Celeste hit the gas pedal and raced down the road. Sure she only going five to ten miles an hour over the speed limit, but it made her feel a little better. She was in a very bad mood. Driving made her feel relaxed. Boy did she need to relax after this morning. The events would not stop replaying in her mind.
~~~~~*Flashback*~~~~~
Around five, Celeste rolled out of her bed and into the shower. She wanted top be at school early, to practice. As she finished her shower, she caught the smell of waffles. She quickly dried of and stepped into her practice outfit.
"Morning," she said, walking into the kitchen. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat on the table. She placed a couple waffles on her plate and topped them with whipped cream and strawberries. "You're quiet this morning, mom, anything wrong?"
"Where were you last night? I waited up for you until three. I was worried sick."
"I was out."
"Out? I knew that," her mother said, trying not to yell. "It didn't take a genius to figure that out."
"I went to the mall and had car troubles on the way back."
"Car troubles? You take perfect care of that car and I know it. So who's the guy, Celeste?" Mrs. Deon asked, barely calm.
"Ther is no guy, Mom. I went shopping," Celeste answered, trying to stay calm. "Besides, you know I can't stand boys."
"And I spent the NIGHT WITH BRAD PITT!" Her mother yelled. "DON"T LIE TO ME!"
"I'm not!" exclaimed Celeste. She got up and picked up her backpack and duffel bag. "I'm leaving now and I'll be back later." She slammed the front door on her way out.
~~~~~*End*~~~~~
"Why doesn't she ever believe me? She treats me like a stinking two-year-old. Everything I say is a lie to her," Celeste thought. "I did have car troubles, and they weren't my fault."
She made a sharp left onto a residential road, still ticked about this morning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rini was walking across the street when, out of nowhere, a car came racing down the road. It was heading straight for her. She was frozen in her shoes.
"RUN," yelled Hotaru.
Rini ran, falling as she reached the sidewalk, as the car swerved. The driver managed to miss both her and anything else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Celeste swore as she swerved to the right. "Damn," she exclaimed, under her breath, narrowly missing the young girl and the telephone pole. She pulled to the curb and parked, whispering a prayer of thanks that no one was hurt. She got out and walked towards the pink-haired girl.
"Are you OK? I didn't see you. My mind was in a different place," Celeste said.
"I'll be fine. A couple black and blues and some scratches from tripping. Nothing major," was the reply.
"My name's Celeste." She offered her hand to the other girl.
"I'm Rini," she said, taking Celeste's hand. Hotaru walked over to Rini.
"You want to go home?" she asked.
"No, I'm fine. A little sore but OK," Rini told her.
Celeste took the opportunity to look the young girls over. Rini was probably five feet tall max, shorter than she was, but not by too much if you counted her hair. Boy was her hair pink, but it suited her. It reminded Celeste of a bunny, with the cone shapes on the top of he head. For the first time, she noticed the girls' matching outfits. She opened her mouth to comment, when she realized they were the same as her school uniform.
"You wouldn't happen to go to Rose Finishing School?" she blurted out.
The two girls looked taken back, but Hotaru quickly recovered.
"Yeah, why?" she asked.
"Because I go there too. Would you like a ride? It's the least I can do after almost hitting you."
Rini and Hotaru exchanged glances.
"We'd love that. This is my friend, Hotaru. Hotaru, this is Celeste." Rini replied.
Hotaru and Celeste exchanged hellos and shook hands. The trio got into the car.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Most of the ride was spent in silence. Hotaru braved it and asked a question.
You said you go to Rose Finishing School, but why aren't you in uniform?"
I had planned on running this morning, for practice. Instead, I found myself driving."
"What changed your mind?" Rini asked.
"This morning."
"Huh?" was the response.
"I find driving relaxing, a way to release energy and calm down. Normally, I run or ride when I'm upset, but certain situations, like this morning, call for driving."
"Oh, I see now," Rini said.
"You run and ride? What do you ride?" asked Hotaru.
"Horses and motorcycles. I run track and cross-country, too."
"On the school teams?" asked Hotaru.
