Cross My Heart
Author: Chibi Haruka
Disclaimer: Its not mine, although i do like to pretend it is...
especially Seiya-chan ^^
AN: Hiya! As you've probably noticed, i put most notes at the bottom
so that i don't ruin the story for you... so just read the bottom
when you're done, kay? Review!
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Chapter Seven: A Galaxy Apart
Princess Serenity gazed up into the star-ladden heavens above
her, her fingers absentmindedly stroking the small silver ring on the
opposite hand. Eleven years. It had been a full eleven years since she
saw him, since he promised her he would return... yet there was still
no word from him. Had he forgotten his promise? Or worse, had he
forgotten her? Every night the same questions would roll through her
mind, repeating themselves over and over until she grew tired and fell
asleep. She couldn't even remember what he had looked like, after all,
she had only been a mere five years of age. She could only recall his
name... Seiya... and his eyes... blue. The same blue as she stared at
night after night from her balcony railing. She smiled. He had the most
startling pair of sapphire eyes to ever grace a being... she could
remember always being so intrigued by those eyes...
Her head collapsed to her arms as the silver hair casacading down her
back shifted softly in the breeze, barely brushing against the marble
floor at her feet. Why she was still thinking of a boy and a promise
from eleven years ago was beyond her... she had more important things
to think about.
She was sixteen, about the age she should begin looking for possible
suitors in order for her to take her rightful place at the throne and
become the keeper of the Ginzuisho (according to her little furball,
Luna, anyway). Then again, she didn't really see why there was any
reason to look... they always found her, seeking to woo and court
her as if she were some mindless wench to be won. But if there was
one thing she prided herself on, it was her wit. As much as she had
always hated her studies, be it on their solar system, galaxy or
anything else, she was a remarkably fast learner, almost as much so
as Mercury. She never grew tired of the looks on the men's faces
when she showed them up by joining in the conversation, speaking
knowledgeably on the subject and even expressing her own opinions.
Of course, it would more then take them by surprise and they would
ultimatly become unearthly quiet for the rest of the afternoon...
and she would have lost yet another suitor and gained yet another
scolding (so generously bestowed upoun by Luna, of course).
Her people loved her to no ends and would give their lives for her
without hesitaion, but she had actually become a proverb to them.
'She has the wits of the princess and the persistence to match,'
they would say... but it never bothered her, nor was it meant to.
In fact, she prided herself on it.
Men thought her unreachable as the most important person in her
kingdom and untouchable as most the beautiful; unlike Jupiter and
Mars, each very beautiful, but outgoing and easy for men to talk to.
She had grown into a body and height she had once thought impossible
for herself... 5'3" with long silver tresses nearly the color of
white diamonds cassacading out from two 'odangos' perched on top of
her head (she had no idea why she would think of her hair as a food
item, of all things, but it just seemed to fit). Her body, once
petiete, was now the envy of every woman in the galaxy... with her
endless legs, impossibly slender waist, full bust, and ivory skin
that accentuated her amazingly deep cerlean eyes under long sooty
eyelashes. She momentarily thought of Seiya, and what he would think
of her now that she was a woman, or even what he had thought of her
when she wasn't.
She quickly ushered the thoughts from her mind and left the balcony,
climbing up onto her large canopy bed made from the softest materials
in whites and silvers, and almost immediatly falling into a deep slumber.
"STAR SERIOUS LASER!"
The scream was nearly drowned in the uproar, but it succesfully
completed its intention and killed the men adavancing on him. All
around him bodies draped in crimson covered the blood-stained grass,
seeming to stretch out for miles... but the armies of men just kept
coming, and kept fighting, and kept dieing. It was a process he had
seen for nine years. Only two years after he left the peacefull
and happy Kingdom of the Moon had all this begun. He had seen and
done things no child should ever have to, he had even watched helplessly
as five of his friends, his fellow senshi, breathed their last breath
and joined the thousands of lifeless bodies at their feet.
And it was all because of the Beryls and their meaningless
battle to retrieve what was never theirs.
The only thing that had kept him alive all these years was a promise
he made when he was seven. He almost laughed outright at the irony of
it. She probably didn't even remember him, much less his promise, but
a promise is a promise, and he always kept his word. A soft smile
creased his lips as he thought of her... her and her always happy
disposition.
