Author's Note
I don't OWN Sailor Moon…. Yet the story concept is mine…. Please don't take it without my consent…. PLEASE……….
Hey all, I know it's been a little slow with the action, so I'm doing something special this week (also in part to the return of school; I'm finally back!). So my advice for the week is to check your email very carefully for the next two days. Just call it ESP or something… hehe.
Anyhow, I've got bad news for everyone. Ms. H got into a car accident on her way to class today. It'll probably make more sense later. Enjoy!
Serena or Catarina?
Chapter 12: S.O.S.
"The ceremony will begin shortly," Thomas announced, nudging Serena awake. "You need to get up Princess."
Serena sighed for the loss of sleep, as she trudged to the closet to find that there was only one outfit there. A black one with an ornate back that swooped around like wings. Placing it on, she was greeted outside the room by Aspera, who looked unappeased.
"That brooch, you'll have to wear it today. Although I despise it, you took all your jewelry and sold it when you were still here in the palace," Aspera explained. "And the ritual is incomplete without some sort of jewelry." (A/N: Who wants to bet Aspera sold the jewelry and not Catarina?)
Serena hastily placed on her brooch, and followed Aspera out of the room. She felt like at any given moment she would fall backwards and into Thomas, who was following closely behind her, his head down. She saw Aspera do the same, and then followed suit, as they walked out to the castle courtyard, where everyone was to be found adorned in black, except for the living knights and male guards, who were dressed in their armor with their helmets off, or merely bowing as Thomas had as he stopped at the top of the procession.
"We come today to lay the dead with a customary ceremony left undone for so long. Our princess will shed a tear for the dead, and the flowers arising from their burial ground of the thickest ice will leave them peace," the queen announced. Serena's complexion paled. She had not been ready to be exposed so soon. There was no way she could survive if she didn't make a flower rise from beneath that ice.
As she walked towards the podium that apparently led to the top, her heart began to race. The podium had a small series of wooden stairs that led to a giant mound of ice, which reminded her of American Indian burial mounds that she had seen in a book that Amy was reading. She wasn't sure how she could possibly remember that at a moment like this. She was near death's door, and there was nothing she could do to save herself now. Even Thomas looked hopeless, as she could see out of the corner of her eye.
Somehow her footsteps brought her to the podium, as she began to ascend the stairs. Each step brought her closer and closer to death, and she felt it in her bones. The creak of the third stair made her wonder. Why was this wooden unlike all of the other ice fixtures she had seen at the palace? This wasn't right. She was walking to a trap. She wondered if this really was a ceremony they had always performed. If so, someone before her was bound to have died on a mound such as this for being unable to cry and bring flowers up from the ice. The thought that she was about to die like someone before her made her heart beat even faster. Any faster and she feared she would die. She felt her heartbeat, as if it were trying to jump out of her chest. Then she realized the horrid truth. She had finally climbed to the top of the stairs.
"The rest is up to you," Aspera whispered warmly. "Please allow our soldiers peace."
Serena could hardly remember what happened next. She remembered the face of a corpse looking at her, and then the ground came rushing towards her. Other than that, it was nothing but a blur…
"Serena! Get up or you'll be late for school!" she heard Serena's mother call. It was nothing like she had ever seen. There was a new array of clothes on the floor, with Luna to blame.
"Luna?" Catarina grumbled.
"One meal last night and you seem to be down in the dumps. Get up sleepy head. I left your room in disarray so that you would look like you had been rushing to get dressed."
Catarina got up, got dressed, and looked to the clock. Her eyes widened.
"School starts in ten minutes, right?" she asked.
"Yes, and you've got to make it there in five," Luna announced, as Catarina took one look in the mirror at herself, and sighed.
Without another moment, she burst into action; rushing as Luna tossed her the Lunar Disguise Pen and pointed out her schoolbag. Running down the stairs, she found that while everyone was eating, Serena's mother had diligently made a lunch for her and had a hot piece of toast ready for her. Catarina forced a smile.