"Yep." Rini realized something and now asked Celeste about it.
"You're Celeste Deon, aren't you? You're the school's best athlete."
"Guilty as charged."
The two girls laughed.
"What grade are you two in?"
"Ninth," replied Rini and Hotaru together.
"You?" Rini asked.
"Junior."
Celeste pulled into the parking lot.
"Here we are. We're still a little early. We've got about ten minutes before the bell."
"We should go in. You need to change and we need to get up the stairs," said Hotaru. Rini nodded in agreement.
"It's going to take longer than usual," she added.
"Gotta run. Thanks for the ride," Hotaru said, getting out of the car.
"Thanks, Celeste," Rini added as she got out. "See you around."
"Bye."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rini sat on the counter in the bathroom while Hotaru cleaned her knee. Suddenly, the pair heard a faint but distinct 'mew' from one of their bags. Before either girl could move, Rini's bag fell over and a gray cat's head popped out.
"Diana!" Rini exclaimed, "What are you doing here? I could get in major trouble."
"Mew," was the reply.
"Diana? Isn't that the cat you saw around my house?"
"Yeah, she followed me home."
"Cool. What's not cool, however, is the fact we have to get her out of here before the bell rings."
"I know, but its going to take me forever to get down the stairs and back with my knee," Rini said. She looked at her friend and added, "and you're out of breath."
Hotaru nodded in agreement. From outside the bathroom came the sound of approaching footsteps. The girls exchanged glances, but before either could react, the door opened and the person came in. Rini pushed Diana into her bag as the newcomer came around the corner.
"Aren't you two going to be late?" asked a familiar voice.
"Celeste!" Rini exclaimed, noticeably both relieved and surprised.
"Guess you weren't excepting me."
"No, we thought you were a teacher," Hotaru explained.
"Something wrong?"
"Sort of," answered Rini.
"Sort of? Like?"
"Like this," answered Rini, opening her bag to reveal Diana. "She slipped in and now we need to get her back outside. My knee's killing me and Hotaru needs to catch her breath."
"Tell you what," Celeste started, "I'll take her out. I have to go to my car anyway. It's my way of apologizing for this morning."
"You'd do that?" asked Hotaru, incredulously.
"Yeah, my homeroom teacher knows where I'm going."
"Thanks," Rini said, handing Diana to Celeste. Celeste cradled the cat in her arms.
"Aren't you going to put her in a bag or something?" Hotaru asked.
"Nah. If anyone asks, I'll jut say I found her wandering the hall. I'll go now so I don't miss too much of homeroom."
"Thanks again," Rini said, "I really appreciate this."
"No problem." Celeste said, walking out of the bathroom. She carried Diana down the stairs.
"She's giving off a lot of energy," Diana thought. "Could she be the one?" She made a mental note to talk to Rini later.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The final bell rang and Rini flew down the stairs. Hotaru was waiting at the door for her and the pair started their walk home. After this morning, Rini was especially cautious.
"Don't worry. I bet Celeste is still at practice."
"I know, but…"
"I understand."
They walked in silence until they reached Hotaru's house.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Rini said.
"OK. See you nice and early." Rini groaned.
"Don't remind me," Rini said. The duo had agreed to meet early and study for tomorrow's spelling bee.
"Yep. And don't worry about Celeste."
"Bye."
"Bye." Rini walked home and let herself into the house. "Anyone home?"
"Up here," Diana replied. Rini went up to her room where she found Diana and another cat at her computer.
"What are you doing?" she asked. "I didn't know you could use a computer."
"We're communicating with Central Command. Your computer is our terminal. Don't worry, your computer can still function as a normal compute," answered the unfamiliar cat. Rini shot Diana a questioning glance. Diana got the hint.
Rini, this is my partner Khons. Khons, this is Rini, also known as Sailor Moon."
"Glad to finally meet you. It's been too long."
"Nice to meet you too. Where did he come from?" she asked Diana.
"Huh?"
"Why is he here?"
"He's collecting information on a possible new enemy or new scout."
