Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon. Deal with it. Tissues are right here if you need to bawl your eyes out because of this fact.
Key
"Speaking"
'Thinking'
(AN: Author's Note)
Flashback/Dream State
Chapter 4
Kaya's Dream
The marble corridors seemed familiar, yet so alien to her. Every step she took led her to the source that drew her to it. She passed many doors, but none of the rooms that they led to were the one that called her. Her steps echoed off the walls. Her route was twisted, impossible to remember. She walked through so many corridors, passed so many doors, that it seemed as if she would never reach her destination. Up a marble staircase, and down more corridors. Well, at least the staircase had been a change.
Finally she stopped before a door. She reached out, her small hand grasping the handle and turning it. She stepped into the dark chamber. As soon as the door closed, lights turned on, casting the child and the room in an eerie black glow.
Instead of marble, the walls and floor was made of stone. The room was huge and circular. It was bare, save from the stone coffin on the platform in the middle of the room.
Her feet took her to the center of the room, up the few stone stairs of the platform, bringing her to a halt before the coffin. She stared down at it for a moment. The source that called out to her was in the coffin. Her hand reached out and pushed the lid off of it, and the princess stared down at the body that was in it.
A man… With brown hair and a brown beard that matched the color of her own hair. He was dressed in a black suit of armor (AN: Think of Prince Endymion's armor, only it's completely black), with a sword strapped to his side. She stared at the body, unsure of what to think or do.
But she didn't have to do anything at all. She didn't even have the time to do anything, before it happened.
His eyes snapped open, and she could see they were jet-black in color. His gaze immediately turned to her, and she felt paralyzed. She opened her mouth, but no sound would come out. Suddenly, he sat up, seizing the young princess by her neck. Her emerald eyes widened, but her voice still refused to function. Using his free hand, the man pressed two of his fingers against her forehead, gripping her tightly by her neck with his other hand.
The pain was unbearable, and came without warning. Her eyes watered, and she shut them tightly against the burning sensation on her forehead. Suddenly finding her voice, she opened her mouth and let out a blood-curdling scream. The sound filled the room, echoing off the stone walls. Her attacker let out an inhuman, animalistic roar.
The pain intensified, and a black glow suddenly surrounded them. She let out another scream, but couldn't fight against the darkness any longer. She fell unconscious, the stranger still holding her by her neck.
When the door slammed open half a minute later, the man stopped glowing. However, the black glow surrounding Sincerity's body grew brighter, then faded. Suddenly, the man dropped back into his previous position in the coffin, and Sincerity, no longer held up by her neck, collapsed onto the ground.
Queen Serenity and Princess Serenity rushed forward, followed closely by the few servants that had come with them. The Queen knelt down and cradled her youngest daughter in her arms, the other princess beside them. The servants hovered over them, awaiting orders as they gazed worriedly at the youngest princess of the Moon.
The sky blue eyes of Queen Serenity were focused upon Sincerity's forehead, where her birthmark had suddenly appeared. But that was not her main concern. Her main concern was the transformation the once golden upside-down crescent moon had undergone.
It was still an upside-down crescent moon. That hadn't changed. But, instead of being gold in color, the birthmark was now black, and was shining slightly. It didn't take but five seconds for everyone else in the room to turn their attention to the altered birthmark.
The eldest princess of the Moon trembled, staring down at her little sister's forehead with horror. So… The prophecy was true… It was beginning… And there was nothing she, or her mother, could do to stop it.
The queen held Sincerity close, closing her eyes. Her baby… Her precious little baby… She would no longer have control over her own life. The mother had been hoping that the prophecy somehow wouldn't be fulfilled, that Sincerity wouldn't be bound with this curse… But that was, apparently, no longer a possibility.
For the first time in a long, long while… Queen Serenity cried. She cried for what was to come…
Everything was going to go downhill from here…
End of Dream Sequence
Kaya awoke with a jolt. She gasped for breath, sitting up with one hand over her heart, which was beating wildly.
"Kaya?"
Kaya turned her head to look at Rini's bed and found the future princess awake and looking worriedly at her.
