~*~*~*~*~*Chapter One*~*~*~*~*~
Serena let out a loud giggle of shear joy as the waitress set a huge, triple fudge sundae with EVERYTHING on it down at the table. "Oooo!! Thank you VERY much!" She said in a blissful tone, grabbing her spoon and digging in. "Come on, Ami! Have some! It's REALLY good!"
Ami looked up from her book and shook her head, mummbling something about too many calories. Serena shrugged at her half-heard comment and continued eating the sugar packed treat, looking up just in time to see Raye walk in the door of the resturant.
"Hey, Raye!" She called, waving her over, "Over here!"
Raye trudged tiredly over to the table and plopped down next to Ami, resting her head in her hands.
Ami, and even Serena, (tearing her attention away from her nearly half gone sundae), noticed her lack of energy.
"Hey, Raye...what's the matter? You look like you got hit by a truck or something." Serena said bluntly, but serious as all hell.
"I sure feel like it..." She muttered, tracing an invisable doodle on the table top, "I haven't been sleeping too well these past few nights..."
Ami studied her face, "Looks to me you havent been sleeping too well in a few WEEKS. What's the matter? Is something bothering you?"
Raye shrugged a little, not sure how to or even IF she should tell them about what was going on. Sure, they SHOULD be informed if they're was another Sailor Scout in their pressence, but Raye just wasn't sure. What she say in the mist of the Temple's flame could of been anything...
Her mind playing tricks on her due to her lack of sleep, or just her imagination....but then again....it could of been a new enemy trying to trick her? Or what if there really WAS a new Sailor Scout?
"I'd rather not say...." Raye muttered, looking up at Ami's worried face, "Serena, do you think you guys can get Rini and the others and meet me at the temple in an hour?"
Serena looked up from her sundae with a chocolate mustache smeared over her top lip. She looked at Raye couriously, "IS there something wrong, Raye?"
The Scout of Fire lifted her hand in a gestere. "Like I said, lets meet in a hour and then I'll talk about it, alright?"
Ami placed her book down on the table. "If you say so, Raye. Just remember, you can tell us anything that might be bothering you and we'll do anything to help."
"That's right! You said it, Ami!" Serena said in an upbeat tone.
Raye looked at them for a moment and smiled softly, "...Thanks you guys."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Raye sighed, slouching against the temple wall, her shoulders drooping, her head down. She checked her watch absently, regestering that Serena and the others were late.
After a few more minutes of just standing there in a disturbing silence, the young priestess reached for the broom that stood against the railing and began sweeping.
"Serena better of not FORGOTTEN about this...." She muttered, "I should of known better than to asign her with the job of getting everyone together....she's so absent-minded, afterall..."
Raye stopped her ranting for a moment, hearing footsteps slowly coming up the temple stairs. She sighed again, asuming it was Serena with some insane excuse as to why she was late and why the other's werent there yet.
"SERENAAA!" She began in her oh-so-Raye-ish tone as the foot steps got closer, "This is a serious situation! I can't believe your LATE!"
Raye stomped over to the top of the stairs, ready to ride shot gun with her broom. Just as she was about to bite Serena's head off like never before, the bristles of her belovid broom caught her feet, causing her to stumble down the first three to four steps and onto her face at the feet of a young girl who defanatly was not Serena.
Raye looked up slowly, a slow burn of embarassment creeping from her neck upward. She scrambled to her feet, hunching over in a apologenic bow before the stranger. "I am SO sorry!" She sputtered, "I thought you were a friend of mine -- I mean, I thought you were someone else! I--"
"Umm....are you....ok?" The girl asked in a soft yet familliar voice.
Raye looked up at the stranger infront or her, their eyes meeting. A knot tightened instantly in her stomach.
She looked around fourteen, with instence amber-gold eyes. She had long dark brown hair that fell along her shoulder blades with two thick chunks of blond through the front. The blue jeans she wore were somewhat baggy with five or six large pockets stitched on the legs. Her tank top was black with a large design of a flaming heart in the center front in gold and red. Two sets of earrings hung from each ear and a small stud peirced her top left carilage.
Raye's mind's eye flashed back to the vision she had had only the night before. Amber-gold eyes......
~ I'm so sorry....forgive me.... Mother.~
Raye closed her eyes for a moment, trying to steady herself against the ringing of the figure's voice in her head. 'No....no...not now....'
"Miss?"
She looked up to see the girl looking at her couriously. "Are you ok?" She asked again, "That was some fall....do you need to sit down or something?"
Raye shook her head instantly, almost without even thinking, "N-no...I'm fine....just a little bump on the head." She said rubbing the tender spot on her forhead where she had wacked the stairs.
