Author's Note
I don't OWN Sailor Moon…. Yet the story concept is mine…. Please don't take it without my consent…. PLEASE……….
This week is my sick week. There's a stomach virus going around, and I think I've caught it. Oh well. I took some advice, and put in a divider for the scene changes. You'll know them when you see them. Well, later! Enjoy!
Serena or Catarina?
Chapter 11: Rough Night
"Why?" Catarina asked them, looking at the house.
"If you don't, they will get suspicious," Mina explained.
"We can't keep you at the temple," Raye added.
"And you need to play the part of Serena until we can find out who you are," Lita finished.
"Don't worry Catarina. Luna will be with you to give you as much information as possible without speaking, and Rini will help too, since she's living with you," Amy explained softly, typing away. "Good luck!"
Swiftly, Catarina, Rini, and Luna walked towards the Tsukino household. The group sighed.
"So what now?" Trista asked from behind them.
"Catarina isn't in any of the records," Amy said, closing her portable computer. "But what I did find strange is a girl matching her description making a perfect timeline and journey throughout Europe up until about the 1800s, when this girl started showing up in America."
"Are you suggesting that she survived through centuries of history?" Lita asked.
"Makes sense," Amara said, looking at the startled group. "How else could she make it to this time and place?"
"What I find even stranger is that the two girls chasing her aren't mentioned at all."
"Like they've never existed?" Mina asked, Amy nodding. "How can that be?"
"Maybe because they are hunting her down, they've been hiding," Raye pointed out.
"But why can't we find her in our memories?" Amy asked again. "I highly doubt that we've never seen her before."
"Odds are Serena knows her if we don't," Artemis replied.
"I guess the only thing to do is ask the fires tomorrow," Raye sighed.
"What did you make of what he said?" Lita asked Amy.
"Terrance? About Serenity being his princess, Catarina? It's a very strange coincidence, that's for sure," Amy replied.
"He said what?" Amara demanded, ready to fight, as Michelle held her right hand gingerly.
"Relax. There is nothing we can do about it. Anyhow, can we get to Serena?"
"It's going to take some time to track down exactly where the planet is, but apparently it's fairly far away. I doubt even two teleports come close."
"I thought we could just teleport as far as we wanted," Mina noted.
"It's only as far as we can afford energy-wise. We would have rest before attempting to teleport again," Amy explained.
"Assuming the fires tell us who she is," Raye said, looking at the Tsukino household with worry. "Do you think she'll leave?"
"No," Lita said. "She made a promise. I don't think she's one to back out on promises."
"She certainly would rather face death than be Serena though," Raye pointed out. "Even when I told her we could watch over her, she immediately turned it down."
"A cruel trick has been played upon her for surviving so many ages. I doubt she fears death much anymore," Trista replied simply.
"Anyhow, let's just hope she makes it through this first night," Michelle said softly. "This is bound to be hard on her."
"Somehow, I doubt it," Raye whispered…
"Princess, please do try to rest easy tonight. Tomorrow we will honor the dead in a traditional ceremony, and there will be little time for anything else," Aspera said cheerfully, as she strolled out the door. Guard Thomas came in shortly afterward, as Serena finally slipped into the nightgown. He had managed to hold a bag out of Aspera's sight, as he placed it and the blanket on the ground.
"Here is some food and the blanket. I would suggest you eat up and then get some rest. We often go days without food around here, but since you're from Earth and you run on a different biological clock, I'm guessing you eat daily," Thomas said, as he started to leave.
"Thanks," Serena said, as she skated to the food and the blanket, first using it as a seat and opening the bag to find little breadlike objects that reminded her of frozen doughnuts. However, one bite confirmed that not only were they soft, but they tasted nothing like the doughnuts she used to eat. In fact, they were bittersweet, and she almost got sick at the taste in the very first bite. "Well, bottoms up."
And without further delay the food was half gone. Serena lazily grabbed the blanket as she moved underneath the frozen covers. She wanted to sleep at that moment, but it seemed like an eternity, and yet no sleep would come. She was alone, afraid, and sad all at the same time. She lay in bed for what seemed like hours before she finally got up, and wrapped the blanket around herself as she sat in the icicle chair.
