Lunar Succession
Author: ~Heartless Spirit~
Disclaimer: I don't own SM or GW. I DO own Dederi, so no stealin'! AND IBAREN TOO!!! NOVA BELONGS TO JESS-CHAN!!!
(Youhko's my own character too, if you haven't realized that by now...)
AN: Oi, minna! [Translation: Hey, Everyone!] I hope you liked ch.10..It was really long...writer's cramp..but I'm over
my writer's block, which is a good thing..
Anyone notice that I've added many of my own characters in this fic?! Well there's three more! Mua~ha~ha~ha! Only two
make an appearance in this chapter, tho...
BTW, I think some ppl are getting confused with some symbols, so here ya go:
"..." = talking
[...] = thinking
~...~ = talking on the phone
*~...~* = talking telepathically
-...- = computer (i.e. email, chat, etc.)
(...) = uh..me interrupting..lol
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Lunar Succession
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Chapter 11-It's Been Four Years.
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Everything seemed to be in slow motion at this point. The screams of warning..the gust of debris winding around themselves
on the hard concrete floor..everything. The large uneven block, which loomed over her, seemed to move slowly. She knew
that she could not necessarily die from the weight and impact of the block, since she had youkai-dragon blood in her, but
she couldn't seem to think straight. It almost seemed as if her brain had shut down. She didn't notice that she could have
easily blasted the fallen roof into pieces. She merely closed her dark, shadowed eyes and waited for the jarring pain in
her body to ensue.
Dederi suddenly felt the wind get knocked out of her. Only, it came from her stomach. The pain..it wasn't in her head..
[What the hell?] Dederi thought slowly opening her eyes. Her vision was hazy and everything was in a blur. She blinked
slowly. Dederi then felt her senses come into focus. She was being carried by something..or someone. She looked up. The
face she saw was hidden in a black hood. From the nearby sounds, it seemed he also wore a long cloak, which flapped as
he ran. She then felt him come to a stop and turning around in the direction of the block, although not putting her
down. She looked at the block. It looked as if it had imploded. Every part of the block either lay in dust or broken chunks.
The smell of old building parts made Dederi cough. The person who carried her looked as if he was grinning. The person then
looked up in the air, as did Dederi. There was another shadow, a slender figure, who seemed to float above the fallen
creatures of demonic preportions. It seemed to be a teenager..the age of Dederi, perhaps. She had her arms crossed defiantly.
The girl seemed to have one large odango at the back of her head, holding the majority of her black hair in place as the
excess bangs framed her oval face and fair skin. Actually, as more of Dederi's vision focused, she found that the girl had
white angel wings, although she still couldn't recognize the face. She sensed her aura, though. Suddenly, the girl's form
seemed to dematterialize. All Dederi seemed to hear was, "I'll watch over you Kuro-chan." She then knew who it was.
[Hakai.] It was the sorceress, Dederi realized. But what did Hakai have to do with the guy that carried her? Was he
an ally?
Suddenly, the young man who was carrying Dederi asked her gently, "Can you stand?"
Dederi jerked her gaze abruptly back to the young man. She slowly nodded and he set her back on her feet. Dederi then looked
at her 'savior'. His eyes were covered by the hood, and he wore a Rommefeller uniform of high rank. A black cloak attached
to the hood as well. His hair could somewhat be seen, a color of dark black and two semi-thick bangs of his hair framed the
sides of his hair as smaller bangs framed his forehead. He held out his hand, showing the white glove that covered it.
The young man looked to show compassion in that gesture, that of which Dederi did not understand.
"I suppose you don't remember me, Kuro-chan. It has been four years since we last met."
Dederi crossed her arms. She merely stared at the guy's hooded gaze. Her dark-raven eyes seemed to bore into his soul,
an angry yet calm expression on her face. She seemed to answer reluctantly, "Yukio..?" Her voice seemed to show suprise,
for she had not expected to see him at all. Yes, it had been four years. But why would he save her now? Dederi saw
him shift a little. She stopped glaring, and merely stood there. "Why'd you save me?" She heard a buzzing sound. Or rather,
a snore-like growl, overhead. She and Yukio looked up simultaneously. "Youkai." Dederi held her left palm up towards
the bloody, ravenous demon and shot a small pattern of energy spheres towards it. There were about six, as she counted.
The spheres surrounded the infernal thing, and it seemed to writhe against the ceiling to move away from its impending
death. The energy spheres glowed in a mysterious crimson, then exploded in fury. Smoke and debris from the nearby
ceiling fell, the smell of it and the youkai didn't seem to choke the assassin, although the nearby magunacs and senshi,
who had attempted to see if she was alive, seemed to choke and wretch. Dederi, ignoring the coughing noises around her,
heard one simple, raspy message before the demon gave its final breath.
"Master will avenge mee..."
The demon then died. Dederi felt the blood of it fall from the cuts and onto her pale cheek. The blood was black.
More black than the color of her own hair. It didn't bother her, though. She had seen this one before. That particular
youkai kept being resurrected, each time being more of a nuisance than the last. It was like her own personal demon,
ramming at her soul, tailing her until she reached a dead end to attack with the final blow. But, the thing was, the
demon was never quite strong enough to cause her to reach that dead end, and for that single reason did Dederi not
wretch at the touch of its blood. It never occured to her to negotiate nicely with others. She told herself to fight,
to kill, to be emotionless. But that last part..that last part seemed to change. She had only told one person of this,
and that one person was the cause of it. Before she had been advised to go to the Silver Millenium, Dederi had been
neither, outgoing nor shy. It was an outer shell that she had created when she arrived, for she didn't want to get
close to anyone, for she knew she would leave again for her birthplace once her task was complete. Alas, she had died
during the war against the Negaverse, and was reborn on Earth, with the rest of the Lunarians. Miraculously, she
remembered what her home dimension was and what her purpose was, although she didn't remember the senshi. Sure, past
glimpses, but nothing more. And now, the right hand man of the one who killed her back then was back..but why did he
save her?
Dederi craned her head back towards where the young man next to her had stood, only to find that he was not there.
[Yukio. You always leave without notice.] She gave way to a simple grin. [That's one of the only reasons I trust
you, you know that, don't you? Even if I will destroy you.]
Nova and Ibaren could sense Dederi's spirit amidst the rubble of the fallen roof, or rather, next to it. They saw
who saved her, and how she annihilated the youkai from above, and were not happy. Well, they were happy about her
killing the demon, but were not happy that HE had come. Ibaren walked up to her and spoke to her, as did Nova. They seemed
to be warning Dederi of her rescuer. The senshi cautiously walked towards them, as did the pilots and magunacs, although
were strangely unable to hear what they were talking about. Ibaren seemed to not move, and his mouth opened only a bit
as he talked. Nova had her arms crossed, a scowling look on her face, seemed to be very very cross, causing Duo to
shiver slightly. Suddenly, the three fell silent.
"Hey Dede-chan, who was that guy?" Duo wondered, rubbing his chestnut hair with his hand in confusion.
"No one." Nova answered curtly, ignoring the fact that he was asking her partner than her.
Trowa concernedly put his hand on Dederi's shoulder, who jerked in suprise (ooc..). "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, are you okay?" Chibiusa also asked, her cherry red eyes gleaming with worry.
"I'm fine. Just fine." Dederi answered bluntly, but she knew she was hiding herself again. She knew she really wasn't fine.
Dederi's original purpose had come back. Yukio had come back. Now, her thoughts were overwhelming her. She hadn't even
been able to listen to a word Ibaren and Nova had just said to her. She held her head with both of her hands, her eyes
looking down towards her blood-and-dust drenched boots. Dederi needed to think. She needed to get her head straight.
Dederi's body turned a semi-transparent black, the general outline of her body remained. Her eyes glowed a dark, yet
brightly shining, red. Ibaren turned towards her.
His eyes seemed to shimmer with sadness for his friend. "You've made your decision, then?"
