A New Star
Author's Ramblings: (to the tune of the song "A Star is Born" from Disney's
Hercules) Gonna shout it from the mountaintops; story eleven's here. Meet some
heroes pulling out the stops; eleven's here.
Okay, song's over.
Thank you to Lady Toco, who has written music to the entirety of "I Know".
Ready yet? Get set! Because we're out of here! Enjoy!
Oh! And read "I Love You, Always Forever" by Andrea Readwolf and Kate Butler!
It's a collection of great Valentine's stories!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Last time, on Galactic Sailors...
Lyra, Richard, and Celeste were confronted with their ultimate destinies.
Orion, the Guardian of the Stars appeared. The first Angel of the Moon appeared.
There was a bit of Guardian cat animosity between Luna and Orion. Doubt died.
And that, my friends, is where the story begins...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
A penny for your thoughts.
She scoffed at the voice. "You've got really screwed-up timing," she spat,
eyes opening to become only slits. "What do you want now?"
Find...
"I found your stinking Princess!" Orion bristled, her tail puffing slowly
up. "I found the Prince, the Priestess, the Keeper, the Sailor Scouts AND I found
my destiny!" She sighed and closed her green eyes. "Please go away."
The voice sighed for a moment. I was going to suggest, he responded
softly, for you to find yourself, Orion; I know depression when I see it. There
was a long pause as she laid her head on her front paws. What's wrong with you?
Shaking her head a bit, the animal clenched her eyes as tight as possible.
"I don't know who you are or why you help me," the calico informed him, "but I
don't care." She let a tear roll down her cheek. "I just want to go home."
It's not that simple...
"I know it's not that simple!" she announced, hoping to her feet and pacing
up and down the floor. "Goddammit, I know how very hard it is!" Orion tossed her
head. "But that doesn't change my feelings and that doesn't make me happy!"
There was no sound for a long moment. I'm sorry, Orion, he finally said.
"Not," responded the cat, "as sorry as I am."
Footsteps sounded on the carpet and the young man stuck his head inside
his bedroom. "Are you alright, Orion?" he inquired, running a hand through his
deep red hair nervously. "I heard you talking to someone."
The calico cat smiled. A lot could happen in just a few weeks. And now,
after a bit of fighting and a lot of stress, the Raider King was the only one
left, and he was making no attempt to defeat the Sailor Scouts.
"I'm just fine, Richard..." she responded casually, licking a patch of
white that spotted one of her back paws. "Just a little homesick, I wager."
Chuckling, he bent down and scratched behind one of her ears. "Please don't
be homesick, kid," the teen chuckled. "You have us."
Looking up at him with her green eyes, the cat nodded a bit. "I think
that," she told him, "that's just enough for now."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Ice-blue eyes lowered toward the thick math book. "But I'm right!" A pencil
flew across the room, smashing into the nearest wall with a slight cracking
sound. "When I find the person who invited homework...I'll..." Phoebe paused, a
devilish smile crossing her face as her voice rose in pitch. Innocently, she
batted her eyelashes. "I'll take him by the head, and I'll twist and twist and
twist... Yep, I'll twist it right off, and then you know what I'll do? I'll stick
his head in a light socket. Yep!" Grinning, she leaned back in her desk chair and
let her voice return to normal. "That sounds like a good plan..."
"What are you blathering about this time?" inquired Orb, sashaying into the
room on padded paws.
Flipping one of her braids behind her shoulder, the teen smiled. "Not much,
Orb." She glanced at him, and her expression became thoughtful.
The cat's normally jovial smile was replaced with a grievous frown as he
stared past her and out the window. His brow was furrowed, his gold eyes were
wary and sad, and he breathed softly, exhaling in long, sad sighs.
"What's wrong?"
With a slight shake of his head, the Guardian blinked and smiled weakly at
his blue-haired charge. Truthfully, he'd never seen her happier to be alive. In
the few weeks that had flown past since the death of Raider Doubt, the girl had
gotten into another school-wide musical, improved her already stellar grades, and
joined a district-wide dance team. But she didn't know the truth--the Raider King
was still alive, and his threat toward the Galactic Sailors and the world was
immeasurable. "I'm okay, I guess," he sighed, attempting to smile, however fake
it did look.
She shook her head, turning to the window. The snow was beginning to melt,
the browned grass of the backyard poking daringly through the white slush. The
sun shone brightly, and a soft wind rustled the naked branches of the large oak
tree. Something about spring was already in the air, despite the fact it was only
early March. "You're not alright," she responded, still staring outside, watching
a few sparrows hop about underneath the bird feeder. "Something's bothering you."
Orb chuckled a bit. The girl knew him too well. "I was just thinking..." he
muttered, not wanting to trouble her with the truth.
"About the Raider King?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"And what?"
"The verdict, Orb."
Silence filled Phoebe's bedroom as he let out another long sigh and turned
away from her, staring at the burnt-orange carpeting as he did so. Nothing hurt
as much as the knowledge that it wasn't over. Nothing felt so wrong as to know
that, once again, six innocent teenage girls would head into battle and risk
their lives.
Dropping out of the chair and to her knees, the girl cocked her head at her
pet and ran her fingernails up and down his spine, silky fur tickling her hand.
"What is it, Orb?"
He shuddered, purring slightly at her gentle touch. "It's not over," Orb
whispered, closing his large eyes. "There is to be another Meeting of the
Mistresses tomorrow to decide..."
"Decide what?" The question broke the impending silence.
"To decide," he responded gravely, "the fate of the Earth."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Dropping the wrench at her side, Haley let out a labored sigh and leaned
back on her elbows, the rough metal of the catwalk biting at her skin. "I'm done
over here!" she called to the amber-haired girl who was re-positioning another
spotlight at the other end of the theatre. "You done yet, Harmony?"
The girl, a full three years younger than the brunette, shook her head and
continued her work. "Not yet, Miss Haley," she responded in a respectful tone,
eyes narrowing as she pulled the large light up a bit.
She smiled, wiping the sweat from her brow. Once again, an all-school
musical had claimed Phoebe Urawa as its leading lady, and once again, Haley was
up in the school catwalks, spending three hours of her time repositioning lights
so that the production could go according to plan. Which it, of course, would.
It had been a peaceful few weeks.
"Well, I'm going down and grabbing myself a drink," she told the younger
girl, mounting the ladder with relative ease. "Want anything?"
Harmony brushed a golden strand of hair from her eyes. "I want," she
grunted, "to finish this and go home!"
Chuckling, Haley climbed down the ladder and stretched, walking out onto
the stage with a large smile on her face as her teal eyes fell on a funny sight.
Michelle was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the stage, her aquamarine
hair falling messily into her blue eyes as she sorted through a sea of
photocopies. "Violin three..." she muttered aimlessly, flipping over a few of the
papers. "Where the Hell did I put that?"
Crouching down next to her mother, Haley sniggered. "A principal's work is
never done, eh?"
"No, it's not, Haley," responded the founder of the Crystal Music Academy,
still sifting through the sheets without ever lifting her eyes. "Do you want
something? Are the lights done? Going home yet?"
The teen ran a hand through her brown hair. "No. Almost. Pretty soon."
Picking up one of the papers, she dropped it in her mother's lap. "Violin three."
She stood and jumped off the platform, starting up the aisle fleetly.
With a bewildered glance, Michelle stared after her young daughter. "I want
you home soon," she warned. "Don't stick around here too long tonight."
Haley stopped in mid-step and whirled around on her heals. "And why not?"
she questioned, making a face. "Usually, you're happy when I spend a lot of time
here..."
"Not tonight," she repeated, stacking several pages together. "I want you
home for dinner."
"WHY?" whined Haley, stomping a foot. "We're going out with Terrence again,
anyway..."
Her mother's voice was almost inaudible as she gazed at the teen, blue eyes
piercing the iron will of her child.
"Because," Michelle said coolly, "there's a meeting of the Mistresses
tomorrow."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Another one?" whined the blonde woman, collapsing onto the couch. "It's
bad enough that we once again have to eat dinner with your boyfriend..." Seeing
the glared daggers flying toward her, she focused on the television screen and
brought the red car around a tight corner. "I mean..."
Susan sighed and stirred her tea. "That's enough out of you, Alexandra,"
she smiled slightly, resting the saucer on her bloated belly. "I'm not having an
expressly good day, in case you're not bright enough to notice."
Pausing the video game just long enough to cock her head to the side and
consider the pale, drained expression on the pregnant woman's face, Alex screwed
her face into a rather pathetic half-smile. "Sorry, Suse," she apologized,
focusing on the floor and then the video game's complex controller. "I don't
always realize stuff like that, you know?" Shrugging, she started the game back
up and maneuvered the vehicle over a high jump and over a pile of smashed up car
parts.
The Guardian of Time considered this and smiled gently at her blonde
friend. "I don't think that--out of all the times you've offended me in the last
thousand or so years--you've ever apologized."
Alex smiled, still focusing on the game rather than on her companion.
"Well, there's a first time for everything," she confessed. "I'm just surprised
it's taken me this long to actually be nice to you."
Their conversation was interrupted by Hannah padding down the stairs, Lyra
and Celeste Mokoti in tow. "Auntie Suse?" inquired the young woman, hands thrust
into her pants pockets as she looked at the adult with thoughtful purple eyes.
"These two would like to talk with you..."
Susan sat up to stare at the two blonde sisters. Alex shut off the Nintendo
system and looked at them as well. Hannah bustled back up the stairs.
"Ummm...well..." Lyra stared at her socks, nearly afraid to meet the
Mistresses' gazes. Licking her lips, she took a long breath and glanced slowly
up. "Celeste would like to know why Serenity called another Meeting of the
Mistresses," she requested softly, eyebrows knitting together involuntarily.
The green-haired woman was about to respond, but the smaller Mokoti girl
stepped forward, crossing her arms across her chest while doing so. "I don't
think it's fair!" she protested loudly. "We've handled all the other Raiders
without any help from you grown-ups, so why do we need help now?" She made a
face, green eyes turning a bit angry as she spoke. "I don't see why you're all so
afraid of us fighting against a Raider, even if he is the King!"
Footfalls sounded on the stairs, and Hannah once again emerged from the
kitchen. "She has a point," she put in, leaning against the doorway as she spoke.
"It is within their destinies to fight..."
"No parent," interrupted Alexandra thoughtfully, "likes to see their child
in danger, and this undoubtedly goes for us Mistresses." She settled further into
the couch. "For us, death is just an uncharted voyage. But for you..." Her green-
gray eyes flew to the curly-haired teen and then to the child with the corn-silk
blonde hair. If they didn't yet understand, would they ever? "If you two were to
die, it would be the loss of a new life, of a real life; but it's all relative, I
suppose." She paused and looked to Susan.
The Guardian of Time closed her wine-colored eyes. "We don't want you to
die because you Galactic Sailors are our future..." Her voice was soft and
slightly sad. "We want to protect the world, not end it."
"But, don't you get it?" asked Celeste softly, receiving a stern glare from
her older sister. "If we don't at least try to fight, the world will be lost!"
Her green eyes bore into the two adults as she glared at them. "Peace--real
peace--can't be obtained unless we fight against evil!" Her tone grew stern and
adult as she spoke. "It is not as though our lives will be more complete if we
cower in a corner. We must fight and defend the world; thus is our destiny."
Turning her back to the two women, she glanced up at Hannah. "At least one of you
understand. Come, Lyra." Celeste mounted the stairs.
Managing an apologetic smile, Lyra looked at the two dazed Mistresses. Both
were gazing after the girl, faces slightly shocked from the adult philosophy the
six-year-old girl had just spouted. "I'm sorry for her behavior," she smiled
sheepishly. "I'll be sure to give her a talking to."
The youngest Mistress shook her head, black hair whipping about her pale
face. "Don't even bother yourself over what she just did," she commanded, the
words stern yet sweet at the same time. "She knows something that I think the
rest of us forgot."
Rubbing the back of her neck, the blonde teen shrugged and grimaced in
confusion. "Well, whatever," she smiled, climbing up the stairs. "See you all at
the meeting tomorrow..."
As Lyra left, Alexandra glared daggers at her daughter. Hannah still stood
near the stairs, purple eyes focusing on the melting snow outside. She nervously
twisted her engagement ring around her finger, ignoring everything and everyone
around her.
"Hannah, did you just imply what I think you did?" inquired the tomboyish
woman, her brow furrowing as she stared at the slim woman.
Nodding, she started up the stairs herself. "I agree," she told her mother
and aunt, "with the girl Celeste."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"A Meeting of the Mistresses."
"Angel!"
Reeny made a face, glaring across the room at the child. "Hush!" she
yelped, adjusting her position at the desk and flipping another page in the thick
book before her. "I'm busy!"
A sniffle came from the little red-haired girl, who toddled toward the
teen. Her socks slipped on the marble of the floor, and she landed on her bottom,
hollering.
"What now?" growled the Princess of the Earth, turning her seat to look at
a certain bawling two-year-old. Of course, nothing could go right for so much as
a day inside of Crystal Palace. Reeny had discovered early that morning things
such as: her private tutor was taking a 'day off', the cleaning staff in charge
of washing clothing had gone on strike and left her without much clean clothes,
and that her handmaiden Lisa--the only other person in what was seemingly all of
Tokyo who could control Ambriel--was down with a bad case of the flu. And, to
make already awful matters worse, there was a Meeting of the Mistresses hanging
over her head. She felt as though the Meeting was looming over her whilst she sat
staring at the crying girl, shaking its vile Mistress-empowering fist at her as
she just sighed. "I'm sorry, Ambry," she cooed, getting up and walking over to
the child, smoothing the too-big skirt of her only clean Princess gown as she
went. "I'm just having a rotten day."
"Angel Moon," croaked the child, clambering to her feet and clutching at
Reeny's legs. "Angel, angel, Moon. Meeting good. Destiny good. Fight bad. Sailors
good." She smiled sweetly. "Up?"
The teen ran a shaking hand through one of her thick pink pigtails. She'd
found in the last few weeks that Ambriel was capable of saying a wide range of
words and usually did so, speaking almost in code. Scooping up the little one,
Reeny thought aloud. "So then... The Meeting of the Mistresses is a good thing.
And our destinies are all good. But the fighting is bad. And the Sailors are
good..."
"Mommy MAKE Sailors good." Ambriel laid her head on her the Princess'
shoulder, gray eyes half-closed as she nestled close to the soft silk that her
'mommy' wore. "No matter what Mistress say; Mommy and Sailors good."
Staring down at the little girl, Reeny felt a shiver run down her spine and
involuntarily drew Ambriel closer to her chest, allowing a startled gasp to
escape her lips. Something about Ambriel... Something was so mysterious and all-
knowing that it frightened even the Princess of the Earth. And Reeny was not
easily frightened.
A rather stout handmaiden peeked her head in through the doorway and
scowled at the dazed young woman. "Hey, Princess," growled the woman, her head of
gray hair bobbing almost obnoxiously as she spoke. "You're to be at Cherry Hill
in ten minutes. Are you listening to me?"
Reeny rolled her red eyes and stroked the child's hair, glaring at the
woman. "You shouldn't be so indignant in the presence of the Princess," she spat,
placing Ambriel on the bed just long enough to slip on her thick coat.
"You try an' stop me," shot the rude handmaiden, stepping into the room and
seizing the red-haired child out of Reeny's arms. "I'll be sure an' put 'er down
for 'er nap."
Red eyes flashed dangerously. "Ambriel is to come with me," argued the
young woman, holding open her arms to take the child back. "You'll give her to me
right now."
"I ain't doing anything like that," shot back the woman, brown eyes
lowering toward the royalty before her. "You may be the Princess an' all, but you
sure don't act like a you be a Princess."
Squirming, Ambriel reached for Reeny. "Angel!" she cried, eyes brimming
with tears.
The Princess narrowed her eyes, clenching her fists in anger. "I am the
Princess of the Earth, and I command you to give her here!" She stomped a foot on
the ground. "Ambriel is my responsibility, and I command..."
"When your little buddy, Lisa, ain't here, missy," spat the stranger in a
condescending tone, "you be my charge an' you'll do as I say." She glanced down
at the upset child in her arms. "I don't even see what be so great about this
here little foundling. She be more trouble than she be worth." She pinched
maliciously at the baby's chubby arms. "Yep. More trouble than she be worth, this
little brat is..."
"ANGEL!" yelped the child as two fingers once again pinched her arm.
Ambriel's scream echoed in her ears as Reeny took a deep breath. Pulling
back her fist, she punched the older woman square in the nose. The stranger
stumbled slowly backward, grip on the child loosening as she struggled to stay on
her feet. The Princess snatched away the little redhead, receiving a tight hug as
a reward.
The handmaiden lowered her eyes. "You little wretch!" she gasped, examining
the blood that her hand had caught. "You're no Princess!" Her eyes turned into
vengeful slits, the sunlight that flowed through the windows hiding her in the
shadow of the canopy bed. "You be nothing more than a little whore who..."
"Out." Reeny's tone was dry. "Or I will hit you again." Stepping quickly
forward, she pulled the paper identification badge from around the woman's neck
and ripped it in half. "From this moment on, you are nothing in the eyes of
Crystal Palace. You have been fired."
"You can't fire me!" she protested, outraged.
Pushing the woman out the door in front of her, the Princess of the Earth
smiled broadly and winked at the ex-handmaiden. "I just did," she smiled before
starting down the hallway.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Leaning back in her chair, Alice yawned and stretched out her long arms.
"Where's Haley and Pheebs?" she inquired sleepily, blinking while looking to the
three present Scouts for the answer.
Tara shrugged, vibrant green eyes never leaving the notebook in front of
her. "I really don't know," she admitted, turning the page and continuing her
reading. "But we do need to discuss the Meeting of the Mistresses."
The blonde teen glanced nervously at her watch. "I'm more worried about
Reeny," she said, chewing on her lower lip. "She promised to be here early."
"Therein lies the problem," joked the little Scout, rolling onto her
stomach and kicking her legs idly as she studied the tan carpeting of the
Temple's living room. "You're not supposed to believe Reen when she says she's
going to be on time!" Bright eyes glancing up at her friends, Celeste sighed and
her shoulders slouched. "But I still don't think they should have called a
Mistress Meeting."
"I'm with you on that one!" came Phoebe's chipper voice as she pranced into
the room, laden with a large stack of papers and a wild-eyed grin. "It's our job
to fight!"
Lyra considered this. "But, still..."
The Shinto girl sat up a bit, slowly closing her notebook and running a
long forefinger over the scrawling script on the cover. "I agree," she stated.
"It's our destiny, and we must save the world from all evil."
"It was part of our vows as a Galactic Sailor," put in Alice with a rather
thoughtful scowl. "And even I can't argue with that."
"But, look at the big picture, guys," protested the curly-haired girl with
a scowl. "If we die fighting, what good will it do?"
