is also late!"
Shaking her head slowly, the Queen turned to her computer. "For the record, dear, Susan may be late because of the battle last night."
"Battle?" asked Endymion, shocked. "What battle?"
"The Sailor Scouts were in a battle yesterday." She shrugged and began typing on the computer. "Haley had her first fight lag."
"Fight lag?" Luna inquired from her plush cat bed. "What in Heaven's name is fight lag?" She raised her head slowly and glanced at the Queen.
Serenity cocked her head a bit. "You don't know about fight lag?" she asked carefully.
"Obviously not!" Luna snapped back, annoyed. "What is it?"
"When you get into a fight," came a familiarly timeless voice, "you happen to have a wave of nausea, depending on how hard you actually DID fight."
Serenity smiled warmly. "How nice to see you, Susan."
The Time Guardian swept a hair behind her shoulder. She was wearing a slightly tight black dress with crimson trim, and it just barely swept her ankles. Her glasses were actually on the top of her head instead of down on her nose, and two crimson earrings hung down from her ears. She looked beautiful, and Endymion found himself staring.
"Uh... Hi, Susan..." he stammered, receiving a fierce glare from his young wife. "You look... Terrence will surely... Well, you know how we guys are... Uh..."
Serenity rolled her eyes. "Susan, gorgeous outfit. Terrence will be amazed."
"I really hope he retains his motor skills upon seeing me," Susan quipped, smiling her secretive smile. "Do you happen to know if Endymion's reaction runs in the family?"
Chuckling a bit, the King bowed very nobly, smiling. "Is Haley alright?"
Susan nodded, sitting carefully in an armchair. "She's never experienced fight lag..." Biting a crimson lip, Susan's expression turned thoughtful. "The strange part is that not one of the other five Galactic Sailors have gone through fight lag yet..."
Shrugging yet remaining thoughtful, Serenity smiled a bit. "I'm sure there's a very logical reason..."
"For what?" came a brand new and sarcastic voice.
Three sets of eyes turned to the doorway, while Luna just sighed and laid her head on her paws.
A young man stood in the door, his tan suit a bit messy but intact. His hair was mostly brown, but was highlighted with blonde. A pair of glasses sat on his nose, and a goatee covered part of his chin.
Endymion swallowed. "Terrence?"
The man smirked. "In the flesh, Endy." He made a face. "Endy... Ugh, what a name? What were Mom and Dad on when they named you?" Grinning wider, he bowed. "My King... My Queen..."
Serenity chuckled. "I like him, Endymion," she cooed happily, standing slowly. "He had a good soul."
Staring, Susan blinked. She had never seen a man so free-spirited and easygoing...especially not one who stood before the King and Queen of the Earth. Smirking a quirky half-smile, she bit her lip. He was also very attractive...
"And who is this vixen?" Terrence joked, glancing slyly at Susan.
Rising, Susan stood and bowed a bit. "Susan Meiou, the Guardian of Time," she responded, introducing herself.
Terrence considered this. "I'm sure that you tell that to ALL the guys, Sets." He threw himself into a chair.
"Excuse me?" she asked, taken aback. "What did you call me?"
Serenity grimaced. Endymion swallowed, gritting his teeth. Luna sighed.
"Here we go..." she muttered.
"Sets," Terrence responded, opening his jacket and reaching into it. "I called you Sets."
"Sets?" She raised an eyebrow.
Pulling out a yellow rose, he held it out to her. "Setsuna 'Susan' Meiou," he responded lightly, smiling sweetly. "That's your full name."
Turning her nose up at the flower, Susan rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "How the HELL am I supposed to show you around the city?" she asked rhetorically.
He shrugged. "Not my problem, now is it?" Closing his hand around the rose, he smirked, and reopened his hand. The rose was gone.
Both Susan and Serenity stared at him. "How'd you do that?" asked the Queen with wide eyes.
Blinking and shaking her head, Susan wrinkled her nose. "Parlor tricks."
Holding out his now-empty hand to the Time Guardian, his face turned serious. "Would you like to take me to the Observatory, Sets?"
She bristled, staring at his hand. Never before had a man offered to hold her hand. Looking down at her own hand, she swallowed. Why was her heart all the way in her throat? And why was her stomach doing flip-flops? She couldn't figure any of it out.
"Uh... Alright... Prince Terrence..." she stammered, taking hold of his hand.
Terrence winked a green eye at Endymion before looking back at Susan. "And, Sets, none of this 'Prince' stuff... I'm no Prince..." He pulled her towards the door. "See you later, bro!"
As soon as they were out of earshot, Serenity smiled meekly. "They're cute, aren't they?"
Wrapping an arm around her waist, the King nodded. His blue eyes were almost teary. "I have a brother..." he smiled. "And he has me..."
"What does that mean?" asked Serenity, looking up. "Why would that be..."
Kissing her, Endymion cut off her talking. Pulling back away, he placed a soft hand on the top of her head, stroking the golden hair. "Not even I know..." he mumbled, holding her close. "Not even I know..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Feeling better, Haley?" asked Phoebe, peeking her head into the room.
Sitting up in her silver-sheeted bed, Haley nodded tamely. The bass drum in her head was still being pounded, and her eyes still throbbed to some unreal beat. "Yeah..." she murmured, swallowing. Her voice was weak but heard. "I'm just really tired..."
"Aw... Dang it!" Phoebe walked into the bedroom, revealing herself. She was wearing a cream skirt with green and blue plaid on it, and her top was tight and light blue. She looked as though her stepped out of some sort of teen catalogue, only... She didn't pull it off very well. Seeing Haley's stare, she raised an eyebrow. "What are you looking at?" she asked, glancing down.
Haley shook her head. "Nothing..." she croaked, groping for the glass of water that sat on her desk. "Now, what brings you halfway across the city?" Sipping the warm liquid, she considered Phoebe with her green eyes. "It couldn't be to see me..."
Sitting on the edge of the bed, the blue haired girl glanced around Haley's bedroom. It was big and had a silver and orange color scheme... The same colors of Sailor Comet. A giant bookshelf sat in one corner of the room, laden with books, magazines, and family photos. One, which was of her as a child of about one and of Hannah as a teen stood out.
Catching her friend's gaze, Haley attempted a smile. "The first picture that they took of me and Hannah..." she said with a slight bit of pain in her voice.
"Wow..." commented the amazed girl. "You and Hannah's ages are really far apart, aren't they?"
Haley shook her head of brown hair. "As Mistress Saturn, Hannah is eternal. She's a few centuries old, but..."
"Looks about twenty-two..." Phoebe finished. "That's really amazing." She shrugged. "I always think of my Mom as the cranky middle aged lady that she is, but, she's really a few thousand years old." Biting her lip, she sighed. "Weird world, isn't it?"
Nodding, the girl in bed sighed. "Now, what did you want?"
"OH!" Phoebe groped into her green purse and pulled out several little strips of paper. "I got tickets to the big star show at Crystal Light Observatory!" she announced triumphantly. "Want to come?"
Thinking about it, Haley chewed her lip. There were so many things that she wanted to do on the lovely Saturday it was turning out to be... But Crystal Light Observatory?
"Reeny and Lyra are definitely going. Tara doesn't want to, but I might drag her along..." Phoebe was saying loudly with a goofy grin on her face. "What do you say?"
Shrugging, Haley smiled weakly. "Sounds fun. But there is no way that Michelle will let me go in this state..."
The door popped open, and Alex stuck her head in. "Haley, I'm taking the Corvette out. Need anything?" she asked. Seeing Phoebe, she let an embarrassed look pass across her face. "Sorry, Phoebe. I didn't know you were here..."
"It's okay, Ms. Ten'ou," Phoebe politely said, smiling. "We were just talking about going out..."
"Need a ride?" the blonde woman asked.
Haley shook her head. "Michelle would never..."
"What Michelle doesn't know won't get your Scout butt grounded, Kiddo." Alex winked. "Know what I mean?"
Her face lighting up, Haley jumped out of bed. "Give me five minutes!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Plopping her omelet onto the plate, Alice glanced at the time. It was ten a.m. on a Saturday morning, and Lita wasn't up yet... Nearly shaking, she put the skillet back on the stove.
Suddenly, the door to the kitchen opened and her mother waltzed in, stretching. "Morning, dear," she said, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "You were asleep when I got in at eleven..." she said, opening the fridge.
"Liar." Alice took a bite of her omelet, an eerie calm in her voice.
Nearly dropping the carton of juice, Lita glanced at her child. "Excuse me, Alice?"
"You weren't home at eleven... I wasn't even home at eleven," she calmly responded, focusing on her breakfast. "You weren't home at midnight. When I went to bed at ONE, you weren't home, Mom..." A tear ran down her face and landed on the eggs.
Lita stood silently for a moment before responding. "I'm so sorry..."
"I got home at half-past eleven, and you weren't here. So what? You were at the restaurant. Fine." She bit her lip. "I practiced cello for a while, and then I read my new pet psychology book." She looked at her mother; her chocolate eyes filled with anger and...disappointment? Lita couldn't figure out what emotion her child's eyes were trying to express, but it wasn't happiness; she knew that. "It was midnight by then, Mom."
Sitting in the chair, next to her daughter, Lita grasped one of the shaking young hands. "I'm so sorry, dear..."
"Let me finish." Alice reclaimed her hand with a jerk and put it in her lap with the other. "I tried to read, and to think. Sleep only came when I was too tired to move. But I figured something out, Mom." Realizing that tears were running down her face, she wiped a few of them away. "I will not forgive you."
Lita wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "I didn't know I'd run so late, Alice. I was all accidental..."
"Since you opened your restaurant," Alice coldly responded, ignoring her mother, "my life has been little more than broken promises." She stood, looking down at her mother. The brown ponytail that the Mistress of Jupiter was so well known for was a knotted mess, and her green flannel pajamas were really wrinkled. Good old Lita, Alice thought with a half chuckle. "And I am sick of broken promises."
As Alice Kino walked out of the kitchen, she heard her mother choke down a sob.
It was going to be a long day.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Plopping down in his desk, Richard looked at his smart-alecky astronomy teacher. His parents, who were some sort of distant royalty, had forced him to take an astronomy class at the Crystal Light Observatory. At first he hadn't minded, but now... "I hate this class!" he grumbled, pulling out his book.
The teacher, a middle-aged man with interestingly colored hair (namely, purple) glared at Richard. "Master Umino, don't get too comfortable." Pulling a large envelope out of a desk drawer, the teacher smirked. "You are going to see the star show."
"Why me?" Richard challenged, standing. "I don't even want to be here, and you're making me see that silly star show?" Putting his hands on his hips, he gazed at his teacher with disdain. "I won't go."
"Get over yourself, Richard," the teacher responded. "I want you to go because I'm talking about the Milky Way today, and you have extreme knowledge in that field." Rolling his eyes, he handed over the envelope. "Here's your ticket, Pretty Boy."
Grabbing his backpack, Richard rolled his eyes. "Thanks..."
As he left, he sighed. "I guess..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"This is horrendously boring," Greed muttered from her front row seat at the star show. "And I'm done with my popcorn, Illness..."
Rolling his brown eyes, the male Raider sighed warily. "Greed?" he asked, turning to her.
She popped a handful of TicTacs into her mouth. "Wha?" she questioned, nearly choking on the mints.
"The show hasn't started yet." He sighed and opened his book.
Glancing at the book, Greed wrinkled her nose. "War Strategy? How boring!" Slouching in her seat, she pouted. "I hate star shows anyway..."
Nearly throwing his book down in anger, Illness glared at her. "I am sick of your incessant whining!" he yelled. "Just be quiet and enjoy the..."
"Is this seat twelve?" came a male voice.
Illness looked up and saw a young man with brown, highlighted hair and an awful tan suit. Standing behind him was an impossibly tall young woman with uncanny green hair.
Illness nodded. "I have seat thirteen, so I'd assume that you're right." He glanced at Greed, who was making faces behind his back.
"Oh!" The man said as he sat. "How rude of me! I'm Terrence Chiba." He offered his hand.
Illness shook it limply. "I'm...uh... Ike," he lied, blushing a bit. "And this is my friend... Gretchen."
"Gretchen?" Greed hissed, smacking him in the shoulder. "Couldn't you come up with something better than Gretchen?"
Terrence smiled politely. "This is my hot date of the day, Sets Meiou."
"Susan!" The young woman slapped Terrence in the back of his head. "My name is NOT Sets! Do we understand each other?" she crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. "And I assure you, I am NOT his date, either."
Terrence chuckled. "She's right... Susan is acting as my tour guide for the day," he corrected, gazing longingly at her. "But she is quite a piece of work."
"Hmph!" she snorted.
Illness smiled a bit and gazed at Greed, who was reading a battered comic book. So beautiful... And so untouchable... "I know what you mean, Terrence..." he sighed, resisting the urge to smooth her messy black hair.
"Doesn't it just stink, Ike?" the young man asked, grabbing Susan's hand. "So beautiful, so smart..." He kissed it and returned the hand, Susan staring with wide eyes the entire time. "But so out of reach..."
Sighing, Illness smoothed his khakis. "Yeah," he finally said softly. "It does..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Row two, seats fifteen through eighteen." Phoebe glanced at the tickets and then at the seats. "Here we are."
Reeny, Haley, and Lyra filed in, letting the blue haired ticket-holder have the last seat.
The Princess opened her purse, and a pink cat's head popped out. "Never again!" hissed Diana, gasping for air. "Next time you go out, I stay home!"
Lyra rolled her brown eyes. "Come on, Diana... It's not all that bad..."
"Is too!" the cat retorted, glaring at each of the Scouts separately. "How about we lock you in a tiny bag for an hour and see how YOU like it!" Turning up her nose, she snorted. "And I have a funny feeling about all this, anyway!"
"Great time to tell us," groaned Phoebe, playing with the Sailor Mercury key chain on her purse. "Right AFTER we get here..."
Haley sat quietly, staring at the woman directly in front of her with wide eyes. "Oh...my..."
Leaning forward, the Princess of the Earth raised an eyebrow. "What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you feeling alright?"
"It's not me... It's just that..." Shaking her head a little, Haley swallowed hard. "Susan is sitting right in front of me, Reeny."
"Susan?" Diana's eyes grew large. "You've GOT to be kidding."
Phoebe shrugged. "Only one way to find out..." Tapping the green haired young woman on the shoulder, she grinned. "Excuse me... Miss?"
The woman turned around, and Haley gasped.
Familiar garnet eyes.
Long green hair with bangs that were forever messy.
Crimson earrings...as always.
Susan.
"Susan?" Haley gasped. "I can't believe that you're here!"
Chuckling, the woman smiled warmly. "If you had been awake last night, you would have seen that I came to get you... Hannah, too."
Haley blushed a bit. "Sorry about that, Aunt Susan. I just... uh..." Shaking her head, she voted to change the subject. "What brings you here?"
"Duty," Susan snorted, rolling her eyes. "Royal duty."
The lights dimmed a little, and Haley smiled. "I guess that's the minute warning."
Her aunt nodded. "Don't you worry, though-we'll have plenty of time to talk later, Haley."
Meanwhile, Lyra was enjoying her battered copy of Julius Caesar when a slightly familiar voice made itself audible.
"Is this seat nineteen?" it asked.
Looking up, the girl gasped in delight. "Hi Richard!" she exclaimed, grinning.
He glanced down at her thoughtfully, and then recognition graced his confused face. "Oh, hi Lyra," he responded, sitting down in the seat and depositing his backpack on the floor. "What's new with you?"
She shrugged. "Nothing much. How about with you?"
"Nothing," he responded nonchalantly, glancing at her book through his silver glasses. "Oh! Julius Caesar?"
"Yep!" Lyra exclaimed, closing the book and gazing at the cover. "I just love Shakespeare..."
"Who's your friend?" Phoebe suddenly asked the blonde girl, winking slyly. "He's cute."
Lyra blushed deeply and stared down at the floor. "This is Richard... We met at the pizza parlor yesterday."
Ice blue eyes growing wide, Phoebe gulped. "At Pizza Hut?" she asked, amazement in her voice.
"How'd you escape from those idiotic freaks, anyway?" he asked, a bit of concern in his voice. "I was sort of worried."
Haley leaned far back in her seat and grinned at him. "Galactic Sailors saved her butt, of course."
"Who?" Richard repeated, raising and eyebrow and looking extremely worried.
Reeny smirked and looked at him. "Richard Umino, don't tell me that-as a child of a friend of the Queen-YOU don't know of the Galactic Sailor Scouts."
"Can't say I do..." he attempted, glancing at the giant screen.
"They are six female warriors," Phoebe sighed, polishing her nails on her shirt. "Born and raised to protect the Galaxy from death, destruction, and..."
"Rabid turtles," Reeny finished. Getting an odd look from the others, she raised her arms defensively. "What?"
Suddenly, the lights went off and the screen began to light up. Stars and planets appeared on the screen, and the seats began to tilt backwards a bit.
"Eeek!" The Princess clutched her armrests with white knuckles. "My chair... it's a Negaverse warrior come to kill me!" She pulled her knees into the fetal position.
Richard and Phoebe both chuckled while Lyra patted her friend's hand. "It's okay, Reeny..."
"Is not!" Sniffling, the pink-haired girl glanced at the screen. "And, besides... I don't like the dark..."
Suddenly, two shadows appeared on the screen. One was thin and frail-looking... The other was obviously very female and shapely...
Haley's one word could be heard through the entire auditorium as the four Scouts recognized the shadows.
"Shit."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Tara ran into the room her father was housed in, almost afraid of the news. Her mother's choked half-sob and half-scream was heard at the opposite end of the temple grounds, and she just hoped it wasn't bad news...
Clutching her locket, the dark haired girl slowed her pace. "In the name of the Earth," she solemnly said, bowing her head. "Please let everything be okay..."
