Okay! I said I would post a chapter "in a week or so." It's been over a
week...sorry for the delay! Thank you to so much for the fabulous reviews.
I hope this chapter lives up to the previous chapters! Now, I have a
question: I've stopped providing summaries of "what happened" right before
the chapters...is this okay, or would y'all prefer that I write 'em up? I
get a little wacky when I write them, so I don't know if they helped or
distracted you. Let me know, 'kay? Sorry about spelling errors. Some
day, I will have spell-check again.
Kuni-chan, this chapter for you! Thanks so much for your amazing feedback!
More author's notes at the end....
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. Nadda. Zippo. Zilch.
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Light of Love: Red Moon Chapter 12: Strangers Connect
Princess Serenity groaned. The back of her head throbbed.
Although well versed in how to control the Transporter, Serenity had never before used the device on herself. Serenity, as the Moon Princess, was expected to travel by more conventional means. The Queen often used the Transporter for unofficial business to other planets, but the princess was expected to travel by ship.
Her journey through the Transporter was quick and fast. Serenity remembered standing on the round platform of the Transporter, the terrifying freefall while her body sped through space, and the jolting pain that shot up her legs after her feet slammed into the firm ground of the Earth's surface. The normally graceful princess staggered backward before her feet slipped out from underneath her and she fell unceremoniously on her backside.
"Ow!" Serenity yelped as the back of her head made contact with the ground beneath her. The princess clamped her eyes shut. She cupped her hands as she placed them on each side of her face.
"The secret to landing from a transport is to lean forward a little bit, and put your weight on the balls of your feet."
Rei's words echoed in Serenity's pounding head. Back when the Martian apprentice gave her the tip, Serenity never dreamed she would ever need to use it.
'At least no one was around to see,' Serenity silently thought to herself. She let out a sigh and inhaled deeply. The princess held her breath in; cold, frosted air cut into her lungs. During her jolting journey through the Transporter, she had forgotten about her final destination.
She was on the Earth!
A smile curled at the corner of her lips as her eyes shot open. She expected to see a fabulous blue sky, green leafy tree boughs, or a number of other earthly delights Linnaus had told her about. Serenity wanted to see mountains, rivers, fields and beaches. As her eyes focused--this world was considerably brighter than the Moon--all Serenity saw was a pair of dark blue eyes gazing down at her.
The princess' own eyes widened with fear and surprise. Her heartbeat quickened. A piercing scream rattled her eardrums.
The loud noise startled the owner of the eyes. The stranger moved away from the princess. He covered his ears with the palms of his hands and turned slightly away from Serenity.
"Will you knock that off?" he growled at her.
Serenity frowned and clamped her mouth shut. She was so startled; she hadn't even realized that the scream had come from her own throat. The princess felt the blood rush to her cheeks. She didn't know if it was because she was frightened or embarassed. In her dreams, she had always imagined her first moments on Earth would be more dignified.
"Sorry," she squeaked. Serenity winced as she attempted to sit up. Her movements were slow. Her body felt like lead. Her eyesight blurred slightly as she righted herself. She cradled her throbbing head in her palms.
The stranger lowered his hands from his ears and turned again to facd her. His eyes softened.
"It's okay," he told Serenity. "It's just that, you were laying there, and I thought you were dead, and then..." He motioned to is ears as he said, "Loud noise."
The princess gazed up at him. From Serenity's seated position on the ground, the stranger towered over her. He appeared slightly older, but the princess could not be certain of his age. From her study books, Serenity remembered that Terrans had much shorter life spans than Lunarians.
The princess blinked her wide blue eyes. She wanted to get a good loook at this strange young man, but her vision was still blurred and hazy. He paced, which made it difficult for Serenity to focus. He mummbled as he moved back and forth. Serenity thought his mutterings were directed at her, but her trip through the Traonsporter had left her a little disoriented. Whenever she thought he looked in her direction, Serenity smiled politely.
The stranger finally paused and turned toward her. He extended his arm.
"Do you need help up?"
Serenity nodded and settled her left hand inside of his gloved right palm. He curled his fingers around her own has he forcefuly pulled her into a standing position. The young man was lanky but strong; Serenity felt like a rad doll that had been tossed in the air. The princess staggered forward on wobbly legs. She would have fallen on her face if the stranger had not been standing in front of her. Instead, she crashed—face first—into the young man's chest. He wrapped his arms protectively around her. Serenity froze in his grasp. The thumping of his heart was loud in her ears; his heartbeat had quickened.
The stranger laughed nervously and took one step away from the princess.
"Careful there," he said. He held her at arm's length. He was about to let go of her completely but he paused. A wave of recognition washed over him as he gazed into the princess' icy blue eyes. Somehow, they seemed familiar to him. His midnight gaze narrowed. His right eyebrow arched suspiciously as he whispered, "Have we...met...before?"
Serenity's eyes widened as her own heart raced inside of her chest. This young man seemed familiar; she wanted to say yes, she did know him. Perhaps that was why she only screamed when she first saw him and didn't run away.
The stranger smiled as he gazed into the princess' face. Like Serenity, his expression was filled with anticipation. His midnight gaze shifted away from her crystal blue eyes to the center of her forehead. He frowned.
Serenity slapped her right hand between her eyebrows. Panic sunk into her stomach. She had recited all of the proper chants to erase the crescent symbol from her forehead, hadn't she? In all of the excitement, Serenity had failed to see if the chants had actually worked. She rubbed her fingers over her forehead. The skin between her eyebrows felt smooth and crescent- free. Relief washed over the princess. Her moon symbol was gone. She dropped her hand from her face and laughed nervously.
"We've never met," Serenity confessed. "I'm not really from around here."
"Oh," said the stranger, slighly deflated. The sparkle in his eyes dimmed as he turned his gaze away from her. He glanced down to the ground, to the small gap of space between the two of them. They still stood very close to each other—too close for strangers. The young man stepped away from the princess. He frowned as he felt a slight bump on the back of his head. Only two hours ago, that bump had been a gaping wound.
