Aware that her position was vulnerable to attack, Usagi quickly
projected a small shield around her, just in case. By the time the
platform had officially settled down, Usagi warily opened her eyes. There
was nothing on the platform but a podium-like stand. Tentatively, she
stepped onto the platform, ready to bolt at any sign of the platform
moving. Nothing happened.
Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, she walked over to the stand. Her eyes fell on the book.
"Olde Magicking of the Moone" it proclaimed in embellished gold script. Brushing away some of the dust, she opened it. Her hand rested on the table of contents as she skimmed through it. "Eleth niirk", "miskt pointe" and "quell byen" were only some of the many incomprehensible titles. And then there were the many ancient runes that she could barely see, much less understand. But there was no doubt about it. This was the ancient spellbook of the moon. She could see the carefully embossed crescent moon on the title page, and the old, yellowed, silvering pages that seemed to shimmer.
Breathing deeply, Usagi grasped the book and prepared to leave. Just as soon as she took the spellbook off of the stand, however, the platform began rumbling. Intuitively, she leaped off the platform with massive book in hand, tucking and rolling just as the earth swallowed the platform.
"That was close," she muttered to herself. She took a deep breath. Now, how to get home. Doubtfully, she opened the spellbook. If only it had instructions about how to teleport home without a power surge alarming every magic-sensitive person for a light-year around. Luna had explained that going to the moon, which was a Magick Pointe, was one thing. Going back to Earth without alerting everyone would require the spellbook. But Luna wasn't here to help interpret it.
Sighing, she tapped her chin with the ginzuishou, out of habit. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the words "Auras Without Alerting." She turned to see the words, but was disappointed to see them gone. She began tapping her chin again. Again, she saw the words of the corner of her eye. This time, she did not turn, but merely watched them out of the corner of her eye.
Of course! Every word that was shone upon by the light of her ginzuishou was read-able. She exulted. She could finally get off the cold, damp moon, and back home. She immediately felt remorse at referring to her childhood home was "cold and damp", but, she reasoned, it was. She had not been born here in this life.
Slowly, she tediously moved the ginzuishou over each word. It was harder to read word by word rather than continuously, but she soon got the hang of it. Before long, she had finished the chapter. All right. Shrinking the book down to a transportable size was no problem, and she tucked it into her jeans pocket. Taking a deep breath, se began to meditate, or attempt to meditate. Slowly, she sank into her inner wellspring of being, until she felt a silver flickering around her. Slowly, she soothed it down until it was barely noticeable. Gripping the ginzuishou tightly in hand, she took a deep breath and teleported back to Earth.
++++++++++
Mamoru awoke, aware of a tension in the air. But it was a passing fancy, and soon, the tingling at his neck was gone. Brushing it off as his imagination, he went back to sleep.
++++++++++
Mark stopped brushing his teeth for a moment, to look out the window at the moon. For a moment, he could have sworn . Nah, it couldn't be. Shaking his head at his own foolishness, he rinsed his mouth.
++++++++++
Luna looked up at the moon in worry, when suddenly; she felt something fall on top of her. "Oomph," she grunted.
"Luna," Usagi shrieked. "It worked! I was so relieved! I meanthemoonstartedshakingandIthoughtIbrokeitand-"
"Whoa," Luna said. "Stop for breath. "The moon started shaking? And you broke it?"
"No," Usagi said as she continued to tell everything to Luna at hyperspeed.
"All right," Luna said. "The moon shook, and the platform with the book on it appeared."
"Right," Usagi nodded.
"Then you found the book, and read it and teleported here," Luna confirmed.
"Right," Usagi said.
"Good," Luna said. "Only one problem. Even if the ginzuishou shone on it, the spellbook was written in Lunarian. How did you read it?"
Usagi was confused. "It looked like Japanese to me."
"I doubt even your Japanese reading skills," Luna said dryly, "unless it involves manga."
Usagi rolled her eyes and pulled out the spellbook, unshrinking it. "See," she stated as she pulled out the ginzuishou. "It's in Japanese."