"Princess?" Thomas asked, looking in. "Is everything well?"
"Can't sleep," Serena grumbled. Thomas came in and shut the door behind himself.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Not really," Serena replied. She looked out the window, and noted that the air still smelled like corpses and burning flesh. "How have you survived all this time without her to protect you?"
"We're a warring country. We're used to fighting battles," Thomas replied. "Like I told you, our people are intent on universal domination, and it's the Sailor Scout's job to defend the universe from the Negaverse and our people. Her job is twofold here."
"How can she love a people who try to kill her on a regular basis?" Serena asked.
"I never did understand that about her. She loves friends and enemies alike. It was a unique part of her personality I thought would someday get her into trouble," Thomas admitted, as the two looked out the window. "As for the smell, it will be gone by morning. The castle is bustling with activity of moving the dead."
"What will happen tomorrow?"
"I can't tell you Princess," Thomas replied. "It's much harder for you to be surprised if you know what's coming."
"Good point," Serena sighed. "So, any luck with Aspera on locating my crystal?"
"Asking Aspera is like asking an ice wall," Thomas replied. "If it's not a command, the response isn't given."
Serena hid a smile.
"I take that as a no."
"Exactly," Thomas answered. "At the moment she knows my true intentions, so she'll do what she can to not help me."
Serena gave him a confused look.
"How could she know?"
"Her and Terrance are more than friends."
"Oh," Serena said, and did a double take. "Why is he trying to marry the princess then?"
"I still don't know," Thomas replied.
"All those great theories and you can't come up with one now?" Serena asked. Thomas was the one to laugh now.
"No Princess," he replied. "You have a lot of questions compared to the other royalty."
"How many of them stopped talking to you after you told them what had happened to them?"
"All of them."
"Exactly," Serena answered, as he looked confused. "You didn't get to know them. I'm on another world. I don't know your culture or your people. Otherwise I'd have little need to ask as much."
Serena yawned some now, as Thomas smiled.
"You best get back to bed. Otherwise it will be hard for you to awaken in the morning."
"Right," she agreed, moving back to the frozen bed of death, and was shortly thereafter sound asleep.
Thomas left the room, as Serena's eyes shot open again. She smiled as she sat up in the bed and looked to the window. "Darien, wherever you are, I hope you're safer than I am…"
"I'm home!" Catarina exclaimed, knocking off the shoes and slipping into Serena's slippers. A woman with stunning blue hair stood in the doorway, a spatula in hand.
"Welcome home sweetie," she said cheerfully. "We've missed you since you've been studying with your friends. We were worried you were going to move in there."
"Don't be silly mom!" Catarina replied, laughing a little. Her mind wandered a little as she saw Rini skip in behind her, and was greeted with a similar welcome.
"Now you two hurry up and get changed. I've made your favorite meal tonight," her "mother" said, as Rini jumped up with glee, and Catarina showed a similar enthusiasm. The two ran up the stairs, as Rini went up to the attic, and Luna came in from behind.
"This way," Luna whispered, leading Catarina to a perfect bedroom that was a total mess. She sighed. "Don't clean it up yet. Let Serena's mother get on your case first."
"Right," Catarina sighed, looking for the closet, and found that it was filled with school uniforms. Luna pointed to an outfit, as Catarina hastily put it on. Luna gave a look of shock.
"Serena takes ten minutes to change. You've broken her record. Anyhow, straighten out your pigtails and go ahead and read this. It's the latest comic book she purchased and if you aren't even aware of the name and characters when Sammy shows up you're in some trouble."
"Won't I be annoyed with him?"
"Well, you two share comic book interest. He would think you're sick if you didn't know," Luna replied. Catarina sighed again, picking up the book and beginning to read.
"This is torture," Catarina thought, as Rini ran right into the room, and shut the door behind her.
"Meatball Head! What are you doing?" Rini demanded, running right next to her. "We're supposed to be getting ready for dinner."
"I told her to read the comic," Luna replied.