Serenity fumbled with her scarlett-colored cloak. The wool fabric was heavy. In fact, her entire Terran costume was bulky and uncomfortable. The clothes had once belonged to Sailor Earth; she had given them to Serenity as a gift, so the princess could dress properly for her pretend Terran adventures with Linnaus. Serenity had only worn the costume on a few occasions; although she appreciated the former senshi's thoughtfulness, the Moon Princess found the Terran clothing to be too bulky for her slight frame.
The princess shivered as she adjusted her hood. Her fingers termbled as she reached in the pocket of her dress for her leather gloves. Linnaus had failed to mention to her how much colder Earth was than the Moon.
As she pulled the gloves over her hands, Serneity lifted her gaze to survey her surroundings. The encounter with the stranger had distracted her from taking a good look at the Terran terrain.
She and the young man stood in a wide clearing surrounded on all sides by bare trees. Aside from a smattering of leafless bushes, the clearing was void of any vegetation. Deflated grey snow blanketed the clearing. Serenity stomped her black boots; the ground was frozen solid.
The Moon Princess shook her head in disbelief. This was the planet Linnaus was so eager to return to, with its lack of color and living things? Why would he desire to live in such a dull, ugly place?
Serenity's thoughts were interrupted by the stranger.
"Um, this may be a strange question," he muttered as he stared at the ground, "but have you seen a rock, about this big, anywhere around here?"
He pointed to his cupped right palm. The princess glanced down to the young man's gloved hand and frowned.
"What color is it?" she asked.
"Sort of black, with faint flecks of amber."
"And what shape is it?"
"Good question," the stranger muttered. He could have sworn that the Golden Crystal had changed shapes the last time he had used it. Again, he pointed to his cupped hand. "But it was about that big."
"Sorry," Serenity confessed as she shrugged and shook her head.
The stranger frowned. He turned his attention to the ground.
"I could have sworn this was where it happened," he said quietly. He walked through the clearing in a haphazard fashion, as though retracing past steps. Serenity stared at the young man curiously. He walked all around her, muttering. A couple of times, he squatted down, removed the glove from one of his hands, and pressed his palm flat against the ground. The stranger closed his eyes each time and concentrated.
"What are you doing?" Serenity interrupted. It was the third time he had crouched down and touched the ground with his bare hand.
The stranger did not move from his position, but he did open his eyes and glare at the princess. His disapproving glance caused Serenity to flinch. His midnight gaze drifted to the sky. He squinted.
"Where do you think the Moon is?" the stranger questioned.
Serenity's eyes widened as she also turned her attention to the heavens. She scanned the grey sky for any sign of the planet. Panic tightened her chest; she could not see the Moon anywhere. Why couldn't she, the princess of the Moon, see her own planet?
I don't know," she whispered.
The stranger sighed. He stood and placed the glove back over his fingers. He approached Serenity. He looked down at the snow around her feet. He frowned as he followed her footprints to the deep imprint where she had fallen. His eyes trailed back over the snow to Serenity's position. He wondered where she had come from; she seemed to have fallen from the sky. Recalling the Solarian Soldiers and their red uniforms, the stranger gazed suspiciously at Serenity's clothes. His twilight eyes narrowed. He was no longer friendly, but cold and reserved.
"Nice cloak," he finally observed. His voice dripped with sarcasm.
Serenity flinched. She glanced down at the thick fabric.
"What's wrong with it?" she asked.
"It's awfully red," retorted the young man.
"Is that bad?"
The stranger did not reply. Instead, he slowly circled Serenity. The princess remained rooted to the ground, too wary of the young man's strange behavior to move. Was it so obvious she was not a Terran?
"What is your name?" quizzed the young man. He continued to circle the princess.
Out of habit, Serenity opened her mouth to say her real name, but she hesitated and bit her lip instead. She could feel the color rush to her cheeks. The princess shivered and closed her eyes. She and Linnaus had been on so many make-believe Terran adventures together; why did she have to forget her Terran name now?
The young man noticed her pause. He stopped walking and stood in front of her. The girl's eyes were still clamped shut. She scrunched her face together.
Suddenly, her lids popped open to reveal her bright, crystalline eyes.
"My name is Tsukino Usagi and I am searching for my lost father."
A smile of satisfaction spread on Serenity's face as she finished. She had rehearsed the statement the night before, after she was banished to her bedroom. The princess glanced at the stranger, who looked at her as though she had just spoken in jibberish.
"What? Didn't I say it right?" she defensively questioned.
"Tsukino Usagi?" he repeated. The girl nodded. A grin parted his lips. "That's a really weird name."
Serenity's face fell into a scowl. She pursed her lips together. Her nostrils flared. How dare this stranger tell her that! Her name was not...weird, was it? Linnaus had not given her a strange Terran name, had he?
"I'll bet your name isn't any better than mine!" she muttered sullenly.
The stranger bristled at her angry tone. The young man opened his mouth to reply, but the distant sound of a snapping twig distracted him. He crouched down and removed the glove from his hand. After he placed his palm flat against the ground, the stranger closed his eyes and concentrated.
Serenity frowned. She wondered if all Terrans touched the ground like this odd young man. Was this some strange Terran ritual?
"What are you doing?" she again demanded, placing her hands on each of her hips.
"Quiet," whispered the stranger. After a moment, he stood up and glanced around the clearing. Men's voices could be heard in the distance. His second site told him that at least ten men were approaching through the woods. He placed a hand over the hilt of his sword. The young man glanced at the confused girl standing in front of him. Obviously, she hadn't heard the men.
"We aren't safe here," he stated. "We have to leave now."
"Leave?" Serenity gasped. The young man grabbed her by the arm. Serenity struggled against his grasp. "I just got here. I can't leave now!"
"If you want to live," the stranger told her calmly, "Then you will come with me."
Serenity heard the rustling of the trees on her left. Her eyes bolted to the woods. The young man pushed her behind him and drew his sword.
"Run," he ordered. Serenity's crystalline blue eyes turned to face the stranger. She studied his profile. He was very handsome. His midnight hair was disheveled; several locks had fallen into his face. His breathing was fast and hard. The cold air clouded out from his nostrils as he exhaled.
He noticed Serenity from the corner of his eye. Noting that the princess had not run as he had requested, the young man frowned. His dark gaze locked with her wide, inquisitive blue eyes.