The shadow did not respond, but instead began to "melt" onto the floor. It now seemed as if a semi-transparent puddle
of black oil sat on the floor, although it continued to move, and the corrosive, sharp red eyes were still visible
amongst the fallen shadow. Everyone, save Ibaren and Nova, staggered back, slightly afraid.
"W..what happened to her?" Ami interrogated nervously, bending down to touch the shadow. Her finger merely grazed the
blackness, and was met with a painful shock. Ami jerked in pain as the shadow emitted a dark red energy sphere, which
began to float up her arm, causing bruises against Ami's delicate skin. Ibaren knelt next to the shadow and frowned.
"Kuro-chan, stop it."
The shadow looked as if it was shaking her head in a 'no' gesture. But, in its own dismay, the red sphere disintegrated
from Ami's skin, leaving more than a few bruises on her. Ami stood up and stepped backwards, obviously terrified of the
ominous shadow. Setsuna stared quizzically at the red eyes of the dark shadow. She thought carefully, then said, "Dederi?"
"Mercury, you are very fortunate that Kuro-chan went easy on you. No one can touch her when she's in this form, otherwise
they would be met with a dangerous attack. But, to be honest, only about four beings can touch her in this state. This
is her shadow-form, obviously, and she is able to turn into this whenever she so desires to. It's a part of her blood."
Ibaren explained slowly. He took Ami's bruised arm and trailed his finger along the burned parts, avoiding the open
cuts which were bordered by them. He smirked. "Figures. Saturn, heal her wound." Hotaru nodded and knelt beside the
princess of Mercury, putting her hands above her wounds. She slowly began to glow a mystical violet. Hotaru placed her
violet-glowing hands onto Ami's wounds, causing Ami to gasp in slight pain. After a few moments of etherial silence,
Hotaru slowly put up her hands. The opened wounds were gone, although there were scars, which Hotaru didn't understand.
"My power should have eradicated all of the-"
Ibaren interrupted the young healer. "All of the wounds? I think not. Your friend touched Dederi in her shadow-form. Dederi's
youkai and dragon powers aren't just for show, you know." He paused suddenly, looking back at Ami's elevated hand,
which bore four large scars. Each of the scars were red and slightly purple from the amount of blood vessels broken.
It wasn't swollen, thanks to Hotaru, and there wasn't much sign of infection. "But don't worry. As I said, Mercury's
fortunate for Dederi to have gone easy on her. Otherwise she'd be dead." At that statement, Ami's face went pale.
She now feared Dederi more than ever before. "And I must warn you, even if this might be a little off-topic. You really
shouldn't make bodily-contact with her unless she trusts you. Otherwise she'll either punch or kick you or use her ki
shield to push you backwards into a wall or something nearby. Dederi might even send a ki blast at you if provoked enough."
Makoto recalled what happened when they first arrived. [So that's how she pushed me back..I couldn't even hit her..]
"But enough about that. I've got to go find my comrad before she slips into her depression and loses her identity." Ibaren's
face looked worried as he began to walk through the rubble of the fallen roof. Nova followed, as did the rest of the
group. But as they walked to the mansion itself, Trowa didn't understand a small detail.
"What do you mean, loses her identity?"
Nova answered the question in an instant. "Ibaren told you of Dederi and Kuroi. And you see, Kuroi is mostly the incarnation
of Dederi, as explained. She has human emotions and looks, but if she is depressed enough or deep enough into her
emotionless shell, she'll become just that; an emotionless shell. And if enough malice is in her soul as well, she'll
become what we fear the most, that of which must not be mentioned." Trowa wanted to ask what was it that they feared, but
from the scared looks in Nova's violet eyes, decided to leave it be.
The group entered the mansion shortly, each having quite a bit on their mind. Their thoughts remained mostly either on
Dederi's shadow-form, or, according to Trowa, the Outers, Makoto, and Rei, the thing that Ibaren and Nova seemed to fear.
Setsuna and the other senshi sat on the beige couches in the living room. Michiru put her hand to her delicate cheek,
distain on her face as well as worry. "I don't understand it."
"What?" Minako asked.
Michiru shook her head in confusion, her aquamarine tresses shifting slightly. "I don't understand how Dederi can be
our future Neo Queen of the Silver Millenium. I mean, she's not even really a part of our dimension, so how can she?"
"Setsuna? Do you think we could see how Dederi came into our past?" Hotaru asked in a weak voice.
"I'm not sure Dederi would like it, but I'll try." Setsuna replied cautiously as the Time Key appeared in her hand.
She pointed the Garnet Orb towards the fine oak table in the center of the beige couches slowly. A small portal opened,
one of dark red, bright gold and silver. It was about the size of a standard vanity mirror as it shaped itself into an
oval. The senshi looked into the portal, like Setsuna, and saw darkness. It was completely pitch black. And just as the
senshi looked further into the portal, Setsuna called it back. The portal dematterialized, as did the silver and garnet
Time Key.
"Why'd you close it?" Haruka asked suprisedly.
Setsuna opened her eyes, which gleamed with anxiety. "I can't do it. There seems to be a sort of shield or something
that prevents me from pressing further. And if I had attempted to break that shield, I don't know what it would effect."
"So there's nothing you can do?" Makoto wondered.
Setsuna shook her head. "Nothing. Unless I plan to risk it and break the shield, but again, I don't know what problem it
could cause if I break a shield of another dimension."
Rei wanted to know badly how she got into their dimension (oh boy..). "But what if-"
"Rei, I just told you. I'm not going to risk putting other dimensions on the line to just view ONE point in another's
history!" At that outburst, Rei slumped down in her part of the couch.
[Damnit. Damn Dederi. Damn it!]
Trowa spent his time looking for Dederi. He walked very casual when he walked around the mansion, but in his mind it was
quite the opposite. His thoughts sped around his mind a hundred-fold as he turned the corner into the bedrooms corridor.
[Where is she?] He thought to himself frantically as he closed Dederi's bedroom door, the brass metal 'clicking' shut
as he released the knob. The Latin pilot walked further down the hallway. He suddenly felt himself drawn to the door of
his room. [I wonder if...] His tan hand put itself on the brass doorknob, the cherrywood door it was connected to began to
creak. He peered inside the small crack that he had opened. Trowa looked on as he watched Ibaren and Dederi talk.
Dederi seemed to look down at the clean cabernet carpet which floored the room, her face completely blank. Ibaren
has his arms folded as he looked at his comrad, and seemed to be calmly comforting her.
"What are you waiting for?" A feminine voice behind Trowa asked abruptly.
Trowa jumped slightly as he looked behind him. It was Dederi's partner, Nova. "What are you talking about?" He answered
her question with his own. Nova rolled her eyes.
"Oh come on. She needs you right now and all you do is watch."
"But how did-"
"Listen, unibang," the blond-highlighted girl lectured, "I've been her partner for quite some time. I find out these things
without her knowing. Her change in behavior's quite obvious. I'm not some dumb blonde, you know. My partner's been more
cheerful lately. It's been about five years since I've seen her even slightly happy, and she acting this 'comfortable' in
a dimension she doesn't necessarily know is very suprising for a person like her! Now GO IN THERE OR OMAE O KOROSU!"
Trowa was baffled, but opened the door and went in, leaving a satisfied Nova.
Ibaren looked up when he heard the door creak. He smiled. [Just the person she needs.] Ibaren turned back to his moping
friend, who still sat on the floor with a bland look on her solemn face. He stood up then, and walked over to the door to
leave, but before leaving he stopped beside Trowa. (You know the things that anime does when two people talk and everything
around them freezes and turns a different color? That's what's happening.) "If you ever hurt her I'll destroy you." With
that, and leaving Trowa in a state of suprise, he left the room, followed by Nova.
[How the hell do these people know?!] He thought. Trowa blinked, clearing his head slowly. [I can think about that later.
Dederi's more important right now..]
Trowa walked over to the brooding teenager and sat down next to her. "You alright, Dede-chan?"
Dederi continued to look at the cabernet. Her answer was monotone. It seemed more like a whisper though. "Hasn't this
happened before?"
