Well, um, hold on a sec. ::rifles through voluminous papers:: I'm sure it was here somewhere... ::sighs:: Oh well, loyal readers, I was in possesion of a very important document for about a half hour. But my superior, who will not be mentioned, took the deed to Takeuchi-sama's soul from my under-fiend hands. Curse you Satan! ::shakes fist::
The Secret Revealed! Song of the Nightengale.
Several weeks passed. Shaku and Queen Rei had been unable to discern anything from the sacred flames except a pair of golden horns. They were lulled into a false sense of security by the many decades of peace and inactivity, honed instincts grown dull with disuse. It was asumed that some nearby lab had been illegally experimenting on animals and that the poor, mutilated beasts had gone mad and escaped, wreaking havoc as they went. All nearby labs had been thoroughly searched but the investigations had revealed nothing.
Basking in the sun of the new spring, and the blissful peace they could enjoy, the Royal Moon family and a few of the other families went on a picnic into the country. Only the bare minimum of senshi was left behind. Eienou Korai had stayed behind to watch over the time gate and the Neptune and Uranus family was left as the main guard. Quiet Inzenrusui also stayed at the palace; recovering from a recent bout of illness, the girl found herself too weak to venture out with the rest. The pink haired teen decided to take advantage of the idyllic spring day and sit in her favorite part of the garden.
That particular garden was the only one allowed to run wild. Only minimal work was done to the plants, just enough to insure their health. It was here, far from the main gardens of the palace and therefore from disturbances, that Zen sat wrapped in a warm blanket, feet propped on a whicker swing.
The sun danced through the branches of an over-hanging oak. The leaves had just recently sprouted, the tree was full of their green rustling, and the sun glinted off their shimmering sheaths, making them seem alive on a windless day. The flowers were decked out in their finest: blues and pinks and oranges, all fighting each other for sun and glory. The riotous blooms kindly kept back from the beaten earth path and the mirrored crystal walls reflected back the mood of the whole scene, but with an alien quality that made it look as if you were looking through fathoms of green water at some marine utopia.
At first, the only sound was the newly-sprung wind soughing in the branches of the tree, but, after a while, Zen became aware of a distant strain. The melody drifted erily in the cheerful garden, not matching the picture, but that of its ominous double. Haunting, the tune was obviously sung by a bird, but as different from all the birds the skinny teen had ever heard as fire was to water.
She got up out of her chair and wandered the gardens, her curiosity overtaking her intent to rest. Wandering the labyrinthine paths, she would get at first closer to the song, but then it would fade, as if it ran from her. She exited the last garden and found herself standing before the wrought-silver gates. It came from the forest. The quiet one of the quadruplets was sure of this as she looked out through the gate, but she bit her lip in indecision. Inzen saw that she could be out and back in minutes; no one would notice her absence. But she had never deliberately disobeyed the rules to stay on its expansive grounds, especially now, peace or no peace. But now the song surged again, stronger than ever this time, and compelled her forward, like a marionette in a can-can line.
Her lithe frame slipped throught the lattice work and the girl was soon within the cool confines of the trees. In the green vault, even her slippered footsteps echoed endlessly, turning into a pale hush, like the whisper of many dark robes in an empty cathedral. The song of the bird now had a distinctly preternatural feel: it pierced her bones with its mournful keen.
The secretive teen was unsure where to turn, as the sound seemed to be emanating from the very trees now. Looking around at where she was, Zen became fearful. No where. The girl was utterly lost. Not only that, but the song had stopped as well.
'This was a really bad idea,' she thought ruefully as she passed the same tree for what seemed the twentieth time, 'I've only been in these woods a few times; how could I have been so stupid?'
Zen wracked her brain for anything she could remember about being lost, 'Hug a tree? No, no one would think to look for me here even after they noticed me missing. Moss grows on the north side of trees? No, Ami-san said that was an oldwive's tale.'