"I'll be right behind you," he assured her. "Run as fast as you can. NOW."
This time, Serenity did as he instructed. She nodded and turned to the woods behind her. Moon Princesses were not known for their running skills, she thought sourly to herself. Again, she silently wished that she could have trained with her friends to become a senshi. Now was not the time for such thoughts, though. Serenity squeezed her eyes shut. Her focus was to escape, into the woods. The princess' bright blue eyes snapped open. She inhaled deeply, lifted her skirts a few inches from the ground, and sprinted as fast as she could.
Just as he had promised, the stranger stayed behind her. Occasionally, he glanced over his shoulder to see if they were being followed. The pair had run quite a distance before they slowed to a jog. When he was confident that he and Serenity were far enough away, the young man allowed them to pause and catch their breath.
"We can't stop for long," he stated, gasping for air between words. "The snow will betray us. They'll track our footsteps."
Serenity nodded and leaned against a tree. She pocketed her gloves and wiped her forehead with her bare hand. The princess had never run so hard in her life. The cold air cut into her throat. Her lungs burned.
"By the way, my name is Chiba Mamoru," the young man told her. He had considered telling her his real name, but decided against it. If Solarian Soldiers were searching for Prince Endymion, it was best that he draw as little attiontion to himself as possible. Perhaps it was good that he had stumbled upon this girl; the soldiers would be looking for a young man travelling alone.
The girl's eyes widened as she stared at him.
"Chiba Mamo-what?" she stammered. She tried to pronounce his name several times, but "Mamo" was the only word that came out.
Endymion's eyes slanted in irritation at the blatant misuse of his nickname. He sighed.
"You're a little young to be running around the countryside by yourself," he stated, glad to change the subject.
Serenity shot him a dirty look. She clenched her fists to her sides as she squealed, "I am not little!"
Endymion smiled and rolled his eyes. "Right," he muttered under his breath. He shook the snow off of his boots by tapping his feet against a tree trunk. Endymion glanced to Serenity, who was still seething from his comment. "Earlier, you mentioned something about searching for your father."
Serenity's face softened a little as she thought about Linnaus. Her eyes darted around to the trees and snow surrounding them. She should be searching for her cousin instead of talking with this stranger.
"So what if am I searching for him?" Serenity questioned defensively. "What does it matter to you?"
Endymion shrugged. "It doesn't mean anything to me," he admitted. "I just think it's strange for a little girl to be wandering around the woods by herself. The Puissant Territory is no place—"
"I am not a little girl!" Serenity interrupted. The color flushed to her cheeks. She crossed her arms over her chest in a sulk.
Endymion found her response amusing. He nodded his head and snickered.
"How old are you?" he finally asked.
The princess held her breath in. Her face paled at his question. She didn't know much about Earth people, but she knew that they had shorter life spans than Lunarians.
"How old do you think I am?" she countered.
The Terran Prince stared at her face for a while. At first glance, he had thought the girl was only ten years old. Her small, rounded face and wide, innocent blue eyes suggested that she was very young. However, Endymion had also noticed that she had small breasts, which indicated that she was a older than ten. Perhaps she just looked little for her age.
"Twelve?" he finally asked.
Serenity blinked her eyes and slowly nodded her head. "Good guess." On the Moon, the princess was already 996 years old.
"How old do you think I am?" the prince asked her. He walked toward the rpincess; his tall, lanky frame towered above her. Serenity squinted as she looked up at him. From where she stood, Serenity could barely even see his face. Endymion was cast in shadow.
Serenity shook her head. She knew that she would not be able to guess his age. The Moon Princess wanted to say that he looked to be nearly1,015; however, after his assessment of her age, she knew that her guess would be horribly out of range. Instead of answering, she shrugged her small shoulders.
"I'm sixteen," the prince declared triumphantly. "But I am going to be seventeen in a couple of months.
The princess nodded her head politely.
"Shouldn't we be on our way?" Serenity finally asked. She stepped away from the tree she had used for support and straightened out her skirts. "Who were those men, anyway?" she pondered as she pushed past Endymion.
The prince sighed as Serenity walked by. The scent of sweet honey blossoms lingered in the air behind her. Endymion smiled and breathed in the pleasant smell. He thought of spring.
The prince took a step forward and paused. A wave of nausea overtook Endymion. He crouched down as his stomach cramped. The prince's twilight eyes scanned the trees and the floor encircling them. He frowned as he noticed a wide shaft of sunlight shining in the small clearing directly in front of their place in the woods.
Aprehension squeezed inside the prince's chest. The part of the forest they had just entered was dead and rotted. Endymion could sense an evil presence. The prince's eyes darted to Serenity. The girl was walking forward, toward the single beam of light.
"Wait Usa!" he shouted to the girl. The princess paused. She placed her hands on her hips and turned to face him.
"Don't call me that!" she growled. "My name is Usagi, not Usa!"
Serenity noticed that Endymion had kneeled down. Her eyebrows knitted together with confusion. This time, the young man had taken off both of his gloves and placed the palms of his hands on the ground. Serenity's right eyebrow raised. "Why do you keep doing that?" she demanded.
The prince did not answer her. Instead, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the ground beneath him. Endymion inhaled deeply. He allowed the energy from the ground to flow through him. The prince sensed that this patch of forest had once been rich and thriving with plant and animal life, but an outside force had dessimated the area. The place was now diseased and poisoned. As he concentrated, Endymion discerned that the evil initially detected had been expunged; however, an essence of lingering darkness cloaked the wooded area around him.
The prince sucked a deep breath in as he made sense of his discovery. One of the two meteors he had detected last night had come from this place. He guessed—from the relatively small size of the infected area—that the second rock was released from this area.
A snap of a twig brought Endymion out of his transfixed state. His midnight eyes fluttered open. Serenity had turned away from him and had proceeded forward, further into the diseased part of the forest.
Endymion's stomach twised and turned as his heart welled in his throat. His eyes widened.
"Usa, no!" he shouted.
He sprang forward from his crouched position. The girl paused again. She turned to gaze at the young man behind her. Her form was illuminated by the shaft of sunlight directly behind her.
"What now?" she growled.
