Chapter 14
"Hmmmm..." Helena looks over at the Space Senshi, "Maybe, Just maybe I can use this against them." She pondered over that for a while.
* Yes, Hymir, * She thought wickedly, * I will pay you back and you will die by my hand. I promise you that. * She grins, *And I also promise you that you will never be happy again. Never. *
Seraphina stretched in the pre-morning light as she usually does, but today she could not concentrate on her training. So, for the first time in her long life, she opted to skip it, leaving a note on the girls' door saying that today's training had been cancelled.
A few hours later, Mira, Maya and the rest of the gang was wide-awake and in shock.
"Nephritides!" Maya exclaimed.
"What?" Daranara came running down the hall with Diamond and Sapphire behind her. "What's wrong?"
Mira handed the note to her princess saying, "She cancelled training courses for today!!"
Dawn was looking a little worried, "She has never ever cancelled it, even when she's sick!"
Melfina nods, "It is very unusual."
Diamond looks it over and shrugs, "She's probably out mediating." He suggested, "She does that when she's restless or something."
"Let's go shopping, ok?" Mira declared, "We must treasure this day for it may not come again!"
The other girls nodded even Daranara. "Yes, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if we went out with the Senshi and everyone else."
And so, the Space Senshi and the Ex-Black Moon Family, went out looking for the Sailor Senshi to go shopping and all that while, they were being watched by a pair of cool azure eyes.
*** "That was the most fun I had since..well since Seraphina was sick with the slu." Maya giggles.
"Yeah, we went out into the town and had some real fun!" Mira sighs reminiscing.
Dawn made a face, "Her idea of fun is shooting targets or practicing her magic." She shivers, "Or playing practical jokes on us."
Minako looks at them, "What do you mean?"
Melfina spoke up, "Seraphina has necromancy and so her practical jokes are." She looked uneasy and sick at the same time, "..they're sick."
"Yeah, she would raise one and have them sneak into our rooms, scaring us shitless." Mira told them. "And then they would disappear!" She huffed a bit, "I swear my room smells like a rotting corpse every time I go in there!"
"Oh, come on guys." Daranara said, "she never use to do that. Before she use to like to go shopping like we do, so leave her alone."
Maya shook her head, "Why do you stick up for her, Nara?" She asked, "I mean the way she treats you is enough to have her executed back home and you know it."
"Yeah, she's such a bitch at times." Mira cracked her knuckle, "Ohhhh if I could only beat her up! Man that would be good."
"Anyway, it's not her fault that she hates me." Daranara told them looking at the sidewalk, "She nearly hates all royals because the ones she met so far are air-heads and never have anything good to talk about." She paused for a minute, "And some times, I feel the same way."
"Really?" Usagi asks.
She nods, "Yes, Seraphina was always a good listener, even if it was boring she was able to hear it all without paying one bit attention and be able to tell it all back to you." She smiled a bit, "She is always like that." Then frowned, "Then daddy started to train her in the ways of a warrior. Some times they'd be gone for days or months at a time just so he would take her out into the woods where there are wild animals and leave her there."
"You never told us that!" Melfina accused.
Daranara shrugs, "It wasn't my story to tell at the time besides, I think papa left her out there once when we were ten for nearly two months, all by herself. That's why she is very resourceful, she had to be in order to survive."
"And your parents never did any of this for you?" Haruka asked with a raised eyebrow.
She shook her head, "No, I was put through all the social stuff in my training. I was to be queen of Leah, she was to be the soldier, the warrior for my planet." She shook her head again, "No, papa and mama wouldn't do that to me. They would send me to boarding schools when Seraphina wasn't around. But she couldn't go because of two or three reasons."
"Why was that?" Nephrite looks at her.
Her brow cease, Daranara quoted, "She is not pure blooded royal, like me, she has no manners, and she is no proper lady. At least that's what mama always told me." She frowned even more, "They always talk about her like she was an animal and not a person. I think she even heard some of it because soon after that, she began to engage in duels and go hunting among other things."
"That's right." Mira exclaimed, "That's how Welkin even got to eve learn your name, because she wouldn't let us tell it to him."
"She's that protective?" Makoto asked incredulously.
"No." Melfina said simply, "Just that vindictive."
"Oh."
They returned to the manor to have lunch and talk about Helena and what they should do about her.
It wasn't until later when they had gathered that Dawn asked, "Where's Seraphina?" She looks at everyone, "You know she would want to be in on this, she always does."
James, the butler, had just came in at that moment and heard the comment.