Phoebe raised two blue eyebrows. "And, if we don't fight," she argued,
slumping against the wall, "then the Raider King takes over without any fuss."
Alice nodded in agreement. "We've got at least TRY."
"Yes," ventured Tara. "The best thing that happens when we fight is that we
win. What's the best possibility if we cower?"
"Well... I just don't think we should fight!" challenged Lyra haughtily,
raising her voice for what seemed to be the first time in weeks. "It's so
dangerous and the odds are so few that we could win..."
Footfalls sounded on the steps outside, and a few muffled prayers and
greetings were exchanged outside before the door was thrown open and three
familiar teens and a little child with a bright mop of red hair entered the
living room. "Arguing already?" queried a beaming Haley, wiggling her sock-
covered toes. "I thought you'd wait for the rest of us."
Sighing, Alice shook her head. "It's about the Meeting of Mistresses," she
told the newcomers in a dry tone. "We don't know what side we're on."
"What's a Meeting of Mistresses?" asked Richard, pushing up his glasses as
he crossed the room and settled himself on the couch next to his curly-haired
girlfriend. "I know you've mentioned them before."
Placing Ambriel on the floor and removing the little girl's thick coat,
Reeny smiled for a fleeting moment before collapsing next to her little
foundling. "It's when our parents--the Planet Mistresses--meet and discuss the
fate of the Earth." She shook her head, breathing in the warm, sweet scent that
the Cherry Hill Temple had always possessed--the smell of cherry blossoms in
bloom.
Furrowing his brow, Richard wrapped an arm around Lyra and pulled her
close. "Why is that the basis of an entire argument?"
"To fight, or not to fight," bellowed the blue-haired dramatist in a deep,
severe British accent. "That is the question! Whether it 'tis nobler to..." She
trailed off, feeling the stare of sixteen eyes fly toward her. Smiling sweetly,
she bowed deeply.
Alice chuckled. "You're a ham at heart, aren't you?
She was about to respond when she felt Tara's lightly green eyes lower to a
glare in her general direction. Claming up, she looked at the ceiling with her
ice blue eyes and let the retort slip off her tongue.
"The question is really not whether or not to fight," explained the Shinto
with a long sigh. "It's whether or not the Mistresses have the authority to stop
us." Growing silent for a brief moment, she smiled sadly and shook her head.
"And, though we all have both the capability and the power to fight, it comes
down to the mere question: do we want to?" She glanced warily at the curly-haired
teen, her face purely blank as she looked to her blonde friend. "And I think that
we--most of us, at least--want to."
Hardly acknowledging the warm embrace of her beloved, Lyra tossed her dark
blonde curls about her face, violently shaking her head back and forth. "I'm NOT
fighting!" she announced once again, narrowing her eyes at the rest of the
Galactic Sailors. "You can fight, if you'd like," she continued sternly, voice
cold, "but I just want to be a normal teenager. End of story."
The others were all about to respond in a motley of various yelps when
Celeste held up a hand, silencing them. With a swift movement of her left hand,
the golden staff that represented the Keeper of the Nebulae appeared beside her,
floating a bit above the ground. "First, SISTER..." She lowered her usually happy
green eyes and glared at the teen who was truly the Princess of the Stars, "I
would like to remind you that there are greater destinies in the world than that
of the Galactic Sailors. We are all destined to rule the world."
"Celeste..." warned Richard, seeing his girlfriend's face drain of all
color.
The other young women watched as the littlest Scout continued.
"But we have worked hard, Princess Lyra," she preached, a faded gold star
sparkling on her forehead. "And, when you accepted the vow of being a Sailor
Soldier, you accepted the challenge..."
"The horror..." Phoebe chewed on her lower lip in a reflective gesture.
"The pain..." Smiling, Haley toyed with one of her brown strands of hair.
"The beauty..." Tara drew her knees to her chin.
"The wonder..." The Princess of the Earth kissed the top of Ambriel's
red-topped head.
"And the power..." put in a rather thoughtful Alice, folding her hands
across her lap.
Smiling, the Keeper of the Nebulae brushed a long, straight blonde hair
from her eyes, still staring at her eldest sister. "Yes," she proudly grinned,
"yes. We accepted being Sailor Soldiers." She held out a hand. "Do not turn your
back on the world, Lyra."
She shook her head slowly, her feverish negation growing faster and faster
as she clenched her brown eyes shut. "There is no hope!" she screamed, pounding
at the couch with her fists. "There is no such thing as hope! Everything that
happens will just kill us! We will die!"
"No, we won't," argued Richard, drawing her sobbing form to his chest and
tightening his grip around her. "We will win. You'll see."
Lyra continued crying. "I don't want to die..."
Her hardened features turning pleasant, the child knelt down in front of
Lyra and Richard. "And, if we don't fight..."
"Then we won't have so much as a chance to live," supplied Alice in a
quiet, serene tone. "You've got to fight."
"Death cannot hold fear for such as us," the young man told her, kissing
the top of his love's head whilst smoothing her curly hair. "We have to fight
on."
Reeny chuckled a bit. "Don't think the rest of us don't understand," she
begged of the sobbing girl, amused yet sympathetic at the same time. "I've fought
against indescribable monsters, and yet I still feel a lump in my throat like
time and memorial."
Nodding in agreement, Tara chewed on her lower lip, staring at the
bittersweet scene that spread out before her. Richard held Lyra tightly in a pair
of loving arms while she sobbed without feeling any relief to her sorrow. In
front of the couple, on her knees, was a six-year-old girl who obtained within
her mind more wisdom than the rest of them combined. Spread variously about the
room were the other four warriors, each with their own, private emotion upon
their faces: Phoebe was pensive, Alice was sympathetic, Haley was somber, Reeny
was amused but understanding at the same time. It was a sad sight, broken only
from the soft words of the oldest Sailor Scout.
"I know that I'm not the nicest, trendiest, smartest, or most dramatic of
all of us in this room," volunteered Haley Ten'ou, her solemn expression turning
into a rather hopeful smile, "but I would like to say something that can never
leave here."
The others all looked expectantly at her, and the brunette grinned broadly.
"But, I know this," she continued. "I love each and every one of you that
sit before me. I've loved you since the day I knew about our destinies, and I've
always knew that this day would come; that, at one time, we'd all sit in this
room and realize the truth. We are weak." Teal eyes closed partially as the teen
laid back in the chair she had taken and bit her lip. "We are only human, and we
all know it. The only hope we have is to fight with the Mistresses while fighting
against them."
Two pink eyebrows flew upward, only to knit themselves together. "Excuse
me?" inquired Reeny, confused.
Ambriel stared sweetly at Haley with two gray eyes. "Mommy MAKE Sailors
good."
Grinning, Haley glanced at the little child who was amusing herself with a
stuffed animal. "That's right," came the delighted reply. "Well, sort of. We just
have to make them see our ways, sort of like we did for Lyra here."
The blonde Scout pulled her head from Richard's chest to look the brunette
in the eyes. "Do you have a point?" she inquired dryly.
"Yes, I do," she assured them. "We can get them all to understand... And to
help."
"And if they don't?" asked Alice softly, her voice wavering.
Silence fell over the room as everyone stared at one another. Outside, the
bright early-spring sun flew behind a dark, imposing cloud.
Once again, Celeste's tone grew tenacious and timeless. "Then," she
resolved darkly, "we are doomed."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I called you all here for a reason," he said.
And you know, somehow, what it is, he told one of his companions
secretly.
"But I wish to gain your approval more than your separate loves," he
continued softly, voice unusually bleak. "I've already got the latter of the
two..."
The blue skies of March sparkled over the city of Crystal Tokyo as four of
the five Guardians of the Galactic Sailor Soldiers sat upon the Kino balcony.
Dark, imposing clouds loomed in the distance, threatening to end the glorious
reign of the sun. Three crescent moons and a single silvery star flashed in the
bright light before the glowing ball of energy slipped behind a cloud.
Orion drew in a deep breath. "I can feel it running through my veins," she
whispered, shivers running up and down her spine. "There are powerful evil forces
nearby."
The two other young cats both nodded at her words, though they sat on the
complete opposite side of the little ledge. She was still an alien being to them.
She would never, truly, belong as a Guardian Cat. She was just Orion. The odd
foreigner that was a threat--and little more than that--to the sovereign rule of
the Moon Cats.
Artemis stood slowly, his white fur ruffled slightly by the crisp spring
breeze. "Do you know what they say about the month of March?" he inquired softly,
blue eyes a bit sad. "They say it comes..."
"In like a lion, out like a lamb," stated Diana in a meditative tone, her
words echoing across the balcony and into the sweet, warm air. "I don't get
it..."
The white cat smiled gently. "Your treatment of Orion has been thus far,"
he continued solemnly, breathing in all the tastes and smell of the wonderful
city, "like the way a lion would act." He glared at his two children. "I expect
you to start acting like lambs."
Making a face, the pink cat stuck her nose into the air. "But Father," she
protested smugly.
"I don't want excuses," shot the oldest cat angrily. "I want results."
Orb nodded, remaining wisely silent.
"And now, for grave news." Artemis closed his azure eyes slowly, the moon
upon his forehead glowing brightly and literally floating in midair. "I have
three choices right now: To give my powers to either of my children or to Orion."
Taking a long breath, he focused all his energy into the glowing mass that was
once a brand of power. "And thus, I give it to Orion."
The gold swallowed the strange calico cat in its brilliance. The glow was
blinding, rivaling the absent sun in its beauty and depth. It was all she could
do to close her eyes, least the brightness blind her.
Orb and Diana stared, both surprised and horrified at the sight before
them. He was their father! How could he bestow upon the stranger his
Guardianship? It was none of Orion's business.
When the shining died down, the big white cat smiled sadly and allowed
himself to look out on the city of Tokyo. Though he could not see it, he knew
that the once brilliant spot of gold upon his brow was now replaced with new,
white fur. No longer could it be seen or understood that he was a Moon Cat.
For he no longer was.
"Do you understand?" he questioned hoarsely of his two children. "Do you
understand what I did?"
Diana ignored him, but the younger of the two Moon Cats smiled sadly,
honey-colored eyes focused on the dazed calico. "You love her as much as you love
us, don't you?" Orb grinned happily, padding over to Orion on soft white paws.
"My name is Orb, and I'm a Moon Cat."
She knotted her eyebrows. "What on Earth are you talking about?"
"Didn't change her attitude," snorted the pink animal.
Green eyes flashed angrily, but the calico avoided starting an argument
with either of the two Moon Cats. Looking across the city and to the vast expanse
of the Pacific Ocean. What waited for her out in the world now that she had the
power of two Guardians? What cruel fate dangled before her?
She sighed. "It's starting, isn't it?" she inquired softly, eyes growing
sad as she dared not look to any of the other cats.
Artemis nodded solemnly. "It is."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Looking at the menu, Haley made a face and glared at the buxom blonde
waitress. "I don't suppose you have anything without meat in it," she muttered in
a low tone.
The stranger stared at her with rapt interest. "Excuse me?"
With a chuckle, Terrence grew slightly red and promptly snatched away the
teen's menu. "She'll have a large salad and a bowl of broccoli soup," he informed
the woman, handing the object to her. "Thanks."
The steakhouse was rather smoky and loud as the seven sat around the large
table in relative silence. No matter what relation they had toward the
Mistresses, each of the diners knew the truth--there was trouble brewing deep
within the bowels of peace.
But they didn't want to talk about it.
"So..." prompted Brian nervously, fidgeting in his seat. "How about that
race last night, Miss Alex?"
Shrugging, the blonde leaned back in her chair. "If I hadn't been helping
you and my daughter pick out a silly wedding theme," she spat in an annoyed yet
playful tone, "I could have watched it."
"You should have seen it!" announced Terrence happily. "Nakarauma was like
ZOOM! And WOOSH! And then..." Susan dug her long fingernails into the back of his
hand and he paled, trailing off in both embarrassment and pain.
An uneasy silence fell across the table as they all swallowed the various
lumps in their throats. The knowledge of the Mistress Meeting hung over their
heads, like a dark cloud before a storm.
Gingerly sipping her water, Michelle glanced at Susan and Terrence with a
sweet--and slightly jealous--gleam in her bright blue eyes. "Have you guys picked
out baby names yet?" she asked pleasantly.
"Not again..." drawled Alex and Haley in a startling unison that reminded
all of the frightening similarities between the mother and her adopted child.
The Guardian of Time shrugged. "You'd be surprised how odd his taste in
names is," she sighed with a wry grin, eyes focusing on the tabletop rather than
on the musician.
"And what's wrong with the name Pyrah?" he inquired innocently, his
response prompting the others to chortle. "I think it's cute!"
Haley snorted. "It would be appropriate for the child of Mars, maybe..."
she mumbled under her breath dryly, running a hand through her slightly amorphous
hair.
Snorting, Terrence tossed his head indignantly. "Well, SHE wants to name
the babies Aeris and Skye if they're girls!" he retorted loudly. "What kind of
names are Aeris and Skye?"
Michelle sighed wistfully. "I always wanted Haley's middle name to be
Skye..." She sent a playful glare at Alex.
"Hey, I thought Haley Jordan fit better!" protested the blonde.
"Fits her personality a lot better," pointed out Brian, pushing up his
glasses. "Sounds authoritative yet fun--like two people in one body..."
His fiancée nodded in agreement, clutching his hand in hers. "The Soldier
of the Comets," she smiled sadly, purple eyes blinking back a few hidden tears.
The others froze and looked at her in a slight state of doubt. No one knew
quite what to say in response to her comment, and the silence was heavy as the
eight all stared at each other. Finally, a pair of teal eyes alit with a strange
power.
"We need to talk about this!" announced Haley unexpectedly, bringing her
fist down onto the table with a bang. Water splashed out of the glasses and onto
the white tablecloth. "It's not like this is politically incorrect or anything!"
None of the others dared to make eye contact with Haley as she ranted. "This
meeting is bothering all of us and we can't even talk about it..."
Alex shrugged noncommittally. "What's there to talk about?" she questioned
rhetorically, running a hand through her short hair. "Tomorrow, we decide the
fate of the world. And that fate is that the Galactic Sailors do NOT fight
against the Raider King and we, as Mistresses, cast a protective spell over out
planet."
With a glare aimed toward her mother, Hannah scoffed. "That's impractical,"
she observed cynically, making a face. "What's the point of having the Galactic
Sailor Scouts if you're just going to put up a barrier?"
The other three Mistresses glanced nervously at one another, color draining
out of their faces simultaneously.
The younger of the two sisters nodded enthusiastically. "And how long will
you guys last?" She clicked her tongue against her teeth. "I mean, a barrier of
that magnitude would be like Hell to maintain."
"Smart kid," mumbled Terrence, leaning back into his chair and sipping his
water idly. Green eyes focused on the goings-on with rapt interest as he raised a
brown eyebrow toward Brian.
The blonde man nodded in agreement. "Very smart."
"I don't care what your personal opinion is!" shot Alexandra, darting to
her feet and leaning forward across the table. "We are the Mistresses and you are
the Scouts. We overrule you, no matter what the cost." She lowered her green-gray
eyes. "Do not argue with us."
"Alex..." breathed Michelle in a low tone, eyes teary. "Please..."
Susan shook her head of green hair slowly, nudging her glasses up on her
nose. Her garnet eyes flew from one contender to the other, a thoughtful
expression on her face. Haley was upset and fiery; her elder sister was a bit
more melancholy and adult about it. Michelle was emotional, Alex was angry, and
the two men... As always, they stood on the sidelines, ready to give their
appropriate companion the needed support.
The youngest member of the group pulled her coat from the chair's back and
tossed her head daringly. "I've had enough of this," she told them, tugging on
the jacket and glaring teal eyes at all of them. "And I am very ashamed of the
way you're all acting."
Hannah's facial expression turned from annoyed to outraged. "I'm on your
side this time!" she roared, people glancing at her sideways from other tables
within the restaurant. "How dare you even talk to me like that!" Standing quickly
up, she raised her arm and aimed the back of her hand toward Haley's left cheek.
"Don't even..." warned Brian, jumping up as well.
Effortlessly catching her sister by the wrist, Haley pushed her away and
shook her head. "I'm not criticizing you for once," she put in, placing the palm
of her hand against her sister's and pressing their fingers perfectly together.
"This is my turn to tell you how much I love you."
With a gasp, two already large purple eyes filled with heartfelt tears.
"Just remember I'm on your side, Haley," she managed before beginning to cry.
The teen turned around and considered the words. "I think you always were,"
she smiled before starting out the door.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"What should we do?" inquired the Raider King.
The Chamber of Spirits was dark as footfalls paced back and forth across
the marble floor. The echoes carried from the cool, black floor and up to the
vaulted ebony ceilings as the man bit his lower lip and furrowed his brow in
concentration.
Only two points of the seven-pointed star were still alit with the glow of
gems. A crimson gem and a silver gem.
The voice, the Spirit of Silver, spoke.
"There is always a way to the Sailors hearts," he called out loudly, voice
radiating throughout the room. "But you must also conquer the Mistresses."
The King nodded. "A two in one deal," he pondered aloud with a slight
smile. Freezing in mid-step, his red yet lifeless eyes sparked in slight
disappointment. "But, what of home?" he inquired of the strange being. "What has
happened to the Andromeda Galaxy?"
The Spirit paused. "There are but three starships remaining," he confided
in a softer tone. "We must take over Earth! We must!"
He considered this. "Well, all humans are weak and have private fears,
right?" he asked, not waiting or expecting a response. "What if we drew upon
their fear--made them face the one thing they loathe most?"
The Spirit just laughed evilly, and the Raider King knew the answer.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The doorbell rang.
And rang.
And rang...
Stretching, she wiped her brow with her favorite white towel while mounting
the steps up from the basement. "Coming!" she called, adjusting the burnt-orange
leotard's straps. "Hang on!"
The sound continued.
Phoebe groaned aloud, brushing her fingers through her matted, sweaty blue
bangs. "Are you deaf? Hang on!"
"Pheebs, hurry!" pleaded a muffled, wavering voice from behind the front
door. "It's me, Haley!"
Her brow furrowing, the teen threw open the door, and ice blue eyes quickly
focused on the sight before her.
Haley's normally bright teal eyes were bloodshot and teary; two porcelain
cheeks were stained from crying. Her short-cropped brown hair was a messy mass,
and she looked a wreck--jacket falling off, pants muddy, tennis shoes liberally
covered in dirt and snow. "Can I come in?" she inquired meagerly, face begging
for acceptance.
"What happened?" gasped Phoebe, holding the door wide open as her friend
kicked off her shoes and hobbled into the house, limping noticeably. "You look a
wreck!"
The other nodded slightly. "Let's just say that the Meeting of Mistresses
is causing Hell in my household."
Wincing at the swear, the blue-haired teen let her friend lean on her
shoulder as they hobbled together into the kitchen. "My mother hasn't shown up
yet," mentioned Phoebe, slipping a bit in her toe-shoes. "I wonder why..."
