Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing. So…that's about it. I know I shouldn't be starting a new story, but I couldn't help it. ;) Also, there are some of my own characters added in here and there. ;) Hope you like! Oh! And keep in mind that I like to change names a lot. ::shrugs:: It's just my thing, I suppose! Well, enjoy Yanni!
Yanni
The land was dark, not even the white moon was shining her rays of reassurance this night, the sky was covered in a black blanket, and the night air was chilly and silent. Minako gazed outside her window, perplexed by the darkness around her. A while back she had moved from Japan, and her current residence was Greece, where she had struggled with, but eventually overcome, the Greek language. She had her own place, seeing as the apartments there were the equivalent of 200 American dollars a month. She lived in the quiet town of Mesologgi, where practically everybody owned their own business, meaning every shop was closed between 3:00 and 5:00pm, which was the designated "nap time". The brilliant blonde had also changed her name, in order to settle down better, or so she felt. She now went by Stella Panolis. A Greek name, meaning Star. So we shall now refer to Minako as Stella. In addition, Stella also had required a job as a store manager. She worked in the casual clothing shop, "Momo's". Unknown to her, Stella had just stepped into a past of wonders, and a future of horror. For Momo herself, or Moria Rhea properly, was the daughter of fortune, and the gateway to the most amazing place ever imagined by human minds.
But that is not where our story begins; it is where it comes out. So one must not waste precious time describing what is yet to come. Anyhow, for the moment, Stella was left sadly looking out her bedroom window at the melancholy sky, its stars covered from view with black, ominous clouds. Seeing as it was midnight, or a little past that, she wasn't sure, Stella decided to at least try to sleep, for she had work in the morning. Stepping back from her window and closing the shudders as well as the happy white curtains, decorated with assortments of flowers, Stella treaded to her queen sized bed in the corner. Pulling back the snow-white bed covers, she noticed her book was there. She had been looking for it since morning, and was surprised (and rather embarrassed) to find it had been under her covers the whole time. It was a pretty thing, this book. With silver bindings and decorative gems planted on the cover in appealing designs, but the pages were all blank, and seemed to be of some paper material unknown to her. She had picked it up at a Biblical Shop of some kind, saw it in the window and thought it to be a pretty thing. But she hadn't written in it at all, and to her, it appeared as if something were preventing her from doing so.
Running her hand over the cover, she considered using it as a journal, but upon opening it, it seemed to her that the pages had already been written on, yet the words were blank to her light blue eyes. Shrugging off the feeling, she set the precious object down on the glass nightstand next to her, and lay her head on her many white feather pillows, drifting into a calm and serene dreamland, where everything fit into place for once.
When Stella awakened the next morning, she found that her alarm hadn't gone off, and sprang out of bed, hurried to her closet (almost slamming into it), and threw on a pair of blue denim overalls and a red tank top that said 'Angel' on it with little wings on either side of the word. 'Damnit! I'm late again…' She ran into the kitchen in a pair of white socks and slipped on a small puddle in the middle of the floor. One blue eye twitched and she stood up angrily. 'KADELLA!' She yelled in frustration. 'WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT USING THE LITTER BOX?!' A gold cat trotted into the kitchen and sat down at Stella's feet, blinking its large blue eyes, as if in a confused manner. 'Oooooooh! I don't have time for this! Now I have to change.' She threw a death glare at the calm cat and ran back into her room, this time emerging in hip hugger blue pants, and a white sweater-shirt. This time, she wore her black made-in-Italy boots, and stepped over the puddle.
'Kadella, I've told you before, I'll tell you again, what did I buy that stupid litter box - the pink one with the mouse designs like you wanted - for if you aren't going to use it!' Stella tells her cat as she eats a blueberry muffin, getting the crumbs all over her lap, and drinks her morning coffee, spilling it over the table as she roughly sets it down. 'I mean, it's pointless!' A glance at her watch tells her she'd best hurry, and that she does. Grabbling her black coat, she dashes out the door, but not before locking it and the gate. Stella gets into her blue VW and drives off to the clothing shop, as she does, it starts to rain. 'Great! One minute out the door and this has to happen!' She grumbles as she scans the area for a parking spot, finding one two blocks from Momo's. 'And I forgot an umbrella!' Scrambling out of the car, she bumps into a young man, about her age but a little taller, and falls quite ungracefully.