Luna coughed politely. "That's Lunarian," she pointed out gently.
"Then how come I can read it?" Usagi asked, confused.
Luna frowned. "I suspect that it's a carry-over from your past incarnation as Princess Serenity. However, in this form, your past self could not interpret the runes. When you shone the ginzuishou over it, it was an object connecting your past self and your present self, and it allowed your past self to interpret the runes for you."
"Oh," Usagi shrugged, nonplussed by the information and not really paying attention. "When will Mark and Aunt Meg and Uncle Rick be home?"
"Your uncle will be home from work in an hour, and your aunt will be back from the talk with the principal not long after. Mark's still at wherever he is with his friends," Luna said promptly.
"Oh," Usagi said, suddenly remembering. Placing a finger on Luna's forehead, she mumbled something under her breath. Slowly, the crescent moon faded away. "There. Now they won't notice it."
"Good."
++++++++++
Usagi quickly slid into routine. She had Luna by her side, Mark sticking up for her, and she constantly chatted with her friends online talking about everything, from boys to evil minions to bad guys to hot hunks. Yes, the enemy did attack once or twice, and Usagi was forced to transform into her Moon Guardian form. That was what she called it. Luna said that its official name was something long and awkward in Lunarian that shortened into Leithe. Of course, Leithe in itself was hard to pronounce since it was actually spelled something like Llwilleithye, and pronounced like a complex form of Leithe. But that's another story.
She spent days with Mark and his friends, and nights fighting Aurora or Borealis, depending on which showed up. The routine ended abruptly when she got her schedule for school. The University started about a week later than the high school she went to, but already Nick and Jordan were planning to leave. Zach attended a university nearby, and would be available to fight monsters.
Her nightly excursions and lessons with Luna practicing her attacks and her magic would probably end if she didn't want to fall asleep in class. She chatted with her friends more, unburdening her worries, voicing concerns. And her friends comforted her and encouraged her. And Mamo-chan was there for her, sending her thoughtful and insightful emails, always cheering her up.
And then school started. Her troubles were just beginning.
To be continued .
Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, she walked over to the stand. Her eyes fell on the book.
"Olde Magicking of the Moone" it proclaimed in embellished gold script. Brushing away some of the dust, she opened it. Her hand rested on the table of contents as she skimmed through it. "Eleth niirk", "miskt pointe" and "quell byen" were only some of the many incomprehensible titles. And then there were the many ancient runes that she could barely see, much less understand. But there was no doubt about it. This was the ancient spellbook of the moon. She could see the carefully embossed crescent moon on the title page, and the old, yellowed, silvering pages that seemed to shimmer.
Breathing deeply, Usagi grasped the book and prepared to leave. Just as soon as she took the spellbook off of the stand, however, the platform began rumbling. Intuitively, she leaped off the platform with massive book in hand, tucking and rolling just as the earth swallowed the platform.
"That was close," she muttered to herself. She took a deep breath. Now, how to get home. Doubtfully, she opened the spellbook. If only it had instructions about how to teleport home without a power surge alarming every magic-sensitive person for a light-year around. Luna had explained that going to the moon, which was a Magick Pointe, was one thing. Going back to Earth without alerting everyone would require the spellbook. But Luna wasn't here to help interpret it.
Sighing, she tapped her chin with the ginzuishou, out of habit. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the words "Auras Without Alerting." She turned to see the words, but was disappointed to see them gone. She began tapping her chin again. Again, she saw the words of the corner of her eye. This time, she did not turn, but merely watched them out of the corner of her eye.
Of course! Every word that was shone upon by the light of her ginzuishou was read-able. She exulted. She could finally get off the cold, damp moon, and back home. She immediately felt remorse at referring to her childhood home was "cold and damp", but, she reasoned, it was. She had not been born here in this life.