"Did I catch you at a bad time?" Haley took notice of the leotard, ballet
shoes, and towel that the other proudly wore.
"Nah. I was just practicing for the regional dance tryouts. They start on
Friday."
A heavy silence filled the room as the brunette collapsed in a kitchen
chair and let her labored breathing return to normal. Her left ankle was swelled
to twice its average size and she grimaced as her companion cuffed the pant leg
and placed an ice pack on it.
"You ran all the way here?"
Haley glanced at Phoebe and forced herself to smile. "We were at the
steakhouse on 23rd Street," she admitted warily. "I had no choice."
"Is it that bad?" asked the other, eyebrows rising in curiosity. Getting an
odd, confused look from the other, Phoebe elaborated. "I mean, living with the
Outers and all... Is it all that awful?"
The brunette shook her head slowly. "No. In fact, it's just my parents."
"Parents can be heck," agreed the blue-haired Scout. She paused, staring at
her hands. "Why... Why did you come here?"
Smiling, Haley patted her friend on the shoulder. "I knew that, out of all
the Scouts, you would understand the best." She winked. "And you do."
Another moment of silence fell across the room, but this one was much more
comfortable. Phoebe pressed the icepack gently onto the swelled ankle of her
friend and smiled sadly, staring at the floor reflectively. "You know what?" she
inquired, eyes a bit sad as they sparkled in understanding. "I always thought
that you're the tough Scout and that you'd kick all our butts..."
"And?" Haley's eyebrows raised as she asked the question.
The younger teen smiled and shrugged. "I think that we're all really human
on the inside," she returned pensively. "And I think that's what the Mistresses
don't understand about us..."
Her companion paused, considering these words as she stared out of the
kitchen's glass door and at the star-studded night sky. "I think you're right,"
she responded, folding her hands on her lap and slowly closing her eyes. "I
really think you're right."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Angel!"
She groaned in her sleep and rolled over, ignoring the child's cry.
"Princess, it's time to get up!"
She covered her head with the over-sized pillow.
"Reeny!"
Something sharp dug into her shoulder blade, and she yelped, jumping out of
bed and tossing her attacker to the marble floor. Red eyes glared at the pink
animal as the Princess of the Earth crossed her arms over her chest, wrinkling
her powder-blue pajamas. "Well, well, well," she smirked with a shake of her
head. "What do we have here?" One sock-clad foot rose a few feet above the
ground. "It appears to be a naughty cat..."
Diana grumbled and rolled out from under Reeny's threatening foot, standing
slowly. "You have a Scout meeting in a few hours," she informed the teen.
Blanching, Reeny fluffed one of her pigtails and batted her eyelashes. "I
knew that," she protested a bit guiltily.
"Well, whether you knew or not," put in Lisa, dropping a large stack of
sheets on one of the pink-upholstered couches, "you still have a Scout Meeting."
Ambriel nodded, glancing up from her collection of stuffed animals with
bright, sparkling gray eyes. "Mistress Meeting," she cooed with a large grin.
The Princess stretched over to touch her toes and smiled contentedly as she
slowly woke up. "What's the game plan?"
"Simple," the handmaiden responded, tugging one of the familiar white-and-
gold Princess gowns out of the large closet. "You Scouts want to fight."
"And the Mistresses?"
"Won't let you," came a strong voice from the doorway. All eyes turned to
focus on Terrence, who leaned against the frame of the great marble door. "But
you really do want to fight, don't you guys?" Green eyes glittered as his niece
nodded enthusiastically. With a slight smile, he smoothed his khakis and winked.
"And you will, so don't even worry."
Making a face, the cat sighed and shook her head. "Don't be so sure,
Terrence," she retorted coolly, leaping onto the bed in a deft, smooth motion.
"After all, there's always the chance that they'll forbid the girls from doing
what they do best."
With a sigh, Lisa smiled gently. "I hope they don't choose to make the
girls give up the fight," she said plainly. "They've waited their whole lives for
this."
"Angel Moon," added Ambriel in her sweet voice.
Reeny shrugged and played with the hem of her pajama top. "Well, whatever
the case may be," she sighed, glancing at her uncle thoughtfully, "I just hope we
can protect the Earth in the way we were meant to."
They all nodded in silent agreement.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The sunlight fell onto her pale face as she sat on the pillows of the
window seat, staring out at the familiar front yard. The yard that she'd stared
at since she was a mere infant.
But things had changed. She'd changed. The only thing that remained anymore
were the friendly, faded tan pillows and the smooth, white-painted wood of the
window seat. The same window seat that she'd first sat in when she was six years
old and had received a bad note from her teacher for being disruptive. Since
then, it had been her 'thinking place'--the place where she so oft sat to
reflect.
The appearance of her eternally-young mother had not frightened nor shocked
her in the least. Maybe it was true that the Anderson genes ran thick when it
came down to personality matters; the Mistresses always found it in their hearts
to point out the odd similarities between mother and daughter.
And thus Amy stood outside the house, sitting on the pine park bench that
she and Greg had built with their child during one long and exceptionally dull
summer. It had kept them busy for weeks on end, never once allowing them to
realize the boredom that hovered so nearby. And Amy sat upon it, blue eyes
staring out at the old blacktop street that had forever stretched from Crystal
Palace to Crystal Hospital and back.
Sighing, Phoebe glanced at her mother's still form. Who knew what was going
through the woman's head as the seconds until the Meeting of Mistresses ticked
away? No one truly could guess except Amy. Guilt washed across the girl's
conscience. The fear and hurt of allowing your child--the single most important
thing in your life--rush off to a battle that they may not live through.
"What's going on?" inquired a voice she was well accustomed to.
Phoebe's ice-colored eyes never wavered, but she smiled at her friend
anyway. "I just now realized how hard this must be for them."
A head outside the house turned to face the picture windows, and Amy's
bloodshot navy eyes gazed longingly at her child as though the girl was
completely out of reach.
And perhaps she was.
Haley sighed and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched the
Mistress stand and pace slowly toward the window. Perhaps Phoebe and the rest of
the Scouts were untouchable ideals in a sort of mixed up way; they were the
Galactic Sailor Scouts, and they would either save or end the world.
Without words, Amy wiped a tear from under her left eye and placed her hand
on the pane of glass, pressing her palm up against its cool surface while
constantly staring into her daughter's ice blue eyes. The world seemed to slow in
its merry dance around the sun as the teenager took her own right hand and pushed
it up against the window, the two hands touching through the pane of glass.
"I love you," mouthed Amy to her child, pulling her hand away from the
window.
"And I, you," her daughter responded aloud, choking on the words.
There was a flash of pale blue light and the Mistress was gone, leaving
only two wet footprints under the window.
Rising quickly to her feet, Phoebe Solaria Urawa took a deep breath and
turned to her friend, not attempting to hide the tears that streamed down her
pink cheeks. "The time has come," she announced sternly, "to fight or be killed."
"Are you sure?" questioned Haley in a timid voice, teal eyes considering
her companion carefully.
The younger of the two nodded. "The chance of us dying in this fight is
high," she breathed, glancing over her shoulder and back out at the yard. Green
grass was poking up out of the muddy ground, promising renewal and hope. "In
fact, some of us jut might die." She tossed a dark blue braid behind her. "But,
we've just got to hope that the new star will come again."
Haley's frown turned into a soft, passive smile as she ran a hand through
her short hair. Looking up at the gray clouds that were slowly descending upon
Tokyo, she took a deep breath. "The new star will come again," she repeated
thoughtfully, biting her upper lip as she shook her head. "Or else we die."
And the ring of truth in that statement frightened even her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Mom!" Alice tugged on the ratty blue jeans as she hobbled into the living
room. Once again, her one ankle had swollen up to an abnormal size. It had been,
of course, months since they'd faced Death and Greed at Cherry Hill, but her
ankle was a constant source of pain and grief. "My ankle is once again..." She
trailed off, and brown eyes flew to glance at her mother.
Hair falling haphazardly around her shoulders and down to her waist, Lita
looked a wreck. Her shirt was only tucked halfway into the long green skirt, and
one of her shoes was discarded on the floor instead of being worn on her feet.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she cradled her chin in her hands. Green eyes
focused on a certain strand of green-and-pink glass beads. "I don't want to do
this, Ally," she managed in a soft, shaky voice, not looking up. "I'm afraid of
what could happen if you lose..."
Kneeling on the floor beside her mother, Alice brushed a long brown strand
of hair from the woman's face. "You do realize that everything is going to be
perfectly fine, right?" The rhetorical question caught the brunette adult's
attention. "What's the worst that can happen?" The teen smiled impishly. "If we
were to lose, the whole world would go down with us. And, if we win..."
Lita chuckled and then shook her head quickly. "I should scold you for that
one," she returned sharply, pulling her shirt from the waist of her skirt and
finger-combed her hair. "Do you realize that you're all I have in the world,
Ally?" she inquired, not waiting for an answer. "If I were to ever lose you, I'd
die. Period. My life would be over as soon as yours..." She let herself succumb
to tears.
"I'm part of your destiny," the girl protested, rising to her feet and
hobbling around the back of the couch. She picked up a discarded hairbrush and
ponytail holder from the floor and began to work on her mother's hair. "Part of
fulfilling your life is seeing me through mine."
The woman sighed and wiped a few tears away. "You don't know how scared I
am of losing you." Leaning back, she allowed her daughter to pull her wavy mane
into a high ponytail. "I lost my parents, your father..." She smiled suddenly, as
though there was an unknown irony to her words. "What can I say? I've lost my
Scout powers, leaving me to do little more than block attacks."
Alice scoffed and finished with her mother's hair, pulling the last bit of
silky hair through the tie. "But you've got a great restaurant," she smiled,
hopping over the back of the couch and settling in next to her mother. "You have
the best friends in the world." Plucking the discarded shoe off the floor, she
winked. "You have this!"
Snatching away the shoe, the Mistress just smiled weakly and proceeded to
put it on.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
And it starts.
"You'd think," spat the calico, trotting to keep up with the young man and
his angry mother, "that you giving away your powers would get rid of this Goddamn
internal connection."
Nope! chortled Artemis from where ever he was at the time. A pause set in
before he pulled back to the subject. But just listen to Richard and Molly,
and...
"Damn it, Rich!" shot the woman just then, breaking the otherwise calming
silence. "You're the Prince of the Stars! You should have been invited!"
Orion grimaced as the adult screamed at her son. "I see your point," she
mumbled.
Sighing, Richard shook his head and continued after his mother. "I was
invited," he protested in a quiet, composed tone. "To the Scout meeting."
She turned on him, jabbing a long finger into his chest whilst lowering her
blue eyes into a stern glare. "Logic, Richard Duncan Umino," she spat angrily.
"If you're the Prince of the Silver Star, and your mother was one of the rulers,
then..."
He paled. "Oh."
Molly continued her assault down the hallway, still ranting and raving as
she walked. "And, as one of the rulers of the Silver Star, I should be there!
Those damn Mistresses are sitting in some fancy room, plotting the demise of the
whole Earth, and they don't know what the HELL they're doing!"
"But, Mrs. Umino," pointed out the tiny cat reverently, smiling slightly as
she strode along with the two humans, "they don't really know what they're
doing."
"Somewhere, deep down, they do," argued a new, strong voice. Still walking,
all three companions turned their heads to glance at Raye Yuuichirou and her
daughter, Tara. For the first time, Richard realized how much the two looked
alike. Dark hair, brightly mysterious eyes, stubborn dispositions.
"It's really hard to consider such a thing," continued the Priestess with a
long sigh, strolling alongside the mother-son-cat trio, "but they don't
understand destiny as much as we two do."
Tara nodded. A slight smile tugged at her lips as she clasped her hands
together. "The good news is that my mother believes that we should chose."
The young man nodded. "And so does mine."
"I hope," put in the cat suddenly, "that this doesn't royally screw up your
destinies, kids." She paused and grinned evilly. "Well, if it does, you're just
shit out of luck."
Orion!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Today, we make a decision that will forever affect many lives. It may even
end the world as we know it." Neo-Queen Serenity straightened in her seat, azure
eyes surveying the room in silence as she folded to tiny, smooth hands. A few
hundred years ago, she had called the same women--well, the same women sans
Molly--to the same room and told them of her official ascension to Queen of the
Earth. They all had known, more or less, that it would someday occur, and they'd
all been happy. But the good news now gave way to bad as the Queen cleared her
throat and tried her best to remain stoic. It was a hard task--Michelle and Mina
were already near tears over the entire occurrence--but the Queen reminded
herself that it was destiny.
One does not meddle in the affairs of destiny.
"And, thusly, this Meeting of the Mistresses is now in order."
As soon as Serenity finished her sentence, the room was filled with angry,
irrational bickering.
"We should put up a barrier!"
"What about the Scouts?"
"They'll be fine!"
"They should choose!"
"Not my daughters! Please, God no!"
Hannah sighed as the arguments raged through the air, echoing off the
marble walls as the Planet Mistresses glared at one another angrily.
"The Scouts are too young and ill-prepared to fight an evil such as this."
Amy, of course, was completely calm; the placid, peaceful gleam in her blue eyes
was almost too much to bare as she spoke to the group. Her voice, more timid than
that of the other Mistresses, was nearly drowned out by the other's thoughts.
An angry Alex slammed her fist down on the smooth tabletop. "Who cares if
they're too young!" she roared, green eyes alight with fiery wrath and a bit of
fear. "We are destined to protect them!"
Hannah leaned back in her chair, savoring the sights and sounds of the
Mistress Meeting.
"It's destiny," put in a rather distant Susan, folding her hands over her
enormous belly. "We cannot go against the girl's destinies." She blew a long
green hair from her face. "And their destiny is to choose."
Pausing her loud, heart-wrenching sobs, Mina Mokoti shot the Guardian of
Time a tempered, angry glare. "How can you say that?" she asked rhetorically,
tears begging to trail down the porcelain cheeks. "They are our daughters. Two
are MY daughters! How could even one of you..."
"Then my child will choose on her own." Raye crossed her arms over her
chest, her own words cutting off that of her blonde friend. "You each can keep
your babies home on your own accord, but that will not stop me."
Lita scoffed at the Priestess' cold words to the group. "You're going to
get your own child killed, and you know it." Her voice was brimming with ire and
rage, but she did not yell as the tall blonde had. "I still say we put up the
barrier..."
Hannah yawned.
Once again, Susan spoke. "A barrier like that will probably kill us. Let
them choose..."
"How can you be so heartless?" Michelle, a woman who had forever been
softhearted, glanced at her friend through tears. "These are children that we
have raised from infants, and you want us to throw their lives away."
"At least she suggests you give them a chance," shot Raye, trying to keep
her side of the argument well-balanced. "I remember a certain Sailor Scout who
was dead set on killing Hannah Tomoe years ago..."
The young woman flinched as her two mothers began screaming at the temple
maiden. She'd almost forgotten about the Outers' many attempts on her life back
in the twentieth century. It had been a long battle then, and the only people on
her side had been the Inner Scouts.
Thoroughly bored, the purple-eyed gaze flew toward Neo-Queen Serenity. In
her chair she sat, her bright blue eyes only opened to slits whilst she listened
in on the entire conversation. No doubt dealing with her own inner demons. None
the less. She would let Princess Serenity fight when it came time.
Hannah then glanced at the last woman--the stranger--and smiled gently.
Wavy, messy red hair rimmed her face as she glanced about the room, as though
soaking in the atmosphere. The younger woman recognized the stranger as Molly,
the mother of Richard Umino and one of the two 'lost' rulers of the Silver Star.
Without words, Molly winked a knowing cerulean eye at the raven-haired Mistress
before closing her eyes.
Something--it felt like a clap of thunder without sound, really--was
released throughout the room, and all the Mistresses froze in mid-sentence. None
so much as blinked as Molly slowly rose and smoothed her jeans, smiling slightly
as she brushed hair from her face.
"The time has come," the woman said, "to talk of many things. None of which
you will like one bit. But--oh, well. I have but one thing to say."
The others all settled into their respective seats, almost afraid to move
while staring blankly at her. Molly smiled.
"Do not meddle in the affairs of destiny."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sighing, Phoebe swept the chess pieces off the board. "You win again," she
mumbled under her breath, crossing her arms indignantly. "I don't see how I can
be so much like my mother and still lose..."
With a laugh, Alice caught one of the pieces as Celeste lobbed it back
toward the duo. "Come now," she grinned, winking a bright brown eye. "I'll teach
you some new tricks!"
"I'll see your six Reese's Pieces and raise you two M-and-Ms," grinned
Lyra, tossing the candies into the large wicker basket in the circle's middle.
"You can't possibly beat this hand!"
Red eyes glanced nervously at the five cards before you. "I'll see those
M-and-Ms and raise you a pretzel." Reeny added her bet to the collection.
"Angel!" hollered the two-year-old, placing a pretzel in the basket and
adding a chocolate chip cookie.
"Hmmm..." Lisa stared at the faces of the other four poker players
patiently. "I suppose that I'll see that, too..." She placed a cookie in the
container. "And I'm going to add one...no, TWO...mini Snickers bars to the ante."
Chewing on his lower lip, Richard considered the ever-growing pot before
tossing in his two mini Snickers bars. "Call."
"Two pair!" grinned Reeny. The others groaned.
"Three of a kind," boasted Lyra proudly, tossing her blonde curls.
Her boyfriend flashed his cards toward the group. "Full house."
With a shrug, Lisa placed four eight's on the marble floor. "Beat that,"
she grinned coolly, trying not to boast.
Eight eyes flew toward the little child as she spread five cards out before
her, gray eyes smiling while her expression remained rather flat. "Royal flush,"
cooed Ambriel, pulling the basket into her arms proudly.
"WHAT?" They all stared at her, amazed.
Haley wrinkled her nose, studying the large tower of tiny wood blocks, face
reflective even though, behind her, a fight over sweets and a royal flush had
broken out. "I hate this game," she mumbled, furrowing her brow. "It's hard."
Giggling, Celeste deftly tugged a block off one of the lowest levels and
placed it atop the stack. "Jenga's a fun game!" she argued, grinning as the tower
continued to stand, shaking minimally under the new block's weight. "You're the
best at being sporty, besides..."
"But I suck at this..." The brunette pulled a block from the tower and
grimaced as the blocks clattered onto the tabletop and fell to the floor. "I'm
worse than Phoebe is at chess..."
"I heard that!" shot the blue-haired teen, eyes not leaving the chessboard.
Despite all the things that were going on around her, Tara stood motionless
at the window, staring out at the darkening sky. What would happen to them? What
were the Mistresses doing as the Sailor Scouts played games and avoided the
problem...
A vision flew over her without warning, and Tara grasped the windowsill as
she felt it come.
It was dark. Very dark. The only light came from a few scattered torches
about the room. Everything was black. Black marble.