"What do you mean?"
Dederi said sadly, "This. Me being so weak...vulnerable to anyone who comes near me..." She looked at her gloved
hands hopelessly. "God, I've grown weak.." Trowa's eyes shimmered with worry. Her depression had gotten worse. She's so
used to strength and heartlessness that she must have not known anything about happiness and hope.
Trowa put his arm around her slowly and pulled her to him. He felt her steady breathing as she leaned on him. "Dede-chan..
You're not weak.." Trowa kissed her hair, ignoring the smell of blood making its way into his lungs. "You're one of the
strongest people I've ever known and will stay one of the strongest." He knew how she felt, feeling weak..that he was
useless..only for a single purpose..but only to find that he failed.
Dederi closed her eyes. "That's not true.." She didn't seem to cry this time as she leaned on one of the only people that
actually made her feel somewhat special. It was the second time..wasn't it? The second time in this dimension that she
felt vulnerable to her own feelings and strengths. But...she didn't understand another thing...how...
"How can you care for someone so weak as me..?" Dederi asked slowly. [If he cares at all..]
Trowa was taken aback by that question. "..Because..I can't explain it..I just feel drawn to you..you're just so different
from all the other girls I've been an acquaintance with..." By that time, Dederi looked at him..no, STARED at him. She
had a rather suprised look on her face. Apparently she had not expected that sort of answer. Trowa blushed slightly
under Dederi's entrancing gaze. He involuntarily held out his right hand and tilted Dederi's face up towards him.
"Dederi, I can't necessarily tell you my exact answer. But, I can tell you that I'll always be by your side, no matter
what obstacle comes between us."
A warm feeling swept over her heart suddenly, as if she had just begun to live. She had this feeling once before, didn't
she? "Trowa..." She was at a complete loss of words. The assassin hadn't understood human emotions, but, as if by
miracle, she seemed to understand them more as Trowa suddenly encased her in a comforting hug. She could do nothing,
but melt into his warm embrace. She leaned onto his broad, muscular chest, and closed her eyes. [I understand a little,
I think..but why do I feel so happy being embraced by him? Why does my heart seem to beat faster when he's close?]
"Trowa..." Dederi said softly. She no longer had depression, or at the very most, had gotten rid of most of it. "Thank
you." Trowa did nothing but smile contently. He used his left hand to brush her bangs away from her face for a moment.
[God, she's beautiful. Dederi, I'll never let anyone hurt you again.]
Nova walked down the stairs alongside Ibaren, causing attention to come to them, mainly from the senshi. Ibaren stared
at the wall next to him, oblivious to the other stares which were directed at him. Nova rolled her eyes at the senshi.
They could just be so stupid at times.
"Is Dederi all right?" Setsuna questioned hesitantly. It seemed that she was the one who felt the most "frazzled" and
overwhelmed by everything that had been explained to her.
Ibaren nodded. "She'll be fine." *~Nova.~*
*~Hmm?~*
*~What do you plan to do when everything's over?~* He asked.
Nova shrugged. *~I don't know. If I must, I will go back to the Silver Millenium..~*
*And of your future pertaining to your infatuatio-~*
A certain bell, or ringing noise, interrupted Ibaren. The ringing sound was indistinct, but not so much that you couldn't
hear it at all. Quatre dug into his pocket suddenly, and rummaged through it until he pulled out a small cellular phone.
He flipped the phone open and put it to his ear. Quatre began to talk slowly into the phone, answering whoever was on the
other line. He then nodded, and pressed the "end" button on his phone. Quatre put the phone back into his tan khaki pocket,
then sighed.
"Yo, Q-man, what's up?" Duo asked, concerned.
"One of my associates just called..you know the Peacecraft Square down near the church, right?"
"Yeah..why?"
"Well, my associate from a music company just called and asked if I could come and play at their outdoor dance party
tonight at Peacecraft Square.."
Minako interrupted. "Then go, Quatre."
"But what about-"
"It's important, isn't it?" Minako asked. She saw Quatre nod. "Then go. It's okay, Quatre. Besides, I can tell that
everyone here needs a break from battles and stuff, am I right?" The Venusian turned to her friends, senshi and pilots
alike, who all reluctantly nodded. She knew that the current situation concering Youhko and Rommefeller was of the utmost
importance, but she felt that everyone needed a break from being completely serious. She looked at everyone's distraught
faces, as well as a few tired ones, and smiled as she turned back to Quatre. "Just go, okay? Besides, we'll all come with
you."
Quatre couldn't seem to compete with the cheery expression in Minako's blue eyes as he defeatedly nodded in reluctant
agreement. "All right, if you really want me to."
"Then it's settled! Now, everyone go upstairs and get ready!" She jumped up from her seat cheerfully.
Haruka, Nova, and Ibaren rolled their eyes at the girl's folly. [This isn't a time for breaks. Oh well, maybe with
our minds loosened up maybe we'll have a chance at thinking straight rather than being stressed.]
"Should I tell Dederi, or you?" Nova asked Ibaren as everyone sweatdropped from Minako's hyper disposition.
Chibiusa turned and looked at Nova. "I'll go!" Before Nova could say more, the little sugar-pink-haired girl had jumped
up from Hotaru's lap and already began to go up the mahogany stairs. She sprinted up the steps and ran into the hallway
in front of it, which was the bedroom corridor.
[What a kid.] Nova thought as she looked at the fleeting form.
Chibiusa reached for the brass doorknob on the cherrywood door that connected the corridor to Dederi's quarters. She
peered inside. [There she is.] She giggled rather loudly then, causing Dederi to look up from her warm embrace with the
Latin pilot. Chibiusa covered her mouth suddenly, then knocked on the door, attempting to fool Dederi into thinking
that she had just gotten there. Dederi smirked at the little girl's attempt.
Trowa turned around. "Chibiusa?"
The little girl laughed and walked in, freeing the brass doorknob of her small hand. "Konichiwa!" She greeted cheerfully.
"I'm not interrupting anything am I?"
Trowa shook his head, blushing. "No.."
"Okay, good! 'Cause I came up here to tell ya' that everyone's going to Quatre's performance tonight and that everyone has
to go!" Chibiusa jumped onto Dederi's lap. "So you're going..right?"
"Chibiusa..what you say seems like fun, but.."
"Please?" Chibiusa began to use her puppy dog eyes.
"Chibiusa, puppy dog eyes don't work on me.."
Chibiusa sighed. "Then come for me then!"
Dederi blinked. [For..her..?] "Uh..."
Trowa laughed inwardly at Chibiusa's antics. He stood up, then, and made his way slowly to the door. "I'll leave this up to
you two." After chuckling once more, he left the two girls.
Dederi sighed in defeat. "If Trowa's going, I suppose I'll go. Besides, maybe I'll have fun."
Chibiusa bounced up and down, imitating Minako. "Yay! You're going!"
"Let me ask you one question, Chibiusa." Chibiusa froze at Dederi's tone of voice. The little girl had heard a grim-tone
in her voice.
"W..w-what?"
Dederi laughed at the smaller girl's expression. "I don't have to dress up, do I?"
Chibiusa face-faulted. When she got back up, she said, "Don't scare me like that..I think it's semi-formal." At that,
Dederi sweatdropped.
"I'm not getting into a dress again. NO WAY."
(Time Change: Thirty Minutes Later)
"I CAN'T believe I'm getting into a dress again." Dederi grumbled as she looked at the tall mirror in front of her. She
had previously refused to wear a dress to whatever place they were going to, but the little pink-haired girl had other
plans.
"Turn around one more time." The girl instructed, smiling warmly at her tall, scowling friend. Dederi did as Chibiusa
told her to, although not understanding why she was taking such orders from someone who was related to Serenity-baka.
She didn't understand at all why she even cared about the girl. Dederi could have killed her right now and no one would
have noticed until it was too late..but she didn't.
