Shattered Tapestry

By Makura Koneko

Chapter Five

In the last installment of Shattered Tapestry…

"I'll be right back," Nenaphe, with a wince borne from bone deep weariness, rose to her feet off a padded bench and limped back into the main building. The testing had just ended no more than ten minutes ago, Nenaphe and the girls having left as soon as they'd all found themselves and their scores on the large digital scoreboard that took up an entire wall.

But taking up much less space, only ten square feet, on another wall was another scoreboard. Nenaphe limped to it, and, starting at the bottom, began looking for a certain name. When she was nearing the top and still hadn't seen that particular name, she began to get worried…

But there was no need. Right there, at the very top, was the name Faesilvria Monstrahl.

With a satisfied smile, Nenaphe turned, and left.

Looks like the little blonde princess had a few hidden talents of her own after all…

And now the Continuation…

Nenaphe bit her lip gently in thought as she glanced at the golden haired, bubbly girl beside her. Silvra was practically skipping, a happy smile on her face for no reason at all, whereas only a few moments ago, when Nenaphe had left to check…something, she had been as exhausted as the rest of them. Nenaphe made a mental note to try and figure out where this tiny girl got her seemingly endless supply of spunk and energy.

But ahead of that little mental note was the decision on how –and when- to inform Silvra of what she had found when she had gone to check on 'something.' Also, she was beginning to wonder if she shouldn't…if maybe someone else was to tell her. While Nenaphe didn't see why it would be inappropriate to inform a friend of some good news, she didn't want to breach any protocols. They were going to have enough trouble as it was keeping their own among so many well trained men…

"Bet you ladies thought you did pretty well for yourselves," A voice said coldly. That was all. It just cold. Not sneering, or scorning, or amused, just simply cold and emotionless.

Jovia, Amenea, Nenaphe, Rodica, - all still limping slightly- and a ever bouncy Silvra turned looked away from their destination, the double doors leading out of the Courtyard and into the East Elite Tower, to face a group of six young men, maybe a few years older than them. They all wore the uniform that an Elite Cadet in their last year of training would wear. Considering that the Training Year was almost over, they were mostly likely expecting to take their Ordeals soon.

"No," Rodica said casually to the speaker- a young man with shoulderblade length hair that was died a fashionable pale blue-silver was pulled back at the nape of his neck, a few tendrils hanging down beside his face. "We don't think we did well." Rodica smirked. "We know we did well. Or did you forget to do your research and not look at the scoreboards? Even the Professors and your own trainers had to give us a high score."

Nenaphe glanced at the seeress… Well, it was true. Rubar had sworn the professors and trainers into making sure we excelled, grade-wise, no matter how horrible we really were. So they had had to give them high scores, even though Nenaphe had a feeling they would have done pretty well even without that particular fact.

"Just watch your back," The bitter words were spoken by the boy standing to the right of the first young man that had spoken. He, too, had long hair, but it was brown and wavy and hung loose, though it looked like it had been restrained at one point in the day.

"We always do," Jovia responded, arms crossed over her chest. And indeed, even the boys had to notice the way that they all, even Nenaphe, held themselves with an awareness that even they, trainees of the Elite, had to envy.

The silver-blue haired man's eyes narrowed as he suddenly spied their positions; standing in a semi half arch, as if to form a shield before the smallest of them all. A slip of a girl, with curious, bright, innocent sapphire eyes speckled with silver, and golden hair that, when the light glanced off it just right, also looked silver.

An odd emotion welled up inside him…he became puzzled at himself…protectiveness? He felt…protective towards that girl? Lovely, she was, with an air of childlike wisdom about her. He could somehow tell –why did this 'being able to tell' feel strangely like remembrance?- that she saw the world as no one else did, with the simplicity and optimism of a child. Like she was able to find a rainbow admists every storm.

He shook himself mentally.

"My name is Kumal," The silver-blue haired man said. "Remember it."

They turned, as one, and left.

"They must be the 'high court' of the Elite cadets," Amenea said after a moment. Jovia nodded.

"They must feel threatened by us." Rodica mussed.

"Why would they find us threatening?" Silvra asked, honestly puzzled. "We did nothing to offend them."

"Yes, we did," Jovia put her hand on Silvra's shoulder. "We did good in the testing."

"Yes, you did good," Silvra said. None of them missed the word 'you' rather than 'we.' "But there were others above us on the scoreboards. Why did they choose to be threatened by us?"

"Because we're a team," Amenea said. "And they can see that. Anyone could see it. The people above us on the scoreboards? They don't even know each other. They're no threat because they aren't a…a unity, like we are. We, if we want to, are good enough and unified enough that we could take over."

"That could work to our advantage," Rodica said after a moment. "To make people believe we are the reincarnated Senshi-" She ignored the odd twinge of emotion in her belly at that. "-we'll have to display amazing traits. These people believe the Senshi to be almost Goddesses. We'll have to make a name for ourselves here, and not by force. We want these people to like us, but at the same time we don't want them to think we're weak."

During this statement, the group had collectively begun once more their journey to their corridor –the long hallway, and since it only had five doors, one to each of their rooms, they had begun to call it 'their' corridor.

"How can we do that?" Nenaphe asked. "You saw those six. Not only do they outnumber us, but they do appear to by physically stronger, and they have the advantage. We can't set ourselves up as the 'higher court,' as you put it, Mina, until we-"

"You did it again." Amenea said with an amused grin. Nenaphe blinked. "O-oh…oh…I did, didn't I…I apologize."

"Na, don't worry about it," Said the blonde with a flippant wave of her hand. "I kinda like the name. Anywayz, you're right. We have to do something about the Generals before we can take their place."

"Generals?" Jovia echoed. Amenea blinked, then shrugged.