He had heard of her, only once, a couple of years ago while he was
talking with several soldiers, much of them boasting their terrible
war stories as they poured themselves another glass of booze. One
of them, nearly falling off his chair he was so inebriated, told a
story of a distant cousin who lived near the Moon Kingdom's palace
and had actually seen the princess. She was quite a sight, he had
said, with her long ivory-silver hair and big blue eyes, didn't have
too bad of a body either. The man had a good laugh at that, picturing
what his cousin must have seen as he sipped away at his near empty
glass. He had tried to learn more from him, but the man only passed
out with a large thud on the floor and was quickly ushered out of
the small pub.
"...LASER!"
Sailor Star Fighter yelled the phrase again, wiping out serveral more
men with the beam of white light that shone in contrast to the blood
red sky.
"Figher! We can't hold them anymore!" Healer screamed from beside him
as they dodged the enemy's attacks.
"Healer's right, we can't do anything else!"
He turned to Maker, his coal black jair whipping violently around him
in the fierce winds.
"So after nine years, we just give up?! If we did, all of our people
and friends will have died for nothing!"
"And if we don't, we'll be dead too! Then who'll protect our princess?!"
Fighter paused at Healer's words and turned, his gaze traveling the
barrior of soldiers battling evil in every direction, screams of pain
echoing through the feild. Blood seemed to be draped about everything.
And he knew... it was time to call it quits. They had done everything
in their power for nine long years, now all they could do was get the
princess to safty.
"Lets go." he said, becoming surrounded by an orb of light as he sped
towards their castle, his brothers following in suit.
Morning encased the palace like a velvet glove, seeming to
turn everything it touched to gold. Serenity slowly opened her
eyes, her dream, or rather, nightmare, scampering out of her head
before she could grasp it. It was the same nightmare she had been
having for years... the same war, the same blood red sky, but somehow
it was always different, as though she was actually there, watching
people's blood drip to the ground as a woman's malicious laugh rung out
over them. And she could never remember any of it the second she
opened her eyes.
She sat up, throwing her legs over the side of her bed before slipping
on a flowing navy-blue dress with gold lining and venturing out into
the lavish halls of the palace.
A soft smile creased her lips as Uranus and Neptune came into site,
chatting quietly amoung eachother, their fingers laced together
intimately between them.
She and Venus (the princess of the planet that stood for love and
she had therefore been gifted with an almost uncanny sixth sense for
it) had known the two had been in love for as long they could
remember, but when news spread of the scandolous affair between
two princess' and they never bothered to dissmiss the accusation,
it only confirmed their suspicions. They were the scandle of the
century, and the reporters must have known it by the way they were
constantly buzzing around the pair and all who knew them... much to their
families embaressment. They never seemed to mind though, even when
the kings and queens of Uranus and Neptune practicaly disowned them,
leaving their only daughters nothing but the obligated title of
heiresses. Eventually the whole initial shock wore off and the
reporters went on to their next assignment, but neither parent
had spoken to them since, and it had to have been a good three
and a half years ago.
Serenity envied them, the way they had such a profound love for
each other that they had refused to let anyone tear them apart,
no matter the consequences... and they had come out of the whole
ordeal with an even stronger bond, and became even happier together.
It was the kind of love she wished for herself... a love that didn't
apply to the rules. But then, she wasn't just any princess. She was the
heralded princess of the Moon Kingdom, and as such she had to live
up to other people's expectaions... which meant she would more than
likely marry only for the purpose of bearing the next heir. Love was
never an option, and for that, she hated being who she was.
Her mother had already researched possible canidates, and at the top
of her list had been prince Endymion, the prince of the deep blue
planet that hung in their sky. They had yet to become a part
of the Silver Millenium and were the only planet in the solar system
who hadn't, but the queen and king of Earth had proposed an agreement
when she had been a mere twelve years of age: if the princess of the
Moon agreed to marry their son, they would give their alligence to
Queen Serenity and the Silver Alliance. This way, the Kingdom of
Earth would recieve a higher stature, and the Kingdom of the Moon
would reicieve a king, and hence, an heir. The only person who didn't
benifit from this arrangment was Serenity herself.
Rounding one last corner, she came to a large door and knocked lightly.
Queen Serenity sighed for the umpteenth time that hour,
glancing between the two young women before her.