Chibiusa giggled. "You look so pretty, Dede-chan." Dederi blushed then. Chibiusa had managed, after a large dispute, to
convince Dederi into getting into the dress. It was a plain white semi-formal dress that reached one and a half inches
above her knees and was sleeveless. The straps which were delicately supported by her shoulder were thick straps, and the
'neckline' was square-cut. Dederi also wore white high heels, which were also held by thin straps (Think of Sailor Venus's
shoes). Chibiusa wore a white pleated skirt, which reached her knees, and a spring pink sweater with a collar. She
also donned white rubber shoes with pink stripes, which fit comfortably on her feet.
"Then you must be blind." Dederi answered, closing her eyes.
"She's not blind, you really do look nice, Dederi." Makoto cut in. Dederi grumbled as she remembered that Chibiusa had
called the Jovian in a few minutes ago. Makoto was wearing a dark brown floral print dress which reached down to her
upper shin. The short sleeves were semi-transparent, woven in a tint of forest green, and the straps that were visible
through the sleeves were white. The Jovian teenager also wore dark brown high heels, which went well with her lightly
tanned skin. "You should learn to take compliments."
"Can we just get this over with?" Dederi retorted, still refusing to take compliments. "Where did you get these clothes
anyway?"
"Quatre said that we could use his sisters' clothes." Makoto answered simply.
A voice from downstairs cut through. "Hey, you girls ready or what?!" It was Duo. And, by the sound of it, he was getting
rather impatient. Strange. It was usually Wufei who yelled and raved about.
"Yeah yeah, we're coming!" Makoto yelled. "Come on, let's go." Makoto raced out the room and down the stairs.
"Do I really have to?" Dederi asked the little girl who began to walk out of Trowa's room.
"Yup!" Chibiusa grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room.
[Just great.] Dederi thought grumpily as she was being dragged along. [I'm being pulled around by a little kid!]
"Where is Dederi?" Ibaren asked worriedly. *~You didn't do anything did you?~* He thought to Trowa. Trowa jerked in
response, and shook his head slowly, so that no one would notice. Ibaren didn't seem to be convinced. He narrowed her
eyes at the Latin teenager, causing him to shake his head more fervently.
"Oh, she'll come down." Makoto said happily. Everyone blinked in confusion.
Ibaren's face turned into a '-__-;'. "You made her wear a dress..didn't you?"
Makoto stayed silent. She then turned to the top of the mahogany stairs. Chibiusa was coming downstairs with Dederi in
tow. Everyone gaped (AN: AAH! Deja vu..) at the sight of Dederi..and her dress. Chibiusa finally let go of the aggravated
assassin and ran down the stairs to Hotaru, who's violet eyes were still wide.
Ibaren stopped staring as he grinned and walked to the stairs, crossing his arms and leaning on the mahogany post.
He wore a dark blue, cotton, long-sleeved shirt (AN: You know those fancy shirts executive people wear to meetings?
That sorta thing..) and black pants. He also wore black leather shoes and a plain black belt with a gold-colored buckle.
His unruly black hair was as usual. "Well, don't you look nice."
"Shut up, Ibaren. I was forced." Dederi crossed her arms (AN: She does that a lot doesn't she?) as she walked down towards
him.
"You know, you never snapped at me this much before." Ibaren groaned at the amount of spite that his friend was showing.
"Besides, I've seen you in a dress more times than I can count even IF you hate wearing them. Remember that time at that
bar when you wore that black dress? The guys were drooling all over you the whole night."
Dederi looked at her spiky-haired companion and blushed. "Anata fakku! They were not!"
"Sorry, I only see you as a friend." Ibaren sneered. Dederi glared.
Quatre looked at his watch. "Uh, we'd better get going. My associate isn't very patient."
(AN: I'm not going to explain what the GW pilots and what the other senshi wore, so I'll just use these pics:
GW-- http://www.geocities.com/dragonsbane013/gw_trenchcoats.jpg
SM-- http://www.geocities.com/dragonsbane013/senshipic.jpg --just ignore Usagi and Chibiusa)
The whole group then nodded and filed out of the beautifully adorned Winner Mansion. Everyone saw a long jet black
stretch limo parked right near the steps. Minako happily *jumped* into the car and moved towards the front, since the
entrance into the limo was located at the back. The others soon followed suit. Duo and Nova, Heero, Wufei, Quatre, the
inners, and the outers. Chibiusa was seated on Setsuna's lap, happily looking at the in-car lights and overhead buttons.
She pressed one, and caused the tv near the wine and soda bar to turn on. It was turned to MTV. Minako and Rei giggled
as they watched the music video of "Get This Party Started" by Pink begin. The only ones that were left were Ibaren,
Dederi, and Trowa. Ibaren slightly nudged the Latin pilot as he got in, since Trowa was the one who was holding the
door open. Trowa looked at him questioningly. Ibaren seemed to grin and motioned to Dederi, who was looking upwards towards
the sky. Trowa blushed. Ibaren chuckled and got inside the limo. Dederi sighed and began to get in. She noticed Trowa's
intense blush. Trowa noticed her gaze and looked away, embarrassed. Dederi went up to his ear and whispered (should I saw
seductively?), "Like what you see?"
Trowa blushed even more. Dederi laughed and got in. Trowa, obviously nervous, got in.
"So, Qua-chan, what type of music is gonna be played where we're going?" Minako questioned excitedly as the limo pulled
out of the estate onto the public streets.
"Well, there's a schedule. The first hour deals with fast-paced dance music, pertaining the the culture of Cuba or Spain,
I think. And the second hour is mixed with mellow and upbeat music. That's what my associate told me over the phone,
anyway. I'll be playing in both hours, in fifteen minute intervals."
"Wow.." Minako marveled at Quatre's presence. Quatre blushed. Minako, otherwise, had stars in her eyes. Literally.
(AN: btw, I'm going to continue this even if it's already been LOOONG, so when you review please tell me whether the
chapters should be longer or if I should break the chapters into more parts. NOW KEEP READING.)
The rest of the limo trip was rather smooth. They finally arrived at the Peacecraft Square. Everyone slowly stepped out
of the limo, one by one, and looked in awe at their current location. Indeed, it was a 'square'. There were large park
lights surrounding the whole square. All of the large park lights were all connected with a huge circular net of small
yellow lights. The net of lights, which under the sky looked like a bunch of fireflies, covered the whole square. In
the center of the net of lights, as well as the square, was the outdoor ballroom. Well, it looked more like a really
large gazebo without railings made of marble and white stone with a wooden dance floor, really, but it was breathtaking
nonetheless. The outdoor ballroom was supported by large Roman-style pillars made of white marble, and they seemed
to glitter when hit with the lights of the park lights. Surrounding the outdoor ballroom were many circular
-white tables, with white floral-designed chairs with peach cushions. The whole square was surrounded not only by
lights, but also with a black metal railing, intertwined with surrounding rose bushes of all colors imaginable.
The area surrounding the Peacecraft Square consisted of brick buildings. One was a church and the others were mostly
stores; candy shops, dress shops, shoemakers, fruits, all of that and more. Even Dederi was taken aback by the beauty
of the place. Everyone looked back towards the entrance of the square, which looked like a wire arc with leaves intertwined
around it, and noticed that there was a wooden podium there as well, along with a man that stood promptly behind it.
"Ah, Mr. Winner. I see you have brought friends to the party." the man stated as he took out a log book from the lower
compartment of the podium.
"Yes." The platinum-haired pilot replied simply. "Would it be possible to get tables nearest to the outdoor ballroom?"
"Of course, Mr. Winner. Whatever you'd like." The man snapped his fingers, and a few moments later a waiter walked over
from nearby. "Lead Mr. Winner and his friends to the tables closest to the ballroom." The waiter nodded.
"Follow me please."
======
AN: HIII! SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! FF.net was being crappy, as you all know. Well, at least it's fixed now, ne? See you
in the next chapter. BTW, IF I GET FIVE OR MORE REVIEWS I'LL HAVE THE NEXT CHAPTER OUT VERY SOON! [It's already finished.
I just need reviews.]
