Starlight, Star Bright, Star Princess
Author's Ramblings: Hello today! There has been a consensus that Galactic
Gals is not interesting enough. Therefore, it has been turned into a
soap opera. In today's episode, we find the answers to many questions.
The most vexing question answered is why is Greg able to Sailor
Teleport. This question is answered when we find out that Greg is
really a woman--and a Sailor Scout called Sailor Sun, at that. And who
is Phoebe's father? Why, Mercurious, of course! Greg--or shall we say
Gregina--is only a better-looking front. Amy has kept Mercurious
hidden in the linen closet for all these years. We also find out
Terrence's "dark secret". He is really a leftover minion of Queen
Beryl named Brainite--Judge Brainite, to be exact. Will the Gals find
out about Terrence in time to save Crystal Tokyo? Do you really want
to read this story now that you know the basic plot? And most
importantly, will Phoebe need major counseling? Read on...
eih;agnher...HELP!...error... ::the writer, a teen with kinda dark
brown hair, falls to the floor, laughing while being dragged away by a
troop of super-deformed SuperKates::
Whew! Finally got her off the computer! That was Ginnie, ladies and
gentlemen, and this is our turn to assure you--and we mean it--that
this story's plot is absolutely nothing like she thinks it is.
Mercurious does not live in the Urawa's linen closet, Terrence has no
deep dark secret, and Phoebe will not go into counseling. However, we
do thank Ginnie for taking the time out of her busy schedule to write
an author's note. But here's the bad news:
This episode is one pre-used SM cliché after another. You think we're
kidding? Well, we're not. Sure, a lot of the plot does become clearer
in this story, but it's all been done. We hope you don't kill us, cut
out our innards, and use them to decorate your lawn.
Enjoy!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
What Happened Last Time?
There was a Meeting of the Mistresses. Lyra and Mina had a
fight over Richard. Mina had a fight with Molly over Richard. Celeste
was rescued. Violence died. We found out that Doubt has a motherly
side.
And that, my friends, is where the story begins...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
A warm, soft breeze blew through the summer air as she opened
her two green eyes. How long had she been sleeping? She did not know.
All around were flowers. Marvelously colored flowers. Blues,
pinks, yellows, and purples, all that defied human description spread
about her, and she stretched before standing on tired legs. She had
been asleep for so long... She vaguely recalled falling into her
slumber, her body giving slowly up on life as the world around her was
destroyed. What had happened since then?
It was then that the voice came into her head. It had come only
once before, telepathically as it this time did, and it had told her
to sleep. It had told her that she would someday awaken and find the
truth.
Whatever that was.
The time has come, it told her, to awaken and find her.
"Who?" she asked aloud, still stretching and trying to come to
her complete senses.
The Princess.
"But once before, I tried," she protested loudly, "and I
failed." She lowered her green eyes at the air, knowing that the
bearer of the voice was out there, somewhere. Well, the bearer of the
voice was about to get a piece of her mind, that was for sure. "I
would much rather remain asleep!"
Do not question me! shot the voice, tone becoming very
threatening. You will find the Princess! You will find the girl who
is to be the Priestess! You will find...
Snorting, she rolled her eyes. "The Imperium Silver Crystal?"
she inquired rhetorically, mocking her guide. "Why not just let the
Princess of the Earth, Serenity, handle the impending doom?"
The voice was silent for a long moment. Then, it put in,
Because, if you do not find the Princess, the Prince, the Priestess,
and the Keeper of the Nebulae, then the world is in grave danger!
With that, the voice faded away.
"Why me?" she muttered as multi-colored stardust began to swirl
around her. She closed her eyes and, when she opened them once again
and the dust had settled, she found herself standing in a rather large
park. In the distance, sirens sounded and car horns bleated their loud
tunes as she sighed to herself.
"Great," she mumbled as she hopped onto a park bench and laid
down. "I'm stuck in Crystal Tokyo."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sticking another piece of jalepeno-flavored soft pretzel in her
mouth, Haley made a face. "I personally liked that baseball cap!" she
protested. "You guys are so mean!"
"Come on, Haley," objected the girl with the blue-hair, dipping
her almond pretzel into a container of chocolate. "That thing was
hideous!"
"Was not!" shot the brunette haughtily. "I thought it was
stylish!"
Alice laughed a bit, receiving a stern glare from her two
friends.
Phoebe stuck out her tongue. "A plastic construction-worker hat
would be cuter," she argued loudly, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You have no sense of style!"
Rolling her olive-colored eyes, Tara sipped her lemonade slowly.
"Guys, can we please change the subject?" she inquired softly with
sigh. The other three teens looked at her as she said this. "What?"
"Good idea!" announced Alice in an excited voice. "And I have
just the topic! Our two favorite lovebirds, 'Star' and 'Rich'!"
The Shinto groaned and hung her head.
"Lyra and Richard--is theirs a healthy relationship or an
inappropriate pairing?" The blue haired girl tossed her hair
flirtatiously. "Let's hear from our first guest, Haley Ten'ou!" She
held out her straw as a microphone. "Haley, any words?"
She rolled her teal eyes. "This is stupid," she muttered,
receiving an elbow in the gut. "I mean," Haley corrected herself
through gritted teeth, "that, after Mrs. Mokoti's nightmarish
performance last month, I would think the two would cool it down." She
winked sweetly. "After all, they're four years apart!"
Leaning back in her chair, Phoebe smiled. "And what does the
Sailor Scout of Light have to say about it?" she questioned Alice,
holding out the straw. "Miss Kino?"
"It's fine with me," supplied the auburn-haired teen with a
giggle. "I think they're cute together..." She paused, and wrinkled
her nose. "Though Richard is kind of a nerd."
"Like a Prince and Princess!" sighed Phoebe thoughtfully,
falling out of her 'talk-show host' voice. "Lyra and Richard... I can
just see them at a ball together..."
Alice snorted once again. "We already HAVE seen them at a ball,"
she dryly put in. "Though you're right about the Princess thing..."
Feeling a premonition come over her, Tara's eyes snapped shut.
The sounds of her friend's discussion carried over in the background
as an image appeared to her. There she could see a bright silver light
illuminating the night sky, coming from some sort of animal...a cat?
Yes, a cat. Behind the cat stood Lyra, hair flowing free down around
her shoulders and her body garbed in a purely golden gown that seemed
to be made of molten stars. Beside her on the left was Richard,
dressed in a black tuxedo and top hat, and to the right was a young
blonde girl in a golden Sailor fuku with a long golden staff which was
as tall as the girl herself. The image then changed to a young woman
dressed in long white robes, red hair blowing through the air as a
silver crescent Moon glistened upon her forehead. For the last time
the image changed, this time to two teens, both dressed in black and
crimson, standing side-by-side before a marble doorway.
"Tara... Tara? You alright?" A voice pulled her from the vision.
Slowly opening her eyes, she shook her head to clear it and found
herself staring up at Haley. "Tara? Are you okay?"
Sitting up, she realized that she was on the tile floor of the
mall's food court, one of her hands in sticky, half-dried soda. "I
think so," the Shinto girl managed, still a bit disoriented. "What
happened?"
The brunette helped her up, Phoebe and Alice standing almost
uncomfortably close to her. "You passed out," explained the actress,
shaking her head of braids as she said so. "You were sitting there,
your eyes closed, and then--WHAMO! You hit the tile!" She reached out
and put a hand on the younger teen's shoulder. "You sure you're okay?"
With a nod, Tara sat down in her chair, still shaking a bit from
the vision. What was that? It hadn't been like the other visions she'd
had... "I had another premonition," she softly said, voice not above a
whisper.
"Not more of this evil stuff!" shot Alice with a groan. "Ever
since we've killed Violence," she went on even after Haley tried to
hush her, "you've had all these weird feelings of evil, and none of
them are ever right. 'Doubt's at the chapel on Oak Street'...'I think
Doubt's still after Celeste'...'Come on, Scouts! I feel Doubt hanging
around the video arcade!'" Ducking Phoebe's hand (which was aimed at
the back of her head), she continued. "It is far one thing to sense
evil and be right, and it is another..."
Tara turned on her, eyes becoming a harsh glare. "I didn't sense
evil this time!" she shot back, almost growling. "I sensed something
totally different..." Her tone turned thoughtful. "There was this
woman in white, and Lyra in a golden dress..."
The other three girls sat down and looked at one another. "Do
you think we should talk about this?" asked Alice softly, guilt
sweeping over her.
With a shrug, Tara stood and flipped her dark braid behind her
and grabbed her bag from the tea store. "Nah," she commented, taking
one last swig of her lemonade.
"Then what do you want to do?" inquired Phoebe as the other
Scouts as they stood up and walked out of the food court together.
The raven-haired one considered this. "How about we go to
Waldenbooks?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
She wandered down a deserted pathway in the park, an annoyed yet
thoughtful expression on her face.
"Why me?" she asked herself aloud, hanging her head. "Why
doesn't that damn voice ever give me any useful advice?" She wrinkled
her nose. "Find the Princess. Sleep. Find the..." she took in a breath
through her teeth. "WHY ME?"
Stopping at the front gate of the park, her green eyes flew to a
young woman standing in front of a baby store. About sixteen, the girl
stood between a short blonde woman and an exotic-looking green-haired
adult who was obviously expecting a baby sometime soon. In the teen's
arms was a red-haired child of about two years.
"That girl..." breathed the stranger, her eyes going wide as she
stared. "She looks just like who I'm looking for..." She studied the
subject of her commentary with her mouth partially open. "Same face,
same eyes, same hair..." Her brow furrowed. "Just much younger."
Dashing out of the park, she stood on the curb and watched as
the four entered the store. "Just as I thought!" she announced, slowly
starting across the street. "That girl must be the Priestess!"
And with that, she dashed into the baby store just before the
door slammed shut behind her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"What size does she wear?" inquired Reeny, lifting a giggling
Ambriel over her head and furrowing her brow as she looked at the
child's bottom.
Susan chuckled. "I'd assume 2-toddler," she supplied with a
mysterious smile, breathing in a deep breath through her nose. As she
looked around the store, her grin grew wider. She folded her hands
over her stomach and left the group to wander around.
The Princess wrinkled her nose and placed the little girl on the
floor. "How'd she know that?" she asked the blonde handmaiden.
With an exasperated smile, Lisa glanced around the shop, trying
to find the appropriate clothing section. "Most the time, children of
a certain age fit into their appropriate size... Two-year-olds in 2-T,
three-year-olds in 3-T..." Seeing the confused gleam in the teen's red
eyes, she shook her head and took the toddler's hand. "Never mind,"
Lisa sighed. "Come on, I found her section."
As the threesome started toward the back-most area of the store,
a salesclerk approached them. "I'm sorry, Miss," she said to Lisa in
an annoyed tone, "but your cat can't come in here."
Reeny whipped around, expecting Diana to be at her heels, and
came face-to-face with a rather scrappy-looking calico. Her fur was
mostly black, with bands of gold, tan, and cream throughout her fur.
On her forehead was a bright silver five-pointed star. Looking up at
them with vividly green, she mewed loudly and proceeded to rub up
against Ambriel's ankles. "Uhh..." stumbled the teen, red eyes staring
at the animal in shock.
The little one leaned forward and stared into the cat's eyes
with her own gray eyes, exchanging words without talking. "Angel no
want," breathed the little girl softly, pushing the cat away. "Star
must have."
Furrowing her eyebrows, the clerk's eyes went wide as the child
spoke. "About the cat..."
"Not ours," supplied Lisa quickly, scooping up the child as she
said so. "I've never seen it before in my life."
After mewing once more, the strange animal ran off.
Walking away from the confused saleslady, the handmaiden lowered
her voice to a whisper. "What was that?" she inquired, blue eyes full
of both confusion and fear. "She's never said more than 'Mommy' and
'angel'."
For a long moment, Reeny didn't speak. The child had, once, said
words beyond that. It was almost as though, when the time was right,
the little girl could say whatever she wanted to... But conversing
with a strange calico cat that materialized out of nowhere to follow
them around? A freak incident. That's all it could be. Just a freaky
occurrence.
As Susan neared them, a sad smile on her face, the Princess
sighed and shrugged noncommittally. "I don't think it was anything..."
she responded softly so that their third companion couldn't hear.
But in her heart, she knew that she was lying.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Damn," she muttered, shaking her head. "Who'd have thought the
stupid Priestess would be so smart already?"
The wind ruffled her hair as she looked down on Crystal Tokyo
from her perch atop a rather large metropolitan apartment complex.
With a sigh, she hung her head and studied the surface of the roof.
How had the Priestess known what she wanted? Was it really that
obvious?
The Princess and the Keeper of the Nebulae were near. She could
feel it within her bones. And the Prince was further away, but out
there, nonetheless. She would find them and make that damn voice
happy.
And then, she would return to her nice little grove of flowers
and be happy for once in her life.
Below, her green eyes caught onto an odd sight--a young girl, no
older than six, walking down the sidewalk with a blonde teen and two
cats. One of the animals was pink, and the other was a white and
orange bicolor. Gold flashed as they entered a particularly sunny
patch of the street, and she caught the shapes that sparkled off their
foreheads.
Twin crescent moons.
"Shit!" she swore, kicking at a little stone in frustration.
"Orb and Diana! Just what I wanted to deal with!" Turning her back on
the street, she tossed her head. "I've heard about those two, and I've
had officially enough of this! I'm going home!"
Find the Princess, came the voice.
"Shut up!" she roared, emotions unknown to her surfacing. "I
will not find the damn Princess!"
Yes, you will! Pain shot through her, and she fell on her
side, feet going numb suddenly.
Standing, she let out a long breath. "Okay, okay," she sighed,
closing her eyes lightly. "I'll find your stupid Princess..."
The voice quieted for a brief moment. Thank you, it finally
said, quite softly.
She sneered. "Well, you're NOT welcome!" she shot before hopping
onto the next rooftop and starting on her way.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Orb froze in mid-step, suddenly staring upward. "Do you ever get
the distinct impression we're being watched?" he inquired of the
others in a soft voice, eyebrows knitting together. Hazel eyes half-
closed, he studied the rooftop. There'd been a flash of silver on that
roof, he just KNEW it. The glimmer had been just enough to catch his
attention, and the cat was quite certain that his instincts were right
this time. The foursome was being watched.
"Come on, now," sighed Diana, shaking her head as her brother
gazed at the top of the apartment building. "Who would be watching us
from so high up?"
Celeste considered this. "The Starlit Prince?"
Laughing, her older sister ruffled one of the corn-colored
pigtails. "Silly girl," she commented in a serious tone. "No one was
watching us..."
"But it was silver," Orb protested, eyes still fixed on the
building-top. "And you know the legend..."
"What legend?" asked Lyra, confused. She too looked up to the
sky, seeing no silver light or watchful eyes.
Sitting on his haunches, Orb smiled slightly. "There is a legend
that says there are four powerful kingdoms that still live, though
they were at their peaks during the Silver Millennium. They are the
Gold Moon, the Silver Moon, the Silver Star and the Gold Star."
The two Sailor Scouts looked at one another, exchanging confused
glances. Why did that sound so familiar?
He continued. "The Gold Moon was, of course, Serenity and her
court," Orb stated without emotion. "I'm not going to go into detail
with this one, because we've all heard far enough about it."
"You're telling me," muttered the pink cat under her breath.
Orb rolled his eyes. "The Silver Moon was a kingdom of priests
and priestesses who were sort of like story tellers... Taught by the
Angel of the Moon, Ambriel."
"AMBRIEL?" The three others looked at him in disbelief as his
sentence closed. "She's the head of some sort of priesthood?" inquired
Diana, red eyes large. "Why do you just now mention this?"
"Cool your jets," put in Celeste thoughtfully. "He's not done
yet." She crouched down and patted the Moon Cat's head. "What's the
Silver Star stand for?" she questioned him softly. "It sounds very
familiar..."
He paused for a long moment, eyes turning very sad. "The Silver
Star is the Star Kingdom. It was ruled by two best friends, each
married and expecting children." He sighed, hanging his head for a
long moment. "They were to be the Prince and Princess of the Stars but
never were able to be born."
"Why not?" Lyra shivered as she spoke. Something about the
entire story hit a soft spot in her heart, and she couldn't shake it.
"The Silver Millennium ended," Orb finally finished. "Three days
before the children were born. The Guardian spirit of the Star
Kingdom--Orion--was able to save both children, but not both rulers.
The mother of the Prince was salvaged..." He gulped. "As was the
father of the Princess. And they were to be reborn, but if they were
in the thirtieth century..." He shook his head. "I don't know the rest
of the story, but there's talk of a Keeper of the Nebulae also. She
was to be the ruler of the Gold Star. But there is little known
information on the Gold Star and..." He trailed off, standing as he
did so.
Both girls were in shock from the story. Gold Star...Silver
Star... Where had they heard that before? Celeste wrapped her arms
around Lyra's legs and buried her head in the teen's sweatshirt as
they stood on the sidewalk for a long moment. It hit home for some
reason... It felt so very familiar...
Diana sighed. "I don't know how this all relates," she said in a
rather dry tone, "but you two do stand for the Stars. Perhaps it has
something to do with you."
"I sure hope not," choked the little girl, voice muffled because
of the shirt. "I don't want to be dead!"
Snorting, Orb hopped onto the child's shoulder. "If you were the
Princess, little one, then perhaps you wouldn't be dead..."
'The mother of the Prince was saved...'
Lyra shuddered as the words came back.
'As was the father of the Princess...'
She shook her head, trying to clear it.
'The father of the Princess...'
Her knees trembled.
'The Princess...'
A child reborn in the thirtieth century? What would it mean?
'Princess...'
A scream interrupted her thoughts, and she snapped to a quick
attention. Both cats were back on the sidewalk now, staring at each
other as a laugh sounded at the end of the street.
"Got you now, Sailors!" screamed Doubt, a wicked smile on her
face. "Come out, come out, where ever you are!"
Rolling brown eyes, Lyra grabbed a very alarmed Celeste by the
wrist. "Let's go!"
"But..."
"Now!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
She'd heard it. The scream echoed through the Tokyo air, cutting
the relative silence of the park like a knife.
"Great," she mumbled, stretching and clambering to her feet.
"Just what I needed... A monster roaming the streets."
Then, a wicked idea hit her. Where there was a monster, there
were Galactic Sailor Scouts. And where there were Sailor Scouts, there
was the Starlit Prince. And where there was the Prince, there was...
The Princess.
Find her! screamed the voice suddenly, terrifying her out of
her wits as she ran down the path toward the gates. Get the Princess!
"Who the Hell are you, anyway?" she huffed, dashing toward the
street with reckless abandon.
The voice seemed to grow more tried as she did... A friend, it
said.
"Well, I'm glad that I have at least one." She smiled faintly
before continuing her mad chase toward the source of the shriek.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sighing, Alice rested her elbows on her knees. "It's been a
really long day," she commented, yawning a bit as she said so. "I
can't wait to get home and collapse on the couch in front of the TV."
"I can't wait to try on my new clothes," put in Phoebe, pulling
a bright yellow sweater with blue trim from her shopping bag. "My
mother would flip if she knew I bought this!" she giggled with a grin.
"But it just...called...to me..."
Haley snorted. "Yeah, it said: 'Help! Help! I'm an ugly
sweater!'" She received a well-meant blow to the back of her head with
said sweater and laughed aloud.
The Shinto, who was leaning against one of the fake trees in the
mall, let out a long sigh. That vision was still bothering her. What
did it mean? Her mother had once told her of all the different signs
that could appear in premonitions, but none really applied to this. It
wasn't a vision of doom, destruction, or hate--it had been, after all,
almost beautiful in nature.
Suddenly, she saw it again in her half-closed eyelids. A tiny,
scrappy cat with silver light emitting from its forehead. Closing her
eyes completely, she concentrated on the image. The silver light
became a definite shape as she stared at it, and the shape was a
five-pointed star. She felt a hand on her arm and the image faded as
quickly as it had come.
"You alright?" Phoebe asked urgently, looking at her friend as
the green eyes flew open. "You were starting to sway again..." Her
voice became very concerned as she lowered it. "We've got a locket
alert, too," she whispered under her breath. "Haley says that it's
coming from Market Street."
This jarred Tara completely awake. "That's where Reeny went
shopping today!" she announced nervously, her hands flying into her
purse as she searched for the Locket of the Earth.
"We," mumbled Alice as she pulled out her own locket, "should
really invest in communicators."
With that one last comment, the Galactic Sailors bolted toward
the nearest bathroom.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Never before had she seen anything like it.
Not the monster, of course. No, she'd seen hundreds of monsters
before, and this one was no cut above the rest. It was a good ten feet
tall and oozing a greenish-blue slime as it threw what looked to be
soccer-ball-sized chunks of hail at the nearby civilians. That didn't
scare her at all.
But the woman behind it did.
She was obviously young, with a shapely body accentuated by a
skin-tight gray dress that shimmered with each movement. Her white
hair flowed far past her waist, to nearly her knees, and was bound at
the nape of her neck by a single black ribbon. A few of the snow-
colored tresses strayed into nearly black eyes, and her wine-colored
lips were parted in an evil sneer as she directed her creature where
to go. Whoever this woman was, she was evil. Very evil.
Find the Princess! returned the voice. And do not worry about
the Raider!
Cowering behind a small piney bush, she made no attempt to move.
