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 appreciate 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.
Hello to my faithful aserene... Hmmm... Should they save Sere and Endy? Or should S&E save themselves... I wonder which it will be... (evil grin). And hello, also, to Taeniaea. Despite the fact that less than 20 people have read the last two chapters (per the Stats), I will not hold up this chapter. (smile) Why 20? Because that is about half of the stats for the previous chapters, which to me translates as half the people. And, I don't want anyone getting too far behind, hahaha... And finally, welcome to my new reviewer, Rasmus. Thank you so much for the information. As you may have noticed, I updated the list.
For those reading Lonely Harp (my PGSM story), and have had enough of short chapters, here's a nice long one for you, hahaha... Enjoy, minna!
- Raya
Moonlit Sakura
Chapter 14 – Shattered Shield
"Lady-chan, the delegation from South Africa is here," Super Sailor Venus said with a frown as she approached Princess Lady and her friends. The five girls looked up from their table in the gazebo in surprise.
"What?" Princess Lady said. "I thought they weren't coming until week after next?"
Super Sailor Venus grimaced, and then looked at her princess apologetically. "I know. Apparently, they were concerned about having to deal with someone new so they came early to get to know you. Or, that's the official story at any rate."
"Hmph. They're probably just trying to rush Lady-chan so that she gives them a bigger trade concession," Sailor Juno said irritably.
"M-hm. Or maybe they're going to try to buddy-buddy her in hopes that she'll give them more," Sailor Ceres added with a shake of her head.
"Well, it won't work," Princess Lady said with a stern expression. "I'm not that big of a pushover."
"We know that," Sailor Vesta said with a laugh as the other senshi shook their heads. "But they don't."
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to steal her ladies. They insist on meeting her as soon as possible," Super Sailor Venus looked at them apologetically once more.
The five girls gave her unhappy looks. "But, it's my break time!" Princess Lady whined. "Can't I meet them in an hour or so?"
"You don't want to start of in the weak position at the negotiation table, now do you?" Super Sailor Venus asked, cocking her head to one side. Princess Lady sighed and shook her head reluctantly. Super Sailor Venus smiled reassuringly at her. "I've told them that you're very busy. Just meet with them, be very gracious, and let them introduce themselves, then excuse yourself and come back to your lunch. I'm sure Celeste-chan will guard it for you that long."
Princess Lady reluctantly returned her smile, then turned to her pink headed friend. "I'm trusting it to you," she said with dancing eyes.
Sailor Ceres bowed her head gracefully and declared her willingness to perform the dangerous task. As she watched her Princess walk away with the leader of the senshi, she felt a twinge of jealousy in her heart. She forced her eyes away, and looked over at her other friends. Their faces were shadowed by the same emotion.
"She's our responsibility. We should be the ones escorting her," Sailor Juno said softly. A moment later, her eyes widened, causing Sailor Ceres to turn back towards the path. At the far end, Super Sailor Venus was watching patiently as Princess Lady ran back towards the gazebo.
"Guys," she said softly when she arrived. "Guys, thank you for being so understanding. I know it's hard for you to let the others take over the primary guard positions." Her friends shifted uneasily, blushing and looking away. All except for Sailor Pallas, that is, who had put on a set of headphones and was listening to something intently with her eyes closed. "I promise I'll speak to Minako-chan," Princess Lady continued. "I'll ask her if at least one of you can share the duties at all times. Maybe a three guard split or something. Just be patient a little longer, okay?"
They nodded to her. "That would help," Sailor Juno said gratefully. "I know they're not treating us like weaklings or trying to take over our duties on purpose, but it almost seems that way sometimes."
Princess Lady nodded back at them, then smiled, grabbed a salmon flavored rice ball with one hand, lifted her long skirt with the other, and turned to run back up the walk towards the waiting senshi. "Be right back!" Quickly, the two disappeared back into the palace.
Sighing, Sailor Juno, Sailor Vesta, and Sailor Ceres considered the lunch in front of them. "And we went to so much effort, too. Ah well, at least it'll keep," Sailor Ceres said in a disappointed voice. Unseen by them, Super Sailor Jupiter crossed the garden, heading for the palace to start her afternoon shift of guarding Princess Lady.
"She'll be back soon," Sailor Vesta said bracingly. "You know how good she can be at weaseling out of tasks she doesn't like as early as possible. Especially when there's food involved." Sailor Juno and Sailor Ceres laughed. "Actually, now that she's gone, I'd like to talk about something."
