By 'Angel Magess.'
Yeah. General stupid disclaimers. FF4/Square. Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon/Takeuchi N.
The breeze that ruffled strands of short, closely cropped wheat-blonde hair brought out a delighted sigh from the tall, lanky soldier, whose austere porcelain face was lightly drenched with rivets of pulsating sweat. This was indeed so delightful she lowered her swift, proud pace to a halt to allow her mind to become absorbed in the gentle caress and embrace.
I really am proud of them all, even if I might seem like a threatening bitch at times, she thought, breathing out with the swaying posture of the invisible motif. We might of not had an attack in days, but we can never be so sure..
"It seems as if the sky is honoring you as usual, Haruka," chuckled an everso familiar voice from in back of the Uranusian Soldier. The gentle touch and firm squeeze of a gloved hand upon her shoulder would further confirm her suspicions.
"The water and music rifts should be honoring you too, Michiru, just like everyone else's acceptable terms. We've all put up a sweat today, and for that, I couldn't be happier," she nodded, resting a hand atop the other soldier's own. "I just wish this constant threat could finally end, and we can all return to our homes for at least a week, or three."
Michiru inwardly smiled, careful not to spill too much of her hidden glee to let the taller soldier catch on a vibe. As their homes were actually quite a distance from each other, this time they spent together (even if it was just extra training to assure the safety of the royal family of Neo Crystal Tokyo) was, in her eyes, nothing but bliss. Her free arm reached around to clasp the other soldier around her chest as she brough her chin up to rest upon the hand overlapping hers. "It'll come soon enough, but not anytime soon. On my jog this morning to the seaside, the water itself looked different."
"Why didn't you wake me up to go? Got someone else on your mind?" mumbled Haruka in a joking tone. Her head turned slightly to peer into the aqua-haired soldier's eyes, deep and crystal-clean as the sea of Serenitatis itself, only to find the sharp curves of her visage tightened into a stormy glare.
"I'm appalled that you'd say that! The water was beckoning to me, Haruka Tenoh, just like the sky itself requests your presence for speed and presicion when it comes to protecting our king, queen, and princess," snapped Michiru, instantly withdrawing her embrace from the other soldier in order to plant her gloved hands upon her hips. Fingertips tightened lightly upon the fabric of her aqua-green mid-thigh length skirt, eloquently designed in the traditional sailor trademark that had made her, and the rest of her soldier companions, well known by name throughout Crystal Tokyo and the rest of the universe.
Someone must be on her rag today, thought Haruka, drawing out a quiet sigh, and shaking her head before turning to face the soldier of Neptune. Usually, Michiru wasn't this sensitive when it came to her joking; In fact, the two of them often would joke in front of the other soldiers, and pretend to flirt, even though Haruka was the one who usually protagoned this the most. "Michiru-san.. You should know I was joking. You're the only one for me, and I'm sure I'm the only one for you."
This only brought the Neptunian Soldier to turn on the heel of her elegantly designed shoe, leaving her back to face Haruka.
Most definetly on her rag. The wheat-blonde haired soldier chuckled aloud (mostly at her thought than the stubborness of Michiru), whipping a white-gloved hand through her hair before stepping up to wrap her arms from behind the soldier of Neptune. "Michiru-san, you know I love you, with all my heart. I'd destroy whatever was in your way in order to make you happy," she whispered, bringing her chin to rest on the other soldier's shoulder. "It wouldn't matter if the day was sunny, because if you're not happy, then neither am I."
Michiru released a loud huff, purposefully squirming underneath Haruka's loving embrace. "You just say that, Haruka-sama. You've been so busy with the orders Queen Selenity and King Endymion gave you as of late, I'm surprised you even care about me anymore."
"Now that's not fair!" burst out Haruka, dropping her embrace upon Michiru as though her arms her weightless. A hand reached out to tightly grip the aqua-haired soldier's shoulder, and wrench her around so that she (surprise and anger clashing to flood her flawless features) was facing her. "Michiru, I didn't even want to be called away from the Palace of Amber just because Princess Selenity all of a sudden inherited the Ginshuizhio's ability to see madness and destruction plotting to change Destiny for the upteenth damn time! In fact, I didn't even want the position of furthering instructing and training the other senshi! I took it because King Endymion requested me personally, while Queen Selenity awaits the arrival of our new prince or princess! All I wanted was to live my life the way I wanted to -- with you. If that's murder in your sleep, well, then, I'm sorry! Furthermore --"
"Um, excuse me?"