"Raider?" Her green eyes flew toward the devious-looking woman before
her. "Is that what they call her?"
Raider Doubt, responded the voice casually. The meanest thing
I have yet to go up against in all my years. It paused, as though the
speaker could see the monster and its keeper. The Raider has a soft
spot for Sailor Chibi-Star and will, it continued, not dare to harm
her.
"Chibi-Star?" she breathed, incredulous. "Is that the child?"
That, came the response, it is.
She smiled. Soon enough, all would fall into place, and she
could go back where she belonged.
Home.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Her monster through more hail at the innocents that surrounded
them. Doubt laughed, her eyebrows arched evilly. "Come, Sailor
Scouts!" she announced loudly, her voice carrying through the air as
she spoke. "Feel my wrath!"
Leaning against the rough brick wall of the alleyway, Sailor
Polaris gritted her teeth nervously. "When are the others going to get
here?" she asked, clenching her fists as she glanced at the Raider
through silted eyes.
"I don't want to wait too long." Celeste peeked slowly around
the corner to where the Raider stood, commanding her monster. "What
happens if the cretin hurts somebody?" She lowered her green eyes
slowly, breaths becoming ragged. "When I get my hands on that woman, I
swear..."
There was a sudden flash of bright silver light, followed by the
appearance of a tiny calico cat. "Do as I say," it commanded in a
throaty tone, glaring its forest-colored eyes, "and don't argue with
me!"
The girls stared in shock at the animal, neither knowing exactly
what to say. There was more light illuminating the alley--odd tints of
both silver and gold light that flickered on and off a few times in
rapid succession before disappearing into nothingness. Gasping, Sailor
Polaris felt her knees tremble as the colors died down.
"Attack that woman for all it's worth!" the animal shot, seeing
that the girls were really not listening to her ranting. "Ignore the
monster, and KILL THE RAIDER!"
"You...talk..." managed Chibi-Star, throat extremely tight.
"Cats...don't...talk..."
Rolling her eyes, the cat snorted at the two Scouts. "Some of us
do," she responded coolly, tossing her head. "Including your two
feline friends who just ran off."
The gold-and-orange suited Sailor raised an eyebrow. "You knew
about that?"
She shrugged and began to fade slightly. "I know a lot of
things," she responded casually, "Lyra and Celeste."
The cat disappeared, and the two Galactic Sailors glanced at one
another for a very long moment, hardly able to so much as talk with
the near shock of the animal's showing.
Then, licking her lips, the taller of the two smiled a slight
bit and folded her hands. "Well, 'Leste, I know good advice when I
hear it."
She plunged out of the alley and into the street, the younger of
the two following.
And, from her spot atop the building, a certain scrappy calico
cat smiled.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I don't want to fight!" complained Neo-Sailor Moon, hopping
across the gap between two buildings, Galactic Rod in hand. "I was
buying clothes for Ambriel and now I'm going to beat up one of Doubt's
monsters!"
The pink cat launched herself across the gap as well and rolled
her magenta eyes. "One of these days," she sighed, shaking her head a
bit as she ran, "I am going to kill you and I'm not going to feel the
least bit sorry!"
Sailor Moon froze in mid-dash, sliding to a stop in her knee-
high boots. "Uh-oh..."
Both Doubt and her rather vile-looking creature were standing
over an unconscious Sailor Chibi-Star and a very shaky Sailor Polaris.
The standing Scout glared at the Raider and raised one of her arms.
"Starry Sky... SMASH!" she hollered, bringing her hand down and away
from her body in one swift motion.
Stardust gathered into a ball and fell toward the Raider woman,
who took it as a hint and faded into a swirl of blue light. The
monster dodged the giant clump of stardust and threw several large
cubes of hail at the young Scout.
"No! Don't hurt her!" With a deep breath, Sailor Moon Dove from
the top of the building, Rod pointed directly at the creature and eyes
lowered into a dangerous glare. "Galactic Shower!" she announced,
colored dusts and beams of whitish light flying toward the hail and
turning it into little more than dust. Landing gracefully on the
sidewalk, the teen pointed the Rod at her enemy. "I am Sailor Moon,
and I fight for justice and against evil like you," she said in a
rather dry tone. "Galactic Shower!"
The monster roared before crumbling into a large pile of moon
dust.
Turning suddenly to her blonde-haired friend, Sailor Moon
grimaced slightly and helped her up off the cool ground. "You alright,
Polaris?" she asked softly, eyes riddled with concern and worry.
The girl nodded quickly before glancing over to the youngest
Sailor, who was now stirring and beginning to sit up. "Is she
alright?" inquired the blonde Scout with worry.
"I'm fine," grumbled the little girl, standing on her shaky
legs. "But I still think that the cat was nuts."
"CAT?" The four other Sailors, led by Orb, came running to the
scene of the fight.
"What are you talking about, you psychopaths?" Aurora Borealis
raised an eyebrow and surveyed the area. "I don't see any cats!"
With a sigh, Polaris shook her head and chewed her lower lip.
"Let's find somewhere to meet," she suggested in a rather grim tone.
"It's a long story."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Alex smiled sheepishly and looked up from the computer screen,
taking off her reading glasses as she did so. "I'm sorry, but Susan's
not here right now," she explained, glancing nervously at the aqua-
haired musician. Michelle was glaring angrily at her wife, though God
alone knew why.
Making a face, Terrence threw himself into the nearest dining
room chair. "Where'd she go?" he inquired nosily. "I need to talk to
her about baby stuff..."
"Well, that's just GREAT for you, I'm sure," shot the blonde,
feeling herself tense, "but I've got about six dozen report cards to
fill out by Sunday, and you're really not helping..."
Michelle wiped her hands on the dishrag and smiled politely at
the brunette visitor. "I'm sure," she supplied sweetly, "that both of
us would adore to entertain you for the time being." She shot a stone-
cold 'look' at her blonde companion. "Isn't that right, darling?"
She grimaced. "Whatever you say, snookums," she replied,
clenching her jaw in frustration as she slipped back on her eyewear
and focused on the screen before her.
"Nah, that's alright," he assured the couple, pulling himself
out of the chair and bowing a bit to Michelle. "I really have a lot to
do tonight, and..." Stopping, a small smile crossed his face. "Never
mind..."
The door opened and then quickly slammed as someone entered the
house. "I am so sick of baby shopping!" announced an exasperated
Susan, throwing down her purse in anger. "Everything is so cute and SO
expensive! I could just hurl!"
Furrowing her brow, Alex looked in doubt at the young man.
"How'd you know she was coming?"
He winked a green eye. "It's a gift!"
"And another thing, MISTER CHIBA," called Susan to her boyfriend
whilst stomping into the kitchen and pouring herself a large cup of
water, "I do not like it when you show up unexpected at my house!" She
turned to him, a glare in her red eyes, and immediately gave into a
smile.
Terrence was, as usual, wearing a very sloppy brown suit, with
his gold-rimmed glasses nearly falling off his nose. Green eyes
sparkled with happiness--happiness to see his one-and-only, happiness
to be an expecting father... Happiness to be alive in such a
wonderfully vibrant world. With a gentle smile, he chewed on his lower
lip slowly. "Sorry, Sets... I just wanted to see you..."
She bristled and crossed her arms, resting them on her bloated
belly. "Why can't you call me 'Susan' for once?" she asked, looking
away from him.
"Okay, thank you two very much," shot Alexandra, standing and
stretching a bit while making discreet gagging gestures. "But I really
have had too much cute-ness today already, what with Brian and Hannah
spending all morning discussing wedding plans..." With a shudder, she
grabbed an apple off the counter and shined it on her shirt. "So, if
you'll excuse the ever-cynical Mistress of Uranus, I'm going to go
play video games!"
As the other woman left down the stairs, Michelle plunged
another dish into the sink. "It's a wonder that this marriage even
works," she sighed with a shake of her head.
The young man blanched, sitting on the edge of the kitchen
table. "You've been married a month!" he commented ruefully. "How can
you say something like that?"
"Well, it's been a long month." She chortled at this, tossing
her hair a bit.
Susan smiled gently, walking over to stand beside Terrence.
"There was something you wanted to talk to me about?" she inquired
sweetly, leaning her head on one of his shoulders.
Nodding, he smiled a bit. "Lamaze. What's the Planet Mistress
approach to that?"
"Sounds fun!" The musician commented with a grin. "I never got
to do that..." She sighed and pouted a little. "I want to have my own
baby..."
A yell came up from the basement. "AND HOW THE HELL ARE WE
SUPPOSED TO MANAGE THAT?"
Laughing at her friend's antics, the Guardian of Time sighed
wistfully. "I'd love to Terry," she replied. "It sounds like something
we should really--ooh!"
"What?" He jumped away from her and glanced nervously at her
pregnant stomach. "Is something wrong?"
"One of the little devils just kicked," she responded softly,
resting a hand on her belly. "Ooh! There they go again!"
Michelle was about to respond when her mate added another
comment to the fray. "NOT EVEN, MICHI! YOU SO MUCH AS THINK IT AND..."
The aqua-haired woman shook her head and continued with the dishes.
Hesitantly, Terrence reached forward and rested one of his hands
extremely lightly next to Susan's. "Does this hurt you?" he inquired
softly, shaking a bit.
She smiled. "It feels...different..." she responded, pressing
his hand closer to her. "But your hand can't hurt me and, besides, I
want you to feel this..."
"I remember when Serenity was pregnant with the Princess," put
in Michelle thoughtfully, watching the couple with teary blue eyes.
"It was so wonderful to feel little Reeny kick..."
A loud snort traveled up the stairs and into the kitchen. "WHAT
PART OF NO DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? NO BABIES!"
Clenching her fists, Michelle stomped down to the basement
angrily.
Terrence smoothed his hand over Susan's belly. "I really don't
think I appreciate this enough," he said softly.
"I think you're right," came her casual response as she placed
her hand atop his. "Can I confide in you?" Receiving an affirmative
nod, she smiled shyly. "When I first found out about the pregnancy, I
thought it was all a mistake... I thought that, perhaps, our one-night
fling would return to haunt me." Leaning forward, she brushed her
crimson lips across his. "But now," she whispered softly into his ear,
"I know it wasn't."
Covering her lips with his, Terrence pulled shut his eyes and
drew her close. They stood there for a long moment, embracing, until
he gasped in surprise.
One of the babies had kicked.
"It's amazing!" he announced, pulling away from her and
delighting in the sensation as the child kicked once again. "I wonder
which one's doing that!"
She sighed wistfully. "Me too..." she agreed.
Just then, Alexandra stumbled up the stairs, a bit confused. Her
hair was ruffled and lipstick smeared her lips.
"I was told to work on my report cards," she stammered,
stumbling for the chair, "by a very...feisty...Michi..."
The couple laughed.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I don't get it," she sighed, pouting. "I've been looking around
this city for what seems to been an eon, and I've yet to find the
Prince."
But you found her, commented the voice softly. The Princess.
She froze in place, bristling. Many inappropriate words flew into
her mind as she stood in her place, and she swallowed all of them
quickly. "What good will a Princess do without her Prince?" she managed
to croak out.
Good point.
"Of course it's a good point!" She let out a breath and shook her
head. "I've quite nearly given up on all of this, sir. I don't know who
you are, or where you're from, but I think that we'd best...meet..." Her
green eyes narrowed as she glanced across the street.
What? The voice was urgent. You have to be my eyes this time.
Walking down the street was a young man with rather dark red hair.
He held in his hand a few purple roses, and had a rather sad smile on
his face as he went.
"What's the symbol of the house of the Prince?" she asked softly,
jaw dropping.
The Starlit Prince? I'm ashamed...
"Humor me." Her voice was flat.
Roses. Purple roses.
She grinned, feeling suddenly rejuvenated.
"Bingo."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
With a long sigh, Lyra hung her head while walking.
'A cat?' Phoebe had laughed. 'Appearing in a flash of silver
light? That may happen in old mangas, Lyra, but do you really think that
it's at all feasible to happen in real-life?'
But was real-life and what was fiction?
'And besides,' Alice had put in, 'don't you think that it's a bit
odd that the cat suddenly shows up and only talks to you and Celeste?'
True. Very true. But they both had seen it...hadn't they?
'Talking cats do happen,' Orb and Diana had commented together,
'but we'd have known about it.'
'And I would have, too,' came Reeny's words of wisdom.
But something about this cat felt so right and so...familiar. Lyra
shuddered.
'The only thing I don't understand,' Tara had said, 'was the
glimmering gold and silver light. But I'm sure it's in one of my
books...'
Haley hadn't been much help. 'Chin up, kiddo.'
So, all-in-all, the Scout meeting had been more like an attempt to
convince the two Scouts of the stars that there was no talking calico
cat in all of Tokyo.
But yet, there WAS.
"I'm not nuts, am I?" asked Lyra aloud, kicking at a stone.
No. She couldn't be nuts. That cat was real. It just had to be.
And what about Orb's legend? Silver Star... The cat appeared in
silver... Ambriel was of the Silver Moon... The star atop Celeste's
transformation pen was gold... Reeny was of the Gold Moon... Gold...
Silver... Silver... Gold...
Silver and gold light... Silver and gold stardust... Silver and
Gold Star.
It all had to fit together, Lyra assured herself.
Or did it...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Looking down at the roses in front of him, Richard let out a long
sigh. Why did breaking up have to be so hard?
It wasn't that he didn't like Lyra. No. Richard was very nearly in
love with the lithe curly-haired teen who'd one day crashed into his
life when a certain little six-year-old wouldn't give up on playing
Sailor V. No. Lyra was Sailor Polaris, a wonderfully mysterious, sweet,
helpful girl who'd live life to its fullest extent until the day she
died.
But her mother was a different story.
The fight between his mother and Mina wasn't the factor in-and-of
itself. It was the fact that Mrs. Mokoti was right.
They were four years apart in age. Four years! He chided himself
for attempting such a relationship. She was no child, but he was an
adult! It was morally wrong, amongst other things. She'd get too
attached, or he'd let his hormones get the better part of him, or he'd
go away to college and leave her behind...
No. That was that. No more Richard and Star...
Lyra, he told himself. Her name was only Star while they were
dating.
"Richard?" came a soft voice from behind him. He whirled around,
seeing, as fate would have it, a certain girl with corkscrew curls.
"Hi, Lyra..." he sighed.
She grinned and dashed across the last twenty feet between them as
though it were nothing. "Boy, am I glad to see you!" she exclaimed,
trying to weasel into his embrace.
Grimacing, he held out the three roses and tried to smile. "Here,"
he greeted her, trying to avoid her getting to close. "For you."
The smell of her shampoo, as familiar as it had become, was
intoxicating as the scent floated into his nostrils. Some part of him,
however small or large it was, refused to turn away from her. It took
all the will power he had and more to pull himself away from the girl
and focus on the sidewalk before him.
Her brown eyes, vibrantly alive, stared down at the flowers
happily. But, upon looking up, she did not seem the same old happy
Richard Umino that she liked so much.
His face was contorted into a grievous frown. Staring listlessly
at the ground, his incredibly deep cobalt eyes seemed almost teary. She
gulped.
"Are you alright?"
Turning to her, he nodded a little and swallowed hard. Somehow, a
lump had crawled up his throat and refused to move. And, in much the
same way, his heart had taken a swan dive into his stomach. "Can we go
talk?" he asked nervously, wringing his hands.
She nodded, still staring at the flowers. "Of course, Rich," she
responded softly, attempting to take his hand.
With a grunt, he wrenched his hand away from hers and led the way.
And, as he did, a single purple rose petal detached itself from
the flower and drifted through the air.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
She looked at it. A single rose petal. Purple in color. Before her
a young couple, seemingly mismatched but really very cute, strolled down
the street without speaking. The girl was blonde, her curly hair
haphazard. And he...
Purple roses. Starlit Prince.
Her smile, which had been quite grim, widened noticeably.
Silver Star. Princess of the Stars.
But where was she?
Green eyes focused once again on the blonde. Surely...
Yes, it was! Maybe she didn't look quite the same, but the girl
had to be Sailor Polaris. And Polaris was, after all, the ruling star of
the night sky.
Which meant...
You'd best follow them, came the voice, a bit nervous. I think
that they'll soon need your guidance...
Quickening her pace, she tossed her head a bit. "I don't see why
you can't just tell them," she addressed her unseen acquaintance. "I'm
sure that you even know them better..."
Even so, it returned, almost amused in nature, you are their
Guardian Spirit. The...
"Guardian of the Silver Star, Orion," she sighed, shaking her head
in a bit of shame. "Does that really even matter?"
Of course. The voice had become a bit sad. You were reborn only
to unite them and...
"AND?"
To help them fight against the impending evil. The tone was
reluctant.
Sneering, she lowered her eyes and stopped mid-stride. "You mean I
can't go home?" she shot in an angry tone. "You just wait, you good-for-
nothing, little..."
A door opened before her, and she gasped. The couple was walking
into an apartment building.
"Let's talk later," she shot, diving for the doorway and praying
to make it.
The door clicked shut just as the last inch of her body cleared
the passage.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"What do you mean, 'perhaps'?" Orb lowered his eyes at the white
cat before him. "Either you know or you don't!"
The Kino apartment was empty except for three animals, who sat in
the dark talking in hushed tones. Six eyes--two blue, two red, and two
gold--glowed in the tiny bit of light that came from the sunset. Outside,
the city was beginning to be taken over by the deep navy of dusk, but
enough light remained to illuminate the cats.
Diana bristled upon seeing her father's reaction to the younger
cat's words. He had smirked knowingly. "Who is this mysterious cat?" she
inquired softly, still shocked.
Though both Lyra and Celeste had sworn to the existence of a fifth
talking cat, neither could believe it. Only Moon cats could talk. All
Moon cats were descendants of Artemis and Luna, the original Guardians
of the Moon Kingdom. It couldn't be...
Could it?
Artemis smiled sadly and let out a long sigh. "Four Kingdoms." His
children stared. "Gold Moon..." A flash of gold filled the room, as did
a shadowed, almost holographic image of Neo-Queen Serenity. "Silver
Moon..." Another flash, this one silver, appeared, and an adult's image
did as well. She had floor-length red hair and was shrouded in silver.
Large wings flapped slowly, and she took off into flight.
"Ambriel... Angel Moon..." All words escaped Orb as he stared at
the vision before him. It was so real... So very vivid and beautiful...
"As an adult?"
Their father nodded. "She is to be High Priestess of the Earth,"
he responded casually. "And then, there is the Silver Star..."
A girl appeared, standing aside a tall red-haired young man. She
was garbed all in gold, her curly blonde hair cascading down her
shoulders as she smiled slightly. A tiny silver star was embedded upon
her forehead.
The man, however, was more simply clothed, wearing a traditional
black tuxedo. His shirt, however, was silver, and a purple rose
protruded from one of his breast pockets.
Suddenly, a flash of silver covered the view and a tiny cat
replaced the dreamy image. A tiny star, five-pointed and bright silver,
stood on its forehead, and its fur was scrappy and unkempt. It stood
outside some sort of wooden door, a sneer on its face. "Sir..." The
voice was feminine and strong. "Sir, we have a problem."
Artemis spoke. "What?"
"He's going to...umm...dump her," she said in a calm tone. "What
do we do if the Prince and the Princess don't want to be together?"
"You," the white cat shot back, "get in there and prevent that
event!"
She wrinkled her nose and sighed. "Yes sir."
The image faded out of sight, and both of the younger Moon cats
jumped. "That's..."
"And the Gold Star..." He ignored the pleas of his children and
continued.
A young blonde girl, dressed completely in a gold Sailor fuku,
stood before them. In her hands was an indescribably beautiful staff,
also in gold, with a singular golden star atop it. Winking a big green
eye, she disappeared.
"When the Silver Millennium ended," said the cat with a long sigh,
blue eyes closed tightly, "those four children were locked away, only to
be reborn when their natural parents had them." He smiled slightly. "And
so the two rulers of the Silver Star each had their natural child, and
the Princess of Venus had her Keeper, and the Priestess was brought back
upon the Eve of the Silver Moon." Eyes flying open, his smile grew
larger. "And soon, all will fall into place."
Sister and brother stared at one another wordlessly. What was it
that he meant by all that? Were all those other Kingdoms, as legendary
as they were, possibly real? And what about that cat...
Orb raised an eyebrow. "And that cat is the Guardian of the
Stars?" he inquired, confused.
Winking, the white cat shrugged. "Star light, star bright... Star
Princess," was all he said in answer.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"What's wrong?" Lyra asked with concern in her voice.
To say that she didn't know Richard would be a flat-out lie. She
knew him almost as well as she knew herself. Something about his eyes,
about his mere manner... It called to her, told her the truth, and made
her feel oddly...complete...
The young man stared at the floor, avoiding an answer.
Since the first moment he'd greeted her, she had known that
something was wrong. Never before had he pulled away from her. She'd
tried to take his hand, hug him, even to kiss him, but Richard was
avoiding it. That could mean only one thing... The bones of an argument
buried in the past...
"It's not my mother..."
So thus they stood, in the empty Umino apartment, each avoiding
the other's gaze.
"You know, Lyra, your mother had a really good point." She
attempted to stop him but he raised his hand. "Let me finish."
Richard's voice was gentle and sad as he spoke. "I am four years older
than you...and maybe it would be better if... Well, maybe..." He paused,
searching desperately for the right words. Looking a moment to at Lyra,
his heart skipped a beat. She was near tears, listening. He hated to do
this. He really liked Lyra. Her sweet smile, her curly hair, her great
personality. She was so beautiful. But, no, he had to do this. What
would the adults say?
