Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.
De' Ja' Vu
Surprise
"Serena, have you seen Rini today?" Mrs. Tsukino called up the stairs. Her niece had disappeared some time ago. The ten year old little girl had a habit of running off at the most peculiar times, something she'd obviously picked up from her older cousin, but normally she'd call and check in after a while. This time was different, though. The housewife hadn't heard from the child in several hours. And, why wasn't her daughter answering her? "Serena!"
"I'm coming, Mom. I was in the middle of a very good comic," the fifteen year old in question bounced into the room, her blonde pigtails brushing her ankles as she skipped. "What did you ask?"
"Have you seen Rini? I've looked everywhere for her, even called her friends, but she doesn't seem to be anywhere."
"I'm sure she's around here somewhere. You shouldn't worry. Maybe she's at the park or something."
"I hope you're right," said as she walked out of the room.
Luna, Serena's talking cat, had been listening intently to this entire conversation. "Serena," the black feline whispered, the golden crescent on her brow seemingly glowing. "Maybe you should call Rini on Luna P. I have a feeling something bad is going on." Luna was referring to a possible attack by an enemy. She wasn't just a magical pet. Luna was also a guardian to the Princess of the Moon. She was one of the two advisors of Tokyo's famed Sailor Scouts, female defenders of love and justice who fought against supernatural bad guys. Serena was the group's leader, Sailor Moon, as well as the reincarnated Moon Princess of a thousand years before. The missing Rini was also a descendant of the Moon and a Scout, Sailor Mini Moon.
"You have a bad feeling? You're starting to sound like Raye, Luna." Serena teased.
"I don't think of that as an insult," Luna told her charge. "Raye is a very responsible girl and a good fighter. Her feelings are normally right, too. That's why she's called a psychic. Now, would you please call Rini?"
Serena stuck her tongue out at the cat. "Alright, already. But, my communicator's upstairs." With that, she turned around and headed back up the steps with Luna at her heels.
"Why in the world would you leave it upstairs? The whole point of that device is so that you and the others will be able to contact each other in case of an emergency. What good is it doing anyone in your room?"
"Don't be such a nag. We're on our way to meet up with the girls anyway. I figured I wouldn't need it in the next fifteen minutes," Serena answered. "Besides," she added as an afterthought, "I've been fighting those dumb monsters longer than Raye or the others. I think I could take care of myself by now, thank you very much."
"You would think," Luna muttered. It wasn't that Serena wasn't a good Scout. It's just that the girl had much too big of a heart to actually attempt fighting in the way that was required. Her attacks had to do with purifying more than damage, anyway. Not to mention, the girl was an absolute klutz. Serena normally let her Scouts, her court, fight their battles, until she was actually needed. Luna sighed. That was the way it was originally supposed to be. The Princess was never meant to fight. After the destruction of her kingdom and her, her prince, the heir to the Earth Kingdom, and the Scouts', each princesses of their own respective planets, rebirths, Serena had been the first one Luna found. The evil that had destroyed their home had resurfaced and the Sailor Scouts were needed. A Sailor Moon had to be created. And with the help of her Silver Crystal, a family heirloom, along with some training, and almost two years of fighting, Serena had shaped up a lot, since her first days of being a soldier.
"And you know what," Serena was saying, "I bet the little spore's with my Darien. She's always doing that, trying to steal time with him, when he should be with me, his girlfriend." She was rummaging through her sock drawers as she spoke. For the life of her, Serena couldn't remember where she'd put that stupid little machine. Raye was going to kill her if she was late for the weekly Scout meeting again. But, could she be on her way to the temple? No. She had to find out what that pink-haired brat was dragging Darien to this time. As much as the kid annoyed her, though, Serena knew that, deep down she was a little worried about where Rini was. She normally told her where she was going, or she was with Serena at a fight. But, she hadn't this time. The more Serena thought about it, the more worried she got. This was her daughter they were talking about. The whole cousin thing was just a ruse that had to be told, or, more accurately, brainwashed, into her family's head. Otherwise, what was she gonna say? This is Rini, mine and my college-aged boyfriend's child from a century more into the future, a future where I'm the Queen of the Earth and apparently look no more than twenty when I'll actually be over one thousand. Right. They'd lock her in the nuthouse for saying that. As far as people in this age knew, time travel wasn't possible. And her dad would flip. He already hated Darien for loving his baby girl, what would he do when he found out they got married and had a baby in the future? And, where is that communicator? She really should've cleaned up her room when her mom told her to.
"Serena!" Luna said. "Look at this note!"
"What note?" Serena's head came out of the closet. She walked over to her unmade bed and picked up the piece of paper. Surprise of all surprises, her communicator lay underneath it. She strapped the watch on, before reading the note aloud.
'SAILOR MOON,
IF YOU EVER WANT TO SEE YOUR PRECIOUS LITTLE
GIRL AGAIN, I SUGGEST THAT YOU GATHER YOUR
SCOUTS AND MEET ME, TONIGHT!'