On the floor laid eight bodies. Familiar bodies. Three of them were
teenagers, bloodied and beaten. Each wore a different colored Sailor fuku: there
was red, blue, and pink, crimson and dark orange, and orange and silver. One was
but the form of a child, her golden locks marred by the bright, sickening color
of drying blood.
But four of the bodies belonged to adults. She couldn't make out their
faces, but bright colors shrouded their bodies.
Red. One was red.
And green.
And orange.
And navy.
The picture shuddered, and two others appeared in the room. They'd come out
of nowhere. Perhaps null-space? Perhaps another dimension?
The shorter of the two was a young woman with corkscrew curls. She wore a
white, gold, and light-orange Sailor fuku. Stooping over the prone body of the
child, she began to weep.
Brushing red hairs from his ballroom mask, the young man walked up behind
her and placed a hand on her shoulder, whispering to her. Glancing up, the girl
turned around and hugged his legs, weeping into the black tuxedo pants he wore.
And then, the world went black.
"Tara? You okay?"
Green eyes fluttered open and she sat slowly up, hoping the room would stop
spinning. Lyra was stooped over her, hands holding out to her a large mug of
sweet-smelling tea. The Shinto accepted it in silence, sipping it slowly as she
leaned against the wall. "What...happened..." she stammered, unable to form a
complete thought.
Smoothing her red sweater, Phoebe shrugged. "You passed out again," she
informed her friend, placing her hands gingerly on her hips. "You've really got
to stop doing that!"
Red. Red and orange. Phoebe.
Tara blanched and glanced at the others. Reeny. Her Scout colors were red,
blue, and pink. Right? Yes. And Alice... She'd not been in the vision. Lyra...
Lyra had been the crying Scout. And Richard had been the man. That was easy
enough. Then there was Haley... Silver and orange. Yes. And Celeste...
"You okay, Tara?" asked the tiny Scout, playing with the bow on her left
pigtail. "You look sick."
The girl with the golden hair had been Celeste.
Standing on shaky legs, the Shinto Scout took a deep breath and glanced
back out the window. The skies were still darkening, and thunder rumbled across
the city. Her voice found its way out of her throat, though she'd originally had
no intention of speaking.
"We need to talk."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The King cackled. Less than an hour until the Scouts would be his. Less
than an hour until Earth would fall under the rule of the Raiders.
And he would win this time.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"What the Hell did you just say?" asked a shocked Alexandra, resisting the
urge to hit the redhead upside the head. Her gray-green eyes sparkled with hate.
"You can't waltz in here and..."
Molly smiled indulgently. "I said, and I quote: 'do not meddle in the
affairs of destiny'." Her face remained calm as she looked individually at each
Mistress.
Amy Urawa.
Raye Hino.
Lita Kino.
Mina Mokoti.
Michelle Ten'ou.
Alexandra Ten'ou.
Susan Meiou.
Hannah Tomoe.
And Serena Chiba. Neo-Queen Serenity.
"You are so short-sighted," continued the woman in a calm voice, her blue
eyes catching the gaze of the youngest Mistress and holding there, "that you
cannot understand: the future depends on these eight children--yours, mine... OUR
children. And you...you cannot do this..." She paused and her smile became more
pensive. "You must let these children choose for themselves. And yes, they will
choose to fight. They will choose to be stronger than you, me...all of us..." A
tear streaked down her cheek, but her voice remained strong. "And they will win,
this time."
A deep breath was taken, its sound echoing about the room. "But we don't
want them to fight..." Mina's voice caught as she spoke, and she couldn't finish.
Raye sighed. "I think we'll all have to fight," she told them solemnly.
"No!" yelped Lita, teary-eyed. "No more fighting!"
Michelle stared at the strange woman. "But...that's not good... Or
right..."
For the first time in the Meeting, Hannah rose and looked around the room.
"We all fight. Like it or not."
Several of the Mistresses gasped as she spoke, but neither Molly nor Raye
looked surprised at the young woman. Raven hair glittered almost violet in the
pale lamplight, nearly matching her stony gaze.
The only Mistress to recover from the shock of Hannah's statement was her
own blonde-haired mother. "Listen to Michelle," she demanded as the aqua-haired
woman cried into her hands. "It's not right or good to involve us."
"There is a difference," responded Hannah with sad smile tugging at her
lips, "between 'right' and 'good'. I may be right, but I sacrifice a lot to be
right. And you may be good, but you're wrong. They can fight. They will fight.
Not for us, but for the world." She paused briefly, sighing. "In the end, we will
all fight. Or die. And Molly, Susan, and Raye are right--it's your choice. It's
all our choices. And it's your own destiny. But I..." She shrugged and touched a
finger to her purple-and-black beads. "I am going to fight."
Silence filled the room as the Mistresses stared at her in shock. No one
dared to speak as the dark haired young woman folded her hands and sat back down,
once again becoming stoic.
"Maybe... Maybe she's right..." Alexandra glanced at the aqua-haired woman
next to her and laced their fingers together thoughtfully. "The girls can't do
this alone..."
The blue-haired Mistress nodded in solemn agreement. "Perhaps, in an
abstract way, we were right all along." The others all stared at her in
confusion. She blanched. "That is to say that we were right to not want them to
fight all on their own."
Lita nodded. "We have to all fight together. Mistresses and Scouts. Hand in
hand."
The stranger, the redheaded woman who had so sparked Hannah's monologue and
had slowly drawn the Mistresses into the world of rational thinking and blatant
logic, smiled knowingly. "I'm glad we've all reached a verdict." Pulling on her
coat, she started toward the large marble doors.
For only the second time in the meeting, Neo-Queen Serenity spoke. "Molly,
why do you leave?"
The woman slowed her pace and turned around, smiling sadly as she gazed
with blue eyes at her childhood best friend. "Serena, there are many things that
you don't know about the Silver Star," she stated plainly, trying not to upset
herself or her friend. "My time on this planet grows short, and I intend to spend
my remaining days as best I can." She bowed deeply, red hair falling about her
pale face. "And I shall miss you."
As she left, Mina gulped back her remaining few tears and sighed. "I
suppose the time has come, then..."
"Yes," responded Susan, her voice strong as she smiled weakly at the
others. "The time has come."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I'm getting worried," she sighed, staring up at the thick, black clouds
that were fusing together above the city. "I've never seen a storm this bad
before..."
The orange cat stretched and shrugged. "You worry to much, Di," he
addressed his sister casually, glancing up to the Heavens as though the sky was
blue and cheery. "I'm sure that this is just another little thunder storm, like
the one a couple of days ago."
Green eyes glowed as lightning flashed, illuminating the dim room. "I think
you're wrong, Orb," Orion sighed, her expression wary. "This is a sign."
"You believe in those?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow. "That is SO cute!"
Shooting him an angry glare, the calico bristled. "Shut up..."
"But it's..."
"Just stop it," commanded Diana in a rather dry tone. Her red eyes narrowed
to slits as she watched another bolt of lightning streak across the dreary sky.
"She's right this time. This is a signal."
Orb considered this and chuckled, receiving two stern, dagger-filled glares
from the female cats. "What?" The glares continued. "You can't possibly believe
that the world is soon going to end!"
"I never said it would," retorted Orion in a serious voice. "I just said I
was a sign. It's you who said it."
The three were silent for a long moment, eyes glancing out the window in
contemplative quiet. The red eyes of the elder Moon Cat were teary, and the
golden eyes of her brother were nervous and wary. Only the timeless, elegant
forest-colored eyes of the calico cat seemed to understand and not fear the
storm.
Sighing, the pink one looked to her two companions. "We're all going to
die, aren't we?" she inquired nervously.
"We die or live," responded the Star Cat softly. "We triumph or fail."
"I hope for the first option," Orb stated, wrenching his gaze from the
unsettled sky.
Orion nodded. "And so do I."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"And then..." Tara wiped the tears off her face and let her head fall into
her hands, unable to finish the sentence.
Putting a warm arm around the younger teen, Reeny took a deep breath and
cleared her throat. "If what you say is true, then that means..."
Celeste's lower lip began to quiver as she realized the heavy truth that
had been in the Shinto's words. Collapsing into Lyra's lap, the little girl
buried her head in her sister's skirt, sobbing.
The bedroom of the Princess of the Earth was filled with silence, but
everyone knew that Tara's vision was right. Just like the others had been a few
months before. True. All true. And that meant only one thing for the Galactic
Sailors.
Four of them, along with four of the Mistresses, would die.
"I don't see how this could happen," Richard commented, stroking Lyra's
blonde curls idly as he held her close. "Perhaps we're going to be kidnapped."
The others all looked at him in shock, and Ambriel cooed. "I mean, if the vision
took place in the Raider Starship..."
Phoebe nodded and let a small, hopeful smile tug at her lips. "Maybe we
should catch the King off guard," she suggested, rubbing her hands together as
she spoke. "We could Sailor Teleport to the Starship..."
"But we're going to have to take the Mistresses," Alice spoke up with a
toss of her straight auburn hair. "I mean, if they were in the vision too..."
"And we should take them anyway," put in Haley with a sigh. "I mean, they
could really help us..."
The blonde Mokoti girls both looked up from their respective embraces. Lyra
nodded to Haley's suggestion while the little one looked out the window and at
the blackening skies. "So that's it," observed Lyra, weaseling out of Richard's
embrace to stand. "We're to fight."
Nodding in agreement, the Princess stood in turn and smiled slightly. "And
we protect the world from the one true evil out there."
"For the world!" announced Celeste, clenching her hands into fists as she
glared, teary-eyed, out the window. "We are going to have you, Raider King! We're
going to get you!"
The little redhead child in Lisa's arms sniffled and let her gray eyes dart
about the room. All of the Scouts were nears tears, now, and Richard was stoic
but somehow worried as Lyra hugged Celeste around the shoulders. Ambriel had
watched as Tara had told all of them about the vision. She had watched as seven
girls and one young man had nearly screamed in fear.
Lisa hugged Ambriel closer, bending down toward the girl's ear. "You know
something they don't," she whispered softly, "don't you?"
Gray eyes sparkled, and the toddler smiled weakly, as though she
understood.
"And they haven't seen anything yet, have they?" continued the handmaiden
with her concerned questioning.
As though on cue, the child climbed of the blonde woman's lap and toddled
slowly across the floor toward the congregation of teenage warriors.
"Ambry?" questioned Reeny with a raised pink eyebrow. "Go back to Lisa..."
"Scouts good!" cooed the little girl, hugging the Princess around the
knees. "Mistresses good!" She buried her little face in the white skirts. "Die
trying. Live again."
Everyone stared at the child as she sat down on the floor in tears, gray
eyes glowing as she gazed longingly at the pink-haired teen. "Ambriel love
Mommy..."
"Mommy loves Ambry," choked the Princess, bending down to smooth the little
girl's red hair. "But Mommy has to go away for a little while, now... And... And
she might not..." Shaking her head, Reeny placed a soft kiss on the foundling's
forehead. The silver moon birthmark appeared for a brief second before fading
into nothingness again. "Just be good for Lisa..."
As Lisa plucked the child up off the floor and walked out of the room, she
glanced meaningfully at the Princess. Her Princess. "No matter what happens," she
sighed, bowing a slight bit, "I will serve you. I..." She shook her head
slightly. "It is wrong for me to say it, but I love you."
Reeny smiled and blinked back tears as the woman walked out of the door.
"Let's do it," suggested Haley with an affirmative nod, drawing her locket
out of her pocket and staring at it with nervous teal eyes. "Let's go kick some
Raider butt!"
"Let's go get the Raiders!"
The Galactic Sailors assembled into a circle, each clutching their
respective locket or transformation stick tightly over their hearts. Richard drew
a purple rose out of midair, clasping it over his chest and joining the group.
Reeny took a deep breath. "No matter what happens," she vowed, raising her
locket over her head, "we will be the Galactic Sailors."
Five more lockets, one transformation stick, and a rose flew into the air
as the eight warriors of love and justice all smiled at one another and closed
their eyes.
"Moon Galactic Power..."
"Earth Galactic Power..."
"Polaris Galactic Power..."
"Phoenix Galactic Power..."
"Aurora Borealis Galactic Power..."
"Comet Galactic Power..."
"Small Star Power..."
"MAKE UP!"
Richard let the light of seven transformations fall upon his face. "May the
light of the stars guide you..." he whispered, allowing his own purple ribbons to
envelop him before closing his eyes to the brightness of the colors.
And to the brightness of destiny.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"So, this is it."
Seven women smoothed their velvety gowns in both expectation and fear. The
conference room was alight with the colors of the Planet Mistresses--blue, red,
green, orange, purple, navy, and aqua. Nearby stood the Queen of the Earth, her
silvery-white gown and its golden trim glistening in the pale lamplight. Beside
her was the King, dressed all in lavender. And there was, of course...
The Guardian of Time thumped her key staff on the floor, catching
everyone's wandering attentions. Her garnet eyes were alight in the daring light
of hope as she glanced at the other Mistresses. Her black and crimson fuku was
taught against her bulging belly, but she did smile. "I will pray for you all."
Terrence, who stood beside her in full military garb, closed his hands
around one of hers and, in this, around the Time Key. "We will watch from the
Gate..."
"But... The babies..." The shock on Mistress Neptune's face was heart-
wrenching as she stared at the couple.
Sailor Pluto nodded solemnly, touching one hand to her pregnant belly.
"This is something that we must do," she sighed, eyes flying to Terrence's face.
He smiled gently, but the fear and apprehensiveness of the situation could be
seen on his face.
The Queen of the Earth glanced at her King, and he let a sad smile tug at
his pale lips. "Good luck..."
Just then, the door burst open and the seven Galactic Sailors burst into
the room, the Starlit Prince following slowly, more cautiously, behind them.
"We're fighting!" announced Sailor Moon on behind of the rest of the Sailor
Scouts. She pulled the Galactic Rod out of null-space and pointed it toward the
nearest adult--her own mother. "And that's that!"
"You try to stop us," came a small voice, "and you get your butts kicked!"
Sailor Chibi-Star glared daggers at the Mistresses and tightened her grip on her
sister's gloved hand.
The Mistress of Venus smiled a slight bit, azure eyes sparkling with unshed
tears. She gazed longingly at her two children: two girls, really young women in
maturity, who were so far out of reach. "We know," she breathed, voice wavering
as she held back tears.
"You can fight," agreed Uranus with a delicate smile on her masculine face.
"And you will."
The seven teens stared blankly at the adults, unmoving. Outside, thunder
crackled through the air and shook Crystal Palace. The lamplight wavered, casting
the room in momentary darkness. Queen Serenity grimaced and dug her nails into
Endymion's arm, creasing the fine lavender fabric of his suit. Her blue eyed gaze
wavered from the Galactic Sailors and fell to the floor. She knew what was
coming.
And so did they.
Sailor Comet took a slight step forward, her boots' heels clicking loudly
on the tile floor and echoing throughout the conference room. Nothing moved as
she spoke. "You...you mean it?" she stammered, awkwardly amazed.
Jupiter nodded. "And we will, too."
"Good." The Starlight Prince reached for the free hand of his blonde-haired
girlfriend. "Are we ready?"
The Mistresses all glanced at Pluto, who nodded and smiled gently at all of
them. "Good luck."
Her boyfriend--her knight, really, in all of his military gear--winked a
green eye. "See you when you get back!"
A flash of red light filled the room.
And they were gone.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"They'll fall right into our grasp, like the pawns they are." The Raider
King laughed triumphantly and flipped a rather large switch into the 'on'
position. "To think that those Sailor brats would actually teleport into our
clutches..."
The Spirit of Silver nodded. "I just hope you know what you're doing."
And the King smiled evilly.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Join hands," commanded Serenity, closing her bright blue eyes and raising
her arms. "I will lend my powers to you as you teleport."
The girls as glanced at one another and laced their hands together one-by-
one, standing in their own half circle with Comet on one end and Polaris on the
other. The Mistresses did the same, with Saturn and Venus taking up the ends.
Slowly, carefully, they completed the circle, with Serenity and Endymion standing
in the circle's center.
The Queen held onto the hand of her husband and took a deep breath. The
Silver Imperium Crystal appeared above her head and began to glow as everyone
closed their eyes.
"Mercury Power!"
"Mars Power!"
"Jupiter Power!"
"Venus Power!"
"Uranus Power!"
"Neptune Power!"
"Saturn Power!"
"Moon Power!"
"Earth Power!"
"Polaris Power!"
"Phoenix Power!"
"Aurora Borealis Power!"
"Comet Power!"
"Small Star Power!"
"Silver Star Power!"
Fifteen beams of light, all various colors and hues, merged into one over
their heads, bonding with the Silver Imperium Crystal's pure white light. The
glowing beam spread out, covering them all as the voices united into one.
"TELEPORT!"
And they were gone.
Serenity's knees buckled beneath her and she collapsed into the King's
arms, panting as she wiped beads of sweat from her brow. Her blue eyes were teary
and bloodshot.
Endymion brushed a blonde hair from her face. "You alright, Sere?"
"Are we doing the right thing?" she choked out, turning to face him as
tears slowly fell down her cheeks. Her words echoed throughout the now empty room
as she buried her head in his chest. "Was that right?"
Kissing the top of her head, he wrapped his arms around her as another clap
of thunder shook the building. "We just have to hope so..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"They're gone."
Orion's voice carried through the empty control room as she stared at one
of the screens. Sure enough, fifteen colored beams were flying toward the black,
looming vehicle that was the Raider Starship.
The other two cats hung their heads. "Now what do we do?" asked Orb grimly,
afraid to look up at the picture.
Diana gulped. "We pray."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
--Galactic Sailors Say--
Lisa: (entering) Because the Sailor Scouts are on their way to doom--I mean, the
Raider Starship... Well, we bring you 'The Minor Characters Say'.
Endymion: (entering) That's right. Have you noticed that we minor characters get
no screen time?
Marie: (entering) Yeah! I mean, I'm Phoebe's aunt and this is my second
appearance in the series!
Harmony: (entering) Oh yeah? Well, I'm the pointless lights girl that spent one
freaking scene in this tale!
Marie: Oh, yeah?
Harmony: YEAH!
(Pause)
Endymion: If you would like to see more of us minor characters, please e-mail
duncan@chicago.avenew.com.
Lisa: With your help, the authors might let us have our limelight!
(Pause 2)
Marie: Besides, Butler is a ham and would love to hear from you.
Ice Monster: Remember me? I had the shortest life span of all youmas, even those
on the original BSSM!
Harmony: (smiles) I'm sorry, but the youma convention is down the hall.
Ice Monster: (makes face) Oh.
Lisa: The minor characters say...
Endymion: Make us major!
Harmony: Wouldn't that ruin the point of us being MINOR characters?
Endymion: Ermmm...
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)
* * * * * * * * * * *
What will happen? Find out on...
GALACTIC SAILORS 12!!!
Coming in early-to-mid March from the Microsoft Word of Kate Butler.
Till then...
