Howdy! Okay, so I'm apologizing a LOT for posting this chapter super late. I am sorry! Computer upgrades, plus disk drive "issues," meant that this chapter, which had already been written, was not accessible. Sorry!

Thank you so much for all of your feedback thus far. It's so encouraging! I have the best readers/reviewers!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or anything cool like that. I do own a lot of shoes—no red knee-high boots with crescent moons, though.

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In the last chapter, Endymion and Serenity encountered a big burly man who wanted to have his way with our lovable princess. Our lovable Prince defended dear Serenity's honor. Unfortunately, this act of valiancy revealed the prince's true identity to the villagers. Fortunately, Serenity is not as perceptive as the common man and still has no idea that the Terran prince is posing as her own personal tour guide and bodyguard.

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Chapter 15: Interlude near Cuspa

Minako stretched her arms to her sides and yawned.

"I could eat a tree," the blonde-headed Venetian proclaimed.

Makoto snickered as she said, "That's not right, Minako. It's not about trees."

"What isn't?"

"That saying," Rei said. The Martian princess' sudden outburst caused both of her companions to jump a little. Rei grimaced as she added, "It's Terran, isn't it?"

The Martian twisted her head around and looked at the Earth. The blue and white planet hung just above the western horizon. Normally, the calm, clear waters of the Sea of Selenity reflected the Earth's image, which created the illusion of two planets basked in the glow of the moon. In the aftermath of the meteor attacks of two days ago, the sea's surface was streaked by a swirl of brown and grey, and the Terran planet remained a solitary eyesore in Rei's sight.

"She speaks!" Makoto declared. She smiled at the dark-headed Martian. Rei had hardly uttered a word in the last two days. The princess of Jupiter assumed that her friend was just shaken up by the destruction around them. Yesterday afternoon, Makoto, Rei, and Minako were recruited to help with the clean-up effort in the coastal village of Cuspa. Ami had been sent back to the castle to assist Sailor Mercury.

Rei ignored Makoto and continued, "Anyway, that saying is about eating a horse, I think. They have those on Earth."

"A horse?" Minako grimaced. The blonde-headed girl shook her head. "Why would anyone want to eat a horse?"

"I think that's the point," Makoto muttered. "And anyway, who would want to eat a tree?"

"A tree sounds a lot more appetizing than a horse!" declared Minako. "Have you ever even seen a horse?"

"Only in our textbooks," Rei whispered. Her gaze was still drawn to the blue and white planet in the sky. Tears prickled in her eyes.

Serenity was on the Earth. Rei knew it. Yesterday morning, Rei tried to stop her impetuous friend from leaving; unfortunately, she was intercepted in the Moon Castle's west wing by Artemis. The Martian apprentice tried to tell the white feline that she was simply checking on Princess Serenity. The normally understanding and calm Artemis—obviously shaken from the attack—berated Rei for not following basic orders.

"Now is not the time for visits!" he growled. "You were told to go to the Sea of Selenity to assist with the clean-up effort! Go! Now!"

Rei mutely nodded her head. She left the palace. She joined the others at the Sea of Selenity. She and the other apprentices were assigned duties. Rei worked through the afternoon. Worry and frustration still consumed her. She knew that Serenity was capable of leaving the Moon. She knew that Serenity would use the Teleporter. She knew that everyone was distracted by the attacks, and that Serenity's absence would not be detected immediately.

The Martian Princess decided to talk to Sailor Mars about her premonitions. Rei recognized that her mentor was more than capable of sensing the Moon Princess' presence in the Castle. Rei finally found a moment in the late afternoon to ask Sailor Mars about Serenity; the Senshi dismissed her apprentice's misgivings as rubbish.

"She's the most heavily protected person on this planet, Rei," Sailor Mars assured her.

"Then you can sense her presence in the palace?" Rei questioned hopefully. "You feel her aura in her chamber?"

Sailor Mars frowned. She glanced up at the Moon Castle on the hill above them. Her eyes narrowed as she shifted her gaze and focused on her young apprentice.

