Pretty Soldiers, Sailor Zodiac
Episode Two: Truth in Black Bag, History Lessons


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Author Notes: Well, I got two reviews on my first chapter! Besides... hit many times ^^;; So here it is, chapter two. ^_^ I hope this makes sense... well... maybe I write better when I'm sick O.o

Disclaimer: Anything I said on chapter one would still apply.

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Aria narrowed her eyes as she kept up her stare. Celeste didn't waver as she returned the stare. Long moments passed until finally Celeste blinked.

"I win!" Aria proclaimed. She stretched and yawned, quite pleased with herself. Celeste stood.

"I should know better than to have a staring contest with a talking cat." the teenager sighed. She stood, turning to look in the mirror affixed on the wall. She fixed the bow on her school uniform and sighed.

"You're missing something." Aria offered, pushing the round, silver and red compact towards it's mistress.

"It doesn't match my uniform." Celeste insisted. She picked it up and slipped it into her school bag. Aria wasn't happy at that motion.

It had only been two days since Celeste had discovered she was Sailor Scorpio. Aria could understand her being a little bit nervous or apprehensious about it, but it would have to stop.

Celeste said nothing as she took her bag and left her bedroom. Aria grumbled something under her breath and waltzed to the head of the bed. She deftly curled up on Celeste's pillow and began her nap. She'd worry about Celeste later, she told herself.

~~*~~

Celeste was taking her time. She was very early, and she knew it. Her eyes watched her surroundings. She had to admit that Tokyo was quieter than New York by a long shot. She didn't have to worry near as much about safety precautions.

'Just talking cats that give you compacts.' she thought dryly. She tucked that thought away. She didn't want to think about the compact that lay in her bag. She didn't want to think about what little Aria had told her about her "destiny". She was a normal teenager.

She wanted nothing more than to graduate high school and attend college. She had big plans for her life. Big plans. She didn't have time to save the world. She was going to be a psychologist... a criminal psychologist at that! She was going to help clean up New York's streets.

She didn't want to be a super hero, she grumbled.

~~*~~

Artemis sighed. He'd stayed over at Luna's the night before, but he should have known he would be unable to sleep in because of it.

Currently Serena, with all of her screaming, was rushing around her room. Her skirt was half falling off. Her bow wasn't tied. Her hair was about the only that was done.

"Serena! What did I tell you about turning your alarm off!?" Luna screamed as Serena tried desperately to find what she'd scrawled out as homework the night before.

"Geez, Luna! I'm sorry!" Serena yelled back, a second before she tripped over her school bag. She began to cry uncontrollably and Artemis was afraid the bed was going to float away.

"Serena! Hurry! You're going to be late!" Luna snapped.

'And I thought I had it bad with Mina. At least she's only late half the time.' Artemis thought with an inward smile. You could learn to appreciate your life so much more by seeing others.

Finally Serena had her things in as much order as she usually did. She took off running out of her room and down the stairs. Her screams could be heard still, but they were drowned out and easier to ignore.

"To think, she hasn't changed at all!" Luna huffed, jumping back onto the bed and laying next to Artemis.

The white feline laughed slightly. "I doubt she ever will, Luna."

Luna managed to smile a bit. She sighed and stretched.

"Have you heard from Aria lately? How is Sailor Scorpio's training coming?" Luna asked. Both cats had learned about Sailor Scorpio's identity the day Aria had figured it out.

"I haven't talked to her. I guess I ought to, huh?" Artemis spoke. Luna nodded. The white cat sighed heavily.

"Why don't we both go over? I'm sure there's a way to sneak up into Scorpio's room." Artemis suggested. Luna agreed after a moment.

~~*~~

"So Luna's been acting funny too?" Mina asked as she glanced towards Serena. The other blonde nodded in response, stuffing her face with her lunch. The four of the inner senshi who attended Crossroads High sat arranged in a ring near an old oak tree. Ami had her calculus book balanced on her lap, Lita was munching on a cookie from her own lunch.

Ami absently took a bite of her sandwich. "Rei told me that she's had a weird feeling lately when I talked to her on the phone last night." she supplied.

"I wish we could meet more often. I have a bad feeling about all of this." Lita spoke with a sigh.

"When midterms are over things will lighten back up." Mina grumbled, thinking of the tests they'd been taking all week.

Serena was barely listening, but she was thinking about Luna. Her black cat guardian had been acting weird, even for her, for the last few days. "Do you guys think something is going to happen?"

Everyone stopped talking, sombered. None of them wanted another disaster like Galaxia. Suddenly the bell for sixth period rang. The four went their separate ways.