"I knew this time would come, but... so soon? What of the Kingdom
of Fanelia? Have you heard any word from them?"
"No, my queen. They've been distroyed. All remaining survivors have
fled to the Angel Constelation." the woman said, an emotion passing
through her deep red eyes the queen couldn't even begin to fathom.
"And the Schezars? What of them?"
"The same, my queen. All posible reinforcements have either fled or
are protecting the kingdoms within their allience."
The queen sighed yet again. Now that the Beryls have wiped out nearly
every powerfull kingdom within the vicinity of the nearest three
hundred galaxys, their victory seemed nearly ensured. She doubted
they would even stop there... they would continue distroying major
kingdoms and gaining new allies (only when they chose the later of
the choices, destroying their empire or joining them, of course)
until they were strong enough to go after what they had origionally
set out for... the Ginzuizhou, the most powerful crystal in the universe.
It seemed as though now all they could do was wait.
"Come in." she said after a light knocking was heard from the door,
breaking the silence that had befallen the room.
"Ohayo, mother!"
"Sere-sama!"
Serenity turned just as the thirteen year old girl with violet
eyes and jet black hair jumped into her arms, nearly sending them
to the ground.
"Saturn? And Pluto! It's been ages since we've last seen you! What
brings you here?"
She smiled as she hugged Saturn, before realizing that had been a
question she was not welcome to ask and she quickly changed the subject,
much to the three's relief.
"How long will you be staying?"
"Not long, my princess. We must return as soon as possible."
Serenity had expected that answer but frowned none the less. The
two rarely visited, what with Pluto gaurding the gate of time and
Saturn protecting the other planets in the senshi's absense, so she
figured her kingdom must be approching a crisis, if not already there.
"You may leave now, Pluto, Saturn. There is nothing more to be said."
The two nodded in unison and turned to their princess, who hugged
them briefly before the room was engulfed by a warm light and they
vanished.
"Is there something you need, my darling?"
Serenity shook her head. She knew her mother was busy and, even if
she didn't say it directly, she wanted to be alone.
"No... I just wanted to say good morning. I'll see you in a little while,
then?"
"Of course."
The queen smiled as her daughter quietly left the room, before returning
to her ever-present thoughts. Her kingdom was in danger... and there were
no available reinforcements. She momentarily thought of queen Kakyuu. Her
daughter's senshi were among the strongest in the universe, second only
to Serenity's... but then, she suspected they would be having troubles
of their own and needn't be bothered by her worries. It had been a long
time since she last talked to her dearest friend, in fact, it had to be
just months after Seiya's departure.
Seiya. Oh, how Serenity had missed him... she would mope around the
palace for weeks, and the queen had considered herself lucky just to
get a two-word answer out of her child. But according to Kakyuu, Seiya
hadn't been much different... he became distant, and not even the
loud-mouth of his two brothers could get a rise out of him when he
would usually have knocked him out cold. She had laughed at that,
picturing the two of her daughter's most miscievious senshi bickering
in false hope that the other would back down. Of course, neither ever
did. Queen Serenity chuckled lightly in remembrence, allowing herself
to slip into reminiscence and away from the concerns that seemed to
always occupy her thoughts. Her sovereignty was peaceful and happy
then, all chaos of the war a million miles away and seemingly out of
reach.
She sighed... who'd have thought it would come to this. She couldn't
even predict wether or not the Silver Millenium would emmurge from
this battle in tact, much less alive.
"Queen Serenity." a masculine voice said briskly, awakening her from
her reverie.
"Yes? What is it?"
A semi-translucent screen appeared before her, revealing the captain of
her guards and several other palace employees buzzing about behind
him, working diligently at their computers.
"Your Highness, three unidentified spheres of light have been spotted
heading directly towards the palace in excess speeds of two thousand
miles per hour. Scan reports show signs of life, male, we believe. We
await your orders, my queen."
"Spheres of light? Do they appear to be slowing?" she asked quizzicaly,
her brows creased in wonder at this new information.
"Yes, my queen. But they do not appear to be a group of Beryl's."
"Has any further data been collected?"
"Only vague images, your magesty, they had been traveling too fast
for our imagry systems to collect a decent image."
"And no communication can be set up?"
"No, my queen... it seems that they have nothing but a protective
force surrounding them. No machinery of any sort was detected."
