Author's Note

I don't own Sailor Moon… the end… but don't take my idea please…

So anyways, it's official and all… I will write a short side-fic answering some of the odds and ends of Serena or Catarina. I mean, it won't be long or anything, but I figure there are some things that deserve answers.

SOC: Silver Millenium

Chapter 2: Flowers and Friends

"This sucks," Jennifer sighed, looking at the planet on her screen. The ship remained steady as Jennifer and Mandessa awaited a reply from the Earth emissary. "Seriously, can they be any slower?"

"You know," Mandessa said, tending to her hair with a glimmering hairbrush. "She did send out a distress beacon. They might not have a welcome wagon ready to greet us."

"Screw formalities then?" Jennifer asked, as Mandessa nodded. "YEE-HAW! I love this part!"

"I hate this part," Mandessa muttered, as she grabbed her seat, holding on tightly. Without another breath, the ship suddenly took to a ton of loops and turns as Jennifer drove it into Earth's gravity, cheering all the way. As they reached ground, Mandessa literally fell out of her seat, as Jennifer skipped off to the ship's door. "Honestly Jennifer, next time take the landing a little—Jennifer?"

Jennifer was frozen at the doorway.

"For the love of Lady Nebula," she muttered. "What happened here?"

"Jennifer?" Mandessa asked worriedly, as she too ran to the door, and froze at the sight.

Before them stood a world devoid of life forms, a wind blowing fiercely as rubble of where a castle once stood fell even further. The towers that had once been the Earth Kingdom's pride, were now the remnants of a bloody battle. Around the ship, there were blood stains and outlines of corpses. Animal kind had long since cleared the area. What remained of the battle were an assortment of weapons, either broken, fixed, or perfect, lying next to or near an outline of a corpse.

"The magical aura of this area is gone," Mandessa whispered, horrified.

"The roses!" Jennifer cried, running off.

"Wait Jennifer!" Mandessa cried a moment too late, as she was left alone on the ship. "What roses?"

Two minutes later, Jennifer returned, a horrified look on her face.

"You have to come, now!" she cried. Grabbing Mandessa by the arm, she literally ran, dragging her in midair.

"Jennifer! Slow down! What is it?" Mandessa demanded, as they were abruptly stopped, and Mandessa gasped.

"Is this what you saw in the Flame last week?" Jennifer demanded, angry. "Is this it!"

"Tell me the significance of the roses."

"They were like the Genronan flowerbed of lilies that sits near its capital kingdom."

Mandessa felt her heart skip a beat.

"The hope, the people."

"They're all gone! They're dead! These flowers stood for their galaxy's life!" Jennifer screamed with fury. "IS THIS WHAT YOU SAW?"

"I saw a flowerbed of withered roses, yes," Mandessa replied.

"DAMMIT! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" Jennifer screamed again. "WE COULDA STOPPED IT! WE COULDA SAVED 'EM!"

"Calm down Jennifer," Mandessa said softly. "I think we need your healing powers."

"WHY?" Jennifer asked suddenly. Mandessa pointed out into the field. In the center of the field lay a body, the first the two had seen. However, it wasn't just anyone. Even a blonde, they easily recognized her from across the wilted garden."Catarina?"

Jennifer ran to her side, as Mandessa walked slowly through the field. Her eyes wandered, as her mind flew back to the past, back to before her premonitions became truth. Back to when she had first befriended her worst enemy…

"I can hardly understand the need for such frivolous lilies. I should just burn them," a smaller and much more immature Mandessa said in a brash fashion. Nearby stood a young blue-haired Imperial princess, who was gawking at the lilies with awe. Upon hearing the statement Mandessa had made, she turned her way.

"How can you say that? These flowers stand for our galaxy's hope, our life. If they all die, then we as a people are doomed. At least, that's what it said in the books," the princess said, shocked and thoughtful. Behind her lurked the ever-taunting princess of Nebula. Mandessa wasn't sure of what to make of this princess. She didn't behave as a princess should. In fact, she was just about to—

"AAAIIIEEEE!" the Imperial princess screamed, as she jumped sky high. The Nebulan was laughing as she rolled around on the ground, laughing.

"I reckon I've seen rabbits more scared than you are!" she laughed. Mandessa couldn't help but smile. The trio had arrived on Genron for a single purpose. Of the three, Queen July of Genron was to choose a emissary to serve as guide for treaties, and to serve as an emissary of peace for the truce that had been set in place for the last century. Of course, Mandessa felt like she was perfect for the position. She had bravado, charm, intelligence, magical guidance that worked most times (she feared those times it had led her astray), and to top it off she was the most beautiful princess in the universe.

