Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is not mine. Too bad. I'm just borrowing them all for a while. I promise to put them back where I got them.
Notes: Angel of Flames: *grins* Thank you. I am trying to update frequently.
Taiyl: J Haven't you guessed it? No… okay, hmm… well, the next chapter ought to clarify it all. Maybe.
To all those begging for D/S or non-D/S: *evil grin * I really haven't made up my mind yet. The story's only planned for about half way through.
And thank you all for the great reviews! I love reviews!
Chapter 7 Serena Explains it All
The Underground was in a basement of a large brick building that might once have been a fire station. There were lines around the block, but when Lars dropped Serena and Illianna off by the door, they only had to step forward and the velvet ropes were opened for them, causing a surge of angry mutterings from the line of people. They smiled up at the huge bouncer.
"Hi Tree!" Serena practically yelled over the music and chatter. Tree grinned down at the petite little girl with the blue eyes that could melt any guy into putty.
"Hi Serena, Illianna! They're waiting for you in the back!"
"Thanks!" They called as the doors opened for them and the deafening roar of the music swept over them.
The duo made their way through the edges of the club, keeping back from the dance floor, and heading toward the back taking their time. The lights shuddered and moved with the music even as the dancers did. Serena and Illianna kept close together, occasionally grinning at each other as they registered the stares of various males. Illianna wore a black, one-shoulder tank trimmed in rhinestones and a black mini skirt, with strappy black heels, her only jewelry was a set of black hoop earrings. Serena's ensemble was a plunging white v-neck tank with a necklace of gold chainmaile, set with blue stones, a blue asymmetrical skirt, and white espadrilles with wrap-around laces. Both girls wore their hair up- Serena's platinum-highlighted hair in a simple French twist, Illianna's honey colored locks in a complex bun of twists and loops. They both looked like models, like dream girls. And they knew it well.
They finally made it to the back, where another huge bouncer stood guarding the entrance to the inner sanctum. He smiled down at the two girls, recognizing them on sight, and stepped away to allow them into the next room.
Here was a small room for private parties, namely the Court and any guests they should invite. Currently the room was dominated by a large table, where the other ten of the court were seated, talking and laughing amongst themselves.
Theirry rose and embraced Serena, draped a casual arm around Illianna and guided them toward the pair of empty chairs. "Nice of you to join us," he said with a grin.
"We wanted to make an entrance," Illianna replied.
Dee snorted. "In other words you couldn't decide which silver eye shadow to wear."
"Actually it was lipstick, thank you," Serena told her with a mock-glare.
"Oh, my mistake. I'm terribly sorry," the other girl said, failing to look at all sorry, and forgetting not to smirk.
"Ahem!" Gabriel cleared his throat. "As much as I'd love to watch you two get into one of your darling little catfights and giggle-fests, I'd love even more to get out there and get partying instead of being in here…"
"Yeah," Susan added, "There's this totally hot Spanish guy out there…"
"With an accent?" squealed Illianna. "Wherewherewhere?"
Ash pretended to look hurt. "Ills! Am I already forgotten?" Illianna laughed and waved him off.
"You don't have an accent. So why are we here?" she looked at Theirry curiously.
"Serena has something she'd like to tell you all. And I'm afraid it might take a while…" his tone was solemn. "But it is better to get it out now, than have us all stumble onto it when we're in Tokyo."
The others turned to stare at Serena, who kept her eyes glued to the table. She nervously twisted a lock of hair around her finger. "This is going to sound like some sort of Saturday Morning cartoon, but I want you to know it's the truth. I couldn't make it up if I tried…"
"Sea, you know we'll believe you if you say you're the from Jupiter! So spill it, the suspense is killing us!" yelped Puck.
"Erm… actually, technically I'm from the Moon, not Jupiter…"
"The Moon? Sea, you're different, but I fail to see anything alien… no tentacles, no slime…" Ash's voice was light.
"Of course not! I'm human- I was… am… the Princess of the Moon Kingdom. Sailor Moon."
"Well that explains it!" Thea said happily. The rest turned to stare at her blankly. Thea rolled her eyes. "You know- at prom! We had the masquerade theme and that one guy wore a tux and a mask… he was supposed to be Tuxedo Mask! And when Sea saw him she nearly passed out. Then she ran outside and didn't come back for ever!"
Serena winced. Dee laughed. "I remember that!"
Quinn was shaking his head. "I thought Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask were partners or something?"
"W-we were." Serena finally raised her eyes from the table. "You see, a very long time ago, in a time called the Silver Millennium, my mother ruled the moon. Her name was Queen Serenity," Serena's eyes looked beyond the group to a distant point. "The Moon Kingdom was a beautiful, vast kingdom. We were all so happy… It was guarded by the Sailor Scouts, princesses of each planet. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune… and Pluto. I wasn't actually a Scout then, just the Moon Princess. I was deeply in love with Prince Endymion of Earth. And then the forces of evil attacked, led by Queen Beryl, who was jealous of my mother, of Endymion and I, and of all that was good.
The Scouts- they were my court, and my friends- they died in the battle. So did Endymion's generals. Endymion himself died protecting me. And in the end my mother used the greatest power she had- the Silver Crystal to send all of us to Earth, to be born once again and to seal Beryl and her armies into the Negaverse. The Crystal's power killed her, but she succeeded… I was reborn, now with the powers of Sailor Moon, and I found my court, the other Scouts. We fought Beryl again. And we won. But… Endymion too was with us, I thought. But he has changed, beyond knowing, and no longer loved me. And I was not meant to be a scout… or a soldier of any kind." A tear slipped down her cheek. "I could remember other times, other lives free from Sailor Scouts and Moon Kingdoms. So at the first chance I got, I ran. And here I am…"
Diana put her arm around Serena. The room was silent, even the pounding bass and the roar of the crowd in the next room seemed hazy and far away.
"And that's why you're so upset about going back? You don't want to get sucked back into being a superhero." Ash's voice was gentle, and Serena glanced up to see his eyes shift from amethyst to chestnut.
"Don't worry Serena, we won't let that happen," Dee declared proudly.
Gabriel nodded, his midnight blue eyes scanning the rest. "Exactly." He looked back to Serena. "You can rely on us, Sea. Now and always."
"Yeah," Puck added with a grin, "Court of Twelve: the Once and Future Friends!"
Even Serena laughed as he struck a noble pose.
Susan and Thea whisked Serena off to fix her make-up. The rest of the court made their way out of the meeting room and back to the blaring music and dancing lights of the club.