Taking in a deep breath, he closed two stormy cobalt eyes. Four
years. Four years. Four years. The grim motif ran through his head in a
steady beat. It was better this way. No one could disapprove. There'd be
more young men for her... She was beautiful... Alive... Four years...
"Lyra, I think it would be best if we stopped..."
"Freeze right there!" A stern, female voice caused both of the
teens to nearly leap out of their skin. "If you two break up, do know
how that would ruin the entire Time-Space Continuum? Not to mention, I
wouldn't be able to go home!" The speaker cleared her throat. "Then,
there'd be real Hell to pay, you two."
"Who's there?" Richard's voice was shaky.
Without warning, a calico cat appeared from what seemed to be
nowhere, silver light flurrying around her. Her head was mostly black
with a clearly printed silver five-pointed star upon her forehead. She
leapt onto the coffee table and stared at the two teens. Then, in an
almost royal voice, she spoke.
"I am the official Guardian Spirit of the Kingdom of the Silver
Star. My name is Orion." She bowed her head towards both Richard and
Lyra.
"So?" Richard and Lyra were both confused.
"You mean you don't know who I am?" The cat was shocked. "The
Starlit Prince should have learned these things long ago!" She shook her
head. "When will you learn?"
They blinked, as though they were not listening to a word she
said.
"And another thing... The Starlit Prince should NOT..."
"That explains everything!" Lyra spoke for the first time,
cutting into what was quickly becoming a tirade. "He isn't the Starlit
Prince."
"Well, of course he..." Orion's green eyes went wide. "You haven't
told her?" she exclaimed, incredulous. "Shame on you!"
Lyra gulped, scratching the top of her head in confusion. This
little calico cat with the bright green eyes was accusing HER Richard of
being the...
Calico cat? Bright green eyes? It was the same animal as in the
alleyway!
The girl blinked. "You... You're that cat!" she yelped, brown eyes
huge. "The one from the alley!"
Orion's voice was dry. "Neither of you have any clue what I'm
talking about, do you?" she inquired, eyes lowering a bit.
"Now that you mention it... No." Richard sat down on the couch.
Sighing, the cat started what promised to be a long story.
"Long ago, in the Silver Millennium, there was a Kingdom called
the Silver Star. The rulers of the Kingdom were two women, and they were
each with child. The two children would someday rule.
"So, yadda yadda, the pregnancies went great. The one woman was
expecting a little girl, who was to be named Lyra." Orion's eyes flew to
the blonde as she said this. "And the other was to have a son--Richard."
She glanced to the young man. "But, the Silver Millennium was slowly
being destroyed and I was stuck with the task of saving your unborn
butts."
Lyra raised an eyebrow. "And how the Heck did you manage that
one?" she questioned, not really understanding the story. "You're a
cat..."
"In my true form," supplied Orion, deadpan, "I am a shape-shifter.
"Well, I saved you two. That was easy. However, I couldn't save
both of your parents in each case. I saved the mother of the Prince,
BUT..." She shook her head. "I could only save your father, Lyra.
"The mother and father were reborn, and I collapsed in a field of
flowers. This voice in my head...well... It sort of tells me a lot of
things, important or not. The last thing I remember is the flowers."
Richard considered this. "Then how am I a Prince?" he asked
softly, chewing on his lip. "And, if Lyra's the Princess, how the Hell
did she become Sailor Polaris?"
"And what about the Gold Star?" added the girl. "What's that have
to do with anything?" She paused, picking at one of her fingernails.
"And what about Ambriel?"
Rolling her green eyes, the cat shook her head in exasperation.
"Let me get to that," she sighed in annoyance. "So, anyway, you were
both to be reborn when your parents got married and had their own,
thirtieth-century children.
"But, there was a catch. The Princess' father didn't just pick to
marry any woman--he picked to wed the woman who was once the Princess of
Venus, Mina Aino."
His eyes went wide. "Your mother's the Mistress of Venus?" he
inquired.
Lyra blushed.
"Now, there was a rule made long ago--the first born child of a
Sailor Scout was to become a Sailor Scout. And, in this case, the same
happened. The problem was that Lyra, as the Princess, also had to be
born first...so..." She trailed off.
The blonde girl ran a shaky hand through her hair. "Two for the
price of one..." she gulped nervously.
Orion nodded. "And, it gets even stranger. The minute you were
born, something magical came over the Prince here, and he was endowed
with his own powers. To protect you, should anything bad come to pass."
"But then that makes him..."
"That makes me..."
The three voices united. "The Starlit Prince."
Silence filled the room as the young couple stared at one another.
This was stranger than they could have imagined in their wildest dreams.
Lyra cleared her throat and took in a shaking breath. "Is there anything
else that you know and I don't?" she inquired, almost breathlessly.
"Do you," retorted the cat, "really want to know?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Celeste looked up at the stars, eyes wide. Inside the Palace,
perhaps in the Princess' bedroom, there was a massive debate going on,
and she and her elder sister had caused it all. What had been such the
big deal, anyway? She didn't know.
But that cat was causing its fair share of problems.
So the little blonde girl, no older than six, swung her legs back
and forth as she sat on the elaborate park bench within Serenity's
courtyard. It had been a long day.
Stirring a bit, the sleepy handmaiden stretched and looked at her
watch. Lisa glanced at the child with a slight smile. She was a wise
woman despite her years--or lack thereof. But, then again, what did
define a wise person? Surely, it wasn't just someone old... It was
someone rich in life experiences and spirit, which Celeste was. Without
a doubt, that was one thing she was.
"Hey, Celeste," she called out, pulling the dull brown coat closer
to herself as she did so, "do you want to go inside yet?"
The child didn't say anything, but she shook her head.
Lisa walked toward the girl and sat next to her, wrapping a tight
arm around her shoulders as she did so. "How hard this all must be," she
commented softly, blue eyes sympathetic and soothing. "What are you so
worried about, little one?" She received no response. "Is it because of
the cat?"
Her voice was quiet, hoarse, and rather monotone. "The cat was
real," Celeste responded. "She has something to do with our past."
"Past?"
Rising, the girl looked into the handmaiden's eyes. "I'm sorry
Lisa, and thank you very much for your support, but..." She took a deep
breath and gulped slowly. "There is something I must do."
As Celeste departed, running down the dirt path toward the main
gates with her blonde hair flying quickly behind her, Lisa called after
her. "Be careful!" she warned nervously, teeth clenched.
With a long sigh, the handmaiden smoothed her brown skirts and
glanced up at the night sky. The stars shone brightly down on her
despite the bitter cold. "Please," she whispered, licking her parched
lips, "let her be careful."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Kicking at the gray stone, Doubt growled. "Those stupid pests!"
she announced to the empty Chamber of Spirits. "I am going to take care
of them once and from all!"
With a slightly sinister chuckle, the Raider King appeared in the
room, glaring at the woman as he did so. "And how, Doubt, do you plan to
do that?" The question was nearly rhetorical. "You so often overlook
those wretched Sailor's powers, and they managed to defeat even your
strongest monster."
"Well, I have a plan!" she protested loudly, a scroll appearing
before her and unrolling. "Sailor Polaris is to have a birthday in a few
days," she explained coolly, ebony eyes skimming the material. Doubt was
almost bored. She had gone over the material time and again, always
coming to the conclusion that this new plan would work.
Last time her plan was to work, Violence had died.
She shivered and cleared her throat a bit. "As I was saying, she
will have a birthday." The scroll closed. "I will use the data we have
on Chibi-Star to track down Polaris, for the Scouts will undoubtedly
spend the day with their friend. And then..." Pausing dramatically, she
glanced into the King's eyes.
They were completely lifeless, and she shivered for a second time,
feeling herself tense.
"Yes, well," Doubt continued, clearing her throat nervously, "I
will destroy her."
He rolled his crimson eyes. "Good luck..."
As the King faded away, her eyes flew to the three remaining
stones--gray, crimson, and silver. All else had failed, but would this
attempt?
She prayed that it wouldn't.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lyra leaned back into the couch. "You didn't know that you were
the Starlit Prince?" she inquired, almost amused. "That's hard to
believe."
"I don't know why I didn't know," he responded, fingering one of
the purple roses that was set upon the living room coffee table. "You
know, it all makes a strange amount of sense now... My mother's strange,
cryptic sayings... The occasional black-outs that I didn't understand...
The..."
"Well, yes," interrupted Orion urgently, eyes half-closed. Her
constitution was nothing like it had been in the Silver Millennium...
Then again, she had slept for the last few thousand years, so perhaps
that was good reasoning. "But I would like to finish my story. Ready?"
Both the teens looked at her in supreme doubt. They'd taken a much
needed break from the confusion to sit back and let it all set in, but
the cat had more to tell. Orion was a strange creature, not because she
was a talking cat, but because of her general manner.
Richard bit his lip slightly and nodded, closing his eyes. "I
think so," he said, finding Lyra's hand and interlacing their fingers
together. "When you are."
The cat grinned. "I thought so." Clearing her throat, she
continued.
"Also during the Silver Millennium was the Silver Moon. It was a
body of priests and priestesses, ruled by Angel Moon." She paused. "I am
NOT going to explain Angel Moon, because that would take a good month.
Anyway, once a year there was an annual festival called the Eve of the
Silver Moon.
"The festival was basically a yearly excuse for all the
priestesses and priests to get really smashed, but it was totally
different for Ambriel. For some strange reason, every year, about a week
before Christmas, she would totally shut down and begin to meditate."
Orion shook her head. "It was only later that we found out the festival
was begun because it was her birthday. And Ambriel..."
The blonde teen interrupted, "was reborn here as well, on the Eve
of the Silver Moon." Receiving a nod from the cat, she beamed. "Well,
that makes sense."
"And lastly, there was the Keeper of the Nebulae." Pausing, she
licked one of her paws and took in a deep, sharp breath. "It's really
hard to explain this one, but it ties into the Mistress of Venus more
than it does the Princess of Stars..."
"Well," put forth Richard, "a nebula is a cloud of illuminated
dust particles. Why would someone 'keep' those?"
Lyra smacked him upside the head. "Because they're pretty!" she
announced, scowling a bit.
The cat chuckled. "That's exactly what Venus had said." She
paused. "There's something very powerful about nebulae, and the first
Queen of Venus sought to control that power and protect such places of
vast wonder and beauty. Thus was born the Keeper of the Nebulae,
protected by the power of the Gold Star." She shook her head. "And I'll
tell you this much...
"Ambriel is destined to be the High Priestess of the Earth as an
adult, ruling the Earth alongside four powerful monarchs..."
Both teens froze as soon as the animal paused. They knew what was
coming.
"The Princess of the Stars, the Prince of the Stars, the Keeper of
the Nebulae, and the Master of Time."
A knock sounded at the door as she finished, and Richard leapt
into the air upon hearing it. The sound, along with the other
announcements of the day, had completely shot his nerves, and--as far as
he could tell--had shot Lyra's, too.
"Who... Who is it?" He strode toward the doorway.
A young sigh was heard. "It's Lyra's sister and, if you don't open
up, I'm going to be mad!"
He obliged, and she pranced in, seeing the cat and nearly
fainting. Shakily, she circled the table, poking the animal a few times.
She rubbed a pair of sleepy green eyes. "Lyra," she addressed her sister
nervously, "what is this?"
The blonde teen furrowed her brow in frustration. "A cat."
"The same one?"
"Mmm-hmm."
"What's the Star mean?"
Orion glared at the child and made a face. "I'm the Guardian
Spirit of the Kingdom of the Silver Star and--Oh, my God." She froze in
place and stared up at the child. "You're her."
"Her?" All three humans stared blankly at the calico.
"I didn't think it was possible, but you're really her!"
Celeste stuck out her tongue in confusion. "Who's 'her'?" she
asked softly.
"The Keeper of the Nebulae and destined ruler of the Earth, of
course!"
There was a long pause as Orion said this.
And then, all Hell broke loose.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Putting down the phone, the pink-haired Princess gulped. "Well,
this promises to be an interesting evening," she said softly, wringing
her hands as she sat on the edge of the bed.
The four other teens, who were all lounging in various positions
about Reeny's large chamber looked to their leader. It had already been
a very interesting day. The appearance of a fifth talking cat had set
all the teenagers into a world of confusion and relative chaos. It
wasn't as though they didn't believe Lyra and Celeste, because they, of
course, did believe them. It was just that the story was extremely...
odd...
Winning what seemed to be her hundredth game of arm wrestling
against Phoebe, the brunette girl cracked her knuckles. "Who was it,
Reen?" she inquired rather briskly, taking the blue-haired girl's hand
once again and attempting to pin it to the table.
"It was Lyra," sighed the eldest Scout with a long sigh. "And
you'll never guess what she said."
All eyes turned to her. Haley dropped her guard and Phoebe won the
game. Tara looked up from her thick volume of Spiritual Encyclopedia.
Alice nearly dropped Ambriel off her lap. Staring, no one dared to move.
The situation with Lyra so bothered them because of the fact that
it felt familiar. Almost right. As though, deep down, whatever was
happening was supposed to happen. In Phoebe's words: 'It's like déjà vu
has infested and I don't know how to stop it. This cat, Tara's visions,
and everything else for that matter... It was meant to be this way.'
Reeny breathed slowly and closed her wary red eyes. "She, Richard,
and Celeste are coming to visit," she gulped, voice nearly shaky. "And
they're bringing the cat."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
She sighed. It was cold outside. The January air bit her skin
cruelly, and she could feel her teeth chatter as she walked.
But her mission was complete.
You found them, it said once again. She was starting to
understand that her guide was male. And that he was as she was. A
Guardian.
"You're happy, then?" she questioned, doubt in her tone.
His voice seemed delighted. Never before have I been happier, he
responded softly. All the destinies are falling into place. The Prince,
the Princess, the Keeper, and the Priestess... They will all rule the
Earth someday.
She considered this with a furrowed brow. "And what of the Master
of Time?" she asked softly, pace slowing a bit. "He's in the prophecies
as well..."
You will not need to find him, the voice returned. He will soon
be born, and all will be as it should.
"I hope so..." Her green eyes trailed off the ground and to her
three companions. They were hushed, now--the young man with his arm
wrapped almost protectively around his little girlfriend; the six-year-
old girl was strolling slightly behind them, smiling widely. Never
before had she been so happy, and the observer smiled in kind.
Upon finding that she was the Keeper of the Nebulae, Celeste had
been, at first, terrified. She didn't understand her destiny, yet alone
want to be part of it. But she'd slowly grown to like the news...
For the Keeper of the Nebulae was one of the most powerful beings
in the Universe, dwarfed only by the powers of both Neo-Queen Serenity
and the Princess.
So, walking down the street were the Princess of the Stars, the
Prince of the Stars, the Keeper of the Nebulae, and the Guardian of the
Silver Star.
And Orion's smile grew larger as she spoke.
"This is how it's supposed to be, isn't it?"
The voice came once again, and he was amused. Yes, Orion, he
told her. It is.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lisa placed Ambriel into the large white crib, a slight smile on
her face.
"I don't," the handmaiden commented, brushing her blonde bangs
from her eyes, "understand you, little one. And I can't promise to ever
understand you." She paused, trailing her fingers across one of the
child's pale silken cheeks. "But I wish I knew what you were..."
A silver light illuminated the room, and the woman gasped. The
door hadn't opened, so what was it that had come in? Surely, no person
could have done such a thing...
"Do not be afraid," said a soft voice, and Lisa felt her eyes
widen considerably. Before her was a young woman--really no more than a
girl--dressed completely in white. Her hair was silver and flowed freely
past her ankles to the floor, pooling in a pile of what appeared to be
molten metal. Blue eyes shone brightly from under thick silvery
eyelashes, and pursed pink lips were smiling slightly as the stranger
took a long step forward. The light, which was an enchanting sheen of
color, came from a tiny silver crescent moon on her forehead.
But perhaps the strangest thing about the woman was behind her.
Two perfectly white wings, feathery and indescribable, decorated her
back, and they swayed slightly in some unknown breeze.
"I will not hurt you or the child," the angel stated plainly, her
rich, deep voice filling the room as she slowly paced toward the crib.
"For I am the first Angel of the Moon."
Lisa's breath caught in her throat as she said this. "Angel..."
she stammered, shaking. "Of...the Moon?"
With a laugh, high and rich, the Angel bowed her head in a slight
nod. "Right now, destinies are being fulfilled and, though you are
seemingly nothing compared to the Galactic Sailors, I must ask you a
favor." She paused, a tongue darting quickly across her rosy lips. "You
must promise me to do this, or all will be lost."
"Anything." The handmaiden fell to one knee in reverence. "I, as a
servant of the Queen, will do anything you ask, Angel of the Moon."
Chortling, the angel rested a single hand upon the woman's blonde
hair. "I need you to see to it that Reeny does a good job raising this
child...as a Priestess."
Lisa glanced up in doubt. "Priestess, my Angel?"
"Yes. Ambriel is to be the first Priestess of the Earth, and she
is to rekindle the flames of the Silver Moon." Glancing into the crib
with her blue eyes, the angel let out a long sigh. "It pains me so to
not be able to take care of my own daughter, but the Princess should
know..."
The handmaiden pulled back from the mysterious creature before her
and gasped involuntarily. "You're the one who left her in the cold?" She
tried to withhold a sneer, but it didn't work. "How could you?"
"My time," retorted the angel, "grows short. I cannot stay on this
planet much longer..." She trailed off, azure eyes turning sad and
teary. "But I know that, if you try to help, Reeny will be an excellent
mother to Ambriel."
"Is that what she is to be?" Lisa's slight anger quickly melted
away into understanding and a bit of pride. "I know that the Princess
will someday make a great mother..."
The other took a long step backward and smiled, wiping a tear from
her white cheek. "And Helios will make a great father to both this girl
and more children." The angel's smile became one of pure delight as she
folded her hands at her waist. "I just hope that you can understand and
embrace the fact that Ambriel is not like normal children..."
Gazing at the sleeping child as the silver light began to fade,
Lisa smiled widely and swallowed the coming tears. Maybe, one day, she
would understand all this and look back without confusion and smile.
"I'll take good care of her..." she breathed softly. "I promise."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"So you're the Guardian of the Silver Star?"
"Yes... And no. I'm the Guardian of the Stars. Period."
"And you're here to guide Lyra, Richard, Celeste, and Ambriel to
their ultimate destinies?"
"Exactly."
The five Sailor Scouts stared blankly at the calico cat who sat on
the bed. Her motley fur and bright green eyes stood out in the lamplight
as everyone looked expectantly at her.
Orion cleared her throat and put on a knowing smile. "Sailor
Scouts, I know what I'm talking about," she told them rather smugly,
"and believe me when I say that those four you just mentioned..."
"Richard, Lyra, Celeste, and Ambriel?" interrupted Alice rather
dully, her chestnut eyes still glued on the animal.
The cat let out a long sigh and hung her head. "Of course," she
retorted, annoyed. "I will teach them how to fulfill their lives and to
become the rulers of the Earth, or my name isn't..."
"Orion." Her tone was dry as she walked into the room, the two
younger Guardians in tow. "Of all the slime to slither up here at a time
like this." Luna smirked haughtily. "What in the name of the Moon brings
you all the way to Earth?"
Groaning, the calico lowered her green eyes at the ancient black
cat who stood before her. "Fancy meeting YOU here, Luna," she shot back
edgily. "What happened to free you from the wet and wild world of HELL?"
The black animal's tail began to puff up as she glared her orange
eyes at the younger cat. Silence fell quickly over the room, and it was
only broken by Orion's voice.
"Lyra and Richard," she called to the couple, "I want you to take
the rest of the girls into the next room..."
Reeny shook her head slowly. "That's Ambriel's, and she's asleep,"
she commented with a sigh. "Nice try."
"Okay," the cat shot, "go to the library." Seeing the pink-haired
teen open her mouth in response, the cat put her foot down. "Just get
the Hell out of here and I will explain later!"
The eight humans were out of the door in a flash.
As soon as the cats were alone in the room, Luna narrowed her eyes
and stared directly into the calico's forest-colored eyes. Her face was
straight and stern as she once again cleared her throat. "Here to cause
ruin once again?"
Orion bristled. "How is the fall of the Silver Millennium MY
fault, you wretched old fur ball?"
"Hey!" objected the pink cat, her own muscles tensing. "What gives
you the right to talk to my MOTHER that way?"
"The fact," shot back the calico, "that I didn't do anything
wrong!"
Luna let out a long sigh in exasperation. "Yes, you did," she
returned, voice growing softer. "If you hadn't slept, both rulers of the
Silver Star could have lived and the rest of us could have possibly led
a normal life!"
"Normal?" inquired Orb, speaking for the first time. His gold eyes
were focused on the stranger as he spoke, and he felt enchanted. "We
could never be normal! We're Guardians..." He shook his head. "We're
Guardians. It's of our nature to be different."
Furrowing her brow, his mother glanced at him in doubt. "No one
told you to speak, Orb."
Diana shook her head and sighed. "Come, Mother... Let's go consult
Serenity about this..."
As the duo started to leave, Orion stood up and paced quickly
after them. "You're avoiding the subject!" she shot as they walked out
the door. "You'll never understand if you're too lazy to listen!"