"Oh."
"Rini," Khons interrupted. "Do you recognize this girl?" Rini looked at the screen and gasped.
"That's Celeste."
"The girl who took me outside, right?"
"Yeah."
"She gave off a strange energy," Diana informed them. "Did she act weird?"
"You mean besides the fact she almost hit me?"
"When did this happen?" asked Khons, worried.
"On my way to Hotaru's house. She came out of nowhere. Diana, you were in my bag, didn't you feel me fall?"
Diana and Khons exchanged glances.
"Um, no, I didn't feel you fall. I was asleep," Diana said, looking embarrassed. "Did she do anything else weird?"
"She did come into the bathroom while you were there."
"What's so unusual about that?" questioned Khons.
"Her classroom is on the first floor. The bathroom we were in is on the third floor. She also came in and it was like…" Rini's voice trailed off.
"Like what?" both cats asked.
"Like she knew we needed help."
Diana and Khons again exchanged glances. Behind them, the computer beeped and Khons turned towards it to enter this new information.
"You should start your homework now. Try to finish it now, we may need you later," Diana informed Rini.
Rini sighed and resigned herself to starting her math homework.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Celeste was tired and sweaty. She had come straight home after practice, not stopping to shower. She was hoping to catch her mother before she left for tonight's party. She pulled into the driveway and parked the car. The garage was closed, but that didn't mean anything. In fact, it could means a dozen things. Celeste sighed and let herself into the house.
"Anyone home?" she asked. The only reply was silence. "Great," she thought, "they've already left." She dumped her school bag on the couch and went to the kitchen for a drink. On the refrigerator door was a note. Her mother had left her some money for pizza and said they wouldn't be home till late and not to wait up. Celeste muttered a few choice words and grabbed a bottle of water. She gulped down half the bottle and decided to take a shower.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Khons was done entering information and was waiting for Central Command to process it. Rini was still working on her homework. Done with her math, she had moved on to French. Diana walked over and sat next to Khons.
"What are you doing?" Rini asked.
"Last night, Central Command," Diana said, pointing her head to the computer, "said they had new recognizance information for us. What they found was a girl who was giving off a lot of strange energy. The girl goes to your school and is a junior. She lives with her parents. Her name is Celeste."
"You don't mean? Celeste?"
"Yes, the girl from today."
"Got it," Khons announced.
"Got what?"
"More about Celeste."
"Go ahead," Diana said.
"Celeste Deon. Born on January 27, she's 17 years old. She's an Aquarius born at 5:30am. That makes her rising sign an Aquarius with Capricorn tendencies. Her birthstone, flower and color are Amethyst, Violet, and blue, respectively. Celeste is a type B and is 5 foot 8. She weighs 145 pounds. She has brown hair and green eyes. She lives with her parents and has one brother who currently lives in Paris."
"Wow, how'd you get all that?" Rini asked.
"Central Command did a bio-scan of her hair," Khons told Rini.
"How'd they get the hair?"
"When she took me outside."
"We used your scanner to send it to them."
"Will wonders never cease?" Rini said, more to herself than anything.
The two felines chuckled.
"Probably not," Diana said, "at least not anytime soon."
"Why is Celeste so special and important?
"Because she is giving off so much energy, we need to keep an eye on her. She may be part of the enemy group."
"Celeste?"
"Yes, who knows after this morning. Remember that she almost hit you. She could have been trying to hurt you."
"Diana, please."
"We'll have to go investigate. That's why I made sure you started your homework when you came home. Come on, let's go."
Rini left a note for her parents and grabbed her bike. Following Khons' directions, she headed for Celeste's house. Diana had her stop a couple blocks away.
"Stop here and hide your bike. This neighborhood is mostly empty, but we can't take risks. Now, let's go."
Before they had moved two steps, Khons cleared his throat.
"Forgetting something, Diana?"
"I guess I did." She produced a pen with a gem on the top and handed it to Rini. "This is the Luna Pen. It disguises you as someone else. To use it, hold up the pen and ay 'Disguise Power, turn me into a' and what you want to become. It is only for scout business. Better use it now so Celeste doesn't recognize you."