--KB--
Author's Ramblings: (to the tune of the song "A Star is Born" from Disney's
Hercules) Gonna shout it from the mountaintops; story eleven's here. Meet some
heroes pulling out the stops; eleven's here.
Okay, song's over.
Thank you to Lady Toco, who has written music to the entirety of "I Know".
Ready yet? Get set! Because we're out of here! Enjoy!
Oh! And read "I Love You, Always Forever" by Andrea Readwolf and Kate Butler!
It's a collection of great Valentine's stories!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Last time, on Galactic Sailors...
Lyra, Richard, and Celeste were confronted with their ultimate destinies.
Orion, the Guardian of the Stars appeared. The first Angel of the Moon appeared.
There was a bit of Guardian cat animosity between Luna and Orion. Doubt died.
And that, my friends, is where the story begins...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
A penny for your thoughts.
She scoffed at the voice. "You've got really screwed-up timing," she spat,
eyes opening to become only slits. "What do you want now?"
Find...
"I found your stinking Princess!" Orion bristled, her tail puffing slowly
up. "I found the Prince, the Priestess, the Keeper, the Sailor Scouts AND I found
my destiny!" She sighed and closed her green eyes. "Please go away."
The voice sighed for a moment. I was going to suggest, he responded
softly, for you to find yourself, Orion; I know depression when I see it. There
was a long pause as she laid her head on her front paws. What's wrong with you?
Shaking her head a bit, the animal clenched her eyes as tight as possible.
"I don't know who you are or why you help me," the calico informed him, "but I
don't care." She let a tear roll down her cheek. "I just want to go home."
It's not that simple...
"I know it's not that simple!" she announced, hoping to her feet and pacing
up and down the floor. "Goddammit, I know how very hard it is!" Orion tossed her
head. "But that doesn't change my feelings and that doesn't make me happy!"
There was no sound for a long moment. I'm sorry, Orion, he finally said.
"Not," responded the cat, "as sorry as I am."
Footsteps sounded on the carpet and the young man stuck his head inside
his bedroom. "Are you alright, Orion?" he inquired, running a hand through his
deep red hair nervously. "I heard you talking to someone."
The calico cat smiled. A lot could happen in just a few weeks. And now,
after a bit of fighting and a lot of stress, the Raider King was the only one
left, and he was making no attempt to defeat the Sailor Scouts.
"I'm just fine, Richard..." she responded casually, licking a patch of
white that spotted one of her back paws. "Just a little homesick, I wager."
Chuckling, he bent down and scratched behind one of her ears. "Please don't
be homesick, kid," the teen chuckled. "You have us."
Looking up at him with her green eyes, the cat nodded a bit. "I think
that," she told him, "that's just enough for now."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Ice-blue eyes lowered toward the thick math book. "But I'm right!" A pencil
flew across the room, smashing into the nearest wall with a slight cracking
sound. "When I find the person who invited homework...I'll..." Phoebe paused, a
devilish smile crossing her face as her voice rose in pitch. Innocently, she
batted her eyelashes. "I'll take him by the head, and I'll twist and twist and
twist... Yep, I'll twist it right off, and then you know what I'll do? I'll stick
his head in a light socket. Yep!" Grinning, she leaned back in her desk chair and
let her voice return to normal. "That sounds like a good plan..."
"What are you blathering about this time?" inquired Orb, sashaying into the
room on padded paws.
Flipping one of her braids behind her shoulder, the teen smiled. "Not much,
Orb." She glanced at him, and her expression became thoughtful.
The cat's normally jovial smile was replaced with a grievous frown as he
stared past her and out the window. His brow was furrowed, his gold eyes were
wary and sad, and he breathed softly, exhaling in long, sad sighs.
"What's wrong?"
With a slight shake of his head, the Guardian blinked and smiled weakly at
his blue-haired charge. Truthfully, he'd never seen her happier to be alive. In
the few weeks that had flown past since the death of Raider Doubt, the girl had
gotten into another school-wide musical, improved her already stellar grades, and
joined a district-wide dance team. But she didn't know the truth--the Raider King
was still alive, and his threat toward the Galactic Sailors and the world was
immeasurable. "I'm okay, I guess," he sighed, attempting to smile, however fake
it did look.
She shook her head, turning to the window. The snow was beginning to melt,
the browned grass of the backyard poking daringly through the white slush. The
sun shone brightly, and a soft wind rustled the naked branches of the large oak
tree. Something about spring was already in the air, despite the fact it was only
early March. "You're not alright," she responded, still staring outside, watching
a few sparrows hop about underneath the bird feeder. "Something's bothering you."
Orb chuckled a bit. The girl knew him too well. "I was just thinking..." he
muttered, not wanting to trouble her with the truth.
"About the Raider King?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"And what?"
"The verdict, Orb."
Silence filled Phoebe's bedroom as he let out another long sigh and turned
away from her, staring at the burnt-orange carpeting as he did so. Nothing hurt
as much as the knowledge that it wasn't over. Nothing felt so wrong as to know
that, once again, six innocent teenage girls would head into battle and risk
their lives.
Dropping out of the chair and to her knees, the girl cocked her head at her
pet and ran her fingernails up and down his spine, silky fur tickling her hand.
"What is it, Orb?"
He shuddered, purring slightly at her gentle touch. "It's not over," Orb
whispered, closing his large eyes. "There is to be another Meeting of the
Mistresses tomorrow to decide..."
"Decide what?" The question broke the impending silence.
"To decide," he responded gravely, "the fate of the Earth."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Dropping the wrench at her side, Haley let out a labored sigh and leaned
back on her elbows, the rough metal of the catwalk biting at her skin. "I'm done
over here!" she called to the amber-haired girl who was re-positioning another
spotlight at the other end of the theatre. "You done yet, Harmony?"
The girl, a full three years younger than the brunette, shook her head and
continued her work. "Not yet, Miss Haley," she responded in a respectful tone,
eyes narrowing as she pulled the large light up a bit.
She smiled, wiping the sweat from her brow. Once again, an all-school
musical had claimed Phoebe Urawa as its leading lady, and once again, Haley was
up in the school catwalks, spending three hours of her time repositioning lights
so that the production could go according to plan. Which it, of course, would.
It had been a peaceful few weeks.
"Well, I'm going down and grabbing myself a drink," she told the younger
girl, mounting the ladder with relative ease. "Want anything?"
Harmony brushed a golden strand of hair from her eyes. "I want," she
grunted, "to finish this and go home!"
Chuckling, Haley climbed down the ladder and stretched, walking out onto
the stage with a large smile on her face as her teal eyes fell on a funny sight.
Michelle was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the stage, her aquamarine
hair falling messily into her blue eyes as she sorted through a sea of
photocopies. "Violin three..." she muttered aimlessly, flipping over a few of the
papers. "Where the Hell did I put that?"
Crouching down next to her mother, Haley sniggered. "A principal's work is
never done, eh?"
"No, it's not, Haley," responded the founder of the Crystal Music Academy,
still sifting through the sheets without ever lifting her eyes. "Do you want
something? Are the lights done? Going home yet?"
The teen ran a hand through her brown hair. "No. Almost. Pretty soon."
Picking up one of the papers, she dropped it in her mother's lap. "Violin three."
She stood and jumped off the platform, starting up the aisle fleetly.
With a bewildered glance, Michelle stared after her young daughter. "I want
you home soon," she warned. "Don't stick around here too long tonight."
Haley stopped in mid-step and whirled around on her heals. "And why not?"
she questioned, making a face. "Usually, you're happy when I spend a lot of time
here..."
"Not tonight," she repeated, stacking several pages together. "I want you
home for dinner."
"WHY?" whined Haley, stomping a foot. "We're going out with Terrence again,
anyway..."
Her mother's voice was almost inaudible as she gazed at the teen, blue eyes
piercing the iron will of her child.
"Because," Michelle said coolly, "there's a meeting of the Mistresses
tomorrow."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Another one?" whined the blonde woman, collapsing onto the couch. "It's
bad enough that we once again have to eat dinner with your boyfriend..." Seeing
the glared daggers flying toward her, she focused on the television screen and
brought the red car around a tight corner. "I mean..."
Susan sighed and stirred her tea. "That's enough out of you, Alexandra,"
she smiled slightly, resting the saucer on her bloated belly. "I'm not having an
expressly good day, in case you're not bright enough to notice."
Pausing the video game just long enough to cock her head to the side and
consider the pale, drained expression on the pregnant woman's face, Alex screwed
her face into a rather pathetic half-smile. "Sorry, Suse," she apologized,
focusing on the floor and then the video game's complex controller. "I don't
always realize stuff like that, you know?" Shrugging, she started the game back
up and maneuvered the vehicle over a high jump and over a pile of smashed up car
parts.
The Guardian of Time considered this and smiled gently at her blonde
friend. "I don't think that--out of all the times you've offended me in the last
thousand or so years--you've ever apologized."
Alex smiled, still focusing on the game rather than on her companion.
"Well, there's a first time for everything," she confessed. "I'm just surprised
it's taken me this long to actually be nice to you."
Their conversation was interrupted by Hannah padding down the stairs, Lyra
and Celeste Mokoti in tow. "Auntie Suse?" inquired the young woman, hands thrust
into her pants pockets as she looked at the adult with thoughtful purple eyes.
"These two would like to talk with you..."
Susan sat up to stare at the two blonde sisters. Alex shut off the Nintendo
system and looked at them as well. Hannah bustled back up the stairs.
"Ummm...well..." Lyra stared at her socks, nearly afraid to meet the
Mistresses' gazes. Licking her lips, she took a long breath and glanced slowly
up. "Celeste would like to know why Serenity called another Meeting of the
Mistresses," she requested softly, eyebrows knitting together involuntarily.
The green-haired woman was about to respond, but the smaller Mokoti girl
stepped forward, crossing her arms across her chest while doing so. "I don't
think it's fair!" she protested loudly. "We've handled all the other Raiders
without any help from you grown-ups, so why do we need help now?" She made a
face, green eyes turning a bit angry as she spoke. "I don't see why you're all so
afraid of us fighting against a Raider, even if he is the King!"
Footfalls sounded on the stairs, and Hannah once again emerged from the
kitchen. "She has a point," she put in, leaning against the doorway as she spoke.
"It is within their destinies to fight..."
"No parent," interrupted Alexandra thoughtfully, "likes to see their child
in danger, and this undoubtedly goes for us Mistresses." She settled further into
the couch. "For us, death is just an uncharted voyage. But for you..." Her green-
gray eyes flew to the curly-haired teen and then to the child with the corn-silk
blonde hair. If they didn't yet understand, would they ever? "If you two were to
die, it would be the loss of a new life, of a real life; but it's all relative, I
suppose." She paused and looked to Susan.
The Guardian of Time closed her wine-colored eyes. "We don't want you to
die because you Galactic Sailors are our future..." Her voice was soft and
slightly sad. "We want to protect the world, not end it."
"But, don't you get it?" asked Celeste softly, receiving a stern glare from
her older sister. "If we don't at least try to fight, the world will be lost!"
Her green eyes bore into the two adults as she glared at them. "Peace--real
peace--can't be obtained unless we fight against evil!" Her tone grew stern and
adult as she spoke. "It is not as though our lives will be more complete if we
cower in a corner. We must fight and defend the world; thus is our destiny."
Turning her back to the two women, she glanced up at Hannah. "At least one of you
understand. Come, Lyra." Celeste mounted the stairs.
Managing an apologetic smile, Lyra looked at the two dazed Mistresses. Both
were gazing after the girl, faces slightly shocked from the adult philosophy the
six-year-old girl had just spouted. "I'm sorry for her behavior," she smiled
sheepishly. "I'll be sure to give her a talking to."
The youngest Mistress shook her head, black hair whipping about her pale
face. "Don't even bother yourself over what she just did," she commanded, the
words stern yet sweet at the same time. "She knows something that I think the
rest of us forgot."
Rubbing the back of her neck, the blonde teen shrugged and grimaced in
confusion. "Well, whatever," she smiled, climbing up the stairs. "See you all at
the meeting tomorrow..."
As Lyra left, Alexandra glared daggers at her daughter. Hannah still stood
near the stairs, purple eyes focusing on the melting snow outside. She nervously
twisted her engagement ring around her finger, ignoring everything and everyone
around her.
"Hannah, did you just imply what I think you did?" inquired the tomboyish
woman, her brow furrowing as she stared at the slim woman.
Nodding, she started up the stairs herself. "I agree," she told her mother
and aunt, "with the girl Celeste."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"A Meeting of the Mistresses."
"Angel!"
Reeny made a face, glaring across the room at the child. "Hush!" she
yelped, adjusting her position at the desk and flipping another page in the thick
book before her. "I'm busy!"
A sniffle came from the little red-haired girl, who toddled toward the
teen. Her socks slipped on the marble of the floor, and she landed on her bottom,
hollering.
"What now?" growled the Princess of the Earth, turning her seat to look at
a certain bawling two-year-old. Of course, nothing could go right for so much as
a day inside of Crystal Palace. Reeny had discovered early that morning things
such as: her private tutor was taking a 'day off', the cleaning staff in charge
of washing clothing had gone on strike and left her without much clean clothes,
and that her handmaiden Lisa--the only other person in what was seemingly all of
Tokyo who could control Ambriel--was down with a bad case of the flu. And, to
make already awful matters worse, there was a Meeting of the Mistresses hanging
over her head. She felt as though the Meeting was looming over her whilst she sat
staring at the crying girl, shaking its vile Mistress-empowering fist at her as
she just sighed. "I'm sorry, Ambry," she cooed, getting up and walking over to
the child, smoothing the too-big skirt of her only clean Princess gown as she
went. "I'm just having a rotten day."
"Angel Moon," croaked the child, clambering to her feet and clutching at
Reeny's legs. "Angel, angel, Moon. Meeting good. Destiny good. Fight bad. Sailors
good." She smiled sweetly. "Up?"
The teen ran a shaking hand through one of her thick pink pigtails. She'd
found in the last few weeks that Ambriel was capable of saying a wide range of
words and usually did so, speaking almost in code. Scooping up the little one,
Reeny thought aloud. "So then... The Meeting of the Mistresses is a good thing.
And our destinies are all good. But the fighting is bad. And the Sailors are
good..."
"Mommy MAKE Sailors good." Ambriel laid her head on her the Princess'
shoulder, gray eyes half-closed as she nestled close to the soft silk that her
'mommy' wore. "No matter what Mistress say; Mommy and Sailors good."
Staring down at the little girl, Reeny felt a shiver run down her spine and
involuntarily drew Ambriel closer to her chest, allowing a startled gasp to
escape her lips. Something about Ambriel... Something was so mysterious and all-
knowing that it frightened even the Princess of the Earth. And Reeny was not
easily frightened.
A rather stout handmaiden peeked her head in through the doorway and
scowled at the dazed young woman. "Hey, Princess," growled the woman, her head of
gray hair bobbing almost obnoxiously as she spoke. "You're to be at Cherry Hill
in ten minutes. Are you listening to me?"
Reeny rolled her red eyes and stroked the child's hair, glaring at the
woman. "You shouldn't be so indignant in the presence of the Princess," she spat,
placing Ambriel on the bed just long enough to slip on her thick coat.
"You try an' stop me," shot the rude handmaiden, stepping into the room and
seizing the red-haired child out of Reeny's arms. "I'll be sure an' put 'er down
for 'er nap."
Red eyes flashed dangerously. "Ambriel is to come with me," argued the
young woman, holding open her arms to take the child back. "You'll give her to me
right now."
"I ain't doing anything like that," shot back the woman, brown eyes
lowering toward the royalty before her. "You may be the Princess an' all, but you
sure don't act like a you be a Princess."
Squirming, Ambriel reached for Reeny. "Angel!" she cried, eyes brimming
with tears.
The Princess narrowed her eyes, clenching her fists in anger. "I am the
Princess of the Earth, and I command you to give her here!" She stomped a foot on
the ground. "Ambriel is my responsibility, and I command..."
"When your little buddy, Lisa, ain't here, missy," spat the stranger in a
condescending tone, "you be my charge an' you'll do as I say." She glanced down
at the upset child in her arms. "I don't even see what be so great about this
here little foundling. She be more trouble than she be worth." She pinched
maliciously at the baby's chubby arms. "Yep. More trouble than she be worth, this
little brat is..."
"ANGEL!" yelped the child as two fingers once again pinched her arm.
Ambriel's scream echoed in her ears as Reeny took a deep breath. Pulling
back her fist, she punched the older woman square in the nose. The stranger
stumbled slowly backward, grip on the child loosening as she struggled to stay on
her feet. The Princess snatched away the little redhead, receiving a tight hug as
a reward.
The handmaiden lowered her eyes. "You little wretch!" she gasped, examining
the blood that her hand had caught. "You're no Princess!" Her eyes turned into
vengeful slits, the sunlight that flowed through the windows hiding her in the
shadow of the canopy bed. "You be nothing more than a little whore who..."
"Out." Reeny's tone was dry. "Or I will hit you again." Stepping quickly
forward, she pulled the paper identification badge from around the woman's neck
and ripped it in half. "From this moment on, you are nothing in the eyes of
Crystal Palace. You have been fired."
"You can't fire me!" she protested, outraged.
Pushing the woman out the door in front of her, the Princess of the Earth
smiled broadly and winked at the ex-handmaiden. "I just did," she smiled before
starting down the hallway.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Leaning back in her chair, Alice yawned and stretched out her long arms.
"Where's Haley and Pheebs?" she inquired sleepily, blinking while looking to the
three present Scouts for the answer.
Tara shrugged, vibrant green eyes never leaving the notebook in front of
her. "I really don't know," she admitted, turning the page and continuing her
reading. "But we do need to discuss the Meeting of the Mistresses."
The blonde teen glanced nervously at her watch. "I'm more worried about
Reeny," she said, chewing on her lower lip. "She promised to be here early."
"Therein lies the problem," joked the little Scout, rolling onto her
stomach and kicking her legs idly as she studied the tan carpeting of the
Temple's living room. "You're not supposed to believe Reen when she says she's
going to be on time!" Bright eyes glancing up at her friends, Celeste sighed and
her shoulders slouched. "But I still don't think they should have called a
Mistress Meeting."
"I'm with you on that one!" came Phoebe's chipper voice as she pranced into
the room, laden with a large stack of papers and a wild-eyed grin. "It's our job
to fight!"
Lyra considered this. "But, still..."
The Shinto girl sat up a bit, slowly closing her notebook and running a
long forefinger over the scrawling script on the cover. "I agree," she stated.
"It's our destiny, and we must save the world from all evil."
"It was part of our vows as a Galactic Sailor," put in Alice with a rather
thoughtful scowl. "And even I can't argue with that."
"But, look at the big picture, guys," protested the curly-haired girl with
a scowl. "If we die fighting, what good will it do?"