The thoughts kept rushing through until the lavender eyed girl remembered that when you became lost and your legs grew tired, you walked in circles because you leaned on your dominant leg. She decided to lean to the left and, though she felt a little silly walking that way, she soon found herself in a familiar clearing.
"I've been here before!" the normally mute teen shouted with excitement.
All of a sudden, the song began again and the bird was right beside her. It was a velvety gray avian, the like of which Zen could only compare to a nightengale. This, however, looked nothing like the ones she had always seen.
The animal cocked its head at her and seemed to study the girl before it flew onto a branch next to her head, "I thought you to be the Silent One, but your yell confused me for a moment. You are the one called Erishiumuno Inzenrusui, are you not?"
The girl nodded dumbly and her two curls glistened in the sunshine. She could hardly believe this bird was talking to her! But, of course, Diana and Sin talked, and their little kitten Min did too.
"H-how do you know my name? Who are you? How can you talk?"
The bird made a face that Zen assumed was a smile and chirped brokenly, a laugh, "I know your name because I have been called to pledge my services to you: To guide, protect, and advise. My name is Mystery; I am come from the flocks of Elysium, hence my ability to speak."
The girl's eyes went wide, "The flocks of Elysium, but that's where my father is from."
The bird nodded, "Indeed. The creatures of Elysium have all taken an oath to protect the daughters of our favorite priest. It is our last great service to him." She stopped short, her feathers bristling until she looked twice her size. She turned to Zen with sad eyes, "Your sisters have been tested, now it is your turn. I'm sorry I cannot be of much help, but I can charm the gaikidou and slow his charge. Make towards the castle; get to open ground, then, face him. Now go!"
As Zen ran, Mystery burst into song. It was the same hypnotic tune that had lured her into the woods and the teen found it hard to keep going. Then all of a sudden, a harmony entertwined with the main theme, urging her onward, and she ran with renewed speed and courage until she reached the open park before the gates. The pink-haired girl stood tall, ringlets pulling in the wind, waiting for her destiny to unfold.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hina! Hinata!"
"What is it Seikou?"
Sei pointed down past the castle gates, "Look, it's Zen-chan! I thought she was sick, and what is she doing outside the palace?"
Hina's gray-blue eyes narrowed, "I don't know, but I have a feeling we should get down there; she hasn't been awakened yet." She ran down the stairs at top speed, her golden-blonde braids flying out behind her.
Seikou wasn't far behind, and the shorter girl caught up with her sister quickly, blue-green eyes shinning with concern. Her long, curly hair flowed out behind her as they neared their friend, and a monster broke the cover of the trees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Zen-chan! Zen, get behind us!" the two outers had pulled out their henshin wands, sky blue and aquamarine metal.
"Uranus Power, Make-up!"
Hinata was enveloped by a column of blue sky and white cotton clouds. A wind sprung up and blew the picture away and she had become Sailor Uranus, clad in sky blue and deep gold.
"Neptune Power, Make-up!"
Her sister's call quickly followed and a whirlpool of dark water sprung up from her feet, churning around the teen. It dissappeared upwards and ended in a few bubbles showing Sailor Neptune in aquamarine and blue-green.
They stood together in front of their pink-haired friend and shouted in the direction of the drukenly approaching fiend, "Guiding a new era we are the Stars of the Outer Solar System." Seikou stepped forward, "The Deep Sea Star, Sailor Neptune acts with elegance." Hinata stepped forward, "The Deep Space Star, Sailor Uranus acts with magnificence. Retreat if you treasure your life!"
The creature was still a fair distance away and it looked up vacantly at the three girls. It seemed to not know where it was, but it quickly gathered it's wits and smiled hungrily at the young senshi.
"You think I would turn back?" it laughed haughtily, "I will never be defeated by the likes of you! You are an easy kill; I won't even have to use my powers."
"Huh! Easy kill this!" Uranus held her hand in the air and the sky seemed to pour into her hand, "Uranus Atmoshpere Shine!"