"Rei," she finally said, "With all that has happened, with all of the work that has to be done, we really need to focus our energy to where it's needed. Princess Serenity will always be safe and protected. I don't have to sense her aura to know that!"

Following her mentor's cool reception, Rei opted not to share her thoughts regarding Serenity's whereabouts with anyone else. Instead, she quietly did what she was told. No matter how hard she tried to discard her worries, however, Rei couldn't help but think about the princess she was training to protect. She hadn't slept the night before. She had barely eaten anything.

"They're disgusting-looking four-legged creatures!" Minako said. "What are they used for anyway?"

"Riding," Makoto answered. "Oh! And for carrying things. I thought they looked quite interesting in the diagrams."

"Well," announced Minako, "I would still much rather eat a tree than a horse!"

Makoto laughed. "You really couldn't eat a tree."

Minako shook her head vigorously.

"No, no, I really could!" she persisted. "And I'm not just talking about a baby tree or a small bush. I'm talking about a big, huge full-grown tree!"

The blonde Venetian extended her arms in front of her to mime a large tree trunk. Her tired eyes popped open as she surveyed the dirt on her hands and forearms. She pulled her compact mirror out from the pocket of her fuku. Minako groaned as she looked at her reflection. A layer of grime covered her normally flawless face.

"Look at how dirty I am!" she lamented. She fluffed her hair with her left hand. The blonde ponytail was greasy to her touch. Minako groaned with disgust.

"I'm sure the Senshi won't mind if you wash up before tea," Makoto responded. The tall brunette yawned. She rubbed her eyes. She frowned as she noticed a figure approaching from the castle.

Minako pocketed her mirror. She peered ahead of them. She also noticed the form that approached. The Venetian apprentice held her right hand to her brow. She squinted. She moaned when she recognized the blue fuku of Mercury. Ami was walking toward them.

"I thought it was time for a break." Minako complained just loudly enough for Makoto and Rei to hear. "Why is she coming down here?"

Makoto looked over her shoulder to observe the progress the three of them had made climbing up the hill toward the castle.

"Please, please don't tell us to go back to Cuspa." Makoto muttered quietly. The approaching Mercurian apprentice was still out of earshot to hear the comment..

"I'm glad to see you're already on your way to the palace," Ami declared when she stood only a few paces away from he peers. Her blue eyes darted up and down each of her friends' fukus. She scowled disapprovingly.

"Oh give me a break, Ami!" Minako wailed. She flapped her arms against her sides. "So we're a little dirty. We've been picking up debris all day long! We planned to clean up before tea."

Ami rolled her eyes. She ran a pristine white glove through her perfectly groomed blue hair. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I was sent to come and get you," Ami declared. "Something terrible has happened."

"What?" Makoto laughed. "Did someone forget to properly re-shelve some books in the library? Did Mercury's computer get dirty?"

Minako giggled. Ami frowned.

"No, Makoto," the Mercurian said coolly. "Nothing like that."

Rei eyed Ami suspiciously. The Martian sensed conflicting emotions inside her friend. The blue-headed girl seemed smug and concerned. Something had happened, and Ami knew what it was. Knowing the Mercian apprentice as well as she did, Rei suspected that the concern was genuine and that the smugness was because the Ami knew something the rest of them did not. The princess of Mercury quite enjoyed keeping secrets from her friends.

"Are you going to tell us what happened, Ami?" Rei asked. Her face remained composed, but worry bore into the Martian's stomach. She suspected that she already knew what Ami's news would be.

The Mercurian's bright aqua gaze flashed over to Rei. She avoided making direct eye contact with the Martian. Instead, her gaze suddenly darted down to the toes of her boots. She shuffled her feet.

"I don't know anything," Ami muttered.

Rei's violet eyes narrowed. "You're lying," she stated firmly.

Ami glanced up at Rei. Her look was reproachful and apologetic.

"Sailor Mercury said I couldn't tell you."

"So?" Makoto countered.

