Destiny Changes Everything-A Galactic Sailors Story
Author's Ramblings: It's here! It's finally here! We've been through a lot, but
we've done it! Story Four has finally arrived!
There is a lot of new stuff in this story, some of which are revelations to
important things... We hope you all know what you're getting yourself into!
(smirk)
KATE: I have taken a break from writing Galena stuff because I am really behind on
the Galactic Sailors stuff. Don't worry, she'll be back, but everyone needs a
break once in a great while, right?
DISCLAIMER OF THE DAY: We don't like totally own like Sailor Moon. It's like
totally wickedly unfair that like we like didn't like think up the idea for the
totally cool show which is SM, but we like
will totally borrow it for now.
Rated PG
~Your friends and authors,
Kate and Christina
* * * * * * * * * * * *
THE STORY SO FAR:
The Raiders have lost Illness. That's right-the Sailor Scouts toasted his
brown-robed butt. Also, Endymion's younger brother, Terrence, has come for a visit
, and has developed some sort of friendship with Susan, whom he calls Sets. Yes,
Susan is back for a visit, but no one is completely sure why.
And Lyra has met an older boy named Richard who she has a crush on. Richard
somehow knows Reeny, though he never touched upon why.
And that, my friends, is where the story begins...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Truth or dare?" Lyra giggled, rolling onto her stomach. "Umm... How about
you, Tara? Truth or dare?"
The black haired Shinto girl rolled her eyes. "I hate sleepovers," she
muttered in an annoyed tone. "Why me?"
"Come on!" Phoebe lobed her stuffed Sailor Mercury doll at the girl.
"You've got to pick!"
Tara wrinkled her nose. "This is stupid..."
"Duh..." Alice rolled her chocolate eyes. "That's why it's a sleepover
game!"
"Truth..." muttered Tara, placing a piece of caramel popcorn in her mouth.
Lyra giggled and huddled with the others, trying to think up the perfect
question for the youngest of the Galactic Sailors.
Rolling her green eyes, Tara leaned against the bookshelf. Her mother had
pushed her to go, because Haley's house was big and the family as a whole would
put up with the ruckus of six teen girls better than, say, her parents would.
"Okay!" squealed the blonde, sitting up and looking at Tara sternly. "If you
were given a choice, who would you rather date-your dad or my dad?"
An horrified grimace passing across her face, Tara stuck up her nose. "I
will NOT answer that!" she yelled, blushing deeply while trying to act dignified.
"That's a stupid question, anyway!"
Haley sniggered. "So, your dad then?"
The girl attempted to hit the elder Scout across the face with her pillow,
but missed and decked Reeny, instead.
"Uh!" the Princess managed, spitting her pigtail out of her mouth. "Tara!"
Tara paled. "Umm... Oops?"
"I'll 'oops' you, Temple Girl!" she shot back, standing up and arming
herself. "You know why?"
"Why?" asked Alice with a smug grin.
Reeny did the classic Sailor Moon stance. "I am the Princess of the Earth
and champion of justice!"
Lyra rolled her eyes and beamed Reeny with a pillow.
Before any of the teens could resist, the shrieks and shouting of a pillow
fight filled the blue house. Alice and Phoebe were hiding behind the piano, trying
to protect themselves, while Reeny was having a grand old time beaming each of the
other Scouts over the head.
"Cut it out!" Dressed in a full-length purple nightgown, Hannah Tomoe glared
at the six girls from her place on the stairwell. All of them froze in mid-battle,
and Reeny blushed the color of her eyes-scarlet.
"I need my sleep, kids," she spat, lowering her indescribably timeless
purple eyes and allowing them to fly from teen to teen. "So either shut up or take
your silly slumber party elsewhere."
"Aw, Hannah," cooed Reeny, skipping over to the older girl. "Why don't you
join us? After all, we used to play all the time..."
The scowl turned into a sad smile on the pale face, but Hannah shook her
head. "My midterms are tomorrow, Reen... Any other time, I'd join you..." As
memories swept over her, she shrugged. "Have fun, though..."
As her sister left, Haley raised an eyebrow. "How'd you do that?" she asked
her pink-haired friend.
Reeny shrugged. "It's a gift, I guess..."
"Weird gift," Lyra thought aloud, collapsing on the couch. "Now what?"
Phoebe yawned. "Charades?"
"NO!" chorused the others, throwing pillows at her.
"You've won eight games in a row!" Alice protested, sticking out her tongue.
Tara nodded in agreement. "That doesn't qualify as fun, Phoebe."
"You're just jealous," the young thespian smirked, bowing. "I'm so much more
amusing than you, you just can't take it..."
"Shut up," Reeny retorted, letting herself yawn. "You're getting an ego..."
Suddenly, a sound snapped them all to attention. A key entered the front
door lock, to be exact.
The brown haired hostess paled. "Shit..." she muttered, glancing at her
watch. "It's two a.m., and someone's at the door!"
Diving to her overnight bag, Reeny emptied its contents on the floor. "My
locket's in here..." Staring at the mess, she grimaced. "Somewhere..."
Shaking her head quickly, Tara jumped up. "It's Susan! I can sense it!"
"Susan?" Alice looked doubtful. "Come on, Tara... The Guardian of Time would
probably have a better appreciation of getting in at a decent hour..."
The door opened, and a tall, longhaired shadow walked in... A shadow who
wore a long, black dress and crimson earrings.
"Auntie!" protested Haley, jumping up. "It's really late! What were you
doing out at such an hour?" Concern marred both the features and voice of the
teen.
Susan smiled shyly and shrugged. "I had... things... to do..." she
commented, taking off her long coat.
"But..." pressed Reeny, curious.
"It is none of your concern, Princess," she harshly continued, vermilion
eyes lowering quickly. "Don't worry your head about it-more important matters
should haunt you."
Closing her eyes, Tara tried her hardest to read the woman's aura, but it
seemed... blurry? The Shinto priestess couldn't make heads nor tails of it all.
"Goodnight, Sailors," the Mistress and Sailor of Pluto casually commented.
"I'll see you all in the morn."
"Night, Auntie..." Haley sighed, sitting on the couch with a scowl.
A silence ensued, all six girls thoughtfully trying to comment on the
situation.
It was Phoebe who finally broke the silence. "What was that?" she asked,
leaning back into the armchair she had thrown herself on. "I don't get it!"
"Her aura was vague..." Tara gulped, almost afraid to look at the concerned
girl on the couch. "No aura's ever been like that for me before..."
Alice snorted. "You obviously didn't do the bippiti-boppiti-boo right," she
sniggered, glancing at the younger girl.
Tara froze in place, eyes darting evilly to the auburn-headed girl at the
other end of the room. "Alice, I wouldn't say such things if I were you..." she
responded coolly.
"And why not?" Alice retorted snidely.
"Because... I am Sailor Earth!" She threw her pillow at Alice.
The fight resumed within seconds.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"What's a... a..." Greed tried to read the words with little luck. "What's a
compact disc, Deathie?"
Grimacing at his nickname, Raider Death pulled the sheet from the
dark-haired woman. "What in Heaven's name are you reading?"
"It's for some place called 'Best Buy'," she responded, a bit of confusion
in her high voice. "I don't know what a 'Best Buy' is, but it supposedly
specializes in these things called compact discs."
"They play music," Doubt sneered from her spot on the couch. Looking at
Death, she smirked. "Right... Deathie?"
Taking a deep breath and resisting the urge to kill his higher officer, he
bit a pale lip and smiled at Greed. "Doubt's right for once, Greed," he smiled,
pointing to the pictures on the paper. "This is an advertisement for music... A
lot of humans listen to compact discs."
Greed raised an eyebrow. "Weird humans..."
He laughed and kissed the top of her head, causing Doubt to stick out her
wine-colored tongue in disgust. Mouthing "get a room" to her subordinate, she
disappeared in a flash of gray light.
"You've sparked a plan in my mind, dear," he smiled. "We can take over all
the compact discs of Tokyo."
"Oooh!" she grinned. "Can we make people our mindless slaves?" Her green
eyes flared with delight.
"You took the words right out of my mouth," he grinned, and then stooped
down to kiss her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I don't get it," Alice commented over lunch at school. "It's been nearly
three weeks since Illness died..."
"Time for another sleepover!" grinned Lyra happily. "This time, let's go to
my place. It'll be..."
Alice rolled her eyes. "As I was saying..." she continued warily, "we've
hardly heard from the Raiders. I'm getting concerned."
Leaning against the big oak tree, Tara sighed wistfully. "I'm sure it's not
a big deal..."
"Excuse me?" Alice questioned in shock. "Who are you and what did you do
with PMS-ridden Tara Yuuichirou?" One of her auburn eyebrows shot up. "You can't
possibly be her..."
Lyra rolled her light brown eyes. "Lay off, Al," she retorted. "Her powers
let her sense evil, remember?"
"I don't sense anything, and I haven't in weeks," the Shinto declared
causally. "Maybe we beat them..."
A white and orange cat bounded up. "And maybe that's what they want us to
think, Scouts," he commented, sitting in the center of the three girls.
The trio jumped in startling synchronization as the young cat spoke. Despite
his happiness to see the girls, Orb made a face. "Don't tell me you don't know how
I am..."
"Don't do that, Orb!" yelped Alice, calming back down. "You're bound to give
me a heart attack!"
"Pessimist," muttered the cat. "Now, girls-when are we going to have another
strategic meeting?"
The blonde shrugged and stuffed a few fries into her mouth. "I'm going to
help Alice out after school with sewing today, but how does tomorrow sound?"
Tara shrugged. "I'd like to do a fire reading, actually."
"So you can screw it up again, Tara?" the older girl sarcastically asked.
The ebony-haired girl made a face. "Leave me alone, Kino."
Orb sighed and rolled his copper eyes. "Come on..."
"But, to Alice's point," Lyra commented to no one in particular, "Tara's
readings have yet to work."
Blushing deeply, Tara focused on her green tea.
Orb shrugged. "So what? Tomorrow afternoon at Cherry Hill Temple." He jumped
up and into the tree's lowest branches. "I'll tell the others. See you later."
Lyra shuddered. "And people wonder why I don't like cats," she mumbled
sarcastically.
Grinning, Tara sipped her drink. "I like him. Much more laid back than
Diana..."
Leaning forward, Alice felt the younger girl's head. "No fever... What's
wrong with you?"
Tara shrugged. "My mother just informed me that our temple is on the list of
top twenty Shinto Shrines in the country."
"Congratulations!" Lyra smiled, hugging her friend. "How great!"
Smiling in pride, Tara blushed. "I thought so."
Biting into her meatloaf sandwich, Alice shrugged. "Yeah, it does sound
cool."
The bell suddenly rang, and Alice grabbed her bags. "I got to jet. If I'm
late to math again this week..." She grimaced. "Let's just say my Scouts skills
will definitely be put to good use if I'm not careful! Bye!"
"I have to go too," Tara said, picking up her book bag. "I may hate Modern
History, but I have to attend class..." She smiled at the blonde. "We're talking
about the Sailor Soldiers today, though."
Lyra smiled back at her friend knowingly. "Great topic!" she responded with
a wink. "Well, see you..."
As they went their separate ways, a figure smiled from behind the bushes.
"I didn't know that Lyra went to Crossroads," Richard thought aloud, smiling
slyly. "I guess I'll just have to stop by at lunch tomorrow and say hello..." He
bit his lip. "But why do those girls have such an obsession for Sailor Scouts?"
Shrugging, Richard Umino started out for his next class.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lita laid back on the brown couch with a smile. For the first time at
'Jupiter's Delight', all three chefs and all twelve kitchen aides had arrived on
time for work. And Lita... She got to go home early.
"Alice will be so pleased!" the woman thought aloud, pulling the elastic
band from her brown hair. "After all, I've been working a lot these past few
weeks..."
Suddenly, the bell to the apartment rang, startling her. Rightfully so,
because it was noon and no one was supposed to be home at such ungodly hours of
the day.
Raising an eyebrow, she walked up to the door. "Who is it?" she cautiously
asked, a hand on her Jupiter beads.
A chuckled sounded from the other side. "I'll give you three guesses,
Lita..."
She smiled widely in recognition and bit her lip. "Hmmm... Tom Cruise?"
"Nope." The voice was filled with laughter.
"King Endymion?" she mocked, trying to sound serious.
The voice sighed in disbelief. "I am MUCH cuter than your King, Lita."
Lita shrugged, giggling. "Then... I give up." Opening the door, she feigned
disappointment. "Oh... It's YOU..."
He stood about four inches taller than her, at about six-foot-two. His
auburn hair was rather messy and shaggy, as it had always been; the bangs hung in
the twin chocolate eyes that were always smiling. The khakis were a bit too short,
and the blue business shirt too tight, but he didn't seem to notice or care. The
smile that was spread across his strong features was one of pure delight.
"Hey, Lita!" he said, opening his arms. "I would think that you'd be a
little bit happier to see me..."
Accepting the hug, she found herself squealing as he whirled her around and
picked her feet up off the floor. "Ken! It's been too long!"
He nodded. "How long, though? Fifteen years or so?"
Suddenly turning grim, Lita swallowed. "Yeah..."
"Oh." He put her down.
"Oh?" she responded, mocking his tone. "Don't start, Ken! If you don't want
to be here, you can..."
"Hey..." he responded, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, feisty
girl. It wouldn't be smart to start a fight in your own apartment."
As serious as he was, Lita forced a smile. "Sorry... I got a bit defensive
there."
Rolling his eyes, Ken looked at her. "A BIT defensive? Lita, you could make
a ravenous viper look like a Moon Princess..."
She wrapped her arms around him. "Sorry..."
"What's wrong now?" he asked cautiously.
She shrugged and looked up, into those eyes... The eyes that had always been
there, protecting her from the scariest evil of all-herself.
Lita bit back tears. "I had almost forgotten how much I love you..."
"I love you too, Lita," he smiled, hugging her back. "As I said, it's been
too long."
"I said that!" she retorted, pulling away from the hug. She made a face.
"Stealing my lines! What next?"
He smiled slyly. "How about a kiss?" he coyly questioned.
"Good a place as any..." she softly commented, allowing herself to be held
by the strong arms of the man she loved...
And to be swept away by a powerful kiss.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Swinging her legs mildly, Phoebe yawned and looked up from her seat to the
class rank list.
"Eighteenth..." she muttered calmly, glaring at the name 'Phoebe Urawa' with
hatred. "Mom is not going to like this..."
"Like what?" came a familiar voice.
Sighing, Phoebe smoothed the pleats in her aqua-colored school skirt. "Oh,
Haley..." she commented, turning her head to face her friend. "I'm eighteenth in
the class..."
Haley hushed a giggle and ran a hand absently through her hair. "That's out
of all nine hundred of us at school," the girl responded. "I'm
two-hundred-twenty-seventh."
"Out of the whole school?" Phoebe's ice-colored eyes grew wide, and her
thick braids threatened to stand straight up. "Holy crud!"
Rolling her teal eyes, Haley smiled. "Feel better about yourself?"
"Much!" Glancing at the ugly gold bow that was on the chest of her uniform,
she made a horrendous face. "Who picks these colors?"
"My parents!" Haley retorted, sticking out her tongue. "Don't diss the
uniforms!"
Phoebe jumped down and then gasped. "Oh! Guess what annoying orange cat I
ran into at lunch!"
"Orb was here?" Haley tried to hide the surprise in her voice. "There wasn't
some sort of attack, was there?" she questioned, lowering her voice so the other
passing students wouldn't hear.
Phoebe negated it all with a shake of blue braids. "Nothing like that. We've
got a meeting tomorrow at Tara's."
"Great..." sighed Haley, kicking a stray pencil across the floor.
"What?" her friend asked.
The warning bell tolled loudly, signaling one minute until classes began.
Haley rolled her eyes again. "Tell you later, because I've got art now.
Bye!"
"See you!" Phoebe yelled after her friend. Taking one last glance at the
board, she grinned widely. "Eighteenth..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"How's my favorite brother?" Terrence sashayed into the dining room of
Crystal Palace with a bored yawn.
Smiling, the King of the Earth nodded. "Sit down and eat with us."
Serenity, meanwhile, was staring at the clock with an expression of
exasperation across her pale face. "Where is that girl?" she asked rhetorically.
"I have half a mind to send her to public school..."
"Ouch!"
Thump.
"Jeez!"
Clunk.
"You're just like this girl I know named Serena..."
"Diana, shut up!"
Cradling her face in her hands, the Queen sighed deeply. "That's my
daughter..." she mumbled.
Trying not to laugh, Terrence watched in amazement as a blur of white silk
and pink hair whizzed into the royal dining room. Panting, the blur landed in a
chair and was revealed to be Princess Reeny. "Please...pass..." Reeny choked,
sweat dripping down her face. "Water..."
Handing his daughter a large glass of water, the King raised an eyebrow.
"What in Heaven's name were you doing?" he asked, waiting for his lunch to be
served.
A snicker came from under the table. "Our Princess was playing 'Knights in
Shining Armor' in the far library when I told her it was time for lunch. She had
to run to her room, change, and then make it here..."
"Knights in Shining Armor?" questioned the Queen, looking up.
A pink cat jumped up onto the table. "Reeny," she giggled, looking at the
Princess with her darkly rose eyes. "Why don't you explain to your parents what
you were doing..."
"Di..." the teen protested, glancing nervously at Terrence. "We have company
that I don't know here..."
Terrence smiled, green eyes glittering. "I'm no one special, Princess," he
reassured. "Go right ahead and explain."
Groaning, Reeny muttered something under her breath.
"What?" questioned Endymion as a covered silver platter was laid before him.
Rolling her scarlet eyes, Reeny sighed. "Knights in Shining Armor is when I
go up on the reading balcony of the far library and I pretend to be a damsel in
distress... And then my pretend knight rescues me..."
Diana began laughing.
Serenity rolled her azure eyes. "I see..." Looking at her platter, she
shrugged the incident off and bowed her head. Clearing her throat, she folded her
hands. "Our sustenance to remain on this Earth has arrived... Praise Serenity and
the Moon for this meal."
Raising a brown eyebrow, Terrence glanced at his sister-in-law as she raised
her head. "Can I ask why you praise yourself?"
From her seat on the windowsill, Luna smiled warmly. "Prince Terrence, all
Lunatarian Queens since the beginning of time have been called Serenity..."
Reeny choked on her macaroni and cheese. "Prince?" she gasped, choking down
some water. "Who is this guy?"
Looking at his daughter with thoughtful blue eyes, Endymion beamed kindly.
"This is your uncle, Terrence."
"UNCLE?" Her eyes growing wide, Reeny chewed her lip a bit. "And since when
do I have an uncle named Terrence?" she demanded.
Luna sighed. "Since the beginning of time, little one."
Artemis snorted from his seat on the other windowsill. "Give me a break,
Luna... She hasn't been alive that long, and neither has Endymion..."
"Close enough," Luna retorted, jumping down from her seat. "But a jerk like
you wouldn't understand..."
Artemis hissed and glared at her, lying back down with his fur on edge as
she walked away.
Ignoring the catfight, the Queen ate another forkful of macaroni. "Your
father didn't know he had a brother until you had gone back to the future..."
"The first time?" Reeny thoughtfully inquired.
"Second time," Endymion returned. "I think..."
Smiling gently at his young niece, Terrence pulled a yellow rose from his
suit coat. "For you..."
"Neat!" Reeny leaned across the table and tucked the rose into one of her
buns. "It's really pretty," she blushed.
Diana sniggered. "Flirt."
"Shut up!" Throwing a fork at the cat, she stuck out her pink tongue.
"You're just jealous."
Smirking, the cat jumped off the table. "He's your uncle, Reen..." She
giggled. "We call that incest..." She ran out of the room, laughing.
The Princess growled once more and turned back to her lunch.
Serenity sighed. "Home sweet home..." she mumbled, shaking her head.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Your wonderful daughter is home, Mom!" Haley announced, dropping her
backpack into the closet. "Aren't you glad to see me?"
Michelle looked up from the booklet she was reading. "Oh... Hi, Haley. Go
call your sister and Alex down here, will you?" she asked, distracted.
Staring into the green eyes, she cocked her head. "Something wrong?" Haley
urgently queried. "Don't tell me that you and Alex are getting a divorce..." She
shuddered. The fights between her mothers had gotten worse in the past few
weeks...
Chuckling, the principal of Crystal Music Academy shook her head of aqua
hair. "Nothing like that, Haley!" she responded. "Now, do I have to get up?"
"No, Mom." Walking to the stairs, she cleared her throat.
Michelle sighed in annoyance. "Not like..."
"ALEX! HANNAH THE SNOB!" the girl screamed. "GET DOWN HERE!"
"...that..." finished the Mistress of Neptune with a deep sigh.
Thundering down the steps, the tall blond grinned. "Hi-ya, Kiddo." Alex
ruffled the shaggy but short brown head of hair on her daughter. "What's new?"
She plopped down on the couch next to Michelle.
"I'm fine..."
"Hannah the snob?" came a very angry voice. "What about stupid little Haley
the pain?"
Whirling around, the teen blushed. "Uh... Well..." Shrugging, Haley bowed.
"How you doing, Hannah?"
Hannah made a face and picked at the lint on her black pants. "I have
studying to do, brat..." Lowering her purple eyes, she scowled. "Make this talk
quick, Haley."
"I want to talk," Michelle said with a grin.
Wrapping an arm around the other woman, Alex beamed. "WE want to talk."
"Wait..." Hannah bit her lip. "The last time you acting like this was right
before Haley..." Her jaw dropped. "Oh my GOD."
Haley gasped in delight. "Another little kid! Ooooh! I love babies!" Rubbing
her hands together, she cracked her knuckles. "Boy or girl? Little or..."
"Not that!" retorted Alex, making a face. "After dealing with two of you,
we don't want a third!"
Playfully hitting Alex in the stomach, Michelle shook her head. "What she
MEANS is that we are content with the two wonderful girls we've raised..."
"Who's the other?" inquired Haley with a snicker.
"Haley..." warned Michelle.
Alex sighed and bit her lip. "We've never gone away together..."
"So what?" asked Hannah, pulling a book from the bookshelf. "A lot married
couples only go away for their honeymoon, never again..."
Both adults on the couch looked at the ground with a blush.
"WHOA..." Haley gasped. "You guys aren't married?"
"Not really..." Michelle admitted softly.
Sighing, Alex fingered her gold earring. "We were talking about it, and then
we had to become Scouts again and fight Sailor Galaxia..."
"While raising me..." Hannah sighed, flipping through the book. "I never
thought of that..."
"Going away for a week will be good for us, though." Michelle smiled sadly.
"We're going to Hawaii..."
"YIPPEE!" screamed Haley, jumping up and dancing. "We're going to Hawaii...
I've got to get a new bikini and some cool vacation clothes..."
Alex gritted her teeth and gulped. "We're going alone..."
"ALONE?" A horrified expression crossed her pale face. "Leaving me with
Haley is no walk on the beach, Mother... it's a punishment worse than death
itself!"
The blonde buried her face in her hands to keep from laughing hilariously.
"Didn't think of that one..."
"It builds character!" Michelle retorted strongly, belting the giggling
woman in the shoulder.
Haley stuck out her tongue. "Mom, she's going to stuff her Silence Glaive in
bad places if I'm not careful..."
"Character." Alexandra smoothed the front of her gold business shirt.
Rolling her purple eyes, Hannah rose. "I accept the... TORTURE... of being
locked up with my annoying, rude, insane little Sailor Scout of a sister."
Crossing her arms over the fuzzy green sweater, she made a face. "But I won't like
it so much as one bit." She stalked out the front door.
Haley jumped up off the floor and grinned evilly. "This will be a fun week!
Thanks, Mom!"
Watching in horror as the teen skipped upstairs, Michelle grimaced.
"That went well," smirked Alexandra, running a hand through the other
woman's teal hair thoughtfully.
Leaning against Alex, Michelle shook her head. "Shut up..." she sighed.
"Just shut up."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"So, anyway, I was thinking that you'd be better at doing a backpack than a
quilt..." Lyra smiled as she and Alice ascended the steps towards the Kino
apartment. "After all, you're rather... sorry... at sewing."
The auburn haired girl shrugged. "Don't I know it!" she exclaimed, stuffing
the keycard into the slit on the door. The little light flashed red. Reinserting
the card, she pulled it out more quickly and jiggled the doorknob. Once again, the
light was red.
"Dammit!" she exclaimed, kicking the door with a brown hiking boot. "It's
rejecting my card!"
Lyra was extremely confused. "Can it do that?"
Alice shrugged. "It can now."
"Well, I have an idea all my own..." The blonde reached deeply into her
backpack and pulled out a familiar light orange and gold colored disc. "Want me
to try some locket power on it?"
"If the stardust doesn't jam up the slit, sure," the other girl responded,
leaning against the hallway wall. "Just don't get your hopes up, alright?"
She shrugged. "My mom did this once, and it worked really well..." As she
gripped the Locket of the North Star by its edge, two tan eyes slowly closed.
"Polaris... Galactic... POWER!" she exclaimed, focusing all of her energy through
the locket and into the lock.
Alice watched in amazement as a tiny golden beam of stardust appeared and
formed itself into a keycard all it's own. The dark blonde ponytail that Lyra wore
her hair in was floating; some sort of invisible breeze flowed throughout the
hall.
The new card inserted itself into the lock, and the light promptly turned
green. Grasping onto the doorknob, Lyra smiled and relaxed her tense form.
"Success!" she smiled, turning to the other Scout. "Told you so."
"I guess our powers are more numerous than even we know." Alice picked up
her book bag off the ground. "I, personally, am glad to be home."
Nothing could have prepared the two girls for what they set eyes upon as
the Kino living room came into full view.
The brown-haired woman, Lita Kino, was sitting on the couch...
Kissing a man of the same age with what appeared to be a furious passion.
Lyra glanced at Alice, who had a stunned look on her pale face. Not much
upset the young Sailor Soldier... And when things did, all she had to do was to
transform.
"Should I go?" She ran a hand through blonde curls.
She shook her straight tresses. "Not until I give you the say so..."
Clearing her throat, Alice Kino took a deep breath. "Mother!" she exclaimed,
dropping her over-sized bag of texts onto the floor. "What do you think you're
doing?"
Immediately, all motion on the couch stopped. A soft blush crept across
Lita's cheeks as she pulled away from the man. "Uh... Hello, Alice... Lyra..."
Staring at the floor, she bit a dark lip. "This is Ken, a childhood friend..."
"Friend?" Alice raised an eyebrow scandalously. "You have an interesting
definition of 'friend'..."
Feeling a flush grace her features, Lyra scooped up her backpack. "I'm going
to go, now..." she gulped, smiled politely and bowing a bit. "Nice to see you,
Miss Kino... See you at school, Al..." She scurried out the door as quickly as
her short legs could take her.
The teen girl smirked. "Now, who the Hell is he?" she asked with a serious
tone that betrayed her face. "And what exactly were you doing?"
Lita rolled a pair of green eyes. "This is Ken. We grew up together..."
Hugging the woman, Ken nodded. "Best buds since birth..."
"And?" asked Alice, her face turning more serious by the second.
"Well, no use dragging this out," Ken said, scooting away from Lita to make
a space for the girl on the couch. "Sit down, Kiddo."
Though she didn't really want to, Alice obeyed the pleading look on her
mother's face.
"We have a story to tell you," Lita slowly said, glancing to Ken for what
seemed to be support. "And it all started when I was still a Scout..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Bye, Alex! See you in a week, Michelle!" Waving cheerily, Haley Ten'ou
closed the screen door and watched as the black limo pulled out of the driveway
and into the street.
From her spot on the couch, Hannah surveyed her sister with a certain amount
of tenderness. Maybe... maybe under that bratty exterior that was so repulsive,
there was a sweet teen girl who wanted help with being a Sailor Scout.
"So, Hannah," the teen smirked, turning on her heel to face the young woman.
"Want to do some Role Playing? I've got a sixtieth-level wizard who's just DYING
to have some good battles..."
Or not.
Rolling a pair of purple eyes, Hannah proceeded to walk over to the computer
desk. "Thanks, but-no thanks."
"Come on!" Haley whined persistently. Crossing into the other part of the
'L' shaped room, she pouted. "You've always liked to do stuff like that with
me..."
"Times change, Haley." Pulling up her term paper, Hannah began to type. "And
people most definitely change."
"Yeah, I know... 'Times will change, and people will change, too'..."
She plopped down at the dining room table with a sigh.
Hannah looked up and to her sister. "Where'd you get that quote?" she
suddenly asked, eyes wide.
Furrowing her brow in the same manner that Alex often did, the younger girl
shrugged. "Remember when I was in the pit for the last musical? It was in a song."
"Oh..." Turning back to the computer screen, Hannah chewed her lip.
"Why?" asked her sister.
"Susan once said something like that to me..." she trailed off. "I believe
she said 'things change, people change, but true love doesn't waver'."
As though on cue, Sailor Pluto appeared in the kitchen and began searching
through a cabinet.
"Sailor Pluto?" asked Haley.
"WHAT?" Her jaw dropping, Hannah whirled around.
Pluto ignored the girls and kept looking through the cupboard, talking to
herself. "Shit! Where the HELL do they keep the Pepto-Bismol?"
"Upstairs in Michelle and Alex's bathroom," Hannah said helpfully, still
staring at the Sailor Soldier who had manifested herself in the attached kitchen.
The green haired woman nodded. "Thanks..." Freezing in place, she grinned
sheepishly. "Um..." Looking over her shoulder, she allowed a light blush to appear
on her face. "Hi girls..." Pluto turned completely around. "How are you two
doing? And where in Time's name is Michelle and Alexandra?"
"Not here!" Haley responded. "They went on a trip."
"That was this week?" Pluto's voice was ridden with sarcasm. "Shit." She
sighed deeply and started for the stairs.
"Think again," Hannah said, slowly getting up. "I want to know what's going
on." Her voice became very stubborn. "Now."
Pluto once again froze in place. "Uhh... Can we please talk later?" she
asked, turning in a slow circle. "I really don't want to..."
Hannah shook her head, black hair whipping from side to side. "Nope. You can
tell us now."
"Or..."
"Now." Leaving no room for negotiation, Hannah crossed her arms across her
chest.
From her seat, Haley stared at her aunt, noticing the one thing that her
sister didn't-Sailor Pluto, the Guardian of Time, looked positively green.
Pluto bit her lip. "I REALLY need that medicine, Han..." she attempted,
looking extremely ill.
"Well... Then go..." A bit of compassion graced the delicate features of
Mistress Saturn. "After all, you live here-I will get it out of you..."
Trailing off, Hannah looked doubtfully at the Sailor Soldier of Pluto and
then at her sister...
For Sailor Pluto had thrown up.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"One thing lead to another, and I realized I loved him with all my soul..."
Lita chewed thoughtfully on her shrimp curry, looking to the daughter she loved
so. "It was a hard thing to tell him..."
Swallowing a mouthful of food, Ken shrugged. "I disagree. If you had seen
her, Kiddo, you would have thought she was born to go through that..."
The chestnut-headed woman shook a chopstick at him. "Shut up, you!"
Giggling, Alice bit her lip in meditation. The past two hours had been
nothing more than childhood anecdotes from the duo-Lita's stories were of
tomboyish escapades, while Ken's had much more substance to them. The theme was
obvious-the two were in a fit of passionate but hard-to-voice love. Neither could
bring themselves to admit it... They wanted to be together forever, but something
about it was too hard...
"What's this all leading to?" the girl finally managed to ask, setting her
carton of jasmine fried rice onto the coffee table. "Why did you guys bring this
all up?"
Lita and Ken stared at each other, exchanging ideas wordlessly. "Well..."
Lita sighed. "That was a good fifteen-almost sixteen-years ago..."
"And the gestation period of a Sailor Scout is only six months..." Ken
looked extremely uncomfortable.
Her jaw dropped, and all the color drained out of a young face as Alice
heard these words. She would be sixteen in about eight months... That meant...
"Oh my God..." she gasped, putting a hand up to her gaping mouth. "You..." L
ooking at her loving, caring mother, she managed a swallow. "And you..." Staring
into Ken's eyes, she was hit with a realization.
The auburn hair.
The chocolate eyes.
Even the squared-off fingers...
"Alice," Ken slowly said. "I've wanted to tell you this for a very long
time, but..."
"You're my..." She felt tears rising in her eyes. Something here wasn't
right... This entire arrangement wasn't right. "You're my father?" she gasped,
standing slowly. "The man that I've forever wanted to meet ignored me for fifteen
years?" A tear rolled down her cheek.
"It's not like that..." Lita assured her, pleading with the forest-colored
eyes Alice knew so well. "After it all happened, Ken had to go work in the States
and..."
Stomping her foot, she glared into the chocolate eyes so akin to her own.
"You left me alone." Her voice was not angry, just...sad and disappointed. "And
worse..." Eyes turned towards Lita. "You left Mom alone." She wiped a few tears
away as they rolled onto her chin.
"Now, Alice..." Ken's deep voice was filled with regret and sorrow.
She shook her head. "I can forgive you for ignoring me, but ignoring Mom?"
Succumbing to her sobs, Alice took off for her room.
Sheepishly, Ken patted Lita's hand. Her eyes were quickly filling with
tears. Large, blue tears. And he couldn't help but feel empathy towards her.
Taking the woman into his arms, Ken sighed. "Everything will work out alright...
promise."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lyra yawned and glanced around the schoolyard. "It's been a long day..." She
commented to Tara while leafing through her book. "I have more homework than
Phoebe EVER had while she was at Brighton, and then babysitting..."
"Not to mention a Scout meeting," said an adult voice from above. Looking
up, Lyra managed a wary smile.
Tara sighed. "You shouldn't do that, Diana... You'll scare someone." Turning
a page, she closed the book.
Jumping from the tree and onto the blonde's shoulder, Diana shrugged. "Well,
I don't want anyone forgetting about the meeting."
"We won't," Lyra assured her.
Glancing nonchalantly at her watch, the temple maiden made a face. "Well, I
wouldn't be so sure..." she said sternly. "A certain Sailor of Light has already
forgotten lunch..."
"Go get her!" the pink cat commanded, digging her claws lightly into the
white top of Crossroads' uniform. "I have to remind her, too!"
Walking away from her friend, Lyra looked at the guardian with concern.
"You seem on edge... Is everything alright, Diana?"
The cat sighed, and then straightened up. "Fine," she reassured the girl
with resolve. "Everything is perfectly fine."
"I don't know about that," the girl returned. "You're not acting like
yourself."
Swallowing, Diana hastily changed the subject. "Have you any idea who that
Starlit Prince is, yet?" she inquired, surveying the school's courtyard.
"Am I supposed to?" responded Lyra. Seeing a familiar carrot-headed boy wave
to her, she waved back happily. "And what's the big deal, anyway?"
"The big deal?" asked Diana, angrily. "You're asking me what the 'big deal'
is? Think about it! You guys are..."
"Lyra?" She whirled around, seeing the same redhead with silver rimmed
glasses and sapphire eyes. "I didn't know you went here!"
"Oh, Richard, that WAS you!" she exclaimed, grinning. "Since when have you
gone here?"
He chuckled, his rich laugh soothing to the teen. "It seems like it's been
eons, but since about sixth grade?"
"Me too!" Blushing, she looked to the ground. "But, I'm just an
ninth-grader, so what would I know..."
"Since they combined the high-school with Crossroads, I've gone here. I'm a
senior." He shifted the weight of his books from hand-to-hand.