She didn't even notice the shadow standing over her as she prayed.
"I know that I'm not the greatest daughter, Serenity..." she cooed, thinking of the Moon Queen that Reeny so often mentioned. "But I know you're up there... Protecting us Sailors, and hoping we do it right..." She tried to smile, but tears came instead of happiness. "But I don't want to do it right... Not without my father..."
"Oh, Tara..." came a calm, loving voice. "Don't you talk like that... Everything is okay, now..."
Looking slowly up, she felt her green eyes fill with more tears. But they were not tears of sadness, she realized as an involuntary smile crossed her face. They were tears of joy.
Chad smiled down at her and opened his arms, weeping his own tears of joy as his young daughter hugged him.
"Didn't your mother tell you to hope?" he asked lovingly, smoothing her hair. "And don't you listen to her... ever?"
Tara tried to be mad for his well-meant scolding, but she couldn't be angry at him-not after the week of worry and sleepless nights...
Feeling her mother's touch, Tara looked up. The Mistress of Mars' old flair and spunk graced her face again, and Tara realized Chad meant more to Raye than the temple did... More, it seemed, than life itself.
Kissing the top of Tara's head, Raye held back a few tears. "You're a great daughter. I know I don't seem to care, but I thought we were going to lose everything..."
"It's not lost, my love," Chad smiled slightly, pulling Raye into the hug. "It's just been found."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Damn it!" Haley jumped from empty seat to empty seat, trying to get to the front door of the auditorium. "Why does this always happen to us?"
Almost stepping on a young woman in her seat, Reeny grimaced. "What did you expect from Greed and Illness?" she asked, panting. "A formal invitation?"
Lyra just rolled her eyes. "Don't argue. We don't need whining, we need action!"
Greed's voice boomed throughout the room. "Princess! We know you're here!"
"No crap!" Phoebe shot back, annoyed. "Of course she's here, you seductive little..."
"Phoebe!" scolded Lyra. "Don't you start!"
When they reached the aisle, the four girls all stared at each other, unsure what to do.
"We could leave," suggested Diana from her place at their feet.
Haley shook her head. "If we do that, they'll catch us for sure."
"Yeah," agreed Phoebe, pulling out her mother's Mercury computer. "It's too dark for them to see us, now."
"What's that?" asked Reeny, amazed.
The blue-haired Sailor shrugged. "It's my mom's. I borrowed it."
Grimacing, Haley glared at them. "Hello? Anyone functioning right now?" she asked in an annoyed tone. "The Raiders are here, and they're cranky, and they are going to beat us up!"
Two new figures appeared.
"Maybe we can help," suggested a kind and timeless voice.
Another voice chimed in. "Yeah! After all, I'm Endymion's little brother..."
"Huh?" asked Reeny. "What did you say?"
Susan rolled her garnet eyes and punched Terrence in the arm. "He didn't say anything worthwhile," she chuckled, slightly lovingly. "Anyway, we can distract those Raiders if you need to escape."
"Really?" asked Phoebe, ice blue eyes wide. "You can do that?"
Grinning slyly, Susan pulled a circle of beads off her wrists. "I'm the Mistress and Sailor of Pluto. I can do anything I please."
"Got to love her," Terrence smiled.
Haley cocked her head. "Who are you?" she asked, perplexed.
He shrugged. "Just the brother of the King."
"Princess!" called Greed loudly. "Come out!"
Susan waved her arms. "Go! We'll take care of the rest!"
Lyra, Reeny, and Phoebe ran out, but Haley lingered behind for a moment, afraid of what was going to happen. "Aunt Susan... Are you sure that you..."
"Get out of here!" Susan scolded, fingering the crimson and dark green beads. "I can take care of this!"
Haley smiled and hugged her aunt quickly. "Thanks."
She was gone.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Sets," Terrence said firmly, pulling out a yellow rose. "I'd like to live through this."
"My name is Susan!" she yelled at him, raising the beads high. "Not Sets!"
"Whatever." He glanced at her. "I didn't know you're Sailor Pluto."
"That's nice." Susan cleared her throat. "Pluto Eternal Power!" she cried, waving the beads above her head. "MAKE UP!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Alice sat in her bedroom, trying to make sense out of her orchestra music. The fact that she was still crying a bit wasn't helping the tiny notes be any clearer. Throwing the music aside, her laid back on her bed and stared up at the lavender ceiling.
"It's not fair," she thought aloud. "I don't have a father... My mother doesn't really seem to care... And I can't read my cello music."
"Well, maybe it's because the music is written for violin." Lita emerged from the bathroom doorway and picked up the sheet. "I accidentally grabbed the wrong folder at Crossroads when I picked up your stuff."
Sighing, the girl shrugged. "Oh."
Sitting on Alice's desk chair, Lita looked at her feet. "I know how hard this is for you."
"And how do you know that?" asked Alice, sitting up. "How can you know what I'm feeling? You didn't come home, you didn't call..." Choking on her own tears, she let her eyes wander to the fish tank.
"My parents were killed in a plane crash when I was a kid," responded the woman seriously, wiping a tear from a green eye. "I missed them, and there were nights... You couldn't imagine how much I cried."
"But you got over it," Alice said. "You found your friends..."
"But I worried." Lita took one of her daughter's hands. "I didn't worry about them, but I did worry about myself. How I could survive, how I could live..."
Alice understood suddenly. Her mother had to survive with less, and she did. Living alone from age twelve, she had learned. And maybe...
"I guess I'll learn how to support you and the restaurant without a dad lurking around here."
"That's the spirit!" Lita smiled, playing with a brown hair. "But, for all it's worth... I am sorry, dear."
Climbing over the bed and halfway onto her mother's lap, Alice grinned an impish grin. "So am I, Mom," she smiled. "So am I."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"They're all alone in there!" yelled Haley as Reeny and Phoebe dragged her down the hall of the observatory. "You can't do this to them! My aunt will get..."
"So you want us to transform out here, Haley?" Reeny shot back commandingly. "There's a janitor's closet at the end of the hall." Walking a little faster, the Princess of the Earth put on a determined face.
Phoebe was oddly silent as they made their way down the long hall. She looked positively reflective, and Lyra latched onto that.
"What's wrong?" the blonde asked.
Shrugging, the girl played with one of her many braids. "I don't really know... Something's just nagging me about this..."
Lyra smiled. "Well, don't worry. We can win."
"And that hunky Starlit Prince will save our butts if we get into trouble," giggled Reeny.
"I'd rather have Richard," commented Lyra. Realizing what she said, a blush crept across her face. "I mean..."
Phoebe giggled warmly. "It's okay..."
"We understand," Haley added.
Reeny, though, made a face. "Richard? UGH!" Sticking out her tongue, she threw open the door to the janitor's closet. "Everybody in."
They obeyed, and four Scouts drew out their lockets.
"Ready?" asked Phoebe.
Lyra smiled and cracked her knuckles. "I was born ready!"
Smiling, Haley chuckled. "Good answer!"
Reeny raised her locket. "Moon Galactic Power... MAKE UP!"
"Phoenix Galactic Power..." Phoebe held up her locket. "MAKE UP!"
Haley grinned grimly. "Comet Galactic Power... MAKE UP!"
Glancing at her locket, Lyra wondered if she'd ever even see Richard again. But, shrugging off her strange feeling, she held the locket above her.
"Polaris Galactic Power... MAKE UP!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Watching her parents as they talked, Tara forced a smile. Sometimes her mother was a jerk, and sometimes her father didn't understand, but she was stuck with them-and she loved them. What more really mattered?
Suddenly, she felt something very warm against her chest.
"My locket!" she yelped, groping for the little disc. "It's warm again!"
At about the same time, she noticed her mother's hand fly to the opposite wrist, fingering a bracelet of purple and red beads. Then, the Mistress of Mars glanced at her daughter.
"The Galactic Sailors just transformed," said Tara, closing her eyes lightly. "They're in danger."
"So is Mistress Pluto," Raye said grimly. "She just transformed."
Tara nodded nervously. "I'm going to go..."
Standing, Raye took the beads off her wrist. "So am I."
"No, you're not!" retorted the teen, making a face. "It's a Galactic Sailor battle, Mother. You don't need to come..."
"If Pluto transformed," Chad said strongly, "all Hell is going to break loose."
Gasping a bit, Tara grimaced. She hadn't thought of that.
"I'm coming with," repeated Raye, purple eyes flaring with some sort of passion.
Her daughter nodded. "That, you are." She raised the Locket of Earth, face turning very pale. "Earth Galactic Power..."
Holding her string of beads high, Raye swallowed the lump in her throat. "Mars Eternal Power..."
"MAKE UP!" yelled two voices in unison.
From his seat at the kitchen table, Chad smiled as his wife and daughter transformed.
"Those are my girls..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Alice and Lita both dropped their plates.
"My locket..." Searching her pockets, the girl became frantic.
"My beads..." Lita fingered the green and pink beads that hung limply on her thin wrist.
The two looked at one another. "Both the Sailors..."
"And the Mistresses..."
"IN DANGER AT THE SAME TIME?" they finished together.
Neither spoke, but both held their hands high.
The older woman spoke first. "Jupiter Eternal Power..."
"Aurora Borealis Galactic Power..." Alice thrust the locket higher into the air.
"MAKE UP!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Pluto Eternal Attack!" hollered Pluto, twisting her key staff in midair.
Diving out of the way, Greed gasped. "She's strong as a herd of bears..."
Illness crossed his hands. "Swirling Despair!"
The floor became a whirling, black pit of nothingness. Terrence jumped onto a seat to avoid being sucked into oblivion, but Pluto just sighed.
"Pluto Mistress Power!" she exclaimed, touching her staff to the pit.
The pit closed in an instant.
Illness' brown eyes turned large. "Why does this seem very wrong?" he asked in shock.
Terrence smirked from his perch. "Because it is?" He let a yellow rose fly.
Greed hit the rose away with a swing of her long sword. "Got anything better than that?"
"This!" Pluto aimed her staff at Greed's large head.
The young Raider dodged and managed to parry it, knocking Pluto off her feet.
"Sets!" exclaimed Terrence, jumping off his chair and kneeling down to her.
Raising a black eyebrow, Greed stepped back from them. "Are you nuts, man?" she asked him, circling the scene. "I didn't even hurt her, and you're protecting that Sailor Mistress or whatever she is?"
Climbing to her feet, Pluto lowered her dark crimson eyes. "You wouldn't understand what caring about someone is," she retorted firmly. "And even if you did, you wouldn't protect someone."
Greed made a face. "Highly overrated," she responded, raising her sword. "I'll be sure to tell the little Sailors you care, Miss Pluto..."
"STOP!" screamed a young voice from the entrance of the room.
Stopping, Raider Greed put down her sword. "Now what?"
Sailor Moon looked at Sailor Comet. "I didn't think that would work... Hang on a second while we think up a plan."
Rolling her green eyes, Greed leaned against the wall of the auditorium. "Do they normally do this?"
Illness shrugged. "This can't possibly be normal Scout policy..."
The huddle of Scouts finally broke up, much to the relief of cornered Terrence and Sailor Pluto.
"We are the Sailor Scouts!" said Sailor Moon.
"We right wrongs!" Sailor Phoenix added.
Sailor Polaris smiled. "We triumph over evil!"
"And that means you!" Sailor Comet smirked. "Both of you!"
"Done yet?" asked Greed, polishing her nails.
Sailor Moon nodded. "Quite."
"WATER STORM!" screamed Illness.
The room's ceiling began to rain scalding hot water on the Scouts.
"Ouch!" Phoenix dodged a few drops, only to get hit by five. "It's hot!"
Comet attempted her attack, but couldn't get the words out between being hit. "Comet... ouch! Com-OUCH! That stings!"
"What... Ow! Do we... ouch! Do?" asked a wriggling Polaris.
"Mars Mistress Power!" came a voice.
The rain instantly disappeared, and the Scouts all breathed sighs of relief.
"Need a hand?" Sailor Earth came out of a shadow, accompanied by the transformed Mistress of Mars.
The dress Mars wore was red silk and down to her ankles. Trimmed with purple velvet, it brought out all her features and made her look timeless. Around her neck was a string of alternating purple and red beads and, in the center, was a locket of the same color.
"Mistress Mars..." All four Scouts bowed deeply.
Mars waved a hand. "Up, Scouts."
"Thank you, oh worthy Mistress Mars," Moon said in a reverent tone.
Greed and Illness raised their eyebrows in unison. "This is pretty dumb," Illness commented.
"What do you mean?" asked Greed.
"I mean... ATTACK!" he yelled.
The two Raiders forgot about Terrence and Pluto and went after the five Scouts and the Mistress Mars.
"Aurora Borealis... SHINING!" screamed a Scout as she jumped down from the projection booth.
Blinding light shimmered down onto the two Raiders.
"I can't see!" yelped Greed.
"It's too bright!" the brown-robed Illness groaned. "I can't see where I am."
"Sailors..." called a woman in all green. "Attack!"
The Sailor Scouts all looked at each other.
Stepping forward, Mistress Jupiter smoothed her skirt. "WELL?"
The Scouts all readied themselves.
"Comet Crater... CLOSE!" The floor opened up.
"Earthly Thunderstorm... STRIKE!" Thunder, wind, and lightning rained down on the Raiders.
"Starry Sky... SMASH!" A ball of stardust began to build up above their heads.
"Phoenix Heat... FLASHING!" Steam and fire erupted from Phoenix's outstretched hands.
Moon took out the Galactic Rod and held it far over her head. "In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!" she announced, waving it to one side and then the other. "Galactic... SHOWER!"
Moon dust began to rain down, and the ball of stardust began to fall.
At that very moment, Illness' eyes adjusted to the light and he saw what was about to happen. "NO!" he yelled, pushing Greed into the rows of seats. "TAKE ME!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Death looked up from his paperwork and smiled.
"At least she's alright," he observed happily. "That's good to know."
He turned back to his work.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Illness' body lay on the floor of the auditorium, twitching a bit.
Sailor Moon glanced down at what was left. "We did that?"
"By yourselves, too," smiled Sailor Pluto, walking up the stairs and to the group of Scouts. "Without much of our help."
Jupiter and Mars both smiled at one another.
"So this is what a Mistress really is," Jupiter commented. "Long time, no see... Eh, Raye?"
Raye nodded. "Nice to see you, Lita."
The brunette hugged her friend. "You're not getting away with being the tough girl today, Mars!"
Shinto Priestess Raye Yuuichirou, also known as the Mistress Mars, hugged her friend back.
"Aww..." cooed Terrence, joining the group. "How sweet..."
The six Scouts, three Planet Mistresses, and one young man exited the room.
And, just then, Greed opened her eyes.
"Illness!" she screamed. His body was charred and black, but she could see that he was still alive.
Coughing, he looked into her beautiful green eyes. "For what it's worth, Greed..." he murmured, trying to speak. "I... I love you..."
Letting a tear roll down her cheek, Greed bit her lip. "Maybe I shouldn't have listened to Death, this time around..." she thought aloud, picking up her sword and glancing at the green and silver blade. "And maybe... Maybe I wasn't worth saving." She knelt and kissed his blackened cheek. "Goodbye, Illness. I'll miss you."
"Goodbye..." he coughed, letting out his last breath.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
In the black marble chamber of the Raider Starship, a brown gem shattered and disappeared.
From his spot in the center of the seven-pointed star, the King opened a crimson eye.
"Illness is dead," he slowly spoke.
"What does it matter?" hissed a silvery shadow. "You've learned the strengths of the Sailors."
"True."
"You have learned the strengths that silly emotions can bring." The shadow flickered. "You have even learned what Planet Mistresses do."
The King nodded. "Yes, you are right, Spirit. What else do you suggest?"
"Put Death on the current team, of course," the Spirit mocked. "He'll do fine... For a time, anyway."
The Raider King raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that they are all going to die?"
The shadow shrugged. "I suppose I am. If you're not careful, you will be on the Sailor Scouts' hit list, King." The shadow faded, but the voice remained. "Do as I say, and you might live through this all."
"Yes, Spirit." The King bowed his head in reverence, and then transported out by thought.
The Chamber of Spirits was once again empty.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Thank you, again," Susan smiled, walking Terrence up to his new apartment building. "I really enjoyed all of today."
Terrence turned to her and looked into her eyes. "I had a lot of fun, too, Sets." He winked. "Well... maybe not during that while Sailor battle business, but..."
Cutting him off with a chuckle, Susan's smile grew. "Yet another thing I must thank you for. You protected me and my niece." Susan blushed a little, gazing at the ground.
"And you still don't like me?" he asked, confusion in his voice.
Susan grinned. "Well, I must say..." She gave up on decorum and spoke her mind. "I hated you when I met you, but I at least thought you cute. Now... I think I could grow to really care about you, Terrance."
"Terry." He produced a rose and handed it to her. "You can call me Terry."
"I kind of like the name 'Sets'." She blushed deeper and took the rose. "You're a great person, you know that?"
He shrugged. "Of course I do, Sets!" he responded sweetly.
Chuckling, she kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you around, I guess..." Susan turned around and began to walk away.
"Wait, Sets..." Terrence ran up to her and grabbed her wrist. "Don't go yet. It's only eight."
She raised an eyebrow. "Well, what should we do, then?"
Taking her hand gently, he kissed it lightly and them squeezed it a bit. "Want some coffee?"
Smiling, she let him lead her to the door. "I'd like that."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Galactic Sailors Say!
Lyra: (staring at the story) Hmm... What are Terrance and Susan up to?
Starlit Prince enters.
Starlit Prince: I don't think I got NEARLY enough screen time in this story. I mean, I'm the handsome and charming male character. Why don't I get as much fame as the rest of them?
Lyra: (clearing her throat) Uh... This is the 'Sailor Says' studio. Jerry Springer is down the hall.
Starlit Prince: (blushing) Oh. Sorry.