Email: ketsekiburade@hotmail.com
Author: ~Heartless Spirit~
Disclaimer: I don't own SM or GW. I DO own Dederi, so no stealin'! AND IBAREN TOO!!! NOVA BELONGS TO JESS-CHAN!!!
(Youhko's my own character too, if you haven't realized that by now...)
AN: Oi, minna! [Translation: Hey, Everyone!] I hope you liked ch.10..It was really long...writer's cramp..but I'm over
my writer's block, which is a good thing..
Anyone notice that I've added many of my own characters in this fic?! Well there's three more! Mua~ha~ha~ha! Only two
make an appearance in this chapter, tho...
BTW, I think some ppl are getting confused with some symbols, so here ya go:
"..." = talking
[...] = thinking
~...~ = talking on the phone
*~...~* = talking telepathically
-...- = computer (i.e. email, chat, etc.)
(...) = uh..me interrupting..lol
======
Lunar Succession
======
Chapter 11-It's Been Four Years.
======
Everything seemed to be in slow motion at this point. The screams of warning..the gust of debris winding around themselves
on the hard concrete floor..everything. The large uneven block, which loomed over her, seemed to move slowly. She knew
that she could not necessarily die from the weight and impact of the block, since she had youkai-dragon blood in her, but
she couldn't seem to think straight. It almost seemed as if her brain had shut down. She didn't notice that she could have
easily blasted the fallen roof into pieces. She merely closed her dark, shadowed eyes and waited for the jarring pain in
her body to ensue.
Dederi suddenly felt the wind get knocked out of her. Only, it came from her stomach. The pain..it wasn't in her head..
[What the hell?] Dederi thought slowly opening her eyes. Her vision was hazy and everything was in a blur. She blinked
slowly. Dederi then felt her senses come into focus. She was being carried by something..or someone. She looked up. The
face she saw was hidden in a black hood. From the nearby sounds, it seemed he also wore a long cloak, which flapped as
he ran. She then felt him come to a stop and turning around in the direction of the block, although not putting her
down. She looked at the block. It looked as if it had imploded. Every part of the block either lay in dust or broken chunks.
The smell of old building parts made Dederi cough. The person who carried her looked as if he was grinning. The person then
looked up in the air, as did Dederi. There was another shadow, a slender figure, who seemed to float above the fallen
creatures of demonic preportions. It seemed to be a teenager..the age of Dederi, perhaps. She had her arms crossed defiantly.
The girl seemed to have one large odango at the back of her head, holding the majority of her black hair in place as the
excess bangs framed her oval face and fair skin. Actually, as more of Dederi's vision focused, she found that the girl had
white angel wings, although she still couldn't recognize the face. She sensed her aura, though. Suddenly, the girl's form
seemed to dematterialize. All Dederi seemed to hear was, "I'll watch over you Kuro-chan." She then knew who it was.
[Hakai.] It was the sorceress, Dederi realized. But what did Hakai have to do with the guy that carried her? Was he
an ally?
Suddenly, the young man who was carrying Dederi asked her gently, "Can you stand?"
Dederi jerked her gaze abruptly back to the young man. She slowly nodded and he set her back on her feet. Dederi then looked
at her 'savior'. His eyes were covered by the hood, and he wore a Rommefeller uniform of high rank. A black cloak attached
to the hood as well. His hair could somewhat be seen, a color of dark black and two semi-thick bangs of his hair framed the
sides of his hair as smaller bangs framed his forehead. He held out his hand, showing the white glove that covered it.
The young man looked to show compassion in that gesture, that of which Dederi did not understand.
"I suppose you don't remember me, Kuro-chan. It has been four years since we last met."
Dederi crossed her arms. She merely stared at the guy's hooded gaze. Her dark-raven eyes seemed to bore into his soul,
an angry yet calm expression on her face. She seemed to answer reluctantly, "Yukio..?" Her voice seemed to show suprise,
for she had not expected to see him at all. Yes, it had been four years. But why would he save her now? Dederi saw
him shift a little. She stopped glaring, and merely stood there. "Why'd you save me?" She heard a buzzing sound. Or rather,
a snore-like growl, overhead. She and Yukio looked up simultaneously. "Youkai." Dederi held her left palm up towards
the bloody, ravenous demon and shot a small pattern of energy spheres towards it. There were about six, as she counted.
The spheres surrounded the infernal thing, and it seemed to writhe against the ceiling to move away from its impending
death. The energy spheres glowed in a mysterious crimson, then exploded in fury. Smoke and debris from the nearby
ceiling fell, the smell of it and the youkai didn't seem to choke the assassin, although the nearby magunacs and senshi,
who had attempted to see if she was alive, seemed to choke and wretch. Dederi, ignoring the coughing noises around her,
heard one simple, raspy message before the demon gave its final breath.
"Master will avenge mee..."
The demon then died. Dederi felt the blood of it fall from the cuts and onto her pale cheek. The blood was black.
More black than the color of her own hair. It didn't bother her, though. She had seen this one before. That particular
youkai kept being resurrected, each time being more of a nuisance than the last. It was like her own personal demon,
ramming at her soul, tailing her until she reached a dead end to attack with the final blow. But, the thing was, the
demon was never quite strong enough to cause her to reach that dead end, and for that single reason did Dederi not
wretch at the touch of its blood. It never occured to her to negotiate nicely with others. She told herself to fight,
to kill, to be emotionless. But that last part..that last part seemed to change. She had only told one person of this,
and that one person was the cause of it. Before she had been advised to go to the Silver Millenium, Dederi had been
neither, outgoing nor shy. It was an outer shell that she had created when she arrived, for she didn't want to get
close to anyone, for she knew she would leave again for her birthplace once her task was complete. Alas, she had died
during the war against the Negaverse, and was reborn on Earth, with the rest of the Lunarians. Miraculously, she
remembered what her home dimension was and what her purpose was, although she didn't remember the senshi. Sure, past
glimpses, but nothing more. And now, the right hand man of the one who killed her back then was back..but why did he
save her?
Dederi craned her head back towards where the young man next to her had stood, only to find that he was not there.
[Yukio. You always leave without notice.] She gave way to a simple grin. [That's one of the only reasons I trust
you, you know that, don't you? Even if I will destroy you.]
Nova and Ibaren could sense Dederi's spirit amidst the rubble of the fallen roof, or rather, next to it. They saw
who saved her, and how she annihilated the youkai from above, and were not happy. Well, they were happy about her
killing the demon, but were not happy that HE had come. Ibaren walked up to her and spoke to her, as did Nova. They seemed
to be warning Dederi of her rescuer. The senshi cautiously walked towards them, as did the pilots and magunacs, although
were strangely unable to hear what they were talking about. Ibaren seemed to not move, and his mouth opened only a bit
as he talked. Nova had her arms crossed, a scowling look on her face, seemed to be very very cross, causing Duo to
shiver slightly. Suddenly, the three fell silent.
"Hey Dede-chan, who was that guy?" Duo wondered, rubbing his chestnut hair with his hand in confusion.
"No one." Nova answered curtly, ignoring the fact that he was asking her partner than her.
Trowa concernedly put his hand on Dederi's shoulder, who jerked in suprise (ooc..). "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, are you okay?" Chibiusa also asked, her cherry red eyes gleaming with worry.
"I'm fine. Just fine." Dederi answered bluntly, but she knew she was hiding herself again. She knew she really wasn't fine.
Dederi's original purpose had come back. Yukio had come back. Now, her thoughts were overwhelming her. She hadn't even
been able to listen to a word Ibaren and Nova had just said to her. She held her head with both of her hands, her eyes
looking down towards her blood-and-dust drenched boots. Dederi needed to think. She needed to get her head straight.
Dederi's body turned a semi-transparent black, the general outline of her body remained. Her eyes glowed a dark, yet
brightly shining, red. Ibaren turned towards her.
His eyes seemed to shimmer with sadness for his friend. "You've made your decision, then?"