~~*~~

Celeste hated gym class, especially volleyball.

But that wasn't to say she wasn't good at it.

The whole class was split into three teams. The blonde from a few days ago, Mina, was the captain of the one that Celeste's team just happened to be facing off against.

Celeste scowled slightly as the girl reveled in her glory. She'd made a decently tough save, Celeste would admit, but it wasn't something that only she could do. They were treating her like some kind of goddess.

Celeste hated to see them worshiping her.

The next serve was up. Mina was their server now. She hit it over, but it was easily volleyed back. This lasted a minute or two before Mina hit it hard back. It was headed for a gap, but Celeste wasn't going to let it drop. She jumped sideways, hitting it straight up as her shoulder struck the ground. One of her team mates easily tapped it back.

They earned the serve back because of her save.

It wasn't long before the bell to end class rang and the girls began to file back into their locker room.

"Celeste! Wait a minute." called the teacher. Celeste stopped, glancing towards her. She waited.

The teacher was only a minute talking to another teacher, and soon came over. "That save was amazing today, Celeste." the teacher complimented. Celeste groaned inwardly. She was about to be asked to join the volleyball team, and she knew it.

"Thank you, Ms. Amano." Celeste replied cordially. The teacher smiled.

"How would you like a spot on the girl's volleyball team?"

Celeste took a deep breathe. "I'm sorry. I don't have time in my schedule for sports. Thank you for the offer." Celeste replied. With that she turned and entered the locker room. The gym teacher was left speechless.

~~*~~

Aria yawned dramatically. It was a bit after noon at this point, and she'd just woke from her 'nap'. She stretched and jumped to the floor, padding over to the bedroom door that Celeste had left open for her that morning. She slipped out, unhindered by the small opening and glanced around.

She'd been this way before, and knew the way downstairs to her food dish pretty well. She followed this path, entering the kitchen silently. Standing over a pot on the stove was Celeste's grandmother.

"G'morning there, kitty. Oh what was your name...? Celeste did tell me." the woman rambled, kneeling to rub the calico's head. "Aria was it?"

Aria purred and let a small meow escape.

"Ha. I was right. Well then, finally come for some lunch today? It's about time, lazy bones." the woman laughed warmheartedly. She stood again and turned to a cupboard. She opened it and pulled out a tin container. She quickly opened it.

Aria's ears pricked at the scents from the open can. 'Tuna!' she thought with a gleam in her eye. The old woman laughed at the reaction as Aria rubbed against her leg.

"I thought you'd like a change from that dry food." she laughed and scraped the contents into Aria's bowl. The calico pranced to her dish and quickly began consuming her lunch with a set of loud purrs.

~~*~~

Celeste finished dressing back into her uniform with little thought and picked up her black bag as she headed towards her next class. She had world history, a subject she'd excelled in at her old school.

She thought fondly of the friends she'd left behind when she'd moved. It wasn't forever, she'd insisted, just until her parents decided they missed her.

Things had changed, though, she realized. She wasn't the same person they'd sent here, only three days ago. She sighed at that thought.

She was late for class, but the gym teacher had written her a late pass. She slid into her seat and reach into her bag for her notes. They weren't there, and everything in the bag was disheveled. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized that this wasn't her bag.

Her eyes scanned the papers for a name. 'Serena... what doesn't this girl have a last name?' Celeste thought furiously. Then a thought struck her. The girl with the strange hairdo. Wasn't her name Serena? Celeste sighed slightly.

She took a minute to remember something important. Her compact was in her bag.

~~*~~

Serena was in math. She didn't hate math class. Well, mostly because Mina sat behind her and Lita in front. This left room for many of a note gossip session.

But today there just happened to be a quiz, one on which you could use your notes. Serena groaned. She had never been good at taking notes. She had tried, though. She fished around in her bag, wondering why nothing felt out of order. She finally actually looked in it and realized that it wasn't hers.

'Oh great. How am I going to explain this to the teacher? I don't have my notes because this isn't my bag? I used that one last week.' Serena groaned inwardly and tossed the bag back down at her side. It fell over and something came clanging out. Serena watched it skid across the floor and land at the teacher's foot.

The math teacher knelt and picked it up. "Did someone lose their brooch?" the teacher asked. Serena sheepishly raised her hand.

"I did, Ms. Shitaka. I'm sorry." Serena spoke. The teacher sighed.

"Try to keep hold of it, Serena." the teacher sighed, handing it over. She turned back to handing out the quiz.

Serena looked intently at the compact. It looked so much like her transformation brooch. Who's was it?

"What's up, Serena?" Mina whispered, eying the brooch warily.

