Deme leaned against her bike while she waited for the rest of the senshi
to arrive. She went over what she was going to say to them in her mind over
and over again, never quite satisfied with the outcome. Every time she
thought about it it always ended with Darien screaming at her and walking out
with the Serena and the Inners.
The roar of a sports cars approaching interrupted her thoughts. "They're
coming, you better be ready," Persephone's muffled voice said from inside the
backpack.
Before she could answer Serena and Reenie were out of the car and
bounding towards her. Reenie leapt into her arms and immediately began
asking questions.
"Where are we going today? Is it pretty there? Is Phil going to take more
pictures of us?"
Deme laughed, Reenie having relieved some of the tension. "Today we are
going to go somewhere very special to me. Yes, it is very pretty there. No,
Phillip is not going to be there to take pictures of us. I hope you all are
ready for a long hike, I usually take my bike most of the way up, but not all
of you can ride it. Sorry, everybody."
Serena's face fell at the thought of prolonged exertion, but she quickly
covered it up with one of her famous ear-to-ear smiles.
"How do you know this place? Did someone special show it to you?" Serena
insinuated.
"You could say that," Deme answered before hoisting the bag carrying her
very heavy oversized feline over her shoulder. "By the way, did you guys
bring your cats? I wanted them to meet Percy."
As if to answer her question, both popped out of a picnic basket Mina was
holding. "Wonderful. Let's move out."
The crowd formed a single file line out along the trail, Deme in the
lead, followed by Lita, Darien, Serena and the rest of the Inner senshi,
while the Outers brought up the rear.
About half an hour later they came to the clearing where Amara and
Michelle met up with Deme two days before. "We'll stop here for a few
minutes, the rest of the way is a little harder going. Darien, when we start
up you might want to look around, some of the terrain might look familiar."
Darien looked back at her a little puzzled. He was still drowsy from
another dream filled night, and her enigmatic comment didn't help much. He
could not recall when he had ever been here before, nor how Deme would know if
he had.
Lita pulled out a basket full of food, much to the appreciation of the
other girls and they had a quick picnic before beginning the long trek up the
tallest mountain in the area.
As they began to climb Darien did look around at the landscape, and much to
his surprise, Deme was right. But it wasn't from any trip or hike that he
remember it from, it was the dream that had plagued him the past two nights,
while he watched Sailor Earth die. In every direction he looked he saw
boulders and crumpled rocks where the granite walls Earth had created once
stood. As he walked he realized he was standing on the battleground from the
Great Battle. Where the war had been lost a thousand years ago. Then he
realized, 'If this is the battleground, then inside this mountain must be.'
Before he could finish the thought Deme interrupted. "We're here. Amara,
could I get you to help me with this rock?" Amara and Deme dug there heels
into the ground and heaved the boulder up and away from a cave opening.
"Wow, neato. We get to explore a cave. This is so awesome," Reenie
exclaimed and ran in quickly. She was followed be a less vocal, but equally
excited group of senshi. Finally Serena and Darien where the only ones left,
and Serena had no desire to go in. It took a lot of coaxing from Darien, who
knew the answers to his questions lay inside and several breathless wheezes
from Amara and Deme still holding the rock out of the way for her to finally
go in clamped to Darien's arm.
When all were in, the ever-prepared Ami had her flashlight on, trying to
figure out how large the cave was. Her beam couldn't reach the ceiling or
the other end of the cavern.
"Darien, it's dark in here. I want to leave," Serena whined.
"I can't let you do that Princess."
to arrive. She went over what she was going to say to them in her mind over
and over again, never quite satisfied with the outcome. Every time she
thought about it it always ended with Darien screaming at her and walking out
with the Serena and the Inners.
The roar of a sports cars approaching interrupted her thoughts. "They're
coming, you better be ready," Persephone's muffled voice said from inside the
backpack.
Before she could answer Serena and Reenie were out of the car and
bounding towards her. Reenie leapt into her arms and immediately began
asking questions.
"Where are we going today? Is it pretty there? Is Phil going to take more
pictures of us?"
Deme laughed, Reenie having relieved some of the tension. "Today we are
going to go somewhere very special to me. Yes, it is very pretty there. No,
Phillip is not going to be there to take pictures of us. I hope you all are
ready for a long hike, I usually take my bike most of the way up, but not all
of you can ride it. Sorry, everybody."
Serena's face fell at the thought of prolonged exertion, but she quickly
covered it up with one of her famous ear-to-ear smiles.
"How do you know this place? Did someone special show it to you?" Serena
insinuated.
"You could say that," Deme answered before hoisting the bag carrying her
very heavy oversized feline over her shoulder. "By the way, did you guys
bring your cats? I wanted them to meet Percy."
As if to answer her question, both popped out of a picnic basket Mina was
holding. "Wonderful. Let's move out."
The crowd formed a single file line out along the trail, Deme in the
lead, followed by Lita, Darien, Serena and the rest of the Inner senshi,
while the Outers brought up the rear.
About half an hour later they came to the clearing where Amara and
Michelle met up with Deme two days before. "We'll stop here for a few
minutes, the rest of the way is a little harder going. Darien, when we start
up you might want to look around, some of the terrain might look familiar."
Darien looked back at her a little puzzled. He was still drowsy from
another dream filled night, and her enigmatic comment didn't help much. He
could not recall when he had ever been here before, nor how Deme would know if
he had.
Lita pulled out a basket full of food, much to the appreciation of the
other girls and they had a quick picnic before beginning the long trek up the
tallest mountain in the area.
As they began to climb Darien did look around at the landscape, and much to
his surprise, Deme was right. But it wasn't from any trip or hike that he
remember it from, it was the dream that had plagued him the past two nights,
while he watched Sailor Earth die. In every direction he looked he saw
boulders and crumpled rocks where the granite walls Earth had created once
stood. As he walked he realized he was standing on the battleground from the
Great Battle. Where the war had been lost a thousand years ago. Then he
realized, 'If this is the battleground, then inside this mountain must be.'
Before he could finish the thought Deme interrupted. "We're here. Amara,
could I get you to help me with this rock?" Amara and Deme dug there heels
into the ground and heaved the boulder up and away from a cave opening.
"Wow, neato. We get to explore a cave. This is so awesome," Reenie
exclaimed and ran in quickly. She was followed be a less vocal, but equally
excited group of senshi. Finally Serena and Darien where the only ones left,
and Serena had no desire to go in. It took a lot of coaxing from Darien, who
knew the answers to his questions lay inside and several breathless wheezes
from Amara and Deme still holding the rock out of the way for her to finally
go in clamped to Darien's arm.
When all were in, the ever-prepared Ami had her flashlight on, trying to
figure out how large the cave was. Her beam couldn't reach the ceiling or
the other end of the cavern.
"Darien, it's dark in here. I want to leave," Serena whined.
"I can't let you do that Princess."