'Oh! Hey, babe. Excuse me!' He catches her before she hits the concrete and lifts her up to her own two feet again. 'I'm sorry I didn't see you! Damnit! I really wish I could speak Greek about now…' He places a hand behind his head and a nervous smile appears on his lips. Unfortunately, that was his stronghold on the young woman, and Stella again falls to the sidewalk. The young man looks down and quickly pulls her back up again, 'Sorry! Ah…um…signomi!' There is an embarrassed look on his face as he replaces his sorry with the correct Greek word, and his colbat blue eyes look upon her with a hint of worry.
'You don't have to speak Greek. Yeah, yeah. Thanks anyway.' Stella blushes slightly and brushes herself off, releasing herself from his grasp. She pauses and looks up to him; he's smiling at her silly antics, and at the fact that she can understand his words. She had grown her bangs out long ago, and wore her hair now in a loose ponytail at the base of her neck, with stray wisps blowing freely about her face at times. She blinks a few times but the mentally shakes herself back to reality. 'Well, I have to get to work now…' She walks backwards a few steps and throws him a small smile and a wave, then hurried down and around the corner. A momentary 'OW! Watch where you're going!' Is heard and another voice with 'Signomi, paracolo!'
The young man chuckles softly and turns walks in the same direction; his sharp eyes catching a wisp of golden tresses go around another corner. 'Might as well follow her.' He says to himself casually, adjusting his cap and quickening his pace. 'Haven't met another god damned English speaker since I set foot into this country.' His brown braid sways back and forth as he briskly ambles on, appearing at the door of 'Momo's'. 'A clothing shop! Nice!' He nods his head in acceptance and enters the shop.
'Stella! We have another customer! Help him out now, will you?' A woman with long, thick brown hair calls into some other room. She, too, has her hair in a loose ponytail at the base of her neck. But she had thin strands of bangs hanging to her eyebrows, right above her clear blue eyes. She turned to the young man, a welcome smile upon her natural pink lips. 'Yassas, sir!' The Greek flows from her lips as fluently as English from his. Yet her English was just as good. 'Stella will be here in a moment, she will help you.' He could only return her kind sounding words with a confused smile and a nod, and waited patiently.
'I'm coming, Momo! One second!' The blonde ran out and skidded to a stop in front of her previous acquaintance. 'You!' She said, in a rather rude, but surprised tone. The apparent Momo gave her a sharp glance and smiled again, waving to them both and exiting into another part of the shop. 'I mean, yassas, stranger. How may I help you?' Stella stood erect and forced a smile, like she did for every other customer that she served.
The young man raised one eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest. 'You know I can speak English, Stella Panolis.' He told her, squinting his eyes to look at the name upon the tag pinned to her shirt. 'Plus, I can't understand Greek.'
Stella smirked slightly; it was a smug smirk, not a cruel one. Like that of someone who had just realized something, or who had just noticed his or her own stupidity. Which in many cases is the same thing. 'Well then, now that you know my name, may I know yours?' She retaliates, placing a hand on her hip casually; to her it was a normal action. His warm gaze suddenly becomes cooler, and for an instant there is an uncomfortable feeling about. Stella takes her hand of her hip and rubs her arms as if she were cold. His gaze penetrates through her, as if her were looking on to something else. 'Endre.' He says, as the eerie feeling drops as suddenly as it came up. 'Charles Endre.' He takes her hand and shakes it, a little roughly at first, but his movements become smoother and calmer after a moment. 'It's nice to meet you, Miss Panolis.' Stella nods her head with a confused expression, but shakes his hand as well. 'Would you like to join me at Café Atlantis across the road? I'm afraid my Greek is a little rusty and that I can only go around saying "One Cappuccino, please!" without knowledge as how to order a plain coffee.'
'A plain coffee, please.' She mumbles, giving her head a quick shake as if to rid her mind of some thought. 'I'm sorry, Mr. Endre…'
'Charles.' He corrects her, with a smile.
'Charles…But my break isn't until noon.' The leather-banded watch on her wrist reads 10:00am as she glances down to inspect it.
'Ah! Take a break now!' Momo emerges from the next room with a bright smile upon her lips. 'It's not everyday the opportunity comes around.' She winks and laughs lightly to herself, picking up a pile of shirts and turning back. 'Besides, I have my cousin here to help me today. Oh, Carevrania! How do you like these ones?' Momo walks into the backs room, nodding for Stella to go.
'So I guess you can come then?' Charles smiles along with the rest of his nervous facial expression. It is, in someway, hopeful.
Stella sighs and wrinkles her nose then looks up to Charles once again. 'I suppose it does!' She shrugs and smiles with both eyebrows raised. 'So…are we going to stand around here, or are we going to go to the café?'