Silence surrounded them. The prince paused. Again, the death hanging in the air made his flesh crawl. He exhaled; a thick cloud of breath left his lungs. He took a step forward.
The princess frowned at his silence. She rolled her eyes. Serenity pivoted her foot to turn away from Endymion. The the firm ground beneath her gave way. As her figure fell down, she let out a scream.
Endymion sprinted forward as Serenity's figure fell out of his view. He approached the area where she once stood. The girl had fallen into a sinkhole. The soil on each side of the chasm crumbled into the darkness. The pit appeared to be bottomless. A sigh of relief escaped from Endymion's lips as he spied the top of Serenity's blonde head. The princess had managed to grab a hold of a protruding tree root. She clutched the edge of the pit for dear life.
Endymion squatted at the edge of the pit and attempted to grab Serenity's hand. She was too far away; he would have to lay against the floor of the forest to reach her. The Terran prince was reluctant to make more contact with the rotted, diseased ground. His connection with the Earth was more powerful through his bare skin, but Endymion could still feel the evil through the fabric of his trousers and shirt. He gritted his teeth to push back the negative energy. The darkness seeped into his body, passed though his limbs, and churned inside of his stomach. His vision faltered. Endymion focused his attention on Serenity. He had to keep the evil from taking over his thoughts. He must save her.
"Usa, take my hand," he instructed calmly. He stretched his right hand down to her.
Serenity let go of the root with her left hand and extended her arm toward Endymion. The root shifted, causing her to slip. Serenity screamed. Endymion, on the verge of relenting to the darkness pusing into his mind, strained forward and reached for Serenity's hand. As his strong grip took hold of her small fingers, a flood of emotion came over him.
Helios had told Endymion that, in addition to the crust of the Earth, the prince could also feel the energy of other people. In the past, Endymion had only ever felt slight twinges of energy from those around him; the power he detected in most people was so faint that he completely ignored it. However, as he took hold of Serenity's bare hand, Endymion felt a well of energy. Had he been standing, the prince would have been knocked over by its intensity. Serenity's power engulfed him. The wave of energy electrified his body and expelled the darkness. Endymion's eyes widened as he lifted her from the chasm. The young girl glowed from such a power that the prince was nearly blinded by the light. He squeezed his eyes shut and pulled her out of the hole.
Serenity clutched the ground beneath them, breathing heavily. Endymion still held her hand tightly. Now that the rush of energy had dissipated, he could sense the girl's relief and fear.
"Usa, are you all right?" he questioned. She did not move. Panic coursed through him. He squeezed her hand. From his connection with her, Endymion knew she was alive. He sat on his knees beside her body and rolled her onto her back The hood of Serenity's cloak fell to her shoulders; a few strands of her golden hair had come loose from her braid. Endymion carefully brushed the hair away from her eyes with his left hand. His heart tightened in his chest as he gazed upon her delicate face. She looked like a sleeping angel, not a little girl.
Serenity stirred. She sat up with a groan. Her gaze rested on Endymion's panic-stricken face. The princess' bright blue eyes sparkled as she smiled at him.
Endymion let out a sigh. He had not realized that he had been holding in his breath. A strange feeling welled in his chest. The prince easily dismissed the sensation as frazzled nerves. He would have been responsible if anything bad had happened to the girl.
"What was that?" Serenity questioned, staring around at the expanse of forest. "Does the ground often fall out from underneath you here?"
Endymion cracked a smile. "Not usually. This part of the forest is diseased."
"How can you tell?" Serenity demanded. She slowly stood up. Her body felt like lead, just as it had when she first arrived on the Earth. She took a few steps and sat down on the trunk of a fallen tree. She glanced to her side. The tree trunk was blanketed with soft, squishy moss. Her eyes scanned the forest floor, which was wash of various greens. Serenity leaned back and rested her gaze on the leafy treetops above her head. "Is that why everything is so green?" the princess pondered.
"It is not green!" Endymion retorted. He stood up and dusted the snow and dirt off of his front. His eyes trailed down from his pants to his boots to the blades of grass poking through the moss-covered floor of the forest. The prince's mouth hung open in astonishment.
This area, which Endymion had earlier detected as diseased and saturated with darkness, was now lush and teeming with life. Feathery ferns reached up from the floor of the forest; greenery dangled from the leafy trees. Endymion gasped as he beheld the beauty of the forest. He turned and noted that the area behind them was still frostbitten with winter.
Serenity looked at Endymion. He behaved as though he were the foreigner walking through a strange land, and not the other way around; he stared at the woods as though he had never seen a forest before. Serenity frowned.
"Mamo," she began slowly, "Are you feeling all right?"
Endymion licked his lips before whispering, "Yes." He looked at Serenity's placid face. Did she cause this? Was she the source of the power that had slammed into his body?
The growl of his stomach placed him back into the present.
"We should be on our way," the prince muttered. "This small patch of green is bound to draw some attention."
He looked at Serenity, who was staring blankly back at him. The prince wondered how such a little girl could hold such intense energy.
The Moon Princess stood and walked toward Endymion. She smiled at him.
"Where to now?" she asked.
Endymion shrugged. He looked around the forest to determine which direction they should walk. The prince cursed his bad luck of being stuck wandering his uncle's territory. He faced to his right and pointed. "If we head east, we should come to the village of Alendoor by nightfall."
Serenity nodded and extended her hand. The prince hesitated and finally took a hold of her wrist. Again, he felt a shock of energy. The power was faint through the cuff of Serenity's blouse, but it was impossible for the prince to ignore it. Endymion relaxed and allowed his body to accept the small surge of her energy. They began to walk.
Endymion glanced over his shoulder. He took one last glance at the healed patch of forest. The greenery shined like an emerald in a sea of grey.
"We need to hurry," he muttered.
The evil may be gone, but Endymion would not permit himself to relax until they were far away from this place.
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End of Chapter 12
Holy cow! Chapter 12?!?!?! (hollie jumps up and down)
Ahem, sorry, I'm composing myself...
Again, a huge thanks to moonlightrose, guccimoon, Karla, & Krysia for reviewing! I can't explain how happy I am that you enjoy the story so far!