The shadow did not respond, but instead began to "melt" onto the floor. It now seemed as if a semi-transparent puddle
of black oil sat on the floor, although it continued to move, and the corrosive, sharp red eyes were still visible
amongst the fallen shadow. Everyone, save Ibaren and Nova, staggered back, slightly afraid.
"W..what happened to her?" Ami interrogated nervously, bending down to touch the shadow. Her finger merely grazed the
blackness, and was met with a painful shock. Ami jerked in pain as the shadow emitted a dark red energy sphere, which
began to float up her arm, causing bruises against Ami's delicate skin. Ibaren knelt next to the shadow and frowned.
"Kuro-chan, stop it."
The shadow looked as if it was shaking her head in a 'no' gesture. But, in its own dismay, the red sphere disintegrated
from Ami's skin, leaving more than a few bruises on her. Ami stood up and stepped backwards, obviously terrified of the
ominous shadow. Setsuna stared quizzically at the red eyes of the dark shadow. She thought carefully, then said, "Dederi?"
"Mercury, you are very fortunate that Kuro-chan went easy on you. No one can touch her when she's in this form, otherwise
they would be met with a dangerous attack. But, to be honest, only about four beings can touch her in this state. This
is her shadow-form, obviously, and she is able to turn into this whenever she so desires to. It's a part of her blood."
Ibaren explained slowly. He took Ami's bruised arm and trailed his finger along the burned parts, avoiding the open
cuts which were bordered by them. He smirked. "Figures. Saturn, heal her wound." Hotaru nodded and knelt beside the
princess of Mercury, putting her hands above her wounds. She slowly began to glow a mystical violet. Hotaru placed her
violet-glowing hands onto Ami's wounds, causing Ami to gasp in slight pain. After a few moments of etherial silence,
Hotaru slowly put up her hands. The opened wounds were gone, although there were scars, which Hotaru didn't understand.
"My power should have eradicated all of the-"
Ibaren interrupted the young healer. "All of the wounds? I think not. Your friend touched Dederi in her shadow-form. Dederi's
youkai and dragon powers aren't just for show, you know." He paused suddenly, looking back at Ami's elevated hand,
which bore four large scars. Each of the scars were red and slightly purple from the amount of blood vessels broken.
It wasn't swollen, thanks to Hotaru, and there wasn't much sign of infection. "But don't worry. As I said, Mercury's
fortunate for Dederi to have gone easy on her. Otherwise she'd be dead." At that statement, Ami's face went pale.
She now feared Dederi more than ever before. "And I must warn you, even if this might be a little off-topic. You really
shouldn't make bodily-contact with her unless she trusts you. Otherwise she'll either punch or kick you or use her ki
shield to push you backwards into a wall or something nearby. Dederi might even send a ki blast at you if provoked enough."
Makoto recalled what happened when they first arrived. [So that's how she pushed me back..I couldn't even hit her..]
"But enough about that. I've got to go find my comrad before she slips into her depression and loses her identity." Ibaren's
face looked worried as he began to walk through the rubble of the fallen roof. Nova followed, as did the rest of the
group. But as they walked to the mansion itself, Trowa didn't understand a small detail.
"What do you mean, loses her identity?"
Nova answered the question in an instant. "Ibaren told you of Dederi and Kuroi. And you see, Kuroi is mostly the incarnation
of Dederi, as explained. She has human emotions and looks, but if she is depressed enough or deep enough into her
emotionless shell, she'll become just that; an emotionless shell. And if enough malice is in her soul as well, she'll
become what we fear the most, that of which must not be mentioned." Trowa wanted to ask what was it that they feared, but
from the scared looks in Nova's violet eyes, decided to leave it be.
The group entered the mansion shortly, each having quite a bit on their mind. Their thoughts remained mostly either on
Dederi's shadow-form, or, according to Trowa, the Outers, Makoto, and Rei, the thing that Ibaren and Nova seemed to fear.
Setsuna and the other senshi sat on the beige couches in the living room. Michiru put her hand to her delicate cheek,
distain on her face as well as worry. "I don't understand it."
"What?" Minako asked.
Michiru shook her head in confusion, her aquamarine tresses shifting slightly. "I don't understand how Dederi can be
our future Neo Queen of the Silver Millenium. I mean, she's not even really a part of our dimension, so how can she?"
"Setsuna? Do you think we could see how Dederi came into our past?" Hotaru asked in a weak voice.
"I'm not sure Dederi would like it, but I'll try." Setsuna replied cautiously as the Time Key appeared in her hand.
She pointed the Garnet Orb towards the fine oak table in the center of the beige couches slowly. A small portal opened,
one of dark red, bright gold and silver. It was about the size of a standard vanity mirror as it shaped itself into an
oval. The senshi looked into the portal, like Setsuna, and saw darkness. It was completely pitch black. And just as the
senshi looked further into the portal, Setsuna called it back. The portal dematterialized, as did the silver and garnet
Time Key.
"Why'd you close it?" Haruka asked suprisedly.
Setsuna opened her eyes, which gleamed with anxiety. "I can't do it. There seems to be a sort of shield or something
that prevents me from pressing further. And if I had attempted to break that shield, I don't know what it would effect."
"So there's nothing you can do?" Makoto wondered.
Setsuna shook her head. "Nothing. Unless I plan to risk it and break the shield, but again, I don't know what problem it
could cause if I break a shield of another dimension."
Rei wanted to know badly how she got into their dimension (oh boy..). "But what if-"
"Rei, I just told you. I'm not going to risk putting other dimensions on the line to just view ONE point in another's
history!" At that outburst, Rei slumped down in her part of the couch.
[Damnit. Damn Dederi. Damn it!]
Trowa spent his time looking for Dederi. He walked very casual when he walked around the mansion, but in his mind it was
quite the opposite. His thoughts sped around his mind a hundred-fold as he turned the corner into the bedrooms corridor.
[Where is she?] He thought to himself frantically as he closed Dederi's bedroom door, the brass metal 'clicking' shut
as he released the knob. The Latin pilot walked further down the hallway. He suddenly felt himself drawn to the door of
his room. [I wonder if...] His tan hand put itself on the brass doorknob, the cherrywood door it was connected to began to
creak. He peered inside the small crack that he had opened. Trowa looked on as he watched Ibaren and Dederi talk.
Dederi seemed to look down at the clean cabernet carpet which floored the room, her face completely blank. Ibaren
has his arms folded as he looked at his comrad, and seemed to be calmly comforting her.
"What are you waiting for?" A feminine voice behind Trowa asked abruptly.
Trowa jumped slightly as he looked behind him. It was Dederi's partner, Nova. "What are you talking about?" He answered
her question with his own. Nova rolled her eyes.
"Oh come on. She needs you right now and all you do is watch."
"But how did-"
"Listen, unibang," the blond-highlighted girl lectured, "I've been her partner for quite some time. I find out these things
without her knowing. Her change in behavior's quite obvious. I'm not some dumb blonde, you know. My partner's been more
cheerful lately. It's been about five years since I've seen her even slightly happy, and she acting this 'comfortable' in
a dimension she doesn't necessarily know is very suprising for a person like her! Now GO IN THERE OR OMAE O KOROSU!"
Trowa was baffled, but opened the door and went in, leaving a satisfied Nova.
Ibaren looked up when he heard the door creak. He smiled. [Just the person she needs.] Ibaren turned back to his moping
friend, who still sat on the floor with a bland look on her solemn face. He stood up then, and walked over to the door to
leave, but before leaving he stopped beside Trowa. (You know the things that anime does when two people talk and everything
around them freezes and turns a different color? That's what's happening.) "If you ever hurt her I'll destroy you." With
that, and leaving Trowa in a state of suprise, he left the room, followed by Nova.
[How the hell do these people know?!] He thought. Trowa blinked, clearing his head slowly. [I can think about that later.
Dederi's more important right now..]
Trowa walked over to the brooding teenager and sat down next to her. "You alright, Dede-chan?"
Dederi continued to look at the cabernet. Her answer was monotone. It seemed more like a whisper though. "Hasn't this
happened before?"