Rini held up the pen. "Disguise Power, turn me into a makeup saleswoman." She was engulfed in a yellow light and could feel her clothes melt away as a new outfit appeared. Her hair was shorter and she now wore makeup and carried a sales kit. Together with Khons and Diana, Rini headed for Celeste's house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Celeste had just pulled on some clothes and was drying her hair when the doorbell rang. She opened it to find a saleswoman on the doorstep.
"How can I help you?
"I'm from Sporty Looks Cosmetic Stores. I wonder if I might have a few moments of your time."
Celeste resisted the urge to slam the door in this woman's face. "Come in. Can I get you something?"
"No, thanks. I heard you were a famous high school athlete and my company was wondering if you'd be interested in being our spokeswoman."
"Me? …" Her was cut off by the opening of the front door.
"Celeste, honey, are you home?" her mother's voice drifted into the living room.
"In here."
Celeste's mother appeared in the doorway.
"Sorry to disturb you. I left something here that I need. Your father took his own car to the party so we'll both be home later."
"Ok." With that, her mother headed towards her bedroom. She had found what she was looking for and was getting ready to leave again when the doorbell rang. Celeste opened the door. Another saleswoman was standing there. Before she had a chance to ask who she was, a scream came from the living room. Celeste dashed towards the living room with the saleswoman close behind. She skidded to a halt outside the door. Inside the living room, Celeste's mother was slumped on the floor, a large monster standing nearby. The first saleswoman was gone, replaced by a woman in a tight brown bodysuit. It reminded Celeste of Seven of Nine from Star Trek Voyager. The monster, which looked like a cross between a rabid dog and a robot, was posing to do something to Celeste's mother, but what she didn't know. She picked up the closet thing, a vase, and hurled it at the creature. It recoiled and took several steps back.
"Gronan, do what you'd like here, finish them off or not, but I'm leaving," the mysterious woman said to the creature as she disappeared.
As this whole scene unfolded, the second saleswoman, Rini searched for an answer. She decided transforming form her saleswoman form to Sailor Moon was a good idea, but decided to hold off. She was afraid Celeste would recognize her. Gronan had moved towards Mrs. Deon, ready to strike. Celeste grabbed a pillow off the floor and threw it. Gronan's attention was caught and the monster changed its target to Celeste. It was getting ready to strike.
"NO. DON'T TOUCH HER! MOONLIGHT ACTION, make up!" Rini's saleswoman form gave way to her transformation as Sailor Moon.
How dare you try to harm a great athlete and her mother. You are pure evil. I'm Sailor Moon. In the name of the moon, I will punish you for your evil way."
Celeste's mouth dropped open and Gronana looked at Sailor Moon.
"Where'd you come from?" Celeste asked.
"Later."
"Sailor Moon, I shall destroy you."
"Moon Magic." Her tiara hit the monster, which recoiled, but didn't destroy it. It did make the monster weaker. Celeste was ticked and now took her anger out on the monster. With a kick, she sent it flying. The monster got up and flung its vine-like arms at Celeste, trapping her. All of a sudden, an orange-yellow light filled the room. The monster couldn't stand the light and loosened its grasp. The light dimmed slightly, but it was enough to see that the source of the light was Celeste's forehead. Diana peered at it and gasped.
"The symbol of Uranus. Celeste is Sailor Uranus." She produced a wand, which she threw at Celeste. "Hold it up and yell 'I call upon the power of Uranus to help me!"
"Why?" Celeste asked.
"Moon Magic." Again, her tiara hit the monster, making it weaker, but not destroying it.
"You must become Sailor Uranus and fight along side Sailor Moon. It is your destiny."
"What happens if I say that phrase?"
"Moon Magic…darn." Sailor Moon had missed the moving monster, who still held on to Celeste.
"You accept your destiny as a Sailor Scout and your duty to protect the Moon Kingdom, Earth, everything really."
"MOON MAGIC." Celeste fell to the floor as Sailor Moon's tiara sliced the monster's arms.