"Meet who where?" she asked Luna. What the heck kind of a note was that?
"You'd better get over to the temple and tell the others right away," Luna directed. How would she know what kind of messed up villain wrote such a sad attempt at a kidnapping note? Most of them had a severe lack of brains in any case. Why would Serena ask her?
Right," Serena agreed. After a quick goodbye to her mother, she was out the door.
In a dark cave, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, a childish voice called out, breaking the silence, "Hey, who's there? Where am I?"
"Quiet!" a shadow answered. "You will come to know everything soon enough."
A dark hand reached for her, and Rini was tied helplessly to a hard object. "Help! Somebody! Anybody! Serena! Please! Help!"
"Hey guys, we have a major problem!" Serena called out, approaching her friends.
"You're late AGAIN!" an angry Raye yelled. Raye Hino was the Scout of Mars. With a hot temper, a sarcastic wit, and the ability to hold fire in the palm of her hand, the black-haired, violet-eyed teen fit her namesake. She lived with her grandfather and worked as a priestess at their family temple. Raye was the exact opposite of the blond, blue-eyed, bubbly, friend-to-all girl who was her Princess. At times, this caused the two to clash. Raye and Serena were, however, best friends, despite their constant bickering.
"Well, excuse me, little miss perfect," Serena yelled right back, taking the bait of an argument,"Maybe you shouldn't have your precious little meetings so early on a Saturday."
"It's three in the afternoon, Meatball-head!" Raye said, using Serena's dreaded nickname. Darien had created it back in the days, right after they first met, when he and Serena were continuously fighting. It was a play on the way in which she wore her hair- with two buns on the top of her head, gold streamers coming from each. That was before they gave into their real feelings. Since then, Raye had adopted the name.
"Oh, yeah, well, ooh!" Unable to think of a comeback, Serena resorted to the physical. She pulled Raye's hair.
'Ow, cut it out, Serena! Ow, ow, ow!" Raye screamed, pushing Serena away.
"Qui-et!" Artemis, Luna's fellow feline Scout advisor, yelled.
"Yes, please, Serena. What was that major problem you were talking about?" Amy questioned. Amy Mizuno, the Sailor Scout of Mercury, was a shy genius. Serena had been her first friend, seeing through the timid, smart girl who people loved to ignore, to the caring, fun teen beneath. Amy's powers as a Scout were based on water and ice.
"Oh, yeah. I forgot. Rini's been kidnapped. Luna and me found this note on my bed. It doesn't have a name or a place to meet at on it. Could you scan it with your Mercury computer, Amy," Serena handed her friend the slip of paper.
"How could your mind slip away from the fact that your daughter's been kidnapped?" Raye asked. Jeez, of all the things to be ditzy about.
"You interrupted me! So there!" It wasn't her fault she had a small attention span and Raye was constantly trying to bug her. It didn't mean she loved her child any less. Maybe the whole thing was a joke of Rini's anyway. Serena stuck her tongue out at Raye, who did the same in turn.
"I can't get a trace on this thing," Amy said, ignoring the previous fight between two of her best friends. It happened all the time, so the girls' had kind of learned to live with it. They hardly noticed anymore.
"It's not really much to go on, is it?" Lita Kino added. The Scout of Jupiter, in control of all nature, including thunder and lightening, Lita was a tall brunette with twinkling green eyes. She loved a good fight as much as she loved cooking and cleaning. Many never got to know the latter part of her personality, though. Before Serena and the other Scouts, Lita had been shunned as some she-Hercules. People were afraid of her and few ever actually dared to approach.
"Aren't you going to answer that?" Raye yelled, referring to Serena's communicator, which had been beeping constantly for the last few minutes.
"Oh, be quiet. Just give me a second," Serena answered, relaxed. In truth, she hadn't even heard the noise. Soon after her tongue war with Raye, Serena had begun to daydream about her knight in shining armor, well cape and top hat, actually. Her head had been filled with roses, Darien's alter ego, Tuxedo Mask's, primary attack when helping the Scouts in their almost daily battles against evil. There was no way she was going to let Raye know that, though.
"SERENA!" Raye yelled. She realized Serena had more than likely been thinking about either Darien or food. It agitated her to no end. Here they were, possibly on the verge of another battle, and their leader, their most powerful asset, wasn't paying any attention whatsoever.
"Oh, alright," Serena flipped open the top of her communicator. "Hello? Ooh, Rini! Are you OK? Where are you?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," the girl answered. "But I have no idea where I am or how to get free. I'm tied up to something in a dark place. I could barely get my hand free to summon Luna P and call you."
"Who took you," Serena asked.
"Some crazy lady with red hair. That's all I can say." Suddenly something dawned on the mini Scout. "Hey, but, wait a minute. Aren't you supposed to be coming to rescue me? Hello! That is your job!"
"Kid's got a point."
"Oh. HA, HA, Raye," Serena stated, sarcastically. Just how many people were gonna team up on her?
"Amy, can you trace that call?" Lita asked.