Hearing Alice's voice call out to her, Lyra snapped from her Richard-induced
dream world long enough to recall her mission. "I have to go!" she yelped,
smiling. "See you around?"
"Definitely." He offered forth a hand. "Till then?"
She shook it. "Till then!"
As she walked away, Richard ruffled his own dark red hair. "I must be going
nuts..." he said to himself, watching her curls bounce until she was out of sight.
"I mean, how could a cat ever talk?" Shaking his head, he smiled thoughtfully.
"And what is it about those cork-screw curls?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Death hardly realized that someone had entered his office... In fact, he
didn't notice at all.
"So, Deathie, I'm bored."
Jumping a mile into the air, he drew in a sharp breath. "Don't DO that!" he
snapped, lowering his black eyes. "You scared me half to death!"
Greed stuck out a crimson tongue. "That was an awful pun, sweetie."
He sighed and turned back to his work. "Well, that was accidental." Pouring
over a list of figures and numbers, he sighed deeply. "This can't be right..."
"What?" she asked, craning her neck to see his papers.
He sighed. "Well, according to this, the mind-control CDs aren't selling too
well..." He sighed, pushing some hair out of his eyes. "We've only
sold...oh...fifty CDs."
Cocking her head to the side, her green eyes turned confused. "What type of
CDs are you selling?"
"It's by a band called the Unclothed Females or something..." He rummaged
through the growing piles of paper that covered the mahogany desk. Finding the
sheet of choice, he grinned. "Barenaked Ladies, that's it..."
"Never heard of them," she sighed, plopping onto the desk's edge. "Are they
from around here?"
Death grimaced. "Well, it cost a lot to take a modern Japanese band and make
their CDs into brain-washing tools of..."
"So, what are you saying?" she asked curiously.
He sighed deeply. "They're a twentieth-century band from United States."
"Well, no WONDER they're selling like dead birds!" she retorted, rolling her
eyes. "You'd have better luck selling mind-control canaries!"
"Shut up..." he responded, beat.
A pang of sympathy hit her. "I'm sorry, sweetie," she murmured, putting a
strong hand on his shoulder. "I know that you want to do your best, but..." Trying
not to snigger, she put on a mature face. "Maybe what we need is a good luck
charm..."
"You want to go shopping, don't you?" he sighed and then raised an eyebrow.
"Never hurt?" she asked coyly. "I heard of this great temple that sells all
sorts of cutesy luck charms..."
Rolling a pair of black eyes, Death smiled and rose. "I could use a long
break..."
"Good!" she giggled, waving a hand. Her leather clothes turned into a teal
and gold school uniform. "I'll be a student!"
He sighed and, rubbing his hands together, created a portal to the Earth.
"After you?" he politely asked, holding out an arm to her.
"Thank you..."
They stepped into the portal, and it closed behind them.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Got to run!" Phoebe waved to a few of her peers and dove into the red
convertible that Haley had driven to school.
Haley laughed and her friend and stared the car. "Glad to see your grade
disaster has improved in the last twenty-four hours..."
"Of course it has!" Pulling a section of blue hair into a thick braid, she
smiled. "My dad and Ames-the-Jerk were really proud!"
Looking at the younger girl with thoughtful teal eyes, Haley bit her lip.
"Why don't you get along with your mother?"
Phoebe shrugged. "I don't know... She just wants me to be her and..."
"I wonder why my family problems aren't like that..." Haley stared at the
road in front of her. "Alex and Michelle are so proud of me for who I am..."
"You don't know my mom very well, Haley..." Pulling out a book, Phoebe
sighed. "It's just not the way of the Urawa family..."
The rest of the ride was oddly silent.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I'm going to stick around for a while, Lita..."
Looking up from a stack of restaurant bills, her green eyes flickered upward
and came to rest on Ken's masculine face. "What did you say?"
Sitting down next to her, he took a soft hand into his. "I want to stay...
I want to get to know Alice and become more of a father to her." He sighed,
studying the woman's delicate facial features. "And I want to figure out if...
If you and I should... For Alice's sake..."
Smiling sadly, Lita shook her head. "I love you; you love me. Fine. But
Alice is a girl who is not famously adaptable."
"Just like another Scout I know," he joked, squeezing her hand.
"That's not it, though," she continued solemnly. "I can't give up over a
thousand years of complete independence."
"Neither can I," Ken responded. "I'm glad we're agreed."
Kissing him lightly on the cheek, Lita smiled. "But you're welcome to stay
and get to know your daughter."
"Don't you think it's strange, though?" he softly asked. "That we have a
daughter and all?"
"Ken, I don't think it's strange we have her," she smiled, thinking of her
grinning child. "I'm grateful."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"The powers of Earth surround us..." Slowly clasping her hands together,
Tara let her melodic voice break the heavy silence. "Fire of Earth, flare up in
your magnificence... Embrace us with your magic..." She took a shuddering breath.
"Reveal the identity of the Starlit Prince!"
Gradually, the fire grew larger, fed by some invisible power. As the flames
began to softly lick the ceiling, an image appeared in the center of the blaze.
Sighing in defeat, each Scout watched in horror, as it was not an image of the
Starlit Prince.
It was quite a likeness to the courtyard of Crossroads School.
Opening her green eyes, the Shinto girl let out a slow breath. "I'm sorry,"
she softly said, a light blush creeping across her features. "I thought it would
work this time..."
Biting her lip, Alice held back a "told you so".
Lyra managed a sympathetic smile. Playing with the hem of her skirt, she
shrugged. "It's not all that big of a deal, Tara. You tried, and that's all that
we should..."
"No, it's not!" Diana jumped from Reeny's shoulder and sat in the middle of
the fire room. "If we don't figure all this out, we might..."
"What IS wrong with you?" the Princess demanded, furrowing her brows at the
cat. Sighing, she looked to the others for support. "Diana's been acting funny all
week. Something's bothering her, but she just WON'T spit it out..."
"I noticed that at lunch today," the blonde Scout commented. "She was very
cranky and bossy..."
"HELLO?" The pink Guardian glared at her charges. "I'm right here! No need
to talk like I'm DEAD or something!"
Orb cocked his head at his sister. "Really, Diana, what's..."
"NOTHING!" she shot back, glancing away to hide the tears that were
manifesting. "So just keep your big nose out of my business!" Standing, the cat
hastily walked out of the room.
Phoebe blanched. "That was weird..."
The brown haired girl in the corner suddenly cleared her throat. Looking at
her friends, she chewed her lip thoughtfully. "I think that the fire reading my
have given us more of a clue than we know," she said.
"Huh?" Alice raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? It showed us a school..."
"When we wanted the Prince," Haley finished, playing with her key chain.
"If considered properly..."
Tara's face brightened unexpectedly. "Perhaps the Prince goes to
Crossroads!"
Smiling, the eldest girl nodded. "Exactly."
Alice wrinkled her nose. "I think you guys are off your rockers..."
"Hello?" a new voice called from outside. "Is anyone here?"
Standing, Tara brushed off her robes. "Excuse me. I think there's a
customer at the temple. I'll be right back."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Where is that girl?" Greed muttered impatiently, tapping her foot on the
dusty ground.
Death rolled his eyes for what seemed to be the hundredth time of the day.
"What girl?"
She made a face. "The girl who works at the temple... Black hair,
red robes..."
"That could be any of about three-hundred Shinto maidens in this town..."
he sarcastically quipped with a grin.
She punched him playfully in the stomach. "You be quiet!" the woman
commanded with a scowl. "You're nothing be an annoying, sarcastic, mean, brat of
a boyfriend who can..."
"Sorry to keep you waiting," a young voice said. The pair turned, only to
see an exceptionally tall girl with dark hair and green eyes staring at them. "I
had business to attend." She bowed. "Welcome to Cherry Hill Temple."
Greed grinned back. "Hi! We're interested a few good luck charms..."
"Certainly." Ducking under the counter, her happy voice continued to flow
through the temple grounds. "We have several different ones... Some for luck, or
wealth, happiness, maybe love." She put a large box on the wooden shelf before
her. "Now, which ones are you interested in?"
While Greed sorted through the box, Death looked around the temple.
Something was bothering him about the temple... Both the scenery and the building
itself seemed so familiar...
"Are you from Crystal Music Academy?" the girl carefully asked the consumer.
"I have two friends who attend there, and they have uniforms just like yours."
The young woman's pale skin turned scarlet. As she played with a strand of
hair that had evaded her braid, she grinned hopefully. "Yep. I'm a senior..."
"Really... Maybe you know them..." Turning her back to the Raider, the girl
cleared her throat. "Haley, Phoebe! One of your classmates is here!"
"Shit!" Death muttered, still studying the temple with rapt interest. "Why'd
you say that?"
Greed stuck out her tongue. "I didn't know better, you whiny-butt!" she
retorted, annoyed. "Why don't we just beat them up and leave?"
"Excuse me?" questioned the young maiden, raising an eyebrow. "Did I hear
you right?"
Death snapped his fingers, and he and Greed were instantly in their "Raider"
clothing. He smiled, revealing white fangs. "My name is Death, and I am a Raider
of the Andromeda Galaxy."
"Ditto here, except I'm Greed, not him." Smoothing an area of leather, the
female Raider shrugged playfully.
Backing up, the teen grimaced notably. One of her hands quickly shot into a
pocket as she dove under the counter.
"HELP!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Does she want us out there or WHAT?" Alice groped through her backpack,
searching for the ever-evasive Locket of Light.
In a state of absolute panic, Orb growled. "I'm willing to bet money that
there are Raiders lurking out there." He shivered. "I can FEEL it."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Phoebe raised her locket. "Phoenix
Galactic..."
"Wait." A shadowy figure appeared in the doorway. The person was tall, and
most likely male.
Staring, Reeny managed a gulp. "Uh... Who are you?"
The shadow stepped forward and the girls recognized Chad Yuuichirou, Tara's
father and the priest of the temple.
"I don't want you five going out there and destroying things," he commanded
in a calm tone. "That has happened far to many times in this temple, and..."
Lyra bristled. "What do you expect us to do, Chad?" she challenged as a
glare passed across her face. "She's our friend..."
"Speak for yourself," mumbled Alice under her breath.
Shooting the other girl a stern look, Lyra continued. "And we can't let her
be in danger."
"I know that," he admitted. "I am extremely proud that my daughter has found
such wonderful friends in the five of you." He sighed, shaking his head a bit.
"Just PLEASE don't hurt the temple."
As Chad walked off, Reeny raised a blue eyebrow. "Weird guy," she ventured
thoughtfully.
"Oh well," Lyra put in. She raised her locket. "Polaris Galactic Power...
Make up!"
"Moon Galactic Power... Make up!"
"Comet Galactic Power... Make up!"
"Aurora Borealis Galactic Power... Make up!"
"Phoenix Galactic Power... Make up!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Glancing at the woman beside him, Terrence sighed. "You're being awfully
quiet, dear one."
Kicking a stone that sat before her, Susan bit her lip. "I'm just not
feeling all that well." Looking over the calm waters of the pond, she wondered
what the future held.
"Really, Sets?" he softly inquired, wrapping a strong arm around her slender
waist. "What's wrong?"
Half-smiling at him, she played with a strand of green hair. "I just feel a
little queasy," she assured him, leaning into the embrace.
"Sure?" he prodded as a look of concern passing across his green eyes.
Leaning down a bit, Susan kissed the tip of his nose. "I'm fine, Terry...
Don't worry about me..."
"I know you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself," he pointed
out, "but that doesn't mean I won't worry."
She looked at him thoughtfully. "And why won't you?" she questioned with a
bit of suspicion in her voice.
"Simple, Sets," he mused with an mischievous grin. "I can't leave you alone
when you like me so much."
"What?" she repeated, staring at him with wide crimson eyes.
"But that's okay," he continued, holding her closer to him. "Because I like
you just as much."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Greed, pulling out her sword, sighed. "Come on, kid," she said, wiping the
weapon on a black handkerchief. "Just let us beat you up and go back to our normal
life."
Death rolled his black eyes in slight annoyance. "Protocol," he muttered
under his breath. "Protocol."
"Oh, shut up!" she shot at him, lowering her green eyes while continuing to
polish the sword. "You're so mean, you know that?"
"You're just in a bad mood," Death insisted. "All because your disguise
didn't work like..."
Suddenly, five Sailor Scouts came running out of one of the temple
buildings and into the line of Raider fire.
"Stop!" Sailor Moon declared, pulling her Galactic Rod out of thin air.
"I don't want to use this on you if I don't HAVE to!"
Sailor Aurora Borealis adjusted her tiara, her fingers idly smoothing the
dark blue stone. "Fighting evil by Moonlight," she muttered to herself, having
lapsed into some sort of dream world.
Ignoring the spaced-out Sailor next to her, Sailor Polaris glared at Greed.
"We are the Sailor Scouts!"
"We fight for justice and against evil!" added Sailor Phoenix, looking at
Death with disdain and loathing.
Death snorted. "I thought that justice and evil were the same thing..." he
teased, mocking her. "My bad."
Rolling her teal eyes, Sailor Comet turned to the group. "Can't we just kick
their butts, rescue Tara, and go home?"
Aurora Borealis, still a bit on the spacey side, walked to the front of the
group. "Don't hurt my friends OR the bratty temple kid!" she commanded. "I'll beat
your sorry ass to the floor, you..."
"Go away," the black-garbed man responded, extending and hand and drawing a
few symbols in the air. Suddenly, a black wind shot from Death's fingers. Picking
up Aurora Borealis, the torrent threw her into the side of the temple.
Greed sniggered at this occurrence and turned to the four remaining,
devilish mischief flaring in her impossibly green eyes. "Do you all want to end up
like that, brats?" The rhetorical question caught the Scouts off guard, and,
considering this, all four stared at the young Raider.
"We are the Raiders of the Andromeda Galaxy." Her tone was very
matter-of-fact. "Illness' death cannot stop us, and neither can any dinky Silver
Crystals, or..." Turning to Sailor Moon, she smiled. "Nor can any stupid Galactic
Rods."
Bristling at the word "stupid", Moon fought back the over-whelming urge to
beat the woman senseless. "It's our world, not yours," she returned, voice cold
and deliberate. "What makes this world so wonderful?"
"Humans are weak." Death's strong voice picked up and echoed through the
breeze that whirled about the temple grounds. "They are expendable. That, I'm
afraid, will spark your demise."
"Tell the Queen we said hi!" Greed told the Scouts, fading into oblivion.
Death faded out to, with nothing more than a stern look across his pale
face.
"For a jerk," observed Sailor Moon, "that Death is really cute."
Sailor Comet rolled her eyes and then remembered the fate of Aurora
Borealis.
"Alice!" she yelped, dashing over to where the fallen Scout was. "Alice! Are
you alright?"
The girl just groaned.
Tara, who had just climbed out from under the counter, stared at the girls.
"Take her pulse!" she ordered, running to where the others stood. "Call a doctor!"
Seeing four Scouts stare at her in disbelief, the Shinto lowered her pair of
green eyes. "What?" she bellowed grievously. "Do what I say... NOW!"
The Scouts obeyed.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Mother!" Diana raced through the halls of Crystal Palace, followed closely
by Orb. Both cats had witnessed the fight and, more importantly, had heard Death
and Greed's warning to the Scouts.
Orb, panting but still trying to keep up with his sister, inhaled sharply.
"Do you...think that...the Scouts will...lose if they're not...careful?" he
attempted between labored breaths.
"No. I think they'll only lose if we repeat that awful scene today." Diana
picked up speed, starling a maid here and there by ducking under their legs.
Both cats turned into the Queen's chambers at an incredible speed, paws
nearly slipping on the smooth marble floor. "Mother! Father!" they echoed, running
towards the cat bed where both elderly guardians spent a large amount of time.
They heard the voices before they saw the sources.
"What are we going to tell them?" asked a male voice that was strong and
familiar.
A sigh sounded. "The truth, I suppose," responded a voice with an British
accent. "We can't possibly lie... They know us far too well."
"So, then what do we say?" the male voice shot back angrily. "That we can no
longer get along and because of you, I'm leaving my family?"
"Good enough," the female spat. "Orb and Diana can deal with it."
Diana's red eyes grew wide and she slowly turned to her brother. "They're
talking about us?" she whispered.
He nodded. "This can't be good..." he ventured.
The pink cat stood tall and started to the source of the sound. "Mother?
Father?"
Luna and Artemis were sitting on the floor and Artemis looked positively
ill. "Hello," the black female cat said in a hushed tone. "What's wrong?" she
inquired upon seeing her daughter's face.
"What were you and father talking about?" asked Orb, concerned.
Artemis sighed. "Never mind that, Orb." His voice was wavering slightly, but
the blue eyes remained firm. "What happened today? You both seem quite upset."
"What is happening with you?" Diana challenged, glaring at him. "Enough with
the lies! You have been fighting like cats and dogs lately, and I've put up with
it." She sniffled a bit before continuing. "Even the Scouts have the capacity to
know when something's wrong with me." She stared at her two parents. "What's wrong
with you two?"
Luna just shook her head. "Don't start, young lady. Some things are just not
your business."
"Not our business?" Suffering an uncharacteristic spree of anger, Orb stared
at his mother. "You're our PARENTS!" he yelled at her with hostility in his voice.
"You don't need to lie to us when something's wrong!"
Artemis hung his head. "Right, Orb..."
"Don't you start!" shot Luna as she lowered her auburn eyes. "They're wrong!
Our business is ours!"
"No, it's not," Artemis said gently, standing. "Our children are right.
We've been too busy with our own problems that we've neglected to notice what we
put our daughter through." He smiled. "I'm leaving, kids," he concluded softly,
turning his back to the two younger cats.
As he walked out the door, Artemis was suddenly grateful that no one could
see his tears.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Mina was drying her hands as the doorbell rang.
"That's odd," she thought aloud as she left the kitchen and started for the
front door. "Andrew isn't to be home until five, and Lyra is at the temple..."
Shrugging, she opened the door.