Slowly, she tediously moved the ginzuishou over each word. It was harder to read word by word rather than continuously, but she soon got the hang of it. Before long, she had finished the chapter. All right. Shrinking the book down to a transportable size was no problem, and she tucked it into her jeans pocket. Taking a deep breath, se began to meditate, or attempt to meditate. Slowly, she sank into her inner wellspring of being, until she felt a silver flickering around her. Slowly, she soothed it down until it was barely noticeable. Gripping the ginzuishou tightly in hand, she took a deep breath and teleported back to Earth.
++++++++++
Mamoru awoke, aware of a tension in the air. But it was a passing fancy, and soon, the tingling at his neck was gone. Brushing it off as his imagination, he went back to sleep.
++++++++++
Mark stopped brushing his teeth for a moment, to look out the window at the moon. For a moment, he could have sworn . Nah, it couldn't be. Shaking his head at his own foolishness, he rinsed his mouth.
++++++++++
Luna looked up at the moon in worry, when suddenly; she felt something fall on top of her. "Oomph," she grunted.
"Luna," Usagi shrieked. "It worked! I was so relieved! I meanthemoonstartedshakingandIthoughtIbrokeitand-"
"Whoa," Luna said. "Stop for breath. "The moon started shaking? And you broke it?"
"No," Usagi said as she continued to tell everything to Luna at hyperspeed.
"All right," Luna said. "The moon shook, and the platform with the book on it appeared."
"Right," Usagi nodded.
"Then you found the book, and read it and teleported here," Luna confirmed.
"Right," Usagi said.
"Good," Luna said. "Only one problem. Even if the ginzuishou shone on it, the spellbook was written in Lunarian. How did you read it?"
Usagi was confused. "It looked like Japanese to me."
"I doubt even your Japanese reading skills," Luna said dryly, "unless it involves manga."
Usagi rolled her eyes and pulled out the spellbook, unshrinking it. "See," she stated as she pulled out the ginzuishou. "It's in Japanese."
Luna coughed politely. "That's Lunarian," she pointed out gently.
"Then how come I can read it?" Usagi asked, confused.
Luna frowned. "I suspect that it's a carry-over from your past incarnation as Princess Serenity. However, in this form, your past self could not interpret the runes. When you shone the ginzuishou over it, it was an object connecting your past self and your present self, and it allowed your past self to interpret the runes for you."
"Oh," Usagi shrugged, nonplussed by the information and not really paying attention. "When will Mark and Aunt Meg and Uncle Rick be home?"
"Your uncle will be home from work in an hour, and your aunt will be back from the talk with the principal not long after. Mark's still at wherever he is with his friends," Luna said promptly.
"Oh," Usagi said, suddenly remembering. Placing a finger on Luna's forehead, she mumbled something under her breath. Slowly, the crescent moon faded away. "There. Now they won't notice it."
"Good."
++++++++++
Usagi quickly slid into routine. She had Luna by her side, Mark sticking up for her, and she constantly chatted with her friends online talking about everything, from boys to evil minions to bad guys to hot hunks. Yes, the enemy did attack once or twice, and Usagi was forced to transform into her Moon Guardian form. That was what she called it. Luna said that its official name was something long and awkward in Lunarian that shortened into Leithe. Of course, Leithe in itself was hard to pronounce since it was actually spelled something like Llwilleithye, and pronounced like a complex form of Leithe. But that's another story.
She spent days with Mark and his friends, and nights fighting Aurora or Borealis, depending on which showed up. The routine ended abruptly when she got her schedule for school. The University started about a week later than the high school she went to, but already Nick and Jordan were planning to leave. Zach attended a university nearby, and would be available to fight monsters.
Her nightly excursions and lessons with Luna practicing her attacks and her magic would probably end if she didn't want to fall asleep in class. She chatted with her friends more, unburdening her worries, voicing concerns. And her friends comforted her and encouraged her. And Mamo-chan was there for her, sending her thoughtful and insightful emails, always cheering her up.
And then school started. Her troubles were just beginning.
To be continued .