He exits.
Lyra: (sighing) Today, we learned that sometimes, we all have to work together in order to succeed.
Enter Orb and Diana, bickering.
Orb: You wish you were as cute as me!
Diana: Don't flatter yourself, pretty cat.
Orb: You are jealous! It's written all over your face!
Diana: (sticking out tongue and walking away) Good for nothing bratty brother! Never again will I be so sweet to...
Orb: (smiling sweetly) And today, we learned that Diana is a jerk. Now RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!
Exit Orb.
Diana: (whirling around) You little...
Exit Diana after Orb.
Haley: (jumping down from the ceiling) And we learned that, with a little makeup, even cranky old Hannah can look like she's from Vogue magazine!
Lyra: (rolling eyes) Oh, please... She's not THAT bad.
Haley: You don't know her very well, do you?
Greed's voice: And we learned that, by sucking up, you can get anything you darn well please.
Lyra: (wrinkling her nose) That's reassuring.
Enter Reeny in her Sailor Moon garb.
Reeny: So, remember... This isn't the Springer Show, you have to work together, makeup is good, and sucking up gets you what you want. Sailor Moon Says...
All Scouts: See ya!
-I Know (formally called "All You Need is Love")-
Look around...(Tara, sitting next to Queen Serenity, stares up at the night sky)
So many things aren't clear...
(Phoebe looks blankly at a math book)
Don't worry, though...
(Lyra smiles while picking up her tuba)
You know that I'll be there...
(Sailor Pluto and Haley smile knowingly at each other)
A lot of things are so uncertain...
(Alice looks sadly at a clock while the sun sets over Crystal Tokyo)
The future's on its way...
(Reeny holds the Locket of the Moon, smiling)
Look at my crying eyes...
(Luna and Artemis console an upset Diana)
Don't take your love away!
(Hannah sighs, looking at a sleeping Haley)
Sometimes, the road looks long...
(Mina looks at her children with Andrew behind her)
And sometimes, the world seems wrong...
(Alex and Michelle smile at one another and then blush deeply)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six girls, untransformed, hold their lockets high)
Sometimes, you feel weak...
(Lita smoothes the hair of a crying Alice)
And sometimes, the future looks bleak...
(Raye and Chad stand behind Tara, who is staring at her locket)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six Galactic Sailors stand in a half circle)
Times will change...
(Amy looks out of a window and at Crystal Palace)
People will change, too...
(Endymion looks at Serenity, who is pouring over a book)
But deep inside...
(Lyra hugs Celeste)
I always will love you...
(Diana falls asleep on Reeny's lap)
I suppose there are questions now...
(Alice and Phoebe stare blankly at one another)
The answers are so far...
(Michelle stands in front of the orchestra, talking)
But look at me and smile now...
(Tara lovingly hugs her father)
I am your guiding star!
(Haley smiles at a studying Hannah)
Sometimes, the road looks long...
(Mina looks at her children with Andrew behind her)
And sometimes, the world seems wrong...
(Alex and Michelle smile at one another and then blush deeply)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six girls, untransformed, hold their lockets high)
Sometimes, you feel weak...
(Lita smoothes the hair of a crying Alice)
And sometimes, the future looks bleak...
(Raye and Chad stand behind Tara, who is staring at her locket)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six Galactic Sailors stand in a half circle)
I know...
(The Planet Mistresses stand in a circle)
I know...
(The Galactic Sailors stand in a circle)
All you need is love...
(The Mistresses and Sailors all stand together, holding hands, with their eyes closed)
All you need...is...love...
(A single purple rose sits in a vase)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Author's Ramblings: How about that? I'm done! YAY! (deep breath) Aren't you proud?
How about some feedback? I'll leave 2 email addresses at the bottom of this, and you can talk to both of us. Or one. What does it matter?
I renamed my song. It turns out those stupid Beatles have a song called "All You Need Is Love". Well, now my song is called "I Know". Pretty silly name, but the first one was taken! (Stupid Beatles!)
Until next time, we are your obedient writers!
Kate and Christina
(duncan@chicago.avenew.com = Kate)
(ladybug142@aol.com = Christina)
"Journalism is literature in a hurry!" -Runaway Bride
"Together forever, no matter how long. From now until the end of time. We'll be together, and you can be sure... That forever and a day, that's how long we'll stay... Together and forever more." -Together Forever from 2.B.A. Master
(Pokemon Soundtrack)
(Insert hilarious author's note here)
Okay, so I can't write anything funny. Why? Because, I was twenty pages
into this when my computer ATE my story! And the whole disk, basically.
Out of fifteen stories, I have saved four. Sad, isn't it? Well, enjoy
regardless. I'll try and make this one better than it would have been.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own SM. We all know that fact. Why do I bother?
Because I have all the time to remind you. And, I can say this: YOU
DON'T OWN IT, EITHER! (Ghwa...ha...ha...)
Rated PG for some language and stuff.
Yours till the SM is mine or Christina's...
~Kate and Christina
P.S.Last names of married couples (i.e.-Amy and Greg's last name, Mina
and Andrew's last name...) are those of the husband's Japanese first
name. (i.e.-Mina Mokoti, Amy Urawa) My spelling SUCKS, so play along.
I'll try as hard as I can...
P.P.S.Since the bad guys live in space, day and night is different.
Please don't yell at me for bad continuity. It's there, just...
different...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
THE STORY SO FAR:
The Raider's aren't doing much better, but they're trying. Sailor
Moon has obtained the Galactic Rod, which is infused with all the power
of her office. The Raiders desperately want the rod.
Meanwhile, the Sailors are still trying to understand the powers
they have-why lockets get warm, and why the Raiders are so set on taking
over the planet.
And that, my friends, is where this story begins...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I'm bored." For the eightieth time in two hours, the pink-haired
Princess of the Earth glanced up from her homework. "When's dinner,
Alice?"
Sweeping an auburn hair out of her face, Alice Kino glared at her
friend. "When I finish, Reeny. If you're so concerned about when we're
eating, you make dinner on your own."
Reeny stuck out her tongue in response.
"Leave poor Alice alone, Reeny," commented a blonde teen. "After all,
she's nice enough to do this."
"Lyra's right," said a brown haired girl, who looked older than the
rest.
Reeny rolled her red eyes. "What would you know, Haley? She's
obviously not making dinner fast enough..."
"THAT'S IT!" Alice threw down her spoon in disgust. "Everything I do
is just not good enough! Great! Then YOU make dinner, Reeny!"
Phoebe, a girl with six thick blue braids in her hair, giggled a bit.
"I don't think that's a really good idea, Alice-chan."
Alice sighed a turned back to the stove, muttering under her breath.
"Lousy Reeny... you'd think she was starved by her parents or something... I
tell you..."
The last girl sat apart from the rest. Her hair was raven colored and
flowed down her back in a single ebony stream. She was tall and rather thin,
as was her mother, and her eyes were an incredible shade of green. Though
the others were working on homework or other important business, she was
staring out the window.
Phoebe rose and walked over to the girl. "And as for you, Tara-chan...
You know you're behind the material you guys are working on in current
events class. Why don't you and Haley..."
Tara looked up with bloodshot eyes. Her cheeks were streaked from
tears, and she was obviously upset. "Thank you, Phoebe, but I would much
rather just go home and visit with my mother..."
"Is everything alright?" Lyra looked up from her math homework. "Do
you want to talk about it?"
"No, I don't." Tara rose and smoothed her red and cream temple robes.
Haley cocked her head and stared. "Are you sure you don't want to..."
"WHY DON'T YOU GUYS EVER LISTEN?" Tara screamed, kicking her now-empty
chair in disgust. "I'm fine! Why can't you five just mind your own damn
business?" She stalked out of the apartment without another word, leaving
her schoolbooks behind.
The others exchanged concerned looks without words.
Frowning sadly, Phoebe glanced at the floor with her ice blue eyes.
"Chad's really sick."
"Who?" asked Alice, raising her eyebrows.
"Her father, Chad." She sighed a bit and toyed with a braid. "Some
sort of virus... not even my mom knows what the heck it is, guys..."
Trailing off she looked at the other four girls. "Sad, isn't it?"
"Very," commented Reeny with a tear in her eye. "If it were my father,
I'd be a total mess."
Haley nodded at Reeny's statement. "If it were Alex or Michelle...
Hell, even if it were Hannah..." she trailed off, not quite knowing what to
say.
Lyra frowned. "That explains why she's been in such a bad mood lately.
That even explains the outburst."
Alice remained silent. Stirring the soup she was cooking, she felt
four sets of eyes on her.
"What?" She whirled around. "Am I supposed to pity her?"
Reeny rolled her eyes. "You're supposed to be sympathetic."
"For one," began Alice, toying with the hem of her apron, "Tara is
totally spoiled rotten by her dad. Serves her right. Number two, she's a
brat. Period."
"I'm afraid to even ask what three is," groaned Haley under her
breath.
Alice glared at the older girl with scorn. "Besides," she said, a bit
more softly. "Tara is lucky to even know her father."
"Is that what this is all about?" asked Haley with wide aqua eyes.
"The fact that you don't know your father?"
"No. It's about the fact that she doesn't realize." Smiling sadly,
Alice sighed. "It's the fact that she doesn't realize how lucky she is to
have a father. We have things in a breath, and then they're gone, but..."
"We all act like they're ours by right until it's far too late..."
Lyra sighed a stared at her friends.
Reeny, enlightenment dawning on her face, smiled. "We have things we
don't care about... Like friends..."
"And sisters." Haley smiled a bit, thinking.
Phoebe nodded. "A crappy old brown houses by Crystal Hospital."
They all laughed at that.
Then, Alice spoke up.
"I may not like the kid, but I think we should help her out." Picking
up her spoon from the countertop, she shrugged a bit. "We're Scouts. We
vowed to work together; whether we hate each other or not."
The other four vowed commitment.
"Now," Alice said with a slightly twisted grin. "Who wants to eat?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Five figures sat in a small parlor, all bored and tired.
"Stupid Sailor Scouts," whined Greed, stroking her leather pants idly.
"Because of them, we had to be up late, listening to the King talk."
"No," corrected a man in red armor, "stupid you and Illness, not able
to beat a couple of teen brats."
Sneering, the black-haired woman stuck out her tongue.
Doubt rolled her eyes at this. "You children, must I always remind you
of your place?"
"What place?" Illness asked sarcastically, opening one of his brown
eyes. "The place behind you?"
"I never said that," Doubt smirked, her white hair shimmering in the
waning candlelight.
Looking at the woman in gray, Death wrapped an arm around Greed.
"Don't listen to her, dear. Doubt is just..."
A flash of silver light flared up in the middle of room, and the King
of the Raiders appeared with a scowl on his dark face.
"Neo-Sailor Moon has the Galactic Rod." His voice was grave and low.
Violence sneered. "I still say that the Galactic Rod is a legend."
"And so is Sailor Moon, I suppose," retorted Death, tightening his
grip on Greed. "And the Silver Crystal, and the Moon Kingdom..."
"DO YOU FORGET WHERE YOU ARE?" roared the King suddenly, his dark
crimson hair becoming ruffled by his sheer anger. "This is not the home
galaxy, where you five can fight like the toddlers that you are. This is the
Milky Way, where the Sailor Scouts live."
Greed pouted a bit. "Your Majesty, we're trying..."
"Trying?" His voice was soft and kind. Walking up to Greed, he traced
her jaw line with his index finger. "It's so relieving to know that you're
'trying'..."
Grinning, she nestled closer to Death. "Thank..."
"BUT TRYING ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH!" He yelled, staring into her green eyes
and glaring at her. "YOU HAVE TO SUCCEED!"
With another flash of light, he was gone.
Slipping out of Death's grasp, Greed let out a strangled sob and ran
from the room.
"Are you going to chase her?" asked Doubt mockingly.
Smoothing his black shirt, Death slowing shook his head. "Not until I
give you three a mouthful, I'm not."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"It's a coma, Raye." The young doctor slipped her hands back into her
white lab coat. Her face was pale and grim. It was obvious that she hadn't
slept much lately. "I wish that you'd..."
"No." The Priestess shook her head and stared at Chad. "I will not
send him to a hospital, Amy. Never."
Looking sadly at her childhood friend, Amy sighed. "Raye, think of
him. It would save his life...it would increase his chance to live..."
"No." Kneeling on the floor, she closed her deeply purple eyes. "I
will do no such thing."
For the first time, Amy became aware of another presence in the room.
Tara had sat silently in the corner, thinking. Her green eyes were
blood shot; her cheeks were tear-stained. Short on sleep and on patience,
she watched the goings-on with a mute interest. But, when Raye said her
second 'no', Tara took in a sharp breath.
"Mother..." she said gently, shaking a bit. "Perhaps you should listen
to the Mistress of Mercury. It's possible..."
"Do you argue with me?" Standing in a single, graceful movement, Raye
lowered her beautiful eyes at her daughter. "You mean to tell me I'm wrong?"
Tara shook her head slowly, adverting her eyes.
"I'll tell you what's wrong," the Mistress of Mars continued, voice
wavering. "It's wrong that my daughter and childhood friend both want to go
against my wishes." She stormed towards the door then, as though it was an
afterthought, she whirled around.
"And..." Her voice was bitter and condescending. "It's wrong for
either of you to ask my husband-your father, Tara-to die in a room full of
machines and tubes. If he dies..." A tear rolled down her cheek and she
hastily wiped it away. "If he dies, he dies here."
And she was gone.
There was a heavy silence following Raye's leaving. Both Tara and Amy
just stared at Chad.
"Amy..." Tara bit her lower lip and let out a long sigh. "I just...I
just think you're right." She looked down at the floor and then up at the
blue haired woman.
Considering this, Amy put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Tara, know
this... I love your mother and father very much. Both of them... Well, we've
been friends as long as I can remember." A tear ran down her face, but she
smiled in spite of it. "And, I love you by... by default, if you will..."
She pulled her hand away from the young girl's shoulder.
"Why?" Tara asked softly, her voice nearly a whisper. "How could you
love a little thirteen-year-old girl like me?"
Amy laughed in spite of Tara's grave tone. "You're no little thirteen-
year-old to me. You're the Sailor of Earth, and someday, you'll be the
Mistress of Earth."
"I know," Tara said, her voice gaining strength.
Amy let another tear roll down her cheek. "Hope, Tara. Hope is all you
need. Don't you give up, because things look darkest when you give up."
Nodding at her friend's mother, Tara began to cry a bit. "Goodbye,
Mistress of Mercury."
"Amy," said the doctor, walking out the door. "My name is Amy."
Tara smiled. "Amy..."
And then, she began to cry.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sitting straight up in bed, Death shivered a bit. His dream had been
so real... so vivid. He could almost taste it.
Looking over at Greed, who was balled up in the sheets and sleeping
peacefully, he sighed slowly. "Why is it like this?" he murmured to himself.
"I just hope my dream isn't premonition." He touched the top of Greed's head
lightly and stroked her long, black hair. "I don't want to lose her."
The young woman stirred and looked up at Death with her emerald eyes.
"Well, hello," she yawned, taking his hand in hers. "Is it morning already?"
He shook his head slowly and kissed the top of her head. "I had a
dream."
Sitting up, her eyes grew wide. "Again?" she asked, amazed. "What
happened this time?"
He shook his head slowly. "I'd rather not concern you."
"I'm already concerned!" she yelped, clutching his hand harder. "I'm
terrified! You remember what the last one was about..."
Visions of her dying flashed back into his head. It seemed as though
each dream he had involved her death...except that one...
"Promise me something," he said seriously, staring at her. "Swear to
me that you'll let Illness take charge."
"WHAT?" she asked, blinking. "I'm his superior officer! Why should I
let him..." Looking into Death's black eyes, she swallowed hard.
He stared at her. "If you don't let him intervene, you will die in a
battle with the Scouts." A tear ran down Death's cheek. "And I can't let
that happen."
Leaning against his chest, Greed bit her lip to keep from crying.
"Oh...oh, my..." she murmured, letting a tear escape her eye. "Oh my..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Depositing her purse and keycard on the coffee table, Alice Kino
grinned. It was Friday... No school until Monday...
"Mom! I'm home!" she announced, ducking into the kitchen. Grabbing a
Sprite out of the fridge, she glanced around. Spotless. "Hmm..." she
murmured to herself. Shrugging, she walked into the living room and plopped
down on the couch. "Funniest thing happened in sewing class today," she
continued, turning on an old rerun of Pokemon. "I was at this one machine
and..." Stopping, she turned away from the TV. "Mom?" she called.
Standing, Alice made her way to her mother's bedroom. "Earth to
Mom...come in, Mom." Opening the door, she let out a sound that was half-
gasp and half-sigh. "Mom?"
The room was empty. No Lita.
Alice walked expectantly to the answering machine and glanced down at
it with a sigh. The blinking red light shone in the still-dark room like an
eye, shutting and opening at speeds that no one could ever measure.
Hitting the button, Alice feared the worst.
And received it.
"Hey Alice, my light," came Lita's always cheery voice. "I have to
work real late tonight-I'll be home around eleven. Why don't you call the
Scouts and invite them out for dinner? There's money on the kitchen counter.
Don't ever say I don't love you!" A chuckle came through on the machine.
"Well, nonetheless, I'll see you! Bye!" A click sounded on the machine, and
the little red light died after such a short life span.
Sighing, the auburn-haired girl bit her lip and flipped through the
phone book. "Hm...now, what name is Haley's number under? Ten'ou? Possible."
She flipped a few pages and smiled in success. "Ten'ou Alexandra, Michelle,
Hannah, and Haley. Bingo." She picked up the phone. "I think I'm in the mood
for pizza..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Pizza?" Haley grinned and looked into the mirror on the wall. "I love
it! I don't have any plans... Ooh! You're going to call Lyra and Phoebe,
too? Neat! I love it!" Nodding, she looked at Hannah and smirked. "Yep, I'll
pick you guys up. Eight? Okay. See you..." Hanging up, she turned her
attention to the black haired woman. "Hey, Hannah, guess who has a social
life!"
