Disclaimer: I do not own anyone from "CardCaptor Sakura". They are all owned by the ladies of CLAMP who are much more talented than I. (smile) I also do not own anyone from "Sailor Moon". They are all owned by Takeuchi Naoko whose vision will live eternally. (smile) (Much to Elflina's dismay...) All other characters are my own. Feel free to steal them.
I do not hold chapters ransom for reviews, but I sure enjoy compliments, constructive criticism, and grammatical corrections. So if you feel like it, please press that little review button, and let me know what you think.
The final (deleted) review from asrene… Hahaha, think you have it figured out? But, if Sakura saves the Neo-Queen now, how on earth would I stretch the story out 36 more chapters? (sigh) I apologize if it is slow, but everyone demands their time. Hopefully, some of you will have the patience to stick with me. (smile) - Raya
Moonlit Sakura
Chapter 7 – Aftermath
The next day, Sakura, Kero, Yue, and Shaoran sat around the Kinomoto's dining room table and stared at the modified Card. Light/Dark lay on the table completely unresponsive to Sakura's and Kero's prompting. Light's eyes were closed as if she were sleeping. She seemed unchanged overnight, although she was slightly different than she had been in Sakura's dream. She did not appear to be crying.
Shaoran looked over at the Guardian of the Moon, puzzled by his silence. He blinked in surprise as he saw how stiffly Yue was sitting. It almost appeared as if he were fighting himself. As Shaoran looked into Yue's eyes, he saw the fear the white-haired guardian was trying not to show.
"Yue?" he asked quietly, startling Sakura and Kero. They looked quickly at Yue, and noticed the expression in his eyes.
"It calls to me..." Yue said softly. "Such strong power..."
"Eh?" Kero asked confused. "How can it call to you? That's Light on the front. She falls under the Sun, not the Moon. If anything, you should be feeling a little weaker."
Yue shook his head. "No, that power is all Moon."
"But..." Kero said unconvinced. He looked back at the Card, and tried once again to get Light to speak to him.
Serenity made a soft sound as she slowly woke. She blinked her bright blue eyes in confusion as she looked around at the pink, misty area that surrounded her. "Where... Where am I? What happened?"
She gasped as she saw another woman laying a short distance away. Quickly, she rose and moved to the other woman's side. Her eyes widened in appreciation as she noted the woman's ethereal beauty. "So beautiful..." she whispered. Her finely boned face was surrounded by a cloud of straight black hair. The rich velvet gown that she wore was the same color as her hair, and emphasized her slim, almost fragile, figure. She wore a crown, marking her as some sort of royalty.
Tentatively, Serenity reached out to shake the woman. "Hello? Are you ok? Please wake up." When the woman didn't respond, she began to look around for help. She gasped again as she saw another figure laying some distance away. Quickly, she rose and rushed over to see what it was.
She found another woman. Her features were exactly the same as the woman in black's, but her hair was a warm, wavy gold. Like her twin, her velvet gown was the same shade as her hair, and she wore a crown though it was a different style. Also like her twin, she did not wake when Serenity shook her.
Serenity looked around the pink, misty area once again, and opened her mouth to call for help. She froze, however, when she heard voices. They seemed to be calling, almost demanding. Unfortunately, they were so soft she could not make out the words. She looked down at the unconscious golden woman again, and bit her bottom lip uncertainly.
King Necro sat in a quiet corner of a large chain restaurant and brooded over the attack that had broken his shields. 'I took out the most powerful,' he thought to himself angrily. 'How could that have happened?' He shook his head impatiently. 'The other attacks must have weakened it enough for her to get through. I'll have to be more careful next time.'
An evil smile broke suddenly across his face as he thought of his next victim. 'Haha, catch me if you can...'
Princess Lady Serenity sat in the throne room and stared blankly out across the hall. Around her, the Senshi of the Sol System talked quietly. Every now and then, one of them would shoot a quick glance at her, looking away before she could catch their eye.
It still didn't seem real. Her mother had always been there. She couldn't possibly be dead. But Super Sailor Mercury and Super Sailor Mars could not find any trace of her. They were still looking, but their faces were becoming more fearful with every dead end.
All talking ceased as King Endymion slowly walked into the room. His daughter's heart twisted at his dazed expression. Without thinking, she stood up and walked over to his side. As he turned his blank eyes towards her, she heard herself speak.
"I'm sorry, Papa. I should have been faster. I should have attacked him before he... before..." Her voice trailed off choking on the words she could not say. "It's all my fault," she whispered looking down.
"She's alive," King Endymion said firmly. Princess Lady and the senshi looked up at him with surprised hope. "I don't know where she is, but she's alive."
"Endymion-sama..." Super Sailor Venus began sympathetically, but was cut off by his abrupt gesture.
"She's alive, I tell you. We just have to keep looking for her." His eyes suddenly focused on Super Sailor Venus. "You can see the red thread of fate that connects us, can't you?" Slowly, she nodded. "It's not broken. It's just... faded," he said. "Look for yourself. She's somewhere far away, but she's not dead!"
Super Sailor Venus blinked, andthen looked as the King commanded. "It ends..." she said in a puzzled tone. "It ends, but it doesn't." She looked over at the other senshi with new hope. "He might be right." Her expression became more determined. "Of course he's right. If anyone would know, he would. Mercury, can you trace that connection?"
Super Sailor Mercury gave Super Sailor Venus an uncertain look. "I've never been able to detect the threads of fate with the computer before... But I'll try."
"You can do it, Mercury," Super Sailor Jupiter said as Super Sailor Venus nodded. "You try, too, Mars, Vesta, Pallas," she continued. "You might be able to track it a little better with your psychic abilities." Super Sailor Venus nodded again then turned to their other psychic, the aqua-haired Senshi of the Oceans.
"Neptune, can you get an impression of it in your Mirror?" Super Sailor Venus asked. Super Sailor Neptune smiled grimly. "I'm trying. And I'll keep trying until we find her."
"Actually, I'll help Mercury," Sailor Pallas put in quietly. "I have good intuition, but it's not really useful for something focused like that."
Super Sailor Mercury looked at her a moment, then nodded. "Yes. Your intuition is more like mine, and your puzzle solving skills are very strong, too. That would definitely help," she said as she pulled out her mini-computer.
Princess Lady started as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up into her father's dark blue eyes, and saw the shared pain and guilt. "It wasn't your fault, Small Lady. We'll find her. In the meantime, don't give in to the guilt or sadness. We still have a city to defend."
With a slow, deep breath, the princess nodded her head in agreement.