"Neptune Vortex Spout!" water swirled down the sea senshi's arm, gathering about her hand.
The two attacks were thrown simultaneously, sky blue and aquamarine planets spinning crazily towards the gakidou, and hit it full force. It struggled to it's feet, injured, but still alive and thirsting for their flesh.
The sisters were astounded that their attacks hadn't finished it and were wearily preparing a second volley when a bright light that rivaled the sun exploded from behind them. The devil stopped dead and fell to the ground, cowering in fear and the outer senshi turned back to their friend who stood behind them.
A yellow henshin pen hovered in the air in front of the teen and she looked back at her friends with unsurprised eyes. She grabbed its cool surface with a grin and held it above her head.
"Quarter Moon Power, Make-up!"
All sound seemed to be sucked out of the area and into Zen's henshin wand. Just as suddenly, a loud burst of song came out of its top in a tangible form, wrapping melodiously around her body. The music faded away, revealing Zen in a yellow and pale-pink and holding a small golden chest.
Meanwhile, the demon had risen to its feet and was chanting arcane words in a low growl. A thick black energy snaked towards the senshi at breakneck speed.
She held the box up solemnly and called out three words, "Quarter Moon Confidant!"
The lid snapped open abruptly and it was as if everything was being sucked in. The black energy came straight for it and was pulled into the prison. A loud scream turned Uranus' and Neptune's attentions back to the gakidou and they opened their mouths in horror.
The thing was slowly turning to dust as a black energy seeped out of its body and into the chest. With a click, everything returned to how it had been before except for the small pile of dust on the ground.
"Minna, arigato for helping me. I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to finish him without your help."
The sisters nodded dumbly then face-faulted when Zen began opening the box.
She smiled up at them, "Oh, don't worry: this soul has been cleansed now. It will return to the place where everything is born."
A small wisp of silver energy came out of the box, heading upwards until it dissappeared in the light of the sun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, everyone, yet another chapter of Daughters of the Moon. I'm working quite steadily on this one, but that's how it was with all the others I've started as well. Feel free to badger me about the next chapter, otherwise I might never get any work done!
~Jinjur
The Secret Revealed! Song of the Nightengale.
Several weeks passed. Shaku and Queen Rei had been unable to discern anything from the sacred flames except a pair of golden horns. They were lulled into a false sense of security by the many decades of peace and inactivity, honed instincts grown dull with disuse. It was asumed that some nearby lab had been illegally experimenting on animals and that the poor, mutilated beasts had gone mad and escaped, wreaking havoc as they went. All nearby labs had been thoroughly searched but the investigations had revealed nothing.
Basking in the sun of the new spring, and the blissful peace they could enjoy, the Royal Moon family and a few of the other families went on a picnic into the country. Only the bare minimum of senshi was left behind. Eienou Korai had stayed behind to watch over the time gate and the Neptune and Uranus family was left as the main guard. Quiet Inzenrusui also stayed at the palace; recovering from a recent bout of illness, the girl found herself too weak to venture out with the rest. The pink haired teen decided to take advantage of the idyllic spring day and sit in her favorite part of the garden.
That particular garden was the only one allowed to run wild. Only minimal work was done to the plants, just enough to insure their health. It was here, far from the main gardens of the palace and therefore from disturbances, that Zen sat wrapped in a warm blanket, feet propped on a whicker swing.
The sun danced through the branches of an over-hanging oak. The leaves had just recently sprouted, the tree was full of their green rustling, and the sun glinted off their shimmering sheaths, making them seem alive on a windless day. The flowers were decked out in their finest: blues and pinks and oranges, all fighting each other for sun and glory. The riotous blooms kindly kept back from the beaten earth path and the mirrored crystal walls reflected back the mood of the whole scene, but with an alien quality that made it look as if you were looking through fathoms of green water at some marine utopia.