"What do you mean?"
Dederi said sadly, "This. Me being so weak...vulnerable to anyone who comes near me..." She looked at her gloved
hands hopelessly. "God, I've grown weak.." Trowa's eyes shimmered with worry. Her depression had gotten worse. She's so
used to strength and heartlessness that she must have not known anything about happiness and hope.
Trowa put his arm around her slowly and pulled her to him. He felt her steady breathing as she leaned on him. "Dede-chan..
You're not weak.." Trowa kissed her hair, ignoring the smell of blood making its way into his lungs. "You're one of the
strongest people I've ever known and will stay one of the strongest." He knew how she felt, feeling weak..that he was
useless..only for a single purpose..but only to find that he failed.
Dederi closed her eyes. "That's not true.." She didn't seem to cry this time as she leaned on one of the only people that
actually made her feel somewhat special. It was the second time..wasn't it? The second time in this dimension that she
felt vulnerable to her own feelings and strengths. But...she didn't understand another thing...how...
"How can you care for someone so weak as me..?" Dederi asked slowly. [If he cares at all..]
Trowa was taken aback by that question. "..Because..I can't explain it..I just feel drawn to you..you're just so different
from all the other girls I've been an acquaintance with..." By that time, Dederi looked at him..no, STARED at him. She
had a rather suprised look on her face. Apparently she had not expected that sort of answer. Trowa blushed slightly
under Dederi's entrancing gaze. He involuntarily held out his right hand and tilted Dederi's face up towards him.
"Dederi, I can't necessarily tell you my exact answer. But, I can tell you that I'll always be by your side, no matter
what obstacle comes between us."
A warm feeling swept over her heart suddenly, as if she had just begun to live. She had this feeling once before, didn't
she? "Trowa..." She was at a complete loss of words. The assassin hadn't understood human emotions, but, as if by
miracle, she seemed to understand them more as Trowa suddenly encased her in a comforting hug. She could do nothing,
but melt into his warm embrace. She leaned onto his broad, muscular chest, and closed her eyes. [I understand a little,
I think..but why do I feel so happy being embraced by him? Why does my heart seem to beat faster when he's close?]
"Trowa..." Dederi said softly. She no longer had depression, or at the very most, had gotten rid of most of it. "Thank
you." Trowa did nothing but smile contently. He used his left hand to brush her bangs away from her face for a moment.
[God, she's beautiful. Dederi, I'll never let anyone hurt you again.]
Nova walked down the stairs alongside Ibaren, causing attention to come to them, mainly from the senshi. Ibaren stared
at the wall next to him, oblivious to the other stares which were directed at him. Nova rolled her eyes at the senshi.
They could just be so stupid at times.
"Is Dederi all right?" Setsuna questioned hesitantly. It seemed that she was the one who felt the most "frazzled" and
overwhelmed by everything that had been explained to her.
Ibaren nodded. "She'll be fine." *~Nova.~*
*~Hmm?~*
*~What do you plan to do when everything's over?~* He asked.
Nova shrugged. *~I don't know. If I must, I will go back to the Silver Millenium..~*
*And of your future pertaining to your infatuatio-~*
A certain bell, or ringing noise, interrupted Ibaren. The ringing sound was indistinct, but not so much that you couldn't
hear it at all. Quatre dug into his pocket suddenly, and rummaged through it until he pulled out a small cellular phone.
He flipped the phone open and put it to his ear. Quatre began to talk slowly into the phone, answering whoever was on the
other line. He then nodded, and pressed the "end" button on his phone. Quatre put the phone back into his tan khaki pocket,
then sighed.
"Yo, Q-man, what's up?" Duo asked, concerned.
"One of my associates just called..you know the Peacecraft Square down near the church, right?"
"Yeah..why?"
"Well, my associate from a music company just called and asked if I could come and play at their outdoor dance party
tonight at Peacecraft Square.."
Minako interrupted. "Then go, Quatre."
"But what about-"
"It's important, isn't it?" Minako asked. She saw Quatre nod. "Then go. It's okay, Quatre. Besides, I can tell that
everyone here needs a break from battles and stuff, am I right?" The Venusian turned to her friends, senshi and pilots
alike, who all reluctantly nodded. She knew that the current situation concering Youhko and Rommefeller was of the utmost
importance, but she felt that everyone needed a break from being completely serious. She looked at everyone's distraught
faces, as well as a few tired ones, and smiled as she turned back to Quatre. "Just go, okay? Besides, we'll all come with
you."
Quatre couldn't seem to compete with the cheery expression in Minako's blue eyes as he defeatedly nodded in reluctant
agreement. "All right, if you really want me to."
"Then it's settled! Now, everyone go upstairs and get ready!" She jumped up from her seat cheerfully.
Haruka, Nova, and Ibaren rolled their eyes at the girl's folly. [This isn't a time for breaks. Oh well, maybe with
our minds loosened up maybe we'll have a chance at thinking straight rather than being stressed.]
"Should I tell Dederi, or you?" Nova asked Ibaren as everyone sweatdropped from Minako's hyper disposition.
Chibiusa turned and looked at Nova. "I'll go!" Before Nova could say more, the little sugar-pink-haired girl had jumped
up from Hotaru's lap and already began to go up the mahogany stairs. She sprinted up the steps and ran into the hallway
in front of it, which was the bedroom corridor.
[What a kid.] Nova thought as she looked at the fleeting form.
Chibiusa reached for the brass doorknob on the cherrywood door that connected the corridor to Dederi's quarters. She
peered inside. [There she is.] She giggled rather loudly then, causing Dederi to look up from her warm embrace with the
Latin pilot. Chibiusa covered her mouth suddenly, then knocked on the door, attempting to fool Dederi into thinking
that she had just gotten there. Dederi smirked at the little girl's attempt.
Trowa turned around. "Chibiusa?"
The little girl laughed and walked in, freeing the brass doorknob of her small hand. "Konichiwa!" She greeted cheerfully.
"I'm not interrupting anything am I?"
Trowa shook his head, blushing. "No.."
"Okay, good! 'Cause I came up here to tell ya' that everyone's going to Quatre's performance tonight and that everyone has
to go!" Chibiusa jumped onto Dederi's lap. "So you're going..right?"
"Chibiusa..what you say seems like fun, but.."
"Please?" Chibiusa began to use her puppy dog eyes.
"Chibiusa, puppy dog eyes don't work on me.."
Chibiusa sighed. "Then come for me then!"
Dederi blinked. [For..her..?] "Uh..."
Trowa laughed inwardly at Chibiusa's antics. He stood up, then, and made his way slowly to the door. "I'll leave this up to
you two." After chuckling once more, he left the two girls.
Dederi sighed in defeat. "If Trowa's going, I suppose I'll go. Besides, maybe I'll have fun."
Chibiusa bounced up and down, imitating Minako. "Yay! You're going!"
"Let me ask you one question, Chibiusa." Chibiusa froze at Dederi's tone of voice. The little girl had heard a grim-tone
in her voice.
"W..w-what?"
Dederi laughed at the smaller girl's expression. "I don't have to dress up, do I?"
Chibiusa face-faulted. When she got back up, she said, "Don't scare me like that..I think it's semi-formal." At that,
Dederi sweatdropped.
"I'm not getting into a dress again. NO WAY."
(Time Change: Thirty Minutes Later)
"I CAN'T believe I'm getting into a dress again." Dederi grumbled as she looked at the tall mirror in front of her. She
had previously refused to wear a dress to whatever place they were going to, but the little pink-haired girl had other
plans.
"Turn around one more time." The girl instructed, smiling warmly at her tall, scowling friend. Dederi did as Chibiusa
told her to, although not understanding why she was taking such orders from someone who was related to Serenity-baka.
She didn't understand at all why she even cared about the girl. Dederi could have killed her right now and no one would
have noticed until it was too late..but she didn't.