Super Sailor Jupiter paused beside a rosebush as Sailor Vesta's serious tone caught her ear.
"I was wondering... If you got frozen, what position would you like to be in?" Her friends and inadvertent eavesdropper looked at her in surprise. "I mean, if you were frozen by the enemy while you were protecting Lady-chan. If you could pick your position, what would it be?"
Her audience's surprised expressions changed to ones of consideration. "What brought about such a strange thought?" Sailor Ceres asked curiously.
"It was Saturn... Did you notice how he froze her? She had her Silence Glaive up defensively. She was in the perfect pose to use Silent Wall to protect herself and Lady-chan. I don't know if she did it deliberately or not, but I thought: That's a good idea."
Super Sailor Jupiter gave the red headed senshi of Vesta a look of surprised approval, nodded, and continued to walk thoughtfully but quickly into the palace.
The two remaining senshi blinked in surprise. "That... That's a very good thought," Sailor Ceres said, then turned towards Sailor Pallas. "Pallas-chan. Hey, Pallas! Take those off for a moment and pay attention."
Sailor Pallas blinked her eyes open and looked at her friends curiously. She turned of the player and pushed the headphones down around her neck. "What? What's the matter? Did I miss something important?"
"Yeah," Sailor Vesta said rolling her eyes. "You missed something important. What are you listening to anyway?"
"Recordings of whatever spell that guy is using to steal our friends," she replied unrepentantly. "The linguistic computer hasn't been able to identify the language, so I asked Ami-san to let me have a go at it." She looked down at the player with a frown. "It sounds... very vaguely familiar. As if I heard it a long time ago or something."
All four senshi stared at the player a moment, then Sailor Pallas looked back up at them. "So, what was this important thing that I missed?" she asked curiously.
Super Sailor Jupiter hurried through the palace towards the main reception hall. "Sorry I'm late!" she called as she spotted Super Sailor Venus and Princess Lady at the edge of the protected private zone.
Princess Lady turned and gave her an impatient look. "Mako-chan, hurry! I'm starving!"
Super Sailor Jupiter laughed in amusement as they fell into step beside her. "You're always hungry. Just like Usagi-chan." Her princess' indignant expression made her laugh again.
"I am not. She always eats way more than I do. I just haven't eaten anything since breakfast, and that was at six o'clock."
"Really? I thought you had a working breakfast with the Central American Union delegation at nine?" Super Sailor Jupiter asked in surprise.
Princess Lady shook her head. "No, that was yesterday. This morning was training, a meeting with Ami-chan, a make-up history session with Pluto, a meeting with Mayor Katsuhito, another meeting with Councilor Kameda, and a last minute conference with Señora Rodriguez regarding yesterday's meeting." She ticked each item off on the fingers of her right hand as she walked.
Her friends looked at her sympathetically. "That sounds like quite a schedule," Super Sailor Jupiter said as they turned the corner and headed down the last hallway.
Princess Lady sighed. "Tomorrow's going to be almost as bad," she whined quietly so that only her friends could hear. "And now the South Africans have shown up early, which will make it even worse!"
"We'll just see about that," Super Sailor Venus muttered. As they reached the door, she caught her companions' eyes. "Don't slow down," she said softly. "Look like you're in a hurry and trying to hide it."
Princess Lady looked at her a moment in surprise, then nodded her understanding. Quickly, the three friends entered the reception hall where the twenty members of the South African delegation waited for their introductions.
King Necro stared out the door and resisted the urge to pull his hair out. Behind him, Queen Fey hummed an off-key song while she chopped vegetables for soup. Her constant presence over the past three days had stretched his taut nerves almost to the breaking point. As he heard her pour more of the healing tea she had been making him drink, he snapped.
'No more!' he thought to himself as he cast the holograph spell. 'I can't take it any more! It's time to get back to work.'
"Checking up on your girlfriend again?" Queen Fey asked in her fake-sweet voice as she came up beside him.
"She is not my girlfriend," he growled, studying the scene in front of him intently. The princess was walking through the public portion of the palace escorted by the blonde and brunette senshi. She appeared to be in a hurry.
"Sure…" she replied knowingly. "Here, drink this before it gets too cold."