"I can't help it that you snuck up on me!" the Imperial princess cried, tears in her eyes. From what little she had seen of the other two candidates, one was too prone to play pranks, whereas the other was a total coward. She seemed too shy, and right now, she was passing off as a crybaby.

"Oh, is the little Imperial gonna cry?" the Nebulan princess taunted. She definitely wasn't emissary material.

"You know very well that I—that I was cursed to cry flowers—because—because your mother got mad at mine and almost—broke the truce when we was little!" the Imperial princess said through sniffles, which sure enough, as her tears hit the ground, flowers rose up. "So I'm—I'm not going to cry!"

"Looks like you already are," Mandessa pointed out.

"She can't help it," the Nebulan princess continued, ignoring the pouting Imperial before her. "Catarina was always a coward and a crybaby. You should have seen her before this Sandstonian. She's calmed down a little bit at least."

"I have a name," Mandessa growled.

"We haven' been properly intraduced then," Jennifer said, bowing. "I'm Princess Jennifer Valentine Swift. You are?"

"Only men can bow!" Mandessa gasped.

"She doesn't curtsy because it's girly," the Imperial princess said, her crying subdued, as she curtsied. "I'm Princess Catarina Comera Cool."

"Princess Mandessa Andromeda Strong," Mandessa said with a curtsy. "When does being girly matter? You are a girl after all Jennifer!"

"Not that you'd care," Jennifer said, distant and upset.

"Mother said she had cursed her to be a girl. Said that's why the Nebulan queen was so furious with her," Catarina explained, wiping away her last tear. "Oh no! Mother is going to be angry that I covered so much of the path with flowers! What do I do?"

Jennifer merely swept her hand, as the flowers returned to the ground beneath her.

"Thank you!" Catarina exclaimed.

"It's just cuz I don' want Ma thinkin' I went and did it!" Jennifer shouted back.

"How come you two have seen each other so much?" Mandessa asked now, curious.

"Ma was the last emissary. So it was up to her to handle all disputes. Naturally, when Queen Winter went and—well, Ma was visiting Imperia a lot to try and make amends. She even let Catarina off easy to show she was willin' to talk. She'd take me along jus' so we could get along and be friends."

"Friend? Is that what you call one who terrifies me every time she visits?" Catarina asked, turning her back to Jennifer suddenly.

"Hey! I've not left anyone out in the cold!"

"Get a clue Nebulan. The planet is frozen. It's like that everywhere! Don't you study?" Catarina replied angrily.

"Ya know darn well I don' have any books on Imperia! Ma forbid 'em after—ya know, you really piss me off!" Jennifer shouted at her.

"That makes two of us!" Catarina replied with a shout. Mandessa stood, dumbstruck. They definitely were NOT the emissary candidates. They couldn't be! There was no way…

Jennifer stared at the body of her friend. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Catarina? Don't be dead. Please don't be dead," she whispered. She knew that they were pegged against each other since birth, but this was one of her best friends. She couldn't lose her. Even after all that had happened. She placed her hand on the ground, as the world's history came to life before her…

"This is so amazing!" a blond teen proclaimed. "I can't believe these flowers are here! Endymion, what kind of flowers are they?"

"They're called roses Serenity," an older teen with dark hair replied.

"Can we pick some for me to take back to the Moon?" the blond, Serenity, asked, excited.

"No, these roses are special. They represent the very hope and life of this galaxy. If they die, we die," the older teen, Endymion, replied.

"Wow," Serenity said, awestruck.

"I can get you some roses from the Royal Garden later if you like," Endymion whispered in her ear.

"Oh really? Can you? Would you?" Serenity said, her eyes as big as saucers.

"Princess Serenity!" a voice called.

"Oh no, Rei," Serenity sighed. A raven-haired Sailor Scout ran over to the couple.

"You can't run off like that," she scolded.

"Come on Rei. I was right here the whole time!" Serenity pouted.

"You know better than this Serenity!" the Sailor Scout continued.

"Relax Sailor Mars. If it makes you feel any better I'll take the blame for all of this," Endymion said warmly.

"Oh no Endymion, you mustn't," the Sailor Scout replied in a giddy fashion.

"So does Mother need me?" Serenity asked.

"Yes, she said you're late for your lessons again with Clara," the Sailor Scout, Rei, said softly.

"Okay. Endymion, until next we meet," Serenity said, following the raven-haired Sailor Scout away…