To darkravine, your earlier review really encouraged me to post more chapters. Thanks for your support! I'm glad I was able to surprise you with so many new chapters. As for twists, well, I have a few tricks up my sleeve...
This chapter was a lot of fun to write, so I hope you had fun reading it! Please review. Chapter 13 will be posted soon...
Hollie
Kuni-chan, this chapter for you! Thanks so much for your amazing feedback!
More author's notes at the end....
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. Nadda. Zippo. Zilch.
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Light of Love: Red Moon Chapter 12: Strangers Connect
Princess Serenity groaned. The back of her head throbbed.
Although well versed in how to control the Transporter, Serenity had never before used the device on herself. Serenity, as the Moon Princess, was expected to travel by more conventional means. The Queen often used the Transporter for unofficial business to other planets, but the princess was expected to travel by ship.
Her journey through the Transporter was quick and fast. Serenity remembered standing on the round platform of the Transporter, the terrifying freefall while her body sped through space, and the jolting pain that shot up her legs after her feet slammed into the firm ground of the Earth's surface. The normally graceful princess staggered backward before her feet slipped out from underneath her and she fell unceremoniously on her backside.
"Ow!" Serenity yelped as the back of her head made contact with the ground beneath her. The princess clamped her eyes shut. She cupped her hands as she placed them on each side of her face.
"The secret to landing from a transport is to lean forward a little bit, and put your weight on the balls of your feet."
Rei's words echoed in Serenity's pounding head. Back when the Martian apprentice gave her the tip, Serenity never dreamed she would ever need to use it.
'At least no one was around to see,' Serenity silently thought to herself. She let out a sigh and inhaled deeply. The princess held her breath in; cold, frosted air cut into her lungs. During her jolting journey through the Transporter, she had forgotten about her final destination.
She was on the Earth!
A smile curled at the corner of her lips as her eyes shot open. She expected to see a fabulous blue sky, green leafy tree boughs, or a number of other earthly delights Linnaus had told her about. Serenity wanted to see mountains, rivers, fields and beaches. As her eyes focused--this world was considerably brighter than the Moon--all Serenity saw was a pair of dark blue eyes gazing down at her.
The princess' own eyes widened with fear and surprise. Her heartbeat quickened. A piercing scream rattled her eardrums.
The loud noise startled the owner of the eyes. The stranger moved away from the princess. He covered his ears with the palms of his hands and turned slightly away from Serenity.
"Will you knock that off?" he growled at her.
Serenity frowned and clamped her mouth shut. She was so startled; she hadn't even realized that the scream had come from her own throat. The princess felt the blood rush to her cheeks. She didn't know if it was because she was frightened or embarassed. In her dreams, she had always imagined her first moments on Earth would be more dignified.
"Sorry," she squeaked. Serenity winced as she attempted to sit up. Her movements were slow. Her body felt like lead. Her eyesight blurred slightly as she righted herself. She cradled her throbbing head in her palms.
The stranger lowered his hands from his ears and turned again to facd her. His eyes softened.
"It's okay," he told Serenity. "It's just that, you were laying there, and I thought you were dead, and then..." He motioned to is ears as he said, "Loud noise."
The princess gazed up at him. From Serenity's seated position on the ground, the stranger towered over her. He appeared slightly older, but the princess could not be certain of his age. From her study books, Serenity remembered that Terrans had much shorter life spans than Lunarians.
The princess blinked her wide blue eyes. She wanted to get a good loook at this strange young man, but her vision was still blurred and hazy. He paced, which made it difficult for Serenity to focus. He mummbled as he moved back and forth. Serenity thought his mutterings were directed at her, but her trip through the Traonsporter had left her a little disoriented. Whenever she thought he looked in her direction, Serenity smiled politely.
The stranger finally paused and turned toward her. He extended his arm.
"Do you need help up?"
Serenity nodded and settled her left hand inside of his gloved right palm. He curled his fingers around her own has he forcefuly pulled her into a standing position. The young man was lanky but strong; Serenity felt like a rad doll that had been tossed in the air. The princess staggered forward on wobbly legs. She would have fallen on her face if the stranger had not been standing in front of her. Instead, she crashed—face first—into the young man's chest. He wrapped his arms protectively around her. Serenity froze in his grasp. The thumping of his heart was loud in her ears; his heartbeat had quickened.
The stranger laughed nervously and took one step away from the princess.
"Careful there," he said. He held her at arm's length. He was about to let go of her completely but he paused. A wave of recognition washed over him as he gazed into the princess' icy blue eyes. Somehow, they seemed familiar to him. His midnight gaze narrowed. His right eyebrow arched suspiciously as he whispered, "Have we...met...before?"
Serenity's eyes widened as her own heart raced inside of her chest. This young man seemed familiar; she wanted to say yes, she did know him. Perhaps that was why she only screamed when she first saw him and didn't run away.
The stranger smiled as he gazed into the princess' face. Like Serenity, his expression was filled with anticipation. His midnight gaze shifted away from her crystal blue eyes to the center of her forehead. He frowned.
Serenity slapped her right hand between her eyebrows. Panic sunk into her stomach. She had recited all of the proper chants to erase the crescent symbol from her forehead, hadn't she? In all of the excitement, Serenity had failed to see if the chants had actually worked. She rubbed her fingers over her forehead. The skin between her eyebrows felt smooth and crescent- free. Relief washed over the princess. Her moon symbol was gone. She dropped her hand from her face and laughed nervously.
"We've never met," Serenity confessed. "I'm not really from around here."
"Oh," said the stranger, slighly deflated. The sparkle in his eyes dimmed as he turned his gaze away from her. He glanced down to the ground, to the small gap of space between the two of them. They still stood very close to each other—too close for strangers. The young man stepped away from the princess. He frowned as he felt a slight bump on the back of his head. Only two hours ago, that bump had been a gaping wound.
Serenity fumbled with her scarlett-colored cloak. The wool fabric was heavy. In fact, her entire Terran costume was bulky and uncomfortable. The clothes had once belonged to Sailor Earth; she had given them to Serenity as a gift, so the princess could dress properly for her pretend Terran adventures with Linnaus. Serenity had only worn the costume on a few occasions; although she appreciated the former senshi's thoughtfulness, the Moon Princess found the Terran clothing to be too bulky for her slight frame.