"But I just speak Japanese," Catarina replied, as the two crashed.
"Why didn't you say so?" Luna demanded.
"I thought it had English in it or something I could go off of, but I got nothing," Catarina admitted sheepishly.
"Then Rini will just have to tell you what happens. I'm sure she read it already," Luna said, as Rini jumped back, a sweat drop on her forehead. "Wait, don't tell me. You can't read either."
"No, I can too read!" Rini shot back. "I just haven't read that one yet."
They looked at one another, and sighed.
"Just read it to her Rini. We don't have time to teach her," Luna replied, walking out. Rini sighed.
"This is torture," Rini muttered. "It takes me forever to read her comics."
"I'll help if I can," Catarina said, smiling some. "They thought pretending to be Serena would be a cakewalk."
"Sometimes it is," Rini admitted. "She's very simple sometimes."
"You're worried?" Catarina asked.
"Yeah, my mo—I mean Serena—doesn't deserve this," Rini admitted.
"No, she doesn't deserve to spend another second with that man."
"You didn't like Darien?" Rini asked.
"No!" Catarina replied. "I meant Terrance. He's lower than scum."
"The other girls didn't seem as angry as you did about him. They even said you looked like you wanted to kill him right then and there."
"I did," Catarina admitted. "But right now we should probably be reading this comic book."
"Right," Rini said, looking at the words, reading them aloud to Catarina…
There was much commotion as Serena barely fell asleep, and suddenly the sound of a fight filled her ears. She crept out of bed once more, and she heard Thomas' voice outside the room.
"You are not to enter this room!" he boomed. His voice scared her, being so loud and threatening. In all the time he had been in her presence, he had never spoken in such a harsh tone.
"Why not my good man?" a voice hissed. Serena pressed her ear to the door, curious.
"If you try to enter this room again, your life is forfeit!"
Serena may have been a blonde, but she understood that.
"You would really do that? Kill another good soldier in keeping one person out of that room there?" the voice scowled now. "We are a dying people, my common guard. We have no savior, for we are evil. We are shunned at every table we entertain, including our own. There is nothing here to protect. So why not let me in?"
"Because there is something still to protect on this wretched world," Thomas replied. "And it will be our savior one day. So to answer your first question, yes, I will kill you to keep you out of this room."
"I see," the voice said, sighing. "This is a place no man or woman other than royalty may enter. It's all right my friend. I'll leave. My life isn't worth ten times as much as what's in there, damn royal scum. Well, you have fun protecting those senile rulers of ours and whatever treasure that remains. I'm going to loot something much more profitable."
Serena jumped back to her feet, ran back into the bed, and covered up with the blanket all before Thomas could open the door a crack to check in on her. He sighed.
"If he only knew that she were worth more than he could ever loot," he whispered, and shut the door again. Serena sat up again.
"I'm not even his princess," Serena whispered. "And he holds me higher than any of his own comrades. Why?"
However, her question was answered with silence. She looked at the icy room before her, noting for the first time that however chilling the room appeared due to its icy makeup, it was still very cozy. There was little in the room, that if it were made of wood and metal, Serena wouldn't have minded to be in her own bedroom. She was a princess, and it was to be expected to have such a room…
"You're overdue to trip," Luna warned her as she and Rini left.
"What does Luna mean?" Catarina asked Rini.
"Klutz," Rini said simply, as she and Catarina went down the stairs together, a near-fatal error on Catarina's part. At the last stair, Rini pushed her and she crashed face-first into the ground with a thud.
"What was that?" she heard a man call.
"Just the Meatball Head tripping over her own two feet again," Rini giggled, and ran to her seat.
"Trip, huh?" Catarina whispered, jumping to her feet and getting to the table without another word about it.
"How was it at the temple? I hope you didn't cause any trouble for Mr. Hino, did you?" the man asked. Catarina assumed he was Serena's father.
"Not at all Dad!" she lied.
"We're glad you're home though Serena. Even Sammy was starting to miss you," the mother interjected, bringing food to the table. Catarina wished she could die and fall off of the face of the Earth right in her seat. There was enough food to feed ten right before her!