Hannah rolled her purple eyes, but didn't look up from her book. "Hey,
Haley," she retorted calmly, "guess what annoying little sister is going to
get a Silence Glaive shoved up her ass if she's not careful?"
The brown haired teen stuck out her tongue. "Your just jealous."
Looking at her sister, Hannah considered this. "I don't think," she
said calmly, "that I could be jealous of your stupid friends..." She bit her
lip and shook her head. "Wait, I could be jealous. I take that back."
Haley grinned in success.
"If one of them stole my boyfriend, that is," she continued, turning
back to her book. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."
Grimacing, Haley prepared to beat Hannah senseless. She wasn't in much
of a mood for stupid games. "Listen, you daughter of a bimbo..."
"Haley Jordan Ten'ou!" came a very strong voice from the doorway.
Whirling around, Haley groaned loudly. "Hi Mom," she said, facing
Michelle with a sigh. "What did I do now?"
Hannah smirked, stood, and left the room.
"You are not to speak to your sister like that," Michelle scolded,
placing her leather backpack on the floor. "I expect to come home from work
to a home, not a zoo."
"But Mom!" protested Haley, teal eyes pleading. "She started it!"
Shaking her head, the middle aged woman walked into the kitchen, her
daughter on her heels. "Why do I not believe that, Haley?"
"Cause I start all the fights, and I always provoke her..." Sipping a
half-drunken Coke, the teen sighed. "But why is that important? Shouldn't
you love us for our separate and adorable quirks?"
"I do!" Wrapping her arms around the girl, Michelle grinned widely.
"But..."
"But?"
"But annoying your adult sister is NOT a quirk!" Kissing the top of
her head, Michelle sat down. "It's mean!"
Haley sneered, but gave up and plopped into a kitchen chair. "OH!" she
suddenly said with a gasp. "I forgot! I'm going to Pizza Hut with the girls
tonight!"
"The girls?" her mother asked, glancing up from her cup of tea. "You
mean the Sailors?"
"Yep," agreed Haley with a grin. "Alice's mom isn't around tonight,
and you know how that girl is..."
"No, I don't." Her voice was kind, not condescending. "How IS that
girl?"
"Lonely," responded the teen, running a hand through her short brown
hair. "It's just her and Mistress Jupiter, so..."
"I understand." Michelle continued her reading. "Go on..."
"Well, we're going out to dinner." Taking another swig of the cola,
she rose. "I'm picking them up in an hour, so I'd better get dressed..."
"Wait." The adult green eyes were serious and stared at Haley with
intensity. "May I talk with you?"
The girl plopped back down in her chair. The air in the room seemed
suddenly heavy, and Haley felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise.
Though the kitchen was large and open, Michelle's tone made it feel
very...cramped. "What?"
"Susan had a premonition yesterday," she began, fingering an aqua-
colored strand of hair. "In it, one of us was greeted by a new man in our
lives."
"A man?" she asked, wide-eyed. "But..."
"I have Alexandra," the woman responded, smiling to herself. "And
Hannah is dating that guy, and Alexandra most definitely has me..."
"Me or Susan?" Her teal eye grew extremely wide. "Man-eater Susan?"
"Or you," Michelle reminded her solemnly. "It could be you..."
Haley raised her eyebrows, considering this. It was a
little...scary...and definitely a foreign experience to her. A guy? She
liked guys, of course, but she had never met one that struck her fancy... A
boyfriend? Her heart was racing from the mere thought of it.
Hearing footfalls on the linoleum brought Haley back to the real
world. Looking across the kitchen, she saw Hannah standing in front of the
microwave, leafing through the junk in a drawer.
Glancing at her sister, Haley suddenly saw something she...just hadn't
seen before. The young woman was wearing a long, spaghetti-strapped dress
that was the most beautiful color of purple. The trim was black velvet, and
it sparkled ever-so-slightly. Straight, thick black hair hung down a little
past her shoulders, and her light purple eyes were accentuated by a pair of
black-rimmed glasses.
Haley smiled. Maybe she was cranky old Hannah...but she WAS gorgeous.
"Where are you going dressed like that?" asked Michelle, staring.
Hannah laughed, but didn't look up from the drawer. "I have the
university ball tonight with Brian... Don't you remember?"
Raising a teal eyebrow, she glanced at her child again. "I don't
remember approving of this."
"You did," Hannah assured her with a sly grin. "Ah-ha!"
It was Haley's turn to be puzzled. "What?"
Tossing her sister a vial, Hannah smiled. "Our Mace sprays, Sis.
Remember?"
"Last year's Christmas presents," Haley responded, glaring lovingly at
her mother. "Can I go get ready?"
"Yes..." Michelle sighed in defeat.
As she left, the teen stared at her older sister. "Oh, and Hannah...
You look great. Brian will have a heart attack just seeing you." She was
gone.
Hannah blushed, a bit embarrassed, and stuffed the Mace spray in her
purse. Sitting down in the chair slowly, she bit her lip. "I heard your
conversation, and I think you're wrong," she said thoughtfully, staring at
her mother.
Michelle's eyes widened. "Really, Hannah?"
Hannah knew that, as the Mistress of Saturn, her thoughts would be
easily heard. It wasn't every day that the most powerful of Mistresses could
disprove the ruling of Sailor Pluto.
"Mother... I think that Susan is the one who is going to end up with a
boyfriend..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Susan? Why Susan?" Neo-Queen Serenity stared at her husband from
across the large mahogany desk.
Endymion rested his elbows on the desk and stared into her eyes. The
eyes had always been the color of the ocean, but, when she was about to
start an argument, they would suddenly be fused with the most alluring
silver sparks.
The sparks were there by the millions, it seemed.
"You do not quite...understand...Terrence."
"It's odd enough that you have a brother," the Queen retorted, staring
at the snapshot that she had been handed. "But to expose him to the Guardian
of Time? That leans to the side of ludicrous, my love."
Considering this, he stared at her. "I have reason."
"What would that be?" Her voice was thoughtful, but a tiny bit
sarcastic.
"All the others are married." Endymion looked at the ceiling with
care.
"Married?" asked the Queen, raising an eyebrow. "What do their
marriages have to do with anything?"
"You do not understand Terrence. If you understood..." Shaking his
head, he sighed.
Serenity considered this, and ran her fingers through a long pigtail.
"Well, what about Michelle and Alexandra? Or little Hannah? Surely, they
could..."
"Michelle and Alexandra are...involved with one another." Endymion
felt himself grow wary because his beautiful wife was missing his point
entirely. "And Hannah's dating a young man..."
"Named Brian from the university. I know," Serenity interrupted with
audible annoyance in her voice. "But, WHY must we pair your brother up with
the only unmarried Mistress?"
"Let's just say that..." Biting his lip, he searched for the right
words. "Terrence is... He'd make all the husbands, boyfriends, and lovers
very..."
"He's seductive?" supplied the Queen, eyes wide. "He's lonely? A
flirt? Attractive? Alluring?"
Blushing, the King of the Earth focused his attention to the skylight.
"Terrence falls under the unique category of... Well..."
"I do not have time for your games, Endymion," she scolded, staring at
him. "Just tell me."
"All of the above."
Laughing aloud, the Queen stared at her husband. "You're serious?"
Seeing his stone face, she stopped laughing. "Oh, dear..."
"Terrence could use a woman like Susan in his life." He focused all of
his attention on convincing the Queen. "Someone who will slap him if
provoked, yell at him when annoyed, and get in his face when it's needed."
Serenity nodded, trying to understand. "So, you plan to play
matchmaker with man-eater Susan and your 'all of the above' brother,
Terrence?"
"You hit the nail on the head, dearest." Endymion reached out and
squeezed one of her hands with love. "What do you think, though?"
"Honestly?" The Queen sat up in her chair and looked straight into his
deep blue eyes. "Darien, I think you're the most wonderful man in the
galaxy. I'll go along with all this because I care about you and I love you
with all my heart and soul."
"I love you too, Serena." He smiled at the use of their pet names.
"But, beyond that," continued Serenity with a sly grin. "I think your
plan is absolutely insane."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Pizza? I'm absolutely starving!" Lyra grinned hugely and jumped up
and down a bit. "Eight? Cool. Haley's driving? Neat! See you later!" She
hung up the phone with a huge grin. "Ma?" she called from her place in her
room. "MA?"
Sliding down the banister in her school skirt, she ran into the
kitchen at a record speed. "MA!!"
Mina slammed the baby's spoon down on the kitchen table. "Lyra Star
Mokoti!" she scolded, glaring at her eldest daughter. "How many times must I
tell you not to scream from your room?"
"Any number of times?" she tried with a sweet grin.
"Wrong." Picking the spoon back up, she shoved mashed carrots into
Lila's mouth. "I am sure your baby sister here has better manners."
"Yes, Ma." Looking guiltily at the floor, the girl smiled shyly. "May
I go to Pizza Hut with some of the Sailors tonight?"
"You are to take Celeste and Becky to Sailor V tonight," her mother
responded coolly, adjusting her red bow with a spare hand. "So, no you may
not."
"Ma!" she pressed, annoyed. "Becky already saw Sailor V...twice!"
"And Celeste?" Mina asked, lightly blue eyes surveying her child.
"What about her?"
Lyra bit her lip, considering her view options. She could always stay
home and read... Or she could just lock Celeste in her bedroom...
"Take her with," suggested a strong but gentle voice from behind her.
"Celeste loves pizza, and you'd have a lot of fun with her."
Lyra smiled and turned to face her father. "Great idea, Daddy!" she
grinned, hugging him with love. "I think I'll do just that!"
"How will the Scouts react, Andrew?" Mina asked, staring at her
husband. "I'm sure they won't be happy with a six-year-old tagging along."
"It'll be a lot of fun for us!" She ran a hand through her corkscrew
hair. "And, besides, we can always come home later."
"Come home? You actually would?" laughed Andrew, dislodging himself
from his daughter's grip. "You'd enjoy that?"
"Why not?" Lyra grinned. "Ma?" Her light brown eyes stared at her
loving mother. "Please?"
"Go... Have fun..." Sighing in defeat, Mina turned back to the baby
with a slight smile. "Just don't get into trouble."
"THANK YOU!" Giggling, Lyra dashed off to her room.
Rolling her own eyes at Andrew, Mina sneered. "I don't like this,
dear..."
He wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "I know you don't... but
you'll understand eventually." He smiled knowingly. "I love you."
"Now what do YOU want?" she joked, staring up at him.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Greed was nearly asleep in his arms when she began talking.
"I need you to swear something to me, Death..." she murmured, staring
into his black eyes. "I love you, and this is important to me."
He nodded knowingly and smoothed her now messy black hair. "Anything
for you, love..."
"Anything?" she asked doubtfully, snuggling closer.
"Anything."
"If I ever die, Death," she carefully said, a tear in her eye, "I want
you to go on. I want to know that you will never give up."
"What a question!" he exclaimed in a soft tone. "I could never live on
with my one true love gone..." He kissed the top of her head. "Now, go to
sleep."
She lowered her green eyes at him. "Promise me right now, Death, or I
will get up and leave you."
"Alright, I swear it."
"AND MEAN IT!"
"I mean it!"
"Okay..." Greed kissed his chin lightly and nestled close to him.
There was a pause before either spoke again.
"I know..." she yawned, interrupting her own train of thought. "I know
how hard this must be for you..." Already half asleep, she closed her large,
green eyes.
Death shook his head. "No, Greed... You have no idea." Sighing, he too
closed his eyes, and soon they were both asleep.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Hmmm... I'd really love to..." Closing her math book carefully,
Phoebe sighed. "It sounds like fun, but my parents aren't home, so..."
Pulling the phone away from her ear, she rolled her icy blue eyes. "You
don't have to yell at me, Alice," she responded with a half-sneer. "Come
over after dinner for some nachos, okay?" She nodded and smiled as Alice
babbled. "Good deal. See you then." She hung up the phone with a grin.
Standing, she arched her back. Though only fifteen, Phoebe looked
about eighteen years old. Her midnight blue hair was pulled into six thick
braids, and her ice-blue eyes were lined with thick black eyelashes. Even
her mother, who was often a bit pessimistic and bossy, would admit that her
daughter was beautiful. Hands down.
"I feel like dancing," she said aloud, smirking to herself. "Dance
tryouts are in a few weeks, and I really want to make the team." Switching
on her radio, she began to stretch slowly, limbering up for her favorite
type of workout-modern dance.
And that was when she heard it...
"Sailor Phoenix..." The voice sounded almost like some sort of wind to
her. "Sailor Phoenix..."
Stopping in mid-stretch, the teen's eyes grew wide. "Huh?"
With the possible exception of the radio, silence filled the bedroom.
Hearing nothing, Phoebe shrugged and started her stretches again.
"SAILOR PHOENIX!" came the voice, this time harsh and rude. "Let me in
already! I'm freezing my ass off out here!"
This made her stop. "Who's there?" she asked, glancing around.
"If you don't let me in, I won't be here for long!" the voice screamed
loudly.
Walking out of her room and towards the front door, Phoebe continued
to talk. "Who are you?"
"I'm your Guardian! And if you don't open up, I'll freeze the death!"
A sneeze echoed through the house. "Try explaining THAT to the Queen and
Princess!"
Shaking her head in disbelief, Phoebe opened the front door of the
brown house.
Nothing was there.
"This isn't funny!" she yelled out to the pitch-black night. "Dad, if
you're behind this..."
"Hey, Phoenix," came the voice, incredibly close this time. "Do me a
favor and look down."
She did so and then proceeded to let out a gasp. Sitting at her feet
was a tiny cat.
The cat had orange fur on his back and white fur on his belly and
paws. Where the orange and white met on his forehead was the most noticeable
feature of the cat.
A golden crescent moon.
"What?" the cat asked, staring up at her with copper eyes. "Haven't
you ever seen a guardian cat before?"
Still staring, Phoebe swallowed and managed to grunt.
Shaking his head, the cat started to walk into the kitchen with a
sigh. "Close the door... It's cold out tonight. Then, we'll talk."
She started to do so, and then stopped in mid-motion. "Wait!" she
called to herself. "This is some sort of caffeine-induced fantasy! That's
all..." She laughed nervously. "There is NOT a talking cat in my kitchen...
I had too much coffee... Or maybe my stretching made all the blood rush to
my head..." A large crash sounded in the kitchen. "Or not..." She dashed to
the next room.
The cat sat innocently on the counter while the entire drawer of
silverware lay on the floor.
"Oops?" he asked sweetly.
Rolling her eyes, Phoebe knelt down and began picking up the mess.
"Who the hell are you?" she asked angrily. "And why in the name of heaven
did you burst into MY house, knock over MY silverware, and..."
"My name is Orb," he interrupted. His tone was no longer joking, but
serious and adult. "I am a Moon cat, just like Diana and her family."
"A Moon cat..." she repeated looking up at him.
Orb continued firmly. "I am the son of Luna and Artemis, the royal
guardians of Earth. I am here to help my sister with your training."
"Diana's brother?" Phoebe asked, eyes wide. She placed the drawer back
in its proper place. "How did you manage to knock that thing onto the floor,
anyway?"
"Luck." Orb jumped off the counter and then stared at Phoebe. "I have
to get to the Palace right away."
"Oh, no!" she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not walking
there-not in this weather."
"You live three flipping blocks away!" he argued, annoyed. "You can
take me to the Palace!"
She shook her head. "If you're so anxious, walk," she retorted,
staring at him. "I'm bigger than you, so what I say goes."
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
There was a long silence. Neither cat nor girl looked at one another.
"Phoebe..." Orb finally said, his voice cutting through the pause.
"I'm...I'm hungry..."
Grumbling, she got up and began to make him something to eat.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Peeking her head into Illness' large office, Greed smiled slyly. "Hey,
Illness!"
He looked up slowly at the young woman. Her hair was up in a ponytail,
which was very different from her normally severe braid. "Enter..."
She walked in, still with her ridiculous grin plastered on her face.
She wore a long green skirt with a long slit on the left side, and her
normally leather garb was replaced by a tight black tank top. "Want to go
get some pizza?" she asked, sitting on the very edge of his desk.
"Excuse me?" he asked, brown eyes wide.
She rolled her eyes and continued. "Death has a meeting with Doubt,
and I want to get some humanoid pizza!"
"Humanoid pizza?" he repeated, placing his book on the desktop. "Why
would you want to eat THAT?"
"Fine," she snorted, rising. "If you don't want to join me, I'll just
go by myself!"
Sighing, he rose, staring at her. Greed WAS beautiful, and a just
silly enough to strike his fancy. She could be conceded and rude... But she
was really kind underneath. "I'm sorry, Greed," he said softly. "I'm come
with you." Waving his hand, his robes turned into khakis and a brown polo
shirt.
"Really?" she cooed, grinning. "That's great! I hadn't heard your plan
yet, you know."
"My...plan?" he gasped, raising an eyebrow in response to her. "You
want to hear it?"
She looked surprised at that. "Of course!" was her grinning response.
"Shall we go?"
"Where to?" he asked, still surprised by her behavior.
Thoughtfully, she bit her lip. "I was thinking of this place called
Pizza Hut..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Celeste..." Lyra groaned. "Come on..."
The little blonde girl turned up her nose. "No way! I want to play
Sailor V!"
Rolling her eyes, the older girl rose and looked at her two friends.
Haley, ever the tomboy in her silver tank top and blue jeans, was
shaking her head slowly. "Can't you get her to come?" she asked with
annoyance in her voice.
The other girl, dressed in a conservative blue sweater and a long
black skirt, stared. "Lyra?" Alice asked, raising a long eyebrow.