"And if I don't?" Diana shuddered at the thought.
"According to the legend, the Sailor Scouts can not be awaked if one scout refuses her destiny. If the Scouts can't protect the galaxy, it will fall to the enemy."
"I CALL UPON THE POWER OF URANUS TO HELP ME!" Celeste was surrounded by a orange-yellow, almost gold, cloud. Her clothes transformed into a gold mini-skirt, white bodysuit, navy bows on the front and back, a navy sailor collar, and a navy choker. The jewel on her tiara and thetops of her gloves were also navy. Her feet sported a pair of gold ankle boots. Her choker was not decorated. Uranus' front bow, where Sailor Moon's had her locket, was a gold circular pin.
"Oh my God," Sailor Moon whispered. Sailor Uranus was still in shock.
"Uranus, attack. Look within and feel your power." Uranus concentrated with her eyes closed. When she found what she was looking for, she opened them and gave the monster a piercing glance.
"How dare you hurt my family," she said, addressing the creature. "I'll make you pay. URANUS CLOUD SHOWER!" A burst of clouds of energy hit the monster. It screamed and turned into dust. The dust vanished and Sailor Moon bent over Celeste's mother.
"She's sleeping now. She's fine and will be up soon." Khons came in just as she finished.
"Oh my…"
"We found her," Diana stated. Before Khons could ask his next question, Sailor Moon cleared her throat.
"Diana, now what?"
"A talking cat, no two talking cats. I'm dreaming." interjected Sailor Uranus.
"You'll both have to detransform. It;'s OK for you two to know each other's civilian identities. Your both Sailor Scouts." Diana informed them. "We'll finish this after Mrs. Deon leaves. No, Celeste, you are not dreaming. Now, quick, before she wakes up."
"Mom, are you OK? Celeste asked. Rini was shocked. Celeste didn't mention her being Sailor Moon.
"What happened?" Mrs. Deon asked.
"You blacked out, Mom."
"Oh dear," Mrs. Deon said, sitting up. "Maybe, I shouldn't go to the party after all."
"Mrs. Deon, how do you feel?" asked Rini.
"Fine, like I just woke up from a refreshing nap."
"Then it's OK fto go to the party." Her statement was met with quizzing stares. "My dad's a doctor. This happens a lot, especially lately. As long as the person feels like they just woke up from some sort of refreshing sleep, they're fine. By the way, I'm Rini."
Nice to meet you. Your father doesn't happen to be Dr. Kamra?"
"Why, yes he is."
"He never mentioned a daughter named Rini."
"My name's actually Usagi, but I prefer Rini, which is also my middle name."
"Makes sense now." Mrs. Deon was now standing. "I should get going. Nice to have met you, Rini. I'll see you later, Celeste." Celeste and Rini waved to Mrs. Deon as she left.
"You're Sailor Moon?" Celeste asked as soon as they were back into the living room."
"Guilty."
"I'm dreaming. Pinch me." Rini pinched Celeste. "OW."
"You said 'pinch me'."
"I'm not dreaming. So I guess the talking cats are real."
"Yes we are. I'm Diana, Rini's guardian and advisor."
"I'm Khons, your guardian and advisor."
"My guardian and advisor?"
"Yes."
"How am I supposed to tell my mother I have a cat?"
"You'll come up with something," Diana said.
"Right now, we need to leave. Rini needs to get home for dinner and you probably have homework. We'll meet here tomorrow after school. Will your mom be home?"
Celeste thought. "No, tomorrow's her Ladies Society Meeting. My dad's leaving for Chicago in the morning. No one will be home."
"Good. We'll meet right after school. Any problems?"
"Not for me," Rini said.
"Nope, no practice tomorrow."
Celeste walked everyone to the door. "Bye, see you tomorrow. I'll pick you up at your friend's house in the morning."
"Okay."
"I'll bring you home, too."
Rini nodded. "Bye." She left with both cats. Celeste stood in the door.
I must be crazy," she said to herself as she closed the door. "Crazy or stupid."