He grimaced as he reluctantly accepted the tea. The last time he had refused it, she had proven her reputation for binding and controlling people by forcing it down his throat. He did not care to repeat that painful experience.
He watched the hologram as the princess and her escort entered a room and approached a large group of people. "Hmm… Looks like our little princess is upset about something."
"Really?" Queen Fey asked, turning to look at the hologram as well.
"And she seems to be in something of a hurry," he continued thoughtfully as he studied the group she was meeting looking for power sources. "It's been almost a week. Just long enough for them to start to think that I've been hurt, but not long enough for them to think that I've healed. They're probably beginning to feel a bit complacent."
"Don't count on that," Queen Fey warned, giving him a sharp look.
"Hmph. Of course I won't count on it," he replied irritably, glancing at her. "I'm just saying they may be feeling a little more relaxed. More easily distracted by whatever has the princess upset and has brought such a large group of people to see her."
"More easily surprised?" she asked turning back to the hologram and arching an eyebrow and smiling evilly. "You mean I finally get to meet this great enemy?"
He matched her smile. "Only two protectors with any real power in sight, twenty or so innocents to guard, in a hurry, upset about something… Yes, I think it is about time I introduced you to them."
"Oh goody," was her eager reply.
Princess Lady smiled politely and shifted her weight slightly as the last of the delegation was introduced. "Welcome to Crystal Tokyo," she said again.
"Thank you again, Princess. Ah, we would like to offer…" the lead delegate, Ms. Johannson, said quietly. A flash of light interrupted her as two figures appeared in the reception hall.
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise, and then Super Sailor Jupiter leapt between the intruders and Princess Lady. She held her arms crossed in front of her chest, and braced herself for an attack. "Jupiter Oak EVOLUTION!" she yelled, throwing the attack at the man she recognized as an enemy.
Simultaneously, Super Sailor Venus triggered the all call on her communicator. "Enemy in the main reception hall!" She turned towards the delegation. "They're not after you. Get out of here!"
"Pff, is that all you have?" the petite, grey haired woman asked mockingly. "Please…" She turned to face the delegates, and pointed at one of the younger men. "Come here," she called enticingly. Slowly, the man began to walk towards her as his friends and comrades watched in surprise. Princess Lady and Super Sailor Venus also watched him, expressions of anger beginning to cloud their faces.
Super Sailor Jupiter glanced his way, but kept her eyes on the male enemy. He shifted, trying to get a clear shot around her, but she held her arms wide and shifted with him. She smiled as she saw the irritated expression on his face.
"Get out of here!" Super Sailor Venus yelled again trying to protect both the princess and the young man.
"This way! Quickly!" Super Sailor Mercury called out as she entered the room. She ran to stand between the group and the enemy. A few of them finally began to scamper for the door.
"Ah-ah-ah..." the woman called out. She reached out a hand towards the ones who had begun to run, causing them to stop. Super Sailor Mercury noticed, however, that as her eyes left the other young delegate, he was able to resist her more.
Quickly, she reacted to this information. "Bubble... SPRAY!" A cloud of fog filled the room. "Hurry!" she called again. "Head for the door!"
"Follow my voice," another person called as Queen Fey growled her displeasure. "Better yet, let's form a chain. Pallas, you anchor it here. Let's go!"
Super Sailor Jupiter peered hard through the fog, trying to find her chosen enemy. She spun to look to her left as she felt someone brush against her. Seeing that it was Princess Lady, she quickly grabbed the girl and forced her to stand behind her. Extending her senses, she felt Super Sailor Venus said to her right and Super Sailor Mercury on the other side of Princess Lady.
"Moon Crisis Power... Make-Up," Princess Lady whispered. After a flash of pink light, she spoke a little louder. "The Princess is out of here and safe. Let's finish this."
"What?" King Necro cried in disbelief. "That's not possible! She can't make it out of my shields!" As Super Sailor Mercury's fog faded, the two invaders found themselves in a room full of senshi. The princess and innocent bystanders were nowhere in sight.
With a guttural sound of complete and utter frustration, King Necro pointed his wand towards his nearest target: Super Sailor Moon. Fear began to claw at her heart as she felt herself freeze. Then, Super Sailor Jupiter jumped in front of her with arms wide open. "Moon, watch out!" she yelled as she moved.