Celeste yelped aloud. "I want to play Sailor V!" she screamed at the
top of her little lungs. "I want to play Sailor V!"
Just then, a young man came up and smiled at the three teens. "Need a
hand?"
Lyra stared at him and got a strange deja-vu feeling in the pit of her
stomach.
He was probably about six feet tall and had extremely dark red hair
that was accented with the most graceful waves. His royal-blue eyes were
rimmed by silver glasses, and everything about him seemed...perfect? That
word fit the young man perfectly.
"I don't think you could handle THAT rugrat," Haley said in a tired
tone. "She's practically evil..."
Smiling, he stooped down and looked into Celeste's vividly green eyes.
"Hey, cutie. What's your name?"
She stared at him for a minute, and then some type of trust dawned on
her face. "I'm Celeste. Who are you?"
Lyra blushed and bit her lip. "Sorry, sir... She doesn't know
better..."
"It's okay," he returned, still focusing on the little girl. "My name
is Richard Umino."
Richard... Lyra sighed wistfully at his name, staring down at him.
Noticing her behavior, Haley laughed a bit.
"Come on, Lyra," she whispered, stifling a giggle. "Someone that cute
is BOUND to have a girlfriend."
Brown eyes grew wide. "You can see through me that easily?"
"Of course," Haley retorted, leaning against a wall. "After all, we're
Scouts. That kind of makes us sisters."
Meanwhile, Richard held out his hand to the young girl. "Will you come
with me?"
"I don't want to eat with Lyra." Celeste's young voice was a bit sad.
"She and her big kid friends will just ignore me."
"Well, I'm all by myself. How about I eat with-Lyra, was it?-and her
friends?" Richard smiled charmingly at the little girl. "Is that okay?"
She winked. "Yep!" Taking his hand, she allowed herself to be lead
back to the group of older girls.
"...Come ON, Lyra," Alice was whining as they approached. "Haven't you
ever tasted the Feta Cheese and Spinach Deluxe?"
"It's to DIE for," agreed Haley with a grin. "No meat, either, so it
keeps you fit and strong."
Lyra wrinkled her nose. "Gag me. Give me old-fashioned pepperoni any
day."
"Ditto," he spoke up, standing right behind Lyra. "Pepperoni pizza is
by far the greatest thing."
Her eyes widened as she heard his voice. Richard was surely the nicest
guy... But Lyra knew her mother, Mina-The-Warden, would never let her date.
"By the way," she said, turning around and looking at him. "My name is
Lyra Mokoti."
Mokoti? Why was that name familiar?
The one in jeans smirked. "They call me Haley Ten'ou."
Richard bit his lip. Ten'ou? Where had he heard that name before?
"And I," chimed in the auburn-haired girl, "am none other than Alice
Kino."
Kino? That name was familiar too...
Lyra smiled and played with a strand of blonde hair. "Thank you so
much for getting my sister to listen! I owe you something..."
"How about dinner?" he asked, hoisting the littler girl onto his
shoulders.
She blinked. Once. Twice. Dinner?
Richard, seeing Lyra's reaction, laughed. "I didn't mean it like you
think," he said reassuringly, looking down at her. "Celeste wouldn't leave
that machine unless I agreed to eat with you guys."
"Oh..." sighed Lyra with a disappointed grin. "Well, then, sure!"
"Great!" Richard responded with a smile. Something about the girls
nagged him... But what was it?
Shrugging his suspicion off, he followed them to the table.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"There's so much I wanted to tell you... So many things that I wanted
our family to do and to BE..." Sighing, the Mistress of Mars wiped a tear
from her cheek. "But, no more. I do this for you...because...I don't want
to...to..." Unable to finish the sentence, she raised her locket slowly.
"Mother!" Tara cried, running into the room. She had been watching her
mother's actions for the last few moments, and was shocked by the act she
was about to make. Maybe this was the only way... "Mother, don't!"
Raye gasped and turned to look at her daughter. The girl was extremely
tall and thin, and her green eyes were slanted ever-so-slightly as part of
her Shinto heritage. Pitch black hair hung well past her slender waist, and
most notably, a green and tan locket hung about her neck. She was Tara
Yuuichirou, thirteen-year-old Shinto Priestess who loved nature, hated bees,
and would protect the Cherry Hill Temple with her life if necessary. But
then, if she stepped into the light at the right angle, she was that
defender of love and justice, Sailor Earth.
"Yes, Tara?" she asked softly, clutching the Mars locket closer to her
body.
"Mother, I don't believe what you were about to do!" she scolded,
kneeling next to her mother with a deep sigh. "What would Father say?"
The High Priestess sighed. "He'd be alive and I would be dead. It
wouldn't matter..." A tear rolled down her cheek, and she wiped it away
quickly.
Tara took her mother's hand in her own. It was cold and shaking...
Raye was shaking.
"Father has always said to live for the moment," she sighed, staring
at her father. "And I'm sure he'd say it now."
Gulping, Raye bit her bottom lip. "But I can't bear to live if
he...if..." she started crying, this time not hiding it back.
A silence filled the room as Tara stared at her mother. She had never
before seen Raye so upset or sick about something... Her robes were wrinkled
and dirty, her hair was tangled, and there were black bags under her eyes.
The timeless maiden was turning into a sickly old woman before her
daughter's very eyes.
"I can't let you do such a thing, Mother," Tara told her, a tear
running down her own face. "I need you more than ever, now. You're a Sailor,
too... Or, you were." She hugged her mother and stared into the purple eyes.
"I love you...and I love him. But I don't want to lose you if it's his time
to go..." Tara began to cry.
And Raye, taking her child into her arms, cried with her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Greed and Illness sat in a booth, talking about their plans for Galaxy
domination.
"So, I think that the Observatory would be a great place to attack."
Illness turned the map towards her.
Rolling a strand of dark hair between two fingers, Greed studied the
Crystal Star Observatory. "Hmm... Central location, large area, strong
building..." She nodded and smiled at Illness. "I like it!"
He smiled and took a bite of his vegetarian pizza. "I'm glad." Then,
he sneered. "Listen to that bunch of kids."
The table next to the little booth had three teen girls, a young girl,
and a young man sitting at it. Laughing loudly, the man took a bite of his
pizza.
"I couldn't believe it the first time I meet the Princess, myself!" he
chortled. "She was just SO scatter-brained..."
A girl with dark blonde hair laughed. "I know! And she has the unique
habit of talking in riddles..."
"Constantly!" agreed a girl with very short brown hair.
Greed grimaced. All that noise was giving her a bad headache. "SHUT
UP!" she yelled at the girls, glaring in their direction. "You're a in
public place! You don't laugh so loudly in a public place!"
The three girls looked at one another and then all blushed deeply.
"Sorry..." murmured the one with the auburn hair.
Sneering, Greed turned back to her pizza...
And was promptly hit in the head with a meatball.
Turning very slowly towards the group of girls, she gritted her teeth.
"The source of that wad of beef better not have been from where I think it
is..."
The littlest girl at the table was now in the lap of the man, who was
trying his hardest not to laugh.
"I'm so sorry, Miss..." The short girl with the blonde curls stood up.
"She's only six; she doesn't know..."
"OUT!" Greed stood, knocking her cup of coffee over. "EVERYONE OUT!"
While people ran from the restaurant, Illness grabbed her thin wrist.
"Greed..." he warned, brown eyes staring up at her.
She glanced down at him, shrugged, and looked to the group of girls.
All four girls and their male friend were still at the table, afraid of what
was going to happen.
Greed transformed into her normal clothing. "The rugrat and Blondie
stay." Her voice was icy and evil. "The rest of you-out."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Susan, relax."
The green haired woman looked at the Queen of the Earth. Serenity, of
course, was sitting straight up on the teal-colored sofa, one hand around
her teacup and the other hand tight in Endymion's. Her face was placid-
perfect, even-as it had been since her birth.
"Easy for you to say," muttered the Guardian of Time with sarcasm in
her voice. Glancing at Alexandra, she lowered her eyes. "And you-don't even
say anything!"
Alexandra opened her mouth in mock surprise. Sitting on the piano
bench, she batted her eyelashes sweetly. "Me?" she asked with mock
innocence. "Why me?"
Rolling her eyes, Susan turned back to the King and Queen of Earth
before plopping down in a chair. She'd forgotten who long it had been since
the last time she wore human shoes... Her feet felt like they were on fire.
"Now, Susan," Endymion said, his blue eyes staring into her scarlet
ones, "you know that your duties to us are not just to protect Crystal
Tokyo."
Serenity nodded, a hopeful look lighting up her face. "Yes! And this
IS for the common good."
Alexandra chuckled from her seat.
Lowering her eyes, Susan glanced to her friend. "Go to Hell." Turning
back to the royalty before her, she sighed. "How does this help the common
good, my Queen?"
"Uh..." Serenity stared at the ceiling, a blank look on her face.
"Well..."
Endymion cleared his throat. "Terrence is part of the royal family,
Susan, and it is your duty as a Sailor Soldier to help the royal family when
they are in need."
"And he NEEDS someone to show him Tokyo!" announced Serenity, a
delighted smile crossing her face.
This set Alexandra off. Laughing hysterically, she rolled off of the
piano bench. "That is the STUPIDEST thing I have ever heard!" she giggled,
clutching her side. "You are all really too much!"
Michelle entered the living room and bent over, talking to Alexandra
in a hushed tone. Making a face, the blonde stood, brushed her clothing off,
and sat back on the bench, her aqua-haired 'wife' joining her. "I'm sorry,
Susan." Michelle blushed.
Beginning again, the Queen sat up tall and took a long sip of her tea.
"Please, Susan," the Queen cooed, staring at her friend. "We've known each
other for a very long time. Will you not help?"
Bristling, Susan rose and stood across the coffee table from Serenity.
Lowering her eyes for a moment, she took in a sharp breath. "Serenity..."
"Maybe you should listen to her." Michelle's high voice was loving and
sweet, but had a firm quality to it. "The Queen and King would do anything
for us. Perhaps we need to return her favor..." Trailing off, she focused
her green eyes on Susan's garnet eyes, hardly breathing.
Playing with the silver band on her finger, Susan sighed. "Queen
Serenity," she said, her voice gaining the timeless tone that only Sailor
Pluto had. "I have saved your butt time and again. I have battled evil,
protected Reeny, sent you back and forth from past to future, controlled
Talismen, and nearly stopped time for you. For my love of you, and Endymion,
and of the world." She paused, looking to both King and Queen, and then to
the women she would almost call her sisters. "And I will show Terrence
around for you, too."
Serenity grinned and started speaking, only to have the Guardian of
Time hold up a firm hand.
"I'm not doing this for companionship," Susan said quickly.
Smirking, Alex giggled. "Hey... That explains it. Michi, would you
like a three..." Being elbowed firmly in the stomach, the blonde shut up.
Sighing, Susan shook her head. "I am doing this for you." Smoothing
her long scarlet skirt, Pluto headed for the stairs. "If anyone wants me,
I'll be in my room..."
Michelle smiled at the King and Queen. "I don't know what your motive
was, but I'm glad you convinced her." Blushing, she rested her elbows on her
knees. "I've really missed Susan."
Endymion rose. "I'm glad that we've pleased more people than
ourselves." He and his beautiful wife started for the door. "Thank her for
us, will you?"
"Of course..." smirked Alexandra, rising with them. "We might hassle
her first about all this, though."
Serenity glanced disdainfully at the woman. "Mistress Uranus," she
scolded. "You'll do know such thing."
"Not while I'm within earshot, she won't," Michelle agreed, catching
the Queen's gaze.
"I'm glad," smiled Serenity. "Goodbye Uranus... Neptune."
Once the King and Queen left, Alexandra collapsed onto the couch.
"It's just you, me, and Susan."
Michelle smiled and joined her lover on the couch. "And Susan is much
too busy pouting to think of us..."
"Are you really that glad to see her, Michi?" Alex asked, smoothing
the aqua hair that hung near her face.
Michelle smirked shyly and hugged the blonde. "What does it matter?
She's our friend." Michelle kissed Alex lightly on the cheek. "And it seems
to me that she's here to stay."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Pacing nervously, Alice stared at Haley. "Are you going to sit there and do nothing?" she asked, staring across the women's washroom and at her friend.
Haley bit a fingernail idly and repositioned the way she was sitting on the sink. "What do you want me to do? Rush out there, transform for Greed's viewing pleasure, and then get myself beaten to a bloody pulp? I think not!" She looked up and into the chocolate eyes of the girl that was Sailor Aurora Borealis. "You're to impulsive for your own good."
Raising an eyebrow, Alice looked to her. "I don't know what you mean, and I don't care. Our friend is out there."
"I love her as much as you do," Haley said solemnly. "But I don't see how we can fight them without the others."
Pulling her brooch from her skirt pocket, she sighed and glanced at it. "I wish that..." Gasping, enlightenment dawned on her face. "The lockets get warm!"
"Excuse me?" asked Haley, raising her eyebrows. "They get warm?"
Alice nodded, grinning. "When one of us transform, the rest of our lockets get warm. That's why we showed up at Crystal Academy when you and Pheebs got attacked!"
Smiling slyly, Haley shrugged. "Then, I approve of fighting." Pulling her own locket from around her neck, she looked at Alice. "You're too impulsive, but you're also far too smart."
"Thanks." Raising the Locket of Light, Alice cleared her throat. "Aurora Borealis Galactic Power... MAKE UP!"
"Comet Galactic Power... MAKE UP!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"So, Phoebe," Orb asked, eating a bologna sandwich with a grin on his white and orange face, "what are your parents like?"
Looking up from her spinach salad with care, the blue-haired girl considered this. "My dad is a surgeon-world famous, too."
"And your mom?" he asked, not knowing the dangerous territory he was stepping into.
Phoebe sneered. "She's a cranky little bigot," she commented, staring at her dinner. "But, besides that, she runs all of Crystal Hospital."
Orb smiled. "Mother always said that Amy Anderson would amount to something."
"You knew my mom?" Phoebe dropped her fork in shock. "What was she like as a kid?"
Orb shrugged. "I didn't know her, but Mother, Father, and Diana did. Very well, actually." He sighed a bit and looked into her blue eyes. "From what I've learned, your mother was always concerned about being the best at everything and never failing."
"Never failing..." Phoebe sighed, sniffling a tiny bit. "But she doesn't understand that I am a normal kid and person. She expects me to be her and a Sailor. That's it."
"Hard, isn't it?" Orb laid down on the cool surface. "Trying to be someone you're not..."
"I am a teen girl!" she announced a bit loudly and in a dire British accent. "Hath I not teenage eyes? Burnt by the same fire, hugged by the same Greg, laughed at by the same Moon Princess and enlightened by the same books as my mother is. If you bite me, do I not yelp? If you cry on my shoulder, do I not sympathize? If you hand me a computer, do I not program it? And if you expect me to be Amy Anderson, do I not FAIL?"
Rolling his copper eyes, Orb smirked, half amused and half annoyed. "Bravo, bravo. I'll call the Oscar Nomination Committee and get your name on the ballot. Meanwhile, I was trying to have serious conversation with you."
Sticking out her tongue, Phoebe sat back down in her chair. "You're just jealous because I am a really good actress and you..." She stopped, digging suddenly into her pockets.
"What?" he inquired, staring at her.
Clasping something in her hand, Phoebe stared at the guardian cat. "My locket just got really warm..."
"That means danger!" He sprang to his paws and stretched quickly. "If you transform, you'll be able to home in on the other Scouts."
"Pizza Hut," she said, trying to take the disc off its chain. "They're at Pizza Hut."
"Amazing!" Orb gasped, staring. "You're the first one I've heard of that can sense them prior to transforming."
Rolling her eyes, she raised her locket. "That's because they told me where they'd be." She cracked her knuckles. "Phoenix Galactic Power... MAKE UP!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Reeny wiped her brow in exhaustion and leaned the broom against the side of the temple. "Anything else, Tara?"
Tara smiled. The entire ordeal with her father was eased dramatically by the Princess' unending help at the temple. Her meager and currently dim existence seemed to have one single light in it-the light shed by a pink-haired girl with pigtails. "I think we're pretty good to go." Looking at her watch, Tara gasped. "It's nine at night, Reeny! You've been here since noon!"
"So?" the Princess winked. "Anything for a friend, Tara." She yawned a little. "I'm tired though," she finally admitted with a knowing grin.
In a rare moment of caring, the dark-haired teen wrapped her arms around the Princess. "Thank you so much, Princess. I don't know what I'd do without you!"
Rolling her eyes, Reeny hugged her friend back. "No Princess talk, Tara!"
Sighing, she focused her green eyes down to her shorter but older friend. "Sorry, Reeny... I got caught up in the moment."
Diana, from her seat on a rock, smiled. "You two..." she chided sweetly. "My mother would yell at you guys... I'm glad that you both have friends."
The Shinto Priestess smiled a bit. "My mother would probably name twenty other chores waiting for me..." She stopped and felt for her locket. "Uh-oh..."
Reeny searched her too-big temple robes for the Locket of the Moon. Gripping it, a realization came to her.
"It's warm!" she exclaimed, surprised.
"Not again..." groaned Tara, biting her lip.
Diana jumped onto the ground and stood between the two. "Glad you're both excited about this, but come on! We've got evil to fight!"
"Other Sailors to save!" chimed in Reeny.
"And powers to use!" Tara smiled.
"Ready?"
"When you are!"
Reeny held her golden locket high. "Moon Galactic Power... MAKE UP!"
Tara followed suit. "Earth Galactic Power... MAKE UP!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Both Lyra and Celeste huddled under a table, nervously awaiting their fate.
Greed helped herself to another piece of pizza. "You guys can relax a bit. I'm not done with my dinner yet."
"And after that?" the blonde teen trembled.
Whipping her braid behind her, the Raider shrugged. "Then, you die."