"The lady of the manor has not yet returned since early this morning." He informed them, "She has told me not to expect her for lunch or dinner." He frowned, his usual blank professional brown eyes held emotion, one of concern for the little black girl. "In fact she has told me that she will probably not be back until sunset the next day."
They all glanced at one another, something was up. Seraphina doesn't just disappear like that and not tell anyone where she was going.
"Thank you, James." Diamond told the old black man, "That would be all for now."
James nodded, "Yes sir." And left.
"Where could she be?" Daranara had worry written all over her face. "I just hope she doesn't get hurt!"
Usagi smiles reassuringly at the other princess, "Do not worry, Dara, I'm sure Seraphina will be fine."
"She better be." Mira growled, "I don't want her hurting Daranara like this. It's inhuman, I say."
*** The next day, Seraphina had yet to return, Daranara was sick with worry. She wanted to go out and find her older half-sibling. The Space Senshi, the Senshi, and the ex-Black Moon Family vetoed the idea; they had all told her that Seraphina would be fine. She is, after all, the dark one.
But soon, days started to pass and still no sign of Seraphina. They had filed a missing person report after a little over a week had been through. The policemen had told them not to get their hopes up; she just as well might have been dead. In other words, they weren't going to bother looking for her, they thought she was dead
But Daranara refused it flat out; she would not allow them to condemn her only family that she had, for dead. But as the weeks turned into a month, Daranara was almost giving up all hope.
"Dara, let's face it!" Maya told her stubborn princess, "Seraphina is dead! She's never coming back!"
"That and plus, Helena, is attacking even more now!" Melfina reminded them.
Daranara didn't look at them, she knew that they were right, that Seraphina was dead, but something in her told her that her sister was still alive, somewhere out there. She also remembered that Welkin was too.
She sighs, if only she had trained to fight as well, then she wouldn't be stuck waiting all the damn time. The Sailor Senshi has helped them out a lot of times, but they too have said the same thing, Seraphina wasn't coming back, ever. The only one that hasn't said it was Usagi. She seemed to believe that Seraphina was still alive, and that alone gave her hope.
"Come on, we have to get to the shrine and meet with the Senshi on what to do about Helena." Mira announced. "Maybe we can find some type of clues on how to kill the bitch."
They all agreed and left for the temple.
She watched them silently as they talked, "Come on, I know where they're heading." She told the others as they all sprinted after them.
"Hmmmm..." Helena looks over at the Space Senshi, "Maybe, Just maybe I can use this against them." She pondered over that for a while.
* Yes, Hymir, * She thought wickedly, * I will pay you back and you will die by my hand. I promise you that. * She grins, *And I also promise you that you will never be happy again. Never. *
Seraphina stretched in the pre-morning light as she usually does, but today she could not concentrate on her training. So, for the first time in her long life, she opted to skip it, leaving a note on the girls' door saying that today's training had been cancelled.
A few hours later, Mira, Maya and the rest of the gang was wide-awake and in shock.
"Nephritides!" Maya exclaimed.
"What?" Daranara came running down the hall with Diamond and Sapphire behind her. "What's wrong?"
Mira handed the note to her princess saying, "She cancelled training courses for today!!"
Dawn was looking a little worried, "She has never ever cancelled it, even when she's sick!"
Melfina nods, "It is very unusual."
Diamond looks it over and shrugs, "She's probably out mediating." He suggested, "She does that when she's restless or something."
"Let's go shopping, ok?" Mira declared, "We must treasure this day for it may not come again!"
The other girls nodded even Daranara. "Yes, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if we went out with the Senshi and everyone else."
And so, the Space Senshi and the Ex-Black Moon Family, went out looking for the Sailor Senshi to go shopping and all that while, they were being watched by a pair of cool azure eyes.
*** "That was the most fun I had since..well since Seraphina was sick with the slu." Maya giggles.
"Yeah, we went out into the town and had some real fun!" Mira sighs reminiscing.
Dawn made a face, "Her idea of fun is shooting targets or practicing her magic." She shivers, "Or playing practical jokes on us."
Minako looks at them, "What do you mean?"
Melfina spoke up, "Seraphina has necromancy and so her practical jokes are." She looked uneasy and sick at the same time, "..they're sick."
"Yeah, she would raise one and have them sneak into our rooms, scaring us shitless." Mira told them. "And then they would disappear!" She huffed a bit, "I swear my room smells like a rotting corpse every time I go in there!"
"Oh, come on guys." Daranara said, "she never use to do that. Before she use to like to go shopping like we do, so leave her alone."
Maya shook her head, "Why do you stick up for her, Nara?" She asked, "I mean the way she treats you is enough to have her executed back home and you know it."