"Thanks Mom!" she exclaimed, picking up the lunch and putting the toast reluctantly in her mouth. Running right out the door, she used the path she had learned yesterday from Lita to get to the school and into the classroom just before the bells rang. She gasped as a girl next to her leaned to her.
"Glad to see you were okay Serena," the girl whispered. "After yesterday I got really worried."
"Thanks, I'm fine," Catarina replied, wishing she at least knew her name.
"Did you hear about Mrs. H?" one girl whispered, as the girl beside her jumped.
"Oh yeah! It was horrible how she got into that accident with her date last night."
A man walked into the class, as the group silenced themselves. Before them, Catarina noted, stood the only man she ever knew to entirely piss her off at first sight: Terrance.
"Wow, who's he?" the girl asked. Catarina shrugged. "For some reason, I really don't like him."
"Alright class," Terrance said, getting their silence, since they had already had their focus on him from the moment he had stepped into the room. "I hate the whole last name business that is apparently commonplace, so I'm just going to call you by first name only. So with that being said, I'm Mr. T and now it's time for role call."
"I still want to rip his heart out," Catarina thought, "and after that kiss his cheek. There is still a feeling of passion there. WHY IN THE NAME OF GALILEO—WHY?"
He began to read off all the first names, as people half-heartedly responded.
"Molly?" he asked, as the girl next to her spoke up.
"Here."
"Serena?"
Catarina almost didn't respond, as he gave her a menacing glare. He knew. She could see it in his eyes. He knew she wasn't who she said she was.
"Here."
He finished role call, and started some random lecture. Molly, the girl, leaned to her and passed a note. Catarina almost died right there. She was not only expected to read this note, but write one in return. She hoped her memory from last night would help her, but her hopes were lost as "Mr. T" went to her desk, picked up the note, and smiled at her in a way that almost made her puke.
"What do we have here? Serena, right?" he asked, as Catarina gave a nod. "Well, it says 'Isn't he strange?' Do you agree with this message?"
Now frozen, and expected to answer, Catarina was unsure of what Serena would say. In fact, she was sure that Serena would have probably had the same problem if she were in her shoes. Words struggled to come out. She nearly dropped dead right there. He merely smiled.
"I see you're too afraid to answer, or maybe, you just don't know what to say. Detention Serena Tsukino."
"Who is he?" Catarina wondered. The class was staring. He turned, and went to the board, and began lecturing again. The group was still staring at Catarina. Here eyes actually were turning an icy cold, and Catarina knew all she had to do is lift her hand and the ice would fly out and attach him to the wall. But she resisted, and slowly the chilling look in her eyes vanished gradually. Molly even looked a little surprised. She wondered who Molly was to Serena. The redhead reminded her a little of Mandessa, the girl in a black fire dress. The only difference was the way their eyes looked. Molly's blue eyes looked gentle, matronly. Mandessa's fire red made her want to run into a corner. Yet Molly was a polar opposite in ways. She looked down at her book, and pretended she was able to read the pages that he was referring to…
Raye was chanting as the flames rose up after the school day had ended. In the front of the flames, lay Catarina's old shirt. The group looked at one another, and held their silence.
"What can you tell me about the person who owns this shirt?" Raye suddenly whispered, as chanting continued. Shortly afterward, the flame jumped, and slowed down. Raye came out of it, and sighed as she looked at the shirt.
"It appears that Serena really is the only person who could tell us about her. They mentioned something about Aristotle, King Henry the Eighth, and Galileo. The fires, however, did say she was not of this world," Raye said quietly, looking at the shirt. No one had really noticed before. She had been wearing a particularly worn shirt. It seemed hand sewn, and contained a crest of sorts worn upon its front. At first it seemed decorative, but on the back of the shirt, there was a crescent moon that was similar to the one on Luna's forehead!
"I never noticed that before," Mina said, looking at the crescent symbol.
"If that's a moon crescent, what do you think that crest is?"
"I don't know," Lita whispered. "But I bet Trista might."
"Where is Serena anyhow?" Raye asked. "I know I never told her to come here after school. I doubt she went home though."