The princess shivered as she adjusted her hood. Her fingers termbled as she reached in the pocket of her dress for her leather gloves. Linnaus had failed to mention to her how much colder Earth was than the Moon.
As she pulled the gloves over her hands, Serneity lifted her gaze to survey her surroundings. The encounter with the stranger had distracted her from taking a good look at the Terran terrain.
She and the young man stood in a wide clearing surrounded on all sides by bare trees. Aside from a smattering of leafless bushes, the clearing was void of any vegetation. Deflated grey snow blanketed the clearing. Serenity stomped her black boots; the ground was frozen solid.
The Moon Princess shook her head in disbelief. This was the planet Linnaus was so eager to return to, with its lack of color and living things? Why would he desire to live in such a dull, ugly place?
Serenity's thoughts were interrupted by the stranger.
"Um, this may be a strange question," he muttered as he stared at the ground, "but have you seen a rock, about this big, anywhere around here?"
He pointed to his cupped right palm. The princess glanced down to the young man's gloved hand and frowned.
"What color is it?" she asked.
"Sort of black, with faint flecks of amber."
"And what shape is it?"
"Good question," the stranger muttered. He could have sworn that the Golden Crystal had changed shapes the last time he had used it. Again, he pointed to his cupped hand. "But it was about that big."
"Sorry," Serenity confessed as she shrugged and shook her head.
The stranger frowned. He turned his attention to the ground.
"I could have sworn this was where it happened," he said quietly. He walked through the clearing in a haphazard fashion, as though retracing past steps. Serenity stared at the young man curiously. He walked all around her, muttering. A couple of times, he squatted down, removed the glove from one of his hands, and pressed his palm flat against the ground. The stranger closed his eyes each time and concentrated.
"What are you doing?" Serenity interrupted. It was the third time he had crouched down and touched the ground with his bare hand.
The stranger did not move from his position, but he did open his eyes and glare at the princess. His disapproving glance caused Serenity to flinch. His midnight gaze drifted to the sky. He squinted.
"Where do you think the Moon is?" the stranger questioned.
Serenity's eyes widened as she also turned her attention to the heavens. She scanned the grey sky for any sign of the planet. Panic tightened her chest; she could not see the Moon anywhere. Why couldn't she, the princess of the Moon, see her own planet?
I don't know," she whispered.
The stranger sighed. He stood and placed the glove back over his fingers. He approached Serenity. He looked down at the snow around her feet. He frowned as he followed her footprints to the deep imprint where she had fallen. His eyes trailed back over the snow to Serenity's position. He wondered where she had come from; she seemed to have fallen from the sky. Recalling the Solarian Soldiers and their red uniforms, the stranger gazed suspiciously at Serenity's clothes. His twilight eyes narrowed. He was no longer friendly, but cold and reserved.
"Nice cloak," he finally observed. His voice dripped with sarcasm.
Serenity flinched. She glanced down at the thick fabric.
"What's wrong with it?" she asked.
"It's awfully red," retorted the young man.
"Is that bad?"
The stranger did not reply. Instead, he slowly circled Serenity. The princess remained rooted to the ground, too wary of the young man's strange behavior to move. Was it so obvious she was not a Terran?
"What is your name?" quizzed the young man. He continued to circle the princess.
Out of habit, Serenity opened her mouth to say her real name, but she hesitated and bit her lip instead. She could feel the color rush to her cheeks. The princess shivered and closed her eyes. She and Linnaus had been on so many make-believe Terran adventures together; why did she have to forget her Terran name now?
The young man noticed her pause. He stopped walking and stood in front of her. The girl's eyes were still clamped shut. She scrunched her face together.
Suddenly, her lids popped open to reveal her bright, crystalline eyes.
"My name is Tsukino Usagi and I am searching for my lost father."
A smile of satisfaction spread on Serenity's face as she finished. She had rehearsed the statement the night before, after she was banished to her bedroom. The princess glanced at the stranger, who looked at her as though she had just spoken in jibberish.
"What? Didn't I say it right?" she defensively questioned.
"Tsukino Usagi?" he repeated. The girl nodded. A grin parted his lips. "That's a really weird name."
Serenity's face fell into a scowl. She pursed her lips together. Her nostrils flared. How dare this stranger tell her that! Her name was not...weird, was it? Linnaus had not given her a strange Terran name, had he?
"I'll bet your name isn't any better than mine!" she muttered sullenly.
The stranger bristled at her angry tone. The young man opened his mouth to reply, but the distant sound of a snapping twig distracted him. He crouched down and removed the glove from his hand. After he placed his palm flat against the ground, the stranger closed his eyes and concentrated.
Serenity frowned. She wondered if all Terrans touched the ground like this odd young man. Was this some strange Terran ritual?
"What are you doing?" she again demanded, placing her hands on each of her hips.
"Quiet," whispered the stranger. After a moment, he stood up and glanced around the clearing. Men's voices could be heard in the distance. His second site told him that at least ten men were approaching through the woods. He placed a hand over the hilt of his sword. The young man glanced at the confused girl standing in front of him. Obviously, she hadn't heard the men.
"We aren't safe here," he stated. "We have to leave now."
"Leave?" Serenity gasped. The young man grabbed her by the arm. Serenity struggled against his grasp. "I just got here. I can't leave now!"
"If you want to live," the stranger told her calmly, "Then you will come with me."
Serenity heard the rustling of the trees on her left. Her eyes bolted to the woods. The young man pushed her behind him and drew his sword.
"Run," he ordered. Serenity's crystalline blue eyes turned to face the stranger. She studied his profile. He was very handsome. His midnight hair was disheveled; several locks had fallen into his face. His breathing was fast and hard. The cold air clouded out from his nostrils as he exhaled.
He noticed Serenity from the corner of his eye. Noting that the princess had not run as he had requested, the young man frowned. His dark gaze locked with her wide, inquisitive blue eyes.
"I'll be right behind you," he assured her. "Run as fast as you can. NOW."
This time, Serenity did as he instructed. She nodded and turned to the woods behind her. Moon Princesses were not known for their running skills, she thought sourly to herself. Again, she silently wished that she could have trained with her friends to become a senshi. Now was not the time for such thoughts, though. Serenity squeezed her eyes shut. Her focus was to escape, into the woods. The princess' bright blue eyes snapped open. She inhaled deeply, lifted her skirts a few inches from the ground, and sprinted as fast as she could.
Just as he had promised, the stranger stayed behind her. Occasionally, he glanced over his shoulder to see if they were being followed. The pair had run quite a distance before they slowed to a jog. When he was confident that he and Serenity were far enough away, the young man allowed them to pause and catch their breath.
"We can't stop for long," he stated, gasping for air between words. "The snow will betray us. They'll track our footsteps."
Serenity nodded and leaned against a tree. She pocketed her gloves and wiped her forehead with her bare hand. The princess had never run so hard in her life. The cold air cut into her throat. Her lungs burned.
"By the way, my name is Chiba Mamoru," the young man told her. He had considered telling her his real name, but decided against it. If Solarian Soldiers were searching for Prince Endymion, it was best that he draw as little attiontion to himself as possible. Perhaps it was good that he had stumbled upon this girl; the soldiers would be looking for a young man travelling alone.
The girl's eyes widened as she stared at him.
"Chiba Mamo-what?" she stammered. She tried to pronounce his name several times, but "Mamo" was the only word that came out.
Endymion's eyes slanted in irritation at the blatant misuse of his nickname. He sighed.
"You're a little young to be running around the countryside by yourself," he stated, glad to change the subject.
Serenity shot him a dirty look. She clenched her fists to her sides as she squealed, "I am not little!"
Endymion smiled and rolled his eyes. "Right," he muttered under his breath. He shook the snow off of his boots by tapping his feet against a tree trunk. Endymion glanced to Serenity, who was still seething from his comment. "Earlier, you mentioned something about searching for your father."
Serenity's face softened a little as she thought about Linnaus. Her eyes darted around to the trees and snow surrounding them. She should be searching for her cousin instead of talking with this stranger.
"So what if am I searching for him?" Serenity questioned defensively. "What does it matter to you?"
Endymion shrugged. "It doesn't mean anything to me," he admitted. "I just think it's strange for a little girl to be wandering around the woods by herself. The Puissant Territory is no place—"
"I am not a little girl!" Serenity interrupted. The color flushed to her cheeks. She crossed her arms over her chest in a sulk.
Endymion found her response amusing. He nodded his head and snickered.
"How old are you?" he finally asked.
The princess held her breath in. Her face paled at his question. She didn't know much about Earth people, but she knew that they had shorter life spans than Lunarians.
"How old do you think I am?" she countered.
The Terran Prince stared at her face for a while. At first glance, he had thought the girl was only ten years old. Her small, rounded face and wide, innocent blue eyes suggested that she was very young. However, Endymion had also noticed that she had small breasts, which indicated that she was a older than ten. Perhaps she just looked little for her age.
"Twelve?" he finally asked.
Serenity blinked her eyes and slowly nodded her head. "Good guess." On the Moon, the princess was already 996 years old.
"How old do you think I am?" the prince asked her. He walked toward the rpincess; his tall, lanky frame towered above her. Serenity squinted as she looked up at him. From where she stood, Serenity could barely even see his face. Endymion was cast in shadow.
Serenity shook her head. She knew that she would not be able to guess his age. The Moon Princess wanted to say that he looked to be nearly1,015; however, after his assessment of her age, she knew that her guess would be horribly out of range. Instead of answering, she shrugged her small shoulders.
"I'm sixteen," the prince declared triumphantly. "But I am going to be seventeen in a couple of months.
The princess nodded her head politely.
"Shouldn't we be on our way?" Serenity finally asked. She stepped away from the tree she had used for support and straightened out her skirts. "Who were those men, anyway?" she pondered as she pushed past Endymion.
The prince sighed as Serenity walked by. The scent of sweet honey blossoms lingered in the air behind her. Endymion smiled and breathed in the pleasant smell. He thought of spring.
The prince took a step forward and paused. A wave of nausea overtook Endymion. He crouched down as his stomach cramped. The prince's twilight eyes scanned the trees and the floor encircling them. He frowned as he noticed a wide shaft of sunlight shining in the small clearing directly in front of their place in the woods.
Aprehension squeezed inside the prince's chest. The part of the forest they had just entered was dead and rotted. Endymion could sense an evil presence. The prince's eyes darted to Serenity. The girl was walking forward, toward the single beam of light.
"Wait Usa!" he shouted to the girl. The princess paused. She placed her hands on her hips and turned to face him.
"Don't call me that!" she growled. "My name is Usagi, not Usa!"
Serenity noticed that Endymion had kneeled down. Her eyebrows knitted together with confusion. This time, the young man had taken off both of his gloves and placed the palms of his hands on the ground. Serenity's right eyebrow raised. "Why do you keep doing that?" she demanded.
The prince did not answer her. Instead, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the ground beneath him. Endymion inhaled deeply. He allowed the energy from the ground to flow through him. The prince sensed that this patch of forest had once been rich and thriving with plant and animal life, but an outside force had dessimated the area. The place was now diseased and poisoned. As he concentrated, Endymion discerned that the evil initially detected had been expunged; however, an essence of lingering darkness cloaked the wooded area around him.
The prince sucked a deep breath in as he made sense of his discovery. One of the two meteors he had detected last night had come from this place. He guessed—from the relatively small size of the infected area—that the second rock was released from this area.
A snap of a twig brought Endymion out of his transfixed state. His midnight eyes fluttered open. Serenity had turned away from him and had proceeded forward, further into the diseased part of the forest.
Endymion's stomach twised and turned as his heart welled in his throat. His eyes widened.
"Usa, no!" he shouted.
He sprang forward from his crouched position. The girl paused again. She turned to gaze at the young man behind her. Her form was illuminated by the shaft of sunlight directly behind her.
"What now?" she growled.
Silence surrounded them. The prince paused. Again, the death hanging in the air made his flesh crawl. He exhaled; a thick cloud of breath left his lungs. He took a step forward.
The princess frowned at his silence. She rolled her eyes. Serenity pivoted her foot to turn away from Endymion. The the firm ground beneath her gave way. As her figure fell down, she let out a scream.
Endymion sprinted forward as Serenity's figure fell out of his view. He approached the area where she once stood. The girl had fallen into a sinkhole. The soil on each side of the chasm crumbled into the darkness. The pit appeared to be bottomless. A sigh of relief escaped from Endymion's lips as he spied the top of Serenity's blonde head. The princess had managed to grab a hold of a protruding tree root. She clutched the edge of the pit for dear life.
Endymion squatted at the edge of the pit and attempted to grab Serenity's hand. She was too far away; he would have to lay against the floor of the forest to reach her. The Terran prince was reluctant to make more contact with the rotted, diseased ground. His connection with the Earth was more powerful through his bare skin, but Endymion could still feel the evil through the fabric of his trousers and shirt. He gritted his teeth to push back the negative energy. The darkness seeped into his body, passed though his limbs, and churned inside of his stomach. His vision faltered. Endymion focused his attention on Serenity. He had to keep the evil from taking over his thoughts. He must save her.
"Usa, take my hand," he instructed calmly. He stretched his right hand down to her.
Serenity let go of the root with her left hand and extended her arm toward Endymion. The root shifted, causing her to slip. Serenity screamed. Endymion, on the verge of relenting to the darkness pusing into his mind, strained forward and reached for Serenity's hand. As his strong grip took hold of her small fingers, a flood of emotion came over him.
Helios had told Endymion that, in addition to the crust of the Earth, the prince could also feel the energy of other people. In the past, Endymion had only ever felt slight twinges of energy from those around him; the power he detected in most people was so faint that he completely ignored it. However, as he took hold of Serenity's bare hand, Endymion felt a well of energy. Had he been standing, the prince would have been knocked over by its intensity. Serenity's power engulfed him. The wave of energy electrified his body and expelled the darkness. Endymion's eyes widened as he lifted her from the chasm. The young girl glowed from such a power that the prince was nearly blinded by the light. He squeezed his eyes shut and pulled her out of the hole.
Serenity clutched the ground beneath them, breathing heavily. Endymion still held her hand tightly. Now that the rush of energy had dissipated, he could sense the girl's relief and fear.
"Usa, are you all right?" he questioned. She did not move. Panic coursed through him. He squeezed her hand. From his connection with her, Endymion knew she was alive. He sat on his knees beside her body and rolled her onto her back The hood of Serenity's cloak fell to her shoulders; a few strands of her golden hair had come loose from her braid. Endymion carefully brushed the hair away from her eyes with his left hand. His heart tightened in his chest as he gazed upon her delicate face. She looked like a sleeping angel, not a little girl.
Serenity stirred. She sat up with a groan. Her gaze rested on Endymion's panic-stricken face. The princess' bright blue eyes sparkled as she smiled at him.
Endymion let out a sigh. He had not realized that he had been holding in his breath. A strange feeling welled in his chest. The prince easily dismissed the sensation as frazzled nerves. He would have been responsible if anything bad had happened to the girl.
"What was that?" Serenity questioned, staring around at the expanse of forest. "Does the ground often fall out from underneath you here?"
Endymion cracked a smile. "Not usually. This part of the forest is diseased."
"How can you tell?" Serenity demanded. She slowly stood up. Her body felt like lead, just as it had when she first arrived on the Earth. She took a few steps and sat down on the trunk of a fallen tree. She glanced to her side. The tree trunk was blanketed with soft, squishy moss. Her eyes scanned the forest floor, which was wash of various greens. Serenity leaned back and rested her gaze on the leafy treetops above her head. "Is that why everything is so green?" the princess pondered.
"It is not green!" Endymion retorted. He stood up and dusted the snow and dirt off of his front. His eyes trailed down from his pants to his boots to the blades of grass poking through the moss-covered floor of the forest. The prince's mouth hung open in astonishment.
This area, which Endymion had earlier detected as diseased and saturated with darkness, was now lush and teeming with life. Feathery ferns reached up from the floor of the forest; greenery dangled from the leafy trees. Endymion gasped as he beheld the beauty of the forest. He turned and noted that the area behind them was still frostbitten with winter.
Serenity looked at Endymion. He behaved as though he were the foreigner walking through a strange land, and not the other way around; he stared at the woods as though he had never seen a forest before. Serenity frowned.
"Mamo," she began slowly, "Are you feeling all right?"
Endymion licked his lips before whispering, "Yes." He looked at Serenity's placid face. Did she cause this? Was she the source of the power that had slammed into his body?
The growl of his stomach placed him back into the present.
"We should be on our way," the prince muttered. "This small patch of green is bound to draw some attention."
He looked at Serenity, who was staring blankly back at him. The prince wondered how such a little girl could hold such intense energy.
The Moon Princess stood and walked toward Endymion. She smiled at him.
"Where to now?" she asked.
Endymion shrugged. He looked around the forest to determine which direction they should walk. The prince cursed his bad luck of being stuck wandering his uncle's territory. He faced to his right and pointed. "If we head east, we should come to the village of Alendoor by nightfall."
Serenity nodded and extended her hand. The prince hesitated and finally took a hold of her wrist. Again, he felt a shock of energy. The power was faint through the cuff of Serenity's blouse, but it was impossible for the prince to ignore it. Endymion relaxed and allowed his body to accept the small surge of her energy. They began to walk.
Endymion glanced over his shoulder. He took one last glance at the healed patch of forest. The greenery shined like an emerald in a sea of grey.
"We need to hurry," he muttered.
The evil may be gone, but Endymion would not permit himself to relax until they were far away from this place.
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End of Chapter 12
Holy cow! Chapter 12?!?!?! (hollie jumps up and down)
Ahem, sorry, I'm composing myself...
Again, a huge thanks to moonlightrose, guccimoon, Karla, & Krysia for reviewing! I can't explain how happy I am that you enjoy the story so far!
To darkravine, your earlier review really encouraged me to post more chapters. Thanks for your support! I'm glad I was able to surprise you with so many new chapters. As for twists, well, I have a few tricks up my sleeve...
This chapter was a lot of fun to write, so I hope you had fun reading it! Please review. Chapter 13 will be posted soon...
Hollie