Phoebe raised two blue eyebrows. "And, if we don't fight," she argued,
slumping against the wall, "then the Raider King takes over without any fuss."
Alice nodded in agreement. "We've got at least TRY."
"Yes," ventured Tara. "The best thing that happens when we fight is that we
win. What's the best possibility if we cower?"
"Well... I just don't think we should fight!" challenged Lyra haughtily,
raising her voice for what seemed to be the first time in weeks. "It's so
dangerous and the odds are so few that we could win..."
Footfalls sounded on the steps outside, and a few muffled prayers and
greetings were exchanged outside before the door was thrown open and three
familiar teens and a little child with a bright mop of red hair entered the
living room. "Arguing already?" queried a beaming Haley, wiggling her sock-
covered toes. "I thought you'd wait for the rest of us."
Sighing, Alice shook her head. "It's about the Meeting of Mistresses," she
told the newcomers in a dry tone. "We don't know what side we're on."
"What's a Meeting of Mistresses?" asked Richard, pushing up his glasses as
he crossed the room and settled himself on the couch next to his curly-haired
girlfriend. "I know you've mentioned them before."
Placing Ambriel on the floor and removing the little girl's thick coat,
Reeny smiled for a fleeting moment before collapsing next to her little
foundling. "It's when our parents--the Planet Mistresses--meet and discuss the
fate of the Earth." She shook her head, breathing in the warm, sweet scent that
the Cherry Hill Temple had always possessed--the smell of cherry blossoms in
bloom.
Furrowing his brow, Richard wrapped an arm around Lyra and pulled her
close. "Why is that the basis of an entire argument?"
"To fight, or not to fight," bellowed the blue-haired dramatist in a deep,
severe British accent. "That is the question! Whether it 'tis nobler to..." She
trailed off, feeling the stare of sixteen eyes fly toward her. Smiling sweetly,
she bowed deeply.
Alice chuckled. "You're a ham at heart, aren't you?
She was about to respond when she felt Tara's lightly green eyes lower to a
glare in her general direction. Claming up, she looked at the ceiling with her
ice blue eyes and let the retort slip off her tongue.
"The question is really not whether or not to fight," explained the Shinto
with a long sigh. "It's whether or not the Mistresses have the authority to stop
us." Growing silent for a brief moment, she smiled sadly and shook her head.
"And, though we all have both the capability and the power to fight, it comes
down to the mere question: do we want to?" She glanced warily at the curly-haired
teen, her face purely blank as she looked to her blonde friend. "And I think that
we--most of us, at least--want to."
Hardly acknowledging the warm embrace of her beloved, Lyra tossed her dark
blonde curls about her face, violently shaking her head back and forth. "I'm NOT
fighting!" she announced once again, narrowing her eyes at the rest of the
Galactic Sailors. "You can fight, if you'd like," she continued sternly, voice
cold, "but I just want to be a normal teenager. End of story."
The others were all about to respond in a motley of various yelps when
Celeste held up a hand, silencing them. With a swift movement of her left hand,
the golden staff that represented the Keeper of the Nebulae appeared beside her,
floating a bit above the ground. "First, SISTER..." She lowered her usually happy
green eyes and glared at the teen who was truly the Princess of the Stars, "I
would like to remind you that there are greater destinies in the world than that
of the Galactic Sailors. We are all destined to rule the world."
"Celeste..." warned Richard, seeing his girlfriend's face drain of all
color.
The other young women watched as the littlest Scout continued.
"But we have worked hard, Princess Lyra," she preached, a faded gold star
sparkling on her forehead. "And, when you accepted the vow of being a Sailor
Soldier, you accepted the challenge..."
"The horror..." Phoebe chewed on her lower lip in a reflective gesture.
"The pain..." Smiling, Haley toyed with one of her brown strands of hair.
"The beauty..." Tara drew her knees to her chin.
"The wonder..." The Princess of the Earth kissed the top of Ambriel's
red-topped head.
"And the power..." put in a rather thoughtful Alice, folding her hands
across her lap.
Smiling, the Keeper of the Nebulae brushed a long, straight blonde hair
from her eyes, still staring at her eldest sister. "Yes," she proudly grinned,
"yes. We accepted being Sailor Soldiers." She held out a hand. "Do not turn your
back on the world, Lyra."
She shook her head slowly, her feverish negation growing faster and faster
as she clenched her brown eyes shut. "There is no hope!" she screamed, pounding
at the couch with her fists. "There is no such thing as hope! Everything that
happens will just kill us! We will die!"
"No, we won't," argued Richard, drawing her sobbing form to his chest and
tightening his grip around her. "We will win. You'll see."
Lyra continued crying. "I don't want to die..."
Her hardened features turning pleasant, the child knelt down in front of
Lyra and Richard. "And, if we don't fight..."
"Then we won't have so much as a chance to live," supplied Alice in a
quiet, serene tone. "You've got to fight."
"Death cannot hold fear for such as us," the young man told her, kissing
the top of his love's head whilst smoothing her curly hair. "We have to fight
on."
Reeny chuckled a bit. "Don't think the rest of us don't understand," she
begged of the sobbing girl, amused yet sympathetic at the same time. "I've fought
against indescribable monsters, and yet I still feel a lump in my throat like
time and memorial."
Nodding in agreement, Tara chewed on her lower lip, staring at the
bittersweet scene that spread out before her. Richard held Lyra tightly in a pair
of loving arms while she sobbed without feeling any relief to her sorrow. In
front of the couple, on her knees, was a six-year-old girl who obtained within
her mind more wisdom than the rest of them combined. Spread variously about the
room were the other four warriors, each with their own, private emotion upon
their faces: Phoebe was pensive, Alice was sympathetic, Haley was somber, Reeny
was amused but understanding at the same time. It was a sad sight, broken only
from the soft words of the oldest Sailor Scout.
"I know that I'm not the nicest, trendiest, smartest, or most dramatic of
all of us in this room," volunteered Haley Ten'ou, her solemn expression turning
into a rather hopeful smile, "but I would like to say something that can never
leave here."
The others all looked expectantly at her, and the brunette grinned broadly.
"But, I know this," she continued. "I love each and every one of you that
sit before me. I've loved you since the day I knew about our destinies, and I've
always knew that this day would come; that, at one time, we'd all sit in this
room and realize the truth. We are weak." Teal eyes closed partially as the teen
laid back in the chair she had taken and bit her lip. "We are only human, and we
all know it. The only hope we have is to fight with the Mistresses while fighting
against them."
Two pink eyebrows flew upward, only to knit themselves together. "Excuse
me?" inquired Reeny, confused.
Ambriel stared sweetly at Haley with two gray eyes. "Mommy MAKE Sailors
good."
Grinning, Haley glanced at the little child who was amusing herself with a
stuffed animal. "That's right," came the delighted reply. "Well, sort of. We just
have to make them see our ways, sort of like we did for Lyra here."
The blonde Scout pulled her head from Richard's chest to look the brunette
in the eyes. "Do you have a point?" she inquired dryly.
"Yes, I do," she assured them. "We can get them all to understand... And to
help."
"And if they don't?" asked Alice softly, her voice wavering.
Silence fell over the room as everyone stared at one another. Outside, the
bright early-spring sun flew behind a dark, imposing cloud.
Once again, Celeste's tone grew tenacious and timeless. "Then," she
resolved darkly, "we are doomed."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I called you all here for a reason," he said.
And you know, somehow, what it is, he told one of his companions
secretly.
"But I wish to gain your approval more than your separate loves," he
continued softly, voice unusually bleak. "I've already got the latter of the
two..."
The blue skies of March sparkled over the city of Crystal Tokyo as four of
the five Guardians of the Galactic Sailor Soldiers sat upon the Kino balcony.
Dark, imposing clouds loomed in the distance, threatening to end the glorious
reign of the sun. Three crescent moons and a single silvery star flashed in the
bright light before the glowing ball of energy slipped behind a cloud.
Orion drew in a deep breath. "I can feel it running through my veins," she
whispered, shivers running up and down her spine. "There are powerful evil forces
nearby."
The two other young cats both nodded at her words, though they sat on the
complete opposite side of the little ledge. She was still an alien being to them.
She would never, truly, belong as a Guardian Cat. She was just Orion. The odd
foreigner that was a threat--and little more than that--to the sovereign rule of
the Moon Cats.
Artemis stood slowly, his white fur ruffled slightly by the crisp spring
breeze. "Do you know what they say about the month of March?" he inquired softly,
blue eyes a bit sad. "They say it comes..."
"In like a lion, out like a lamb," stated Diana in a meditative tone, her
words echoing across the balcony and into the sweet, warm air. "I don't get
it..."
The white cat smiled gently. "Your treatment of Orion has been thus far,"
he continued solemnly, breathing in all the tastes and smell of the wonderful
city, "like the way a lion would act." He glared at his two children. "I expect
you to start acting like lambs."
Making a face, the pink cat stuck her nose into the air. "But Father," she
protested smugly.
"I don't want excuses," shot the oldest cat angrily. "I want results."
Orb nodded, remaining wisely silent.
"And now, for grave news." Artemis closed his azure eyes slowly, the moon
upon his forehead glowing brightly and literally floating in midair. "I have
three choices right now: To give my powers to either of my children or to Orion."
Taking a long breath, he focused all his energy into the glowing mass that was
once a brand of power. "And thus, I give it to Orion."
The gold swallowed the strange calico cat in its brilliance. The glow was
blinding, rivaling the absent sun in its beauty and depth. It was all she could
do to close her eyes, least the brightness blind her.
Orb and Diana stared, both surprised and horrified at the sight before
them. He was their father! How could he bestow upon the stranger his
Guardianship? It was none of Orion's business.
When the shining died down, the big white cat smiled sadly and allowed
himself to look out on the city of Tokyo. Though he could not see it, he knew
that the once brilliant spot of gold upon his brow was now replaced with new,
white fur. No longer could it be seen or understood that he was a Moon Cat.
For he no longer was.
"Do you understand?" he questioned hoarsely of his two children. "Do you
understand what I did?"
Diana ignored him, but the younger of the two Moon Cats smiled sadly,
honey-colored eyes focused on the dazed calico. "You love her as much as you love
us, don't you?" Orb grinned happily, padding over to Orion on soft white paws.
"My name is Orb, and I'm a Moon Cat."
She knotted her eyebrows. "What on Earth are you talking about?"
"Didn't change her attitude," snorted the pink animal.
Green eyes flashed angrily, but the calico avoided starting an argument
with either of the two Moon Cats. Looking across the city and to the vast expanse
of the Pacific Ocean. What waited for her out in the world now that she had the
power of two Guardians? What cruel fate dangled before her?
She sighed. "It's starting, isn't it?" she inquired softly, eyes growing
sad as she dared not look to any of the other cats.
Artemis nodded solemnly. "It is."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Looking at the menu, Haley made a face and glared at the buxom blonde
waitress. "I don't suppose you have anything without meat in it," she muttered in
a low tone.
The stranger stared at her with rapt interest. "Excuse me?"
With a chuckle, Terrence grew slightly red and promptly snatched away the
teen's menu. "She'll have a large salad and a bowl of broccoli soup," he informed
the woman, handing the object to her. "Thanks."
The steakhouse was rather smoky and loud as the seven sat around the large
table in relative silence. No matter what relation they had toward the
Mistresses, each of the diners knew the truth--there was trouble brewing deep
within the bowels of peace.
But they didn't want to talk about it.
"So..." prompted Brian nervously, fidgeting in his seat. "How about that
race last night, Miss Alex?"
Shrugging, the blonde leaned back in her chair. "If I hadn't been helping
you and my daughter pick out a silly wedding theme," she spat in an annoyed yet
playful tone, "I could have watched it."
"You should have seen it!" announced Terrence happily. "Nakarauma was like
ZOOM! And WOOSH! And then..." Susan dug her long fingernails into the back of his
hand and he paled, trailing off in both embarrassment and pain.
An uneasy silence fell across the table as they all swallowed the various
lumps in their throats. The knowledge of the Mistress Meeting hung over their
heads, like a dark cloud before a storm.
Gingerly sipping her water, Michelle glanced at Susan and Terrence with a
sweet--and slightly jealous--gleam in her bright blue eyes. "Have you guys picked
out baby names yet?" she asked pleasantly.
"Not again..." drawled Alex and Haley in a startling unison that reminded
all of the frightening similarities between the mother and her adopted child.
The Guardian of Time shrugged. "You'd be surprised how odd his taste in
names is," she sighed with a wry grin, eyes focusing on the tabletop rather than
on the musician.
"And what's wrong with the name Pyrah?" he inquired innocently, his
response prompting the others to chortle. "I think it's cute!"
Haley snorted. "It would be appropriate for the child of Mars, maybe..."
she mumbled under her breath dryly, running a hand through her slightly amorphous
hair.
Snorting, Terrence tossed his head indignantly. "Well, SHE wants to name
the babies Aeris and Skye if they're girls!" he retorted loudly. "What kind of
names are Aeris and Skye?"
Michelle sighed wistfully. "I always wanted Haley's middle name to be
Skye..." She sent a playful glare at Alex.
"Hey, I thought Haley Jordan fit better!" protested the blonde.
"Fits her personality a lot better," pointed out Brian, pushing up his
glasses. "Sounds authoritative yet fun--like two people in one body..."
His fiancée nodded in agreement, clutching his hand in hers. "The Soldier
of the Comets," she smiled sadly, purple eyes blinking back a few hidden tears.
The others froze and looked at her in a slight state of doubt. No one knew
quite what to say in response to her comment, and the silence was heavy as the
eight all stared at each other. Finally, a pair of teal eyes alit with a strange
power.
"We need to talk about this!" announced Haley unexpectedly, bringing her
fist down onto the table with a bang. Water splashed out of the glasses and onto
the white tablecloth. "It's not like this is politically incorrect or anything!"
None of the others dared to make eye contact with Haley as she ranted. "This
meeting is bothering all of us and we can't even talk about it..."
Alex shrugged noncommittally. "What's there to talk about?" she questioned
rhetorically, running a hand through her short hair. "Tomorrow, we decide the
fate of the world. And that fate is that the Galactic Sailors do NOT fight
against the Raider King and we, as Mistresses, cast a protective spell over out
planet."
With a glare aimed toward her mother, Hannah scoffed. "That's impractical,"
she observed cynically, making a face. "What's the point of having the Galactic
Sailor Scouts if you're just going to put up a barrier?"
The other three Mistresses glanced nervously at one another, color draining
out of their faces simultaneously.
The younger of the two sisters nodded enthusiastically. "And how long will
you guys last?" She clicked her tongue against her teeth. "I mean, a barrier of
that magnitude would be like Hell to maintain."
"Smart kid," mumbled Terrence, leaning back into his chair and sipping his
water idly. Green eyes focused on the goings-on with rapt interest as he raised a
brown eyebrow toward Brian.
The blonde man nodded in agreement. "Very smart."
"I don't care what your personal opinion is!" shot Alexandra, darting to
her feet and leaning forward across the table. "We are the Mistresses and you are
the Scouts. We overrule you, no matter what the cost." She lowered her green-gray
eyes. "Do not argue with us."
"Alex..." breathed Michelle in a low tone, eyes teary. "Please..."
Susan shook her head of green hair slowly, nudging her glasses up on her
nose. Her garnet eyes flew from one contender to the other, a thoughtful
expression on her face. Haley was upset and fiery; her elder sister was a bit
more melancholy and adult about it. Michelle was emotional, Alex was angry, and
the two men... As always, they stood on the sidelines, ready to give their
appropriate companion the needed support.
The youngest member of the group pulled her coat from the chair's back and
tossed her head daringly. "I've had enough of this," she told them, tugging on
the jacket and glaring teal eyes at all of them. "And I am very ashamed of the
way you're all acting."
Hannah's facial expression turned from annoyed to outraged. "I'm on your
side this time!" she roared, people glancing at her sideways from other tables
within the restaurant. "How dare you even talk to me like that!" Standing quickly
up, she raised her arm and aimed the back of her hand toward Haley's left cheek.
"Don't even..." warned Brian, jumping up as well.
Effortlessly catching her sister by the wrist, Haley pushed her away and
shook her head. "I'm not criticizing you for once," she put in, placing the palm
of her hand against her sister's and pressing their fingers perfectly together.
"This is my turn to tell you how much I love you."
With a gasp, two already large purple eyes filled with heartfelt tears.
"Just remember I'm on your side, Haley," she managed before beginning to cry.
The teen turned around and considered the words. "I think you always were,"
she smiled before starting out the door.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"What should we do?" inquired the Raider King.
The Chamber of Spirits was dark as footfalls paced back and forth across
the marble floor. The echoes carried from the cool, black floor and up to the
vaulted ebony ceilings as the man bit his lower lip and furrowed his brow in
concentration.
Only two points of the seven-pointed star were still alit with the glow of
gems. A crimson gem and a silver gem.
The voice, the Spirit of Silver, spoke.
"There is always a way to the Sailors hearts," he called out loudly, voice
radiating throughout the room. "But you must also conquer the Mistresses."
The King nodded. "A two in one deal," he pondered aloud with a slight
smile. Freezing in mid-step, his red yet lifeless eyes sparked in slight
disappointment. "But, what of home?" he inquired of the strange being. "What has
happened to the Andromeda Galaxy?"
The Spirit paused. "There are but three starships remaining," he confided
in a softer tone. "We must take over Earth! We must!"
He considered this. "Well, all humans are weak and have private fears,
right?" he asked, not waiting or expecting a response. "What if we drew upon
their fear--made them face the one thing they loathe most?"
The Spirit just laughed evilly, and the Raider King knew the answer.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The doorbell rang.
And rang.
And rang...
Stretching, she wiped her brow with her favorite white towel while mounting
the steps up from the basement. "Coming!" she called, adjusting the burnt-orange
leotard's straps. "Hang on!"
The sound continued.
Phoebe groaned aloud, brushing her fingers through her matted, sweaty blue
bangs. "Are you deaf? Hang on!"
"Pheebs, hurry!" pleaded a muffled, wavering voice from behind the front
door. "It's me, Haley!"
Her brow furrowing, the teen threw open the door, and ice blue eyes quickly
focused on the sight before her.
Haley's normally bright teal eyes were bloodshot and teary; two porcelain
cheeks were stained from crying. Her short-cropped brown hair was a messy mass,
and she looked a wreck--jacket falling off, pants muddy, tennis shoes liberally
covered in dirt and snow. "Can I come in?" she inquired meagerly, face begging
for acceptance.
"What happened?" gasped Phoebe, holding the door wide open as her friend
kicked off her shoes and hobbled into the house, limping noticeably. "You look a
wreck!"
The other nodded slightly. "Let's just say that the Meeting of Mistresses
is causing Hell in my household."
Wincing at the swear, the blue-haired teen let her friend lean on her
shoulder as they hobbled together into the kitchen. "My mother hasn't shown up
yet," mentioned Phoebe, slipping a bit in her toe-shoes. "I wonder why..."