"Yeah, she's such a bitch at times." Mira cracked her knuckle, "Ohhhh if I could only beat her up! Man that would be good."
"Anyway, it's not her fault that she hates me." Daranara told them looking at the sidewalk, "She nearly hates all royals because the ones she met so far are air-heads and never have anything good to talk about." She paused for a minute, "And some times, I feel the same way."
"Really?" Usagi asks.
She nods, "Yes, Seraphina was always a good listener, even if it was boring she was able to hear it all without paying one bit attention and be able to tell it all back to you." She smiled a bit, "She is always like that." Then frowned, "Then daddy started to train her in the ways of a warrior. Some times they'd be gone for days or months at a time just so he would take her out into the woods where there are wild animals and leave her there."
"You never told us that!" Melfina accused.
Daranara shrugs, "It wasn't my story to tell at the time besides, I think papa left her out there once when we were ten for nearly two months, all by herself. That's why she is very resourceful, she had to be in order to survive."
"And your parents never did any of this for you?" Haruka asked with a raised eyebrow.
She shook her head, "No, I was put through all the social stuff in my training. I was to be queen of Leah, she was to be the soldier, the warrior for my planet." She shook her head again, "No, papa and mama wouldn't do that to me. They would send me to boarding schools when Seraphina wasn't around. But she couldn't go because of two or three reasons."
"Why was that?" Nephrite looks at her.
Her brow cease, Daranara quoted, "She is not pure blooded royal, like me, she has no manners, and she is no proper lady. At least that's what mama always told me." She frowned even more, "They always talk about her like she was an animal and not a person. I think she even heard some of it because soon after that, she began to engage in duels and go hunting among other things."
"That's right." Mira exclaimed, "That's how Welkin even got to eve learn your name, because she wouldn't let us tell it to him."
"She's that protective?" Makoto asked incredulously.
"No." Melfina said simply, "Just that vindictive."
"Oh."
They returned to the manor to have lunch and talk about Helena and what they should do about her.
It wasn't until later when they had gathered that Dawn asked, "Where's Seraphina?" She looks at everyone, "You know she would want to be in on this, she always does."
James, the butler, had just came in at that moment and heard the comment.
"The lady of the manor has not yet returned since early this morning." He informed them, "She has told me not to expect her for lunch or dinner." He frowned, his usual blank professional brown eyes held emotion, one of concern for the little black girl. "In fact she has told me that she will probably not be back until sunset the next day."
They all glanced at one another, something was up. Seraphina doesn't just disappear like that and not tell anyone where she was going.
"Thank you, James." Diamond told the old black man, "That would be all for now."
James nodded, "Yes sir." And left.
"Where could she be?" Daranara had worry written all over her face. "I just hope she doesn't get hurt!"
Usagi smiles reassuringly at the other princess, "Do not worry, Dara, I'm sure Seraphina will be fine."
"She better be." Mira growled, "I don't want her hurting Daranara like this. It's inhuman, I say."
*** The next day, Seraphina had yet to return, Daranara was sick with worry. She wanted to go out and find her older half-sibling. The Space Senshi, the Senshi, and the ex-Black Moon Family vetoed the idea; they had all told her that Seraphina would be fine. She is, after all, the dark one.
But soon, days started to pass and still no sign of Seraphina. They had filed a missing person report after a little over a week had been through. The policemen had told them not to get their hopes up; she just as well might have been dead. In other words, they weren't going to bother looking for her, they thought she was dead
But Daranara refused it flat out; she would not allow them to condemn her only family that she had, for dead. But as the weeks turned into a month, Daranara was almost giving up all hope.
"Dara, let's face it!" Maya told her stubborn princess, "Seraphina is dead! She's never coming back!"
"That and plus, Helena, is attacking even more now!" Melfina reminded them.
Daranara didn't look at them, she knew that they were right, that Seraphina was dead, but something in her told her that her sister was still alive, somewhere out there. She also remembered that Welkin was too.
She sighs, if only she had trained to fight as well, then she wouldn't be stuck waiting all the damn time. The Sailor Senshi has helped them out a lot of times, but they too have said the same thing, Seraphina wasn't coming back, ever. The only one that hasn't said it was Usagi. She seemed to believe that Seraphina was still alive, and that alone gave her hope.
"Come on, we have to get to the shrine and meet with the Senshi on what to do about Helena." Mira announced. "Maybe we can find some type of clues on how to kill the bitch."
They all agreed and left for the temple.
She watched them silently as they talked, "Come on, I know where they're heading." She told the others as they all sprinted after them.