Gulping, Celeste reached out for her big sister's hand. "Lyra..." she whispered, squeezing the soft but sweaty hand. Biting her lower lip, she sighed. Better late then never. "Lyra, I have to tell you something."
"Shhh..." Holding a finger to her lip, Lyra shook her head of curls. "I'll get us out of this; don't you bother yourself with worrying."
Furiously shaking her head, Celeste stared at her elder sister. "That's not it, though. I want to tell you about..."
Glaring at the two, Greed held a finger to her blood red lips. "Shush. I can't eat when you're loud." Taking a huge bite out of her slice, she looked down at them again. "Oh, and would you get up? I can't stand to see you two lay there like animals!"
Grabbing the tiny hand of her sister, Lyra rose shakily. Her heart was pounding in complete fear, and she couldn't help but think that her death was near. It was a scary experience-so much danger, so little time...and no where to transform.
Celeste looked at Greed and felt her knees grow week. She had never once been so scared in her entire life. "Lyra..." she hissed through clenched teeth. "Can I please tell you something?"
Not looking away from her dinner, Greed shook her head. "I said shush. I mean it." She drank some coffee slowly. "Don't make me mad. You wouldn't like it."
Illness took a bite of his pizza. "Who are you two, anyway?"
Trembling, Lyra felt beneath her blouse. Her locket, of course, hung in its proper place. If only she could get out long enough to transform... And Celeste-sweet, naïve Celeste-was in more danger than she was. At least she was Sailor Polaris. At least she could fight back. Celeste? No defense. No hope...
"Stop right there!" came a strong female voice.
Another voice called out to the two Raiders. "Don't even think about hurting them!"
Nearly choking on her pizza, Greed slammed her fist down on the table. "SHIT!" she yelled unceremoniously. "Why didn't we think of those Sailor brats?" Looking at Illness, who was still eating, she lowered her eyes. "Are you concerned?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Not in the least."
A brown haired girl in a gold and orange fuku appeared with her arms crossed over her chest. "I am the sporty Sailor Comet, and I will protect the world's dawn of life."
Sporty? Lyra stifled a laugh, looking down at her sister. Little Celeste was amazed by Scout.
"And I," said another Scout, this one with a lavender and dark blue outfit, "am the kindly Sailor Aurora Borealis. Holding to the movement of the stars, I protect those in need."
Greed bristled. Pulling her long sword from its scabbard, she lowered her deep eyes. "Surrender now," she growled, voice low and evil, "or prepare to fight."
Aurora Borealis and Comet looked at each other. "Uh..."
Lyra rolled her brown eyes. Idiotic Scouts.
"Celeste," she hissed, crouching down. "Go hide under a booth. Okay?"
The little girl shook her head vehemently. "Not without you!"
Kissing the top of the little one's head, Lyra let a tear roll down her cheek. "Trust me on this, 'Leste," she cooed, wiping the tear away. "I can take care of myself."
Hugging her sister, Celeste grinned. "I sure hope so." She took off like a flash for the other side of the room.
"Good luck guys," Lyra mouthed, winking at the two Scouts. "I'll be back."
Raising her sword, Greed smirked. "Goodbye."
"COMET CRATER CLOSE!" screamed Comet, willing the attack to work.
Illness rolled his eyes and stuck out a hand. "Dark Rebuttal," he muttered.
The attack was countered.
Comet's mouth fell open. "What was that?"
Shrugging, Aurora Borealis cracked her knuckles. "Aurora Borealis," she yelled, spinning in a circle. "SHINING!"
Light began to shimmer down from the ceiling.
Illness sighed. "When will you learn? Dark Rebuttal!"
The light quickly faded.
"Shit..." sighed Comet, pacing a bit. "We're screwed."
Smoothing his brown robes, Illness pointed to the Scouts. "Sit."
They both found themselves forced to sit on the floor.
"What the heck?" asked Aurora, trying to stand with little success.
Struggling with whatever was holding her down, Comet groaned. "Crap."
"Leave them alone!" came two new voices.
Greed rolled her eyes. "MORE Sailors?" Kicking a table, she clenched her fists. "How many do they need?"
Sailors Polaris and Phoenix stood before them, standing back to back.
Polaris smiled. "I won't let you hurt innocent teens and kids."
"And I won't let you destroy Pizza Hut," Phoenix said. "Phoenix Heat..."
"DON'T!" screamed both Comet and Aurora Borealis in unison.
"FLASHING!"
Illness shrugged. "Do it the hard way. Dark Rebuttal."
The stream of fire and steam disappeared.
Phoenix's mouth fell open. "WHAT WAS THAT?" she shrieked at Illness, her ice blue eyes glaring at him. "HOW COULD YOU STOP MY ATTACK?"
"Shut up," Illness sighed, waving an arm.
Her mouth kept moving, but no sound came out. Flailing her arms and jumping up and down, Phoenix tried to scream. Nothing.
Polaris bristled. "Okay, let's try this again."
"WAIT!" a male voice hollered.
All four Scouts glanced upward, towards the top of the salad bar.
There, in his purple cape and black tuxedo, stood the ever adult Starlit Prince.
And, next to him and clutching onto his leg, was Sailor Chibi-Star. The littler Scout looked positively terrified; her large green eyes were bloodshot, her pale cheeks were stained with tears, and her blonde pigtails were messy.
Sailor Polaris paled as a double dose of deja vu washed over her. Shakily, she swallowed. "Uh... Why should I wait?" she asked the young man cautiously.
It wasn't the Starlit Prince but Chibi-Star who spoke up. Staring at the Sailor of the North Star, she stood a little taller. "Because he's going to Darkly Rebut you!"
"Huh?" She raised a blonde eyebrow.
The Starlit Prince shook his head. "You and someone else need to attack at the same time or..."
"Well, duh!" commented Comet from her seat on the floor. "I could have told her that."
Belting Comet on the head, Phoenix tried to talk again, but was unable to. Jumping up and down, she clutched her throat furiously.
Polaris rolled her eyes, taking a mental inventory of the situation. Phoenix couldn't talk and, therefore, couldn't attack anyone; Comet and Aurora Borealis were stuck sitting on the floor, unable to do much more than talk. That left..."
"Chibi-Star!" Polaris yelled. "Attack them with me!"
"Not so fast!" retorted Greed, holding up her sword. "You're not getting past me that easily!"
Lobbing a purple rose at the Raiderette, the Starlit Prince looked down at his little friend, Chibi-Star, and then to Polaris. "Now!"
"Starry Sky..." began Polaris, raising a hand high.
Chibi Star stood with both arms above her head. "Small Star..."
"Smash!"
"Shatter!"
Both drew their hands away from their bodies and downward in a perfect synchronism.
"Wow..." cooed Comet.
Aurora just stared, wondering how Chibi-Star and Polaris could be so much alike.
Pulling the rose out of the leather covering her stomach, Greed stared at the shimmering glass and rolling ball of stardust that was coming towards her and her companion, Illness.
"We'll be back!" she growled, throwing the rose on the floor and disappearing.
Illness snarled. "Make no doubt about that!"
Attempting to stand, Aurora sighed in relief. Her legs finally obeyed and she rose. "Whew..."
Phoenix cleared her throat in delight. "I CAN TALK!"
This amused the Starlit Prince, and he laughed. "Glad to hear it. So long, Scouts."
"Bye!" Chibi-Star chimed in, reattaching herself to his black pant leg.
Polaris' brown eyes grew wide. "Wait! Aren't you going to tell me..."
They were gone.
"Who you are?" she finished, disappointment filling her young voice.
A young male voice spoke up. "Don't fret, Polaris-a lot of things are yet to come. Maybe, someday, he'll tell you who he is!" The voice was chipper and understanding.
Phoenix grinned and scooped up a small orange and white cat. "May I present..."
"Orb, your newest Guardian Cat!" the cat chimed in, his crescent moon glinting in the light.
Suddenly, the door burst open and Sailors Earth and Moon entered the restaurant. Sailor Moon held the Galactic Rod in a hand looked ready to kill someone.
"Where are they?" she asked in a confused tone, spinning around to survey the entire room.
"Gone, Reeny," responded Comet. "Lyra freaked them out."
Wrinkling her nose, Moon pouted. "Aww, shucks..."
Diana rolled her red eyes. "And I thought she was starting to be a real hero..." Glancing at Phoenix, she did a double take. "Orb?" Her eyebrows rose to astronomical heights.
Winking a copper eye, Orb grinned. "Seems as though I'm back for a stay, Di," he sniggered.
Diana sighed. "This is NOT my week," she muttered.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sitting on the green sheets of her bed, Susan sighed deeply. Even her room at the house had become unfamiliar... She had spent too long at the Gates of Time. So long, in fact, she had forgotten the simple joys of life.
Sipping her tea, Susan bit her lip, drawing a bit of blood. "Maybe my premonition was just calling me to come home. I've sure missed this place... I've even missed Alexandra!" Laughing at herself, she glanced into the mirror.
She had grown a few inches since her days as an active Scout; her darkly hunter green hair had become more wavy, and nearly reached her ankles. Scarlet-framed glassed complemented her garnet eyes and sat low on her nose, giving her a dignified and adult look. But, in her opinion, she looked too severe and...too stern.
Shaking loose the fat bun that held up half her hair, she smiled a bit. "I never thought I'd be back here... not after defeating Galaxia..." Smiling wider, she blinked back tears. "But, here I am."
The door opened a bit, and Susan felt herself spin around in anticipation.
"Aunt Suse!" shrieked Hannah, throwing herself into the tall woman's embrace. "I haven't seen you in what seems to be an eternity!"
Susan laughed a bit and smoothed the girl's nearly purple hair. "I'm here now, aren't I?"
Leaning her head on Susan's shoulder, Hannah smiled. "I guess you are, Suse..." Looking up with teary eyes, she swallowed to keep from crying. "I've been through a lot...And I'm so glad to finally see you..."
"So am I," Susan muttered. "So am I..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Orb and Diana sat at opposite ends of the Urawa's living room, glancing suspiciously at one another.
"So, you and Orb are siblings?" asked Reeny, stuffing several chips in her mouth.
Diana rolled her red eyes. "Sadly, yes."
"You're just jealous because Mom likes me better!" Orb retorted, sticking out his pink tongue.
"Am not!" the pink cat returned.
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
It had been going on like that since the little orange and white cat had arrived. Even Lyra confessed that she and Becky, the sister directly younger than her, didn't fight as much as the two cats.
"Yes, we are," Orb finally said in response to the Princess. "Diana is three years older than I."
Diana wrinkled her nose. "Orb was spoiled rotten by Mom and Dad."
"Was not!" Orb retorted.
Rubbing her temples slowly, Haley sighed. "Cut it out, alright? I've had enough of your childish bickering."
The blonde Scout shifted her weight. "You alright, Haley? You seem stressed out."
"I don't know..." Haley sighed, blinking. "I feel like I'm going to pass out..."
"Weird." Phoebe stood. "Want some aspirin?"
Haley shook her head, breathing deeply. "Someone call my Mom and have her come get me and the car..."
"I'm on it!" Alice jetted out of the room and towards the kitchen.
Orb sighed. "Fight lag," he muttered.
"Fight lag?" asked Diana, rolling her eyes. "Do you ALWAYS make things up, or just occasionally?"
"I'm not making this up, you jerk!" he snapped, focusing his copper eyes on his older sister. "Stop nagging me and listen for a nanosecond..."
"Would you be quiet?" Haley's bloodshot aqua eyes focused on the cat. "I feel so sick..."
Phoebe helped her up slowly. "Celeste is asleep in my parent's room... I'll put you in there. Okay?"
Haley could hardly manage to nod.
"It's just fight lag," Reeny said quietly. "After battles that involve a lot of danger and being attacked, you get really tired."
"How come only she felt it?" asked Lyra, listening with interest.
Reeny shrugged. "I don't know... Maybe she finally gave up..."
"She IS strong," Tara whispered from her seat by the window. "Very strong."
"Like your father?" Alice entered the room and her dark eyes flew to the thin girl. "Strong like him?"
Tara just managed to nod.
Alice shrugged. "Hannah and Susan will be here in about ten minutes."
"SUSAN?" Diana's eyes grew wide. "Why the hell is she here?"
Looking up at the stars, Tara gulped. "I don't know for sure... But I can sense it..."
The pink cat jumped off the table. "What is it?" she asked, staring at her charge.
Green eyes focused on the furry cat. "Susan is here to fall in love," she said seriously.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Greed threw her sword against the wall. "I have never been so...nice...in my life!"
Rolling his black eyes, Death sighed. "You're a great actress, dearest. Illness probably thinks you like him." He opened his arms to her.
Sticking out her tongue, Greed snarled. "Will you shut up, already? I hope that I can be mean again...soon..." Looking at his open arms, she sighed and gave him a tight hug.
"Don't you worry..." he breathed into her ear. "Soon enough you'll be able to be yourself..."
Raising an eyebrow, she looked up. "What is that supposed to mean?"
He swallowed. "I think...I think Illness is going to die."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Endymion paced back and forth, wringing his cape in his hands. He was nervous, and the look in his blue eyes sure showed it.
From her seat behind the large desk, Serenity sighed and tried to distract her husband. "Calm down," she cooed, looking at him with noticeable concern. "You'll give yourself an ulcer, dear..."
"But Susan is late!" Endymion yelped, glancing at his watch for the eightieth time.
Serenity raised an eyebrow and idly adjusted her crown. "What is wrong with her being late?"
He rolled his eyes. "She's the flipping Guardian of Time, Serenity! She shouldn't, therefore, be late!" He kicked a chair. "And Terrence is also late!"
Shaking her head slowly, the Queen turned to her computer. "For the record, dear, Susan may be late because of the battle last night."
"Battle?" asked Endymion, shocked. "What battle?"
"The Sailor Scouts were in a battle yesterday." She shrugged and began typing on the computer. "Haley had her first fight lag."
"Fight lag?" Luna inquired from her plush cat bed. "What in Heaven's name is fight lag?" She raised her head slowly and glanced at the Queen.
Serenity cocked her head a bit. "You don't know about fight lag?" she asked carefully.
"Obviously not!" Luna snapped back, annoyed. "What is it?"
"When you get into a fight," came a familiarly timeless voice, "you happen to have a wave of nausea, depending on how hard you actually DID fight."
Serenity smiled warmly. "How nice to see you, Susan."
The Time Guardian swept a hair behind her shoulder. She was wearing a slightly tight black dress with crimson trim, and it just barely swept her ankles. Her glasses were actually on the top of her head instead of down on her nose, and two crimson earrings hung down from her ears. She looked beautiful, and Endymion found himself staring.
"Uh... Hi, Susan..." he stammered, receiving a fierce glare from his young wife. "You look... Terrence will surely... Well, you know how we guys are... Uh..."
Serenity rolled her eyes. "Susan, gorgeous outfit. Terrence will be amazed."
"I really hope he retains his motor skills upon seeing me," Susan quipped, smiling her secretive smile. "Do you happen to know if Endymion's reaction runs in the family?"
Chuckling a bit, the King bowed very nobly, smiling. "Is Haley alright?"
Susan nodded, sitting carefully in an armchair. "She's never experienced fight lag..." Biting a crimson lip, Susan's expression turned thoughtful. "The strange part is that not one of the other five Galactic Sailors have gone through fight lag yet..."
Shrugging yet remaining thoughtful, Serenity smiled a bit. "I'm sure there's a very logical reason..."
"For what?" came a brand new and sarcastic voice.
Three sets of eyes turned to the doorway, while Luna just sighed and laid her head on her paws.
A young man stood in the door, his tan suit a bit messy but intact. His hair was mostly brown, but was highlighted with blonde. A pair of glasses sat on his nose, and a goatee covered part of his chin.
Endymion swallowed. "Terrence?"
The man smirked. "In the flesh, Endy." He made a face. "Endy... Ugh, what a name? What were Mom and Dad on when they named you?" Grinning wider, he bowed. "My King... My Queen..."
Serenity chuckled. "I like him, Endymion," she cooed happily, standing slowly. "He had a good soul."
Staring, Susan blinked. She had never seen a man so free-spirited and easygoing...especially not one who stood before the King and Queen of the Earth. Smirking a quirky half-smile, she bit her lip. He was also very attractive...
"And who is this vixen?" Terrence joked, glancing slyly at Susan.
Rising, Susan stood and bowed a bit. "Susan Meiou, the Guardian of Time," she responded, introducing herself.
Terrence considered this. "I'm sure that you tell that to ALL the guys, Sets." He threw himself into a chair.
"Excuse me?" she asked, taken aback. "What did you call me?"
Serenity grimaced. Endymion swallowed, gritting his teeth. Luna sighed.
"Here we go..." she muttered.
"Sets," Terrence responded, opening his jacket and reaching into it. "I called you Sets."
"Sets?" She raised an eyebrow.
Pulling out a yellow rose, he held it out to her. "Setsuna 'Susan' Meiou," he responded lightly, smiling sweetly. "That's your full name."
Turning her nose up at the flower, Susan rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "How the HELL am I supposed to show you around the city?" she asked rhetorically.
He shrugged. "Not my problem, now is it?" Closing his hand around the rose, he smirked, and reopened his hand. The rose was gone.
Both Susan and Serenity stared at him. "How'd you do that?" asked the Queen with wide eyes.
Blinking and shaking her head, Susan wrinkled her nose. "Parlor tricks."
Holding out his now-empty hand to the Time Guardian, his face turned serious. "Would you like to take me to the Observatory, Sets?"
She bristled, staring at his hand. Never before had a man offered to hold her hand. Looking down at her own hand, she swallowed. Why was her heart all the way in her throat? And why was her stomach doing flip-flops? She couldn't figure any of it out.
"Uh... Alright... Prince Terrence..." she stammered, taking hold of his hand.