When they were gone, she hung her head. Never before had it been
so difficult or tedious to deal with Luna. In all the years of the
Silver Millennium, they'd gotten along fairly well--never were the two
close enough to be called 'friends', but they'd not fought. But, for
some reason, Luna blamed it all on her...
Don't worry, sighed the voice sympathetically. She's always
been like that, and Diana is her mother's daughter...
"Yeah, well," Orion sniffed, feeling so many foreign emotions that
her stomach churned, "I don't care. I don't think it's right, and..."
Another voice spoke up. "Who do you talk to?" asked Orb softly,
stepping forward to get a closer look at his subject. Her multi-colored
fur was unkempt and dirty, yet something about it shone and sparkled in
the light. Green eyes full of mystery and awe darted to examine his face
before turning away.
Tossing her head, she scoffed at him. "That is none of your
business," she spat at him, jumping atop the bed in a sleek movement.
"Go visit with your stupid family."
"Now, that's not fair." He raised an eyebrow at her. "You really
protect the Princess and Prince of the Stars?"
She snorted. "Thank you, Captain Obvious."
He looked at her in doubt and made a face. "Now, come on... I'm
trying to be nice to you. You're this enchanting, interesting alien
creature, and I am...smitten...with the idea that you're here and..."
Orb shook his head and blushed a bit. "And I really think that my mother
is wrong about you."
Taking in a deep breath, Orion clenched her jaw. "I am not
enchanting," she said softly, voice almost whispering. "And you are not
smitten." Her green eyes lowered into a harsh glare. "I don't understand
how, after witnessing that mess with I had your mother, you can even
begin to sit here and throw out false compliments." She turned away
quickly to hide a few coming tears. "Get out."
"Orion, I don't mean..."
The Guardian of the Star Kingdom just ignored him and buried her
head in the white quilt on the Princess' bed.
"Just get out."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
She rose feeling the sweet rays of the sun on her face, stretching
slowly as she climbed from her bed and walked to the window. It was just
an average day.
One week ago, she'd found herself in a world that she didn't
understand. Certainly, she was still on Earth, but it was just different
than it had ever been before. All bonds had been tested; all loyalties
had been pulled and poked until they nearly burst.
But they'd survived.
And it was all becoming much clearer.
A light knock sounded on the door and Lyra whirled around to greet
it, bright blonde curls sparkling in the morning sunlight. "Come in,"
she called softly, a smile crossing her face.
Her mother stepped in, carrying a large basket of laundry. "Good
morning, sleepy head," she grinned at the teen, placing a few pairs of
pants on the now-empty bed. "I took the liberties of calling Tara and
telling her you'd be late to the party."
The teen grimaced and glanced at the wall clock. Ten a.m. already?
She was late, and exclaimed so while diving for the closet. "Why didn't
you get me up?" she whined, slipping on the gold skirt that she'd picked
to wear for the day. "You could have at least tried to! The other Scouts
are going to kill me!" Seeing the amused smirk on the adult's face, Lyra
wrinkled her nose. "What?"
Shaking her head, Mina let her smile grow wider. "Well, it's just
sort of funny," she put in sweetly. "I suggested the same thing to
Celeste when she left an hour ago, but I was told to let you sleep..."
"Even my kid sister got there on time!" shot the blonde girl with
a long sigh, pulling her black sweater on and quickly binding her curls
into a tight ponytail. "I tell you what, Ma... If I'm ever this late
again to my own party, shoot me!"
"Will do," chortled Mina, starting out the door. Pausing, her face
turned thoughtful as she slipped one of the two bracelets off her wrist.
It was silver and made of tiny interlocking hearts, contrasting greatly
with the boring navy-and-orange glass beads beside it. Lyra remembered
that her mother had received the jewelry as a gift from her parents on
her fifteenth birthday. Though that event had taken place thousands of
years ago, she'd kept the bracelet as a constant reminder that there was
more to life than just being a Scout.
The woman sighed. "Here, Lyra." Holding out the gift, she blinked
back the tears that welled up in her light blue eyes. "I got this when I
turned fifteen, and I want you to have it..."
Accepting the bracelet, the teen slipped it on her wrist and
clenched her mom's hand. "Thank you," she whispered, tears coming to her
brown eyes as well. "I'll wear it every day."
As they both left the bedroom, Mina stopped and turned to her
daughter before she went down the stairs. "Oh," she smiled, as though
she was just remembering something, "and Lyra?"
"Hmm?" The girl cocked her head.
"Happy Birthday."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"A lot of things can happen in just one week."
Doubt shook her head as she passed the electronic store, listening
to the made-for-TV movie with a sort of half-hearted effort.
The Sailor Scouts were at the Cherry Hill Temple, unsuspecting of
any Raider attack. Or, at least Sailor Chibi-Star was.
Were Raiders supposed to feel guilt? Were they supposed to
understand the way others felt? She did. Something in the pit of her
stomach nagged her. Perhaps it was the closeness with Chibi-Star that
she had. Or maybe it was the lingering fact that she'd found the Sailor
Scouts to be real people. Or could it just be indigestion?
Whatever the case, she felt herself slow her speed as she walked
down the street. Four blocks. Only four blocks until the final
destruction of the Sailor Scouts and the freedom of the Raider band.
Only four blocks until she could avenge the deaths of the others.
She'd never admitted it to them, and she would never admit it
aloud, no matter how much torture she was put through, but Doubt knew
she'd loved the other Raiders. They'd brought a part of her life
together and made it complete. And something about it just...fit...
Smiling, the Raider of the Andromeda Galaxy named Doubt stretched
a bit and rubbed her hands together.
It was time to dance with destiny.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"But, you're the Starlit Prince," whined Orion with a disdainful
glare toward the young man in the letterman jacket. "You can't wander
out here. If you catch cold, then think of the peril your Princess will
be in..."
Richard shot a soft but stern glance at the little calico, who
then began to pout. Her quick, slightly angry breaths left tiny trails
of steam throughout the air as she looked at the ground. Feeling a bit
guilty, he sighed. "Well... Orion..." he scrambled. "Shouldn't I wait up
for my Princess instead of waiting inside? What if she gets hurt out
here and I'm not around?"
She huffed. "The Starlit Prince should not look for excuses when
it comes to his bad behavior," she retorted, a smirk crossing her face.
She liked to play games of wit.
"Well, then," returned the young man. "I guess I'm not a very good
Starlit Prince, am I?"
A chuckle sounded behind them. "Course you are, Richard!" giggled
Celeste, appearing out of the temple with a wide grin on her face. "You
just don't know it yet!"
The flood of memories hadn't ceased since the day he'd learned of
his destiny and of the life he was to lead as the Prince of the Silver
Star and future ruler of the Earth. He remembered his first battle with
the Raiders at Crystal Music Academy; he'd recalled with vivid accuracy
the time he'd helped kill the shadow demon at Best Buy. Suddenly, it had
all made sense, and he'd only regretted not yet telling his mother about
all the discoveries he'd made.
And one other thought had recently entered his mind.
Princess or not, he was in wild love with Lyra.
"Hey, Earth to Richard!" hollered the little blond girl, jumping
up and down in front of him, pigtails flailing wildly in the cool
January air. "You awake?"
Smiling down on her, he grabbed her around the waist and hoisted
the child up in the air, whirling her around in circles. She squealed
endlessly as he did so, but he refused to so much as slow the turns.
Kicking and squirming, Celeste tried to escape and, when he finally did
put her down, collapsed while laughing. "What," she attempted, clutching
her sides, "was that for?"
With a shrug, the redhead glanced at her. She was a sight to see,
pigtails now falling out and green eyes teary from giggling so hard. He
laughed a bit too, but for a quite different reason than she did. "I
really don't know," he admitted, offering a hand to help her up. "But I
think that this is the first time in my life that I actually feel like
I'm alive."
"I'm alive..." came a new voice, repeating his last line. "You
haven't read the book 'Dandelion Wine', have you?" Lyra's head appeared
at the top of the stairs, followed slowly by the rest of her body. "When
I was in my seventh-grade 'Literary Adventures' class, we read it." She
shrugged and stopped in front of her younger sister. "One day, the main
character realizes that he's alive."
Richard glanced at the blonde Princess, eyes basking in the glory
of her every inch. She wore a rather plain gold skirt with a fluffy
black sweater; her hair pulled up in a rather haphazard ponytail. But
every portion of her was just perfect, and he found himself wondering
why he even considered breaking up with her.
Because--Princess or not--he was in wild love with Lyra.
Celeste clambered to her feet. "Everybody's waiting on you!" she
announced.
Feeling forgotten, Orion stepped forward. "The Keeper of the
Nebulae shouldn't be so immature," she told the little girl, eyes slowly
drifting toward Lyra. "And the Princess of the Stars should not be so
late."
Wrapping a protective arm around his girlfriend's waist, Richard
lowered his blue eyes at the cat. "Orion, do me a favor."
"What?"
"Shut up."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Okay, whose gift is next?" inquired the blue-haired teen, looking
over the last three presents in the pile.
Against the wills of both Chad and Raye, the fire reading room had
been turned into a miniature party hall for the sake of the Sailors and
their friends. The great fire had been doused, streamers and create
paper hung from each and every corner, and balloons floated freely
around the room, either laying on the floor or being freely suspended on
the ceiling.
Lyra grinned. Around her sat various gifts: a volume of
Shakespeare from Phoebe, a gift certificate to the neighborhood sports
store from, a booklet of free meal vouchers at 'Jupiter's Delight' from
Alice, and a sweater from Celeste (with help from the others, of course).
The blonde picked up the largest box, which was from Reeny, and
proceeded to tear it open. Pulling out a long silver dress, she cocked
her head to one side. "What's this for?"
From her spot in the Princess' arms, Ambriel threw up her arms and
giggled. "Star!" she announced, smiling a sweet, innocent smile.
Reeny rolled her eyes. "I bought it because you're the Princess of
the Silver Star," she said with a smile. "And it just seemed to be...
appropriate..."
The gown glittered in the sunlight that flew through the windows.
Lyra smiled and hugged it close to her chest. "Thank you..."
Next was Tara's gift, a large book on astronomy and a potted plant
in a hand-decorated terra-cotta pot. The Shinto girl smiled and blushed
a little. "Your room needs a bit of greenery," she informed her friend.
"And the book was just perfect for you..."
Lastly was a tiny box from Richard. Within was a plain but
beautiful gold chain. Her breath caught in her throat as she lifted it
from its bed of cotton and admired it. "It's beautiful..." she managed,
eyes wide.
Her boyfriend smiled and took it from her hands. "It's for your
locket," he told her, taking the locket from the table and stringing it
onto the gift. Slowly clasping it around her neck, he leaned forward and
breathed in her soft scent. "Nothing's too good for my Princess..." he
whispered softly into her ear.
Blushing, the girl leaned back a bit and smiled to all her
friends. "Thank you so much for the birthday of my dreams. I've never
been..."
"Why, Sailor Polaris, I believe you've missed a present,"
announced an unseen speaker. A flash of bluish-gray light filled the
room and everyone gasped as a body appeared in midair.
Reeny bristled and shook her fist and the gray-garbed woman.
"Doubt! What the Hell..."
Dark energies shook the room, throwing a table upside down and
ripping half of the streamers off the wall. Balloons popped, glass
shattered, and the walls shook with the sheer force of the blast.
"Give me the Imperium Silver Crystal!" demanded the Raider, the
energy still radiating throughout the room. "Give me the Galactic Rod!
Or DIE!"
Without a word, Orion sprung into the air and swiped at Doubt with
her razor sharp claws. The Raider quickly shook the cat off her arm and
threw her into the wall.
Lyra felt her body start to shake. Richard was leaning halfway
over her, trying without much success to shield her from the draining
energy. The others were already close to unconsciousness, with Reeny,
Lyra, Celeste, and Richard being the only people awake enough to
understand the happenings.
Slowly but carefully, the blonde girl climbed to her feet, holding
onto one of the young man's shoulders for support. Her blonde, curly
hair flew about her messily as she rose to her shaking legs. Everything
hurt, but somehow, she felt the strength raise up inside her. "That is
well enough," she stated, lowering her shining brown eyes to slits.
"Princess..." choked the calico cat, her green eyes slowly
closing. "Fight..."
A tiny silver glow emitted from the cat's forehead before
dissipating into the air.
The teen felt her body tighten. "This is not how it will be,
Doubt," she managed, her muscles becoming extremely tight as she spoke.
"We will win. We will triumph."
"And how," inquired the Raider dryly, "is that?"
A silver star appeared on Lyra's forehead, glowing with a fierce
power. Three beams flew from it, engulfing Celeste, Richard and Orion in
a bright, pure light.
"Because," shot the blonde, "in the name of the Silver Star, I
will punish you."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Closing a pair of garnet eyes, she let out a long sigh. "Whoa,"
she breathed, hand clutching the teacup with white knuckles. "That was
not supposed to happen..."
Michelle pulled the bow away from her violin. Alexandra glanced up
from her sports magazine. Hannah dropped her science book on the floor.
"What?" the trio inquired in unison.
The green-haired woman gulped. "There was just a major shift in
the Time-Space Continuum," she whispered, opening her eyes very slowly.
"One that I didn't expect to happen."
"And?" The blonde's voice was rather dry.
Susan chuckled. "I think we've just found the Silver Star."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Silver.
Everything was silver.
A pale glow covered everything, and nothing--not even the still
bodies of those who she loved--was recognizable to her eyes. All she
could see was silver.
Her body was covered in a long dress. The dress was all gold. Her
hair hung limply around her shoulders, the curls well-tangled and matted
with sweat. Something smelled sweet in the air.
Gold.
A golden glow sparked in what appeared to be the distance. It grew
closer with every breath she took. But there was no body in the glow.
Just color.
Until the last second.
Garbed all in gold, a girl appeared. She was little more than a
child, really, hair pulled into a tight twist at the nape of her neck.
She was dressed in a traditional Sailor fuku, except it was of the
purest golden color known to man. Clutched in her hands was a staff,
probably about four feet in height. It was also golden, with a tiny star
of the same color adorning the top. Her green eyes glittered fiercely as
she stared directly into the young woman's eyes.
The silver maiden found her voice. "Celeste?"
"I have been called many things," responded the girl in a timeless
voice. "But none is so dear to me as that one name." She paused, one of
her hands flying to caress the tiny golden star that adorned her
forehead. "But, my Princess, I am most often called the Keeper of the
Nebulae."
The Princess smiled weakly and looked at her sister. "Is it time,
Celeste?" she inquired softly, eyes half-closed.
Nodding, the Keeper of the Nebulae waved her staff. "It is."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
One minute, the Sailor Scouts were either unconscious or close to
it. The next minute, there was a blinding flash of silver.
And, when Doubt opened her eyes, she gasped in complete shock.
Standing side-by-side were two blonde girls. The older one, with
curly dark-blonde hair, wore a golden gown. A silver star adorned her
forehead.
The child beside her wore a golden Sailor fuku and wielded a huge
golden staff. Her hair was lighter blonde and pulled up in a twist. A
golden star was embedded on her forehead.
And behind them stood the Starlit Prince and Neo-Sailor Moon, both
looking extremely upset.
Backing up, Doubt smiled innocently and nervously wrung her hands.
"Now then, Sailor Scouts..." She gritted her teeth. "I don't suppose we
could talk about this, could we?"
A purple rose zipped through the air and past her, landing at her
feet. The Starlit Prince removed his mask to reveal both two very angry
cobalt eyes and a silver star upon his own forehead.
The Raider woman clenched her jaw. "I'll take that as a no..."
Whirling a hand through the air in a quick circle, she smiled wickedly.
"BLACK DOOM!"
A shaft of black wind swirled through the air and quickly
approached the group of four warriors. The Keeper of the Nebulae
tightened her grip on the staff and swung it toward the beam of power.
The wave hit the staff and reversed, hitting Doubt directly in the
stomach. Screaming, she was thrown back through one of the walls and
into the courtyard of the temple.
The Princess of the Silver Star took a step forward, tossing her
hair slightly as she went. "I will do this," she called to her
companions, her voice growing timeless. "This will be my triumph."
Sailor Moon made a face. "She sure got Princessly in a hurry," she
muttered, red eyes following the teen in the golden gown.
"Hush, Reeny," scolded the Starlit Prince, chuckling nonetheless.
"She's a good Princess."
The Keeper of the Nebulae glanced behind her to the others. "You
will soon learn," she softly said, "that the truth about the Raiders is
that they only rely on lies and betrayal." Her green gaze lingered
longest upon Richard's face. "Go to her, Prince."
He obliged.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The Angel of the Moon looked down upon the scene with a waning
interest. "Everything is happening as it should," she smiled, leaning
back in the air slightly. "I think it will turn out for the best this
time."
Below her, a blonde girl stood over a white-haired woman. The
woman, a Raider, was clambering rather clumsily to her feet while the
teen glared at her. And the Angel knew that, somewhere, all the other
Guardians of the world were together, whatever the case may be.
"So, is that it?" inquired Orion with a yawn, her silver form
glittering as green eyes stared down upon the Earth. "We let the
Princess and Prince fight and that's that?"
Chuckling, the Angel glanced over at the spirit. "I like you
better as a cat, Orion," she observed with a slight smile.
The spirit made a face. "Let's everyone pick on the shape-shifter!"
Smiling once more, the Angel took off into the air. "Good luck!"
she exclaimed.
With a shake of what would be her head, Orion sighed. "I think I'm
going to need it."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Doubt climbed to her feet and glared at the young woman. All of
her strength was slowly leaving her. It was a showdown. One-on-one. No
more help, no more unity--just the harrowing, intoxicating high of
independence.
And she cleared her throat.
"They don't love you, you know," she commented coolly toward the
Princess, smiling smugly. "Real friends would have followed you out no
matter what."
Lyra bristled. What on Earth was she talking about?
"How much could HE possibly love you, Princess? He almost left you
high and dry just because you were younger! He doesn't care! No one
cares!" The Raider paused for a brief moment. Her life flashed slowly
before her. "Others can only bring hurt! Turn away, Princess. You can't
win! Think of all the hurt and pain that you've been through over the
past few months!"
And she did. Everything came into her mind like clockwork. The
first fight against Illness and Greed. The death of all the previous
Raiders. The various injuries of Alexandra, Michelle, and Celeste. The
pain of losing her sister, even for a day.
But not all her memories were bad. There was the feeling of hope
in meeting the other Scouts. There was the happiness and love she felt
with Richard. The power that she felt in seeing little Ambriel. The
magic that coursed through her veins.
And Richard did love her.
He had to.
"Star..." breathed a soft, deep voice from behind her. Looking at
Doubt for a long moment, Lyra took a deep breath and glanced back at
Richard.
A tear ran down his cheek. And she knew.
He did love her.
Princess or not.
Holding out a hand, the Princess of the Silver Star, ruler of both
the Star Kingdom and the Earth in the future, winked at her boyfriend.
"We do this together, instead, okay?"
He nodded and took her hand.
Silver.
Everything was silver.
Two rays of silver light, both shaped like stars, flowed from two
foreheads.
Doubt screamed, but nothing helped. The light collided with her,
and everything turned silver.
Silver.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Artemis opened one blue eye and smiled. "Good job," he said aloud,
hardly moving.
The voice, feminine and happy, flew through the air. "You think
so?" it asked of the big cat.
His smiled grew wider as he closed his eye and prepared to drift
back to sleep. "I know so."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
And thusly, Doubt was no more.
Six Galactic Sailors, one Keeper of the Nebulae, one Starlit
Prince, one Angel Moon, and a certain calico cat stood in front of the
temple, watching the sun set over Tokyo.
"What now?" inquired Celeste softly, leaning up against a post.
Tara's response was quick. "We fight the Raider King. He's got to
be the last one."
Phoebe raised her eyebrows. "And then what?" she asked sweetly.
The cat chuckled. "I'm going HOME!" put in Orion.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Galactic Sailors Say!
Strange brown-haired teen: Today, we learned the truth about the Urawa
family.
(Greg enters, wearing a pink bow in his hair and a frilly pink apron.
The teen sees this and fades into nothingness. Haley enters.)
Haley: (chuckling) Greg, you DID know that today's first author's
ramblings was FAKE, didn't you?
Greg: (patting his hair) But I like this style!
(Phoebe runs in, distraught)
Phoebe: I took the time to fold all the towels in the linen closet, and
now they're all messed up!
(The brown-haired teen giggles offscreen and Terrence appears, wearing a
judge's robe)
Terrence: I am Judge Brianite! (pulls a gavel out of his pocket) Ta-da!
Haley: (sighing) And what would Susan say?
Susan: (in a business suit) Objection! Leading the witness!
Phoebe: (shaking her head) Today's message is that it's okay to get
counseling. Believe it or not, it's healthy. And fun!
Greg: (furrowing brow) I never liked to have counseling for my...
problems...
Haley: (coughs into her fist)
Greg: (makes a face) I was talking about my compulsive spending habits!
Haley: (rolls eyes) Whatever. We all say...
ALL: 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)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
First and foremost, if you didn't understand this, read "Appendix: The
Legend of the Four Kingdoms"! Then, feel free to email me (Kate), at
duncan@chicago.avenew.com. I will answer all questions. It will, I
promise, get less confusing as time goes on. This was A LOT of story!
Also, I know that this wasn't all that great this time around. Please
forgive me. It was fun but also very hard to write.