"So," Ami spluttered with an exasperated sigh, "I'm not allowed to tell you. Look, I'm sure that you'll find out just as soon as you get to the castle."

Rei stared into Ami's wide blue eyes.

"You're lying again, Ami," the Martian declared.

Ami shuddered under Rei's psychic gaze. The Mercurian people were typically suspicious of anything that was unable to be explained by science. Rei's ability to detect Ami's thoughts was more than the Mercurian could tolerate.

"Stop doing that!" Ami snapped.

"Tell us what happened," Rei stated.

A squeal of impatience escaped from Minako's mouth.

"Spill it, Ami," the Venetian said. "As the future leader of the Senshi, I command you."

Ami rolled her eyes at Minako's sudden self-installment of authority. She shook her head of bright blue hair. After much fidgeting, she finally announced, "Someone may hear us."

Makoto and Minako laughed. Each girl turned to look around them. From their position halfway up the hill, the four apprentices were far from any eavesdroppers from either Cuspa or the Moon Castle. They couldn't be in a better place for the divulging of semi-classified information.

"It's about Princess Serenity," Ami finally confessed.

Rei's face fell. She turned away from the others. She suddenly felt cold and detached. Her eyes rested on the blue and white planet just above the horizon. Regret racked her body. The conversation between Makoto, Minako, and Ami was muffled in Rei's ears.

"What about Serenity?" Minako asked.

"She's not here," Ami announced.

"She's not in the Castle?"

"No, Makoto," Ami replied. "She's not here. On the Moon. She's gone."

Minako frowned and exchanged an inquisitive look with Makoto.

"Where is she then?" demanded Makoto.

Ami shook her head. "I can't say. I shouldn't have even told you what I did. I'm sure that the Senshi will tell you, once we get back to the Castle..."

"Why, you smug little know-it-all!" Minako snapped. Her eyes narrowed. "How great it must be for you, having all of these perfect little secrets from us!"

"She won't tell you where Serenity is," Rei calmly declared. Her interruption caused her three friends to jump a little. Makoto, Ami, and Minako turned their attention to the dark-headed Martian. She smiled as she said, "But I will."

Rei pulled her focus from the horizon. A cool wind blew past her. Her loose black hair floated around her figure. The red skirt of her fuku flapped against her bare thighs. Rei's violet eyes glittered with wisdom.

"Serenity is on the Earth," she calmly announced.

From the look of horror on Ami's face, Rei knew she was correct. Not that she needed Ami's confirmation, though. The Martian probably knew well before anyone else that Serenity had fled..

"She's on the Earth?" Minako loudly blurted.

"Shhhh!" replied Ami. Her blue eyes widened to the size of giant marbles. Her face crimsoned. The young Mercurian raised her right arm and covered Minako's mouth with her cupped hand. Ami glanced nervously around. "Why don't you just make a planetary announcement, Minako?"

"What did Sailor Mercury tell you, Ami?" Rei quizzed. She raised her eyebrow as she said, "Look we are a team here. We can't keep secrets from each other, okay?"

Ami slowly removed her hand from Minako's mouth. The Mercurian stepped back. She glanced first to the ground, and then to Minako and Makoto. Her eyes finally wandered to Rei. Both girls stared intensely at each other. Rei raised her eyebrows and shrugged at the Mercurian. Ami sighed. She dropped her eyes and stared at the gap between them.

"You're right, Rei," Ami admitted. The Mercurian licked her lips. Her blue eyes locked with the Martian's inquisitive violet stare. "I don't know how you found out, but it's true." She turned and addressed Makoto and Minako. "Serenity's on the Earth," she confirmed.

Makoto and Minako stood rigid and dumbstruck by Ami's statement.

"Seriously?" Minako croaked.

"How?" pondered Makoto. She shook her head with disbelief. "When?"