"Well then..." The girl said, briskly, carefully taking a few steps forward, looking around, "Is this the Cherry Hill Temple?"
"It sure is..." Raye said, bending down to pick up her broom, but keeping a close eye on the courious stranger. "What brings you here?"
The girl strugged slightly, as if shrugging off the question in general, "I heard this was a very serene place...so... I thought I'd come to visit it." She turned suddenly, offering her hand to Raye. "My name's Seiko Toki, I'm new to this area."
Raye took her hand hesitantly, "Raye Hino." She said with a impression of a smile, "My Grandfather owns this shrine."
Seiko nodded, turning to admire the cherry blossom trees. "It's so peaceful here.... I've always dreamed of living at a place like this.... it's almost as if I'm drawn to the Shinto's...'power' or something." She gave Raye a little smile, "Strange, hai?"
Raye studied her face for a moment, watching her intently as she twisted the necklace she wore around her finger.
"Very." She said faintly, trying to hide her suspition with another imitatted smile. She stared at Seiko's necklace with similliar suspition.
It looked like a pendant of some sort, red and orange flames surrounding a red gem....
Seiko shrugged slightly, turning to face the shrine before Raye could make out the simble in the center of the gem.
"Aw well." She said with a another little smile, "I've been told that I'm an odd one at times, so, maybe it's just me."
Raye didnt say anything for a moment, she just looked at her before nodding slowly, going back to her sweeping.
"Well, your welcome to come back anytime." She said, looking up at Seiko with a smile, "Maybe I'll have a little more time to show you around..."
The young stranger nodded, bowing slightly before Raye, "Arigato!" She said cheerfully, "I'll keep that in mind."
The priestess turned at the sound of more foot steps coming up the temple stairway. "There they are..." She muttered, hearing Serena gabbering on about something. She turned back to towards where Seiko was standing and began to say something, but let her words trail off when she noticed that she was no longer there.
A odd feeling stuck Raye in the pit of her stomach, and suddenly something told her that Seiko was no ordinary girl.....
TBC
A/N: YAY! Chapter One in completed!!!!! Feed-back, pweeze! I'll post the second chapter as soon as I can get a chance to actually start it ^^;;
ONE BY ONE THE PENGUINS STEAL MY SANITY!
*Aoi Jade*
Serena let out a loud giggle of shear joy as the waitress set a huge, triple fudge sundae with EVERYTHING on it down at the table. "Oooo!! Thank you VERY much!" She said in a blissful tone, grabbing her spoon and digging in. "Come on, Ami! Have some! It's REALLY good!"
Ami looked up from her book and shook her head, mummbling something about too many calories. Serena shrugged at her half-heard comment and continued eating the sugar packed treat, looking up just in time to see Raye walk in the door of the resturant.
"Hey, Raye!" She called, waving her over, "Over here!"
Raye trudged tiredly over to the table and plopped down next to Ami, resting her head in her hands.
Ami, and even Serena, (tearing her attention away from her nearly half gone sundae), noticed her lack of energy.
"Hey, Raye...what's the matter? You look like you got hit by a truck or something." Serena said bluntly, but serious as all hell.
"I sure feel like it..." She muttered, tracing an invisable doodle on the table top, "I haven't been sleeping too well these past few nights..."
Ami studied her face, "Looks to me you havent been sleeping too well in a few WEEKS. What's the matter? Is something bothering you?"
Raye shrugged a little, not sure how to or even IF she should tell them about what was going on. Sure, they SHOULD be informed if they're was another Sailor Scout in their pressence, but Raye just wasn't sure. What she say in the mist of the Temple's flame could of been anything...
Her mind playing tricks on her due to her lack of sleep, or just her imagination....but then again....it could of been a new enemy trying to trick her? Or what if there really WAS a new Sailor Scout?
"I'd rather not say...." Raye muttered, looking up at Ami's worried face, "Serena, do you think you guys can get Rini and the others and meet me at the temple in an hour?"
Serena looked up from her sundae with a chocolate mustache smeared over her top lip. She looked at Raye couriously, "IS there something wrong, Raye?"
The Scout of Fire lifted her hand in a gestere. "Like I said, lets meet in a hour and then I'll talk about it, alright?"
Ami placed her book down on the table. "If you say so, Raye. Just remember, you can tell us anything that might be bothering you and we'll do anything to help."
"That's right! You said it, Ami!" Serena said in an upbeat tone.
Raye looked at them for a moment and smiled softly, "...Thanks you guys."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Raye sighed, slouching against the temple wall, her shoulders drooping, her head down. She checked her watch absently, regestering that Serena and the others were late.