Terrence winked a green eye at Endymion before looking back at Susan. "And, Sets, none of this 'Prince' stuff... I'm no Prince..." He pulled her towards the door. "See you later, bro!"
As soon as they were out of earshot, Serenity smiled meekly. "They're cute, aren't they?"
Wrapping an arm around her waist, the King nodded. His blue eyes were almost teary. "I have a brother..." he smiled. "And he has me..."
"What does that mean?" asked Serenity, looking up. "Why would that be..."
Kissing her, Endymion cut off her talking. Pulling back away, he placed a soft hand on the top of her head, stroking the golden hair. "Not even I know..." he mumbled, holding her close. "Not even I know..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Feeling better, Haley?" asked Phoebe, peeking her head into the room.
Sitting up in her silver-sheeted bed, Haley nodded tamely. The bass drum in her head was still being pounded, and her eyes still throbbed to some unreal beat. "Yeah..." she murmured, swallowing. Her voice was weak but heard. "I'm just really tired..."
"Aw... Dang it!" Phoebe walked into the bedroom, revealing herself. She was wearing a cream skirt with green and blue plaid on it, and her top was tight and light blue. She looked as though her stepped out of some sort of teen catalogue, only... She didn't pull it off very well. Seeing Haley's stare, she raised an eyebrow. "What are you looking at?" she asked, glancing down.
Haley shook her head. "Nothing..." she croaked, groping for the glass of water that sat on her desk. "Now, what brings you halfway across the city?" Sipping the warm liquid, she considered Phoebe with her green eyes. "It couldn't be to see me..."
Sitting on the edge of the bed, the blue haired girl glanced around Haley's bedroom. It was big and had a silver and orange color scheme... The same colors of Sailor Comet. A giant bookshelf sat in one corner of the room, laden with books, magazines, and family photos. One, which was of her as a child of about one and of Hannah as a teen stood out.
Catching her friend's gaze, Haley attempted a smile. "The first picture that they took of me and Hannah..." she said with a slight bit of pain in her voice.
"Wow..." commented the amazed girl. "You and Hannah's ages are really far apart, aren't they?"
Haley shook her head of brown hair. "As Mistress Saturn, Hannah is eternal. She's a few centuries old, but..."
"Looks about twenty-two..." Phoebe finished. "That's really amazing." She shrugged. "I always think of my Mom as the cranky middle aged lady that she is, but, she's really a few thousand years old." Biting her lip, she sighed. "Weird world, isn't it?"
Nodding, the girl in bed sighed. "Now, what did you want?"
"OH!" Phoebe groped into her green purse and pulled out several little strips of paper. "I got tickets to the big star show at Crystal Light Observatory!" she announced triumphantly. "Want to come?"
Thinking about it, Haley chewed her lip. There were so many things that she wanted to do on the lovely Saturday it was turning out to be... But Crystal Light Observatory?
"Reeny and Lyra are definitely going. Tara doesn't want to, but I might drag her along..." Phoebe was saying loudly with a goofy grin on her face. "What do you say?"
Shrugging, Haley smiled weakly. "Sounds fun. But there is no way that Michelle will let me go in this state..."
The door popped open, and Alex stuck her head in. "Haley, I'm taking the Corvette out. Need anything?" she asked. Seeing Phoebe, she let an embarrassed look pass across her face. "Sorry, Phoebe. I didn't know you were here..."
"It's okay, Ms. Ten'ou," Phoebe politely said, smiling. "We were just talking about going out..."
"Need a ride?" the blonde woman asked.
Haley shook her head. "Michelle would never..."
"What Michelle doesn't know won't get your Scout butt grounded, Kiddo." Alex winked. "Know what I mean?"
Her face lighting up, Haley jumped out of bed. "Give me five minutes!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Plopping her omelet onto the plate, Alice glanced at the time. It was ten a.m. on a Saturday morning, and Lita wasn't up yet... Nearly shaking, she put the skillet back on the stove.
Suddenly, the door to the kitchen opened and her mother waltzed in, stretching. "Morning, dear," she said, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "You were asleep when I got in at eleven..." she said, opening the fridge.
"Liar." Alice took a bite of her omelet, an eerie calm in her voice.
Nearly dropping the carton of juice, Lita glanced at her child. "Excuse me, Alice?"
"You weren't home at eleven... I wasn't even home at eleven," she calmly responded, focusing on her breakfast. "You weren't home at midnight. When I went to bed at ONE, you weren't home, Mom..." A tear ran down her face and landed on the eggs.
Lita stood silently for a moment before responding. "I'm so sorry..."
"I got home at half-past eleven, and you weren't here. So what? You were at the restaurant. Fine." She bit her lip. "I practiced cello for a while, and then I read my new pet psychology book." She looked at her mother; her chocolate eyes filled with anger and...disappointment? Lita couldn't figure out what emotion her child's eyes were trying to express, but it wasn't happiness; she knew that. "It was midnight by then, Mom."
Sitting in the chair, next to her daughter, Lita grasped one of the shaking young hands. "I'm so sorry, dear..."
"Let me finish." Alice reclaimed her hand with a jerk and put it in her lap with the other. "I tried to read, and to think. Sleep only came when I was too tired to move. But I figured something out, Mom." Realizing that tears were running down her face, she wiped a few of them away. "I will not forgive you."
Lita wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "I didn't know I'd run so late, Alice. I was all accidental..."
"Since you opened your restaurant," Alice coldly responded, ignoring her mother, "my life has been little more than broken promises." She stood, looking down at her mother. The brown ponytail that the Mistress of Jupiter was so well known for was a knotted mess, and her green flannel pajamas were really wrinkled. Good old Lita, Alice thought with a half chuckle. "And I am sick of broken promises."
As Alice Kino walked out of the kitchen, she heard her mother choke down a sob.
It was going to be a long day.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Plopping down in his desk, Richard looked at his smart-alecky astronomy teacher. His parents, who were some sort of distant royalty, had forced him to take an astronomy class at the Crystal Light Observatory. At first he hadn't minded, but now... "I hate this class!" he grumbled, pulling out his book.
The teacher, a middle-aged man with interestingly colored hair (namely, purple) glared at Richard. "Master Umino, don't get too comfortable." Pulling a large envelope out of a desk drawer, the teacher smirked. "You are going to see the star show."
"Why me?" Richard challenged, standing. "I don't even want to be here, and you're making me see that silly star show?" Putting his hands on his hips, he gazed at his teacher with disdain. "I won't go."
"Get over yourself, Richard," the teacher responded. "I want you to go because I'm talking about the Milky Way today, and you have extreme knowledge in that field." Rolling his eyes, he handed over the envelope. "Here's your ticket, Pretty Boy."
Grabbing his backpack, Richard rolled his eyes. "Thanks..."
As he left, he sighed. "I guess..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"This is horrendously boring," Greed muttered from her front row seat at the star show. "And I'm done with my popcorn, Illness..."
Rolling his brown eyes, the male Raider sighed warily. "Greed?" he asked, turning to her.
She popped a handful of TicTacs into her mouth. "Wha?" she questioned, nearly choking on the mints.
"The show hasn't started yet." He sighed and opened his book.
Glancing at the book, Greed wrinkled her nose. "War Strategy? How boring!" Slouching in her seat, she pouted. "I hate star shows anyway..."
Nearly throwing his book down in anger, Illness glared at her. "I am sick of your incessant whining!" he yelled. "Just be quiet and enjoy the..."
"Is this seat twelve?" came a male voice.
Illness looked up and saw a young man with brown, highlighted hair and an awful tan suit. Standing behind him was an impossibly tall young woman with uncanny green hair.
Illness nodded. "I have seat thirteen, so I'd assume that you're right." He glanced at Greed, who was making faces behind his back.
"Oh!" The man said as he sat. "How rude of me! I'm Terrence Chiba." He offered his hand.
Illness shook it limply. "I'm...uh... Ike," he lied, blushing a bit. "And this is my friend... Gretchen."
"Gretchen?" Greed hissed, smacking him in the shoulder. "Couldn't you come up with something better than Gretchen?"
Terrence smiled politely. "This is my hot date of the day, Sets Meiou."
"Susan!" The young woman slapped Terrence in the back of his head. "My name is NOT Sets! Do we understand each other?" she crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. "And I assure you, I am NOT his date, either."
Terrence chuckled. "She's right... Susan is acting as my tour guide for the day," he corrected, gazing longingly at her. "But she is quite a piece of work."
"Hmph!" she snorted.
Illness smiled a bit and gazed at Greed, who was reading a battered comic book. So beautiful... And so untouchable... "I know what you mean, Terrence..." he sighed, resisting the urge to smooth her messy black hair.
"Doesn't it just stink, Ike?" the young man asked, grabbing Susan's hand. "So beautiful, so smart..." He kissed it and returned the hand, Susan staring with wide eyes the entire time. "But so out of reach..."
Sighing, Illness smoothed his khakis. "Yeah," he finally said softly. "It does..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Row two, seats fifteen through eighteen." Phoebe glanced at the tickets and then at the seats. "Here we are."
Reeny, Haley, and Lyra filed in, letting the blue haired ticket-holder have the last seat.
The Princess opened her purse, and a pink cat's head popped out. "Never again!" hissed Diana, gasping for air. "Next time you go out, I stay home!"
Lyra rolled her brown eyes. "Come on, Diana... It's not all that bad..."
"Is too!" the cat retorted, glaring at each of the Scouts separately. "How about we lock you in a tiny bag for an hour and see how YOU like it!" Turning up her nose, she snorted. "And I have a funny feeling about all this, anyway!"
"Great time to tell us," groaned Phoebe, playing with the Sailor Mercury key chain on her purse. "Right AFTER we get here..."
Haley sat quietly, staring at the woman directly in front of her with wide eyes. "Oh...my..."
Leaning forward, the Princess of the Earth raised an eyebrow. "What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you feeling alright?"
"It's not me... It's just that..." Shaking her head a little, Haley swallowed hard. "Susan is sitting right in front of me, Reeny."
"Susan?" Diana's eyes grew large. "You've GOT to be kidding."
Phoebe shrugged. "Only one way to find out..." Tapping the green haired young woman on the shoulder, she grinned. "Excuse me... Miss?"
The woman turned around, and Haley gasped.
Familiar garnet eyes.
Long green hair with bangs that were forever messy.
Crimson earrings...as always.
Susan.
"Susan?" Haley gasped. "I can't believe that you're here!"
Chuckling, the woman smiled warmly. "If you had been awake last night, you would have seen that I came to get you... Hannah, too."
Haley blushed a bit. "Sorry about that, Aunt Susan. I just... uh..." Shaking her head, she voted to change the subject. "What brings you here?"
"Duty," Susan snorted, rolling her eyes. "Royal duty."
The lights dimmed a little, and Haley smiled. "I guess that's the minute warning."
Her aunt nodded. "Don't you worry, though-we'll have plenty of time to talk later, Haley."
Meanwhile, Lyra was enjoying her battered copy of Julius Caesar when a slightly familiar voice made itself audible.
"Is this seat nineteen?" it asked.
Looking up, the girl gasped in delight. "Hi Richard!" she exclaimed, grinning.
He glanced down at her thoughtfully, and then recognition graced his confused face. "Oh, hi Lyra," he responded, sitting down in the seat and depositing his backpack on the floor. "What's new with you?"
She shrugged. "Nothing much. How about with you?"
"Nothing," he responded nonchalantly, glancing at her book through his silver glasses. "Oh! Julius Caesar?"
"Yep!" Lyra exclaimed, closing the book and gazing at the cover. "I just love Shakespeare..."
"Who's your friend?" Phoebe suddenly asked the blonde girl, winking slyly. "He's cute."
Lyra blushed deeply and stared down at the floor. "This is Richard... We met at the pizza parlor yesterday."
Ice blue eyes growing wide, Phoebe gulped. "At Pizza Hut?" she asked, amazement in her voice.
"How'd you escape from those idiotic freaks, anyway?" he asked, a bit of concern in his voice. "I was sort of worried."
Haley leaned far back in her seat and grinned at him. "Galactic Sailors saved her butt, of course."
"Who?" Richard repeated, raising and eyebrow and looking extremely worried.
Reeny smirked and looked at him. "Richard Umino, don't tell me that-as a child of a friend of the Queen-YOU don't know of the Galactic Sailor Scouts."
"Can't say I do..." he attempted, glancing at the giant screen.
"They are six female warriors," Phoebe sighed, polishing her nails on her shirt. "Born and raised to protect the Galaxy from death, destruction, and..."
"Rabid turtles," Reeny finished. Getting an odd look from the others, she raised her arms defensively. "What?"
Suddenly, the lights went off and the screen began to light up. Stars and planets appeared on the screen, and the seats began to tilt backwards a bit.
"Eeek!" The Princess clutched her armrests with white knuckles. "My chair... it's a Negaverse warrior come to kill me!" She pulled her knees into the fetal position.
Richard and Phoebe both chuckled while Lyra patted her friend's hand. "It's okay, Reeny..."
"Is not!" Sniffling, the pink-haired girl glanced at the screen. "And, besides... I don't like the dark..."
Suddenly, two shadows appeared on the screen. One was thin and frail-looking... The other was obviously very female and shapely...
Haley's one word could be heard through the entire auditorium as the four Scouts recognized the shadows.
"Shit."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Tara ran into the room her father was housed in, almost afraid of the news. Her mother's choked half-sob and half-scream was heard at the opposite end of the temple grounds, and she just hoped it wasn't bad news...
Clutching her locket, the dark haired girl slowed her pace. "In the name of the Earth," she solemnly said, bowing her head. "Please let everything be okay..."
She didn't even notice the shadow standing over her as she prayed.
"I know that I'm not the greatest daughter, Serenity..." she cooed, thinking of the Moon Queen that Reeny so often mentioned. "But I know you're up there... Protecting us Sailors, and hoping we do it right..." She tried to smile, but tears came instead of happiness. "But I don't want to do it right... Not without my father..."
"Oh, Tara..." came a calm, loving voice. "Don't you talk like that... Everything is okay, now..."
Looking slowly up, she felt her green eyes fill with more tears. But they were not tears of sadness, she realized as an involuntary smile crossed her face. They were tears of joy.
Chad smiled down at her and opened his arms, weeping his own tears of joy as his young daughter hugged him.
"Didn't your mother tell you to hope?" he asked lovingly, smoothing her hair. "And don't you listen to her... ever?"
Tara tried to be mad for his well-meant scolding, but she couldn't be angry at him-not after the week of worry and sleepless nights...
Feeling her mother's touch, Tara looked up. The Mistress of Mars' old flair and spunk graced her face again, and Tara realized Chad meant more to Raye than the temple did... More, it seemed, than life itself.
Kissing the top of Tara's head, Raye held back a few tears. "You're a great daughter. I know I don't seem to care, but I thought we were going to lose everything..."
"It's not lost, my love," Chad smiled slightly, pulling Raye into the hug. "It's just been found."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Damn it!" Haley jumped from empty seat to empty seat, trying to get to the front door of the auditorium. "Why does this always happen to us?"
Almost stepping on a young woman in her seat, Reeny grimaced. "What did you expect from Greed and Illness?" she asked, panting. "A formal invitation?"
Lyra just rolled her eyes. "Don't argue. We don't need whining, we need action!"
Greed's voice boomed throughout the room. "Princess! We know you're here!"
"No crap!" Phoebe shot back, annoyed. "Of course she's here, you seductive little..."
"Phoebe!" scolded Lyra. "Don't you start!"
When they reached the aisle, the four girls all stared at each other, unsure what to do.
"We could leave," suggested Diana from her place at their feet.
Haley shook her head. "If we do that, they'll catch us for sure."
"Yeah," agreed Phoebe, pulling out her mother's Mercury computer. "It's too dark for them to see us, now."
"What's that?" asked Reeny, amazed.
The blue-haired Sailor shrugged. "It's my mom's. I borrowed it."
Grimacing, Haley glared at them. "Hello? Anyone functioning right now?" she asked in an annoyed tone. "The Raiders are here, and they're cranky, and they are going to beat us up!"
Two new figures appeared.
"Maybe we can help," suggested a kind and timeless voice.
Another voice chimed in. "Yeah! After all, I'm Endymion's little brother..."
"Huh?" asked Reeny. "What did you say?"
Susan rolled her garnet eyes and punched Terrence in the arm. "He didn't say anything worthwhile," she chuckled, slightly lovingly. "Anyway, we can distract those Raiders if you need to escape."
"Really?" asked Phoebe, ice blue eyes wide. "You can do that?"
Grinning slyly, Susan pulled a circle of beads off her wrists. "I'm the Mistress and Sailor of Pluto. I can do anything I please."
"Got to love her," Terrence smiled.
Haley cocked her head. "Who are you?" she asked, perplexed.
He shrugged. "Just the brother of the King."
"Princess!" called Greed loudly. "Come out!"
Susan waved her arms. "Go! We'll take care of the rest!"
Lyra, Reeny, and Phoebe ran out, but Haley lingered behind for a moment, afraid of what was going to happen. "Aunt Susan... Are you sure that you..."
"Get out of here!" Susan scolded, fingering the crimson and dark green beads. "I can take care of this!"
Haley smiled and hugged her aunt quickly. "Thanks."
She was gone.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Sets," Terrence said firmly, pulling out a yellow rose. "I'd like to live through this."
"My name is Susan!" she yelled at him, raising the beads high. "Not Sets!"
"Whatever." He glanced at her. "I didn't know you're Sailor Pluto."
"That's nice." Susan cleared her throat. "Pluto Eternal Power!" she cried, waving the beads above her head. "MAKE UP!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Alice sat in her bedroom, trying to make sense out of her orchestra music. The fact that she was still crying a bit wasn't helping the tiny notes be any clearer. Throwing the music aside, her laid back on her bed and stared up at the lavender ceiling.