"WHAT? Can't you see I'm trying to explain life to my --!" growled Haruka, whirling around to face another lesser tall figure. Seeing the even more frightened look she gave the newcomer immediantely calmed her down. "Soldier Mercury, I.. Er.."
The blue-haired soldier of Ice was dressed in a light powder-blue satin gown that reached her the bottom tips of her ankles, which were incased in ivory dress sandals. The golden band tiara that encircled her forehead made her look all the more like a frightened doe that had just been tagged. "Sorry to interrupt, but, ah. It's almost dinner time. Princess Selenity wishes to address us this evening, and, er. That's ALL of us, from Soldiers Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and myself, to you, Neptune, Saturn, and Pluto," she stammed, managing a weak curtsey, and an equally weaker smile before quickly turning, and running as fast as her dress heels would carry her back to the glittering palace of crystal in the close distance.
"She's going to fall if she isn't careful," she mumbled, before turning back to Michiru, only to find she wasn't there. A shift around of her dark-blue eyes would capture her slender form running not all that far behind Soldier Mercury.
"Damn it all!" snarled Haruka, kicking the tip of her dark-blue boot into the lush green grass. It wasn't just Mercury interrupting her 'speech' to Michiru, or even close. Something else was prodding at the soldier's heart as well besides the fact she desperately wanted to return home. The tiara and henshin were unavoidable, she knew, but it figured: Every time they found peace, some evil of sort threatened to release that precaptured hell once again.
She stood a moment, lifting her gaze from the beautiful double-doors that granted Mercury and Neptune access inside the Crystal Palace, and glanced at her surroundings. The beautiful grounds that were marked as 'kingdom territorial' were set on a constantly windswept plain of lush, green grasses in the appropriate seasons, and snow as white as the moon itself in winter. The sky that moment lingered in a dismal light grey hue, a color that made the servant of the sky shudder with revolt.
It's funny, but I don't sense a change at all, she thought. The sky looks nasty enough, though, but calm. Is this why Michiru's so angry..? Her head shook before finally starting down the way to the path that'd take her back to the Crystal Palace.
A shrill scream broke out through the cooridoors of a grey-bricked hall, reaching past the main rooms, on out to the courtyards, and possibly past the vacant depths of a golden desert where the aforementioned establishment sat, idly baking in the sun. This, of course, brought immediate attention from some-odd violet-uniformed guards patrolling both the interior and exterior of the castle compounds. In mass portions they ran towards the source of the sound, sheathed daggers that had once been strapped to the inside of their boots clenched tightly in their hands (although if something were indeed attacking the queen or princess, then this might not of been any help.)
"Queen Nadeshikou! Princess Christine!" barked an overly large commander known as Rudiel. His dark-complected visage seemed unusually lighter, of course, in fear. Biting his lip, he halted mid, motioning some of the guards off. "Find King Edward, and make sure he's safe! We'll make sure --"
Some of the guards blinked at Rudiel's sudden pause in sentence, while others shouted for a move-on, and struggled to get by in order to aid their queen and princess. The commander held out a gloved palm for silence, and dropped the cutlass he was tightly holding in his right hand. Quietly, he trekked towards the not-too-distant open doorway where the scream, and an accompaniment of, "Get it away!" continued to sail past.
As he stepped up to the doorway and peered in (the guards struggling to get a look within the room as well either out of the etched curiosity of Rudiel, or in annoyance.), he nearly doubled over with what he saw: The blonde-haired king was backed up into the farthest corner of the room, the everso familiar bard's plumed beret whisked off his head to use as a fending tool against a madly flying sandmoth, who was taking a tour of the room on zoomed wings as though a random White Mage had casted the spell of Bersk upon him. Amid the loud screams of the monarch, they hadn't heard the ensuing laughter of the little child rolling about on the floor, his arms clutched tight around his stomach, thinking this whole ordeal rather hillarious.
"King.. Edward..?" Rudiel mentally slapped his hand against his forehead, mainly for taking for granted that the shrillish screams belonged to the queen, or princess. The other guardsmen began talking amongst theirselves upon hearing this news.
"EEEEE! RUDIEL! GET IT OUT OF HERE! OUT! OUUT!" screeched the blonde-haired man, still waving his plumed beret at the creature (who was currently on the other side of the room, buzzing about the ivy that hung from a cabinet of tea cups), which caused the boy rolling around on the floor to laugh harder.
"B.. But, Dad! It's just a very giant, very scarySandmoth! There's no reason to be.. AFRAID of it!" cachinnated the brown-haired child, gasping for breath at the same time.