Super Sailor Venus grabbed Super Sailor Moon's right arm and flung her back towards her protectors. Sailor Ceres, Sailor Juno, Sailor Pallas, and Sailor Vesta immediately surrounded her, joined hands, and generated a shield to protect her.
Super Sailor Jupiter found herself unable to move as King Necro began to wave his wand and chant the sounds she was beginning to dread.
"Neptune Towering... TSUNAMI!" "Uranus Mach... WIND!" The two senshi of the Outer System threw their attacks at Queen Fey, forcing her to dodge and frown.
"Venus Golden MELTDOWN!" "Mercury Melodic SPRAY!" The two remaining senshi of the Inner System threw their attacks at King Necro, who ignored them and continued to wave his wand and chant his banishment spell.
Queen Fey stared at Super Sailor Neptune, and then raised her hands. Her opponents blinked in surprise as Super Sailor Neptune's hands rose as well. With a smile of satisfaction, Queen Fey forced Super Sailor Neptune to face Super Sailor Uranus.
"Nooo..." Super Sailor Moon cried. "Join!"
"Pink Lady's Freezing KISS!" the five young senshi called out together. A pink sphere flew from their shield and struck Queen Fey.
She froze for a moment, and then managed to throw the attack off. "Why you..." she growled, turning to face them. Super Sailor Neptune stood still and struggled to free herself from Queen Fey's control.
"World SHAKING!" Queen Fey barely managed to block the attack in time, turning her glare to the Senshi of the Wind.
Meanwhile, Super Sailor Venus and Super Sailor Mercury were trying desperately to break through King Necro's shield. Help came suddenly from an unexpected source.
"Supreme THUNDER!" Super Sailor Jupiter cried. Lightening crackled around her then flew from her wide-open hands towards her enemy. This unexpected move made King Necro falter just a moment, but he immediately caught himself and concentrated on completing his spell.
The room was filled with the energies of various attacks for several minutes, and then a piercing scream rang out. Super Sailor Jupiter struggled fiercely against the freeze spell trying to grab her right arm as the pain ripped through her.
"No... Jupiter!" Super Sailor Moon wailed.
"Everyone together!" Sailor Ceres called out. "Sailor Planet BOMBARDMENT!" The attack flew through the air, dodged over Super Sailor Jupiter, and hit King Necro's shield hard. He blinked in surprise as it went down, and then teleported to one side just in the nick of time.
Released from his freeze spell, Super Sailor Jupiter collapsed to the ground holding her left leg which now had a big gap in it about mid-thigh.
"Venus Golden MELTDOWN!" "Mercury Melodic SPRAY!" "Juno Slashing VINES!" "Vesta Dream BEAST!" "Rainbow Moon HeartACHE!"
King Necro found himself dodging the attacks. He glared at the senshi and tried to freeze another of them, but Vesta's teleporting, flaming horse constantly distracted him. Queen Fey found herself facing Super Sailor Uranus, Super Sailor Neptune, Sailor Ceres, and Sailor Pallas. As she tried to control one, another would distract her. Finally, King Necro gestured with his wand and the two of them disappeared.
After looking around the room a few moments to verify that it wasn't a trick, the senshi quickly gathered around Super Sailor Jupiter. She sat on the floor, sobbing in pain and biting her lips against screams of agony.
"Jupiter! Jupiter!" Super Sailor Moon cried, tears running down her face. Super Sailor Mercury stood off to one side, typing frantically on her computer trying to find a way to break the spell. Super Sailor Neptune stared into her mirror looking for the same answer.
"Sai... Sailor Moon..." Super Sailor Jupiter gasped. "You... You're all… right?"
Super Sailor Moon nodded her head vigorously. "Yes. Yes, I'm just fine. You did it, Mako-chan. You saved me."
Super Sailor Jupiter gave her a grateful smile. "Thank goodness," she gasped, clutching her stomach. "Ves... Vesta... You were right."
Sailor Vesta looked at her in surprise. "I was? About what? Jupiter-san!" she cried as Super Sailor Jupiter faded out completely for a moment.
"Chose... your... position... wisely," Super Sailor Jupiter sobbed. "Defense... or attack... But remember... work... with what... you're given..."
Half of the senshi looked at her in confusion, while the other half looked at her in surprise. Then, with a final pain filled cry, she disappeared from sight.
"Nooo..." Super Sailor Moon sobbed. "Jupiter! Mako-chan come back!"