--Kate and Christina (and Ginnie)
Author's Ramblings: Hello today! There has been a consensus that Galactic
Gals is not interesting enough. Therefore, it has been turned into a
soap opera. In today's episode, we find the answers to many questions.
The most vexing question answered is why is Greg able to Sailor
Teleport. This question is answered when we find out that Greg is
really a woman--and a Sailor Scout called Sailor Sun, at that. And who
is Phoebe's father? Why, Mercurious, of course! Greg--or shall we say
Gregina--is only a better-looking front. Amy has kept Mercurious
hidden in the linen closet for all these years. We also find out
Terrence's "dark secret". He is really a leftover minion of Queen
Beryl named Brainite--Judge Brainite, to be exact. Will the Gals find
out about Terrence in time to save Crystal Tokyo? Do you really want
to read this story now that you know the basic plot? And most
importantly, will Phoebe need major counseling? Read on...
eih;agnher...HELP!...error... ::the writer, a teen with kinda dark
brown hair, falls to the floor, laughing while being dragged away by a
troop of super-deformed SuperKates::
Whew! Finally got her off the computer! That was Ginnie, ladies and
gentlemen, and this is our turn to assure you--and we mean it--that
this story's plot is absolutely nothing like she thinks it is.
Mercurious does not live in the Urawa's linen closet, Terrence has no
deep dark secret, and Phoebe will not go into counseling. However, we
do thank Ginnie for taking the time out of her busy schedule to write
an author's note. But here's the bad news:
This episode is one pre-used SM cliché after another. You think we're
kidding? Well, we're not. Sure, a lot of the plot does become clearer
in this story, but it's all been done. We hope you don't kill us, cut
out our innards, and use them to decorate your lawn.
Enjoy!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
What Happened Last Time?
There was a Meeting of the Mistresses. Lyra and Mina had a
fight over Richard. Mina had a fight with Molly over Richard. Celeste
was rescued. Violence died. We found out that Doubt has a motherly
side.
And that, my friends, is where the story begins...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
A warm, soft breeze blew through the summer air as she opened
her two green eyes. How long had she been sleeping? She did not know.
All around were flowers. Marvelously colored flowers. Blues,
pinks, yellows, and purples, all that defied human description spread
about her, and she stretched before standing on tired legs. She had
been asleep for so long... She vaguely recalled falling into her
slumber, her body giving slowly up on life as the world around her was
destroyed. What had happened since then?
It was then that the voice came into her head. It had come only
once before, telepathically as it this time did, and it had told her
to sleep. It had told her that she would someday awaken and find the
truth.
Whatever that was.
The time has come, it told her, to awaken and find her.
"Who?" she asked aloud, still stretching and trying to come to
her complete senses.
The Princess.
"But once before, I tried," she protested loudly, "and I
failed." She lowered her green eyes at the air, knowing that the
bearer of the voice was out there, somewhere. Well, the bearer of the
voice was about to get a piece of her mind, that was for sure. "I
would much rather remain asleep!"
Do not question me! shot the voice, tone becoming very
threatening. You will find the Princess! You will find the girl who
is to be the Priestess! You will find...
Snorting, she rolled her eyes. "The Imperium Silver Crystal?"
she inquired rhetorically, mocking her guide. "Why not just let the
Princess of the Earth, Serenity, handle the impending doom?"
The voice was silent for a long moment. Then, it put in,
Because, if you do not find the Princess, the Prince, the Priestess,
and the Keeper of the Nebulae, then the world is in grave danger!
With that, the voice faded away.
"Why me?" she muttered as multi-colored stardust began to swirl
around her. She closed her eyes and, when she opened them once again
and the dust had settled, she found herself standing in a rather large
park. In the distance, sirens sounded and car horns bleated their loud
tunes as she sighed to herself.
"Great," she mumbled as she hopped onto a park bench and laid
down. "I'm stuck in Crystal Tokyo."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sticking another piece of jalepeno-flavored soft pretzel in her
mouth, Haley made a face. "I personally liked that baseball cap!" she
protested. "You guys are so mean!"
"Come on, Haley," objected the girl with the blue-hair, dipping
her almond pretzel into a container of chocolate. "That thing was
hideous!"
"Was not!" shot the brunette haughtily. "I thought it was
stylish!"
Alice laughed a bit, receiving a stern glare from her two
friends.
Phoebe stuck out her tongue. "A plastic construction-worker hat
would be cuter," she argued loudly, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You have no sense of style!"
Rolling her olive-colored eyes, Tara sipped her lemonade slowly.
"Guys, can we please change the subject?" she inquired softly with
sigh. The other three teens looked at her as she said this. "What?"
"Good idea!" announced Alice in an excited voice. "And I have
just the topic! Our two favorite lovebirds, 'Star' and 'Rich'!"
The Shinto groaned and hung her head.
"Lyra and Richard--is theirs a healthy relationship or an
inappropriate pairing?" The blue haired girl tossed her hair
flirtatiously. "Let's hear from our first guest, Haley Ten'ou!" She
held out her straw as a microphone. "Haley, any words?"
She rolled her teal eyes. "This is stupid," she muttered,
receiving an elbow in the gut. "I mean," Haley corrected herself
through gritted teeth, "that, after Mrs. Mokoti's nightmarish
performance last month, I would think the two would cool it down." She
winked sweetly. "After all, they're four years apart!"
Leaning back in her chair, Phoebe smiled. "And what does the
Sailor Scout of Light have to say about it?" she questioned Alice,
holding out the straw. "Miss Kino?"
"It's fine with me," supplied the auburn-haired teen with a
giggle. "I think they're cute together..." She paused, and wrinkled
her nose. "Though Richard is kind of a nerd."
"Like a Prince and Princess!" sighed Phoebe thoughtfully,
falling out of her 'talk-show host' voice. "Lyra and Richard... I can
just see them at a ball together..."
Alice snorted once again. "We already HAVE seen them at a ball,"
she dryly put in. "Though you're right about the Princess thing..."
Feeling a premonition come over her, Tara's eyes snapped shut.
The sounds of her friend's discussion carried over in the background
as an image appeared to her. There she could see a bright silver light
illuminating the night sky, coming from some sort of animal...a cat?
Yes, a cat. Behind the cat stood Lyra, hair flowing free down around
her shoulders and her body garbed in a purely golden gown that seemed
to be made of molten stars. Beside her on the left was Richard,
dressed in a black tuxedo and top hat, and to the right was a young
blonde girl in a golden Sailor fuku with a long golden staff which was
as tall as the girl herself. The image then changed to a young woman
dressed in long white robes, red hair blowing through the air as a
silver crescent Moon glistened upon her forehead. For the last time
the image changed, this time to two teens, both dressed in black and
crimson, standing side-by-side before a marble doorway.
"Tara... Tara? You alright?" A voice pulled her from the vision.
Slowly opening her eyes, she shook her head to clear it and found
herself staring up at Haley. "Tara? Are you okay?"
Sitting up, she realized that she was on the tile floor of the
mall's food court, one of her hands in sticky, half-dried soda. "I
think so," the Shinto girl managed, still a bit disoriented. "What
happened?"
The brunette helped her up, Phoebe and Alice standing almost
uncomfortably close to her. "You passed out," explained the actress,
shaking her head of braids as she said so. "You were sitting there,
your eyes closed, and then--WHAMO! You hit the tile!" She reached out
and put a hand on the younger teen's shoulder. "You sure you're okay?"
With a nod, Tara sat down in her chair, still shaking a bit from
the vision. What was that? It hadn't been like the other visions she'd
had... "I had another premonition," she softly said, voice not above a
whisper.
"Not more of this evil stuff!" shot Alice with a groan. "Ever
since we've killed Violence," she went on even after Haley tried to
hush her, "you've had all these weird feelings of evil, and none of
them are ever right. 'Doubt's at the chapel on Oak Street'...'I think
Doubt's still after Celeste'...'Come on, Scouts! I feel Doubt hanging
around the video arcade!'" Ducking Phoebe's hand (which was aimed at
the back of her head), she continued. "It is far one thing to sense
evil and be right, and it is another..."
Tara turned on her, eyes becoming a harsh glare. "I didn't sense
evil this time!" she shot back, almost growling. "I sensed something
totally different..." Her tone turned thoughtful. "There was this
woman in white, and Lyra in a golden dress..."
The other three girls sat down and looked at one another. "Do
you think we should talk about this?" asked Alice softly, guilt
sweeping over her.
With a shrug, Tara stood and flipped her dark braid behind her
and grabbed her bag from the tea store. "Nah," she commented, taking
one last swig of her lemonade.
"Then what do you want to do?" inquired Phoebe as the other
Scouts as they stood up and walked out of the food court together.
The raven-haired one considered this. "How about we go to
Waldenbooks?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
She wandered down a deserted pathway in the park, an annoyed yet
thoughtful expression on her face.
"Why me?" she asked herself aloud, hanging her head. "Why
doesn't that damn voice ever give me any useful advice?" She wrinkled
her nose. "Find the Princess. Sleep. Find the..." she took in a breath
through her teeth. "WHY ME?"
Stopping at the front gate of the park, her green eyes flew to a
young woman standing in front of a baby store. About sixteen, the girl
stood between a short blonde woman and an exotic-looking green-haired
adult who was obviously expecting a baby sometime soon. In the teen's
arms was a red-haired child of about two years.
"That girl..." breathed the stranger, her eyes going wide as she
stared. "She looks just like who I'm looking for..." She studied the
subject of her commentary with her mouth partially open. "Same face,
same eyes, same hair..." Her brow furrowed. "Just much younger."
Dashing out of the park, she stood on the curb and watched as
the four entered the store. "Just as I thought!" she announced, slowly
starting across the street. "That girl must be the Priestess!"
And with that, she dashed into the baby store just before the
door slammed shut behind her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"What size does she wear?" inquired Reeny, lifting a giggling
Ambriel over her head and furrowing her brow as she looked at the
child's bottom.
Susan chuckled. "I'd assume 2-toddler," she supplied with a
mysterious smile, breathing in a deep breath through her nose. As she
looked around the store, her grin grew wider. She folded her hands
over her stomach and left the group to wander around.
The Princess wrinkled her nose and placed the little girl on the
floor. "How'd she know that?" she asked the blonde handmaiden.
With an exasperated smile, Lisa glanced around the shop, trying
to find the appropriate clothing section. "Most the time, children of
a certain age fit into their appropriate size... Two-year-olds in 2-T,
three-year-olds in 3-T..." Seeing the confused gleam in the teen's red
eyes, she shook her head and took the toddler's hand. "Never mind,"
Lisa sighed. "Come on, I found her section."
As the threesome started toward the back-most area of the store,
a salesclerk approached them. "I'm sorry, Miss," she said to Lisa in
an annoyed tone, "but your cat can't come in here."
Reeny whipped around, expecting Diana to be at her heels, and
came face-to-face with a rather scrappy-looking calico. Her fur was
mostly black, with bands of gold, tan, and cream throughout her fur.
On her forehead was a bright silver five-pointed star. Looking up at
them with vividly green, she mewed loudly and proceeded to rub up
against Ambriel's ankles. "Uhh..." stumbled the teen, red eyes staring
at the animal in shock.
The little one leaned forward and stared into the cat's eyes
with her own gray eyes, exchanging words without talking. "Angel no
want," breathed the little girl softly, pushing the cat away. "Star
must have."
Furrowing her eyebrows, the clerk's eyes went wide as the child
spoke. "About the cat..."
"Not ours," supplied Lisa quickly, scooping up the child as she
said so. "I've never seen it before in my life."
After mewing once more, the strange animal ran off.
Walking away from the confused saleslady, the handmaiden lowered
her voice to a whisper. "What was that?" she inquired, blue eyes full
of both confusion and fear. "She's never said more than 'Mommy' and
'angel'."
For a long moment, Reeny didn't speak. The child had, once, said
words beyond that. It was almost as though, when the time was right,
the little girl could say whatever she wanted to... But conversing
with a strange calico cat that materialized out of nowhere to follow
them around? A freak incident. That's all it could be. Just a freaky
occurrence.
As Susan neared them, a sad smile on her face, the Princess
sighed and shrugged noncommittally. "I don't think it was anything..."
she responded softly so that their third companion couldn't hear.
But in her heart, she knew that she was lying.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Damn," she muttered, shaking her head. "Who'd have thought the
stupid Priestess would be so smart already?"
The wind ruffled her hair as she looked down on Crystal Tokyo
from her perch atop a rather large metropolitan apartment complex.
With a sigh, she hung her head and studied the surface of the roof.
How had the Priestess known what she wanted? Was it really that
obvious?
The Princess and the Keeper of the Nebulae were near. She could
feel it within her bones. And the Prince was further away, but out
there, nonetheless. She would find them and make that damn voice
happy.
And then, she would return to her nice little grove of flowers
and be happy for once in her life.
Below, her green eyes caught onto an odd sight--a young girl, no
older than six, walking down the sidewalk with a blonde teen and two
cats. One of the animals was pink, and the other was a white and
orange bicolor. Gold flashed as they entered a particularly sunny
patch of the street, and she caught the shapes that sparkled off their
foreheads.
Twin crescent moons.
"Shit!" she swore, kicking at a little stone in frustration.
"Orb and Diana! Just what I wanted to deal with!" Turning her back on
the street, she tossed her head. "I've heard about those two, and I've
had officially enough of this! I'm going home!"
Find the Princess, came the voice.
"Shut up!" she roared, emotions unknown to her surfacing. "I
will not find the damn Princess!"
Yes, you will! Pain shot through her, and she fell on her
side, feet going numb suddenly.
Standing, she let out a long breath. "Okay, okay," she sighed,
closing her eyes lightly. "I'll find your stupid Princess..."
The voice quieted for a brief moment. Thank you, it finally
said, quite softly.
She sneered. "Well, you're NOT welcome!" she shot before hopping
onto the next rooftop and starting on her way.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Orb froze in mid-step, suddenly staring upward. "Do you ever get
the distinct impression we're being watched?" he inquired of the
others in a soft voice, eyebrows knitting together. Hazel eyes half-
closed, he studied the rooftop. There'd been a flash of silver on that
roof, he just KNEW it. The glimmer had been just enough to catch his
attention, and the cat was quite certain that his instincts were right
this time. The foursome was being watched.
"Come on, now," sighed Diana, shaking her head as her brother
gazed at the top of the apartment building. "Who would be watching us
from so high up?"
Celeste considered this. "The Starlit Prince?"
Laughing, her older sister ruffled one of the corn-colored
pigtails. "Silly girl," she commented in a serious tone. "No one was
watching us..."
"But it was silver," Orb protested, eyes still fixed on the
building-top. "And you know the legend..."
"What legend?" asked Lyra, confused. She too looked up to the
sky, seeing no silver light or watchful eyes.
Sitting on his haunches, Orb smiled slightly. "There is a legend
that says there are four powerful kingdoms that still live, though
they were at their peaks during the Silver Millennium. They are the
Gold Moon, the Silver Moon, the Silver Star and the Gold Star."
The two Sailor Scouts looked at one another, exchanging confused
glances. Why did that sound so familiar?
He continued. "The Gold Moon was, of course, Serenity and her
court," Orb stated without emotion. "I'm not going to go into detail
with this one, because we've all heard far enough about it."
"You're telling me," muttered the pink cat under her breath.
Orb rolled his eyes. "The Silver Moon was a kingdom of priests
and priestesses who were sort of like story tellers... Taught by the
Angel of the Moon, Ambriel."
"AMBRIEL?" The three others looked at him in disbelief as his
sentence closed. "She's the head of some sort of priesthood?" inquired
Diana, red eyes large. "Why do you just now mention this?"
"Cool your jets," put in Celeste thoughtfully. "He's not done
yet." She crouched down and patted the Moon Cat's head. "What's the
Silver Star stand for?" she questioned him softly. "It sounds very
familiar..."
He paused for a long moment, eyes turning very sad. "The Silver
Star is the Star Kingdom. It was ruled by two best friends, each
married and expecting children." He sighed, hanging his head for a
long moment. "They were to be the Prince and Princess of the Stars but
never were able to be born."
"Why not?" Lyra shivered as she spoke. Something about the
entire story hit a soft spot in her heart, and she couldn't shake it.
"The Silver Millennium ended," Orb finally finished. "Three days
before the children were born. The Guardian spirit of the Star
Kingdom--Orion--was able to save both children, but not both rulers.
The mother of the Prince was salvaged..." He gulped. "As was the
father of the Princess. And they were to be reborn, but if they were
in the thirtieth century..." He shook his head. "I don't know the rest
of the story, but there's talk of a Keeper of the Nebulae also. She
was to be the ruler of the Gold Star. But there is little known
information on the Gold Star and..." He trailed off, standing as he
did so.
Both girls were in shock from the story. Gold Star...Silver
Star... Where had they heard that before? Celeste wrapped her arms
around Lyra's legs and buried her head in the teen's sweatshirt as
they stood on the sidewalk for a long moment. It hit home for some
reason... It felt so very familiar...
Diana sighed. "I don't know how this all relates," she said in a
rather dry tone, "but you two do stand for the Stars. Perhaps it has
something to do with you."
"I sure hope not," choked the little girl, voice muffled because
of the shirt. "I don't want to be dead!"
Snorting, Orb hopped onto the child's shoulder. "If you were the
Princess, little one, then perhaps you wouldn't be dead..."
'The mother of the Prince was saved...'
Lyra shuddered as the words came back.
'As was the father of the Princess...'
She shook her head, trying to clear it.
'The father of the Princess...'
Her knees trembled.
'The Princess...'
A child reborn in the thirtieth century? What would it mean?
'Princess...'
A scream interrupted her thoughts, and she snapped to a quick
attention. Both cats were back on the sidewalk now, staring at each
other as a laugh sounded at the end of the street.
"Got you now, Sailors!" screamed Doubt, a wicked smile on her
face. "Come out, come out, where ever you are!"
Rolling brown eyes, Lyra grabbed a very alarmed Celeste by the
wrist. "Let's go!"
"But..."
"Now!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
She'd heard it. The scream echoed through the Tokyo air, cutting
the relative silence of the park like a knife.
"Great," she mumbled, stretching and clambering to her feet.
"Just what I needed... A monster roaming the streets."
Then, a wicked idea hit her. Where there was a monster, there
were Galactic Sailor Scouts. And where there were Sailor Scouts, there
was the Starlit Prince. And where there was the Prince, there was...
The Princess.
Find her! screamed the voice suddenly, terrifying her out of
her wits as she ran down the path toward the gates. Get the Princess!
"Who the Hell are you, anyway?" she huffed, dashing toward the
street with reckless abandon.
The voice seemed to grow more tried as she did... A friend, it
said.
"Well, I'm glad that I have at least one." She smiled faintly
before continuing her mad chase toward the source of the shriek.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sighing, Alice rested her elbows on her knees. "It's been a
really long day," she commented, yawning a bit as she said so. "I
can't wait to get home and collapse on the couch in front of the TV."
"I can't wait to try on my new clothes," put in Phoebe, pulling
a bright yellow sweater with blue trim from her shopping bag. "My
mother would flip if she knew I bought this!" she giggled with a grin.
"But it just...called...to me..."
Haley snorted. "Yeah, it said: 'Help! Help! I'm an ugly
sweater!'" She received a well-meant blow to the back of her head with
said sweater and laughed aloud.
The Shinto, who was leaning against one of the fake trees in the
mall, let out a long sigh. That vision was still bothering her. What
did it mean? Her mother had once told her of all the different signs
that could appear in premonitions, but none really applied to this. It
wasn't a vision of doom, destruction, or hate--it had been, after all,
almost beautiful in nature.
Suddenly, she saw it again in her half-closed eyelids. A tiny,
scrappy cat with silver light emitting from its forehead. Closing her
eyes completely, she concentrated on the image. The silver light
became a definite shape as she stared at it, and the shape was a
five-pointed star. She felt a hand on her arm and the image faded as
quickly as it had come.
"You alright?" Phoebe asked urgently, looking at her friend as
the green eyes flew open. "You were starting to sway again..." Her
voice became very concerned as she lowered it. "We've got a locket
alert, too," she whispered under her breath. "Haley says that it's
coming from Market Street."
This jarred Tara completely awake. "That's where Reeny went
shopping today!" she announced nervously, her hands flying into her
purse as she searched for the Locket of the Earth.
"We," mumbled Alice as she pulled out her own locket, "should
really invest in communicators."
With that one last comment, the Galactic Sailors bolted toward
the nearest bathroom.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Never before had she seen anything like it.
Not the monster, of course. No, she'd seen hundreds of monsters
before, and this one was no cut above the rest. It was a good ten feet
tall and oozing a greenish-blue slime as it threw what looked to be
soccer-ball-sized chunks of hail at the nearby civilians. That didn't
scare her at all.
But the woman behind it did.
She was obviously young, with a shapely body accentuated by a
skin-tight gray dress that shimmered with each movement. Her white
hair flowed far past her waist, to nearly her knees, and was bound at
the nape of her neck by a single black ribbon. A few of the snow-
colored tresses strayed into nearly black eyes, and her wine-colored
lips were parted in an evil sneer as she directed her creature where
to go. Whoever this woman was, she was evil. Very evil.
Find the Princess! returned the voice. And do not worry about
the Raider!
Cowering behind a small piney bush, she made no attempt to move.
"Raider?" Her green eyes flew toward the devious-looking woman before
her. "Is that what they call her?"