Sitting on a the garbage can that was next to the house was a very familiar
white cat.
"Mina..." Artemis softly uttered, a tear rolling down his white fur. "Can I
come in?"
Nodding, Mistress Venus opened the door.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Is she alright?" Ken was frantic as Phoebe and Haley helped the hobbling
Alice into the apartment.
Alice rolled her chocolate eyes. "Relax, Dad," she stated, hopping on one
foot. "I got knocked into a wall and then fainted." She shrugged. "Fight lag mixed
with getting beaten up... Not fun."
Lita crossed her arms. "I knew that I shouldn't have let you go out today!"
she exclaimed with frustration in her voice. "You got into a fight!"
"Like a certain Planet Mistress I know," joked Reeny, her scarlet eyes
dancing.
Smacking the Princess upside the head, Lyra grinned. "Her ankle's sprained,
according to Mistress Mercury."
"Amy?" questioned a shocked Ken.
"No, Serena," answered Lita with obvious sarcasm. "Of course Amy, stupid."
Ken smiled politely at Phoebe. "And you must be her daughter."
The midnight blue haired girl grinned back, curtseying.
"Actually," pointed out Tara, "we're all daughters of the original Scouts."
The other five girls nodded in agreement.
"You see?" observed Lita with a customary wink. "We're not the only ones."
Lyra gasped. Staring wide-eyed at the brown haired mistress, she gulped.
"You mean that... He and you... Alice, Ken's your...uhh," she stammered, playing
with a stray hair.
"Yes," Alice volunteered. "And yes. And..."
"Duh." Sighing, Haley shook her head. "Alice called him 'dad' just a matter
of minutes ago."
"So?" retorted Phoebe, sticking out her tongue. "I call Orb 'stupid head
pet cat'. That doesn't mean..."
"What did happen to the cats?" interrupted Tara, a sudden and concerned look
crossing her pale face. "Neither of them were around when we untransformed."
"They're all SCOUTS, too?" Ken was astounded.
From her seat on the couch, Alice smacked her dad. "Go find them," she
proposed to the five teens. "I'll be fine."
"You sure?" questioned Haley.
"Yes!" the auburn-headed girl declared. "And I'm sure Greed and Death have
a plan up their sleeves. They left awfully quick."
"That IS kind of fishy..." Phoebe noted.
"Yeah," agreed Reeny, fingering the locket around her neck.
As the Scouts filed out of her apartment, Alice grabbed a fistful of Tara's
robes. "Tara?"
"Hmmm?" responded the girl, looking down at the older girl.
Alice smiled weakly. "I know that you were the one who... Who got them to
call a doctor." Reaching for the Shinto's hand and squeezing it, she blinked back
tears.
Tara gulped and her green eyes grew wide. "It... it wasn't anything..." she
stuttered. "You would do the same for me..."
"Tara, shut up and listen," Alice demanded with appreciation in her voice.
"I just want to tell you one thing."
"What's that?" she asked.
"Thank you."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Lyra?" The voice came from the side of her big white house.
Jumping a mile, Lyra Makoti peered carefully around the bushes to the source
of the sound.
"Dad?" Her light brown eyes grew wide.
Putting a finger to his lips, Andrew smiled sadly at his daughter. "Can I
talk to you?" he whispered.
She nodded. "What's wrong..."
"I... Uhh... Have you seen Mistress Mercury lately?" he asked.
"For five minutes today," Lyra returned, completely baffled. "What ARE you
talking about?"
"I quit my job at the hospital today," he softly informed her.
"YOU WHAT?"
He glared at her. "Not so loud, Lyra!"
"You what?" she repeated in shock.
He sighed. "I had no choice, Star." Seeing her eyes turn confused again,
Andrew chewed his lower lip. "I like being a doctor, but I like being myself
better."
"Lost me again," she commented.
He shrugged. "I don't know what it is about being a surgeon," he admitted.
"When I worked with Darien..."
"Darien?" repeated the girl, growing more confused.
Andrew rolled his eyes. "Endymion. Whatever his name is. The King." Lyra's
pale face dawned in understanding. "He and I used to work together, but when he
took the throne, I..."
"Lost a part of you." Appearing from the front of the house, Mina smiled at
her husband and oldest daughter. "That's what you've been trying to tell me, isn't
it?"
"Yeah..." he sighed, standing. "Without Darien by my side, I feel like an
actor."
Lyra looked up at her parents. "Is this one of those times that I should go
baby-sit?"
"No." Her mother put a loving hand on her shoulder. "Your dad trusts you a
lot. You know that, right?"
"Right," Lyra nodded with a grin.
"And you've only been fighting evil for a month and a half, right?" Mina
continued.
"Right!" The girl's smile grew.
Andrew shook his head. "Wrong." His voice was understanding. "I realize what
she means. Do you?"
"No..." admitted Lyra with a sigh of defeat.
Mina put an arm around her daughter. "We all fight certain evils,
certain...demons, to say...on the inside. Your father just beat one." The Mistress
of Venus grinned. "And you've beaten them, too."
Looking at his wife in shock, Andrew gasped. "You mean I'm NOT in trouble?"
he inquired.
"Nope." Mina smiled warmly. "You're off the hook."
Lyra looked at her two parents, still a little confused. "Destiny changes
everything, doesn't it?"
Smiling, the blonde woman shrugged. "If so, I think it's for the better."
Turning back into Mina-the-warden, she cracked her knuckled. "Go call one of the
Scouts. Artemis needs a place to stay, and Bobby is in there, sneezing himself
half to death."
Lyra automatically obeyed.
"You're not mad?" asked Andrew tenderly.
"Why would I be?" she retorted, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You did
what you felt was right. I can't disagree..." Kissing him on the cheek, Mina led
her husband inside.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Staring at her sister, Haley smiled.
Hannah's jet-black hair was pulled into a ponytail, with a few strands
trailing alongside her face. Black glasses sat on the tip of her nose as she
poured over her texts on anatomy. Her too-big blue slippers were half-off her
feet, and her beaten sweatshirt from college was on inside out. Haley nearly
laughed at the sight of it all.
Was being home-alone-with Hannah really changing her perspective that much?
Haley didn't know, but the mere thought forced a goofy grin to cross her face.
Looking up, Hannah saw her sister smile.
"When did you get home?" asked the Mistress of Saturn, closing her book
slowly. "I would have assumed your meeting to be longer."
"I just stopped in," Haley shrugged, yawning a bit. "No one can find the
guardian cats, so I was going to check with Susan..."
Shaking her head, Hannah rose. "Susan went out over an hour ago, and I'm
beginning to worry." The woman sighed. "She's been going out a lot, and she got
sick again this morning."
"Oh dear," Haley commented.
"I know," her sister went on, brushing hair out of her face. "It isn't like
Susan to disappear..." Stopping, Hannah gasped. One of her hands flew to her
bracelet of navy and dark purple beads. "Shit! A Mistress transformed!"
"Huh?" asked Haley, confused.
Shaking her head, Hannah pulled the beads off her wrist. "Transform now, ask
questions later."
"Fine." The teen grabbed her locket. "Comet Galactic Power... Make up!"
"Saturn Eternal Power... Make up!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Next time I go shopping," observed Mistress Mercury with a deep sigh, "I
don't bring the beads." Quickly diving to the floor, Mercury watched in horror as
Greed's sword slashed through the CD rack beside her.
Clambering to her feet, Mercury held the blue dress to knee level and went
running through the Best Buy. Both Greed and Death followed her, yelling all the
way.
"Come on, Mistress," Greed called. "We won't hurt you..."
"She's right!" Death agreed wickedly. "Sucking your powers dry won't even
sting."
Launching herself to the top of a shelving unit, Mercury kept running.
"Mercury Mistress Power!" she yelled. "Free these CDs from their powers!"
A black shadow arose from a box of CDs, and several people who had been
listening to them collapsed.
"How'd you know about our mind-control plot?" Greed asked, amazed.
Mercury smirked. "That's the oldest trick in the book..." She shrugged.
"I've been fighting Nega-slaves since... Oh, my..." Her dark blue eyes flew beyond
the Raiders to something else.
Death whirled around and came face-to-face with a giant black shadow.
"Shit..."
"Unexpected and negative consequence of our actions," Greed innocently told
the Planet Mistress. "Have fun."
Both Raiders disappeared.
As they left, Sailor Comet and Mistress Saturn ran into the store. Saturn's
dress was sleeveless, with purple and navy fabric. Wielding the Silence Glaive,
she looked quite adult.
Mercury smiled, jumping to the floor. Good old Saturn.
Comet yawned at the monster. "Wow. I thought bad guys stopped using these
way back in your time."
"Shut up," sighed Saturn, twirling her Glaive. "I need to figure out this
thing.
"May I be of some assistance?" Mercury asked, smoothing her light-blue
Mistress gown. "I have my computer with me."
Turning her head, Saturn grinned. "Of course, Mercury."
The older Mistress turned on her computer and proceeded to scan the monster.
"Are the others coming?" asked a curious Comet.
Saturn shrugged. "Their beads will warm up. They're likely to at least know
something's wrong."
Typing, Mercury sighed. "There were two odd characters here, giving out
mind-control CDs."
"My, isn't THAT original," chimed in Sailor Earth as she and Polaris jumped
down from the skylight of the store.
Watching the monster break a few large racks of video games, the blonde
Scout jumped behind her best friend. "Let's just go..."
"You're superstitious, aren't you?" asked a smiling Comet.
"A little," admitted Polaris.
"She's afraid of Crystal Palace and black cats." Mistress Venus appeared,
an array of hearts and stars swirling around her. "Silly girl."
"Stop making such an entrance," Saturn chided, bristling. "You want to
attract the monster?"
"What monster?" Venus asked. Turning around, she gasped. "Oh, dear..."
The monster was black and probably ten feet tall. Looking like a cross
between a shadow and a demon, it thrashed throughout the store with little regard.
Grimacing, Mercury closed her computer and allowed it to disappear as in
often did. "It's only weak spot in right in the center of the head," she softly
informed the group. "And we have no way of..."
"May I aid you?" came a decidedly male voice.
Three Planet Mistresses and three Sailor Scouts, all quite mismatched,
turned to face a young man.
A young man wearing a tuxedo, top hat, purple cape and ballroom mask.
"The Starlit Prince!" exclaimed Comet.
Earth rolled her eyes. "Not again..."
The Prince bowed. "I may be able to hit the monster in its weak spot with my
rose." Taking a purple flower from the lapel of his coat, he smiled. "Would you
like me to?"
"Please!" announced Venus, glancing at the store's large clock. "I left a
pot of Ramen on the stove."
Polaris rolled her eyes and then took a mental inventory.
"Where's Chibi-Star?" she asked, confused.
"Who?" echoed the three Mistresses, confounded.
The Prince shrugged. "I know not. I could not find her, as expected." He
cracked his knuckles, beginning to aim his rose.
Earth and Comet readied themselves. If the rose met its target, they would
be in for a fierce battle.
Polaris, on the other hand, sighed. Feeling some sort of bond to the
munchkin who was Chibi-Star, she was worried. Quite worried, to be honest.
A scream was heard, and it snapped the Scout back to reality. The rose had
hit its mark.
"Earthly Thunderstorm..."
"Comet Crater..."
"Starry Sky..."
Three voices joined to finish three separate attacks.
"STRIKE!"
"CLOSE!"
"SMASH!"
Lightning, rain, and hail pummeled the monster.
A hole opened up in the ground and swallowed its bottom half.
Stardust formed a ball and crushed the dark monster.
When the dust cleared, peace had been restored.
"Finally," Venus sighed, yawning. "I have dinner to make." Glancing at
Polaris, she smiled sternly. "Be home in half an hour."
As the swirl of hearts and stars resumed, Polaris shook her head.
The Scouts started on their separate ways, waving their good-byes and the
Prince, now forgotten, leaped onto a shelf. The absence of Chibi-Star was
unsettling. Without her at the battle, he worried.
"She's a little kid!" he told himself. "I shouldn't be protecting her like I
am!" Sighing, he bit his lip. "But, Polaris feels that same bond... How odd..."
He shrugged and started home.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sailor Chibi-Star watched from the roof of Best Buy as the Starlit Prince
ran from the scene.
"That was a dirty trick," she scolded herself with an impish grin. "Mama
would NOT be pleased."
Sighing, she smoothed the pleaded purple skirt that helped represent being a
Sailor Scout. "But maybe Papa would. He knows that I'm a Scout..." she swallowed
hard. "It's not my fault that no one ELSE does..."
Fingering the purple and yellow locket that held her yellow bow on, her
sighed again. The Locket of Small Stars had two stars depicted on it... One was
large and purple, and within it was a tiny, sparkling yellow star.
Her.
Sailor Chibi-Star ran her fingers over it one last time and started home.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I'm sorry you had to take me in," the white cat apologized.
Lita shrugged. "No bother, Artemis."
Between sneezes, Ken voiced his own opinion. "I...ACHOO...am severely
allergic...ACHOO...to cats, Lita...ACHOO!" he sneezed.
Alice giggled and stroked the cat's smooth fur. "You're so warm," she noted
lovingly. "I've always wanted a pet." Touching the gold moon crest on his
forehead, she felt a current of power surge through her. "Besides, you're a
guardian."
"Ex-guardian," the cat corrected. "But that's too long a story."
"You guys...ACHOO!" Ken sneezed. "Are you...ACHOO...nuts? I
am...ACHOO...allergic!" Holding a handkerchief to his face, he lowered his
chocolate eyes.
Lita sighed. "Don't whine so much! I'll call Amy in the morning and get you
some medication!" she snapped, rolling her eyes. "You can go back to the States
if you're going to keep this up!"
"I have...ACHOO...half a mind to...ACHOO...do just that!" he retorted in
annoyance.
Hobbling over him onto her good ankle, Alice dove into her father's lap.
"Dad! You can't leave!" she protested, tears coming to her eyes at a rapid pace.
"Please!"
He hugged her and gave up.
From her spot in the kitchen, Lita smiled to herself. Things were working
alright, after all...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Greed rolled over and kissed the top of Death's head. "See you in the
morning, love," she smiled, nestling close to him.
He smiled warily at her. "Of course, dear," he responded, listening to her
soft breaths as she fell into the vast dream world that was sleep.
And, through the window, Death could see the glowing sphere that was Earth.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Welcome home, Mom!" Haley wrapped her arms around Michelle. "I'm sorry you
cut your trip three days short for us."
Alexandra threw her suitcase on the couch. "Hawaii doesn't have any
drag-racing courses, anyway."
Hannah made a face and took her turn to hug Michelle. "We missed you," she
softly said.
Michelle smiled at her daughters. "And we missed you." Detaching herself
from Hannah's grasp, Michelle looked curiously at the two girls. "Now, what
exactly happened? Our beads got warm."
The sisters smiled at each other. "Just a battle," volunteered Haley.
"But we took care of it," added Hannah.
Alex and Michelle looked doubtfully at one another.
"You worked TOGETHER?" Alex smirked. "Did Hell freeze over while your mother
and I were lounging on the beach, absolutely bored to death?"
The brown haired teen shrugged. "You could say that," she winked.
Hannah just smiled back.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"And I've felt positively awful for a few days." Susan tore a little slit in
her paper gown. "What's wrong with me?"
Amy Urawa glanced over Susan's large stack of papers that had accumulated
during centuries past. "Well, I don't think you're sick," she calmly said, staring
at the test results before her.
Susan raised an eyebrow. "Amy," she began, "I have been throwing up,
nauseated, and without an appetite for days!" She made a grievous face. "Terrence
is nearly beside himself because I refused dinner at..."
"Terrence?" Amy stared blankly at her.
Rolling her garnet eyes, Susan pounded her fist on the hospital bed. "Is
there an echo in here?"
Amy picked up the phone. "Can you run one more test? Yes, that's the one.
Thanks." Hanging it up, the blue haired doctor turned to the Guardian of Time.
"Who's Terrence?"
"A friend," Susan responded. Seeing Amy's expression, she blushed. "My
boyfriend..."
Amy nodded. "That could explain a lot of things, Susan..."
All the color drained out of Susan's face. "Are you implying what I think
you're..."
The phone rang, cutting the young woman off. Picking it up, the doctor
grabbed a pen. "Mmm-hmm... Thank you. Yes, please do." Hanging the phone back up,
Amy bit her lip and swallowed hard.
"I didn't think you were sick," she slowly said, idly running a hand through
her hair. "And indeed, you're not..."
Feeling her hands grow cold, Susan shut her eyes.
"You're pregnant."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Galactic Sailor Say!
Chibi-Star: Today, we learned that I played a nasty, nasty trick on the Starlit
Prince. And it was fun!
Tara: (walking into the scene) But playing tricks on people isn't very nice.
Alice: (entering) We also learned that I actually do have a dad, and that he loves
me VERY much.
Tara: (sniggers) Yeah, Al... He loves you so much, he left you for fifteen years.
(Alice chases Tara offscreen)
Chibi-Star: We also learned that Hannah and Haley can get along if they really,
really try!
Phoebe: (entering) We also learned that I didn't get much screen time this
episode.
Haley: (entering) But you get all next episode to focus on YOUR family problems!
Phoebe: Don't ruin the plot!
Haley: It's already a fudging cliffhanger!
(Both exist in different directions)
Chibi-Star: But, most importantly, we learned that Orb and Diana will have to
manage without their parents. This happens in real life, too.
Orb: (entering) That's right. Not all families are forever. Remember that.
Luna: (offscreen) Orb! Did you wash behind your ears?
Orb: (making a face) But mothers, sadly, are a far different story.
Chibi-Star: Sailor Chibi-Star says...
ALL CHARACTERS: SEE YA!
-I Know-
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)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Thus ends another exciting installment of the Galactic Sailors. (cheering) Next
comes story 5, which may be a bit more comical than the others. Do not fear,
though... It shall come.