Charles chuckles briefly, and extends his arm to the door. 'After you, fair lady!' Stella throws him a perplexed look then walks to the door, out it, and waits patiently for a moment or two until her companion makes his way out. The rain was coming down a little harder, and Stella cursed under her breath and covered her head with her arms. Charles takes out his black umbrella, which had been cast down in front along with all the other umbrellas, and opened it above both his head and hers. 'Didn't want you to be all wet now, did we Stella?' He threw a smile in her direction and the two peculiar characters made their way to Café Atlantis, a minute's walk to the right of Momo's.
'Ena cappuchino, paracolo. Ena - you want a plain coffee?' She looks to Charles questioningly. He shrugs and nods his head, smiling, but his eyes are rather confused. 'Good. Ena coffee, plain. Thello galla, paracolo.' The waiter nods and hurries to the back, and Stella motions for Charles to follow her upstairs. The two sit at a table, out looking the bottom floor of the café, and out the large windows to the town square. In short time, the waiter brings up the coffee and sets it down in front of their perspective drinker, and pushes the white receipt into a small glass cup, that could be mistaken in America for a shot glass.
Stella rummages through her cot pockets and pulls out some drachma, but Charles puts his hand up and reaches into his own pocket, pulling out similar bills. 'This one's on me, Stella. After all, I invited you.' He flashes a smile and tucks the correct amount of 1700 drachma into the tip glass and takes a sip of his coffee. 'So how long have you been here?'
She raises an eyebrow, but sighs and puts her bills back. 'A few years. Why? I'm sure you haven't been here long. If you can't ask for a proper cup of coffee.' She rolls her eyes and stirs the milk and sugar into her cappuccino.
'Nice. I've only been here for a week and a half. But I have business here to attend to. So I'm sorry to say my visit is not for my own pleasure.' Charles nods his head and takes another sip of his coffee while Stella stirs hers absentmindedly. 'Research.'
'I see then.' Stella nods her head as well in reply and looks down at her drink with which one might think of as un-natural interest. 'I came here as a college student. Thought I'd learn something of Greek culture. Turns out I fell in love with it.' She shrugs her shoulders and takes another sip of her drink. 'I only planned to stay here for a year, but I couldn't help staying. This place seemed to call t me, in a strange way.' Her brows are furrowed and her light blue eyes somewhat confused. 'Ah! Well here I am rambling on about why I'm here! I'm sure that's of no interest to you, Charles.' She forces an embarrassed smile and casts her eyes back down to her cappuccino again.
'Nah! It's not boring. Rather entertaining, I think.' He nods his head slowly and comes up with a satisfied expression. 'So what are you doing tomorrow?' He blurts out, not quite aware of what he was suggesting. She raises her light blue eyes to his face with a perplexed, but intrigued stare.
'Why?' She asks, a little self-conscious.
'Well, I was just wondering if, since you know the area, you could, well you know! Show me around a little?' He meets her gaze with a hopeful one on his part. 'I mean, if it's okay with you and all, and if you wouldn't mind, cause you might be busy, and it was just a though…' Charles begins to trail off into nonsense, constant babble. Stella rolls her eyes and finishes off her cappuccino.
'All right! I'll show you around tomorrow! Meet me here at noon, okay Charles?' She smiles to the young man as she stands up. 'So I'll see you tomorrow. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Endre!' Walking off, Stella throws a last smile in his direction, and then disappears down the stairs, outside, then around the corner. Charles places his hands on the table as if her were using them to push himself up.
Upon arriving at his hotel, Charles receives a phone call. He pauses in his action to do so, but picks op the receiver and says 'hello'.
'Duo? That you?' Charles nods and says 'yes' to the other voice. 'Good. Duo, have you found that book yet? You know we have a limited amount of time, Duo Maxwell! And Quatre, Heero, Wufei and I are counting on you to retrieve it.' There is a silence at Charles listens to the other voice. A somewhat uneasy silence. 'Duo? Are you there?'
'Yeah, I'm here. I understand, I understand. It's just…'
'Duo! You didn't…oh my god…yes you did. Duo! You didn't meet a girl?!' A gulp from Charles' end of the phone and a nervous chuckle.
'Trowa…'
'Don't you Trowa me, Mr. Maxwell! You are in deep shit, I don't believe you! You and girls!'
'Hey! This one's different! I swear!'
'That's what you said last time, and Anna left you for some Joe dude. Then there was Madeleine. And She left you for Vlad. So, good luck Duo. Or should I say, good luck Charles. What's her name?'
Charles lets out an exasperated sigh. 'Stella.'
'Not bad. Not bad at all. Star.'
Hey! How did you like Chapter one? J I hope you enjoyed it, and please R&R, so I know if you liked it. J Thanks!