Raider Doubt, responded the voice casually. The meanest thing
I have yet to go up against in all my years. It paused, as though the
speaker could see the monster and its keeper. The Raider has a soft
spot for Sailor Chibi-Star and will, it continued, not dare to harm
her.
"Chibi-Star?" she breathed, incredulous. "Is that the child?"
That, came the response, it is.
She smiled. Soon enough, all would fall into place, and she
could go back where she belonged.
Home.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Her monster through more hail at the innocents that surrounded
them. Doubt laughed, her eyebrows arched evilly. "Come, Sailor
Scouts!" she announced loudly, her voice carrying through the air as
she spoke. "Feel my wrath!"
Leaning against the rough brick wall of the alleyway, Sailor
Polaris gritted her teeth nervously. "When are the others going to get
here?" she asked, clenching her fists as she glanced at the Raider
through silted eyes.
"I don't want to wait too long." Celeste peeked slowly around
the corner to where the Raider stood, commanding her monster. "What
happens if the cretin hurts somebody?" She lowered her green eyes
slowly, breaths becoming ragged. "When I get my hands on that woman, I
swear..."
There was a sudden flash of bright silver light, followed by the
appearance of a tiny calico cat. "Do as I say," it commanded in a
throaty tone, glaring its forest-colored eyes, "and don't argue with
me!"
The girls stared in shock at the animal, neither knowing exactly
what to say. There was more light illuminating the alley--odd tints of
both silver and gold light that flickered on and off a few times in
rapid succession before disappearing into nothingness. Gasping, Sailor
Polaris felt her knees tremble as the colors died down.
"Attack that woman for all it's worth!" the animal shot, seeing
that the girls were really not listening to her ranting. "Ignore the
monster, and KILL THE RAIDER!"
"You...talk..." managed Chibi-Star, throat extremely tight.
"Cats...don't...talk..."
Rolling her eyes, the cat snorted at the two Scouts. "Some of us
do," she responded coolly, tossing her head. "Including your two
feline friends who just ran off."
The gold-and-orange suited Sailor raised an eyebrow. "You knew
about that?"
She shrugged and began to fade slightly. "I know a lot of
things," she responded casually, "Lyra and Celeste."
The cat disappeared, and the two Galactic Sailors glanced at one
another for a very long moment, hardly able to so much as talk with
the near shock of the animal's showing.
Then, licking her lips, the taller of the two smiled a slight
bit and folded her hands. "Well, 'Leste, I know good advice when I
hear it."
She plunged out of the alley and into the street, the younger of
the two following.
And, from her spot atop the building, a certain scrappy calico
cat smiled.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I don't want to fight!" complained Neo-Sailor Moon, hopping
across the gap between two buildings, Galactic Rod in hand. "I was
buying clothes for Ambriel and now I'm going to beat up one of Doubt's
monsters!"
The pink cat launched herself across the gap as well and rolled
her magenta eyes. "One of these days," she sighed, shaking her head a
bit as she ran, "I am going to kill you and I'm not going to feel the
least bit sorry!"
Sailor Moon froze in mid-dash, sliding to a stop in her knee-
high boots. "Uh-oh..."
Both Doubt and her rather vile-looking creature were standing
over an unconscious Sailor Chibi-Star and a very shaky Sailor Polaris.
The standing Scout glared at the Raider and raised one of her arms.
"Starry Sky... SMASH!" she hollered, bringing her hand down and away
from her body in one swift motion.
Stardust gathered into a ball and fell toward the Raider woman,
who took it as a hint and faded into a swirl of blue light. The
monster dodged the giant clump of stardust and threw several large
cubes of hail at the young Scout.
"No! Don't hurt her!" With a deep breath, Sailor Moon Dove from
the top of the building, Rod pointed directly at the creature and eyes
lowered into a dangerous glare. "Galactic Shower!" she announced,
colored dusts and beams of whitish light flying toward the hail and
turning it into little more than dust. Landing gracefully on the
sidewalk, the teen pointed the Rod at her enemy. "I am Sailor Moon,
and I fight for justice and against evil like you," she said in a
rather dry tone. "Galactic Shower!"
The monster roared before crumbling into a large pile of moon
dust.
Turning suddenly to her blonde-haired friend, Sailor Moon
grimaced slightly and helped her up off the cool ground. "You alright,
Polaris?" she asked softly, eyes riddled with concern and worry.
The girl nodded quickly before glancing over to the youngest
Sailor, who was now stirring and beginning to sit up. "Is she
alright?" inquired the blonde Scout with worry.
"I'm fine," grumbled the little girl, standing on her shaky
legs. "But I still think that the cat was nuts."
"CAT?" The four other Sailors, led by Orb, came running to the
scene of the fight.
"What are you talking about, you psychopaths?" Aurora Borealis
raised an eyebrow and surveyed the area. "I don't see any cats!"
With a sigh, Polaris shook her head and chewed her lower lip.
"Let's find somewhere to meet," she suggested in a rather grim tone.
"It's a long story."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Alex smiled sheepishly and looked up from the computer screen,
taking off her reading glasses as she did so. "I'm sorry, but Susan's
not here right now," she explained, glancing nervously at the aqua-
haired musician. Michelle was glaring angrily at her wife, though God
alone knew why.
Making a face, Terrence threw himself into the nearest dining
room chair. "Where'd she go?" he inquired nosily. "I need to talk to
her about baby stuff..."
"Well, that's just GREAT for you, I'm sure," shot the blonde,
feeling herself tense, "but I've got about six dozen report cards to
fill out by Sunday, and you're really not helping..."
Michelle wiped her hands on the dishrag and smiled politely at
the brunette visitor. "I'm sure," she supplied sweetly, "that both of
us would adore to entertain you for the time being." She shot a stone-
cold 'look' at her blonde companion. "Isn't that right, darling?"
She grimaced. "Whatever you say, snookums," she replied,
clenching her jaw in frustration as she slipped back on her eyewear
and focused on the screen before her.
"Nah, that's alright," he assured the couple, pulling himself
out of the chair and bowing a bit to Michelle. "I really have a lot to
do tonight, and..." Stopping, a small smile crossed his face. "Never
mind..."
The door opened and then quickly slammed as someone entered the
house. "I am so sick of baby shopping!" announced an exasperated
Susan, throwing down her purse in anger. "Everything is so cute and SO
expensive! I could just hurl!"
Furrowing her brow, Alex looked in doubt at the young man.
"How'd you know she was coming?"
He winked a green eye. "It's a gift!"
"And another thing, MISTER CHIBA," called Susan to her boyfriend
whilst stomping into the kitchen and pouring herself a large cup of
water, "I do not like it when you show up unexpected at my house!" She
turned to him, a glare in her red eyes, and immediately gave into a
smile.
Terrence was, as usual, wearing a very sloppy brown suit, with
his gold-rimmed glasses nearly falling off his nose. Green eyes
sparkled with happiness--happiness to see his one-and-only, happiness
to be an expecting father... Happiness to be alive in such a
wonderfully vibrant world. With a gentle smile, he chewed on his lower
lip slowly. "Sorry, Sets... I just wanted to see you..."
She bristled and crossed her arms, resting them on her bloated
belly. "Why can't you call me 'Susan' for once?" she asked, looking
away from him.
"Okay, thank you two very much," shot Alexandra, standing and
stretching a bit while making discreet gagging gestures. "But I really
have had too much cute-ness today already, what with Brian and Hannah
spending all morning discussing wedding plans..." With a shudder, she
grabbed an apple off the counter and shined it on her shirt. "So, if
you'll excuse the ever-cynical Mistress of Uranus, I'm going to go
play video games!"
As the other woman left down the stairs, Michelle plunged
another dish into the sink. "It's a wonder that this marriage even
works," she sighed with a shake of her head.
The young man blanched, sitting on the edge of the kitchen
table. "You've been married a month!" he commented ruefully. "How can
you say something like that?"
"Well, it's been a long month." She chortled at this, tossing
her hair a bit.
Susan smiled gently, walking over to stand beside Terrence.
"There was something you wanted to talk to me about?" she inquired
sweetly, leaning her head on one of his shoulders.
Nodding, he smiled a bit. "Lamaze. What's the Planet Mistress
approach to that?"
"Sounds fun!" The musician commented with a grin. "I never got
to do that..." She sighed and pouted a little. "I want to have my own
baby..."
A yell came up from the basement. "AND HOW THE HELL ARE WE
SUPPOSED TO MANAGE THAT?"
Laughing at her friend's antics, the Guardian of Time sighed
wistfully. "I'd love to Terry," she replied. "It sounds like something
we should really--ooh!"
"What?" He jumped away from her and glanced nervously at her
pregnant stomach. "Is something wrong?"
"One of the little devils just kicked," she responded softly,
resting a hand on her belly. "Ooh! There they go again!"
Michelle was about to respond when her mate added another
comment to the fray. "NOT EVEN, MICHI! YOU SO MUCH AS THINK IT AND..."
The aqua-haired woman shook her head and continued with the dishes.
Hesitantly, Terrence reached forward and rested one of his hands
extremely lightly next to Susan's. "Does this hurt you?" he inquired
softly, shaking a bit.
She smiled. "It feels...different..." she responded, pressing
his hand closer to her. "But your hand can't hurt me and, besides, I
want you to feel this..."
"I remember when Serenity was pregnant with the Princess," put
in Michelle thoughtfully, watching the couple with teary blue eyes.
"It was so wonderful to feel little Reeny kick..."
A loud snort traveled up the stairs and into the kitchen. "WHAT
PART OF NO DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? NO BABIES!"
Clenching her fists, Michelle stomped down to the basement
angrily.
Terrence smoothed his hand over Susan's belly. "I really don't
think I appreciate this enough," he said softly.
"I think you're right," came her casual response as she placed
her hand atop his. "Can I confide in you?" Receiving an affirmative
nod, she smiled shyly. "When I first found out about the pregnancy, I
thought it was all a mistake... I thought that, perhaps, our one-night
fling would return to haunt me." Leaning forward, she brushed her
crimson lips across his. "But now," she whispered softly into his ear,
"I know it wasn't."
Covering her lips with his, Terrence pulled shut his eyes and
drew her close. They stood there for a long moment, embracing, until
he gasped in surprise.
One of the babies had kicked.
"It's amazing!" he announced, pulling away from her and
delighting in the sensation as the child kicked once again. "I wonder
which one's doing that!"
She sighed wistfully. "Me too..." she agreed.
Just then, Alexandra stumbled up the stairs, a bit confused. Her
hair was ruffled and lipstick smeared her lips.
"I was told to work on my report cards," she stammered,
stumbling for the chair, "by a very...feisty...Michi..."
The couple laughed.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I don't get it," she sighed, pouting. "I've been looking around
this city for what seems to been an eon, and I've yet to find the
Prince."
But you found her, commented the voice softly. The Princess.
She froze in place, bristling. Many inappropriate words flew into
her mind as she stood in her place, and she swallowed all of them
quickly. "What good will a Princess do without her Prince?" she managed
to croak out.
Good point.
"Of course it's a good point!" She let out a breath and shook her
head. "I've quite nearly given up on all of this, sir. I don't know who
you are, or where you're from, but I think that we'd best...meet..." Her
green eyes narrowed as she glanced across the street.
What? The voice was urgent. You have to be my eyes this time.
Walking down the street was a young man with rather dark red hair.
He held in his hand a few purple roses, and had a rather sad smile on
his face as he went.
"What's the symbol of the house of the Prince?" she asked softly,
jaw dropping.
The Starlit Prince? I'm ashamed...
"Humor me." Her voice was flat.
Roses. Purple roses.
She grinned, feeling suddenly rejuvenated.
"Bingo."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
With a long sigh, Lyra hung her head while walking.
'A cat?' Phoebe had laughed. 'Appearing in a flash of silver
light? That may happen in old mangas, Lyra, but do you really think that
it's at all feasible to happen in real-life?'
But was real-life and what was fiction?
'And besides,' Alice had put in, 'don't you think that it's a bit
odd that the cat suddenly shows up and only talks to you and Celeste?'
True. Very true. But they both had seen it...hadn't they?
'Talking cats do happen,' Orb and Diana had commented together,
'but we'd have known about it.'
'And I would have, too,' came Reeny's words of wisdom.
But something about this cat felt so right and so...familiar. Lyra
shuddered.
'The only thing I don't understand,' Tara had said, 'was the
glimmering gold and silver light. But I'm sure it's in one of my
books...'
Haley hadn't been much help. 'Chin up, kiddo.'
So, all-in-all, the Scout meeting had been more like an attempt to
convince the two Scouts of the stars that there was no talking calico
cat in all of Tokyo.
But yet, there WAS.
"I'm not nuts, am I?" asked Lyra aloud, kicking at a stone.
No. She couldn't be nuts. That cat was real. It just had to be.
And what about Orb's legend? Silver Star... The cat appeared in
silver... Ambriel was of the Silver Moon... The star atop Celeste's
transformation pen was gold... Reeny was of the Gold Moon... Gold...
Silver... Silver... Gold...
Silver and gold light... Silver and gold stardust... Silver and
Gold Star.
It all had to fit together, Lyra assured herself.
Or did it...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Looking down at the roses in front of him, Richard let out a long
sigh. Why did breaking up have to be so hard?
It wasn't that he didn't like Lyra. No. Richard was very nearly in
love with the lithe curly-haired teen who'd one day crashed into his
life when a certain little six-year-old wouldn't give up on playing
Sailor V. No. Lyra was Sailor Polaris, a wonderfully mysterious, sweet,
helpful girl who'd live life to its fullest extent until the day she
died.
But her mother was a different story.
The fight between his mother and Mina wasn't the factor in-and-of
itself. It was the fact that Mrs. Mokoti was right.
They were four years apart in age. Four years! He chided himself
for attempting such a relationship. She was no child, but he was an
adult! It was morally wrong, amongst other things. She'd get too
attached, or he'd let his hormones get the better part of him, or he'd
go away to college and leave her behind...
No. That was that. No more Richard and Star...
Lyra, he told himself. Her name was only Star while they were
dating.
"Richard?" came a soft voice from behind him. He whirled around,
seeing, as fate would have it, a certain girl with corkscrew curls.
"Hi, Lyra..." he sighed.
She grinned and dashed across the last twenty feet between them as
though it were nothing. "Boy, am I glad to see you!" she exclaimed,
trying to weasel into his embrace.
Grimacing, he held out the three roses and tried to smile. "Here,"
he greeted her, trying to avoid her getting to close. "For you."
The smell of her shampoo, as familiar as it had become, was
intoxicating as the scent floated into his nostrils. Some part of him,
however small or large it was, refused to turn away from her. It took
all the will power he had and more to pull himself away from the girl
and focus on the sidewalk before him.
Her brown eyes, vibrantly alive, stared down at the flowers
happily. But, upon looking up, she did not seem the same old happy
Richard Umino that she liked so much.
His face was contorted into a grievous frown. Staring listlessly
at the ground, his incredibly deep cobalt eyes seemed almost teary. She
gulped.
"Are you alright?"
Turning to her, he nodded a little and swallowed hard. Somehow, a
lump had crawled up his throat and refused to move. And, in much the
same way, his heart had taken a swan dive into his stomach. "Can we go
talk?" he asked nervously, wringing his hands.
She nodded, still staring at the flowers. "Of course, Rich," she
responded softly, attempting to take his hand.
With a grunt, he wrenched his hand away from hers and led the way.
And, as he did, a single purple rose petal detached itself from
the flower and drifted through the air.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
She looked at it. A single rose petal. Purple in color. Before her
a young couple, seemingly mismatched but really very cute, strolled down
the street without speaking. The girl was blonde, her curly hair
haphazard. And he...
Purple roses. Starlit Prince.
Her smile, which had been quite grim, widened noticeably.
Silver Star. Princess of the Stars.
But where was she?
Green eyes focused once again on the blonde. Surely...
Yes, it was! Maybe she didn't look quite the same, but the girl
had to be Sailor Polaris. And Polaris was, after all, the ruling star of
the night sky.
Which meant...
You'd best follow them, came the voice, a bit nervous. I think
that they'll soon need your guidance...
Quickening her pace, she tossed her head a bit. "I don't see why
you can't just tell them," she addressed her unseen acquaintance. "I'm
sure that you even know them better..."
Even so, it returned, almost amused in nature, you are their
Guardian Spirit. The...
"Guardian of the Silver Star, Orion," she sighed, shaking her head
in a bit of shame. "Does that really even matter?"
Of course. The voice had become a bit sad. You were reborn only
to unite them and...
"AND?"
To help them fight against the impending evil. The tone was
reluctant.
Sneering, she lowered her eyes and stopped mid-stride. "You mean I
can't go home?" she shot in an angry tone. "You just wait, you good-for-
nothing, little..."
A door opened before her, and she gasped. The couple was walking
into an apartment building.
"Let's talk later," she shot, diving for the doorway and praying
to make it.
The door clicked shut just as the last inch of her body cleared
the passage.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"What do you mean, 'perhaps'?" Orb lowered his eyes at the white
cat before him. "Either you know or you don't!"
The Kino apartment was empty except for three animals, who sat in
the dark talking in hushed tones. Six eyes--two blue, two red, and two
gold--glowed in the tiny bit of light that came from the sunset. Outside,
the city was beginning to be taken over by the deep navy of dusk, but
enough light remained to illuminate the cats.
Diana bristled upon seeing her father's reaction to the younger
cat's words. He had smirked knowingly. "Who is this mysterious cat?" she
inquired softly, still shocked.
Though both Lyra and Celeste had sworn to the existence of a fifth
talking cat, neither could believe it. Only Moon cats could talk. All
Moon cats were descendants of Artemis and Luna, the original Guardians
of the Moon Kingdom. It couldn't be...
Could it?
Artemis smiled sadly and let out a long sigh. "Four Kingdoms." His
children stared. "Gold Moon..." A flash of gold filled the room, as did
a shadowed, almost holographic image of Neo-Queen Serenity. "Silver
Moon..." Another flash, this one silver, appeared, and an adult's image
did as well. She had floor-length red hair and was shrouded in silver.
Large wings flapped slowly, and she took off into flight.
"Ambriel... Angel Moon..." All words escaped Orb as he stared at
the vision before him. It was so real... So very vivid and beautiful...
"As an adult?"
Their father nodded. "She is to be High Priestess of the Earth,"
he responded casually. "And then, there is the Silver Star..."
A girl appeared, standing aside a tall red-haired young man. She
was garbed all in gold, her curly blonde hair cascading down her
shoulders as she smiled slightly. A tiny silver star was embedded upon
her forehead.
The man, however, was more simply clothed, wearing a traditional
black tuxedo. His shirt, however, was silver, and a purple rose
protruded from one of his breast pockets.
Suddenly, a flash of silver covered the view and a tiny cat
replaced the dreamy image. A tiny star, five-pointed and bright silver,
stood on its forehead, and its fur was scrappy and unkempt. It stood
outside some sort of wooden door, a sneer on its face. "Sir..." The
voice was feminine and strong. "Sir, we have a problem."
Artemis spoke. "What?"
"He's going to...umm...dump her," she said in a calm tone. "What
do we do if the Prince and the Princess don't want to be together?"
"You," the white cat shot back, "get in there and prevent that
event!"
She wrinkled her nose and sighed. "Yes sir."
The image faded out of sight, and both of the younger Moon cats
jumped. "That's..."
"And the Gold Star..." He ignored the pleas of his children and
continued.
A young blonde girl, dressed completely in a gold Sailor fuku,
stood before them. In her hands was an indescribably beautiful staff,
also in gold, with a singular golden star atop it. Winking a big green
eye, she disappeared.
"When the Silver Millennium ended," said the cat with a long sigh,
blue eyes closed tightly, "those four children were locked away, only to
be reborn when their natural parents had them." He smiled slightly. "And
so the two rulers of the Silver Star each had their natural child, and
the Princess of Venus had her Keeper, and the Priestess was brought back
upon the Eve of the Silver Moon." Eyes flying open, his smile grew
larger. "And soon, all will fall into place."
Sister and brother stared at one another wordlessly. What was it
that he meant by all that? Were all those other Kingdoms, as legendary
as they were, possibly real? And what about that cat...
Orb raised an eyebrow. "And that cat is the Guardian of the
Stars?" he inquired, confused.
Winking, the white cat shrugged. "Star light, star bright... Star
Princess," was all he said in answer.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"What's wrong?" Lyra asked with concern in her voice.
To say that she didn't know Richard would be a flat-out lie. She
knew him almost as well as she knew herself. Something about his eyes,
about his mere manner... It called to her, told her the truth, and made
her feel oddly...complete...
The young man stared at the floor, avoiding an answer.
Since the first moment he'd greeted her, she had known that
something was wrong. Never before had he pulled away from her. She'd
tried to take his hand, hug him, even to kiss him, but Richard was
avoiding it. That could mean only one thing... The bones of an argument
buried in the past...
"It's not my mother..."
So thus they stood, in the empty Umino apartment, each avoiding
the other's gaze.
"You know, Lyra, your mother had a really good point." She
attempted to stop him but he raised his hand. "Let me finish."
Richard's voice was gentle and sad as he spoke. "I am four years older
than you...and maybe it would be better if... Well, maybe..." He paused,
searching desperately for the right words. Looking a moment to at Lyra,
his heart skipped a beat. She was near tears, listening. He hated to do
this. He really liked Lyra. Her sweet smile, her curly hair, her great
personality. She was so beautiful. But, no, he had to do this. What
would the adults say?