At first, the only sound was the newly-sprung wind soughing in the branches of the tree, but, after a while, Zen became aware of a distant strain. The melody drifted erily in the cheerful garden, not matching the picture, but that of its ominous double. Haunting, the tune was obviously sung by a bird, but as different from all the birds the skinny teen had ever heard as fire was to water.
She got up out of her chair and wandered the gardens, her curiosity overtaking her intent to rest. Wandering the labyrinthine paths, she would get at first closer to the song, but then it would fade, as if it ran from her. She exited the last garden and found herself standing before the wrought-silver gates. It came from the forest. The quiet one of the quadruplets was sure of this as she looked out through the gate, but she bit her lip in indecision. Inzen saw that she could be out and back in minutes; no one would notice her absence. But she had never deliberately disobeyed the rules to stay on its expansive grounds, especially now, peace or no peace. But now the song surged again, stronger than ever this time, and compelled her forward, like a marionette in a can-can line.
Her lithe frame slipped throught the lattice work and the girl was soon within the cool confines of the trees. In the green vault, even her slippered footsteps echoed endlessly, turning into a pale hush, like the whisper of many dark robes in an empty cathedral. The song of the bird now had a distinctly preternatural feel: it pierced her bones with its mournful keen.
The secretive teen was unsure where to turn, as the sound seemed to be emanating from the very trees now. Looking around at where she was, Zen became fearful. No where. The girl was utterly lost. Not only that, but the song had stopped as well.
'This was a really bad idea,' she thought ruefully as she passed the same tree for what seemed the twentieth time, 'I've only been in these woods a few times; how could I have been so stupid?'
Zen wracked her brain for anything she could remember about being lost, 'Hug a tree? No, no one would think to look for me here even after they noticed me missing. Moss grows on the north side of trees? No, Ami-san said that was an oldwive's tale.'
The thoughts kept rushing through until the lavender eyed girl remembered that when you became lost and your legs grew tired, you walked in circles because you leaned on your dominant leg. She decided to lean to the left and, though she felt a little silly walking that way, she soon found herself in a familiar clearing.
"I've been here before!" the normally mute teen shouted with excitement.
All of a sudden, the song began again and the bird was right beside her. It was a velvety gray avian, the like of which Zen could only compare to a nightengale. This, however, looked nothing like the ones she had always seen.
The animal cocked its head at her and seemed to study the girl before it flew onto a branch next to her head, "I thought you to be the Silent One, but your yell confused me for a moment. You are the one called Erishiumuno Inzenrusui, are you not?"
The girl nodded dumbly and her two curls glistened in the sunshine. She could hardly believe this bird was talking to her! But, of course, Diana and Sin talked, and their little kitten Min did too.
"H-how do you know my name? Who are you? How can you talk?"
The bird made a face that Zen assumed was a smile and chirped brokenly, a laugh, "I know your name because I have been called to pledge my services to you: To guide, protect, and advise. My name is Mystery; I am come from the flocks of Elysium, hence my ability to speak."
The girl's eyes went wide, "The flocks of Elysium, but that's where my father is from."
The bird nodded, "Indeed. The creatures of Elysium have all taken an oath to protect the daughters of our favorite priest. It is our last great service to him." She stopped short, her feathers bristling until she looked twice her size. She turned to Zen with sad eyes, "Your sisters have been tested, now it is your turn. I'm sorry I cannot be of much help, but I can charm the gaikidou and slow his charge. Make towards the castle; get to open ground, then, face him. Now go!"
As Zen ran, Mystery burst into song. It was the same hypnotic tune that had lured her into the woods and the teen found it hard to keep going. Then all of a sudden, a harmony entertwined with the main theme, urging her onward, and she ran with renewed speed and courage until she reached the open park before the gates. The pink-haired girl stood tall, ringlets pulling in the wind, waiting for her destiny to unfold.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hina! Hinata!"
"What is it Seikou?"
Sei pointed down past the castle gates, "Look, it's Zen-chan! I thought she was sick, and what is she doing outside the palace?"