"Already on it. Just keep Rini on the line for a few more minutes and I'll have her location."
"Hear that, Rini? Amy's pinpointing your location. Just don't end this call," Serena repeated to her future daughter.
"No problem. I... hey! Give that back!"
"Sorry, little girl, no phone calls. Queen's orders. Bye-bye, Sailor Moon."
"Rini! Rini RINI!" Serena yelled into her communicator worriedly. What had happened? Who'd disconnected them? Motherly worry was starting to kick in. Someone had taken her precious little girl. The mini version, except for the difference in hair and eye color, of her was gone. Serena was starting to panic.
"Man, lost her," Mina pouted. Mina Aino was a blonde beauty with blue eyes. She was the Scout of the love planet, Venus, yet she could never seem to find love for herself. Of course, that never stopped her from looking. Mina shared both some personality and looks with her 'meatball-headed friend', although she tended to be more boy-crazy than Serena, who'd already found her soul mate. Mina was also slightly more graceful, having been on the volleyball team at her school a few years back, but her grades at school were just as poor. Mina was the original Scout, Sailor V, and had spent time fighting evil in England with her magical cat, Artemis, before joining the rest of her team and Luna.
"No, the call's still connected. My computer's still tracing it. That guy must not know how to turn the communicator off, "Amy announced, relieving some of Serena's worries.
"Who was that guy, Serena?" Lita asked.
"Just some weird blond. He kind of reminded me of... never mind. That's impossible."
"Got it," Amy suddenly exclaimed.
"Let's go," Serena shouted.
"Right!" the Scouts answered their leader, as they all prepared to transform.
"Hey, kid, you want some fries?" a voice asked, his mouth obviously full.
"I want you to let me go. And why is it so dark in here? I can't see a thing. Where are we?" Rini yelled, ignoring the man's question. Her stomach growled in protest. She had inherited her mother's appetite, also, although, she would never admit it. Rini had a mind of her own and she liked her independence.
"Oh, we're in-" the person eating the fries started to answer when he was abruptly cut off.
"Quiet, you fool! You'll ruin everything."
"What does it matter if she knows? She's just the bait. And the Scouts have found at where we are, now, without knowing our lovely Master's identity, so what would it hurt?"
"Do not question the Queen!"
"Fine! You meanie! All of you people's logic stinks! I don't even see why you still need this kid? It's not like she's a threat. She's powerless, can't harm us at all."
"I resent that!" Rini hollered. She, like all females of the royal Moon line, could control the power of her mother's mystical Silver Crystal. She just couldn't get to her miniature piece of it right now. It was in her transformation brooch, which was on her bed at home. But, how dare they call her powerless? If she wasn't tied up so tightly, and if she had night-vision, Rini would've kicked those guys in the shins.
"Where is your head? The queen's going to kick us all out if you don't shut up. Don't you want your revenge? Isn't that why we all came back? If that wasn't what we wanted, the Queen never would have resurrected anyone or allowed the traitors to the dark side another chance. She could've done this on her own. But, she's giving us another chance. NOW, RESPECT HER!"
"Besides," another added, "keeping everything secret and anonymous adds to the evil villain effect. We all, including Her Majesty, want that effect."
"Thank you, my good little slave," the Queen's voice broke in. "Now, if you'll all shut up, I have a lot to do to prepare for our, how shall I say it, guests."
Silence once more reigned in the empty room.
"Hello! What about me? I don't like sitting here for so long! I'm getting aches," Rini yelled. "And maybe one fry wouldn't be so bad." It was becoming more and more difficult to ignore that rumbly in her tumbly.
"Here," someone handed Rini a fry.
"Thank you," the red-eyed girl remembered her Princess manners. Her father would be proud. He was always harping on things like that. She stuffed the fry into her mouth, knowing full well that the idiot who gave it to her wasn't smart enough to have thought about poisoning it.
The Queen's voice once again broke in. "Everything is ready. You four are up," she instructed.
"Rini, Rini, are you here?" the Scouts yelled, entering the villain's dank hideout. Sailor Mars was using her flames to light the place up. It didn't look much different than it had without the fire. It was a naturally dark and creepy place. There were jagged cliffs leading up to a high ceiling. Moisture and spider webs hung over everything. Everywhere the Scouts turned, was just more blackness.
"She's over there," Sailor Venus said, pointing to a rock that seemed to have been carved into the shape of a slightly smoother chair. Rini was sitting on it, her feet not reaching the ground, because of her small 3 foot five frame. Her fluffy cotton candy hair seemed damp, probably from the humidity. But, she looked well-fed.
"Oh, Rini, are you Ok?" Sailor Moon asked as she ran toward her.
"Hold it, Missy, don't take another step!"
"Aahh!" Sailor Moon screamed, falling to the ground halfway through her run. She knew that voice, that face. But hadn't what she'd seen on her communicator been just a coincidence? She stared up into cold blue eyes and knew for sure it was more than that. He was back, back from the dead. But how?