After a few more minutes of just standing there in a disturbing silence, the young priestess reached for the broom that stood against the railing and began sweeping.
"Serena better of not FORGOTTEN about this...." She muttered, "I should of known better than to asign her with the job of getting everyone together....she's so absent-minded, afterall..."
Raye stopped her ranting for a moment, hearing footsteps slowly coming up the temple stairs. She sighed again, asuming it was Serena with some insane excuse as to why she was late and why the other's werent there yet.
"SERENAAA!" She began in her oh-so-Raye-ish tone as the foot steps got closer, "This is a serious situation! I can't believe your LATE!"
Raye stomped over to the top of the stairs, ready to ride shot gun with her broom. Just as she was about to bite Serena's head off like never before, the bristles of her belovid broom caught her feet, causing her to stumble down the first three to four steps and onto her face at the feet of a young girl who defanatly was not Serena.
Raye looked up slowly, a slow burn of embarassment creeping from her neck upward. She scrambled to her feet, hunching over in a apologenic bow before the stranger. "I am SO sorry!" She sputtered, "I thought you were a friend of mine -- I mean, I thought you were someone else! I--"
"Umm....are you....ok?" The girl asked in a soft yet familliar voice.
Raye looked up at the stranger infront or her, their eyes meeting. A knot tightened instantly in her stomach.
She looked around fourteen, with instence amber-gold eyes. She had long dark brown hair that fell along her shoulder blades with two thick chunks of blond through the front. The blue jeans she wore were somewhat baggy with five or six large pockets stitched on the legs. Her tank top was black with a large design of a flaming heart in the center front in gold and red. Two sets of earrings hung from each ear and a small stud peirced her top left carilage.
Raye's mind's eye flashed back to the vision she had had only the night before. Amber-gold eyes......
~ I'm so sorry....forgive me.... Mother.~
Raye closed her eyes for a moment, trying to steady herself against the ringing of the figure's voice in her head. 'No....no...not now....'
"Miss?"
She looked up to see the girl looking at her couriously. "Are you ok?" She asked again, "That was some fall....do you need to sit down or something?"
Raye shook her head instantly, almost without even thinking, "N-no...I'm fine....just a little bump on the head." She said rubbing the tender spot on her forhead where she had wacked the stairs.
"Well then..." The girl said, briskly, carefully taking a few steps forward, looking around, "Is this the Cherry Hill Temple?"
"It sure is..." Raye said, bending down to pick up her broom, but keeping a close eye on the courious stranger. "What brings you here?"
The girl strugged slightly, as if shrugging off the question in general, "I heard this was a very serene place...so... I thought I'd come to visit it." She turned suddenly, offering her hand to Raye. "My name's Seiko Toki, I'm new to this area."
Raye took her hand hesitantly, "Raye Hino." She said with a impression of a smile, "My Grandfather owns this shrine."
Seiko nodded, turning to admire the cherry blossom trees. "It's so peaceful here.... I've always dreamed of living at a place like this.... it's almost as if I'm drawn to the Shinto's...'power' or something." She gave Raye a little smile, "Strange, hai?"
Raye studied her face for a moment, watching her intently as she twisted the necklace she wore around her finger.
"Very." She said faintly, trying to hide her suspition with another imitatted smile. She stared at Seiko's necklace with similliar suspition.
It looked like a pendant of some sort, red and orange flames surrounding a red gem....
Seiko shrugged slightly, turning to face the shrine before Raye could make out the simble in the center of the gem.
"Aw well." She said with a another little smile, "I've been told that I'm an odd one at times, so, maybe it's just me."
Raye didnt say anything for a moment, she just looked at her before nodding slowly, going back to her sweeping.
"Well, your welcome to come back anytime." She said, looking up at Seiko with a smile, "Maybe I'll have a little more time to show you around..."
The young stranger nodded, bowing slightly before Raye, "Arigato!" She said cheerfully, "I'll keep that in mind."
The priestess turned at the sound of more foot steps coming up the temple stairway. "There they are..." She muttered, hearing Serena gabbering on about something. She turned back to towards where Seiko was standing and began to say something, but let her words trail off when she noticed that she was no longer there.
A odd feeling stuck Raye in the pit of her stomach, and suddenly something told her that Seiko was no ordinary girl.....
TBC
A/N: YAY! Chapter One in completed!!!!! Feed-back, pweeze! I'll post the second chapter as soon as I can get a chance to actually start it ^^;;
ONE BY ONE THE PENGUINS STEAL MY SANITY!
*Aoi Jade*