Hina's gray-blue eyes narrowed, "I don't know, but I have a feeling we should get down there; she hasn't been awakened yet." She ran down the stairs at top speed, her golden-blonde braids flying out behind her.
Seikou wasn't far behind, and the shorter girl caught up with her sister quickly, blue-green eyes shinning with concern. Her long, curly hair flowed out behind her as they neared their friend, and a monster broke the cover of the trees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Zen-chan! Zen, get behind us!" the two outers had pulled out their henshin wands, sky blue and aquamarine metal.
"Uranus Power, Make-up!"
Hinata was enveloped by a column of blue sky and white cotton clouds. A wind sprung up and blew the picture away and she had become Sailor Uranus, clad in sky blue and deep gold.
"Neptune Power, Make-up!"
Her sister's call quickly followed and a whirlpool of dark water sprung up from her feet, churning around the teen. It dissappeared upwards and ended in a few bubbles showing Sailor Neptune in aquamarine and blue-green.
They stood together in front of their pink-haired friend and shouted in the direction of the drukenly approaching fiend, "Guiding a new era we are the Stars of the Outer Solar System." Seikou stepped forward, "The Deep Sea Star, Sailor Neptune acts with elegance." Hinata stepped forward, "The Deep Space Star, Sailor Uranus acts with magnificence. Retreat if you treasure your life!"
The creature was still a fair distance away and it looked up vacantly at the three girls. It seemed to not know where it was, but it quickly gathered it's wits and smiled hungrily at the young senshi.
"You think I would turn back?" it laughed haughtily, "I will never be defeated by the likes of you! You are an easy kill; I won't even have to use my powers."
"Huh! Easy kill this!" Uranus held her hand in the air and the sky seemed to pour into her hand, "Uranus Atmoshpere Shine!"
"Neptune Vortex Spout!" water swirled down the sea senshi's arm, gathering about her hand.
The two attacks were thrown simultaneously, sky blue and aquamarine planets spinning crazily towards the gakidou, and hit it full force. It struggled to it's feet, injured, but still alive and thirsting for their flesh.
The sisters were astounded that their attacks hadn't finished it and were wearily preparing a second volley when a bright light that rivaled the sun exploded from behind them. The devil stopped dead and fell to the ground, cowering in fear and the outer senshi turned back to their friend who stood behind them.
A yellow henshin pen hovered in the air in front of the teen and she looked back at her friends with unsurprised eyes. She grabbed its cool surface with a grin and held it above her head.
"Quarter Moon Power, Make-up!"
All sound seemed to be sucked out of the area and into Zen's henshin wand. Just as suddenly, a loud burst of song came out of its top in a tangible form, wrapping melodiously around her body. The music faded away, revealing Zen in a yellow and pale-pink and holding a small golden chest.
Meanwhile, the demon had risen to its feet and was chanting arcane words in a low growl. A thick black energy snaked towards the senshi at breakneck speed.
She held the box up solemnly and called out three words, "Quarter Moon Confidant!"
The lid snapped open abruptly and it was as if everything was being sucked in. The black energy came straight for it and was pulled into the prison. A loud scream turned Uranus' and Neptune's attentions back to the gakidou and they opened their mouths in horror.
The thing was slowly turning to dust as a black energy seeped out of its body and into the chest. With a click, everything returned to how it had been before except for the small pile of dust on the ground.
"Minna, arigato for helping me. I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to finish him without your help."
The sisters nodded dumbly then face-faulted when Zen began opening the box.
She smiled up at them, "Oh, don't worry: this soul has been cleansed now. It will return to the place where everything is born."
A small wisp of silver energy came out of the box, heading upwards until it dissappeared in the light of the sun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, everyone, yet another chapter of Daughters of the Moon. I'm working quite steadily on this one, but that's how it was with all the others I've started as well. Feel free to badger me about the next chapter, otherwise I might never get any work done!
~Jinjur