"Did I catch you at a bad time?" Haley took notice of the leotard, ballet
shoes, and towel that the other proudly wore.
"Nah. I was just practicing for the regional dance tryouts. They start on
Friday."
A heavy silence filled the room as the brunette collapsed in a kitchen
chair and let her labored breathing return to normal. Her left ankle was swelled
to twice its average size and she grimaced as her companion cuffed the pant leg
and placed an ice pack on it.
"You ran all the way here?"
Haley glanced at Phoebe and forced herself to smile. "We were at the
steakhouse on 23rd Street," she admitted warily. "I had no choice."
"Is it that bad?" asked the other, eyebrows rising in curiosity. Getting an
odd, confused look from the other, Phoebe elaborated. "I mean, living with the
Outers and all... Is it all that awful?"
The brunette shook her head slowly. "No. In fact, it's just my parents."
"Parents can be heck," agreed the blue-haired Scout. She paused, staring at
her hands. "Why... Why did you come here?"
Smiling, Haley patted her friend on the shoulder. "I knew that, out of all
the Scouts, you would understand the best." She winked. "And you do."
Another moment of silence fell across the room, but this one was much more
comfortable. Phoebe pressed the icepack gently onto the swelled ankle of her
friend and smiled sadly, staring at the floor reflectively. "You know what?" she
inquired, eyes a bit sad as they sparkled in understanding. "I always thought
that you're the tough Scout and that you'd kick all our butts..."
"And?" Haley's eyebrows raised as she asked the question.
The younger teen smiled and shrugged. "I think that we're all really human
on the inside," she returned pensively. "And I think that's what the Mistresses
don't understand about us..."
Her companion paused, considering these words as she stared out of the
kitchen's glass door and at the star-studded night sky. "I think you're right,"
she responded, folding her hands on her lap and slowly closing her eyes. "I
really think you're right."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Angel!"
She groaned in her sleep and rolled over, ignoring the child's cry.
"Princess, it's time to get up!"
She covered her head with the over-sized pillow.
"Reeny!"
Something sharp dug into her shoulder blade, and she yelped, jumping out of
bed and tossing her attacker to the marble floor. Red eyes glared at the pink
animal as the Princess of the Earth crossed her arms over her chest, wrinkling
her powder-blue pajamas. "Well, well, well," she smirked with a shake of her
head. "What do we have here?" One sock-clad foot rose a few feet above the
ground. "It appears to be a naughty cat..."
Diana grumbled and rolled out from under Reeny's threatening foot, standing
slowly. "You have a Scout meeting in a few hours," she informed the teen.
Blanching, Reeny fluffed one of her pigtails and batted her eyelashes. "I
knew that," she protested a bit guiltily.
"Well, whether you knew or not," put in Lisa, dropping a large stack of
sheets on one of the pink-upholstered couches, "you still have a Scout Meeting."
Ambriel nodded, glancing up from her collection of stuffed animals with
bright, sparkling gray eyes. "Mistress Meeting," she cooed with a large grin.
The Princess stretched over to touch her toes and smiled contentedly as she
slowly woke up. "What's the game plan?"
"Simple," the handmaiden responded, tugging one of the familiar white-and-
gold Princess gowns out of the large closet. "You Scouts want to fight."
"And the Mistresses?"
"Won't let you," came a strong voice from the doorway. All eyes turned to
focus on Terrence, who leaned against the frame of the great marble door. "But
you really do want to fight, don't you guys?" Green eyes glittered as his niece
nodded enthusiastically. With a slight smile, he smoothed his khakis and winked.
"And you will, so don't even worry."
Making a face, the cat sighed and shook her head. "Don't be so sure,
Terrence," she retorted coolly, leaping onto the bed in a deft, smooth motion.
"After all, there's always the chance that they'll forbid the girls from doing
what they do best."
With a sigh, Lisa smiled gently. "I hope they don't choose to make the
girls give up the fight," she said plainly. "They've waited their whole lives for
this."
"Angel Moon," added Ambriel in her sweet voice.
Reeny shrugged and played with the hem of her pajama top. "Well, whatever
the case may be," she sighed, glancing at her uncle thoughtfully, "I just hope we
can protect the Earth in the way we were meant to."
They all nodded in silent agreement.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The sunlight fell onto her pale face as she sat on the pillows of the
window seat, staring out at the familiar front yard. The yard that she'd stared
at since she was a mere infant.
But things had changed. She'd changed. The only thing that remained anymore
were the friendly, faded tan pillows and the smooth, white-painted wood of the
window seat. The same window seat that she'd first sat in when she was six years
old and had received a bad note from her teacher for being disruptive. Since
then, it had been her 'thinking place'--the place where she so oft sat to
reflect.
The appearance of her eternally-young mother had not frightened nor shocked
her in the least. Maybe it was true that the Anderson genes ran thick when it
came down to personality matters; the Mistresses always found it in their hearts
to point out the odd similarities between mother and daughter.
And thus Amy stood outside the house, sitting on the pine park bench that
she and Greg had built with their child during one long and exceptionally dull
summer. It had kept them busy for weeks on end, never once allowing them to
realize the boredom that hovered so nearby. And Amy sat upon it, blue eyes
staring out at the old blacktop street that had forever stretched from Crystal
Palace to Crystal Hospital and back.
Sighing, Phoebe glanced at her mother's still form. Who knew what was going
through the woman's head as the seconds until the Meeting of Mistresses ticked
away? No one truly could guess except Amy. Guilt washed across the girl's
conscience. The fear and hurt of allowing your child--the single most important
thing in your life--rush off to a battle that they may not live through.
"What's going on?" inquired a voice she was well accustomed to.
Phoebe's ice-colored eyes never wavered, but she smiled at her friend
anyway. "I just now realized how hard this must be for them."
A head outside the house turned to face the picture windows, and Amy's
bloodshot navy eyes gazed longingly at her child as though the girl was
completely out of reach.
And perhaps she was.
Haley sighed and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched the
Mistress stand and pace slowly toward the window. Perhaps Phoebe and the rest of
the Scouts were untouchable ideals in a sort of mixed up way; they were the
Galactic Sailor Scouts, and they would either save or end the world.
Without words, Amy wiped a tear from under her left eye and placed her hand
on the pane of glass, pressing her palm up against its cool surface while
constantly staring into her daughter's ice blue eyes. The world seemed to slow in
its merry dance around the sun as the teenager took her own right hand and pushed
it up against the window, the two hands touching through the pane of glass.
"I love you," mouthed Amy to her child, pulling her hand away from the
window.
"And I, you," her daughter responded aloud, choking on the words.
There was a flash of pale blue light and the Mistress was gone, leaving
only two wet footprints under the window.
Rising quickly to her feet, Phoebe Solaria Urawa took a deep breath and
turned to her friend, not attempting to hide the tears that streamed down her
pink cheeks. "The time has come," she announced sternly, "to fight or be killed."
"Are you sure?" questioned Haley in a timid voice, teal eyes considering
her companion carefully.
The younger of the two nodded. "The chance of us dying in this fight is
high," she breathed, glancing over her shoulder and back out at the yard. Green
grass was poking up out of the muddy ground, promising renewal and hope. "In
fact, some of us jut might die." She tossed a dark blue braid behind her. "But,
we've just got to hope that the new star will come again."
Haley's frown turned into a soft, passive smile as she ran a hand through
her short hair. Looking up at the gray clouds that were slowly descending upon
Tokyo, she took a deep breath. "The new star will come again," she repeated
thoughtfully, biting her upper lip as she shook her head. "Or else we die."
And the ring of truth in that statement frightened even her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Mom!" Alice tugged on the ratty blue jeans as she hobbled into the living
room. Once again, her one ankle had swollen up to an abnormal size. It had been,
of course, months since they'd faced Death and Greed at Cherry Hill, but her
ankle was a constant source of pain and grief. "My ankle is once again..." She
trailed off, and brown eyes flew to glance at her mother.
Hair falling haphazardly around her shoulders and down to her waist, Lita
looked a wreck. Her shirt was only tucked halfway into the long green skirt, and
one of her shoes was discarded on the floor instead of being worn on her feet.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she cradled her chin in her hands. Green eyes
focused on a certain strand of green-and-pink glass beads. "I don't want to do
this, Ally," she managed in a soft, shaky voice, not looking up. "I'm afraid of
what could happen if you lose..."
Kneeling on the floor beside her mother, Alice brushed a long brown strand
of hair from the woman's face. "You do realize that everything is going to be
perfectly fine, right?" The rhetorical question caught the brunette adult's
attention. "What's the worst that can happen?" The teen smiled impishly. "If we
were to lose, the whole world would go down with us. And, if we win..."
Lita chuckled and then shook her head quickly. "I should scold you for that
one," she returned sharply, pulling her shirt from the waist of her skirt and
finger-combed her hair. "Do you realize that you're all I have in the world,
Ally?" she inquired, not waiting for an answer. "If I were to ever lose you, I'd
die. Period. My life would be over as soon as yours..." She let herself succumb
to tears.
"I'm part of your destiny," the girl protested, rising to her feet and
hobbling around the back of the couch. She picked up a discarded hairbrush and
ponytail holder from the floor and began to work on her mother's hair. "Part of
fulfilling your life is seeing me through mine."
The woman sighed and wiped a few tears away. "You don't know how scared I
am of losing you." Leaning back, she allowed her daughter to pull her wavy mane
into a high ponytail. "I lost my parents, your father..." She smiled suddenly, as
though there was an unknown irony to her words. "What can I say? I've lost my
Scout powers, leaving me to do little more than block attacks."
Alice scoffed and finished with her mother's hair, pulling the last bit of
silky hair through the tie. "But you've got a great restaurant," she smiled,
hopping over the back of the couch and settling in next to her mother. "You have
the best friends in the world." Plucking the discarded shoe off the floor, she
winked. "You have this!"
Snatching away the shoe, the Mistress just smiled weakly and proceeded to
put it on.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
And it starts.
"You'd think," spat the calico, trotting to keep up with the young man and
his angry mother, "that you giving away your powers would get rid of this Goddamn
internal connection."
Nope! chortled Artemis from where ever he was at the time. A pause set in
before he pulled back to the subject. But just listen to Richard and Molly,
and...
"Damn it, Rich!" shot the woman just then, breaking the otherwise calming
silence. "You're the Prince of the Stars! You should have been invited!"
Orion grimaced as the adult screamed at her son. "I see your point," she
mumbled.
Sighing, Richard shook his head and continued after his mother. "I was
invited," he protested in a quiet, composed tone. "To the Scout meeting."
She turned on him, jabbing a long finger into his chest whilst lowering her
blue eyes into a stern glare. "Logic, Richard Duncan Umino," she spat angrily.
"If you're the Prince of the Silver Star, and your mother was one of the rulers,
then..."
He paled. "Oh."
Molly continued her assault down the hallway, still ranting and raving as
she walked. "And, as one of the rulers of the Silver Star, I should be there!
Those damn Mistresses are sitting in some fancy room, plotting the demise of the
whole Earth, and they don't know what the HELL they're doing!"
"But, Mrs. Umino," pointed out the tiny cat reverently, smiling slightly as
she strode along with the two humans, "they don't really know what they're
doing."
"Somewhere, deep down, they do," argued a new, strong voice. Still walking,
all three companions turned their heads to glance at Raye Yuuichirou and her
daughter, Tara. For the first time, Richard realized how much the two looked
alike. Dark hair, brightly mysterious eyes, stubborn dispositions.
"It's really hard to consider such a thing," continued the Priestess with a
long sigh, strolling alongside the mother-son-cat trio, "but they don't
understand destiny as much as we two do."
Tara nodded. A slight smile tugged at her lips as she clasped her hands
together. "The good news is that my mother believes that we should chose."
The young man nodded. "And so does mine."
"I hope," put in the cat suddenly, "that this doesn't royally screw up your
destinies, kids." She paused and grinned evilly. "Well, if it does, you're just
shit out of luck."
Orion!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Today, we make a decision that will forever affect many lives. It may even
end the world as we know it." Neo-Queen Serenity straightened in her seat, azure
eyes surveying the room in silence as she folded to tiny, smooth hands. A few
hundred years ago, she had called the same women--well, the same women sans
Molly--to the same room and told them of her official ascension to Queen of the
Earth. They all had known, more or less, that it would someday occur, and they'd
all been happy. But the good news now gave way to bad as the Queen cleared her
throat and tried her best to remain stoic. It was a hard task--Michelle and Mina
were already near tears over the entire occurrence--but the Queen reminded
herself that it was destiny.
One does not meddle in the affairs of destiny.
"And, thusly, this Meeting of the Mistresses is now in order."
As soon as Serenity finished her sentence, the room was filled with angry,
irrational bickering.
"We should put up a barrier!"
"What about the Scouts?"
"They'll be fine!"
"They should choose!"
"Not my daughters! Please, God no!"
Hannah sighed as the arguments raged through the air, echoing off the
marble walls as the Planet Mistresses glared at one another angrily.
"The Scouts are too young and ill-prepared to fight an evil such as this."
Amy, of course, was completely calm; the placid, peaceful gleam in her blue eyes
was almost too much to bare as she spoke to the group. Her voice, more timid than
that of the other Mistresses, was nearly drowned out by the other's thoughts.
An angry Alex slammed her fist down on the smooth tabletop. "Who cares if
they're too young!" she roared, green eyes alight with fiery wrath and a bit of
fear. "We are destined to protect them!"
Hannah leaned back in her chair, savoring the sights and sounds of the
Mistress Meeting.
"It's destiny," put in a rather distant Susan, folding her hands over her
enormous belly. "We cannot go against the girl's destinies." She blew a long
green hair from her face. "And their destiny is to choose."
Pausing her loud, heart-wrenching sobs, Mina Mokoti shot the Guardian of
Time a tempered, angry glare. "How can you say that?" she asked rhetorically,
tears begging to trail down the porcelain cheeks. "They are our daughters. Two
are MY daughters! How could even one of you..."
"Then my child will choose on her own." Raye crossed her arms over her
chest, her own words cutting off that of her blonde friend. "You each can keep
your babies home on your own accord, but that will not stop me."
Lita scoffed at the Priestess' cold words to the group. "You're going to
get your own child killed, and you know it." Her voice was brimming with ire and
rage, but she did not yell as the tall blonde had. "I still say we put up the
barrier..."
Hannah yawned.
Once again, Susan spoke. "A barrier like that will probably kill us. Let
them choose..."
"How can you be so heartless?" Michelle, a woman who had forever been
softhearted, glanced at her friend through tears. "These are children that we
have raised from infants, and you want us to throw their lives away."
"At least she suggests you give them a chance," shot Raye, trying to keep
her side of the argument well-balanced. "I remember a certain Sailor Scout who
was dead set on killing Hannah Tomoe years ago..."
The young woman flinched as her two mothers began screaming at the temple
maiden. She'd almost forgotten about the Outers' many attempts on her life back
in the twentieth century. It had been a long battle then, and the only people on
her side had been the Inner Scouts.
Thoroughly bored, the purple-eyed gaze flew toward Neo-Queen Serenity. In
her chair she sat, her bright blue eyes only opened to slits whilst she listened
in on the entire conversation. No doubt dealing with her own inner demons. None
the less. She would let Princess Serenity fight when it came time.
Hannah then glanced at the last woman--the stranger--and smiled gently.
Wavy, messy red hair rimmed her face as she glanced about the room, as though
soaking in the atmosphere. The younger woman recognized the stranger as Molly,
the mother of Richard Umino and one of the two 'lost' rulers of the Silver Star.
Without words, Molly winked a knowing cerulean eye at the raven-haired Mistress
before closing her eyes.
Something--it felt like a clap of thunder without sound, really--was
released throughout the room, and all the Mistresses froze in mid-sentence. None
so much as blinked as Molly slowly rose and smoothed her jeans, smiling slightly
as she brushed hair from her face.
"The time has come," the woman said, "to talk of many things. None of which
you will like one bit. But--oh, well. I have but one thing to say."
The others all settled into their respective seats, almost afraid to move
while staring blankly at her. Molly smiled.
"Do not meddle in the affairs of destiny."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sighing, Phoebe swept the chess pieces off the board. "You win again," she
mumbled under her breath, crossing her arms indignantly. "I don't see how I can
be so much like my mother and still lose..."
With a laugh, Alice caught one of the pieces as Celeste lobbed it back
toward the duo. "Come now," she grinned, winking a bright brown eye. "I'll teach
you some new tricks!"
"I'll see your six Reese's Pieces and raise you two M-and-Ms," grinned
Lyra, tossing the candies into the large wicker basket in the circle's middle.
"You can't possibly beat this hand!"
Red eyes glanced nervously at the five cards before you. "I'll see those
M-and-Ms and raise you a pretzel." Reeny added her bet to the collection.
"Angel!" hollered the two-year-old, placing a pretzel in the basket and
adding a chocolate chip cookie.
"Hmmm..." Lisa stared at the faces of the other four poker players
patiently. "I suppose that I'll see that, too..." She placed a cookie in the
container. "And I'm going to add one...no, TWO...mini Snickers bars to the ante."
Chewing on his lower lip, Richard considered the ever-growing pot before
tossing in his two mini Snickers bars. "Call."
"Two pair!" grinned Reeny. The others groaned.
"Three of a kind," boasted Lyra proudly, tossing her blonde curls.
Her boyfriend flashed his cards toward the group. "Full house."
With a shrug, Lisa placed four eight's on the marble floor. "Beat that,"
she grinned coolly, trying not to boast.
Eight eyes flew toward the little child as she spread five cards out before
her, gray eyes smiling while her expression remained rather flat. "Royal flush,"
cooed Ambriel, pulling the basket into her arms proudly.
"WHAT?" They all stared at her, amazed.
Haley wrinkled her nose, studying the large tower of tiny wood blocks, face
reflective even though, behind her, a fight over sweets and a royal flush had
broken out. "I hate this game," she mumbled, furrowing her brow. "It's hard."
Giggling, Celeste deftly tugged a block off one of the lowest levels and
placed it atop the stack. "Jenga's a fun game!" she argued, grinning as the tower
continued to stand, shaking minimally under the new block's weight. "You're the
best at being sporty, besides..."
"But I suck at this..." The brunette pulled a block from the tower and
grimaced as the blocks clattered onto the tabletop and fell to the floor. "I'm
worse than Phoebe is at chess..."
"I heard that!" shot the blue-haired teen, eyes not leaving the chessboard.
Despite all the things that were going on around her, Tara stood motionless
at the window, staring out at the darkening sky. What would happen to them? What
were the Mistresses doing as the Sailor Scouts played games and avoided the
problem...
A vision flew over her without warning, and Tara grasped the windowsill as
she felt it come.
It was dark. Very dark. The only light came from a few scattered torches
about the room. Everything was black. Black marble.