Yours truly,
Kate (duncan@chicago.avenew.com)
Christina (ladybug142@aol.com)
Author's Ramblings: It's here! It's finally here! We've been through a lot, but
we've done it! Story Four has finally arrived!
There is a lot of new stuff in this story, some of which are revelations to
important things... We hope you all know what you're getting yourself into!
(smirk)
KATE: I have taken a break from writing Galena stuff because I am really behind on
the Galactic Sailors stuff. Don't worry, she'll be back, but everyone needs a
break once in a great while, right?
DISCLAIMER OF THE DAY: We don't like totally own like Sailor Moon. It's like
totally wickedly unfair that like we like didn't like think up the idea for the
totally cool show which is SM, but we like
will totally borrow it for now.
Rated PG
~Your friends and authors,
Kate and Christina
* * * * * * * * * * * *
THE STORY SO FAR:
The Raiders have lost Illness. That's right-the Sailor Scouts toasted his
brown-robed butt. Also, Endymion's younger brother, Terrence, has come for a visit
, and has developed some sort of friendship with Susan, whom he calls Sets. Yes,
Susan is back for a visit, but no one is completely sure why.
And Lyra has met an older boy named Richard who she has a crush on. Richard
somehow knows Reeny, though he never touched upon why.
And that, my friends, is where the story begins...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Truth or dare?" Lyra giggled, rolling onto her stomach. "Umm... How about
you, Tara? Truth or dare?"
The black haired Shinto girl rolled her eyes. "I hate sleepovers," she
muttered in an annoyed tone. "Why me?"
"Come on!" Phoebe lobed her stuffed Sailor Mercury doll at the girl.
"You've got to pick!"
Tara wrinkled her nose. "This is stupid..."
"Duh..." Alice rolled her chocolate eyes. "That's why it's a sleepover
game!"
"Truth..." muttered Tara, placing a piece of caramel popcorn in her mouth.
Lyra giggled and huddled with the others, trying to think up the perfect
question for the youngest of the Galactic Sailors.
Rolling her green eyes, Tara leaned against the bookshelf. Her mother had
pushed her to go, because Haley's house was big and the family as a whole would
put up with the ruckus of six teen girls better than, say, her parents would.
"Okay!" squealed the blonde, sitting up and looking at Tara sternly. "If you
were given a choice, who would you rather date-your dad or my dad?"
An horrified grimace passing across her face, Tara stuck up her nose. "I
will NOT answer that!" she yelled, blushing deeply while trying to act dignified.
"That's a stupid question, anyway!"
Haley sniggered. "So, your dad then?"
The girl attempted to hit the elder Scout across the face with her pillow,
but missed and decked Reeny, instead.
"Uh!" the Princess managed, spitting her pigtail out of her mouth. "Tara!"
Tara paled. "Umm... Oops?"
"I'll 'oops' you, Temple Girl!" she shot back, standing up and arming
herself. "You know why?"
"Why?" asked Alice with a smug grin.
Reeny did the classic Sailor Moon stance. "I am the Princess of the Earth
and champion of justice!"
Lyra rolled her eyes and beamed Reeny with a pillow.
Before any of the teens could resist, the shrieks and shouting of a pillow
fight filled the blue house. Alice and Phoebe were hiding behind the piano, trying
to protect themselves, while Reeny was having a grand old time beaming each of the
other Scouts over the head.
"Cut it out!" Dressed in a full-length purple nightgown, Hannah Tomoe glared
at the six girls from her place on the stairwell. All of them froze in mid-battle,
and Reeny blushed the color of her eyes-scarlet.
"I need my sleep, kids," she spat, lowering her indescribably timeless
purple eyes and allowing them to fly from teen to teen. "So either shut up or take
your silly slumber party elsewhere."
"Aw, Hannah," cooed Reeny, skipping over to the older girl. "Why don't you
join us? After all, we used to play all the time..."
The scowl turned into a sad smile on the pale face, but Hannah shook her
head. "My midterms are tomorrow, Reen... Any other time, I'd join you..." As
memories swept over her, she shrugged. "Have fun, though..."
As her sister left, Haley raised an eyebrow. "How'd you do that?" she asked
her pink-haired friend.
Reeny shrugged. "It's a gift, I guess..."
"Weird gift," Lyra thought aloud, collapsing on the couch. "Now what?"
Phoebe yawned. "Charades?"
"NO!" chorused the others, throwing pillows at her.
"You've won eight games in a row!" Alice protested, sticking out her tongue.
Tara nodded in agreement. "That doesn't qualify as fun, Phoebe."
"You're just jealous," the young thespian smirked, bowing. "I'm so much more
amusing than you, you just can't take it..."
"Shut up," Reeny retorted, letting herself yawn. "You're getting an ego..."
Suddenly, a sound snapped them all to attention. A key entered the front
door lock, to be exact.
The brown haired hostess paled. "Shit..." she muttered, glancing at her
watch. "It's two a.m., and someone's at the door!"
Diving to her overnight bag, Reeny emptied its contents on the floor. "My
locket's in here..." Staring at the mess, she grimaced. "Somewhere..."
Shaking her head quickly, Tara jumped up. "It's Susan! I can sense it!"
"Susan?" Alice looked doubtful. "Come on, Tara... The Guardian of Time would
probably have a better appreciation of getting in at a decent hour..."
The door opened, and a tall, longhaired shadow walked in... A shadow who
wore a long, black dress and crimson earrings.
"Auntie!" protested Haley, jumping up. "It's really late! What were you
doing out at such an hour?" Concern marred both the features and voice of the
teen.
Susan smiled shyly and shrugged. "I had... things... to do..." she
commented, taking off her long coat.
"But..." pressed Reeny, curious.
"It is none of your concern, Princess," she harshly continued, vermilion
eyes lowering quickly. "Don't worry your head about it-more important matters
should haunt you."
Closing her eyes, Tara tried her hardest to read the woman's aura, but it
seemed... blurry? The Shinto priestess couldn't make heads nor tails of it all.
"Goodnight, Sailors," the Mistress and Sailor of Pluto casually commented.
"I'll see you all in the morn."
"Night, Auntie..." Haley sighed, sitting on the couch with a scowl.
A silence ensued, all six girls thoughtfully trying to comment on the
situation.
It was Phoebe who finally broke the silence. "What was that?" she asked,
leaning back into the armchair she had thrown herself on. "I don't get it!"
"Her aura was vague..." Tara gulped, almost afraid to look at the concerned
girl on the couch. "No aura's ever been like that for me before..."
Alice snorted. "You obviously didn't do the bippiti-boppiti-boo right," she
sniggered, glancing at the younger girl.
Tara froze in place, eyes darting evilly to the auburn-headed girl at the
other end of the room. "Alice, I wouldn't say such things if I were you..." she
responded coolly.
"And why not?" Alice retorted snidely.
"Because... I am Sailor Earth!" She threw her pillow at Alice.
The fight resumed within seconds.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"What's a... a..." Greed tried to read the words with little luck. "What's a
compact disc, Deathie?"
Grimacing at his nickname, Raider Death pulled the sheet from the
dark-haired woman. "What in Heaven's name are you reading?"
"It's for some place called 'Best Buy'," she responded, a bit of confusion
in her high voice. "I don't know what a 'Best Buy' is, but it supposedly
specializes in these things called compact discs."
"They play music," Doubt sneered from her spot on the couch. Looking at
Death, she smirked. "Right... Deathie?"
Taking a deep breath and resisting the urge to kill his higher officer, he
bit a pale lip and smiled at Greed. "Doubt's right for once, Greed," he smiled,
pointing to the pictures on the paper. "This is an advertisement for music... A
lot of humans listen to compact discs."
Greed raised an eyebrow. "Weird humans..."
He laughed and kissed the top of her head, causing Doubt to stick out her
wine-colored tongue in disgust. Mouthing "get a room" to her subordinate, she
disappeared in a flash of gray light.
"You've sparked a plan in my mind, dear," he smiled. "We can take over all
the compact discs of Tokyo."
"Oooh!" she grinned. "Can we make people our mindless slaves?" Her green
eyes flared with delight.
"You took the words right out of my mouth," he grinned, and then stooped
down to kiss her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I don't get it," Alice commented over lunch at school. "It's been nearly
three weeks since Illness died..."
"Time for another sleepover!" grinned Lyra happily. "This time, let's go to
my place. It'll be..."
Alice rolled her eyes. "As I was saying..." she continued warily, "we've
hardly heard from the Raiders. I'm getting concerned."
Leaning against the big oak tree, Tara sighed wistfully. "I'm sure it's not
a big deal..."
"Excuse me?" Alice questioned in shock. "Who are you and what did you do
with PMS-ridden Tara Yuuichirou?" One of her auburn eyebrows shot up. "You can't
possibly be her..."
Lyra rolled her light brown eyes. "Lay off, Al," she retorted. "Her powers
let her sense evil, remember?"
"I don't sense anything, and I haven't in weeks," the Shinto declared
causally. "Maybe we beat them..."
A white and orange cat bounded up. "And maybe that's what they want us to
think, Scouts," he commented, sitting in the center of the three girls.
The trio jumped in startling synchronization as the young cat spoke. Despite
his happiness to see the girls, Orb made a face. "Don't tell me you don't know how
I am..."
"Don't do that, Orb!" yelped Alice, calming back down. "You're bound to give
me a heart attack!"
"Pessimist," muttered the cat. "Now, girls-when are we going to have another
strategic meeting?"
The blonde shrugged and stuffed a few fries into her mouth. "I'm going to
help Alice out after school with sewing today, but how does tomorrow sound?"
Tara shrugged. "I'd like to do a fire reading, actually."
"So you can screw it up again, Tara?" the older girl sarcastically asked.
The ebony-haired girl made a face. "Leave me alone, Kino."
Orb sighed and rolled his copper eyes. "Come on..."
"But, to Alice's point," Lyra commented to no one in particular, "Tara's
readings have yet to work."
Blushing deeply, Tara focused on her green tea.
Orb shrugged. "So what? Tomorrow afternoon at Cherry Hill Temple." He jumped
up and into the tree's lowest branches. "I'll tell the others. See you later."
Lyra shuddered. "And people wonder why I don't like cats," she mumbled
sarcastically.
Grinning, Tara sipped her drink. "I like him. Much more laid back than
Diana..."
Leaning forward, Alice felt the younger girl's head. "No fever... What's
wrong with you?"
Tara shrugged. "My mother just informed me that our temple is on the list of
top twenty Shinto Shrines in the country."
"Congratulations!" Lyra smiled, hugging her friend. "How great!"
Smiling in pride, Tara blushed. "I thought so."
Biting into her meatloaf sandwich, Alice shrugged. "Yeah, it does sound
cool."
The bell suddenly rang, and Alice grabbed her bags. "I got to jet. If I'm
late to math again this week..." She grimaced. "Let's just say my Scouts skills
will definitely be put to good use if I'm not careful! Bye!"
"I have to go too," Tara said, picking up her book bag. "I may hate Modern
History, but I have to attend class..." She smiled at the blonde. "We're talking
about the Sailor Soldiers today, though."
Lyra smiled back at her friend knowingly. "Great topic!" she responded with
a wink. "Well, see you..."
As they went their separate ways, a figure smiled from behind the bushes.
"I didn't know that Lyra went to Crossroads," Richard thought aloud, smiling
slyly. "I guess I'll just have to stop by at lunch tomorrow and say hello..." He
bit his lip. "But why do those girls have such an obsession for Sailor Scouts?"
Shrugging, Richard Umino started out for his next class.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lita laid back on the brown couch with a smile. For the first time at
'Jupiter's Delight', all three chefs and all twelve kitchen aides had arrived on
time for work. And Lita... She got to go home early.
"Alice will be so pleased!" the woman thought aloud, pulling the elastic
band from her brown hair. "After all, I've been working a lot these past few
weeks..."
Suddenly, the bell to the apartment rang, startling her. Rightfully so,
because it was noon and no one was supposed to be home at such ungodly hours of
the day.
Raising an eyebrow, she walked up to the door. "Who is it?" she cautiously
asked, a hand on her Jupiter beads.
A chuckled sounded from the other side. "I'll give you three guesses,
Lita..."
She smiled widely in recognition and bit her lip. "Hmmm... Tom Cruise?"
"Nope." The voice was filled with laughter.
"King Endymion?" she mocked, trying to sound serious.
The voice sighed in disbelief. "I am MUCH cuter than your King, Lita."
Lita shrugged, giggling. "Then... I give up." Opening the door, she feigned
disappointment. "Oh... It's YOU..."
He stood about four inches taller than her, at about six-foot-two. His
auburn hair was rather messy and shaggy, as it had always been; the bangs hung in
the twin chocolate eyes that were always smiling. The khakis were a bit too short,
and the blue business shirt too tight, but he didn't seem to notice or care. The
smile that was spread across his strong features was one of pure delight.
"Hey, Lita!" he said, opening his arms. "I would think that you'd be a
little bit happier to see me..."
Accepting the hug, she found herself squealing as he whirled her around and
picked her feet up off the floor. "Ken! It's been too long!"
He nodded. "How long, though? Fifteen years or so?"
Suddenly turning grim, Lita swallowed. "Yeah..."
"Oh." He put her down.
"Oh?" she responded, mocking his tone. "Don't start, Ken! If you don't want
to be here, you can..."
"Hey..." he responded, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, feisty
girl. It wouldn't be smart to start a fight in your own apartment."
As serious as he was, Lita forced a smile. "Sorry... I got a bit defensive
there."
Rolling his eyes, Ken looked at her. "A BIT defensive? Lita, you could make
a ravenous viper look like a Moon Princess..."
She wrapped her arms around him. "Sorry..."
"What's wrong now?" he asked cautiously.
She shrugged and looked up, into those eyes... The eyes that had always been
there, protecting her from the scariest evil of all-herself.
Lita bit back tears. "I had almost forgotten how much I love you..."
"I love you too, Lita," he smiled, hugging her back. "As I said, it's been
too long."
"I said that!" she retorted, pulling away from the hug. She made a face.
"Stealing my lines! What next?"
He smiled slyly. "How about a kiss?" he coyly questioned.
"Good a place as any..." she softly commented, allowing herself to be held
by the strong arms of the man she loved...
And to be swept away by a powerful kiss.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Swinging her legs mildly, Phoebe yawned and looked up from her seat to the
class rank list.
"Eighteenth..." she muttered calmly, glaring at the name 'Phoebe Urawa' with
hatred. "Mom is not going to like this..."
"Like what?" came a familiar voice.
Sighing, Phoebe smoothed the pleats in her aqua-colored school skirt. "Oh,
Haley..." she commented, turning her head to face her friend. "I'm eighteenth in
the class..."
Haley hushed a giggle and ran a hand absently through her hair. "That's out
of all nine hundred of us at school," the girl responded. "I'm
two-hundred-twenty-seventh."
"Out of the whole school?" Phoebe's ice-colored eyes grew wide, and her
thick braids threatened to stand straight up. "Holy crud!"
Rolling her teal eyes, Haley smiled. "Feel better about yourself?"
"Much!" Glancing at the ugly gold bow that was on the chest of her uniform,
she made a horrendous face. "Who picks these colors?"
"My parents!" Haley retorted, sticking out her tongue. "Don't diss the
uniforms!"
Phoebe jumped down and then gasped. "Oh! Guess what annoying orange cat I
ran into at lunch!"
"Orb was here?" Haley tried to hide the surprise in her voice. "There wasn't
some sort of attack, was there?" she questioned, lowering her voice so the other
passing students wouldn't hear.
Phoebe negated it all with a shake of blue braids. "Nothing like that. We've
got a meeting tomorrow at Tara's."
"Great..." sighed Haley, kicking a stray pencil across the floor.
"What?" her friend asked.
The warning bell tolled loudly, signaling one minute until classes began.
Haley rolled her eyes again. "Tell you later, because I've got art now.
Bye!"
"See you!" Phoebe yelled after her friend. Taking one last glance at the
board, she grinned widely. "Eighteenth..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"How's my favorite brother?" Terrence sashayed into the dining room of
Crystal Palace with a bored yawn.
Smiling, the King of the Earth nodded. "Sit down and eat with us."
Serenity, meanwhile, was staring at the clock with an expression of
exasperation across her pale face. "Where is that girl?" she asked rhetorically.
"I have half a mind to send her to public school..."
"Ouch!"
Thump.
"Jeez!"
Clunk.
"You're just like this girl I know named Serena..."
"Diana, shut up!"
Cradling her face in her hands, the Queen sighed deeply. "That's my
daughter..." she mumbled.
Trying not to laugh, Terrence watched in amazement as a blur of white silk
and pink hair whizzed into the royal dining room. Panting, the blur landed in a
chair and was revealed to be Princess Reeny. "Please...pass..." Reeny choked,
sweat dripping down her face. "Water..."
Handing his daughter a large glass of water, the King raised an eyebrow.
"What in Heaven's name were you doing?" he asked, waiting for his lunch to be
served.
A snicker came from under the table. "Our Princess was playing 'Knights in
Shining Armor' in the far library when I told her it was time for lunch. She had
to run to her room, change, and then make it here..."
"Knights in Shining Armor?" questioned the Queen, looking up.
A pink cat jumped up onto the table. "Reeny," she giggled, looking at the
Princess with her darkly rose eyes. "Why don't you explain to your parents what
you were doing..."
"Di..." the teen protested, glancing nervously at Terrence. "We have company
that I don't know here..."
Terrence smiled, green eyes glittering. "I'm no one special, Princess," he
reassured. "Go right ahead and explain."
Groaning, Reeny muttered something under her breath.
"What?" questioned Endymion as a covered silver platter was laid before him.
Rolling her scarlet eyes, Reeny sighed. "Knights in Shining Armor is when I
go up on the reading balcony of the far library and I pretend to be a damsel in
distress... And then my pretend knight rescues me..."
Diana began laughing.