"Is something wrong?" Rini asked, concern heavily coating her words.
"No… Just a bad dream…" Kaya replied, voice soft. Rini nodded, waiting to see if Kaya would elaborate any further. Silence reigned for a moment, and Rini took that as a sign that her friend didn't want to talk about the dream. Ruby red eyes glanced over at the digital clock on the bedside table. According to the digital numbers, it was 3:50 am.
"Well, I'm going to try to go back to sleep. You should too, Kaya. It's not even four in the morning yet," Rini said gently, lying back down. Kaya nodded and whispered a good night, lying down as well. Rini was soon fast asleep, but Kaya was a different story. She couldn't fall asleep.
8:00 AM, Tsukino Residence
Sunlight streamed in through the window, bathing the room in a warm light. Rini opened her eyes, turning over to escape the light. She stared down at the sleeping bag Kaya was using as a bed. It took her brain a few seconds to realize that it was empty. She blinked, confused. She got out of bed and changed out of her nightgown into some clean clothes.
Quietly, Rini walked down the stairs. The living room was empty, but the pink haired girl heard some noise and voices coming from the kitchen, and therefore turned and headed toward the kitchen. There, she found Kaya and Ilene, who were cooking breakfast. Ilene was showing Kaya how to flip the pancakes that were cooking in the frying pan on the stove.
"Good morning," Rini said with a yawn. Kaya and Ilene turned to her and smile, Ilene motherly and Kaya shyly. The young girl was still shy around everyone, but that seemed to make everyone just adore her even more.
"Good morning," Ilene greeted.
"Good morning, Rini," Kaya said quietly. Rini smiled, and then set the table. That was her job, after all. In a matter of minutes, breakfast was ready. Ken and Sammy Tsukino came down soon after breakfast was done, but Serena, of course, did not. Everyone, except Kaya, sat down at the table and got ready to eat.
"I'll go wake up Serena," Kaya said quietly. Everyone stared at her in disbelief, but before anyone could say a word, Kaya was already heading upstairs.
What happened next nearly gave The Tsukinos and Rini a heart attack.
Kaya came back into the kitchen not even five minutes later and…
…………….
…………………………
…………………………….
………………………………….
…………………………………….
Serena was actually with her. Sammy and Ken's mouths dropped and Ilene nearly fainted.
But Rini, by far, was the one who reacted the most to the astonishing event.
Leaping to her feet, the young girl turned wide ruby eyes towards her future mother. She raised her arm, pointing at the blonde-haired teen accusingly.
"WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DID YOU DO TO SERENA!" Rini screamed. Kaya blinked, confused, hands clapped over her ears at the sudden loud noise. Serena glared at Rini.
"AND WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!" Serena shrieked, her voice surpassing just as many decibels as Rini's had. The two girls were about to start one of their usual fights, but were cut off by a whimper.
The wide emerald eyes were sparkling, filled with unshed tears. Her small body was pressed up against the wall, hands still clapped over her ears. She looked up at Serena and Rini in fear, trembling slightly.
The two Moon royals stared at Kaya with concern and confusion, as did Ilene, Ken, and Sammy. Ken was the first one to get over his shock. He folded his newspaper and set it aside, getting to his feet, still looking at Kaya with concern. He walked over to her slowly, and reached out a hand to put on her head.
What Kaya did next shocked them all. The small girl let out a scream of terror, throwing her arms up over her head, crouching down into a ball. She trembled, eyes closed. Her arms were still over her head, as if to shield her from some sort of blow.
They stared at her with shock.
"Kaya…" Serena whispered.
Apartment in Tokyo
The apartment had never been spectacular, but it had been home. It had been home. A small family, they were. A loving father and mother, both of whom worked, and two young, adorable children, one the age of five, the other just over a year old. They had been perfectly happy in the two-bedroom apartment.
That had been a week ago.
Where was that family now?
They were floating somewhere in a distant galaxy, bodies tattered and lifeless.
Now, the apartment had new owners, as well as a new look.