Chibiusa giggled. "You look so pretty, Dede-chan." Dederi blushed then. Chibiusa had managed, after a large dispute, to
convince Dederi into getting into the dress. It was a plain white semi-formal dress that reached one and a half inches
above her knees and was sleeveless. The straps which were delicately supported by her shoulder were thick straps, and the
'neckline' was square-cut. Dederi also wore white high heels, which were also held by thin straps (Think of Sailor Venus's
shoes). Chibiusa wore a white pleated skirt, which reached her knees, and a spring pink sweater with a collar. She
also donned white rubber shoes with pink stripes, which fit comfortably on her feet.
"Then you must be blind." Dederi answered, closing her eyes.
"She's not blind, you really do look nice, Dederi." Makoto cut in. Dederi grumbled as she remembered that Chibiusa had
called the Jovian in a few minutes ago. Makoto was wearing a dark brown floral print dress which reached down to her
upper shin. The short sleeves were semi-transparent, woven in a tint of forest green, and the straps that were visible
through the sleeves were white. The Jovian teenager also wore dark brown high heels, which went well with her lightly
tanned skin. "You should learn to take compliments."
"Can we just get this over with?" Dederi retorted, still refusing to take compliments. "Where did you get these clothes
anyway?"
"Quatre said that we could use his sisters' clothes." Makoto answered simply.
A voice from downstairs cut through. "Hey, you girls ready or what?!" It was Duo. And, by the sound of it, he was getting
rather impatient. Strange. It was usually Wufei who yelled and raved about.
"Yeah yeah, we're coming!" Makoto yelled. "Come on, let's go." Makoto raced out the room and down the stairs.
"Do I really have to?" Dederi asked the little girl who began to walk out of Trowa's room.
"Yup!" Chibiusa grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room.
[Just great.] Dederi thought grumpily as she was being dragged along. [I'm being pulled around by a little kid!]
"Where is Dederi?" Ibaren asked worriedly. *~You didn't do anything did you?~* He thought to Trowa. Trowa jerked in
response, and shook his head slowly, so that no one would notice. Ibaren didn't seem to be convinced. He narrowed her
eyes at the Latin teenager, causing him to shake his head more fervently.
"Oh, she'll come down." Makoto said happily. Everyone blinked in confusion.
Ibaren's face turned into a '-__-;'. "You made her wear a dress..didn't you?"
Makoto stayed silent. She then turned to the top of the mahogany stairs. Chibiusa was coming downstairs with Dederi in
tow. Everyone gaped (AN: AAH! Deja vu..) at the sight of Dederi..and her dress. Chibiusa finally let go of the aggravated
assassin and ran down the stairs to Hotaru, who's violet eyes were still wide.
Ibaren stopped staring as he grinned and walked to the stairs, crossing his arms and leaning on the mahogany post.
He wore a dark blue, cotton, long-sleeved shirt (AN: You know those fancy shirts executive people wear to meetings?
That sorta thing..) and black pants. He also wore black leather shoes and a plain black belt with a gold-colored buckle.
His unruly black hair was as usual. "Well, don't you look nice."
"Shut up, Ibaren. I was forced." Dederi crossed her arms (AN: She does that a lot doesn't she?) as she walked down towards
him.
"You know, you never snapped at me this much before." Ibaren groaned at the amount of spite that his friend was showing.
"Besides, I've seen you in a dress more times than I can count even IF you hate wearing them. Remember that time at that
bar when you wore that black dress? The guys were drooling all over you the whole night."
Dederi looked at her spiky-haired companion and blushed. "Anata fakku! They were not!"
"Sorry, I only see you as a friend." Ibaren sneered. Dederi glared.
Quatre looked at his watch. "Uh, we'd better get going. My associate isn't very patient."
(AN: I'm not going to explain what the GW pilots and what the other senshi wore, so I'll just use these pics:
GW-- http://www.geocities.com/dragonsbane013/gw_trenchcoats.jpg
SM-- http://www.geocities.com/dragonsbane013/senshipic.jpg --just ignore Usagi and Chibiusa)
The whole group then nodded and filed out of the beautifully adorned Winner Mansion. Everyone saw a long jet black
stretch limo parked right near the steps. Minako happily *jumped* into the car and moved towards the front, since the
entrance into the limo was located at the back. The others soon followed suit. Duo and Nova, Heero, Wufei, Quatre, the
inners, and the outers. Chibiusa was seated on Setsuna's lap, happily looking at the in-car lights and overhead buttons.
She pressed one, and caused the tv near the wine and soda bar to turn on. It was turned to MTV. Minako and Rei giggled
as they watched the music video of "Get This Party Started" by Pink begin. The only ones that were left were Ibaren,
Dederi, and Trowa. Ibaren slightly nudged the Latin pilot as he got in, since Trowa was the one who was holding the
door open. Trowa looked at him questioningly. Ibaren seemed to grin and motioned to Dederi, who was looking upwards towards
the sky. Trowa blushed. Ibaren chuckled and got inside the limo. Dederi sighed and began to get in. She noticed Trowa's
intense blush. Trowa noticed her gaze and looked away, embarrassed. Dederi went up to his ear and whispered (should I saw
seductively?), "Like what you see?"
Trowa blushed even more. Dederi laughed and got in. Trowa, obviously nervous, got in.
"So, Qua-chan, what type of music is gonna be played where we're going?" Minako questioned excitedly as the limo pulled
out of the estate onto the public streets.
"Well, there's a schedule. The first hour deals with fast-paced dance music, pertaining the the culture of Cuba or Spain,
I think. And the second hour is mixed with mellow and upbeat music. That's what my associate told me over the phone,
anyway. I'll be playing in both hours, in fifteen minute intervals."
"Wow.." Minako marveled at Quatre's presence. Quatre blushed. Minako, otherwise, had stars in her eyes. Literally.
(AN: btw, I'm going to continue this even if it's already been LOOONG, so when you review please tell me whether the
chapters should be longer or if I should break the chapters into more parts. NOW KEEP READING.)
The rest of the limo trip was rather smooth. They finally arrived at the Peacecraft Square. Everyone slowly stepped out
of the limo, one by one, and looked in awe at their current location. Indeed, it was a 'square'. There were large park
lights surrounding the whole square. All of the large park lights were all connected with a huge circular net of small
yellow lights. The net of lights, which under the sky looked like a bunch of fireflies, covered the whole square. In
the center of the net of lights, as well as the square, was the outdoor ballroom. Well, it looked more like a really
large gazebo without railings made of marble and white stone with a wooden dance floor, really, but it was breathtaking
nonetheless. The outdoor ballroom was supported by large Roman-style pillars made of white marble, and they seemed
to glitter when hit with the lights of the park lights. Surrounding the outdoor ballroom were many circular
-white tables, with white floral-designed chairs with peach cushions. The whole square was surrounded not only by
lights, but also with a black metal railing, intertwined with surrounding rose bushes of all colors imaginable.
The area surrounding the Peacecraft Square consisted of brick buildings. One was a church and the others were mostly
stores; candy shops, dress shops, shoemakers, fruits, all of that and more. Even Dederi was taken aback by the beauty
of the place. Everyone looked back towards the entrance of the square, which looked like a wire arc with leaves intertwined
around it, and noticed that there was a wooden podium there as well, along with a man that stood promptly behind it.
"Ah, Mr. Winner. I see you have brought friends to the party." the man stated as he took out a log book from the lower
compartment of the podium.
"Yes." The platinum-haired pilot replied simply. "Would it be possible to get tables nearest to the outdoor ballroom?"
"Of course, Mr. Winner. Whatever you'd like." The man snapped his fingers, and a few moments later a waiter walked over
from nearby. "Lead Mr. Winner and his friends to the tables closest to the ballroom." The waiter nodded.
"Follow me please."
======
AN: HIII! SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! FF.net was being crappy, as you all know. Well, at least it's fixed now, ne? See you
in the next chapter. BTW, IF I GET FIVE OR MORE REVIEWS I'LL HAVE THE NEXT CHAPTER OUT VERY SOON! [It's already finished.
I just need reviews.]
Email: ketsekiburade@hotmail.com