Serenity rolled her azure eyes. "I see..." Looking at her platter, she
shrugged the incident off and bowed her head. Clearing her throat, she folded her
hands. "Our sustenance to remain on this Earth has arrived... Praise Serenity and
the Moon for this meal."
Raising a brown eyebrow, Terrence glanced at his sister-in-law as she raised
her head. "Can I ask why you praise yourself?"
From her seat on the windowsill, Luna smiled warmly. "Prince Terrence, all
Lunatarian Queens since the beginning of time have been called Serenity..."
Reeny choked on her macaroni and cheese. "Prince?" she gasped, choking down
some water. "Who is this guy?"
Looking at his daughter with thoughtful blue eyes, Endymion beamed kindly.
"This is your uncle, Terrence."
"UNCLE?" Her eyes growing wide, Reeny chewed her lip a bit. "And since when
do I have an uncle named Terrence?" she demanded.
Luna sighed. "Since the beginning of time, little one."
Artemis snorted from his seat on the other windowsill. "Give me a break,
Luna... She hasn't been alive that long, and neither has Endymion..."
"Close enough," Luna retorted, jumping down from her seat. "But a jerk like
you wouldn't understand..."
Artemis hissed and glared at her, lying back down with his fur on edge as
she walked away.
Ignoring the catfight, the Queen ate another forkful of macaroni. "Your
father didn't know he had a brother until you had gone back to the future..."
"The first time?" Reeny thoughtfully inquired.
"Second time," Endymion returned. "I think..."
Smiling gently at his young niece, Terrence pulled a yellow rose from his
suit coat. "For you..."
"Neat!" Reeny leaned across the table and tucked the rose into one of her
buns. "It's really pretty," she blushed.
Diana sniggered. "Flirt."
"Shut up!" Throwing a fork at the cat, she stuck out her pink tongue.
"You're just jealous."
Smirking, the cat jumped off the table. "He's your uncle, Reen..." She
giggled. "We call that incest..." She ran out of the room, laughing.
The Princess growled once more and turned back to her lunch.
Serenity sighed. "Home sweet home..." she mumbled, shaking her head.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Your wonderful daughter is home, Mom!" Haley announced, dropping her
backpack into the closet. "Aren't you glad to see me?"
Michelle looked up from the booklet she was reading. "Oh... Hi, Haley. Go
call your sister and Alex down here, will you?" she asked, distracted.
Staring into the green eyes, she cocked her head. "Something wrong?" Haley
urgently queried. "Don't tell me that you and Alex are getting a divorce..." She
shuddered. The fights between her mothers had gotten worse in the past few
weeks...
Chuckling, the principal of Crystal Music Academy shook her head of aqua
hair. "Nothing like that, Haley!" she responded. "Now, do I have to get up?"
"No, Mom." Walking to the stairs, she cleared her throat.
Michelle sighed in annoyance. "Not like..."
"ALEX! HANNAH THE SNOB!" the girl screamed. "GET DOWN HERE!"
"...that..." finished the Mistress of Neptune with a deep sigh.
Thundering down the steps, the tall blond grinned. "Hi-ya, Kiddo." Alex
ruffled the shaggy but short brown head of hair on her daughter. "What's new?"
She plopped down on the couch next to Michelle.
"I'm fine..."
"Hannah the snob?" came a very angry voice. "What about stupid little Haley
the pain?"
Whirling around, the teen blushed. "Uh... Well..." Shrugging, Haley bowed.
"How you doing, Hannah?"
Hannah made a face and picked at the lint on her black pants. "I have
studying to do, brat..." Lowering her purple eyes, she scowled. "Make this talk
quick, Haley."
"I want to talk," Michelle said with a grin.
Wrapping an arm around the other woman, Alex beamed. "WE want to talk."
"Wait..." Hannah bit her lip. "The last time you acting like this was right
before Haley..." Her jaw dropped. "Oh my GOD."
Haley gasped in delight. "Another little kid! Ooooh! I love babies!" Rubbing
her hands together, she cracked her knuckles. "Boy or girl? Little or..."
"Not that!" retorted Alex, making a face. "After dealing with two of you,
we don't want a third!"
Playfully hitting Alex in the stomach, Michelle shook her head. "What she
MEANS is that we are content with the two wonderful girls we've raised..."
"Who's the other?" inquired Haley with a snicker.
"Haley..." warned Michelle.
Alex sighed and bit her lip. "We've never gone away together..."
"So what?" asked Hannah, pulling a book from the bookshelf. "A lot married
couples only go away for their honeymoon, never again..."
Both adults on the couch looked at the ground with a blush.
"WHOA..." Haley gasped. "You guys aren't married?"
"Not really..." Michelle admitted softly.
Sighing, Alex fingered her gold earring. "We were talking about it, and then
we had to become Scouts again and fight Sailor Galaxia..."
"While raising me..." Hannah sighed, flipping through the book. "I never
thought of that..."
"Going away for a week will be good for us, though." Michelle smiled sadly.
"We're going to Hawaii..."
"YIPPEE!" screamed Haley, jumping up and dancing. "We're going to Hawaii...
I've got to get a new bikini and some cool vacation clothes..."
Alex gritted her teeth and gulped. "We're going alone..."
"ALONE?" A horrified expression crossed her pale face. "Leaving me with
Haley is no walk on the beach, Mother... it's a punishment worse than death
itself!"
The blonde buried her face in her hands to keep from laughing hilariously.
"Didn't think of that one..."
"It builds character!" Michelle retorted strongly, belting the giggling
woman in the shoulder.
Haley stuck out her tongue. "Mom, she's going to stuff her Silence Glaive in
bad places if I'm not careful..."
"Character." Alexandra smoothed the front of her gold business shirt.
Rolling her purple eyes, Hannah rose. "I accept the... TORTURE... of being
locked up with my annoying, rude, insane little Sailor Scout of a sister."
Crossing her arms over the fuzzy green sweater, she made a face. "But I won't like
it so much as one bit." She stalked out the front door.
Haley jumped up off the floor and grinned evilly. "This will be a fun week!
Thanks, Mom!"
Watching in horror as the teen skipped upstairs, Michelle grimaced.
"That went well," smirked Alexandra, running a hand through the other
woman's teal hair thoughtfully.
Leaning against Alex, Michelle shook her head. "Shut up..." she sighed.
"Just shut up."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"So, anyway, I was thinking that you'd be better at doing a backpack than a
quilt..." Lyra smiled as she and Alice ascended the steps towards the Kino
apartment. "After all, you're rather... sorry... at sewing."
The auburn haired girl shrugged. "Don't I know it!" she exclaimed, stuffing
the keycard into the slit on the door. The little light flashed red. Reinserting
the card, she pulled it out more quickly and jiggled the doorknob. Once again, the
light was red.
"Dammit!" she exclaimed, kicking the door with a brown hiking boot. "It's
rejecting my card!"
Lyra was extremely confused. "Can it do that?"
Alice shrugged. "It can now."
"Well, I have an idea all my own..." The blonde reached deeply into her
backpack and pulled out a familiar light orange and gold colored disc. "Want me
to try some locket power on it?"
"If the stardust doesn't jam up the slit, sure," the other girl responded,
leaning against the hallway wall. "Just don't get your hopes up, alright?"
She shrugged. "My mom did this once, and it worked really well..." As she
gripped the Locket of the North Star by its edge, two tan eyes slowly closed.
"Polaris... Galactic... POWER!" she exclaimed, focusing all of her energy through
the locket and into the lock.
Alice watched in amazement as a tiny golden beam of stardust appeared and
formed itself into a keycard all it's own. The dark blonde ponytail that Lyra wore
her hair in was floating; some sort of invisible breeze flowed throughout the
hall.
The new card inserted itself into the lock, and the light promptly turned
green. Grasping onto the doorknob, Lyra smiled and relaxed her tense form.
"Success!" she smiled, turning to the other Scout. "Told you so."
"I guess our powers are more numerous than even we know." Alice picked up
her book bag off the ground. "I, personally, am glad to be home."
Nothing could have prepared the two girls for what they set eyes upon as
the Kino living room came into full view.
The brown-haired woman, Lita Kino, was sitting on the couch...
Kissing a man of the same age with what appeared to be a furious passion.
Lyra glanced at Alice, who had a stunned look on her pale face. Not much
upset the young Sailor Soldier... And when things did, all she had to do was to
transform.
"Should I go?" She ran a hand through blonde curls.
She shook her straight tresses. "Not until I give you the say so..."
Clearing her throat, Alice Kino took a deep breath. "Mother!" she exclaimed,
dropping her over-sized bag of texts onto the floor. "What do you think you're
doing?"
Immediately, all motion on the couch stopped. A soft blush crept across
Lita's cheeks as she pulled away from the man. "Uh... Hello, Alice... Lyra..."
Staring at the floor, she bit a dark lip. "This is Ken, a childhood friend..."
"Friend?" Alice raised an eyebrow scandalously. "You have an interesting
definition of 'friend'..."
Feeling a flush grace her features, Lyra scooped up her backpack. "I'm going
to go, now..." she gulped, smiled politely and bowing a bit. "Nice to see you,
Miss Kino... See you at school, Al..." She scurried out the door as quickly as
her short legs could take her.
The teen girl smirked. "Now, who the Hell is he?" she asked with a serious
tone that betrayed her face. "And what exactly were you doing?"
Lita rolled a pair of green eyes. "This is Ken. We grew up together..."
Hugging the woman, Ken nodded. "Best buds since birth..."
"And?" asked Alice, her face turning more serious by the second.
"Well, no use dragging this out," Ken said, scooting away from Lita to make
a space for the girl on the couch. "Sit down, Kiddo."
Though she didn't really want to, Alice obeyed the pleading look on her
mother's face.
"We have a story to tell you," Lita slowly said, glancing to Ken for what
seemed to be support. "And it all started when I was still a Scout..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Bye, Alex! See you in a week, Michelle!" Waving cheerily, Haley Ten'ou
closed the screen door and watched as the black limo pulled out of the driveway
and into the street.
From her spot on the couch, Hannah surveyed her sister with a certain amount
of tenderness. Maybe... maybe under that bratty exterior that was so repulsive,
there was a sweet teen girl who wanted help with being a Sailor Scout.
"So, Hannah," the teen smirked, turning on her heel to face the young woman.
"Want to do some Role Playing? I've got a sixtieth-level wizard who's just DYING
to have some good battles..."
Or not.
Rolling a pair of purple eyes, Hannah proceeded to walk over to the computer
desk. "Thanks, but-no thanks."
"Come on!" Haley whined persistently. Crossing into the other part of the
'L' shaped room, she pouted. "You've always liked to do stuff like that with
me..."
"Times change, Haley." Pulling up her term paper, Hannah began to type. "And
people most definitely change."
"Yeah, I know... 'Times will change, and people will change, too'..."
She plopped down at the dining room table with a sigh.
Hannah looked up and to her sister. "Where'd you get that quote?" she
suddenly asked, eyes wide.
Furrowing her brow in the same manner that Alex often did, the younger girl
shrugged. "Remember when I was in the pit for the last musical? It was in a song."
"Oh..." Turning back to the computer screen, Hannah chewed her lip.
"Why?" asked her sister.
"Susan once said something like that to me..." she trailed off. "I believe
she said 'things change, people change, but true love doesn't waver'."
As though on cue, Sailor Pluto appeared in the kitchen and began searching
through a cabinet.
"Sailor Pluto?" asked Haley.
"WHAT?" Her jaw dropping, Hannah whirled around.
Pluto ignored the girls and kept looking through the cupboard, talking to
herself. "Shit! Where the HELL do they keep the Pepto-Bismol?"
"Upstairs in Michelle and Alex's bathroom," Hannah said helpfully, still
staring at the Sailor Soldier who had manifested herself in the attached kitchen.
The green haired woman nodded. "Thanks..." Freezing in place, she grinned
sheepishly. "Um..." Looking over her shoulder, she allowed a light blush to appear
on her face. "Hi girls..." Pluto turned completely around. "How are you two
doing? And where in Time's name is Michelle and Alexandra?"
"Not here!" Haley responded. "They went on a trip."
"That was this week?" Pluto's voice was ridden with sarcasm. "Shit." She
sighed deeply and started for the stairs.
"Think again," Hannah said, slowly getting up. "I want to know what's going
on." Her voice became very stubborn. "Now."
Pluto once again froze in place. "Uhh... Can we please talk later?" she
asked, turning in a slow circle. "I really don't want to..."
Hannah shook her head, black hair whipping from side to side. "Nope. You can
tell us now."
"Or..."
"Now." Leaving no room for negotiation, Hannah crossed her arms across her
chest.
From her seat, Haley stared at her aunt, noticing the one thing that her
sister didn't-Sailor Pluto, the Guardian of Time, looked positively green.
Pluto bit her lip. "I REALLY need that medicine, Han..." she attempted,
looking extremely ill.
"Well... Then go..." A bit of compassion graced the delicate features of
Mistress Saturn. "After all, you live here-I will get it out of you..."
Trailing off, Hannah looked doubtfully at the Sailor Soldier of Pluto and
then at her sister...
For Sailor Pluto had thrown up.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"One thing lead to another, and I realized I loved him with all my soul..."
Lita chewed thoughtfully on her shrimp curry, looking to the daughter she loved
so. "It was a hard thing to tell him..."
Swallowing a mouthful of food, Ken shrugged. "I disagree. If you had seen
her, Kiddo, you would have thought she was born to go through that..."
The chestnut-headed woman shook a chopstick at him. "Shut up, you!"
Giggling, Alice bit her lip in meditation. The past two hours had been
nothing more than childhood anecdotes from the duo-Lita's stories were of
tomboyish escapades, while Ken's had much more substance to them. The theme was
obvious-the two were in a fit of passionate but hard-to-voice love. Neither could
bring themselves to admit it... They wanted to be together forever, but something
about it was too hard...
"What's this all leading to?" the girl finally managed to ask, setting her
carton of jasmine fried rice onto the coffee table. "Why did you guys bring this
all up?"
Lita and Ken stared at each other, exchanging ideas wordlessly. "Well..."
Lita sighed. "That was a good fifteen-almost sixteen-years ago..."
"And the gestation period of a Sailor Scout is only six months..." Ken
looked extremely uncomfortable.
Her jaw dropped, and all the color drained out of a young face as Alice
heard these words. She would be sixteen in about eight months... That meant...
"Oh my God..." she gasped, putting a hand up to her gaping mouth. "You..." L
ooking at her loving, caring mother, she managed a swallow. "And you..." Staring
into Ken's eyes, she was hit with a realization.
The auburn hair.
The chocolate eyes.
Even the squared-off fingers...
"Alice," Ken slowly said. "I've wanted to tell you this for a very long
time, but..."
"You're my..." She felt tears rising in her eyes. Something here wasn't
right... This entire arrangement wasn't right. "You're my father?" she gasped,
standing slowly. "The man that I've forever wanted to meet ignored me for fifteen
years?" A tear rolled down her cheek.
"It's not like that..." Lita assured her, pleading with the forest-colored
eyes Alice knew so well. "After it all happened, Ken had to go work in the States
and..."
Stomping her foot, she glared into the chocolate eyes so akin to her own.
"You left me alone." Her voice was not angry, just...sad and disappointed. "And
worse..." Eyes turned towards Lita. "You left Mom alone." She wiped a few tears
away as they rolled onto her chin.
"Now, Alice..." Ken's deep voice was filled with regret and sorrow.
She shook her head. "I can forgive you for ignoring me, but ignoring Mom?"
Succumbing to her sobs, Alice took off for her room.
Sheepishly, Ken patted Lita's hand. Her eyes were quickly filling with
tears. Large, blue tears. And he couldn't help but feel empathy towards her.
Taking the woman into his arms, Ken sighed. "Everything will work out alright...
promise."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lyra yawned and glanced around the schoolyard. "It's been a long day..." She
commented to Tara while leafing through her book. "I have more homework than
Phoebe EVER had while she was at Brighton, and then babysitting..."
"Not to mention a Scout meeting," said an adult voice from above. Looking
up, Lyra managed a wary smile.
Tara sighed. "You shouldn't do that, Diana... You'll scare someone." Turning
a page, she closed the book.
Jumping from the tree and onto the blonde's shoulder, Diana shrugged. "Well,
I don't want anyone forgetting about the meeting."
"We won't," Lyra assured her.
Glancing nonchalantly at her watch, the temple maiden made a face. "Well, I
wouldn't be so sure..." she said sternly. "A certain Sailor of Light has already
forgotten lunch..."
"Go get her!" the pink cat commanded, digging her claws lightly into the
white top of Crossroads' uniform. "I have to remind her, too!"
Walking away from her friend, Lyra looked at the guardian with concern.
"You seem on edge... Is everything alright, Diana?"
The cat sighed, and then straightened up. "Fine," she reassured the girl
with resolve. "Everything is perfectly fine."
"I don't know about that," the girl returned. "You're not acting like
yourself."
Swallowing, Diana hastily changed the subject. "Have you any idea who that
Starlit Prince is, yet?" she inquired, surveying the school's courtyard.
"Am I supposed to?" responded Lyra. Seeing a familiar carrot-headed boy wave
to her, she waved back happily. "And what's the big deal, anyway?"
"The big deal?" asked Diana, angrily. "You're asking me what the 'big deal'
is? Think about it! You guys are..."
"Lyra?" She whirled around, seeing the same redhead with silver rimmed
glasses and sapphire eyes. "I didn't know you went here!"
"Oh, Richard, that WAS you!" she exclaimed, grinning. "Since when have you
gone here?"
He chuckled, his rich laugh soothing to the teen. "It seems like it's been
eons, but since about sixth grade?"
"Me too!" Blushing, she looked to the ground. "But, I'm just an
ninth-grader, so what would I know..."
"Since they combined the high-school with Crossroads, I've gone here. I'm a
senior." He shifted the weight of his books from hand-to-hand.
Hearing Alice's voice call out to her, Lyra snapped from her Richard-induced
dream world long enough to recall her mission. "I have to go!" she yelped,
smiling. "See you around?"