Although it seemed not to have changed in size on the outside, it actually had many, many more rooms and corridors. The interior had been… Redecorated, I suppose you could say.
The walls were no longer white, and the floors were no longer tiled or carpeted. Instead, the walls, ceilings, and floors were made of dark gray stone. There were no lamps or any modern-day lights. Instead, lit torches in brackets all along the walls of the corridors lit the way. Fog floated throughout the whole place, covering many things from view.
The main chamber was at the center of the 'new' apartment, and was the largest chamber in the whole facility. At one end, elevated about five feet above the rest of the floor by a stone platform with a small pair of stone steps, was an iron throne. The woman sat comfortable in it, one long, slender, pale leg crossed over the other. Her dress was black, stopping about halfway between her knees and her ankles. Her slender, pale hands grasped a plain brown teddy bear, which had belonged to the five year old of the murdered family. Violet eyes stared down at the toy. Her long, deep blue hair fell to her waist. The creak of the heavy wooden door opening alerted her of another presence, and she turned her gaze to look upon the new arrival. The figure emerged from the fog and knelt down before the platform leading to the throne.
"My queen," the husky voice said, head bowed, black hair hiding his features from view.
"Please look at me when you address me, Mason," the woman said, voice soft and surprisingly gentle sounding. The man looked up, revealing his handsome features. His brown gaze met the violet one of the woman.
"My queen, the youma I have sent was successful in its mission. She has been awakened," Mason stated. The woman's eyes flickered to the tall, full-length mirror that sat beside the platform. The glass reflected swirling fog at first, but it soon shifted and changed into an image of Sailor Dark Moon.
"So it did. Well done, Mason." The woman rose from her throne and descended the steps, walking over to the mirror. She held the teddy bear in one hand now. She reached out and traced the image of Sailor Dark Moon's face, a smile playing on her lips.
"Ah, it's too bad she can't live. She would have grown up to be such a pretty thing," she said.
"Not as pretty as you, Queen Camorra," Mason said, now behind the woman. She turned to face him, closing the distance between them. She stared up at the taller man, silent for a moment, twirling a lock of his short black hair around her finger.
"Remember this, Mason. Flattery will get you everywhere with me," she said, before walking past him. She walked up the stairs and sat on her throne, but he didn't follow. He stared at the image of Sailor Dark Moon.
"I still find it difficult to believe that we have to make all this fuss and effort over a mere child," he said, frowning. Camorra smiled, looking down at the bear in her hand.
"Yes, she is a child, Mason. But remember, children are innocent and trusting. They are easy to manipulate and turn to your side. They are easy to twist and pull until they are the way you want them. They are easy to deceive, and it is easy to pit them against all they once believed in if you play your cards right. But they are also fragile. They are very, very easy to break."
And with a few twists and a tug, the head of the bear came off, and white stuffing pooled out into a small pile on the floor at her feet. Camorra smiled cruelly.
"So we must treat Miss Kaya… Like a princess…" Camorra threw back her head and laughed, the sound cold and cruel. Mason's laughter soon joined her laughter. It was just as cold and cruel as Camorra's. The sound of their laughter echoed off the walls, as the body of the bear fell to the ground beside the head and the stuffing that had fallen out of it. The shiny black eyes stared unblinkingly into nothing, and the straight line that had been its mouth now seemed to be frowning.
Author's Note
dodges vegetables and sharp pointy objects being thrown at her I'm sorry! I'm REALLY REALLY sorry that it took me a few weeks to get this chapter up! I was suffering from a case of laziness, and I felt so bad about making all of you readers wait, I tried to make this chapter longer than the rest! At least it was more exciting! Right? Right?
If you're reading this story but you haven't reviewed, PLEASE REVIEW! It would mean the world to me!
Thanks to aserene, Sailor Star Super, and Ne-chi for reviewing! (Thanks for giving me the names of the attacks, aserene! Hope you enjoyed that Sakura plushie, Sailor Star Super! And yes, Ne-chi, I know who you are! I may be slow sometimes, but I'm not that slow! Heehee, just kidding with ya, Ne-chi!)