"It seems right…" Silvra said. "Freakily appropriate. 'The Generals.'"

"It does, doesn't it?" Rodica tilted her head as she glanced out a window they were passing. Briefly, the dream from the night before flashing to her memory, and she blinked, frowned, and shook her head to dispel the memory. None of the other girls noticed, continuing to ponder.

At last, Nenaphe shook her head. "I, for once, am at a loss for a suggestion as to a course of action to upsure the General's rule over the Elite Cadets and replace them, without making us look like tyrants."

"We don't."

"Oh, I know we don't look like tyrants, but if we-"

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant," Silvra said quickly.

"Then kindly explain," Rodica said flatly. Silvra stuck her tongue out at her, but the action seemed more good natured than spiteful, and Rodica ignored it with an amused twinkle in her eye.

"I think that up…ups…er…"

"Upsuring?"

"Yeah, thanks Neph," Silvra looked slightly sheepish. "I think," She continued. "That if we tried to take their place, in the way you guys are thinking, we'll still end up looking like a preppy ring of princesses, no matter how we go about it."

"You have a point…?"

"I'm getting there, hothead," Silvra waved off Rodica's interjection. Amenea swallowed a snicker as Nenaphe put her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. Jovia only smirked at her glowering friend.

"To finally get to my point," Silvra said as they neared their Corridor. "I think that, rather than try and take their place, we…well, we join them."

"W-what?" Jovia blinked.

"You heard me," Silvra said. "We make friends. Get into their circle. Get our two groups to merge, so that we're both the 'higher court.' Then once they graduate from the Academy and get sent away on their first assignments, we'll be the High Court of the Academy. No bloody fights or contests of wit to see whose the best. That way no one will be angry at us for soiling the Generals' reputation, and we'll have ourselves seats as the Academy's most elite cadets."

"Y'know, that actually makes sense, meatball head," Rodica said, ruffling Silvra's hair. Silvra grinned and threw her arms around Rodica and hugged her tight, despite herself. Rodica, once she overcame her surprise, laughed and hugged her back.

"Don't get any ideas, meatball brains," Rodica told her, holding up one finger as if she'd just got done teaching a lesson. "I won't always let you get off that easy when you say something smart."

"Whatever you say," Silvra chirped cheerfully, and the girls laughed. They linked arms, walked thus the rest of the way to their Corridor, then bid each other a momentary farewell as they retreated to their rooms to change for orientation dinner with the rest of the trainees that had passed the tests. Since this was the first day, they were allowed to wear their much nicer, much fancier, much cooler and much more comfortable formal uniforms.

"How did you do?" Kana asked, coming out of Silvra's bedroom, clad in a short black skirt and purple blouse, with angel sleeves, the bottom points of which reached her knees.

"Awful, as usual," Silvra grumbled and collapsed onto the couch. Kana, knowing her mistress and best friend was in one of her melodramatic moods, simply smiled in amused sympathy.

"I'll run you a hot bath," She said. Silvra groaned. "And ring you up some milk and cookies."

"Chocolate milk?" Silvra perked. Kana laughed.

"Chocolate milk, and frosting on the cookies," She said. Silvra jumped up and hugged her. "You're the best!" She said. "I'm gonna go take a cat nap. Wake me up when the baths ready or the cookies are here, whichever comes first!" With that, she bounded into her room, leaving Kana to laugh.

Two hours later, at the orientation dinner, the girls entered together, chatting, looking as best as they could in the black uniforms of the elite cadets; a short black skirt, since they were girls, fitted white shirt, black vest, and black ankle boots, all accented with silver. Hair and make-up styled to perfection, they walked, arms linked, in sync. They chatted and laughed gaily as they entered and spotted seats at a table near the High Table on a dais at the back of the large room. All eyes turned to watch them as they made their way down the center of the room.

They looked like they had not a care in the world. They walked with poise and careless grace, their movements unconsciously predatory in their sleekness. They seemed aware of everything, yet they did not care.

"Goddesses…" One boy murmured. Another picked up on it, and echoed it. Yet two more cadets heard it, and whispered to each other how it fit.

And so, without meaning to, that boy accidentally gave the five girls a title that, even in the years to come they would never loose.

The Goddesses.

It was fitting that, at the moment of their dubbing, the group that everyone thought would now have competition in the Goddesses entered. The Generals, the girls were surprised, but pleased to discover that 'the Generals' was what they were already called.

Silence rose up in the dining hall, and the girls turned away from their destination to face the six Generals.

The tension was so thick you could have cut it with a cold knife.

But I suppose that some cosmic force thought that a blast that blew everyone backwards was sufficient, for just as Silvra was about to say something, a sphere of dark purple-red power flashed into existence with a blast that tossed everyone back at least ten feet.

When everyone was able to look again, Silvra, without meaning to, gasped.

"Beryl!" She cried.

Something on her forehead began to glow…

To Be Continued…

Yes, I know, I said nothing till October, but mom surprised us and gave us all a day off from packing, so I decided to do this since all my friends were busy. Also sorry that it's shorter than the others, but I've also come down with a bit of a writer's block for this fic. Ideas, anyone? Suggestions, if used, will be given credit for.

Oh, and don't forget to check out my new fic; 'The Will of the Ring.' Yes, I've written a LotR/Sailor Moon Crossover. And get this: I got fifteen reviews in the first 12 hours of the prologue being posted!!!! I was soooo shocked! But nonetheless happy…so since it seems more people like WotR (Will of the Ring) better than ST (Shattered Tapestry) I may start to divert more attention to that fic, just as a warning.

Anyhoo, hope you all enjoyed! Ja ne!

Hope Makes the Universe Shine,

Makura Koneko

ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY