Hello, everyone!
Um, I don't really know what to say, except here's the next chapter. I hope you like it!
Oh, and my spell check is still out of comission. I've edited this chapter several times, but if I missed a typo, please forgive me. I'll go back and spell-check everything when I have a new computer. (Hollie crosses her fingers and prays to the gods that such a thing happens soon.)
More author's notes are at the end. ^_^
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Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon. **sniff, sniff** Or Tuxedo Mask. **Waaah!**
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Light of Love: Red Moon Chapter 10: Intuition
Sailor Mercury peered thoughtfully at the giant monitor screen in front of her. The senshi's deep blue eyes sparkled as she watched a wave of silver taper from one corner of the screen to the other. She frowned and sighed.
Sailor Mercury tapped a button on the keypad in front of her. She passed her right hand over a large glowing ball in the upper corner of the console. As her fingers rolled over the ball, the Mercurian bit the inside of her lower lip and stared at the silver wave retread its course back to the left side of the monitor. A small growl of frustration escaped from her lips as she shook her head.
In the middle of the laboratory stood Sailor Mercury's young apprentice, Ami. The girl glanced over her shoulder. She turned to face the monitor covering one wall in the lab. Eyeing the silver strand on the screen, the Mercurian apprentice smiled sympathetically.
Ami set the rock sample she had collected earlier that evening on the large glass table in front of her. The blue-haired girl stretched her arms and yawned. She blinked her tired eyes. Dozens of lanterns in the laboratory had been burning all night. Ami glanced to her left, to the wall of glass next to her. The early hint of day beamed through the panes. Outside, dawn approached.
Ami rubbed her eyes. She and Sailor Mercury had been in the lab all night. Even though they had been analyzing data since the previous evening, the pair of Mercurians were no closer to explaining the attack or Princess Serenity's counter-attack.
"Something is not right," muttered the elder Mercurian. She paused the playback of the silver wave and turned her chair to face her apprentice. "I have played this program repeatedly, and I can not place my finger on how it happened."
Ami nodded.
Using the residual power from the meteor attack, Sailor Mercury had visually recreated Princess Serenity's energy wave in the a computer program. The two-dimensional image on the screen retraced the pattern and flow of the Ginzuishou's power.
Princess Serenity's ability to use the power of the Ginzuishou was precisely what Sailor Mercury did not understand. Nor could the Queen of the Moon.
"She should not have access to such power," the queen told Sailor Mercury and Princess Ami in private the night before. "How is it possible?"
Sailor Mercury shrugged and shook her head. "I have no immediate explanation for it, Your Highness. Obviously, the ability is always there, but normally, the power is dormant. The Moon Princess should not be able to tap into her connection with the Ginzuishou until..."
Sailor Mercury bowed her head down respectfully. Her blue silky strands of hair fell into her face.
"Until I am dead," Queen Serenity uttered. "It is all right, Mercury, I understand the history of the Ginzuishou. I could not feel any power from the magical stone until after my own mother had passed away."
Long after the Queen had retired for the evening and Sailor Mercury had given Princess Ami the task of tracing the planetary origin of the two meteor attacks, the Senshi of Water settled into the seat in front of her computer. She had not moved from her position all night.
"Ami," Sailor Mercury beckoned. "Perhaps there is something I am not seeing. Perhaps, with you fresh perspective, you may be able to find something that I can not."
Ami nodded obediently and wiped the grime from her hands. She set the towel the down beside the rock sample. As Ami crossed the room, Sailor Mercury pressed a large green button on her console and again gazed up at the wall. Ami also peered at the blackened screen and patiently waited for the image to materialize.
Slowly, a thin ribbon of silver, which represented the power of the Ginzuishou, emerged from the lower left-hand corner of the screen and ascended in a wavy line toward the upper right-hand corner. As it climbed higher to the opposite end of the monitor, the silver band widened as the power and the intensity of the Ginzuishou peaked. The greatest thickness of the band occurrred at the point when the first meteor had been closest to the Moon Castle. At that point, a spurt of various colors broke across the screen. Ami instantly recognized the blue power of Mercury, the yellow power of Venus, the green power of Jupiter, and the red power of Mars. It was the moment when she, Minako, Makoto, and Rei had lent their power to the Moon Princess. As Ami's eyes trailed over the multi-colored band of energy encircling the the silver power of the Ginzuishou, she frowned. At the end of the energy strand, at the moment when Serenity had heaved the remaining portion of the meteor into the Sea of Selenity, a brilliant burst of gold overlapped the silver.
"Mercury," Ami said, edging nearer to her teacher. "Play back the very last part of the program. Slowly, if you can."
Sailor Mercury was happy to oblige. She nodded and pressed a button. She placed her right hand over the suspended ball on her console. As she ran her fingers over its surface, the silver ribbon on the screen seemed to shrink back toward its origin. After pressing a green button, Mercury switched the direction of her fingers on the ball. Slowly, the silver cord on the screen ascended upward.
Ami again watched the exploding rainbow of color drown the silver band of the Ginzuishou. As these hues faded, the flash of gold washed over the screen.
"Stop!" Ami ordered.
Sailor Mercury pressed a button on the left side of the console. The silver strand froze on the monitor.
"Look there!" Ami shouted excitedly. She rushed toward the screen and pointed at the golden burst with her right index finger.
The Senshi of Water stood and walked toward the screen. Her eyebrows narrowed as she frowned. Turning to Ami she uttered, "It appears to be a new strand of energy."
"But where did it come from?" Ami pondered.
Sailor Mercury shook her head. "I am not sure. It could just be more power from the Ginzuishou. I'll have to pull some old records from the archives to see if the gold burst is common."
Ami grinned as she noted the excitement in Senshi's last statement. Only a Mercurian could be so eager at the prospect of doing more research.
Satisfied that she had lent the assistance Sailor Mercury had asked for, Ami again turned her attention to the rock sample
"When was the last time the Ginzuishou was utilized in such a way?" the apprentice finally asked.
"Aside from the Terran Eclipse ceremonies?" said Sailor Mercury. Ami nodded her head. "Not for eight-hundred years."
"It must have been longer ago than that," muttered Ami. She tapped one of her studded earrings. A blue visor shielded her eyes. Ami peered at the piece of meteor. "It was before I came to the moon, so it must have been at least 1,000 years ago."
Data flashed across the interior of Ami's visor. The princess of Mercury tapped the figures into the minature computer resting on the glass tabletop in front of her.
"One mystery has been solved," she eventually said. She pinched her earring. The visor dssolved, revealing the apprentice's tired blue eyes.
"Have you confirmed the rock's origin?" asked Sailor Mercury.
Ami nodded.
"Unfortunately, we were right," she stated. "It is from the Sun. From the swab samples I took from the grooves in the rock's exterior, I was also able to confirm that the meteor came from the Earth."
Sailor Mercury sighed. She pressed several illuminated buttons on her console. The energy pattern of the Ginzuishou dissolved. An image of the Earth and the Moon appeared on the screen. Mercury entered coordinates of when the attack occurred.
"Well, now we just have to determine where on the surface of the Earth these objects came from."
A knock interrupted the senshi and her apprentice. Minako opened the door.
"Sorry to interrupt," she whispered quietly.
"It's all right, apprentice of Venus," Sailor Mercury replied. "We both probably need to take a break anyway."
Minako cringed at the Mercurian's formality. The small blonde swallowed and hesitantly stepped into the laboratory.
"Since it's daybreak now, Makoto and Rei," Minako paused and smoothed out the folds in the skirt of her sailor fuku. "I mean, what I meant to say," she stammered, "was that I and the apprentices of Mars and Jupiter are on our way to the Sea of Selenity to assist with the clean-up. Sailor Venus suggested that Ami—the apprentice of Mercury, I meant—should join us. If it is permitted by Sailor Mercury, of course."
Ami shook her head. She was about to thank Minako for the invitation and refuse the offer when Sailor Mercury answered for her.
"What a marvelous idea!" the Senshi of Water declared.
"What?" Ami muttered. "Don't we have to analyze the energy from Princess Serenity and plot the origin of the meteors?"
Minako winced at the mention of analyzing and plotting of origins.
"I can work while you are gone," Sailor Mercury replied. She stood and crossed the room. As she urged Ami toward the door, Sailor Mercury grasped the hand-held computer and handed the object to her apprentice.
"Try to get some samples from the big rock," instructed the Senshi, winking.
"What a battle-axe!" Minako declared as she, Ami, Makoto, and Rei crossed the grounds at the rear of the castle. Since the front entrance of the palace was impassable and the East Wing had been partially destroyed, the four girls had to exit the castle from the West Wing. Already, Rei was growling over the extra walking.
"The exercize is good fro you!" Makoto declared. "You have been a little slow recenly during our running drills."
"Try sprinting in heels!" snarled the Martian apprentice.
"Rei does have a good point," agreed Ami, yawning.
"Thank you, Ami!" Rei squealed. She glanced over to the petite Mercurian. Ami's normally smooth, silky blue bob was frazzled. Dark circles surrounded her wide blue eyes. Rei smiled sympathetically. "Long night?"
"Extremely long," Ami agreed.
"It was a long night for all of us," Minako interrupted. "Sailor Venus and I were up for half of the evening, drafting a diplomatic letter to the King of the Earth."
"I helped Sailor Jupiter devise a clean-up strategy for the Sea of Selenity last night," added Makoto. "It took quite a while."
"Sailor Mars and I were in meditation," Rei mentioned. "We were attempting to detect the source of all the energy."
Ami's ears pricked up. Her tired eyes widened. "Did you find anything unusual about the energy?"
"There were several types," Rei confessed. "Sailor Mars attempted to separate the different strains, which is quite a difficult process. We did make some progress, though. The energy from both of the meteors was very similar."
"The meteors are from the Sun," interrupted Ami. "But there was evidence that they were fired from the Earth."
Rei nodded. "Sailor Mars and I detected the same pattern. Primarily, we sensed that it was Solarian in origin, but there was residual Terran energy, too."
"Wouldn't that suggest that the Solarians and the Terrans are both responsible for the attack, then?"
"I think so, Makoto," Ami answered. Recalling the energy strand of the Ginzuishou Sailor Mercury had studied all night, Ami asked Rei, "Did you and Sailor Mars have a chance to analyze the energy of Princess Serenity's defense?"
Rei frowned and nodded. "We did, but it was a far more difficult task. Serenity's power definitely came from the Ginzuishou, but there was another energy that bolstered it. It may explain how she was able to use the Ginzuishou's power even though the crystal was with Queen Serenity."
"That would have been when we all lent her own power."
Considering Minako's statement, both Rei and Ami shook their heads.
"Not necessarily," Rei confessed. "Our energy was pretty easy to detect, since it was so abrupt and short. This other energy was constant. Our power was sudden, but the other energy supported the princess throughout the entire episode. It also hazed Serenity's aura for several hours after the event."
Ami paused. She fumbled excitedly in the pocket of her fuku for her minature computer. The three other girls stopped and surrounded the Mercurian. The four apprentices were all now standing on the far east end of the lawn, near the damaged wing of the Moon Castle.
"Sailor Mercury and I were also analyzing the pattern of the Ginzuishou," Ami eagerly explained, "From a far more analytical and scientific standpoint, mind you."
"Of course," Rei muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. The psychic ability of the Martian people had been criticized by the more practical Mercurians for centuries. Ami's matter-of-fact statement stung a little. Rei knew that Ami did not intend anything mean-spirirted. Ami had meant to imply that she and Rei had approached the same subject from two very different perspectives.
After pressing several buttons on her comptuer, Ami held the small screen up to Rei. The princess of Mars wearly grapsed the miniature gadget between her fingers. Rei silently eyed the screen for a moment. When the ribbon of silver had finished its ascent up to the far right corner of the screen, Rei raised her violet eyes to peer at the Mercurian.
"Obviously, this two-dimensional rendering does not fully show the progression of energy," Ami confessed. "But there is that golden glow at the very end. See?" Ami leaned forward and pointed her gloved hand to the burst she had discovered earlier in the lab.
Rei dumbly nodded and glanced toward the castle. On the opposite side of the palace, the Martian spied movement form a second-story balcony. Rei squinted her eyes.
It was Princess Serenity. She was leaning her elbows against the marble railing. Her chin was settled in the palms of her hands.
"That gold doesn't just show up at the very end," Rei heard Makoto shout over her shoulder, "It's very strong at that spot, but it's present the entire time."
"Where?" Ami demanded. She tugged the comptuer away from Rei. The apprentice of Mars did not notice. She was still watchfully observing the Moon Princess.
"There!" Makoto was saying. She, Minako, and Ami were now standing in a huddle behind Rei. "Right there, along the top. Can't you see it?"
"I thought that was just a displacement of color on the monitor," responded Ami.
"I see it too!" Minako squealed. "It's so slight, though. Would that little bit of energy really have been so signifigant?"
"Well, this is a two-dimensional rendering. I suppose, if we were to transpose it into a three-dimensional program, the gold strand may be just as vibrant as the Ginzuishou's!"
Their conversation was interrupted by a light breeze. Normally, the faint wind would carry with it the slight smell of lavender mingled with the fresh scent of sea water. Thanks to the large meteor now resting at the center of the Sea of Selenity, the refreshing smell was replaced with a warm, foul odor. Ami, Minako, and Makoto groaned as they inhaled the stench. Rei didn't seem to notice the nasty scent. Her violet eyes still watched Serenity. The wind ensnared each of the Moon Princess' long streamers of hair. Serenity's blonde silky strands swirled around her. The princess seemed to be unaffected by the poor-smelling breeze floating around her figure. Instead, she stared mindlessly up to the heavens.
"Ugh!" gaged Minako. "Look at the smoke over there!"
The Moon Castle rested on a hill overlooking the Sea of Selenity. Rei glanced over her shoulder to the body of water. The four senshi apprentices were still a good distance from the Sea of Selenity, but from their vantage point, they could easily assess the damage caused by the meteor. The top of a large blackened boulder pierced the calm water of the sea at its center. The object was an eyesore, sharply contrasting the silvers and greys of the landscape. The normally clear green waters of the sea had transformed into a cloudy, muted brown. The initial heat from the flaming object had been tempered by the sea's cool waters, but not before scalding the beaches and burning some nearby villages. The water in the sea was now hot and poisoned. Fortunately, none of the Lunarians living along the coast of the Sea of Selenity had been injured or killed. A putrid-looking cloud of smoke billowed up from the meteor's resting place at the center of the sea.
"That looks pretty terrible, doesn't it?" observed Makoto.
"And smells worse!" Minako added.
Ami snapped her minature computer shut and placed it in her pocket. "We better get down there soon. Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars will be waiting for us."
The apprentices of Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus began to descend down the slope of the hill. Rei turned to follow her friends. Pausing, she looked one last time at Princess Serenity. The Moon Princess still leaned against the balcony railing, staring intently up. Rei eyed the subject of Serenity's gaze. Once again, Serenity was staring up at the Earth. As Rei spotted the blue and green planet, her violet eyes widened with concern. Rei's stomach did a series of backflips. Again, Rei was reminded of the energy that had encircled Serenity's during the previous afternoon. In a flash of recognition, the Martian realized the origin of the golden strand on Ami's computer. Rei shifted her gaze from the planet in the sky to the Princess of the Moon.
"It was a Terran," Rei said quietly.
Princess Serenity's intense stare shifted away from the Earth. The Princess turned her wide blue eyes to face Rei's position on the far side of the lawn. For a moment, the two girls stared at each other. Rei instantly felt the dread and worry that ensnared the princess. The emotions made Rei sick to her stomach.
Rei sensed that using the Ginzuishou had been horribly exhausting, especially for the inexperienced Moon Princess. After the initial attacks had ended, everyone had forgotten about Serenity. As soon as the Queen and the Senshi arrived, all of the aprentices were too busy assiting with analyzing the origin of the attack, the reason for it, and its impact, that they forgotten about their princess. In the aftermath, Serenity's absence had not been missed. Serenity needed to talk to someone.
"Rei!" Minako shouted from the slope, interrupting the Martian's link with Serenity. "We need to get going. We're already late!"
The Martian apprentice twised and glanced over her shoulder. The wind had picked up, and Rei's long black hair danced wildly around her. She was about to tell them to go on without her because she had more important things to attend to, when Serenity's voice whispered into her ears.
"Goodbye."
Rei shifted her gaze again to Serenity's balcony. Tucking the loose strands of hair behind her ears and squinting her violet eyes, Rei took a couple of steps toward the Moon Castle.
Her eyes locked one last time with Serenity's. The princess had finally moved from her position at the railing. She had placed a hand on the door frame leading into her bedchamber, but paused before retreating into the room. As their eyes locked once again, Rei shuddered. Serenity's determined gaze shook Rei to her core. The princess' crystal blue eyes were vibrant with tears. Her cheeks were stained and her nose blotchy.
Again, the whisper of "Goodbye" penetrated Rei's ears. Serenity's lips had not moved, but the source of the word could have only come from her. The voice was so clear that it seemed as though the Moon Princess was right beside Rei, instead of standing a dozen yards away. With her last utterance, Serenity entered the castle, disappearing from Rei's vision.
The Martian did not move. Instead, she stared blankly at the vacant balcony. Her intuition cautioned her that she would never see the princess of the Moon again.
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End of Chapter 10
Will Rei ever see her favorite Moon Princess ever again? Please return to find out. In the mean time, do write a review. I haven't had many 'em.
That being said, I want to thank Krysia for a wonderful review. It made my day. You are so sweet! ^_^ I am admittedly a bit flummuxed about not having very many reviews. Most of the ones I have received seem positive and are thought out, though. I guess I'm blessed with quality reviews, not quantity. I'm glad the pacing is good; I know where I want the story to go, so it's sometimes hard to write these earlier chapters (eek! What am I saying? This is chapter 10!). I'm trying very hard to keep the characters "in character," so your observation that I'm succeeding means a lot! I'm blushing...
The next chapter is written, I just need to finish editing it. I hope to do that in a couple of days. Thanks for reading!
Hollie ^_~
Um, I don't really know what to say, except here's the next chapter. I hope you like it!
Oh, and my spell check is still out of comission. I've edited this chapter several times, but if I missed a typo, please forgive me. I'll go back and spell-check everything when I have a new computer. (Hollie crosses her fingers and prays to the gods that such a thing happens soon.)
More author's notes are at the end. ^_^
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Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon. **sniff, sniff** Or Tuxedo Mask. **Waaah!**
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Light of Love: Red Moon Chapter 10: Intuition
Sailor Mercury peered thoughtfully at the giant monitor screen in front of her. The senshi's deep blue eyes sparkled as she watched a wave of silver taper from one corner of the screen to the other. She frowned and sighed.
Sailor Mercury tapped a button on the keypad in front of her. She passed her right hand over a large glowing ball in the upper corner of the console. As her fingers rolled over the ball, the Mercurian bit the inside of her lower lip and stared at the silver wave retread its course back to the left side of the monitor. A small growl of frustration escaped from her lips as she shook her head.
In the middle of the laboratory stood Sailor Mercury's young apprentice, Ami. The girl glanced over her shoulder. She turned to face the monitor covering one wall in the lab. Eyeing the silver strand on the screen, the Mercurian apprentice smiled sympathetically.
Ami set the rock sample she had collected earlier that evening on the large glass table in front of her. The blue-haired girl stretched her arms and yawned. She blinked her tired eyes. Dozens of lanterns in the laboratory had been burning all night. Ami glanced to her left, to the wall of glass next to her. The early hint of day beamed through the panes. Outside, dawn approached.
Ami rubbed her eyes. She and Sailor Mercury had been in the lab all night. Even though they had been analyzing data since the previous evening, the pair of Mercurians were no closer to explaining the attack or Princess Serenity's counter-attack.
"Something is not right," muttered the elder Mercurian. She paused the playback of the silver wave and turned her chair to face her apprentice. "I have played this program repeatedly, and I can not place my finger on how it happened."
Ami nodded.
Using the residual power from the meteor attack, Sailor Mercury had visually recreated Princess Serenity's energy wave in the a computer program. The two-dimensional image on the screen retraced the pattern and flow of the Ginzuishou's power.
Princess Serenity's ability to use the power of the Ginzuishou was precisely what Sailor Mercury did not understand. Nor could the Queen of the Moon.
"She should not have access to such power," the queen told Sailor Mercury and Princess Ami in private the night before. "How is it possible?"
Sailor Mercury shrugged and shook her head. "I have no immediate explanation for it, Your Highness. Obviously, the ability is always there, but normally, the power is dormant. The Moon Princess should not be able to tap into her connection with the Ginzuishou until..."
Sailor Mercury bowed her head down respectfully. Her blue silky strands of hair fell into her face.
"Until I am dead," Queen Serenity uttered. "It is all right, Mercury, I understand the history of the Ginzuishou. I could not feel any power from the magical stone until after my own mother had passed away."
Long after the Queen had retired for the evening and Sailor Mercury had given Princess Ami the task of tracing the planetary origin of the two meteor attacks, the Senshi of Water settled into the seat in front of her computer. She had not moved from her position all night.
"Ami," Sailor Mercury beckoned. "Perhaps there is something I am not seeing. Perhaps, with you fresh perspective, you may be able to find something that I can not."
Ami nodded obediently and wiped the grime from her hands. She set the towel the down beside the rock sample. As Ami crossed the room, Sailor Mercury pressed a large green button on her console and again gazed up at the wall. Ami also peered at the blackened screen and patiently waited for the image to materialize.
Slowly, a thin ribbon of silver, which represented the power of the Ginzuishou, emerged from the lower left-hand corner of the screen and ascended in a wavy line toward the upper right-hand corner. As it climbed higher to the opposite end of the monitor, the silver band widened as the power and the intensity of the Ginzuishou peaked. The greatest thickness of the band occurrred at the point when the first meteor had been closest to the Moon Castle. At that point, a spurt of various colors broke across the screen. Ami instantly recognized the blue power of Mercury, the yellow power of Venus, the green power of Jupiter, and the red power of Mars. It was the moment when she, Minako, Makoto, and Rei had lent their power to the Moon Princess. As Ami's eyes trailed over the multi-colored band of energy encircling the the silver power of the Ginzuishou, she frowned. At the end of the energy strand, at the moment when Serenity had heaved the remaining portion of the meteor into the Sea of Selenity, a brilliant burst of gold overlapped the silver.
"Mercury," Ami said, edging nearer to her teacher. "Play back the very last part of the program. Slowly, if you can."
Sailor Mercury was happy to oblige. She nodded and pressed a button. She placed her right hand over the suspended ball on her console. As she ran her fingers over its surface, the silver ribbon on the screen seemed to shrink back toward its origin. After pressing a green button, Mercury switched the direction of her fingers on the ball. Slowly, the silver cord on the screen ascended upward.
Ami again watched the exploding rainbow of color drown the silver band of the Ginzuishou. As these hues faded, the flash of gold washed over the screen.
"Stop!" Ami ordered.
Sailor Mercury pressed a button on the left side of the console. The silver strand froze on the monitor.
"Look there!" Ami shouted excitedly. She rushed toward the screen and pointed at the golden burst with her right index finger.
The Senshi of Water stood and walked toward the screen. Her eyebrows narrowed as she frowned. Turning to Ami she uttered, "It appears to be a new strand of energy."
"But where did it come from?" Ami pondered.
Sailor Mercury shook her head. "I am not sure. It could just be more power from the Ginzuishou. I'll have to pull some old records from the archives to see if the gold burst is common."
Ami grinned as she noted the excitement in Senshi's last statement. Only a Mercurian could be so eager at the prospect of doing more research.
Satisfied that she had lent the assistance Sailor Mercury had asked for, Ami again turned her attention to the rock sample
"When was the last time the Ginzuishou was utilized in such a way?" the apprentice finally asked.
"Aside from the Terran Eclipse ceremonies?" said Sailor Mercury. Ami nodded her head. "Not for eight-hundred years."
"It must have been longer ago than that," muttered Ami. She tapped one of her studded earrings. A blue visor shielded her eyes. Ami peered at the piece of meteor. "It was before I came to the moon, so it must have been at least 1,000 years ago."
Data flashed across the interior of Ami's visor. The princess of Mercury tapped the figures into the minature computer resting on the glass tabletop in front of her.
"One mystery has been solved," she eventually said. She pinched her earring. The visor dssolved, revealing the apprentice's tired blue eyes.
"Have you confirmed the rock's origin?" asked Sailor Mercury.
Ami nodded.
"Unfortunately, we were right," she stated. "It is from the Sun. From the swab samples I took from the grooves in the rock's exterior, I was also able to confirm that the meteor came from the Earth."
Sailor Mercury sighed. She pressed several illuminated buttons on her console. The energy pattern of the Ginzuishou dissolved. An image of the Earth and the Moon appeared on the screen. Mercury entered coordinates of when the attack occurred.
"Well, now we just have to determine where on the surface of the Earth these objects came from."
A knock interrupted the senshi and her apprentice. Minako opened the door.
"Sorry to interrupt," she whispered quietly.
"It's all right, apprentice of Venus," Sailor Mercury replied. "We both probably need to take a break anyway."
Minako cringed at the Mercurian's formality. The small blonde swallowed and hesitantly stepped into the laboratory.
"Since it's daybreak now, Makoto and Rei," Minako paused and smoothed out the folds in the skirt of her sailor fuku. "I mean, what I meant to say," she stammered, "was that I and the apprentices of Mars and Jupiter are on our way to the Sea of Selenity to assist with the clean-up. Sailor Venus suggested that Ami—the apprentice of Mercury, I meant—should join us. If it is permitted by Sailor Mercury, of course."
Ami shook her head. She was about to thank Minako for the invitation and refuse the offer when Sailor Mercury answered for her.
"What a marvelous idea!" the Senshi of Water declared.
"What?" Ami muttered. "Don't we have to analyze the energy from Princess Serenity and plot the origin of the meteors?"
Minako winced at the mention of analyzing and plotting of origins.
"I can work while you are gone," Sailor Mercury replied. She stood and crossed the room. As she urged Ami toward the door, Sailor Mercury grasped the hand-held computer and handed the object to her apprentice.
"Try to get some samples from the big rock," instructed the Senshi, winking.
"What a battle-axe!" Minako declared as she, Ami, Makoto, and Rei crossed the grounds at the rear of the castle. Since the front entrance of the palace was impassable and the East Wing had been partially destroyed, the four girls had to exit the castle from the West Wing. Already, Rei was growling over the extra walking.
"The exercize is good fro you!" Makoto declared. "You have been a little slow recenly during our running drills."
"Try sprinting in heels!" snarled the Martian apprentice.
"Rei does have a good point," agreed Ami, yawning.
"Thank you, Ami!" Rei squealed. She glanced over to the petite Mercurian. Ami's normally smooth, silky blue bob was frazzled. Dark circles surrounded her wide blue eyes. Rei smiled sympathetically. "Long night?"
"Extremely long," Ami agreed.
"It was a long night for all of us," Minako interrupted. "Sailor Venus and I were up for half of the evening, drafting a diplomatic letter to the King of the Earth."
"I helped Sailor Jupiter devise a clean-up strategy for the Sea of Selenity last night," added Makoto. "It took quite a while."
"Sailor Mars and I were in meditation," Rei mentioned. "We were attempting to detect the source of all the energy."
Ami's ears pricked up. Her tired eyes widened. "Did you find anything unusual about the energy?"
"There were several types," Rei confessed. "Sailor Mars attempted to separate the different strains, which is quite a difficult process. We did make some progress, though. The energy from both of the meteors was very similar."
"The meteors are from the Sun," interrupted Ami. "But there was evidence that they were fired from the Earth."
Rei nodded. "Sailor Mars and I detected the same pattern. Primarily, we sensed that it was Solarian in origin, but there was residual Terran energy, too."
"Wouldn't that suggest that the Solarians and the Terrans are both responsible for the attack, then?"
"I think so, Makoto," Ami answered. Recalling the energy strand of the Ginzuishou Sailor Mercury had studied all night, Ami asked Rei, "Did you and Sailor Mars have a chance to analyze the energy of Princess Serenity's defense?"
Rei frowned and nodded. "We did, but it was a far more difficult task. Serenity's power definitely came from the Ginzuishou, but there was another energy that bolstered it. It may explain how she was able to use the Ginzuishou's power even though the crystal was with Queen Serenity."
"That would have been when we all lent her own power."
Considering Minako's statement, both Rei and Ami shook their heads.
"Not necessarily," Rei confessed. "Our energy was pretty easy to detect, since it was so abrupt and short. This other energy was constant. Our power was sudden, but the other energy supported the princess throughout the entire episode. It also hazed Serenity's aura for several hours after the event."
Ami paused. She fumbled excitedly in the pocket of her fuku for her minature computer. The three other girls stopped and surrounded the Mercurian. The four apprentices were all now standing on the far east end of the lawn, near the damaged wing of the Moon Castle.
"Sailor Mercury and I were also analyzing the pattern of the Ginzuishou," Ami eagerly explained, "From a far more analytical and scientific standpoint, mind you."
"Of course," Rei muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. The psychic ability of the Martian people had been criticized by the more practical Mercurians for centuries. Ami's matter-of-fact statement stung a little. Rei knew that Ami did not intend anything mean-spirirted. Ami had meant to imply that she and Rei had approached the same subject from two very different perspectives.
After pressing several buttons on her comptuer, Ami held the small screen up to Rei. The princess of Mars wearly grapsed the miniature gadget between her fingers. Rei silently eyed the screen for a moment. When the ribbon of silver had finished its ascent up to the far right corner of the screen, Rei raised her violet eyes to peer at the Mercurian.
"Obviously, this two-dimensional rendering does not fully show the progression of energy," Ami confessed. "But there is that golden glow at the very end. See?" Ami leaned forward and pointed her gloved hand to the burst she had discovered earlier in the lab.
Rei dumbly nodded and glanced toward the castle. On the opposite side of the palace, the Martian spied movement form a second-story balcony. Rei squinted her eyes.
It was Princess Serenity. She was leaning her elbows against the marble railing. Her chin was settled in the palms of her hands.
"That gold doesn't just show up at the very end," Rei heard Makoto shout over her shoulder, "It's very strong at that spot, but it's present the entire time."
"Where?" Ami demanded. She tugged the comptuer away from Rei. The apprentice of Mars did not notice. She was still watchfully observing the Moon Princess.
"There!" Makoto was saying. She, Minako, and Ami were now standing in a huddle behind Rei. "Right there, along the top. Can't you see it?"
"I thought that was just a displacement of color on the monitor," responded Ami.
"I see it too!" Minako squealed. "It's so slight, though. Would that little bit of energy really have been so signifigant?"
"Well, this is a two-dimensional rendering. I suppose, if we were to transpose it into a three-dimensional program, the gold strand may be just as vibrant as the Ginzuishou's!"
Their conversation was interrupted by a light breeze. Normally, the faint wind would carry with it the slight smell of lavender mingled with the fresh scent of sea water. Thanks to the large meteor now resting at the center of the Sea of Selenity, the refreshing smell was replaced with a warm, foul odor. Ami, Minako, and Makoto groaned as they inhaled the stench. Rei didn't seem to notice the nasty scent. Her violet eyes still watched Serenity. The wind ensnared each of the Moon Princess' long streamers of hair. Serenity's blonde silky strands swirled around her. The princess seemed to be unaffected by the poor-smelling breeze floating around her figure. Instead, she stared mindlessly up to the heavens.