The queen leaned back in her chair, staring thoughtfully at some
imaginary point in space. It could not have been a group of
Beryls, they may have technology and power, but not the raw power
he had described. Only senshi were able to travel at such a high
velocity, unprotected by a man-made devise. Nevertheless, she had
to take extra precautions now that the war was drawing closer.
"I want all royal guards, including the princess' senshi, at the
palace entrance to await their arrival. Have the princess escorted
to the maid's chambers until we are positive these people pose no
threat... i don't want to take any chances. Do not fire until i
give the word. I will be joining you at the main entrance hall."
"Understood, my queen."
Queen Serenity stood and the screen vanished. She knew very well what
her decision could bring, but she was always one to trust her
instincts... and her instincts were telling her to welcome them.
Serenity sighed, utterly board and left in the dark as always.
She had been nearly dragged to the maid's quarters by two of her own
guards, telling her nothing but it had been the queen's orders. It
annoyed her to no ends how her mother would keep things from her like
this... for all she new, they could have been sucked into another
dimension. And what's worse, her senshi hadn't been given the same
treatment; one of the guards, after much persuation, had disclosed
that little tidbit of information. She quickly drew in a deep breath,
swallowing the urge to scream out in frustration as she clentched the
material of her navy-blue dress.
"My dear, calm down! I'm sure this will all be over with soon and
the queen will tell us what's going on. Please don't get angry over
it!" one of the older maids in the room exclaimed after noticing the
fire blazing within the princess' deep blue eyes.
If looks could kill, the maid mused, almost laughing outright as she
realized her princess must be spending too much time with the firey
princess of Mars. Oh, that child and her attitude... she nearly put
the devil himself to shame! She giggled, but was quickly shushed by the
princess' dagger-filled glance.
The queen watched as the captain of her gaurds formed a quarter-mile
long barrier of his men encircling the area where, according to their
calculations, the three were expected to land. He was pacing and
shouting orders like there was no tomorrow... but then maybe there
wasn't, she mused silently as her gaze shifted to the clear sky. Of
course, she highly doubted that.
"They're reaching approximately seventy-five thousand feet, sir." one
of the men said, adjusting his glasses as he stared into the screen in
front of him.
"Queen Serenity, do we not know who these people are? By the way they
are traveling... might they be senshi?"
The queen turned to the woman with short blue hair, a visor pulled over
her eyes as she worked at the small computer in her hand.
"That had been my first guess, Mercury, but we cannot confirm it until
they have landed. They're traveling at an extremely high velocity, even
too fast for our data-collectors and imagry systems."
"Thirty-seven thousand feet, sir."
"Alright men, no rounds will be fired until we have permission directly
from the queen, understood?" The captain said as he turned to face his
men, giving the last instructions to which they nodded and complied.
As the three spheres of light became visable from directly in front of
them in the clear blue sky, the princess' senshi quickly surrounded the
queen, sheilding her from the firce winds. The earth shook as they landed,
cracking the cement beneath them, and the light encompassing them
dissolved. The smoke began to clear and they were able to make out three
figures, masculine as they had expected, who then stepped forward,
kneeling before the queen.
"Step away from the queen!" the quards yelled, their weapons poised.
But the three didn't move in the slightest, seeemingly unconcerned in
the least by the guns aimed to kill.
"I repeat--"
"That won't be necessary." the queen inturrupted, her gaze shifting to
the men.
The captain, including everyone surrounding her, was momentarily taken
aback, but he quickly bowed and signaled for his troops to lower their
weapons. She then turned, smiling at the three as she spoke.
"It's been a while, Seiya..."
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Waaa! ::dodges shoes and mouse pads:: gomen gomen! Bad place to leave ya,
i know... Sorry, i just couldn't help myself... but hey, at least this
chapter was longer, right?
For those of you who have seen Vision of Escaflowne, you probably
realized i used their names for the kingdoms... a tape just happend
to be nearby as i was racking my brain for any sort of name, hence
Fanelia and Schezar. Sorry about that. Anyways, i know this chapter
was mostly talking (well not "blah blah blah" talking but thinking
talking... er... you get the idea) but since it had been eleven years
since the last chapter, i had to explain things that had happened
within that time. Hope it wasn't too boring for ya...
Ja matta ne!
Author: Chibi Haruka
Disclaimer: Its not mine, although i do like to pretend it is...
especially Seiya-chan ^^
AN: Hiya! As you've probably noticed, i put most notes at the bottom
so that i don't ruin the story for you... so just read the bottom
when you're done, kay? Review!
~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@
Chapter Seven: A Galaxy Apart
Princess Serenity gazed up into the star-ladden heavens above
her, her fingers absentmindedly stroking the small silver ring on the
opposite hand. Eleven years. It had been a full eleven years since she
saw him, since he promised her he would return... yet there was still
no word from him. Had he forgotten his promise? Or worse, had he
forgotten her? Every night the same questions would roll through her
mind, repeating themselves over and over until she grew tired and fell
asleep. She couldn't even remember what he had looked like, after all,
she had only been a mere five years of age. She could only recall his
name... Seiya... and his eyes... blue. The same blue as she stared at
night after night from her balcony railing. She smiled. He had the most
startling pair of sapphire eyes to ever grace a being... she could
remember always being so intrigued by those eyes...
Her head collapsed to her arms as the silver hair casacading down her
back shifted softly in the breeze, barely brushing against the marble
floor at her feet. Why she was still thinking of a boy and a promise
from eleven years ago was beyond her... she had more important things
to think about.
She was sixteen, about the age she should begin looking for possible
suitors in order for her to take her rightful place at the throne and
become the keeper of the Ginzuisho (according to her little furball,
Luna, anyway). Then again, she didn't really see why there was any
reason to look... they always found her, seeking to woo and court
her as if she were some mindless wench to be won. But if there was
one thing she prided herself on, it was her wit. As much as she had
always hated her studies, be it on their solar system, galaxy or
anything else, she was a remarkably fast learner, almost as much so
as Mercury. She never grew tired of the looks on the men's faces
when she showed them up by joining in the conversation, speaking
knowledgeably on the subject and even expressing her own opinions.
Of course, it would more then take them by surprise and they would
ultimatly become unearthly quiet for the rest of the afternoon...
and she would have lost yet another suitor and gained yet another
scolding (so generously bestowed upoun by Luna, of course).
Her people loved her to no ends and would give their lives for her
without hesitaion, but she had actually become a proverb to them.
'She has the wits of the princess and the persistence to match,'
they would say... but it never bothered her, nor was it meant to.
In fact, she prided herself on it.
Men thought her unreachable as the most important person in her
kingdom and untouchable as most the beautiful; unlike Jupiter and
Mars, each very beautiful, but outgoing and easy for men to talk to.
She had grown into a body and height she had once thought impossible
for herself... 5'3" with long silver tresses nearly the color of
white diamonds cassacading out from two 'odangos' perched on top of
her head (she had no idea why she would think of her hair as a food
item, of all things, but it just seemed to fit). Her body, once
petiete, was now the envy of every woman in the galaxy... with her
endless legs, impossibly slender waist, full bust, and ivory skin
that accentuated her amazingly deep cerlean eyes under long sooty
eyelashes. She momentarily thought of Seiya, and what he would think
of her now that she was a woman, or even what he had thought of her
when she wasn't.
She quickly ushered the thoughts from her mind and left the balcony,
climbing up onto her large canopy bed made from the softest materials
in whites and silvers, and almost immediatly falling into a deep slumber.
"STAR SERIOUS LASER!"
The scream was nearly drowned in the uproar, but it succesfully
completed its intention and killed the men adavancing on him. All
around him bodies draped in crimson covered the blood-stained grass,
seeming to stretch out for miles... but the armies of men just kept
coming, and kept fighting, and kept dieing. It was a process he had
seen for nine years. Only two years after he left the peacefull
and happy Kingdom of the Moon had all this begun. He had seen and
done things no child should ever have to, he had even watched helplessly
as five of his friends, his fellow senshi, breathed their last breath
and joined the thousands of lifeless bodies at their feet.
And it was all because of the Beryls and their meaningless
battle to retrieve what was never theirs.
The only thing that had kept him alive all these years was a promise
he made when he was seven. He almost laughed outright at the irony of
it. She probably didn't even remember him, much less his promise, but
a promise is a promise, and he always kept his word. A soft smile
creased his lips as he thought of her... her and her always happy
disposition.
He had heard of her, only once, a couple of years ago while he was
talking with several soldiers, much of them boasting their terrible
war stories as they poured themselves another glass of booze. One
of them, nearly falling off his chair he was so inebriated, told a
story of a distant cousin who lived near the Moon Kingdom's palace
and had actually seen the princess. She was quite a sight, he had
said, with her long ivory-silver hair and big blue eyes, didn't have
too bad of a body either. The man had a good laugh at that, picturing
what his cousin must have seen as he sipped away at his near empty
glass. He had tried to learn more from him, but the man only passed
out with a large thud on the floor and was quickly ushered out of
the small pub.
"...LASER!"
Sailor Star Fighter yelled the phrase again, wiping out serveral more
men with the beam of white light that shone in contrast to the blood
red sky.
"Figher! We can't hold them anymore!" Healer screamed from beside him
as they dodged the enemy's attacks.
"Healer's right, we can't do anything else!"
He turned to Maker, his coal black jair whipping violently around him
in the fierce winds.
"So after nine years, we just give up?! If we did, all of our people
and friends will have died for nothing!"
"And if we don't, we'll be dead too! Then who'll protect our princess?!"
Fighter paused at Healer's words and turned, his gaze traveling the
barrior of soldiers battling evil in every direction, screams of pain
echoing through the feild. Blood seemed to be draped about everything.
And he knew... it was time to call it quits. They had done everything
in their power for nine long years, now all they could do was get the
princess to safty.
"Lets go." he said, becoming surrounded by an orb of light as he sped
towards their castle, his brothers following in suit.
Morning encased the palace like a velvet glove, seeming to
turn everything it touched to gold. Serenity slowly opened her
eyes, her dream, or rather, nightmare, scampering out of her head
before she could grasp it. It was the same nightmare she had been
having for years... the same war, the same blood red sky, but somehow
it was always different, as though she was actually there, watching
people's blood drip to the ground as a woman's malicious laugh rung out
over them. And she could never remember any of it the second she
opened her eyes.
She sat up, throwing her legs over the side of her bed before slipping
on a flowing navy-blue dress with gold lining and venturing out into
the lavish halls of the palace.
A soft smile creased her lips as Uranus and Neptune came into site,
chatting quietly amoung eachother, their fingers laced together
intimately between them.
She and Venus (the princess of the planet that stood for love and
she had therefore been gifted with an almost uncanny sixth sense for
it) had known the two had been in love for as long they could
remember, but when news spread of the scandolous affair between
two princess' and they never bothered to dissmiss the accusation,
it only confirmed their suspicions. They were the scandle of the
century, and the reporters must have known it by the way they were
constantly buzzing around the pair and all who knew them... much to their
families embaressment. They never seemed to mind though, even when
the kings and queens of Uranus and Neptune practicaly disowned them,
leaving their only daughters nothing but the obligated title of
heiresses. Eventually the whole initial shock wore off and the
reporters went on to their next assignment, but neither parent
had spoken to them since, and it had to have been a good three
and a half years ago.
Serenity envied them, the way they had such a profound love for
each other that they had refused to let anyone tear them apart,
no matter the consequences... and they had come out of the whole
ordeal with an even stronger bond, and became even happier together.
It was the kind of love she wished for herself... a love that didn't
apply to the rules. But then, she wasn't just any princess. She was the
heralded princess of the Moon Kingdom, and as such she had to live
up to other people's expectaions... which meant she would more than
likely marry only for the purpose of bearing the next heir. Love was
never an option, and for that, she hated being who she was.
Her mother had already researched possible canidates, and at the top
of her list had been prince Endymion, the prince of the deep blue
planet that hung in their sky. They had yet to become a part
of the Silver Millenium and were the only planet in the solar system
who hadn't, but the queen and king of Earth had proposed an agreement
when she had been a mere twelve years of age: if the princess of the
Moon agreed to marry their son, they would give their alligence to
Queen Serenity and the Silver Alliance. This way, the Kingdom of
Earth would recieve a higher stature, and the Kingdom of the Moon
would reicieve a king, and hence, an heir. The only person who didn't
benifit from this arrangment was Serenity herself.
Rounding one last corner, she came to a large door and knocked lightly.
Queen Serenity sighed for the umpteenth time that hour,
glancing between the two young women before her.