"Definitely." He offered forth a hand. "Till then?"
She shook it. "Till then!"
As she walked away, Richard ruffled his own dark red hair. "I must be going
nuts..." he said to himself, watching her curls bounce until she was out of sight.
"I mean, how could a cat ever talk?" Shaking his head, he smiled thoughtfully.
"And what is it about those cork-screw curls?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Death hardly realized that someone had entered his office... In fact, he
didn't notice at all.
"So, Deathie, I'm bored."
Jumping a mile into the air, he drew in a sharp breath. "Don't DO that!" he
snapped, lowering his black eyes. "You scared me half to death!"
Greed stuck out a crimson tongue. "That was an awful pun, sweetie."
He sighed and turned back to his work. "Well, that was accidental." Pouring
over a list of figures and numbers, he sighed deeply. "This can't be right..."
"What?" she asked, craning her neck to see his papers.
He sighed. "Well, according to this, the mind-control CDs aren't selling too
well..." He sighed, pushing some hair out of his eyes. "We've only
sold...oh...fifty CDs."
Cocking her head to the side, her green eyes turned confused. "What type of
CDs are you selling?"
"It's by a band called the Unclothed Females or something..." He rummaged
through the growing piles of paper that covered the mahogany desk. Finding the
sheet of choice, he grinned. "Barenaked Ladies, that's it..."
"Never heard of them," she sighed, plopping onto the desk's edge. "Are they
from around here?"
Death grimaced. "Well, it cost a lot to take a modern Japanese band and make
their CDs into brain-washing tools of..."
"So, what are you saying?" she asked curiously.
He sighed deeply. "They're a twentieth-century band from United States."
"Well, no WONDER they're selling like dead birds!" she retorted, rolling her
eyes. "You'd have better luck selling mind-control canaries!"
"Shut up..." he responded, beat.
A pang of sympathy hit her. "I'm sorry, sweetie," she murmured, putting a
strong hand on his shoulder. "I know that you want to do your best, but..." Trying
not to snigger, she put on a mature face. "Maybe what we need is a good luck
charm..."
"You want to go shopping, don't you?" he sighed and then raised an eyebrow.
"Never hurt?" she asked coyly. "I heard of this great temple that sells all
sorts of cutesy luck charms..."
Rolling a pair of black eyes, Death smiled and rose. "I could use a long
break..."
"Good!" she giggled, waving a hand. Her leather clothes turned into a teal
and gold school uniform. "I'll be a student!"
He sighed and, rubbing his hands together, created a portal to the Earth.
"After you?" he politely asked, holding out an arm to her.
"Thank you..."
They stepped into the portal, and it closed behind them.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Got to run!" Phoebe waved to a few of her peers and dove into the red
convertible that Haley had driven to school.
Haley laughed and her friend and stared the car. "Glad to see your grade
disaster has improved in the last twenty-four hours..."
"Of course it has!" Pulling a section of blue hair into a thick braid, she
smiled. "My dad and Ames-the-Jerk were really proud!"
Looking at the younger girl with thoughtful teal eyes, Haley bit her lip.
"Why don't you get along with your mother?"
Phoebe shrugged. "I don't know... She just wants me to be her and..."
"I wonder why my family problems aren't like that..." Haley stared at the
road in front of her. "Alex and Michelle are so proud of me for who I am..."
"You don't know my mom very well, Haley..." Pulling out a book, Phoebe
sighed. "It's just not the way of the Urawa family..."
The rest of the ride was oddly silent.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I'm going to stick around for a while, Lita..."
Looking up from a stack of restaurant bills, her green eyes flickered upward
and came to rest on Ken's masculine face. "What did you say?"
Sitting down next to her, he took a soft hand into his. "I want to stay...
I want to get to know Alice and become more of a father to her." He sighed,
studying the woman's delicate facial features. "And I want to figure out if...
If you and I should... For Alice's sake..."
Smiling sadly, Lita shook her head. "I love you; you love me. Fine. But
Alice is a girl who is not famously adaptable."
"Just like another Scout I know," he joked, squeezing her hand.
"That's not it, though," she continued solemnly. "I can't give up over a
thousand years of complete independence."
"Neither can I," Ken responded. "I'm glad we're agreed."
Kissing him lightly on the cheek, Lita smiled. "But you're welcome to stay
and get to know your daughter."
"Don't you think it's strange, though?" he softly asked. "That we have a
daughter and all?"
"Ken, I don't think it's strange we have her," she smiled, thinking of her
grinning child. "I'm grateful."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"The powers of Earth surround us..." Slowly clasping her hands together,
Tara let her melodic voice break the heavy silence. "Fire of Earth, flare up in
your magnificence... Embrace us with your magic..." She took a shuddering breath.
"Reveal the identity of the Starlit Prince!"
Gradually, the fire grew larger, fed by some invisible power. As the flames
began to softly lick the ceiling, an image appeared in the center of the blaze.
Sighing in defeat, each Scout watched in horror, as it was not an image of the
Starlit Prince.
It was quite a likeness to the courtyard of Crossroads School.
Opening her green eyes, the Shinto girl let out a slow breath. "I'm sorry,"
she softly said, a light blush creeping across her features. "I thought it would
work this time..."
Biting her lip, Alice held back a "told you so".
Lyra managed a sympathetic smile. Playing with the hem of her skirt, she
shrugged. "It's not all that big of a deal, Tara. You tried, and that's all that
we should..."
"No, it's not!" Diana jumped from Reeny's shoulder and sat in the middle of
the fire room. "If we don't figure all this out, we might..."
"What IS wrong with you?" the Princess demanded, furrowing her brows at the
cat. Sighing, she looked to the others for support. "Diana's been acting funny all
week. Something's bothering her, but she just WON'T spit it out..."
"I noticed that at lunch today," the blonde Scout commented. "She was very
cranky and bossy..."
"HELLO?" The pink Guardian glared at her charges. "I'm right here! No need
to talk like I'm DEAD or something!"
Orb cocked his head at his sister. "Really, Diana, what's..."
"NOTHING!" she shot back, glancing away to hide the tears that were
manifesting. "So just keep your big nose out of my business!" Standing, the cat
hastily walked out of the room.
Phoebe blanched. "That was weird..."
The brown haired girl in the corner suddenly cleared her throat. Looking at
her friends, she chewed her lip thoughtfully. "I think that the fire reading my
have given us more of a clue than we know," she said.
"Huh?" Alice raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? It showed us a school..."
"When we wanted the Prince," Haley finished, playing with her key chain.
"If considered properly..."
Tara's face brightened unexpectedly. "Perhaps the Prince goes to
Crossroads!"
Smiling, the eldest girl nodded. "Exactly."
Alice wrinkled her nose. "I think you guys are off your rockers..."
"Hello?" a new voice called from outside. "Is anyone here?"
Standing, Tara brushed off her robes. "Excuse me. I think there's a
customer at the temple. I'll be right back."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Where is that girl?" Greed muttered impatiently, tapping her foot on the
dusty ground.
Death rolled his eyes for what seemed to be the hundredth time of the day.
"What girl?"
She made a face. "The girl who works at the temple... Black hair,
red robes..."
"That could be any of about three-hundred Shinto maidens in this town..."
he sarcastically quipped with a grin.
She punched him playfully in the stomach. "You be quiet!" the woman
commanded with a scowl. "You're nothing be an annoying, sarcastic, mean, brat of
a boyfriend who can..."
"Sorry to keep you waiting," a young voice said. The pair turned, only to
see an exceptionally tall girl with dark hair and green eyes staring at them. "I
had business to attend." She bowed. "Welcome to Cherry Hill Temple."
Greed grinned back. "Hi! We're interested a few good luck charms..."
"Certainly." Ducking under the counter, her happy voice continued to flow
through the temple grounds. "We have several different ones... Some for luck, or
wealth, happiness, maybe love." She put a large box on the wooden shelf before
her. "Now, which ones are you interested in?"
While Greed sorted through the box, Death looked around the temple.
Something was bothering him about the temple... Both the scenery and the building
itself seemed so familiar...
"Are you from Crystal Music Academy?" the girl carefully asked the consumer.
"I have two friends who attend there, and they have uniforms just like yours."
The young woman's pale skin turned scarlet. As she played with a strand of
hair that had evaded her braid, she grinned hopefully. "Yep. I'm a senior..."
"Really... Maybe you know them..." Turning her back to the Raider, the girl
cleared her throat. "Haley, Phoebe! One of your classmates is here!"
"Shit!" Death muttered, still studying the temple with rapt interest. "Why'd
you say that?"
Greed stuck out her tongue. "I didn't know better, you whiny-butt!" she
retorted, annoyed. "Why don't we just beat them up and leave?"
"Excuse me?" questioned the young maiden, raising an eyebrow. "Did I hear
you right?"
Death snapped his fingers, and he and Greed were instantly in their "Raider"
clothing. He smiled, revealing white fangs. "My name is Death, and I am a Raider
of the Andromeda Galaxy."
"Ditto here, except I'm Greed, not him." Smoothing an area of leather, the
female Raider shrugged playfully.
Backing up, the teen grimaced notably. One of her hands quickly shot into a
pocket as she dove under the counter.
"HELP!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Does she want us out there or WHAT?" Alice groped through her backpack,
searching for the ever-evasive Locket of Light.
In a state of absolute panic, Orb growled. "I'm willing to bet money that
there are Raiders lurking out there." He shivered. "I can FEEL it."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Phoebe raised her locket. "Phoenix
Galactic..."
"Wait." A shadowy figure appeared in the doorway. The person was tall, and
most likely male.
Staring, Reeny managed a gulp. "Uh... Who are you?"
The shadow stepped forward and the girls recognized Chad Yuuichirou, Tara's
father and the priest of the temple.
"I don't want you five going out there and destroying things," he commanded
in a calm tone. "That has happened far to many times in this temple, and..."
Lyra bristled. "What do you expect us to do, Chad?" she challenged as a
glare passed across her face. "She's our friend..."
"Speak for yourself," mumbled Alice under her breath.
Shooting the other girl a stern look, Lyra continued. "And we can't let her
be in danger."
"I know that," he admitted. "I am extremely proud that my daughter has found
such wonderful friends in the five of you." He sighed, shaking his head a bit.
"Just PLEASE don't hurt the temple."
As Chad walked off, Reeny raised a blue eyebrow. "Weird guy," she ventured
thoughtfully.
"Oh well," Lyra put in. She raised her locket. "Polaris Galactic Power...
Make up!"
"Moon Galactic Power... Make up!"
"Comet Galactic Power... Make up!"
"Aurora Borealis Galactic Power... Make up!"
"Phoenix Galactic Power... Make up!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Glancing at the woman beside him, Terrence sighed. "You're being awfully
quiet, dear one."
Kicking a stone that sat before her, Susan bit her lip. "I'm just not
feeling all that well." Looking over the calm waters of the pond, she wondered
what the future held.
"Really, Sets?" he softly inquired, wrapping a strong arm around her slender
waist. "What's wrong?"
Half-smiling at him, she played with a strand of green hair. "I just feel a
little queasy," she assured him, leaning into the embrace.
"Sure?" he prodded as a look of concern passing across his green eyes.
Leaning down a bit, Susan kissed the tip of his nose. "I'm fine, Terry...
Don't worry about me..."
"I know you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself," he pointed
out, "but that doesn't mean I won't worry."
She looked at him thoughtfully. "And why won't you?" she questioned with a
bit of suspicion in her voice.
"Simple, Sets," he mused with an mischievous grin. "I can't leave you alone
when you like me so much."
"What?" she repeated, staring at him with wide crimson eyes.
"But that's okay," he continued, holding her closer to him. "Because I like
you just as much."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Greed, pulling out her sword, sighed. "Come on, kid," she said, wiping the
weapon on a black handkerchief. "Just let us beat you up and go back to our normal
life."
Death rolled his black eyes in slight annoyance. "Protocol," he muttered
under his breath. "Protocol."
"Oh, shut up!" she shot at him, lowering her green eyes while continuing to
polish the sword. "You're so mean, you know that?"
"You're just in a bad mood," Death insisted. "All because your disguise
didn't work like..."
Suddenly, five Sailor Scouts came running out of one of the temple
buildings and into the line of Raider fire.
"Stop!" Sailor Moon declared, pulling her Galactic Rod out of thin air.
"I don't want to use this on you if I don't HAVE to!"
Sailor Aurora Borealis adjusted her tiara, her fingers idly smoothing the
dark blue stone. "Fighting evil by Moonlight," she muttered to herself, having
lapsed into some sort of dream world.
Ignoring the spaced-out Sailor next to her, Sailor Polaris glared at Greed.
"We are the Sailor Scouts!"
"We fight for justice and against evil!" added Sailor Phoenix, looking at
Death with disdain and loathing.
Death snorted. "I thought that justice and evil were the same thing..." he
teased, mocking her. "My bad."
Rolling her teal eyes, Sailor Comet turned to the group. "Can't we just kick
their butts, rescue Tara, and go home?"
Aurora Borealis, still a bit on the spacey side, walked to the front of the
group. "Don't hurt my friends OR the bratty temple kid!" she commanded. "I'll beat
your sorry ass to the floor, you..."
"Go away," the black-garbed man responded, extending and hand and drawing a
few symbols in the air. Suddenly, a black wind shot from Death's fingers. Picking
up Aurora Borealis, the torrent threw her into the side of the temple.
Greed sniggered at this occurrence and turned to the four remaining,
devilish mischief flaring in her impossibly green eyes. "Do you all want to end up
like that, brats?" The rhetorical question caught the Scouts off guard, and,
considering this, all four stared at the young Raider.
"We are the Raiders of the Andromeda Galaxy." Her tone was very
matter-of-fact. "Illness' death cannot stop us, and neither can any dinky Silver
Crystals, or..." Turning to Sailor Moon, she smiled. "Nor can any stupid Galactic
Rods."
Bristling at the word "stupid", Moon fought back the over-whelming urge to
beat the woman senseless. "It's our world, not yours," she returned, voice cold
and deliberate. "What makes this world so wonderful?"
"Humans are weak." Death's strong voice picked up and echoed through the
breeze that whirled about the temple grounds. "They are expendable. That, I'm
afraid, will spark your demise."
"Tell the Queen we said hi!" Greed told the Scouts, fading into oblivion.
Death faded out to, with nothing more than a stern look across his pale
face.
"For a jerk," observed Sailor Moon, "that Death is really cute."
Sailor Comet rolled her eyes and then remembered the fate of Aurora
Borealis.
"Alice!" she yelped, dashing over to where the fallen Scout was. "Alice! Are
you alright?"
The girl just groaned.
Tara, who had just climbed out from under the counter, stared at the girls.
"Take her pulse!" she ordered, running to where the others stood. "Call a doctor!"
Seeing four Scouts stare at her in disbelief, the Shinto lowered her pair of
green eyes. "What?" she bellowed grievously. "Do what I say... NOW!"
The Scouts obeyed.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Mother!" Diana raced through the halls of Crystal Palace, followed closely
by Orb. Both cats had witnessed the fight and, more importantly, had heard Death
and Greed's warning to the Scouts.
Orb, panting but still trying to keep up with his sister, inhaled sharply.
"Do you...think that...the Scouts will...lose if they're not...careful?" he
attempted between labored breaths.
"No. I think they'll only lose if we repeat that awful scene today." Diana
picked up speed, starling a maid here and there by ducking under their legs.
Both cats turned into the Queen's chambers at an incredible speed, paws
nearly slipping on the smooth marble floor. "Mother! Father!" they echoed, running
towards the cat bed where both elderly guardians spent a large amount of time.
They heard the voices before they saw the sources.
"What are we going to tell them?" asked a male voice that was strong and
familiar.
A sigh sounded. "The truth, I suppose," responded a voice with an British
accent. "We can't possibly lie... They know us far too well."
"So, then what do we say?" the male voice shot back angrily. "That we can no
longer get along and because of you, I'm leaving my family?"
"Good enough," the female spat. "Orb and Diana can deal with it."
Diana's red eyes grew wide and she slowly turned to her brother. "They're
talking about us?" she whispered.
He nodded. "This can't be good..." he ventured.
The pink cat stood tall and started to the source of the sound. "Mother?
Father?"
Luna and Artemis were sitting on the floor and Artemis looked positively
ill. "Hello," the black female cat said in a hushed tone. "What's wrong?" she
inquired upon seeing her daughter's face.
"What were you and father talking about?" asked Orb, concerned.
Artemis sighed. "Never mind that, Orb." His voice was wavering slightly, but
the blue eyes remained firm. "What happened today? You both seem quite upset."
"What is happening with you?" Diana challenged, glaring at him. "Enough with
the lies! You have been fighting like cats and dogs lately, and I've put up with
it." She sniffled a bit before continuing. "Even the Scouts have the capacity to
know when something's wrong with me." She stared at her two parents. "What's wrong
with you two?"
Luna just shook her head. "Don't start, young lady. Some things are just not
your business."
"Not our business?" Suffering an uncharacteristic spree of anger, Orb stared
at his mother. "You're our PARENTS!" he yelled at her with hostility in his voice.
"You don't need to lie to us when something's wrong!"
Artemis hung his head. "Right, Orb..."
"Don't you start!" shot Luna as she lowered her auburn eyes. "They're wrong!
Our business is ours!"
"No, it's not," Artemis said gently, standing. "Our children are right.
We've been too busy with our own problems that we've neglected to notice what we
put our daughter through." He smiled. "I'm leaving, kids," he concluded softly,
turning his back to the two younger cats.
As he walked out the door, Artemis was suddenly grateful that no one could
see his tears.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Mina was drying her hands as the doorbell rang.
"That's odd," she thought aloud as she left the kitchen and started for the
front door. "Andrew isn't to be home until five, and Lyra is at the temple..."
Shrugging, she opened the door.
Sitting on a the garbage can that was next to the house was a very familiar
white cat.