"It's not fair," she thought aloud. "I don't have a father... My mother doesn't really seem to care... And I can't read my cello music."
"Well, maybe it's because the music is written for violin." Lita emerged from the bathroom doorway and picked up the sheet. "I accidentally grabbed the wrong folder at Crossroads when I picked up your stuff."
Sighing, the girl shrugged. "Oh."
Sitting on Alice's desk chair, Lita looked at her feet. "I know how hard this is for you."
"And how do you know that?" asked Alice, sitting up. "How can you know what I'm feeling? You didn't come home, you didn't call..." Choking on her own tears, she let her eyes wander to the fish tank.
"My parents were killed in a plane crash when I was a kid," responded the woman seriously, wiping a tear from a green eye. "I missed them, and there were nights... You couldn't imagine how much I cried."
"But you got over it," Alice said. "You found your friends..."
"But I worried." Lita took one of her daughter's hands. "I didn't worry about them, but I did worry about myself. How I could survive, how I could live..."
Alice understood suddenly. Her mother had to survive with less, and she did. Living alone from age twelve, she had learned. And maybe...
"I guess I'll learn how to support you and the restaurant without a dad lurking around here."
"That's the spirit!" Lita smiled, playing with a brown hair. "But, for all it's worth... I am sorry, dear."
Climbing over the bed and halfway onto her mother's lap, Alice grinned an impish grin. "So am I, Mom," she smiled. "So am I."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"They're all alone in there!" yelled Haley as Reeny and Phoebe dragged her down the hall of the observatory. "You can't do this to them! My aunt will get..."
"So you want us to transform out here, Haley?" Reeny shot back commandingly. "There's a janitor's closet at the end of the hall." Walking a little faster, the Princess of the Earth put on a determined face.
Phoebe was oddly silent as they made their way down the long hall. She looked positively reflective, and Lyra latched onto that.
"What's wrong?" the blonde asked.
Shrugging, the girl played with one of her many braids. "I don't really know... Something's just nagging me about this..."
Lyra smiled. "Well, don't worry. We can win."
"And that hunky Starlit Prince will save our butts if we get into trouble," giggled Reeny.
"I'd rather have Richard," commented Lyra. Realizing what she said, a blush crept across her face. "I mean..."
Phoebe giggled warmly. "It's okay..."
"We understand," Haley added.
Reeny, though, made a face. "Richard? UGH!" Sticking out her tongue, she threw open the door to the janitor's closet. "Everybody in."
They obeyed, and four Scouts drew out their lockets.
"Ready?" asked Phoebe.
Lyra smiled and cracked her knuckles. "I was born ready!"
Smiling, Haley chuckled. "Good answer!"
Reeny raised her locket. "Moon Galactic Power... MAKE UP!"
"Phoenix Galactic Power..." Phoebe held up her locket. "MAKE UP!"
Haley grinned grimly. "Comet Galactic Power... MAKE UP!"
Glancing at her locket, Lyra wondered if she'd ever even see Richard again. But, shrugging off her strange feeling, she held the locket above her.
"Polaris Galactic Power... MAKE UP!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Watching her parents as they talked, Tara forced a smile. Sometimes her mother was a jerk, and sometimes her father didn't understand, but she was stuck with them-and she loved them. What more really mattered?
Suddenly, she felt something very warm against her chest.
"My locket!" she yelped, groping for the little disc. "It's warm again!"
At about the same time, she noticed her mother's hand fly to the opposite wrist, fingering a bracelet of purple and red beads. Then, the Mistress of Mars glanced at her daughter.
"The Galactic Sailors just transformed," said Tara, closing her eyes lightly. "They're in danger."
"So is Mistress Pluto," Raye said grimly. "She just transformed."
Tara nodded nervously. "I'm going to go..."
Standing, Raye took the beads off her wrist. "So am I."
"No, you're not!" retorted the teen, making a face. "It's a Galactic Sailor battle, Mother. You don't need to come..."
"If Pluto transformed," Chad said strongly, "all Hell is going to break loose."
Gasping a bit, Tara grimaced. She hadn't thought of that.
"I'm coming with," repeated Raye, purple eyes flaring with some sort of passion.
Her daughter nodded. "That, you are." She raised the Locket of Earth, face turning very pale. "Earth Galactic Power..."
Holding her string of beads high, Raye swallowed the lump in her throat. "Mars Eternal Power..."
"MAKE UP!" yelled two voices in unison.
From his seat at the kitchen table, Chad smiled as his wife and daughter transformed.
"Those are my girls..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Alice and Lita both dropped their plates.
"My locket..." Searching her pockets, the girl became frantic.
"My beads..." Lita fingered the green and pink beads that hung limply on her thin wrist.
The two looked at one another. "Both the Sailors..."
"And the Mistresses..."
"IN DANGER AT THE SAME TIME?" they finished together.
Neither spoke, but both held their hands high.
The older woman spoke first. "Jupiter Eternal Power..."
"Aurora Borealis Galactic Power..." Alice thrust the locket higher into the air.
"MAKE UP!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Pluto Eternal Attack!" hollered Pluto, twisting her key staff in midair.
Diving out of the way, Greed gasped. "She's strong as a herd of bears..."
Illness crossed his hands. "Swirling Despair!"
The floor became a whirling, black pit of nothingness. Terrence jumped onto a seat to avoid being sucked into oblivion, but Pluto just sighed.
"Pluto Mistress Power!" she exclaimed, touching her staff to the pit.
The pit closed in an instant.
Illness' brown eyes turned large. "Why does this seem very wrong?" he asked in shock.
Terrence smirked from his perch. "Because it is?" He let a yellow rose fly.
Greed hit the rose away with a swing of her long sword. "Got anything better than that?"
"This!" Pluto aimed her staff at Greed's large head.
The young Raider dodged and managed to parry it, knocking Pluto off her feet.
"Sets!" exclaimed Terrence, jumping off his chair and kneeling down to her.
Raising a black eyebrow, Greed stepped back from them. "Are you nuts, man?" she asked him, circling the scene. "I didn't even hurt her, and you're protecting that Sailor Mistress or whatever she is?"
Climbing to her feet, Pluto lowered her dark crimson eyes. "You wouldn't understand what caring about someone is," she retorted firmly. "And even if you did, you wouldn't protect someone."
Greed made a face. "Highly overrated," she responded, raising her sword. "I'll be sure to tell the little Sailors you care, Miss Pluto..."
"STOP!" screamed a young voice from the entrance of the room.
Stopping, Raider Greed put down her sword. "Now what?"
Sailor Moon looked at Sailor Comet. "I didn't think that would work... Hang on a second while we think up a plan."
Rolling her green eyes, Greed leaned against the wall of the auditorium. "Do they normally do this?"
Illness shrugged. "This can't possibly be normal Scout policy..."
The huddle of Scouts finally broke up, much to the relief of cornered Terrence and Sailor Pluto.
"We are the Sailor Scouts!" said Sailor Moon.
"We right wrongs!" Sailor Phoenix added.
Sailor Polaris smiled. "We triumph over evil!"
"And that means you!" Sailor Comet smirked. "Both of you!"
"Done yet?" asked Greed, polishing her nails.
Sailor Moon nodded. "Quite."
"WATER STORM!" screamed Illness.
The room's ceiling began to rain scalding hot water on the Scouts.
"Ouch!" Phoenix dodged a few drops, only to get hit by five. "It's hot!"
Comet attempted her attack, but couldn't get the words out between being hit. "Comet... ouch! Com-OUCH! That stings!"
"What... Ow! Do we... ouch! Do?" asked a wriggling Polaris.
"Mars Mistress Power!" came a voice.
The rain instantly disappeared, and the Scouts all breathed sighs of relief.
"Need a hand?" Sailor Earth came out of a shadow, accompanied by the transformed Mistress of Mars.
The dress Mars wore was red silk and down to her ankles. Trimmed with purple velvet, it brought out all her features and made her look timeless. Around her neck was a string of alternating purple and red beads and, in the center, was a locket of the same color.
"Mistress Mars..." All four Scouts bowed deeply.
Mars waved a hand. "Up, Scouts."
"Thank you, oh worthy Mistress Mars," Moon said in a reverent tone.
Greed and Illness raised their eyebrows in unison. "This is pretty dumb," Illness commented.
"What do you mean?" asked Greed.
"I mean... ATTACK!" he yelled.
The two Raiders forgot about Terrence and Pluto and went after the five Scouts and the Mistress Mars.
"Aurora Borealis... SHINING!" screamed a Scout as she jumped down from the projection booth.
Blinding light shimmered down onto the two Raiders.
"I can't see!" yelped Greed.
"It's too bright!" the brown-robed Illness groaned. "I can't see where I am."
"Sailors..." called a woman in all green. "Attack!"
The Sailor Scouts all looked at each other.
Stepping forward, Mistress Jupiter smoothed her skirt. "WELL?"
The Scouts all readied themselves.
"Comet Crater... CLOSE!" The floor opened up.
"Earthly Thunderstorm... STRIKE!" Thunder, wind, and lightning rained down on the Raiders.
"Starry Sky... SMASH!" A ball of stardust began to build up above their heads.
"Phoenix Heat... FLASHING!" Steam and fire erupted from Phoenix's outstretched hands.
Moon took out the Galactic Rod and held it far over her head. "In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!" she announced, waving it to one side and then the other. "Galactic... SHOWER!"
Moon dust began to rain down, and the ball of stardust began to fall.
At that very moment, Illness' eyes adjusted to the light and he saw what was about to happen. "NO!" he yelled, pushing Greed into the rows of seats. "TAKE ME!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Death looked up from his paperwork and smiled.
"At least she's alright," he observed happily. "That's good to know."
He turned back to his work.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Illness' body lay on the floor of the auditorium, twitching a bit.
Sailor Moon glanced down at what was left. "We did that?"
"By yourselves, too," smiled Sailor Pluto, walking up the stairs and to the group of Scouts. "Without much of our help."
Jupiter and Mars both smiled at one another.
"So this is what a Mistress really is," Jupiter commented. "Long time, no see... Eh, Raye?"
Raye nodded. "Nice to see you, Lita."
The brunette hugged her friend. "You're not getting away with being the tough girl today, Mars!"
Shinto Priestess Raye Yuuichirou, also known as the Mistress Mars, hugged her friend back.
"Aww..." cooed Terrence, joining the group. "How sweet..."
The six Scouts, three Planet Mistresses, and one young man exited the room.
And, just then, Greed opened her eyes.
"Illness!" she screamed. His body was charred and black, but she could see that he was still alive.
Coughing, he looked into her beautiful green eyes. "For what it's worth, Greed..." he murmured, trying to speak. "I... I love you..."
Letting a tear roll down her cheek, Greed bit her lip. "Maybe I shouldn't have listened to Death, this time around..." she thought aloud, picking up her sword and glancing at the green and silver blade. "And maybe... Maybe I wasn't worth saving." She knelt and kissed his blackened cheek. "Goodbye, Illness. I'll miss you."
"Goodbye..." he coughed, letting out his last breath.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
In the black marble chamber of the Raider Starship, a brown gem shattered and disappeared.
From his spot in the center of the seven-pointed star, the King opened a crimson eye.
"Illness is dead," he slowly spoke.
"What does it matter?" hissed a silvery shadow. "You've learned the strengths of the Sailors."
"True."
"You have learned the strengths that silly emotions can bring." The shadow flickered. "You have even learned what Planet Mistresses do."
The King nodded. "Yes, you are right, Spirit. What else do you suggest?"
"Put Death on the current team, of course," the Spirit mocked. "He'll do fine... For a time, anyway."
The Raider King raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that they are all going to die?"
The shadow shrugged. "I suppose I am. If you're not careful, you will be on the Sailor Scouts' hit list, King." The shadow faded, but the voice remained. "Do as I say, and you might live through this all."
"Yes, Spirit." The King bowed his head in reverence, and then transported out by thought.
The Chamber of Spirits was once again empty.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Thank you, again," Susan smiled, walking Terrence up to his new apartment building. "I really enjoyed all of today."
Terrence turned to her and looked into her eyes. "I had a lot of fun, too, Sets." He winked. "Well... maybe not during that while Sailor battle business, but..."
Cutting him off with a chuckle, Susan's smile grew. "Yet another thing I must thank you for. You protected me and my niece." Susan blushed a little, gazing at the ground.
"And you still don't like me?" he asked, confusion in his voice.
Susan grinned. "Well, I must say..." She gave up on decorum and spoke her mind. "I hated you when I met you, but I at least thought you cute. Now... I think I could grow to really care about you, Terrance."
"Terry." He produced a rose and handed it to her. "You can call me Terry."
"I kind of like the name 'Sets'." She blushed deeper and took the rose. "You're a great person, you know that?"
He shrugged. "Of course I do, Sets!" he responded sweetly.
Chuckling, she kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you around, I guess..." Susan turned around and began to walk away.
"Wait, Sets..." Terrence ran up to her and grabbed her wrist. "Don't go yet. It's only eight."
She raised an eyebrow. "Well, what should we do, then?"
Taking her hand gently, he kissed it lightly and them squeezed it a bit. "Want some coffee?"
Smiling, she let him lead her to the door. "I'd like that."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Galactic Sailors Say!
Lyra: (staring at the story) Hmm... What are Terrance and Susan up to?
Starlit Prince enters.
Starlit Prince: I don't think I got NEARLY enough screen time in this story. I mean, I'm the handsome and charming male character. Why don't I get as much fame as the rest of them?
Lyra: (clearing her throat) Uh... This is the 'Sailor Says' studio. Jerry Springer is down the hall.
Starlit Prince: (blushing) Oh. Sorry.
He exits.
Lyra: (sighing) Today, we learned that sometimes, we all have to work together in order to succeed.
Enter Orb and Diana, bickering.
Orb: You wish you were as cute as me!
Diana: Don't flatter yourself, pretty cat.
Orb: You are jealous! It's written all over your face!
Diana: (sticking out tongue and walking away) Good for nothing bratty brother! Never again will I be so sweet to...
Orb: (smiling sweetly) And today, we learned that Diana is a jerk. Now RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!
Exit Orb.
Diana: (whirling around) You little...
Exit Diana after Orb.
Haley: (jumping down from the ceiling) And we learned that, with a little makeup, even cranky old Hannah can look like she's from Vogue magazine!
Lyra: (rolling eyes) Oh, please... She's not THAT bad.
Haley: You don't know her very well, do you?
Greed's voice: And we learned that, by sucking up, you can get anything you darn well please.
Lyra: (wrinkling her nose) That's reassuring.
Enter Reeny in her Sailor Moon garb.
Reeny: So, remember... This isn't the Springer Show, you have to work together, makeup is good, and sucking up gets you what you want. Sailor Moon Says...
All Scouts: See ya!
-I Know (formally called "All You Need is Love")-
Look around...(Tara, sitting next to Queen Serenity, stares up at the night sky)
So many things aren't clear...
(Phoebe looks blankly at a math book)
Don't worry, though...
(Lyra smiles while picking up her tuba)
You know that I'll be there...
(Sailor Pluto and Haley smile knowingly at each other)
A lot of things are so uncertain...
(Alice looks sadly at a clock while the sun sets over Crystal Tokyo)
The future's on its way...
(Reeny holds the Locket of the Moon, smiling)
Look at my crying eyes...
(Luna and Artemis console an upset Diana)
Don't take your love away!
(Hannah sighs, looking at a sleeping Haley)
Sometimes, the road looks long...
(Mina looks at her children with Andrew behind her)
And sometimes, the world seems wrong...
(Alex and Michelle smile at one another and then blush deeply)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six girls, untransformed, hold their lockets high)
Sometimes, you feel weak...
(Lita smoothes the hair of a crying Alice)
And sometimes, the future looks bleak...
(Raye and Chad stand behind Tara, who is staring at her locket)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six Galactic Sailors stand in a half circle)
Times will change...
(Amy looks out of a window and at Crystal Palace)
People will change, too...
(Endymion looks at Serenity, who is pouring over a book)
But deep inside...
(Lyra hugs Celeste)
I always will love you...
(Diana falls asleep on Reeny's lap)
I suppose there are questions now...
(Alice and Phoebe stare blankly at one another)
The answers are so far...
(Michelle stands in front of the orchestra, talking)
But look at me and smile now...
(Tara lovingly hugs her father)
I am your guiding star!
(Haley smiles at a studying Hannah)
Sometimes, the road looks long...
(Mina looks at her children with Andrew behind her)
And sometimes, the world seems wrong...
(Alex and Michelle smile at one another and then blush deeply)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six girls, untransformed, hold their lockets high)
Sometimes, you feel weak...
(Lita smoothes the hair of a crying Alice)
And sometimes, the future looks bleak...
(Raye and Chad stand behind Tara, who is staring at her locket)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six Galactic Sailors stand in a half circle)
I know...
(The Planet Mistresses stand in a circle)
I know...
(The Galactic Sailors stand in a circle)
All you need is love...
(The Mistresses and Sailors all stand together, holding hands, with their eyes closed)
All you need...is...love...
(A single purple rose sits in a vase)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Author's Ramblings: How about that? I'm done! YAY! (deep breath) Aren't you proud?
How about some feedback? I'll leave 2 email addresses at the bottom of this, and you can talk to both of us. Or one. What does it matter?
I renamed my song. It turns out those stupid Beatles have a song called "All You Need Is Love". Well, now my song is called "I Know". Pretty silly name, but the first one was taken! (Stupid Beatles!)
Until next time, we are your obedient writers!
Kate and Christina
(duncan@chicago.avenew.com = Kate)
(ladybug142@aol.com = Christina)
"Journalism is literature in a hurry!" -Runaway Bride
"Together forever, no matter how long. From now until the end of time. We'll be together, and you can be sure... That forever and a day, that's how long we'll stay... Together and forever more." -Together Forever from 2.B.A. Master
(Pokemon Soundtrack)