"I knew this time would come, but... so soon? What of the Kingdom
of Fanelia? Have you heard any word from them?"
"No, my queen. They've been distroyed. All remaining survivors have
fled to the Angel Constelation." the woman said, an emotion passing
through her deep red eyes the queen couldn't even begin to fathom.
"And the Schezars? What of them?"
"The same, my queen. All posible reinforcements have either fled or
are protecting the kingdoms within their allience."
The queen sighed yet again. Now that the Beryls have wiped out nearly
every powerfull kingdom within the vicinity of the nearest three
hundred galaxys, their victory seemed nearly ensured. She doubted
they would even stop there... they would continue distroying major
kingdoms and gaining new allies (only when they chose the later of
the choices, destroying their empire or joining them, of course)
until they were strong enough to go after what they had origionally
set out for... the Ginzuizhou, the most powerful crystal in the universe.
It seemed as though now all they could do was wait.
"Come in." she said after a light knocking was heard from the door,
breaking the silence that had befallen the room.
"Ohayo, mother!"
"Sere-sama!"
Serenity turned just as the thirteen year old girl with violet
eyes and jet black hair jumped into her arms, nearly sending them
to the ground.
"Saturn? And Pluto! It's been ages since we've last seen you! What
brings you here?"
She smiled as she hugged Saturn, before realizing that had been a
question she was not welcome to ask and she quickly changed the subject,
much to the three's relief.
"How long will you be staying?"
"Not long, my princess. We must return as soon as possible."
Serenity had expected that answer but frowned none the less. The
two rarely visited, what with Pluto gaurding the gate of time and
Saturn protecting the other planets in the senshi's absense, so she
figured her kingdom must be approching a crisis, if not already there.
"You may leave now, Pluto, Saturn. There is nothing more to be said."
The two nodded in unison and turned to their princess, who hugged
them briefly before the room was engulfed by a warm light and they
vanished.
"Is there something you need, my darling?"
Serenity shook her head. She knew her mother was busy and, even if
she didn't say it directly, she wanted to be alone.
"No... I just wanted to say good morning. I'll see you in a little while,
then?"
"Of course."
The queen smiled as her daughter quietly left the room, before returning
to her ever-present thoughts. Her kingdom was in danger... and there were
no available reinforcements. She momentarily thought of queen Kakyuu. Her
daughter's senshi were among the strongest in the universe, second only
to Serenity's... but then, she suspected they would be having troubles
of their own and needn't be bothered by her worries. It had been a long
time since she last talked to her dearest friend, in fact, it had to be
just months after Seiya's departure.
Seiya. Oh, how Serenity had missed him... she would mope around the
palace for weeks, and the queen had considered herself lucky just to
get a two-word answer out of her child. But according to Kakyuu, Seiya
hadn't been much different... he became distant, and not even the
loud-mouth of his two brothers could get a rise out of him when he
would usually have knocked him out cold. She had laughed at that,
picturing the two of her daughter's most miscievious senshi bickering
in false hope that the other would back down. Of course, neither ever
did. Queen Serenity chuckled lightly in remembrence, allowing herself
to slip into reminiscence and away from the concerns that seemed to
always occupy her thoughts. Her sovereignty was peaceful and happy
then, all chaos of the war a million miles away and seemingly out of
reach.
She sighed... who'd have thought it would come to this. She couldn't
even predict wether or not the Silver Millenium would emmurge from
this battle in tact, much less alive.
"Queen Serenity." a masculine voice said briskly, awakening her from
her reverie.
"Yes? What is it?"
A semi-translucent screen appeared before her, revealing the captain of
her guards and several other palace employees buzzing about behind
him, working diligently at their computers.
"Your Highness, three unidentified spheres of light have been spotted
heading directly towards the palace in excess speeds of two thousand
miles per hour. Scan reports show signs of life, male, we believe. We
await your orders, my queen."
"Spheres of light? Do they appear to be slowing?" she asked quizzicaly,
her brows creased in wonder at this new information.
"Yes, my queen. But they do not appear to be a group of Beryl's."
"Has any further data been collected?"
"Only vague images, your magesty, they had been traveling too fast
for our imagry systems to collect a decent image."
"And no communication can be set up?"
"No, my queen... it seems that they have nothing but a protective
force surrounding them. No machinery of any sort was detected."