The gathered guards that Rudiel had allowed to enter the queen's parlor looked around at each other, and shrugged, struggling to keep a straight face. Finally, the tallest of them - a muscular man known by his comrades only as Hercules - stepped from them towards the madly fluttering Sandmoth creature. "Don't worry, King Edward. I'll have this little bastard out of here in no time."
The boy's (thinking the reference of 'little bastard' meant him, as it seemed to usually.) laughter died away as quickly as it started. The red cloak he wore in accordance with a dark green robe flickered and fluttered about as angrily as the inept buzzing of the Sandmoth's wings as he rolled onto his stomach, and used his small, pudgy hands to assist him in standing. "Now see here, you clumsy shit! This is the PRINCE of Damcyan you're calling 'bastard,' and a highly super-genius Black Mage of Mysidia at that! Dad, have his ass thrown in the dungeon!"
Neither Edward or Hercules paid attention to him; The monarch was still crouched in the corner, azure-colored eyes wide with fear - both for the phobia against the paper-winged creature, and that the barbarian of a guard would definetly break something by running around spitting deeper obscenities everytime his thick fists missed grappling the fleeing creature.
"Ah! Just a minute, King Edward! Almost -- Dammit! -- Got this! Ugh! You little friggin' shit butterfly!" roared the guard, shaking a fist in anger. The creature simply continued to circle madly around the room, ignoring him as most Sandmoths might.
"What in the name of the crystals is going on here?" sighed a mid-soprano voice from the doorway. "Everyone, disperse! Now! Get back to your posts!" The bard leaned forward just enough to see the velvet-crimson gown of a red robe; straining his eyes up further would allow him to eventually see the rather annoyed look that played havoc with a usually gentle porcelain face surrounded by dark-pink tresses.
"Queen Nadeshiko! Just trying to get this butterfly here," nodded Hercules, his dark-green eyes still locked on the creature. "The young majesty apparently released it to scare his majesty."
"That's not true, you lying sack of larva dung!"
"The damn thing flew in the window!"
"Anna. My name is ANNA."
The Damcyani queen blinked out of confusion, as their sentences were jumbled over together, but didn't let it get to her easily. Tresses were tossed about as slender hands fell to her sides to grip the soft fabric between digits, and gently raise the hem portion of the gown off the ground in order to step further into the room. "Carry on, Hercules. Edward, what are you doing on the floor? The beginnance Flower Festival is in another hour, and you and Palom both aren't dressed!" she groaned, glancing from the king, to her son.
The child mage didn't seem so pleased to hear her words. "Every year, we must go to this stupid Flower Festival, and for what? A bottle of Sand Wine, and a flower made out of sand crystals!" Palom snorted, slamming a booted foot against the confine of the castle floor so hard, it even made Hercules jump. "Dammit, Mom, you could get them somewhere else, but nooooo! They have to be fresh from THE DAMN FESTIVAL, and I ALWAYS have to go, and I HATE it!"
As the child brought his leg back up, the hints of a green aura flared around his small stature, only to gather into an already gripped fist, which charged out a single flare of fire from his fingertips as he smacked the sole of his boot against the floor once more.
The Sandmoth instantly flew back out of the window by which it came in, missing the charge unsuspectful charge by the end of its fuzzened attenaes. Apparently, it thought the intense heat of the desert was much better.
Hercules screamed, and ducked for cover besides the Damcyani king, whose eyes widened, as he glanced up to his wife.
Anna just groaned, halfly expecting this. Her father had the same nasty temper, and the overall stubborn attitude which did sure to anyone who suspected her and the boy weren't mother and son.
"Twenty minutes, you two. Porom and I are leaving to meet Rydia and Edge down there at the Kaipouan gate, as she's never been to the festival before. You're welcome to come if you like, but keep in mind the time. We're taking the hovercraft."
" 'Keep in mind the time, we're taking the hovercraft. Oh, hee-hee-hee.' Dammit," Palom grumbled, as his mother disappeared back into the hall by which she came. "But at least I don't have to go."
"Correction: You do have to go. Run along and find those Black Mage robes Elder gave you, and brush your hair," said his sire, standing. With a quick flourish he ducked away from the still quivering form of Hercules, and over to his son.
"THE HELL?! Aw, don't make me call that damn Sandmoth back in here! It'd be a shame if it ate you!" threatened the boy, running towards the window. "Hey! Sandmoth! Get your two-winged, fat centipeded ass back over here, you stupid centilopod! Dinner's on me -- HEY!" Edward was quicker, however, by leaning over and catching him around his waist with one arm before he even had a chance to reach the windowsil
"Yes, I know, childhood is so rough, especially when our best plans don't work," commented the monarch in a comforting, cooing voice, as he hauled his son off to be dressed, the child sputtering and spitting out every vulgar word he knew.