"She teleported," Ami stated. From the expectant looks of Makoto and Minako, the Mercurian realized that this brief explanation would not satiate her friends' inquisitive appetites. Ami shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. She cleared her throat before explaining. "Artemis and Ferro were assigned to secure the Teleporter this morning—to put up a block to prevent outsiders from infiltrating the Moon Castle. When they were clearing the back travel logs, they came across two very suspicious departures. The first one was before the attack and before the Senshi and the Queen returned from Ellysion."

"Someone teleported before the attack?" Makoto repeated. "But Serenity was here."

Ami nodded. "Exactly. Someone else departed from the Moon."

"Who?" Rei questioned, surprised by Ami's revelation.

The Mercurian shook her head. "Sailor Mercury wouldn't tell me who it was." Ami, anticipating Rei's next question, added hastily, "But I don't think the person was from the Earth. Sailor Mercury seemed surprised by the signature of the person's energy."

"What was their destination?" Minako questioned.

Ami shrugged her shoulders. Frowning, she said, "Mercury wouldn't tell me that either, but I think it was bad. Very, very bad. I had to stand outside of the throne room when Mercury, Artemis, and Ferro briefed the Queen. Her majesty was not happy. I could hear her shouts through the closed doors."

Rei, Makoto, and Minako nodded their heads in silence as they allowed Ami's words to sink in.

"And what of the other departure?" Rei eventually asked.

Ami's blue eyes glittered. She smiled. "That one I do know about," she said. "And it was bad, too. But it had Serenity's signature all over it. She used the Teleporter yesterday morning. She used it to go to the Earth."

"Are the Senshi being dispatched to rescue her?" Makoto asked.

"Sort of," Ami explained. "Queen Serenity ordered Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter to go immediately to retrieve the princess."

"What?" Minako interjected.

"Just Mercury and Jupiter?" Makoto said incredulously. She shook her head. "But the Senshi never embark on missions in a team of just two. That's suicide."

"Not to mention that the Terrans are hostile toward Lunarians," added Rei.

"Mercury and Jupiter were the only Senshi present in the castle when the princess' absence was discovered," Ami said. "Considering that Serenity has already been gone for more than a day, the Queen thought there wasn't enough time to assemble all of the Senshi. So Mercury and Jupiter were sent alone."

"That's rediculous!" Rei fumed. She recalled the premonition she had the morning before, when she spotted Serenity on the balcony. She thought of the energy boost Serenity was given during the meteor attack; the Moon Princess had been assisted by someone on the Earth. Rei wondered whether the Senshi or the Queen knew of this.

Rei stormed past her three friends. She walked up the hill toward the castle.

"Where are you going?" Minako called after her.

"Where does it look like I'm going?" Rei responded, not bothering to turn around. "The Queen made a mistake, not sending all of the Senshi!"

"What?" laughed Makoto. "Are you just going to storm into the throne room and tell her how to run the planet?"

Rei ignored her. Makoto, Minako, and Ami watched as the Martian's figure ascended the hill.

"The Queen isn't available anyway," Ami stated. She turned to face the two remaining girls. In a hushed tone, Ami told Minako and Makoto, "After she sent Mercury and Jupiter to Earth, she retired. I saw her heading to the basement."

Makoto and Minako nodded thoughtfully.

"I don't know why she visits Pluto," Minako muttered. "It doesn't seem to do any good."

"The poor Queen!" Makoto sighed. "I hope Jupiter and Mercury locate the princess."

Ami twisted her head to look at the blue and white planet suspended just above the horizon. Her bright eyes glistened with tears. She rubbed her eyes with her white gloved hand

"I hope Serenity is safe," she whispered.

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End of Chapter 15

Whew! Another chapter finished. I was tempted title this one, "Meanwhile, back on the Moon..." but I figured that it's been done before. It's shorter than some of the other chappies, isn't it?

Anyway, I am off to work on more. More what? I'm not quite sure. I'm feeling a little giddy right now. No particular reason for it, I just am. Oh dear, I should go.

I will ask, as always, for you to review. I really do appreciate all the feedback I've received so far! Y'all are mucho fabuloso.

Hollie