"Don't make me gag," a little boy, probably Sammy, replied impishly. "I was glad she was gone."
"Then who was it that I heard complaining about not being able to play that Sailor V game without their sister?" the mother said, with a look of great thought on her face. She figured Serena would respond with something witty, but she didn't know anything about the Sailor V game to come up with one.
"Yeah, he was stuck on level ten, wasn't he?" Rini asked cheerfully.
"I was not!" he replied in a way that clearly said he was.
"Oh, poor Sammy couldn't even handle level ten," Catarina chided, hoping it would drop the subject.
"I could to!" he replied. "I bet you can't beat level—"
"Now Sammy, your sister has homework to work on tonight and tomorrow," the mother replied. "That if she doesn't complete it, she'll fail and I will ground her for the next two years."
"Homework?" Catarina squeaked.
"You have started it, haven't you?" the mother asked, a glare in her eyes.
"Of course I have!" Catarina replied quickly, sweating some. She wondered if Serena's mother was always this way.
"Then that means you've had no time to read about the new manga, have you? The one with Sephiran and—"
"Sammy!" Rini shouted. "Don't ruin it for me! I haven't read it yet!"
"Saved by Rini," Catarina thought. "That means he won't ask about anything about the comic yet."
"Let's eat everyone!" the mother proclaimed, as everyone filled their plates…
She looked at the figure in her room underneath the covers. He proceeded towards her side, as she tried to the best to keep deep, steady, and even breaths.
"Oh, the dangers your Earth beloved has gotten into. You would hardly believe it, but he's apparently found another girl to replace you, and she's doing so well, she fooled two of my best lackeys," the man said—Terrance! Serena did her best not to react. "I'm sure you have some sort of attachment to him, so don't you worry your pretty little head about anything my princess. I'm going to pull him into a trap in the next few days, and then we can be wed. I'm sure you would enjoy that."
And with that he was gone. Serena came out from underneath the covers, and looked out the window (yet again…. It seems she is getting really attached to it.). Her mind reeled with a thousand questions. When Terrance had spoken before of the Sailor Moon replacement, he had spoken with such rage. Now, he spoke as if she weren't even the concern, but as if Darien himself had betrayed Serena to replace her in his life. When Thomas had explained it, she felt reassured that they had only replaced her with someone to keep the public out of the loop. Yet now, Terrance made it seem like she was REALLY being replaced with someone who apparently was better than her. Who were his lackeys he spoke of? Serena was pretty sure that he wasn't supposed to receive any assistance for his task. This was getting really confusing. There was too much to think about, including that blasted ceremony she was supposed to be a part of.
Stubbornly, Serena lay herself down again, and attempted for the thousandth time that night to sleep when sleep just would not come…
As soon as the meal ended, she found her way to the room again, and lay down on the mattress.
"Luna, I can't believe she can stomach so much food—or that I fought Sammy for that last piece of—whatever it was."
"You're going to be getting more of it while you're here. Like I said, I'd swear she were a pig sometimes."
"My stomach is going to explode if I eat anymore—food."
"Find ways around eating all of the food you eat then," Luna replied. "I doubt we can make them forget Serena's poor eating habits."
"Wonderful," Catarina sighed. Rini ran into the room.
"Are you okay?" Rini asked, as Catarina nodded. "That food was super hot tonight, and your eyes were cold as ice!"
"I was fine. I chilled the food. Uh—that whole icy eyes thing happens often it seems. I seem to be able to control my powers for that brief moment, and I just know I do. However, I don't know what causes my eyes to do that."
"So your eyes turn icy when you can use your powers?" Luna asked, as Catarina nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."
"I thought for a moment you were going to explode because you looked so full! I'm sure they didn't notice, but man!" Rini continued. "Oh! And great touch with fighting Sammy!"
"Don't remind me. Now I doubt I could stomach breakfast in the morning because of all that."
"Serena would always grab breakfast and run. You won't have to eat it once you're outside."
"Thank you," Catarina whispered, looking to the ceiling.
"Although lunch and dinner are different stories."
"And I was in a good mood," Catarina sighed...