"Ugh!" gaged Minako. "Look at the smoke over there!"
The Moon Castle rested on a hill overlooking the Sea of Selenity. Rei glanced over her shoulder to the body of water. The four senshi apprentices were still a good distance from the Sea of Selenity, but from their vantage point, they could easily assess the damage caused by the meteor. The top of a large blackened boulder pierced the calm water of the sea at its center. The object was an eyesore, sharply contrasting the silvers and greys of the landscape. The normally clear green waters of the sea had transformed into a cloudy, muted brown. The initial heat from the flaming object had been tempered by the sea's cool waters, but not before scalding the beaches and burning some nearby villages. The water in the sea was now hot and poisoned. Fortunately, none of the Lunarians living along the coast of the Sea of Selenity had been injured or killed. A putrid-looking cloud of smoke billowed up from the meteor's resting place at the center of the sea.
"That looks pretty terrible, doesn't it?" observed Makoto.
"And smells worse!" Minako added.
Ami snapped her minature computer shut and placed it in her pocket. "We better get down there soon. Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars will be waiting for us."
The apprentices of Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus began to descend down the slope of the hill. Rei turned to follow her friends. Pausing, she looked one last time at Princess Serenity. The Moon Princess still leaned against the balcony railing, staring intently up. Rei eyed the subject of Serenity's gaze. Once again, Serenity was staring up at the Earth. As Rei spotted the blue and green planet, her violet eyes widened with concern. Rei's stomach did a series of backflips. Again, Rei was reminded of the energy that had encircled Serenity's during the previous afternoon. In a flash of recognition, the Martian realized the origin of the golden strand on Ami's computer. Rei shifted her gaze from the planet in the sky to the Princess of the Moon.
"It was a Terran," Rei said quietly.
Princess Serenity's intense stare shifted away from the Earth. The Princess turned her wide blue eyes to face Rei's position on the far side of the lawn. For a moment, the two girls stared at each other. Rei instantly felt the dread and worry that ensnared the princess. The emotions made Rei sick to her stomach.
Rei sensed that using the Ginzuishou had been horribly exhausting, especially for the inexperienced Moon Princess. After the initial attacks had ended, everyone had forgotten about Serenity. As soon as the Queen and the Senshi arrived, all of the aprentices were too busy assiting with analyzing the origin of the attack, the reason for it, and its impact, that they forgotten about their princess. In the aftermath, Serenity's absence had not been missed. Serenity needed to talk to someone.
"Rei!" Minako shouted from the slope, interrupting the Martian's link with Serenity. "We need to get going. We're already late!"
The Martian apprentice twised and glanced over her shoulder. The wind had picked up, and Rei's long black hair danced wildly around her. She was about to tell them to go on without her because she had more important things to attend to, when Serenity's voice whispered into her ears.
"Goodbye."
Rei shifted her gaze again to Serenity's balcony. Tucking the loose strands of hair behind her ears and squinting her violet eyes, Rei took a couple of steps toward the Moon Castle.
Her eyes locked one last time with Serenity's. The princess had finally moved from her position at the railing. She had placed a hand on the door frame leading into her bedchamber, but paused before retreating into the room. As their eyes locked once again, Rei shuddered. Serenity's determined gaze shook Rei to her core. The princess' crystal blue eyes were vibrant with tears. Her cheeks were stained and her nose blotchy.
Again, the whisper of "Goodbye" penetrated Rei's ears. Serenity's lips had not moved, but the source of the word could have only come from her. The voice was so clear that it seemed as though the Moon Princess was right beside Rei, instead of standing a dozen yards away. With her last utterance, Serenity entered the castle, disappearing from Rei's vision.
The Martian did not move. Instead, she stared blankly at the vacant balcony. Her intuition cautioned her that she would never see the princess of the Moon again.
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End of Chapter 10
Will Rei ever see her favorite Moon Princess ever again? Please return to find out. In the mean time, do write a review. I haven't had many 'em.
That being said, I want to thank Krysia for a wonderful review. It made my day. You are so sweet! ^_^ I am admittedly a bit flummuxed about not having very many reviews. Most of the ones I have received seem positive and are thought out, though. I guess I'm blessed with quality reviews, not quantity. I'm glad the pacing is good; I know where I want the story to go, so it's sometimes hard to write these earlier chapters (eek! What am I saying? This is chapter 10!). I'm trying very hard to keep the characters "in character," so your observation that I'm succeeding means a lot! I'm blushing...
The next chapter is written, I just need to finish editing it. I hope to do that in a couple of days. Thanks for reading!
Hollie ^_~