"Mina..." Artemis softly uttered, a tear rolling down his white fur. "Can I
come in?"
Nodding, Mistress Venus opened the door.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Is she alright?" Ken was frantic as Phoebe and Haley helped the hobbling
Alice into the apartment.
Alice rolled her chocolate eyes. "Relax, Dad," she stated, hopping on one
foot. "I got knocked into a wall and then fainted." She shrugged. "Fight lag mixed
with getting beaten up... Not fun."
Lita crossed her arms. "I knew that I shouldn't have let you go out today!"
she exclaimed with frustration in her voice. "You got into a fight!"
"Like a certain Planet Mistress I know," joked Reeny, her scarlet eyes
dancing.
Smacking the Princess upside the head, Lyra grinned. "Her ankle's sprained,
according to Mistress Mercury."
"Amy?" questioned a shocked Ken.
"No, Serena," answered Lita with obvious sarcasm. "Of course Amy, stupid."
Ken smiled politely at Phoebe. "And you must be her daughter."
The midnight blue haired girl grinned back, curtseying.
"Actually," pointed out Tara, "we're all daughters of the original Scouts."
The other five girls nodded in agreement.
"You see?" observed Lita with a customary wink. "We're not the only ones."
Lyra gasped. Staring wide-eyed at the brown haired mistress, she gulped.
"You mean that... He and you... Alice, Ken's your...uhh," she stammered, playing
with a stray hair.
"Yes," Alice volunteered. "And yes. And..."
"Duh." Sighing, Haley shook her head. "Alice called him 'dad' just a matter
of minutes ago."
"So?" retorted Phoebe, sticking out her tongue. "I call Orb 'stupid head
pet cat'. That doesn't mean..."
"What did happen to the cats?" interrupted Tara, a sudden and concerned look
crossing her pale face. "Neither of them were around when we untransformed."
"They're all SCOUTS, too?" Ken was astounded.
From her seat on the couch, Alice smacked her dad. "Go find them," she
proposed to the five teens. "I'll be fine."
"You sure?" questioned Haley.
"Yes!" the auburn-headed girl declared. "And I'm sure Greed and Death have
a plan up their sleeves. They left awfully quick."
"That IS kind of fishy..." Phoebe noted.
"Yeah," agreed Reeny, fingering the locket around her neck.
As the Scouts filed out of her apartment, Alice grabbed a fistful of Tara's
robes. "Tara?"
"Hmmm?" responded the girl, looking down at the older girl.
Alice smiled weakly. "I know that you were the one who... Who got them to
call a doctor." Reaching for the Shinto's hand and squeezing it, she blinked back
tears.
Tara gulped and her green eyes grew wide. "It... it wasn't anything..." she
stuttered. "You would do the same for me..."
"Tara, shut up and listen," Alice demanded with appreciation in her voice.
"I just want to tell you one thing."
"What's that?" she asked.
"Thank you."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Lyra?" The voice came from the side of her big white house.
Jumping a mile, Lyra Makoti peered carefully around the bushes to the source
of the sound.
"Dad?" Her light brown eyes grew wide.
Putting a finger to his lips, Andrew smiled sadly at his daughter. "Can I
talk to you?" he whispered.
She nodded. "What's wrong..."
"I... Uhh... Have you seen Mistress Mercury lately?" he asked.
"For five minutes today," Lyra returned, completely baffled. "What ARE you
talking about?"
"I quit my job at the hospital today," he softly informed her.
"YOU WHAT?"
He glared at her. "Not so loud, Lyra!"
"You what?" she repeated in shock.
He sighed. "I had no choice, Star." Seeing her eyes turn confused again,
Andrew chewed his lower lip. "I like being a doctor, but I like being myself
better."
"Lost me again," she commented.
He shrugged. "I don't know what it is about being a surgeon," he admitted.
"When I worked with Darien..."
"Darien?" repeated the girl, growing more confused.
Andrew rolled his eyes. "Endymion. Whatever his name is. The King." Lyra's
pale face dawned in understanding. "He and I used to work together, but when he
took the throne, I..."
"Lost a part of you." Appearing from the front of the house, Mina smiled at
her husband and oldest daughter. "That's what you've been trying to tell me, isn't
it?"
"Yeah..." he sighed, standing. "Without Darien by my side, I feel like an
actor."
Lyra looked up at her parents. "Is this one of those times that I should go
baby-sit?"
"No." Her mother put a loving hand on her shoulder. "Your dad trusts you a
lot. You know that, right?"
"Right," Lyra nodded with a grin.
"And you've only been fighting evil for a month and a half, right?" Mina
continued.
"Right!" The girl's smile grew.
Andrew shook his head. "Wrong." His voice was understanding. "I realize what
she means. Do you?"
"No..." admitted Lyra with a sigh of defeat.
Mina put an arm around her daughter. "We all fight certain evils,
certain...demons, to say...on the inside. Your father just beat one." The Mistress
of Venus grinned. "And you've beaten them, too."
Looking at his wife in shock, Andrew gasped. "You mean I'm NOT in trouble?"
he inquired.
"Nope." Mina smiled warmly. "You're off the hook."
Lyra looked at her two parents, still a little confused. "Destiny changes
everything, doesn't it?"
Smiling, the blonde woman shrugged. "If so, I think it's for the better."
Turning back into Mina-the-warden, she cracked her knuckled. "Go call one of the
Scouts. Artemis needs a place to stay, and Bobby is in there, sneezing himself
half to death."
Lyra automatically obeyed.
"You're not mad?" asked Andrew tenderly.
"Why would I be?" she retorted, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You did
what you felt was right. I can't disagree..." Kissing him on the cheek, Mina led
her husband inside.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Staring at her sister, Haley smiled.
Hannah's jet-black hair was pulled into a ponytail, with a few strands
trailing alongside her face. Black glasses sat on the tip of her nose as she
poured over her texts on anatomy. Her too-big blue slippers were half-off her
feet, and her beaten sweatshirt from college was on inside out. Haley nearly
laughed at the sight of it all.
Was being home-alone-with Hannah really changing her perspective that much?
Haley didn't know, but the mere thought forced a goofy grin to cross her face.
Looking up, Hannah saw her sister smile.
"When did you get home?" asked the Mistress of Saturn, closing her book
slowly. "I would have assumed your meeting to be longer."
"I just stopped in," Haley shrugged, yawning a bit. "No one can find the
guardian cats, so I was going to check with Susan..."
Shaking her head, Hannah rose. "Susan went out over an hour ago, and I'm
beginning to worry." The woman sighed. "She's been going out a lot, and she got
sick again this morning."
"Oh dear," Haley commented.
"I know," her sister went on, brushing hair out of her face. "It isn't like
Susan to disappear..." Stopping, Hannah gasped. One of her hands flew to her
bracelet of navy and dark purple beads. "Shit! A Mistress transformed!"
"Huh?" asked Haley, confused.
Shaking her head, Hannah pulled the beads off her wrist. "Transform now, ask
questions later."
"Fine." The teen grabbed her locket. "Comet Galactic Power... Make up!"
"Saturn Eternal Power... Make up!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Next time I go shopping," observed Mistress Mercury with a deep sigh, "I
don't bring the beads." Quickly diving to the floor, Mercury watched in horror as
Greed's sword slashed through the CD rack beside her.
Clambering to her feet, Mercury held the blue dress to knee level and went
running through the Best Buy. Both Greed and Death followed her, yelling all the
way.
"Come on, Mistress," Greed called. "We won't hurt you..."
"She's right!" Death agreed wickedly. "Sucking your powers dry won't even
sting."
Launching herself to the top of a shelving unit, Mercury kept running.
"Mercury Mistress Power!" she yelled. "Free these CDs from their powers!"
A black shadow arose from a box of CDs, and several people who had been
listening to them collapsed.
"How'd you know about our mind-control plot?" Greed asked, amazed.
Mercury smirked. "That's the oldest trick in the book..." She shrugged.
"I've been fighting Nega-slaves since... Oh, my..." Her dark blue eyes flew beyond
the Raiders to something else.
Death whirled around and came face-to-face with a giant black shadow.
"Shit..."
"Unexpected and negative consequence of our actions," Greed innocently told
the Planet Mistress. "Have fun."
Both Raiders disappeared.
As they left, Sailor Comet and Mistress Saturn ran into the store. Saturn's
dress was sleeveless, with purple and navy fabric. Wielding the Silence Glaive,
she looked quite adult.
Mercury smiled, jumping to the floor. Good old Saturn.
Comet yawned at the monster. "Wow. I thought bad guys stopped using these
way back in your time."
"Shut up," sighed Saturn, twirling her Glaive. "I need to figure out this
thing.
"May I be of some assistance?" Mercury asked, smoothing her light-blue
Mistress gown. "I have my computer with me."
Turning her head, Saturn grinned. "Of course, Mercury."
The older Mistress turned on her computer and proceeded to scan the monster.
"Are the others coming?" asked a curious Comet.
Saturn shrugged. "Their beads will warm up. They're likely to at least know
something's wrong."
Typing, Mercury sighed. "There were two odd characters here, giving out
mind-control CDs."
"My, isn't THAT original," chimed in Sailor Earth as she and Polaris jumped
down from the skylight of the store.
Watching the monster break a few large racks of video games, the blonde
Scout jumped behind her best friend. "Let's just go..."
"You're superstitious, aren't you?" asked a smiling Comet.
"A little," admitted Polaris.
"She's afraid of Crystal Palace and black cats." Mistress Venus appeared,
an array of hearts and stars swirling around her. "Silly girl."
"Stop making such an entrance," Saturn chided, bristling. "You want to
attract the monster?"
"What monster?" Venus asked. Turning around, she gasped. "Oh, dear..."
The monster was black and probably ten feet tall. Looking like a cross
between a shadow and a demon, it thrashed throughout the store with little regard.
Grimacing, Mercury closed her computer and allowed it to disappear as in
often did. "It's only weak spot in right in the center of the head," she softly
informed the group. "And we have no way of..."
"May I aid you?" came a decidedly male voice.
Three Planet Mistresses and three Sailor Scouts, all quite mismatched,
turned to face a young man.
A young man wearing a tuxedo, top hat, purple cape and ballroom mask.
"The Starlit Prince!" exclaimed Comet.
Earth rolled her eyes. "Not again..."
The Prince bowed. "I may be able to hit the monster in its weak spot with my
rose." Taking a purple flower from the lapel of his coat, he smiled. "Would you
like me to?"
"Please!" announced Venus, glancing at the store's large clock. "I left a
pot of Ramen on the stove."
Polaris rolled her eyes and then took a mental inventory.
"Where's Chibi-Star?" she asked, confused.
"Who?" echoed the three Mistresses, confounded.
The Prince shrugged. "I know not. I could not find her, as expected." He
cracked his knuckles, beginning to aim his rose.
Earth and Comet readied themselves. If the rose met its target, they would
be in for a fierce battle.
Polaris, on the other hand, sighed. Feeling some sort of bond to the
munchkin who was Chibi-Star, she was worried. Quite worried, to be honest.
A scream was heard, and it snapped the Scout back to reality. The rose had
hit its mark.
"Earthly Thunderstorm..."
"Comet Crater..."
"Starry Sky..."
Three voices joined to finish three separate attacks.
"STRIKE!"
"CLOSE!"
"SMASH!"
Lightning, rain, and hail pummeled the monster.
A hole opened up in the ground and swallowed its bottom half.
Stardust formed a ball and crushed the dark monster.
When the dust cleared, peace had been restored.
"Finally," Venus sighed, yawning. "I have dinner to make." Glancing at
Polaris, she smiled sternly. "Be home in half an hour."
As the swirl of hearts and stars resumed, Polaris shook her head.
The Scouts started on their separate ways, waving their good-byes and the
Prince, now forgotten, leaped onto a shelf. The absence of Chibi-Star was
unsettling. Without her at the battle, he worried.
"She's a little kid!" he told himself. "I shouldn't be protecting her like I
am!" Sighing, he bit his lip. "But, Polaris feels that same bond... How odd..."
He shrugged and started home.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sailor Chibi-Star watched from the roof of Best Buy as the Starlit Prince
ran from the scene.
"That was a dirty trick," she scolded herself with an impish grin. "Mama
would NOT be pleased."
Sighing, she smoothed the pleaded purple skirt that helped represent being a
Sailor Scout. "But maybe Papa would. He knows that I'm a Scout..." she swallowed
hard. "It's not my fault that no one ELSE does..."
Fingering the purple and yellow locket that held her yellow bow on, her
sighed again. The Locket of Small Stars had two stars depicted on it... One was
large and purple, and within it was a tiny, sparkling yellow star.
Her.
Sailor Chibi-Star ran her fingers over it one last time and started home.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I'm sorry you had to take me in," the white cat apologized.
Lita shrugged. "No bother, Artemis."
Between sneezes, Ken voiced his own opinion. "I...ACHOO...am severely
allergic...ACHOO...to cats, Lita...ACHOO!" he sneezed.
Alice giggled and stroked the cat's smooth fur. "You're so warm," she noted
lovingly. "I've always wanted a pet." Touching the gold moon crest on his
forehead, she felt a current of power surge through her. "Besides, you're a
guardian."
"Ex-guardian," the cat corrected. "But that's too long a story."
"You guys...ACHOO!" Ken sneezed. "Are you...ACHOO...nuts? I
am...ACHOO...allergic!" Holding a handkerchief to his face, he lowered his
chocolate eyes.
Lita sighed. "Don't whine so much! I'll call Amy in the morning and get you
some medication!" she snapped, rolling her eyes. "You can go back to the States
if you're going to keep this up!"
"I have...ACHOO...half a mind to...ACHOO...do just that!" he retorted in
annoyance.
Hobbling over him onto her good ankle, Alice dove into her father's lap.
"Dad! You can't leave!" she protested, tears coming to her eyes at a rapid pace.
"Please!"
He hugged her and gave up.
From her spot in the kitchen, Lita smiled to herself. Things were working
alright, after all...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Greed rolled over and kissed the top of Death's head. "See you in the
morning, love," she smiled, nestling close to him.
He smiled warily at her. "Of course, dear," he responded, listening to her
soft breaths as she fell into the vast dream world that was sleep.
And, through the window, Death could see the glowing sphere that was Earth.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Welcome home, Mom!" Haley wrapped her arms around Michelle. "I'm sorry you
cut your trip three days short for us."
Alexandra threw her suitcase on the couch. "Hawaii doesn't have any
drag-racing courses, anyway."
Hannah made a face and took her turn to hug Michelle. "We missed you," she
softly said.
Michelle smiled at her daughters. "And we missed you." Detaching herself
from Hannah's grasp, Michelle looked curiously at the two girls. "Now, what
exactly happened? Our beads got warm."
The sisters smiled at each other. "Just a battle," volunteered Haley.
"But we took care of it," added Hannah.
Alex and Michelle looked doubtfully at one another.
"You worked TOGETHER?" Alex smirked. "Did Hell freeze over while your mother
and I were lounging on the beach, absolutely bored to death?"
The brown haired teen shrugged. "You could say that," she winked.
Hannah just smiled back.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"And I've felt positively awful for a few days." Susan tore a little slit in
her paper gown. "What's wrong with me?"
Amy Urawa glanced over Susan's large stack of papers that had accumulated
during centuries past. "Well, I don't think you're sick," she calmly said, staring
at the test results before her.
Susan raised an eyebrow. "Amy," she began, "I have been throwing up,
nauseated, and without an appetite for days!" She made a grievous face. "Terrence
is nearly beside himself because I refused dinner at..."
"Terrence?" Amy stared blankly at her.
Rolling her garnet eyes, Susan pounded her fist on the hospital bed. "Is
there an echo in here?"
Amy picked up the phone. "Can you run one more test? Yes, that's the one.
Thanks." Hanging it up, the blue haired doctor turned to the Guardian of Time.
"Who's Terrence?"
"A friend," Susan responded. Seeing Amy's expression, she blushed. "My
boyfriend..."
Amy nodded. "That could explain a lot of things, Susan..."
All the color drained out of Susan's face. "Are you implying what I think
you're..."
The phone rang, cutting the young woman off. Picking it up, the doctor
grabbed a pen. "Mmm-hmm... Thank you. Yes, please do." Hanging the phone back up,
Amy bit her lip and swallowed hard.
"I didn't think you were sick," she slowly said, idly running a hand through
her hair. "And indeed, you're not..."
Feeling her hands grow cold, Susan shut her eyes.
"You're pregnant."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Galactic Sailor Say!
Chibi-Star: Today, we learned that I played a nasty, nasty trick on the Starlit
Prince. And it was fun!
Tara: (walking into the scene) But playing tricks on people isn't very nice.
Alice: (entering) We also learned that I actually do have a dad, and that he loves
me VERY much.
Tara: (sniggers) Yeah, Al... He loves you so much, he left you for fifteen years.
(Alice chases Tara offscreen)
Chibi-Star: We also learned that Hannah and Haley can get along if they really,
really try!
Phoebe: (entering) We also learned that I didn't get much screen time this
episode.
Haley: (entering) But you get all next episode to focus on YOUR family problems!
Phoebe: Don't ruin the plot!
Haley: It's already a fudging cliffhanger!
(Both exist in different directions)
Chibi-Star: But, most importantly, we learned that Orb and Diana will have to
manage without their parents. This happens in real life, too.
Orb: (entering) That's right. Not all families are forever. Remember that.
Luna: (offscreen) Orb! Did you wash behind your ears?
Orb: (making a face) But mothers, sadly, are a far different story.
Chibi-Star: Sailor Chibi-Star says...
ALL CHARACTERS: SEE YA!
-I Know-
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)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Thus ends another exciting installment of the Galactic Sailors. (cheering) Next
comes story 5, which may be a bit more comical than the others. Do not fear,
though... It shall come.
Yours truly,
Kate (duncan@chicago.avenew.com)
Christina (ladybug142@aol.com)