Taking in a deep breath, he closed two stormy cobalt eyes. Four
years. Four years. Four years. The grim motif ran through his head in a
steady beat. It was better this way. No one could disapprove. There'd be
more young men for her... She was beautiful... Alive... Four years...
"Lyra, I think it would be best if we stopped..."
"Freeze right there!" A stern, female voice caused both of the
teens to nearly leap out of their skin. "If you two break up, do know
how that would ruin the entire Time-Space Continuum? Not to mention, I
wouldn't be able to go home!" The speaker cleared her throat. "Then,
there'd be real Hell to pay, you two."
"Who's there?" Richard's voice was shaky.
Without warning, a calico cat appeared from what seemed to be
nowhere, silver light flurrying around her. Her head was mostly black
with a clearly printed silver five-pointed star upon her forehead. She
leapt onto the coffee table and stared at the two teens. Then, in an
almost royal voice, she spoke.
"I am the official Guardian Spirit of the Kingdom of the Silver
Star. My name is Orion." She bowed her head towards both Richard and
Lyra.
"So?" Richard and Lyra were both confused.
"You mean you don't know who I am?" The cat was shocked. "The
Starlit Prince should have learned these things long ago!" She shook her
head. "When will you learn?"
They blinked, as though they were not listening to a word she
said.
"And another thing... The Starlit Prince should NOT..."
"That explains everything!" Lyra spoke for the first time,
cutting into what was quickly becoming a tirade. "He isn't the Starlit
Prince."
"Well, of course he..." Orion's green eyes went wide. "You haven't
told her?" she exclaimed, incredulous. "Shame on you!"
Lyra gulped, scratching the top of her head in confusion. This
little calico cat with the bright green eyes was accusing HER Richard of
being the...
Calico cat? Bright green eyes? It was the same animal as in the
alleyway!
The girl blinked. "You... You're that cat!" she yelped, brown eyes
huge. "The one from the alley!"
Orion's voice was dry. "Neither of you have any clue what I'm
talking about, do you?" she inquired, eyes lowering a bit.
"Now that you mention it... No." Richard sat down on the couch.
Sighing, the cat started what promised to be a long story.
"Long ago, in the Silver Millennium, there was a Kingdom called
the Silver Star. The rulers of the Kingdom were two women, and they were
each with child. The two children would someday rule.
"So, yadda yadda, the pregnancies went great. The one woman was
expecting a little girl, who was to be named Lyra." Orion's eyes flew to
the blonde as she said this. "And the other was to have a son--Richard."
She glanced to the young man. "But, the Silver Millennium was slowly
being destroyed and I was stuck with the task of saving your unborn
butts."
Lyra raised an eyebrow. "And how the Heck did you manage that
one?" she questioned, not really understanding the story. "You're a
cat..."
"In my true form," supplied Orion, deadpan, "I am a shape-shifter.
"Well, I saved you two. That was easy. However, I couldn't save
both of your parents in each case. I saved the mother of the Prince,
BUT..." She shook her head. "I could only save your father, Lyra.
"The mother and father were reborn, and I collapsed in a field of
flowers. This voice in my head...well... It sort of tells me a lot of
things, important or not. The last thing I remember is the flowers."
Richard considered this. "Then how am I a Prince?" he asked
softly, chewing on his lip. "And, if Lyra's the Princess, how the Hell
did she become Sailor Polaris?"
"And what about the Gold Star?" added the girl. "What's that have
to do with anything?" She paused, picking at one of her fingernails.
"And what about Ambriel?"
Rolling her green eyes, the cat shook her head in exasperation.
"Let me get to that," she sighed in annoyance. "So, anyway, you were
both to be reborn when your parents got married and had their own,
thirtieth-century children.
"But, there was a catch. The Princess' father didn't just pick to
marry any woman--he picked to wed the woman who was once the Princess of
Venus, Mina Aino."
His eyes went wide. "Your mother's the Mistress of Venus?" he
inquired.
Lyra blushed.
"Now, there was a rule made long ago--the first born child of a
Sailor Scout was to become a Sailor Scout. And, in this case, the same
happened. The problem was that Lyra, as the Princess, also had to be
born first...so..." She trailed off.
The blonde girl ran a shaky hand through her hair. "Two for the
price of one..." she gulped nervously.
Orion nodded. "And, it gets even stranger. The minute you were
born, something magical came over the Prince here, and he was endowed
with his own powers. To protect you, should anything bad come to pass."
"But then that makes him..."
"That makes me..."
The three voices united. "The Starlit Prince."
Silence filled the room as the young couple stared at one another.
This was stranger than they could have imagined in their wildest dreams.
Lyra cleared her throat and took in a shaking breath. "Is there anything
else that you know and I don't?" she inquired, almost breathlessly.
"Do you," retorted the cat, "really want to know?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Celeste looked up at the stars, eyes wide. Inside the Palace,
perhaps in the Princess' bedroom, there was a massive debate going on,
and she and her elder sister had caused it all. What had been such the
big deal, anyway? She didn't know.
But that cat was causing its fair share of problems.
So the little blonde girl, no older than six, swung her legs back
and forth as she sat on the elaborate park bench within Serenity's
courtyard. It had been a long day.
Stirring a bit, the sleepy handmaiden stretched and looked at her
watch. Lisa glanced at the child with a slight smile. She was a wise
woman despite her years--or lack thereof. But, then again, what did
define a wise person? Surely, it wasn't just someone old... It was
someone rich in life experiences and spirit, which Celeste was. Without
a doubt, that was one thing she was.
"Hey, Celeste," she called out, pulling the dull brown coat closer
to herself as she did so, "do you want to go inside yet?"
The child didn't say anything, but she shook her head.
Lisa walked toward the girl and sat next to her, wrapping a tight
arm around her shoulders as she did so. "How hard this all must be," she
commented softly, blue eyes sympathetic and soothing. "What are you so
worried about, little one?" She received no response. "Is it because of
the cat?"
Her voice was quiet, hoarse, and rather monotone. "The cat was
real," Celeste responded. "She has something to do with our past."
"Past?"
Rising, the girl looked into the handmaiden's eyes. "I'm sorry
Lisa, and thank you very much for your support, but..." She took a deep
breath and gulped slowly. "There is something I must do."
As Celeste departed, running down the dirt path toward the main
gates with her blonde hair flying quickly behind her, Lisa called after
her. "Be careful!" she warned nervously, teeth clenched.
With a long sigh, the handmaiden smoothed her brown skirts and
glanced up at the night sky. The stars shone brightly down on her
despite the bitter cold. "Please," she whispered, licking her parched
lips, "let her be careful."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Kicking at the gray stone, Doubt growled. "Those stupid pests!"
she announced to the empty Chamber of Spirits. "I am going to take care
of them once and from all!"
With a slightly sinister chuckle, the Raider King appeared in the
room, glaring at the woman as he did so. "And how, Doubt, do you plan to
do that?" The question was nearly rhetorical. "You so often overlook
those wretched Sailor's powers, and they managed to defeat even your
strongest monster."
"Well, I have a plan!" she protested loudly, a scroll appearing
before her and unrolling. "Sailor Polaris is to have a birthday in a few
days," she explained coolly, ebony eyes skimming the material. Doubt was
almost bored. She had gone over the material time and again, always
coming to the conclusion that this new plan would work.
Last time her plan was to work, Violence had died.
She shivered and cleared her throat a bit. "As I was saying, she
will have a birthday." The scroll closed. "I will use the data we have
on Chibi-Star to track down Polaris, for the Scouts will undoubtedly
spend the day with their friend. And then..." Pausing dramatically, she
glanced into the King's eyes.
They were completely lifeless, and she shivered for a second time,
feeling herself tense.
"Yes, well," Doubt continued, clearing her throat nervously, "I
will destroy her."
He rolled his crimson eyes. "Good luck..."
As the King faded away, her eyes flew to the three remaining
stones--gray, crimson, and silver. All else had failed, but would this
attempt?
She prayed that it wouldn't.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lyra leaned back into the couch. "You didn't know that you were
the Starlit Prince?" she inquired, almost amused. "That's hard to
believe."
"I don't know why I didn't know," he responded, fingering one of
the purple roses that was set upon the living room coffee table. "You
know, it all makes a strange amount of sense now... My mother's strange,
cryptic sayings... The occasional black-outs that I didn't understand...
The..."
"Well, yes," interrupted Orion urgently, eyes half-closed. Her
constitution was nothing like it had been in the Silver Millennium...
Then again, she had slept for the last few thousand years, so perhaps
that was good reasoning. "But I would like to finish my story. Ready?"
Both the teens looked at her in supreme doubt. They'd taken a much
needed break from the confusion to sit back and let it all set in, but
the cat had more to tell. Orion was a strange creature, not because she
was a talking cat, but because of her general manner.
Richard bit his lip slightly and nodded, closing his eyes. "I
think so," he said, finding Lyra's hand and interlacing their fingers
together. "When you are."
The cat grinned. "I thought so." Clearing her throat, she
continued.
"Also during the Silver Millennium was the Silver Moon. It was a
body of priests and priestesses, ruled by Angel Moon." She paused. "I am
NOT going to explain Angel Moon, because that would take a good month.
Anyway, once a year there was an annual festival called the Eve of the
Silver Moon.
"The festival was basically a yearly excuse for all the
priestesses and priests to get really smashed, but it was totally
different for Ambriel. For some strange reason, every year, about a week
before Christmas, she would totally shut down and begin to meditate."
Orion shook her head. "It was only later that we found out the festival
was begun because it was her birthday. And Ambriel..."
The blonde teen interrupted, "was reborn here as well, on the Eve
of the Silver Moon." Receiving a nod from the cat, she beamed. "Well,
that makes sense."
"And lastly, there was the Keeper of the Nebulae." Pausing, she
licked one of her paws and took in a deep, sharp breath. "It's really
hard to explain this one, but it ties into the Mistress of Venus more
than it does the Princess of Stars..."
"Well," put forth Richard, "a nebula is a cloud of illuminated
dust particles. Why would someone 'keep' those?"
Lyra smacked him upside the head. "Because they're pretty!" she
announced, scowling a bit.
The cat chuckled. "That's exactly what Venus had said." She
paused. "There's something very powerful about nebulae, and the first
Queen of Venus sought to control that power and protect such places of
vast wonder and beauty. Thus was born the Keeper of the Nebulae,
protected by the power of the Gold Star." She shook her head. "And I'll
tell you this much...
"Ambriel is destined to be the High Priestess of the Earth as an
adult, ruling the Earth alongside four powerful monarchs..."
Both teens froze as soon as the animal paused. They knew what was
coming.
"The Princess of the Stars, the Prince of the Stars, the Keeper of
the Nebulae, and the Master of Time."
A knock sounded at the door as she finished, and Richard leapt
into the air upon hearing it. The sound, along with the other
announcements of the day, had completely shot his nerves, and--as far as
he could tell--had shot Lyra's, too.
"Who... Who is it?" He strode toward the doorway.
A young sigh was heard. "It's Lyra's sister and, if you don't open
up, I'm going to be mad!"
He obliged, and she pranced in, seeing the cat and nearly
fainting. Shakily, she circled the table, poking the animal a few times.
She rubbed a pair of sleepy green eyes. "Lyra," she addressed her sister
nervously, "what is this?"
The blonde teen furrowed her brow in frustration. "A cat."
"The same one?"
"Mmm-hmm."
"What's the Star mean?"
Orion glared at the child and made a face. "I'm the Guardian
Spirit of the Kingdom of the Silver Star and--Oh, my God." She froze in
place and stared up at the child. "You're her."
"Her?" All three humans stared blankly at the calico.
"I didn't think it was possible, but you're really her!"
Celeste stuck out her tongue in confusion. "Who's 'her'?" she
asked softly.
"The Keeper of the Nebulae and destined ruler of the Earth, of
course!"
There was a long pause as Orion said this.
And then, all Hell broke loose.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Putting down the phone, the pink-haired Princess gulped. "Well,
this promises to be an interesting evening," she said softly, wringing
her hands as she sat on the edge of the bed.
The four other teens, who were all lounging in various positions
about Reeny's large chamber looked to their leader. It had already been
a very interesting day. The appearance of a fifth talking cat had set
all the teenagers into a world of confusion and relative chaos. It
wasn't as though they didn't believe Lyra and Celeste, because they, of
course, did believe them. It was just that the story was extremely...
odd...
Winning what seemed to be her hundredth game of arm wrestling
against Phoebe, the brunette girl cracked her knuckles. "Who was it,
Reen?" she inquired rather briskly, taking the blue-haired girl's hand
once again and attempting to pin it to the table.
"It was Lyra," sighed the eldest Scout with a long sigh. "And
you'll never guess what she said."
All eyes turned to her. Haley dropped her guard and Phoebe won the
game. Tara looked up from her thick volume of Spiritual Encyclopedia.
Alice nearly dropped Ambriel off her lap. Staring, no one dared to move.
The situation with Lyra so bothered them because of the fact that
it felt familiar. Almost right. As though, deep down, whatever was
happening was supposed to happen. In Phoebe's words: 'It's like déjà vu
has infested and I don't know how to stop it. This cat, Tara's visions,
and everything else for that matter... It was meant to be this way.'
Reeny breathed slowly and closed her wary red eyes. "She, Richard,
and Celeste are coming to visit," she gulped, voice nearly shaky. "And
they're bringing the cat."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
She sighed. It was cold outside. The January air bit her skin
cruelly, and she could feel her teeth chatter as she walked.
But her mission was complete.
You found them, it said once again. She was starting to
understand that her guide was male. And that he was as she was. A
Guardian.
"You're happy, then?" she questioned, doubt in her tone.
His voice seemed delighted. Never before have I been happier, he
responded softly. All the destinies are falling into place. The Prince,
the Princess, the Keeper, and the Priestess... They will all rule the
Earth someday.
She considered this with a furrowed brow. "And what of the Master
of Time?" she asked softly, pace slowing a bit. "He's in the prophecies
as well..."
You will not need to find him, the voice returned. He will soon
be born, and all will be as it should.
"I hope so..." Her green eyes trailed off the ground and to her
three companions. They were hushed, now--the young man with his arm
wrapped almost protectively around his little girlfriend; the six-year-
old girl was strolling slightly behind them, smiling widely. Never
before had she been so happy, and the observer smiled in kind.
Upon finding that she was the Keeper of the Nebulae, Celeste had
been, at first, terrified. She didn't understand her destiny, yet alone
want to be part of it. But she'd slowly grown to like the news...
For the Keeper of the Nebulae was one of the most powerful beings
in the Universe, dwarfed only by the powers of both Neo-Queen Serenity
and the Princess.
So, walking down the street were the Princess of the Stars, the
Prince of the Stars, the Keeper of the Nebulae, and the Guardian of the
Silver Star.
And Orion's smile grew larger as she spoke.
"This is how it's supposed to be, isn't it?"
The voice came once again, and he was amused. Yes, Orion, he
told her. It is.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lisa placed Ambriel into the large white crib, a slight smile on
her face.
"I don't," the handmaiden commented, brushing her blonde bangs
from her eyes, "understand you, little one. And I can't promise to ever
understand you." She paused, trailing her fingers across one of the
child's pale silken cheeks. "But I wish I knew what you were..."
A silver light illuminated the room, and the woman gasped. The
door hadn't opened, so what was it that had come in? Surely, no person
could have done such a thing...
"Do not be afraid," said a soft voice, and Lisa felt her eyes
widen considerably. Before her was a young woman--really no more than a
girl--dressed completely in white. Her hair was silver and flowed freely
past her ankles to the floor, pooling in a pile of what appeared to be
molten metal. Blue eyes shone brightly from under thick silvery
eyelashes, and pursed pink lips were smiling slightly as the stranger
took a long step forward. The light, which was an enchanting sheen of
color, came from a tiny silver crescent moon on her forehead.
But perhaps the strangest thing about the woman was behind her.
Two perfectly white wings, feathery and indescribable, decorated her
back, and they swayed slightly in some unknown breeze.
"I will not hurt you or the child," the angel stated plainly, her
rich, deep voice filling the room as she slowly paced toward the crib.
"For I am the first Angel of the Moon."
Lisa's breath caught in her throat as she said this. "Angel..."
she stammered, shaking. "Of...the Moon?"
With a laugh, high and rich, the Angel bowed her head in a slight
nod. "Right now, destinies are being fulfilled and, though you are
seemingly nothing compared to the Galactic Sailors, I must ask you a
favor." She paused, a tongue darting quickly across her rosy lips. "You
must promise me to do this, or all will be lost."
"Anything." The handmaiden fell to one knee in reverence. "I, as a
servant of the Queen, will do anything you ask, Angel of the Moon."
Chortling, the angel rested a single hand upon the woman's blonde
hair. "I need you to see to it that Reeny does a good job raising this
child...as a Priestess."
Lisa glanced up in doubt. "Priestess, my Angel?"
"Yes. Ambriel is to be the first Priestess of the Earth, and she
is to rekindle the flames of the Silver Moon." Glancing into the crib
with her blue eyes, the angel let out a long sigh. "It pains me so to
not be able to take care of my own daughter, but the Princess should
know..."
The handmaiden pulled back from the mysterious creature before her
and gasped involuntarily. "You're the one who left her in the cold?" She
tried to withhold a sneer, but it didn't work. "How could you?"
"My time," retorted the angel, "grows short. I cannot stay on this
planet much longer..." She trailed off, azure eyes turning sad and
teary. "But I know that, if you try to help, Reeny will be an excellent
mother to Ambriel."
"Is that what she is to be?" Lisa's slight anger quickly melted
away into understanding and a bit of pride. "I know that the Princess
will someday make a great mother..."
The other took a long step backward and smiled, wiping a tear from
her white cheek. "And Helios will make a great father to both this girl
and more children." The angel's smile became one of pure delight as she
folded her hands at her waist. "I just hope that you can understand and
embrace the fact that Ambriel is not like normal children..."
Gazing at the sleeping child as the silver light began to fade,
Lisa smiled widely and swallowed the coming tears. Maybe, one day, she
would understand all this and look back without confusion and smile.
"I'll take good care of her..." she breathed softly. "I promise."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"So you're the Guardian of the Silver Star?"
"Yes... And no. I'm the Guardian of the Stars. Period."
"And you're here to guide Lyra, Richard, Celeste, and Ambriel to
their ultimate destinies?"
"Exactly."
The five Sailor Scouts stared blankly at the calico cat who sat on
the bed. Her motley fur and bright green eyes stood out in the lamplight
as everyone looked expectantly at her.
Orion cleared her throat and put on a knowing smile. "Sailor
Scouts, I know what I'm talking about," she told them rather smugly,
"and believe me when I say that those four you just mentioned..."
"Richard, Lyra, Celeste, and Ambriel?" interrupted Alice rather
dully, her chestnut eyes still glued on the animal.
The cat let out a long sigh and hung her head. "Of course," she
retorted, annoyed. "I will teach them how to fulfill their lives and to
become the rulers of the Earth, or my name isn't..."
"Orion." Her tone was dry as she walked into the room, the two
younger Guardians in tow. "Of all the slime to slither up here at a time
like this." Luna smirked haughtily. "What in the name of the Moon brings
you all the way to Earth?"
Groaning, the calico lowered her green eyes at the ancient black
cat who stood before her. "Fancy meeting YOU here, Luna," she shot back
edgily. "What happened to free you from the wet and wild world of HELL?"
The black animal's tail began to puff up as she glared her orange
eyes at the younger cat. Silence fell quickly over the room, and it was
only broken by Orion's voice.
"Lyra and Richard," she called to the couple, "I want you to take
the rest of the girls into the next room..."
Reeny shook her head slowly. "That's Ambriel's, and she's asleep,"
she commented with a sigh. "Nice try."
"Okay," the cat shot, "go to the library." Seeing the pink-haired
teen open her mouth in response, the cat put her foot down. "Just get
the Hell out of here and I will explain later!"
The eight humans were out of the door in a flash.
As soon as the cats were alone in the room, Luna narrowed her eyes
and stared directly into the calico's forest-colored eyes. Her face was
straight and stern as she once again cleared her throat. "Here to cause
ruin once again?"
Orion bristled. "How is the fall of the Silver Millennium MY
fault, you wretched old fur ball?"
"Hey!" objected the pink cat, her own muscles tensing. "What gives
you the right to talk to my MOTHER that way?"
"The fact," shot back the calico, "that I didn't do anything
wrong!"
Luna let out a long sigh in exasperation. "Yes, you did," she
returned, voice growing softer. "If you hadn't slept, both rulers of the
Silver Star could have lived and the rest of us could have possibly led
a normal life!"
"Normal?" inquired Orb, speaking for the first time. His gold eyes
were focused on the stranger as he spoke, and he felt enchanted. "We
could never be normal! We're Guardians..." He shook his head. "We're
Guardians. It's of our nature to be different."
Furrowing her brow, his mother glanced at him in doubt. "No one
told you to speak, Orb."
Diana shook her head and sighed. "Come, Mother... Let's go consult
Serenity about this..."
As the duo started to leave, Orion stood up and paced quickly
after them. "You're avoiding the subject!" she shot as they walked out
the door. "You'll never understand if you're too lazy to listen!"