The queen leaned back in her chair, staring thoughtfully at some
imaginary point in space. It could not have been a group of
Beryls, they may have technology and power, but not the raw power
he had described. Only senshi were able to travel at such a high
velocity, unprotected by a man-made devise. Nevertheless, she had
to take extra precautions now that the war was drawing closer.
"I want all royal guards, including the princess' senshi, at the
palace entrance to await their arrival. Have the princess escorted
to the maid's chambers until we are positive these people pose no
threat... i don't want to take any chances. Do not fire until i
give the word. I will be joining you at the main entrance hall."
"Understood, my queen."
Queen Serenity stood and the screen vanished. She knew very well what
her decision could bring, but she was always one to trust her
instincts... and her instincts were telling her to welcome them.
Serenity sighed, utterly board and left in the dark as always.
She had been nearly dragged to the maid's quarters by two of her own
guards, telling her nothing but it had been the queen's orders. It
annoyed her to no ends how her mother would keep things from her like
this... for all she new, they could have been sucked into another
dimension. And what's worse, her senshi hadn't been given the same
treatment; one of the guards, after much persuation, had disclosed
that little tidbit of information. She quickly drew in a deep breath,
swallowing the urge to scream out in frustration as she clentched the
material of her navy-blue dress.
"My dear, calm down! I'm sure this will all be over with soon and
the queen will tell us what's going on. Please don't get angry over
it!" one of the older maids in the room exclaimed after noticing the
fire blazing within the princess' deep blue eyes.
If looks could kill, the maid mused, almost laughing outright as she
realized her princess must be spending too much time with the firey
princess of Mars. Oh, that child and her attitude... she nearly put
the devil himself to shame! She giggled, but was quickly shushed by the
princess' dagger-filled glance.
The queen watched as the captain of her gaurds formed a quarter-mile
long barrier of his men encircling the area where, according to their
calculations, the three were expected to land. He was pacing and
shouting orders like there was no tomorrow... but then maybe there
wasn't, she mused silently as her gaze shifted to the clear sky. Of
course, she highly doubted that.
"They're reaching approximately seventy-five thousand feet, sir." one
of the men said, adjusting his glasses as he stared into the screen in
front of him.
"Queen Serenity, do we not know who these people are? By the way they
are traveling... might they be senshi?"
The queen turned to the woman with short blue hair, a visor pulled over
her eyes as she worked at the small computer in her hand.
"That had been my first guess, Mercury, but we cannot confirm it until
they have landed. They're traveling at an extremely high velocity, even
too fast for our data-collectors and imagry systems."
"Thirty-seven thousand feet, sir."
"Alright men, no rounds will be fired until we have permission directly
from the queen, understood?" The captain said as he turned to face his
men, giving the last instructions to which they nodded and complied.
As the three spheres of light became visable from directly in front of
them in the clear blue sky, the princess' senshi quickly surrounded the
queen, sheilding her from the firce winds. The earth shook as they landed,
cracking the cement beneath them, and the light encompassing them
dissolved. The smoke began to clear and they were able to make out three
figures, masculine as they had expected, who then stepped forward,
kneeling before the queen.
"Step away from the queen!" the quards yelled, their weapons poised.
But the three didn't move in the slightest, seeemingly unconcerned in
the least by the guns aimed to kill.
"I repeat--"
"That won't be necessary." the queen inturrupted, her gaze shifting to
the men.
The captain, including everyone surrounding her, was momentarily taken
aback, but he quickly bowed and signaled for his troops to lower their
weapons. She then turned, smiling at the three as she spoke.
"It's been a while, Seiya..."
~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@ ~~`~@
Waaa! ::dodges shoes and mouse pads:: gomen gomen! Bad place to leave ya,
i know... Sorry, i just couldn't help myself... but hey, at least this
chapter was longer, right?
For those of you who have seen Vision of Escaflowne, you probably
realized i used their names for the kingdoms... a tape just happend
to be nearby as i was racking my brain for any sort of name, hence
Fanelia and Schezar. Sorry about that. Anyways, i know this chapter
was mostly talking (well not "blah blah blah" talking but thinking
talking... er... you get the idea) but since it had been eleven years
since the last chapter, i had to explain things that had happened
within that time. Hope it wasn't too boring for ya...
Ja matta ne!