The intricate clicking of dress shoes against the harsh stone of stairs was something Steven - captain of Damcyan's airship, Melodia - hadn't heard ever since the second vows of King Edward and Queen Anna when the two took a trip to Agart for their honeymoon. Leaning back against one of the towers on the upper bridge above the gates, he didn't expect to be greeted by (or even granted the opportunity to see) the White Mage princess attired in a sleeveless dress of light mint green. Her golden-brunette hair was pulled back as per its usual style, but tail-ends coiffed in neat little curls. Like most people in the town and kingdomship, he was one of many who had immediantely fell in love with her gentle demeanor, and almost playful personality from the moment Edward had coronated her and her twin brother as princess and prince of Damcyan.
The girl, who looked to be about seven, or eight, apparently didn't see Steven, or was too absorbed in her own thoughts to even see if anyone else was along the upper bridge - a place she often called her own when she wanted to get away from the castle's insides, and be with her own thoughts. A boot found its way into a ridge of one of the bricked layers as she pulled herself up to peer over the long, dropping edge that lead to the golden sands below. In regards to the drop, she just simply shrugged, and stared forward, gazing into the many dunes that lined the outcropping of the Damcyan desert. Peering further, she could faintly see the shimmer of water flocked along the rocky shore of the beach, this, of course, bringing a soft smile of content to her adorable visage. Mysidia, where she spent the earlier years of her childhood, and did so still, practitioning White Magic, had the peaceful influence of the Water Crystal. Those who allowed it often opted to let the special link between Gaia (Mother Earth) and Luna (the moon) into their heart and soul, granting them the extra serenity than what had already been placed upon them. The girl held no exception.
Slowly, however, the girl glanced up into the sky, which, of course, was its usual clear, cloudless blue. Of course, wind wasn't the acting enchantment of Damcyan, but the breeze brought forward from the ocean brought out a sense of sorts in the magess. This sixth remark had often appeared once or twice in her life, but made perfect sense when she learned that both those of the von Muir dynasty, and her mother's father had these instincts as well.
It was acting again..
Steven couldn't help but smile as he watched the White Magess' every move. He shifted lightly, fumbling with the cup of coffee in his hand before stepping up next to her. "Beautiful day, eh, Young Miss Porom?"
The child nearly lost her balance in the grooves of the bridgeside in surprise, but managed to keep her gait steady. Shaking off her own brooding thoughts, she nodded briskly, glancing up at the airship pilot. "Indeed, sir. It's the perfect day for the Flower Festival down in Kaipou. My mother's really excited about going, even if my father and brother aren't."
"I tried to get Queen Anna to submit to letting me take you lot down there in the Melodia, but she blatantly insisted on the Hovercraft," he lightly chuckled, shaking his head at the same time, sending miskept strands of muddy black curls every-which-way. "Just between you and me, I think you're definetly right about her being a piece of work."
Porom giggled, nodding, her gaze once again travelling back towards the horizon. The water, of course, was calling to her again, but not in the childish longing every little one had of wanting to go swimming; This tone was different, almost warning. As she gazed, she could've sworn she thought she saw a dolphin lift itself out of the water in a circulatory jump, but its jump definetly wasn't one of glee. The whole viewable area of the bay looked ordinary, yes, but in the churning sensation in the pit of her stomach, she knew something bad was about to unfold once more...
"Porom.. Porom..!"
This time, the girl did loose her balance when a hand placed on her back with the accompanying shout of her name sent her thoughts back out into the dust once more. Her head shook when she realized that her mother had caught her by the shoulders, and that Steven was staring at her with a puzzled look on his frazzled face.
"Welcome back to the Blue Planet, sweetheart," bade Anna in a sarcastic tone. "Your father and brother, I hope, are getting ready, so we should be departing soon," she nodded, setting the girl back on her feet, then glancing to the pilot for the last part of her sentence.
"No problem, your majesty," he grinned, saluting. "I'll sit out this one, as promised by your words."
Even as Anna and Steven left to make sure their respective preparations were slowing to complete, she couldn't help but look back into the horizon one last time..
"Come on, Gaia, Luna.. I beg of you.. Just let us all live in peace," she whispered, then turned to follow.
Notes, ect: Yeah, this is the end. =P Glad, huh? .. Some minor things: No, Steven is -not- a pedophile. x.x; Yes, Anna's alive. That, and more of Haruka will be explained in the next chapter. Stay tuned. =D