"I didn't tell her," Mina said.
"I didn't either," Amy said, as they looked to Lita, who shook her head.
"Oh crap!" Raye said. "NO ONE told her?"
"Where do you think she is?" Amy wondered.
"Molly was looking a little distraught and kept talking about the new professor, Mr. T, and said something about Serena having detention today. Maybe that's where she is."
The group looked at the clock. It certainly hadn't been long enough for a detention, but something was unsettling about it all. There came the noise of a motorcycle and a car pulling up curbside of the temple, as the girls all ran out to find Darien, Rini, and the Outer Ring all waiting for them.
"What's up you guys?" Mina asked.
"It's your school," Trista started.
"Those crazy girls you told us about yesterday night are back," Amara continued.
"Guess where they went?" Michelle finished.
"Where's Meatball Head at?" Rini asked, looking around.
The girls all looked at one another, and then in the direction of Crossroads. A look of fear struck their faces.
"SERENA!" they exclaimed.
"We don't have time to run. Everyone hop in," Darien announced, as they all somehow crowded into the car, and Michelle and Amara boarded the motorcycle as they drove off to Crossroads…
Serena awoke in the tunnels again, this time with Imperia Knight guarding her specifically. He stood at attention as she looked around, sitting.
"What's going on?" she asked quietly.
"There's an attack squadron from Sandstonia here."
"Where have I been?" Serena asked.
"You fainted at the sight of a corpse on the mound, and fell to the ground. One of the nearby mourners fortunately stopped your fall," he explained. "Lucky you did that though, otherwise you would have been exposed."
"Wait, what's Sandstonia?"
"It's one of the other three planets. Normal days they don't come running our way, because they can't stand our environment," Imperia Knight replied.
"Why can't you scare them off?"
"They are driven by the same greed that motivates my people to battle," Imperia Knight replied.
"Why are we hiding though?"
"Because I sense a fellow Knight among them," he replied.
"Did you ever think I was trying to give you a message?" a voice said from behind the two. They turned to see a blonde boy in red knight armor, which was an extreme contrast to what Thomas wore. "Seriously Imperia Knight, you're such a conspiracy theorist."
"Who are you?" Serena asked.
"Forgive my rudeness. I am Sandstonia Knight, guardian of Sailor Sandstonia, temptress of the flame," the red knight said, bowing. "And you are?"
"Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom," Serena replied.
"Your Majesty, Imperia Knight," the red knight said, bowing again. "I come bearing news that Princess Mandessa has located the real princess on Earth. She not only wore a sweater that bore the Imperial Royal Crest, but she rescued a blue Sailor Scout with her icy powers. She and Princess Jennifer are intent on bringing her in for her crimes."
"What?" Serena asked. "Crimes?"
"Sorry Princess," the red knight apologized. "She did not disclose that information, but I thought it would put Imperia Knight at ease knowing his princess was well."
"I see," Imperia Knight said, putting his blade away. "I thank you for sharing with me. I know not what crime she has committed, but if it's got them on her tail, it must be dreadful. Will your troops back out?"
"Yes. Nebula Knight said that it was probably wise that I pass the message instead of him, since his people are remarkably fast, and you would probably lose custody of this princess here before he could tell you the message," Sandstonia Knight said with a laugh. "Well, I must be off. Good day to the two of you."
And with that he was gone. Imperia Knight smiled some, and so did Serena. She felt happy that he would hopefully be reunited with his princess. He really seemed to care about her a lot.
"This is a mixed blessing," he said finally, as Serena gave him a look. "If they wish to hunt her for crimes she's committed, they'd rather try and kill her than bring her back safely."
"Don't lose hope," Serena started, as they heard shouts.
"Come on. Someone caught him escaping," Imperia Knight, returning to normal, and grabbing her arm, as the two ran through the tunnels, and arrived at a blank wall. "We have to hide you really well."
"What?" Serena asked, as he whispered something into a brick, and the wall dropped down to reveal another passageway, which led to yet another door, to apparently which Thomas held the key…