"It was in this bag. I dunno who's it is." Serena replied. Mina looked confusedly at it. Lita, overhearing them, glanced back.

"Check the bag, Serena. Does anything have a name on it, in there?" Lita suggested. Serena laughed slightly.

"I hadn't thought of that." she replied. She reach into the bag and pulled out a paper. Neatly printed across the top was 'Celeste Taylor'. The three exchanged knowing looks.

~~*~~

"How do I tell Aria I lost it? How do I explain to Serena and her little crew what it is? A brooch, from my mom! Yeah... um... what if they get suspicious? Oh, who cares what they think." Celeste rambled as she stood outside of the school that afternoon. She waited and watched for Serena and her entourage to emerge.

She didn't have to wait long. They were looking for her.

"Serena! Hey, I was wondering! Do you happen to have my bag?" Celeste asked, waving the school bag around in the air.

Serena approached, flanked by the other three that always seemed to follow her.

"Yeah. Hey, by the way. What's this?" Serena asked, holding Celeste's brooch. Celeste bit her lower lip.

"My mom gave me that. It's been in my family for years." Celeste lied. She wasn't a convincing liar, and none of them were convinced. They had no reason not to return it to her, no matter how much they didn't want to.

"Alright then. See you around." Serena spoke, tone a bit distant. She handed Celeste her bag and took back her own. Then the four were gone and Celeste was slinking down on a bench. She sighed heavily.

"How did I know that I was going to get in trouble without Aria?" she mumbled. It was a few minutes before she felt her legs could hold her again.

She headed home.

~~*~~

Luna, Artemis, and Aria were gathered on Serena's bed when Serena came home. She was quiet and immediately came up the stairs. She deposited her bag by the door and sank into the chair by her desk with a thud.

"Serena?" Luna asked. She glanced up, noted the third cat on the bed.

"Who's she?" Serena asked, eying the calico.

"I am Aria. Artemis's sister." the calico supplied.

"What's wrong, Serena?" Luna pressed, hoping into her mistress's lap. Serena rubbed the black cat's ears affectionately.

"I think we've got a new enemy." she spoke. "There's this new kid at school. She had a transformation brooch." Serena began.

"Celeste!" Aria exclaimed. "Did something happen to her?" the calico pressed. Serena eyed the smallest cat.

"No... she's the... wait, how do you know Celeste?" Serena pressed, suddenly finding she had a headache.

"This could be a long story." Luna began.

"Considering we don't know it all..." Artemis added.

~~*~~

"So Celeste isn't an enemy?"

"No, she's clean. She's a new senshi." Serena replied, balancing the phone on her shoulder as she tried to paint her fingernails with a pale pink polish.

"I wish Artemis would have had the foresight to tell me."

"Yeah, for real. Major heart attack on my part." Serena replied. She reach to dip the brush in the polish but only managed to knock it over. "Ah!" she screamed.

"Serena! What's wrong?"

"Sorry, Mina. I'm gonna have to call you back. Spread the word about Celeste." Serena managed before she hung up. She ran to get a towel to clean up the mess.

~~*~~

Celeste sat like a bump on log, laying back on her bed and feeling miserable. She clenched her compact in her hand. She didn't want to let it go. She didn't want to chance losing it again.

"You ok, Celeste? I heard you had a rough day." Aria asked as she padded into the room. The calico leapt onto the bed and sat near the edge.

"Bad is a failed test. This was a narrowly averted disaster." Celeste groaned. Aria smiled.

"But averted none the less." Aria pointed out. Celeste glanced over.

"I guess you're right." Celeste managed. She sat up a second later. "Are you sure I'm supposed to be some great warrior? I haven't even used this thing right yet."

"Don't hurry that thought along. I'd rather you never have to become Sailor Scorpio ever again." Aria replied. Celeste could see the wisdom in the cat's words.

"I guess."

~~*~~

"You're sure that you've found the scorpion?"

"Yes, milady. I handed the brooch back to her myself. Sailor Scorpio is one of my students. A girl by the name of Serena."

A deep, malicious laugh filled the darkened room. "Good job, Reed. Good job indeed."

"It begins, milday."

"Yes. We'll eliminate the senshi before they can be reborn."

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Author Notes... 2, again: Well, here's chapter two. I know, Celeste hasn't seen any action yet. XD That'll happen soon, next chapter more than likely.

Special thanx to my reviewers. *hugs them both*

Ss JK: Poke me more! I got this chapter out in record time for me!

Seishi_Shino: Glad to hear you like it. ^_^ I'll base a character after you if you want. I need ideas, lol.