When they were gone, she hung her head. Never before had it been
so difficult or tedious to deal with Luna. In all the years of the
Silver Millennium, they'd gotten along fairly well--never were the two
close enough to be called 'friends', but they'd not fought. But, for
some reason, Luna blamed it all on her...
Don't worry, sighed the voice sympathetically. She's always
been like that, and Diana is her mother's daughter...
"Yeah, well," Orion sniffed, feeling so many foreign emotions that
her stomach churned, "I don't care. I don't think it's right, and..."
Another voice spoke up. "Who do you talk to?" asked Orb softly,
stepping forward to get a closer look at his subject. Her multi-colored
fur was unkempt and dirty, yet something about it shone and sparkled in
the light. Green eyes full of mystery and awe darted to examine his face
before turning away.
Tossing her head, she scoffed at him. "That is none of your
business," she spat at him, jumping atop the bed in a sleek movement.
"Go visit with your stupid family."
"Now, that's not fair." He raised an eyebrow at her. "You really
protect the Princess and Prince of the Stars?"
She snorted. "Thank you, Captain Obvious."
He looked at her in doubt and made a face. "Now, come on... I'm
trying to be nice to you. You're this enchanting, interesting alien
creature, and I am...smitten...with the idea that you're here and..."
Orb shook his head and blushed a bit. "And I really think that my mother
is wrong about you."
Taking in a deep breath, Orion clenched her jaw. "I am not
enchanting," she said softly, voice almost whispering. "And you are not
smitten." Her green eyes lowered into a harsh glare. "I don't understand
how, after witnessing that mess with I had your mother, you can even
begin to sit here and throw out false compliments." She turned away
quickly to hide a few coming tears. "Get out."
"Orion, I don't mean..."
The Guardian of the Star Kingdom just ignored him and buried her
head in the white quilt on the Princess' bed.
"Just get out."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
She rose feeling the sweet rays of the sun on her face, stretching
slowly as she climbed from her bed and walked to the window. It was just
an average day.
One week ago, she'd found herself in a world that she didn't
understand. Certainly, she was still on Earth, but it was just different
than it had ever been before. All bonds had been tested; all loyalties
had been pulled and poked until they nearly burst.
But they'd survived.
And it was all becoming much clearer.
A light knock sounded on the door and Lyra whirled around to greet
it, bright blonde curls sparkling in the morning sunlight. "Come in,"
she called softly, a smile crossing her face.
Her mother stepped in, carrying a large basket of laundry. "Good
morning, sleepy head," she grinned at the teen, placing a few pairs of
pants on the now-empty bed. "I took the liberties of calling Tara and
telling her you'd be late to the party."
The teen grimaced and glanced at the wall clock. Ten a.m. already?
She was late, and exclaimed so while diving for the closet. "Why didn't
you get me up?" she whined, slipping on the gold skirt that she'd picked
to wear for the day. "You could have at least tried to! The other Scouts
are going to kill me!" Seeing the amused smirk on the adult's face, Lyra
wrinkled her nose. "What?"
Shaking her head, Mina let her smile grow wider. "Well, it's just
sort of funny," she put in sweetly. "I suggested the same thing to
Celeste when she left an hour ago, but I was told to let you sleep..."
"Even my kid sister got there on time!" shot the blonde girl with
a long sigh, pulling her black sweater on and quickly binding her curls
into a tight ponytail. "I tell you what, Ma... If I'm ever this late
again to my own party, shoot me!"
"Will do," chortled Mina, starting out the door. Pausing, her face
turned thoughtful as she slipped one of the two bracelets off her wrist.
It was silver and made of tiny interlocking hearts, contrasting greatly
with the boring navy-and-orange glass beads beside it. Lyra remembered
that her mother had received the jewelry as a gift from her parents on
her fifteenth birthday. Though that event had taken place thousands of
years ago, she'd kept the bracelet as a constant reminder that there was
more to life than just being a Scout.
The woman sighed. "Here, Lyra." Holding out the gift, she blinked
back the tears that welled up in her light blue eyes. "I got this when I
turned fifteen, and I want you to have it..."
Accepting the bracelet, the teen slipped it on her wrist and
clenched her mom's hand. "Thank you," she whispered, tears coming to her
brown eyes as well. "I'll wear it every day."
As they both left the bedroom, Mina stopped and turned to her
daughter before she went down the stairs. "Oh," she smiled, as though
she was just remembering something, "and Lyra?"
"Hmm?" The girl cocked her head.
"Happy Birthday."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"A lot of things can happen in just one week."
Doubt shook her head as she passed the electronic store, listening
to the made-for-TV movie with a sort of half-hearted effort.
The Sailor Scouts were at the Cherry Hill Temple, unsuspecting of
any Raider attack. Or, at least Sailor Chibi-Star was.
Were Raiders supposed to feel guilt? Were they supposed to
understand the way others felt? She did. Something in the pit of her
stomach nagged her. Perhaps it was the closeness with Chibi-Star that
she had. Or maybe it was the lingering fact that she'd found the Sailor
Scouts to be real people. Or could it just be indigestion?
Whatever the case, she felt herself slow her speed as she walked
down the street. Four blocks. Only four blocks until the final
destruction of the Sailor Scouts and the freedom of the Raider band.
Only four blocks until she could avenge the deaths of the others.
She'd never admitted it to them, and she would never admit it
aloud, no matter how much torture she was put through, but Doubt knew
she'd loved the other Raiders. They'd brought a part of her life
together and made it complete. And something about it just...fit...
Smiling, the Raider of the Andromeda Galaxy named Doubt stretched
a bit and rubbed her hands together.
It was time to dance with destiny.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"But, you're the Starlit Prince," whined Orion with a disdainful
glare toward the young man in the letterman jacket. "You can't wander
out here. If you catch cold, then think of the peril your Princess will
be in..."
Richard shot a soft but stern glance at the little calico, who
then began to pout. Her quick, slightly angry breaths left tiny trails
of steam throughout the air as she looked at the ground. Feeling a bit
guilty, he sighed. "Well... Orion..." he scrambled. "Shouldn't I wait up
for my Princess instead of waiting inside? What if she gets hurt out
here and I'm not around?"
She huffed. "The Starlit Prince should not look for excuses when
it comes to his bad behavior," she retorted, a smirk crossing her face.
She liked to play games of wit.
"Well, then," returned the young man. "I guess I'm not a very good
Starlit Prince, am I?"
A chuckle sounded behind them. "Course you are, Richard!" giggled
Celeste, appearing out of the temple with a wide grin on her face. "You
just don't know it yet!"
The flood of memories hadn't ceased since the day he'd learned of
his destiny and of the life he was to lead as the Prince of the Silver
Star and future ruler of the Earth. He remembered his first battle with
the Raiders at Crystal Music Academy; he'd recalled with vivid accuracy
the time he'd helped kill the shadow demon at Best Buy. Suddenly, it had
all made sense, and he'd only regretted not yet telling his mother about
all the discoveries he'd made.
And one other thought had recently entered his mind.
Princess or not, he was in wild love with Lyra.
"Hey, Earth to Richard!" hollered the little blond girl, jumping
up and down in front of him, pigtails flailing wildly in the cool
January air. "You awake?"
Smiling down on her, he grabbed her around the waist and hoisted
the child up in the air, whirling her around in circles. She squealed
endlessly as he did so, but he refused to so much as slow the turns.
Kicking and squirming, Celeste tried to escape and, when he finally did
put her down, collapsed while laughing. "What," she attempted, clutching
her sides, "was that for?"
With a shrug, the redhead glanced at her. She was a sight to see,
pigtails now falling out and green eyes teary from giggling so hard. He
laughed a bit too, but for a quite different reason than she did. "I
really don't know," he admitted, offering a hand to help her up. "But I
think that this is the first time in my life that I actually feel like
I'm alive."
"I'm alive..." came a new voice, repeating his last line. "You
haven't read the book 'Dandelion Wine', have you?" Lyra's head appeared
at the top of the stairs, followed slowly by the rest of her body. "When
I was in my seventh-grade 'Literary Adventures' class, we read it." She
shrugged and stopped in front of her younger sister. "One day, the main
character realizes that he's alive."
Richard glanced at the blonde Princess, eyes basking in the glory
of her every inch. She wore a rather plain gold skirt with a fluffy
black sweater; her hair pulled up in a rather haphazard ponytail. But
every portion of her was just perfect, and he found himself wondering
why he even considered breaking up with her.
Because--Princess or not--he was in wild love with Lyra.
Celeste clambered to her feet. "Everybody's waiting on you!" she
announced.
Feeling forgotten, Orion stepped forward. "The Keeper of the
Nebulae shouldn't be so immature," she told the little girl, eyes slowly
drifting toward Lyra. "And the Princess of the Stars should not be so
late."
Wrapping a protective arm around his girlfriend's waist, Richard
lowered his blue eyes at the cat. "Orion, do me a favor."
"What?"
"Shut up."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Okay, whose gift is next?" inquired the blue-haired teen, looking
over the last three presents in the pile.
Against the wills of both Chad and Raye, the fire reading room had
been turned into a miniature party hall for the sake of the Sailors and
their friends. The great fire had been doused, streamers and create
paper hung from each and every corner, and balloons floated freely
around the room, either laying on the floor or being freely suspended on
the ceiling.
Lyra grinned. Around her sat various gifts: a volume of
Shakespeare from Phoebe, a gift certificate to the neighborhood sports
store from, a booklet of free meal vouchers at 'Jupiter's Delight' from
Alice, and a sweater from Celeste (with help from the others, of course).
The blonde picked up the largest box, which was from Reeny, and
proceeded to tear it open. Pulling out a long silver dress, she cocked
her head to one side. "What's this for?"
From her spot in the Princess' arms, Ambriel threw up her arms and
giggled. "Star!" she announced, smiling a sweet, innocent smile.
Reeny rolled her eyes. "I bought it because you're the Princess of
the Silver Star," she said with a smile. "And it just seemed to be...
appropriate..."
The gown glittered in the sunlight that flew through the windows.
Lyra smiled and hugged it close to her chest. "Thank you..."
Next was Tara's gift, a large book on astronomy and a potted plant
in a hand-decorated terra-cotta pot. The Shinto girl smiled and blushed
a little. "Your room needs a bit of greenery," she informed her friend.
"And the book was just perfect for you..."
Lastly was a tiny box from Richard. Within was a plain but
beautiful gold chain. Her breath caught in her throat as she lifted it
from its bed of cotton and admired it. "It's beautiful..." she managed,
eyes wide.
Her boyfriend smiled and took it from her hands. "It's for your
locket," he told her, taking the locket from the table and stringing it
onto the gift. Slowly clasping it around her neck, he leaned forward and
breathed in her soft scent. "Nothing's too good for my Princess..." he
whispered softly into her ear.
Blushing, the girl leaned back a bit and smiled to all her
friends. "Thank you so much for the birthday of my dreams. I've never
been..."
"Why, Sailor Polaris, I believe you've missed a present,"
announced an unseen speaker. A flash of bluish-gray light filled the
room and everyone gasped as a body appeared in midair.
Reeny bristled and shook her fist and the gray-garbed woman.
"Doubt! What the Hell..."
Dark energies shook the room, throwing a table upside down and
ripping half of the streamers off the wall. Balloons popped, glass
shattered, and the walls shook with the sheer force of the blast.
"Give me the Imperium Silver Crystal!" demanded the Raider, the
energy still radiating throughout the room. "Give me the Galactic Rod!
Or DIE!"
Without a word, Orion sprung into the air and swiped at Doubt with
her razor sharp claws. The Raider quickly shook the cat off her arm and
threw her into the wall.
Lyra felt her body start to shake. Richard was leaning halfway
over her, trying without much success to shield her from the draining
energy. The others were already close to unconsciousness, with Reeny,
Lyra, Celeste, and Richard being the only people awake enough to
understand the happenings.
Slowly but carefully, the blonde girl climbed to her feet, holding
onto one of the young man's shoulders for support. Her blonde, curly
hair flew about her messily as she rose to her shaking legs. Everything
hurt, but somehow, she felt the strength raise up inside her. "That is
well enough," she stated, lowering her shining brown eyes to slits.
"Princess..." choked the calico cat, her green eyes slowly
closing. "Fight..."
A tiny silver glow emitted from the cat's forehead before
dissipating into the air.
The teen felt her body tighten. "This is not how it will be,
Doubt," she managed, her muscles becoming extremely tight as she spoke.
"We will win. We will triumph."
"And how," inquired the Raider dryly, "is that?"
A silver star appeared on Lyra's forehead, glowing with a fierce
power. Three beams flew from it, engulfing Celeste, Richard and Orion in
a bright, pure light.
"Because," shot the blonde, "in the name of the Silver Star, I
will punish you."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Closing a pair of garnet eyes, she let out a long sigh. "Whoa,"
she breathed, hand clutching the teacup with white knuckles. "That was
not supposed to happen..."
Michelle pulled the bow away from her violin. Alexandra glanced up
from her sports magazine. Hannah dropped her science book on the floor.
"What?" the trio inquired in unison.
The green-haired woman gulped. "There was just a major shift in
the Time-Space Continuum," she whispered, opening her eyes very slowly.
"One that I didn't expect to happen."
"And?" The blonde's voice was rather dry.
Susan chuckled. "I think we've just found the Silver Star."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Silver.
Everything was silver.
A pale glow covered everything, and nothing--not even the still
bodies of those who she loved--was recognizable to her eyes. All she
could see was silver.
Her body was covered in a long dress. The dress was all gold. Her
hair hung limply around her shoulders, the curls well-tangled and matted
with sweat. Something smelled sweet in the air.
Gold.
A golden glow sparked in what appeared to be the distance. It grew
closer with every breath she took. But there was no body in the glow.
Just color.
Until the last second.
Garbed all in gold, a girl appeared. She was little more than a
child, really, hair pulled into a tight twist at the nape of her neck.
She was dressed in a traditional Sailor fuku, except it was of the
purest golden color known to man. Clutched in her hands was a staff,
probably about four feet in height. It was also golden, with a tiny star
of the same color adorning the top. Her green eyes glittered fiercely as
she stared directly into the young woman's eyes.
The silver maiden found her voice. "Celeste?"
"I have been called many things," responded the girl in a timeless
voice. "But none is so dear to me as that one name." She paused, one of
her hands flying to caress the tiny golden star that adorned her
forehead. "But, my Princess, I am most often called the Keeper of the
Nebulae."
The Princess smiled weakly and looked at her sister. "Is it time,
Celeste?" she inquired softly, eyes half-closed.
Nodding, the Keeper of the Nebulae waved her staff. "It is."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
One minute, the Sailor Scouts were either unconscious or close to
it. The next minute, there was a blinding flash of silver.
And, when Doubt opened her eyes, she gasped in complete shock.
Standing side-by-side were two blonde girls. The older one, with
curly dark-blonde hair, wore a golden gown. A silver star adorned her
forehead.
The child beside her wore a golden Sailor fuku and wielded a huge
golden staff. Her hair was lighter blonde and pulled up in a twist. A
golden star was embedded on her forehead.
And behind them stood the Starlit Prince and Neo-Sailor Moon, both
looking extremely upset.
Backing up, Doubt smiled innocently and nervously wrung her hands.
"Now then, Sailor Scouts..." She gritted her teeth. "I don't suppose we
could talk about this, could we?"
A purple rose zipped through the air and past her, landing at her
feet. The Starlit Prince removed his mask to reveal both two very angry
cobalt eyes and a silver star upon his own forehead.
The Raider woman clenched her jaw. "I'll take that as a no..."
Whirling a hand through the air in a quick circle, she smiled wickedly.
"BLACK DOOM!"
A shaft of black wind swirled through the air and quickly
approached the group of four warriors. The Keeper of the Nebulae
tightened her grip on the staff and swung it toward the beam of power.
The wave hit the staff and reversed, hitting Doubt directly in the
stomach. Screaming, she was thrown back through one of the walls and
into the courtyard of the temple.
The Princess of the Silver Star took a step forward, tossing her
hair slightly as she went. "I will do this," she called to her
companions, her voice growing timeless. "This will be my triumph."
Sailor Moon made a face. "She sure got Princessly in a hurry," she
muttered, red eyes following the teen in the golden gown.
"Hush, Reeny," scolded the Starlit Prince, chuckling nonetheless.
"She's a good Princess."
The Keeper of the Nebulae glanced behind her to the others. "You
will soon learn," she softly said, "that the truth about the Raiders is
that they only rely on lies and betrayal." Her green gaze lingered
longest upon Richard's face. "Go to her, Prince."
He obliged.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The Angel of the Moon looked down upon the scene with a waning
interest. "Everything is happening as it should," she smiled, leaning
back in the air slightly. "I think it will turn out for the best this
time."
Below her, a blonde girl stood over a white-haired woman. The
woman, a Raider, was clambering rather clumsily to her feet while the
teen glared at her. And the Angel knew that, somewhere, all the other
Guardians of the world were together, whatever the case may be.
"So, is that it?" inquired Orion with a yawn, her silver form
glittering as green eyes stared down upon the Earth. "We let the
Princess and Prince fight and that's that?"
Chuckling, the Angel glanced over at the spirit. "I like you
better as a cat, Orion," she observed with a slight smile.
The spirit made a face. "Let's everyone pick on the shape-shifter!"
Smiling once more, the Angel took off into the air. "Good luck!"
she exclaimed.
With a shake of what would be her head, Orion sighed. "I think I'm
going to need it."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Doubt climbed to her feet and glared at the young woman. All of
her strength was slowly leaving her. It was a showdown. One-on-one. No
more help, no more unity--just the harrowing, intoxicating high of
independence.
And she cleared her throat.
"They don't love you, you know," she commented coolly toward the
Princess, smiling smugly. "Real friends would have followed you out no
matter what."
Lyra bristled. What on Earth was she talking about?
"How much could HE possibly love you, Princess? He almost left you
high and dry just because you were younger! He doesn't care! No one
cares!" The Raider paused for a brief moment. Her life flashed slowly
before her. "Others can only bring hurt! Turn away, Princess. You can't
win! Think of all the hurt and pain that you've been through over the
past few months!"
And she did. Everything came into her mind like clockwork. The
first fight against Illness and Greed. The death of all the previous
Raiders. The various injuries of Alexandra, Michelle, and Celeste. The
pain of losing her sister, even for a day.
But not all her memories were bad. There was the feeling of hope
in meeting the other Scouts. There was the happiness and love she felt
with Richard. The power that she felt in seeing little Ambriel. The
magic that coursed through her veins.
And Richard did love her.
He had to.
"Star..." breathed a soft, deep voice from behind her. Looking at
Doubt for a long moment, Lyra took a deep breath and glanced back at
Richard.
A tear ran down his cheek. And she knew.
He did love her.
Princess or not.
Holding out a hand, the Princess of the Silver Star, ruler of both
the Star Kingdom and the Earth in the future, winked at her boyfriend.
"We do this together, instead, okay?"
He nodded and took her hand.
Silver.
Everything was silver.
Two rays of silver light, both shaped like stars, flowed from two
foreheads.
Doubt screamed, but nothing helped. The light collided with her,
and everything turned silver.
Silver.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Artemis opened one blue eye and smiled. "Good job," he said aloud,
hardly moving.
The voice, feminine and happy, flew through the air. "You think
so?" it asked of the big cat.
His smiled grew wider as he closed his eye and prepared to drift
back to sleep. "I know so."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
And thusly, Doubt was no more.
Six Galactic Sailors, one Keeper of the Nebulae, one Starlit
Prince, one Angel Moon, and a certain calico cat stood in front of the
temple, watching the sun set over Tokyo.
"What now?" inquired Celeste softly, leaning up against a post.
Tara's response was quick. "We fight the Raider King. He's got to
be the last one."
Phoebe raised her eyebrows. "And then what?" she asked sweetly.
The cat chuckled. "I'm going HOME!" put in Orion.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Galactic Sailors Say!
Strange brown-haired teen: Today, we learned the truth about the Urawa
family.
(Greg enters, wearing a pink bow in his hair and a frilly pink apron.
The teen sees this and fades into nothingness. Haley enters.)
Haley: (chuckling) Greg, you DID know that today's first author's
ramblings was FAKE, didn't you?
Greg: (patting his hair) But I like this style!
(Phoebe runs in, distraught)
Phoebe: I took the time to fold all the towels in the linen closet, and
now they're all messed up!
(The brown-haired teen giggles offscreen and Terrence appears, wearing a
judge's robe)
Terrence: I am Judge Brianite! (pulls a gavel out of his pocket) Ta-da!
Haley: (sighing) And what would Susan say?
Susan: (in a business suit) Objection! Leading the witness!
Phoebe: (shaking her head) Today's message is that it's okay to get
counseling. Believe it or not, it's healthy. And fun!
Greg: (furrowing brow) I never liked to have counseling for my...
problems...
Haley: (coughs into her fist)
Greg: (makes a face) I was talking about my compulsive spending habits!
Haley: (rolls eyes) Whatever. We all say...
ALL: 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)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
First and foremost, if you didn't understand this, read "Appendix: The
Legend of the Four Kingdoms"! Then, feel free to email me (Kate), at
duncan@chicago.avenew.com. I will answer all questions. It will, I
promise, get less confusing as time goes on. This was A LOT of story!
Also, I know that this wasn't all that great this time around. Please
forgive me. It was fun but also very hard to write.
--Kate and Christina (and Ginnie)