On the floor laid eight bodies. Familiar bodies. Three of them were
teenagers, bloodied and beaten. Each wore a different colored Sailor fuku: there
was red, blue, and pink, crimson and dark orange, and orange and silver. One was
but the form of a child, her golden locks marred by the bright, sickening color
of drying blood.
But four of the bodies belonged to adults. She couldn't make out their
faces, but bright colors shrouded their bodies.
Red. One was red.
And green.
And orange.
And navy.
The picture shuddered, and two others appeared in the room. They'd come out
of nowhere. Perhaps null-space? Perhaps another dimension?
The shorter of the two was a young woman with corkscrew curls. She wore a
white, gold, and light-orange Sailor fuku. Stooping over the prone body of the
child, she began to weep.
Brushing red hairs from his ballroom mask, the young man walked up behind
her and placed a hand on her shoulder, whispering to her. Glancing up, the girl
turned around and hugged his legs, weeping into the black tuxedo pants he wore.
And then, the world went black.
"Tara? You okay?"
Green eyes fluttered open and she sat slowly up, hoping the room would stop
spinning. Lyra was stooped over her, hands holding out to her a large mug of
sweet-smelling tea. The Shinto accepted it in silence, sipping it slowly as she
leaned against the wall. "What...happened..." she stammered, unable to form a
complete thought.
Smoothing her red sweater, Phoebe shrugged. "You passed out again," she
informed her friend, placing her hands gingerly on her hips. "You've really got
to stop doing that!"
Red. Red and orange. Phoebe.
Tara blanched and glanced at the others. Reeny. Her Scout colors were red,
blue, and pink. Right? Yes. And Alice... She'd not been in the vision. Lyra...
Lyra had been the crying Scout. And Richard had been the man. That was easy
enough. Then there was Haley... Silver and orange. Yes. And Celeste...
"You okay, Tara?" asked the tiny Scout, playing with the bow on her left
pigtail. "You look sick."
The girl with the golden hair had been Celeste.
Standing on shaky legs, the Shinto Scout took a deep breath and glanced
back out the window. The skies were still darkening, and thunder rumbled across
the city. Her voice found its way out of her throat, though she'd originally had
no intention of speaking.
"We need to talk."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The King cackled. Less than an hour until the Scouts would be his. Less
than an hour until Earth would fall under the rule of the Raiders.
And he would win this time.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"What the Hell did you just say?" asked a shocked Alexandra, resisting the
urge to hit the redhead upside the head. Her gray-green eyes sparkled with hate.
"You can't waltz in here and..."
Molly smiled indulgently. "I said, and I quote: 'do not meddle in the
affairs of destiny'." Her face remained calm as she looked individually at each
Mistress.
Amy Urawa.
Raye Hino.
Lita Kino.
Mina Mokoti.
Michelle Ten'ou.
Alexandra Ten'ou.
Susan Meiou.
Hannah Tomoe.
And Serena Chiba. Neo-Queen Serenity.
"You are so short-sighted," continued the woman in a calm voice, her blue
eyes catching the gaze of the youngest Mistress and holding there, "that you
cannot understand: the future depends on these eight children--yours, mine... OUR
children. And you...you cannot do this..." She paused and her smile became more
pensive. "You must let these children choose for themselves. And yes, they will
choose to fight. They will choose to be stronger than you, me...all of us..." A
tear streaked down her cheek, but her voice remained strong. "And they will win,
this time."
A deep breath was taken, its sound echoing about the room. "But we don't
want them to fight..." Mina's voice caught as she spoke, and she couldn't finish.
Raye sighed. "I think we'll all have to fight," she told them solemnly.
"No!" yelped Lita, teary-eyed. "No more fighting!"
Michelle stared at the strange woman. "But...that's not good... Or
right..."
For the first time in the Meeting, Hannah rose and looked around the room.
"We all fight. Like it or not."
Several of the Mistresses gasped as she spoke, but neither Molly nor Raye
looked surprised at the young woman. Raven hair glittered almost violet in the
pale lamplight, nearly matching her stony gaze.
The only Mistress to recover from the shock of Hannah's statement was her
own blonde-haired mother. "Listen to Michelle," she demanded as the aqua-haired
woman cried into her hands. "It's not right or good to involve us."
"There is a difference," responded Hannah with sad smile tugging at her
lips, "between 'right' and 'good'. I may be right, but I sacrifice a lot to be
right. And you may be good, but you're wrong. They can fight. They will fight.
Not for us, but for the world." She paused briefly, sighing. "In the end, we will
all fight. Or die. And Molly, Susan, and Raye are right--it's your choice. It's
all our choices. And it's your own destiny. But I..." She shrugged and touched a
finger to her purple-and-black beads. "I am going to fight."
Silence filled the room as the Mistresses stared at her in shock. No one
dared to speak as the dark haired young woman folded her hands and sat back down,
once again becoming stoic.
"Maybe... Maybe she's right..." Alexandra glanced at the aqua-haired woman
next to her and laced their fingers together thoughtfully. "The girls can't do
this alone..."
The blue-haired Mistress nodded in solemn agreement. "Perhaps, in an
abstract way, we were right all along." The others all stared at her in
confusion. She blanched. "That is to say that we were right to not want them to
fight all on their own."
Lita nodded. "We have to all fight together. Mistresses and Scouts. Hand in
hand."
The stranger, the redheaded woman who had so sparked Hannah's monologue and
had slowly drawn the Mistresses into the world of rational thinking and blatant
logic, smiled knowingly. "I'm glad we've all reached a verdict." Pulling on her
coat, she started toward the large marble doors.
For only the second time in the meeting, Neo-Queen Serenity spoke. "Molly,
why do you leave?"
The woman slowed her pace and turned around, smiling sadly as she gazed
with blue eyes at her childhood best friend. "Serena, there are many things that
you don't know about the Silver Star," she stated plainly, trying not to upset
herself or her friend. "My time on this planet grows short, and I intend to spend
my remaining days as best I can." She bowed deeply, red hair falling about her
pale face. "And I shall miss you."
As she left, Mina gulped back her remaining few tears and sighed. "I
suppose the time has come, then..."
"Yes," responded Susan, her voice strong as she smiled weakly at the
others. "The time has come."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I'm getting worried," she sighed, staring up at the thick, black clouds
that were fusing together above the city. "I've never seen a storm this bad
before..."
The orange cat stretched and shrugged. "You worry to much, Di," he
addressed his sister casually, glancing up to the Heavens as though the sky was
blue and cheery. "I'm sure that this is just another little thunder storm, like
the one a couple of days ago."
Green eyes glowed as lightning flashed, illuminating the dim room. "I think
you're wrong, Orb," Orion sighed, her expression wary. "This is a sign."
"You believe in those?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow. "That is SO cute!"
Shooting him an angry glare, the calico bristled. "Shut up..."
"But it's..."
"Just stop it," commanded Diana in a rather dry tone. Her red eyes narrowed
to slits as she watched another bolt of lightning streak across the dreary sky.
"She's right this time. This is a signal."
Orb considered this and chuckled, receiving two stern, dagger-filled glares
from the female cats. "What?" The glares continued. "You can't possibly believe
that the world is soon going to end!"
"I never said it would," retorted Orion in a serious voice. "I just said I
was a sign. It's you who said it."
The three were silent for a long moment, eyes glancing out the window in
contemplative quiet. The red eyes of the elder Moon Cat were teary, and the
golden eyes of her brother were nervous and wary. Only the timeless, elegant
forest-colored eyes of the calico cat seemed to understand and not fear the
storm.
Sighing, the pink one looked to her two companions. "We're all going to
die, aren't we?" she inquired nervously.
"We die or live," responded the Star Cat softly. "We triumph or fail."
"I hope for the first option," Orb stated, wrenching his gaze from the
unsettled sky.
Orion nodded. "And so do I."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"And then..." Tara wiped the tears off her face and let her head fall into
her hands, unable to finish the sentence.
Putting a warm arm around the younger teen, Reeny took a deep breath and
cleared her throat. "If what you say is true, then that means..."
Celeste's lower lip began to quiver as she realized the heavy truth that
had been in the Shinto's words. Collapsing into Lyra's lap, the little girl
buried her head in her sister's skirt, sobbing.
The bedroom of the Princess of the Earth was filled with silence, but
everyone knew that Tara's vision was right. Just like the others had been a few
months before. True. All true. And that meant only one thing for the Galactic
Sailors.
Four of them, along with four of the Mistresses, would die.
"I don't see how this could happen," Richard commented, stroking Lyra's
blonde curls idly as he held her close. "Perhaps we're going to be kidnapped."
The others all looked at him in shock, and Ambriel cooed. "I mean, if the vision
took place in the Raider Starship..."
Phoebe nodded and let a small, hopeful smile tug at her lips. "Maybe we
should catch the King off guard," she suggested, rubbing her hands together as
she spoke. "We could Sailor Teleport to the Starship..."
"But we're going to have to take the Mistresses," Alice spoke up with a
toss of her straight auburn hair. "I mean, if they were in the vision too..."
"And we should take them anyway," put in Haley with a sigh. "I mean, they
could really help us..."
The blonde Mokoti girls both looked up from their respective embraces. Lyra
nodded to Haley's suggestion while the little one looked out the window and at
the blackening skies. "So that's it," observed Lyra, weaseling out of Richard's
embrace to stand. "We're to fight."
Nodding in agreement, the Princess stood in turn and smiled slightly. "And
we protect the world from the one true evil out there."
"For the world!" announced Celeste, clenching her hands into fists as she
glared, teary-eyed, out the window. "We are going to have you, Raider King! We're
going to get you!"
The little redhead child in Lisa's arms sniffled and let her gray eyes dart
about the room. All of the Scouts were nears tears, now, and Richard was stoic
but somehow worried as Lyra hugged Celeste around the shoulders. Ambriel had
watched as Tara had told all of them about the vision. She had watched as seven
girls and one young man had nearly screamed in fear.
Lisa hugged Ambriel closer, bending down toward the girl's ear. "You know
something they don't," she whispered softly, "don't you?"
Gray eyes sparkled, and the toddler smiled weakly, as though she
understood.
"And they haven't seen anything yet, have they?" continued the handmaiden
with her concerned questioning.
As though on cue, the child climbed of the blonde woman's lap and toddled
slowly across the floor toward the congregation of teenage warriors.
"Ambry?" questioned Reeny with a raised pink eyebrow. "Go back to Lisa..."
"Scouts good!" cooed the little girl, hugging the Princess around the
knees. "Mistresses good!" She buried her little face in the white skirts. "Die
trying. Live again."
Everyone stared at the child as she sat down on the floor in tears, gray
eyes glowing as she gazed longingly at the pink-haired teen. "Ambriel love
Mommy..."
"Mommy loves Ambry," choked the Princess, bending down to smooth the little
girl's red hair. "But Mommy has to go away for a little while, now... And... And
she might not..." Shaking her head, Reeny placed a soft kiss on the foundling's
forehead. The silver moon birthmark appeared for a brief second before fading
into nothingness again. "Just be good for Lisa..."
As Lisa plucked the child up off the floor and walked out of the room, she
glanced meaningfully at the Princess. Her Princess. "No matter what happens," she
sighed, bowing a slight bit, "I will serve you. I..." She shook her head
slightly. "It is wrong for me to say it, but I love you."
Reeny smiled and blinked back tears as the woman walked out of the door.
"Let's do it," suggested Haley with an affirmative nod, drawing her locket
out of her pocket and staring at it with nervous teal eyes. "Let's go kick some
Raider butt!"
"Let's go get the Raiders!"
The Galactic Sailors assembled into a circle, each clutching their
respective locket or transformation stick tightly over their hearts. Richard drew
a purple rose out of midair, clasping it over his chest and joining the group.
Reeny took a deep breath. "No matter what happens," she vowed, raising her
locket over her head, "we will be the Galactic Sailors."
Five more lockets, one transformation stick, and a rose flew into the air
as the eight warriors of love and justice all smiled at one another and closed
their eyes.
"Moon Galactic Power..."
"Earth Galactic Power..."
"Polaris Galactic Power..."
"Phoenix Galactic Power..."
"Aurora Borealis Galactic Power..."
"Comet Galactic Power..."
"Small Star Power..."
"MAKE UP!"
Richard let the light of seven transformations fall upon his face. "May the
light of the stars guide you..." he whispered, allowing his own purple ribbons to
envelop him before closing his eyes to the brightness of the colors.
And to the brightness of destiny.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"So, this is it."
Seven women smoothed their velvety gowns in both expectation and fear. The
conference room was alight with the colors of the Planet Mistresses--blue, red,
green, orange, purple, navy, and aqua. Nearby stood the Queen of the Earth, her
silvery-white gown and its golden trim glistening in the pale lamplight. Beside
her was the King, dressed all in lavender. And there was, of course...
The Guardian of Time thumped her key staff on the floor, catching
everyone's wandering attentions. Her garnet eyes were alight in the daring light
of hope as she glanced at the other Mistresses. Her black and crimson fuku was
taught against her bulging belly, but she did smile. "I will pray for you all."
Terrence, who stood beside her in full military garb, closed his hands
around one of hers and, in this, around the Time Key. "We will watch from the
Gate..."
"But... The babies..." The shock on Mistress Neptune's face was heart-
wrenching as she stared at the couple.
Sailor Pluto nodded solemnly, touching one hand to her pregnant belly.
"This is something that we must do," she sighed, eyes flying to Terrence's face.
He smiled gently, but the fear and apprehensiveness of the situation could be
seen on his face.
The Queen of the Earth glanced at her King, and he let a sad smile tug at
his pale lips. "Good luck..."
Just then, the door burst open and the seven Galactic Sailors burst into
the room, the Starlit Prince following slowly, more cautiously, behind them.
"We're fighting!" announced Sailor Moon on behind of the rest of the Sailor
Scouts. She pulled the Galactic Rod out of null-space and pointed it toward the
nearest adult--her own mother. "And that's that!"
"You try to stop us," came a small voice, "and you get your butts kicked!"
Sailor Chibi-Star glared daggers at the Mistresses and tightened her grip on her
sister's gloved hand.
The Mistress of Venus smiled a slight bit, azure eyes sparkling with unshed
tears. She gazed longingly at her two children: two girls, really young women in
maturity, who were so far out of reach. "We know," she breathed, voice wavering
as she held back tears.
"You can fight," agreed Uranus with a delicate smile on her masculine face.
"And you will."
The seven teens stared blankly at the adults, unmoving. Outside, thunder
crackled through the air and shook Crystal Palace. The lamplight wavered, casting
the room in momentary darkness. Queen Serenity grimaced and dug her nails into
Endymion's arm, creasing the fine lavender fabric of his suit. Her blue eyed gaze
wavered from the Galactic Sailors and fell to the floor. She knew what was
coming.
And so did they.
Sailor Comet took a slight step forward, her boots' heels clicking loudly
on the tile floor and echoing throughout the conference room. Nothing moved as
she spoke. "You...you mean it?" she stammered, awkwardly amazed.
Jupiter nodded. "And we will, too."
"Good." The Starlight Prince reached for the free hand of his blonde-haired
girlfriend. "Are we ready?"
The Mistresses all glanced at Pluto, who nodded and smiled gently at all of
them. "Good luck."
Her boyfriend--her knight, really, in all of his military gear--winked a
green eye. "See you when you get back!"
A flash of red light filled the room.
And they were gone.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"They'll fall right into our grasp, like the pawns they are." The Raider
King laughed triumphantly and flipped a rather large switch into the 'on'
position. "To think that those Sailor brats would actually teleport into our
clutches..."
The Spirit of Silver nodded. "I just hope you know what you're doing."
And the King smiled evilly.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Join hands," commanded Serenity, closing her bright blue eyes and raising
her arms. "I will lend my powers to you as you teleport."
The girls as glanced at one another and laced their hands together one-by-
one, standing in their own half circle with Comet on one end and Polaris on the
other. The Mistresses did the same, with Saturn and Venus taking up the ends.
Slowly, carefully, they completed the circle, with Serenity and Endymion standing
in the circle's center.
The Queen held onto the hand of her husband and took a deep breath. The
Silver Imperium Crystal appeared above her head and began to glow as everyone
closed their eyes.
"Mercury Power!"
"Mars Power!"
"Jupiter Power!"
"Venus Power!"
"Uranus Power!"
"Neptune Power!"
"Saturn Power!"
"Moon Power!"
"Earth Power!"
"Polaris Power!"
"Phoenix Power!"
"Aurora Borealis Power!"
"Comet Power!"
"Small Star Power!"
"Silver Star Power!"
Fifteen beams of light, all various colors and hues, merged into one over
their heads, bonding with the Silver Imperium Crystal's pure white light. The
glowing beam spread out, covering them all as the voices united into one.
"TELEPORT!"
And they were gone.
Serenity's knees buckled beneath her and she collapsed into the King's
arms, panting as she wiped beads of sweat from her brow. Her blue eyes were teary
and bloodshot.
Endymion brushed a blonde hair from her face. "You alright, Sere?"
"Are we doing the right thing?" she choked out, turning to face him as
tears slowly fell down her cheeks. Her words echoed throughout the now empty room
as she buried her head in his chest. "Was that right?"
Kissing the top of her head, he wrapped his arms around her as another clap
of thunder shook the building. "We just have to hope so..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"They're gone."
Orion's voice carried through the empty control room as she stared at one
of the screens. Sure enough, fifteen colored beams were flying toward the black,
looming vehicle that was the Raider Starship.
The other two cats hung their heads. "Now what do we do?" asked Orb grimly,
afraid to look up at the picture.
Diana gulped. "We pray."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
--Galactic Sailors Say--
Lisa: (entering) Because the Sailor Scouts are on their way to doom--I mean, the
Raider Starship... Well, we bring you 'The Minor Characters Say'.
Endymion: (entering) That's right. Have you noticed that we minor characters get
no screen time?
Marie: (entering) Yeah! I mean, I'm Phoebe's aunt and this is my second
appearance in the series!
Harmony: (entering) Oh yeah? Well, I'm the pointless lights girl that spent one
freaking scene in this tale!
Marie: Oh, yeah?
Harmony: YEAH!
(Pause)
Endymion: If you would like to see more of us minor characters, please e-mail
duncan@chicago.avenew.com.
Lisa: With your help, the authors might let us have our limelight!
(Pause 2)
Marie: Besides, Butler is a ham and would love to hear from you.
Ice Monster: Remember me? I had the shortest life span of all youmas, even those
on the original BSSM!
Harmony: (smiles) I'm sorry, but the youma convention is down the hall.
Ice Monster: (makes face) Oh.
Lisa: The minor characters say...
Endymion: Make us major!
Harmony: Wouldn't that ruin the point of us being MINOR characters?
Endymion: Ermmm...
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)
* * * * * * * * * * *
What will happen? Find out on...
GALACTIC SAILORS 12!!!
Coming in early-to-mid March from the Microsoft Word of Kate Butler.
Till then...
--KB--
