Author's Notes: Hi! Haven't talked in awhile, eh? Sorry about that. As you can see, I had trouble with the title and with this chapter.
Disclaimer: Again. I'm just copying and pasting. Sadly, Sailor Moon does not belong to me. Yes, I know that's horrible. Sailor Moon Manga is © Naoko Takeuchi and Kodansha. English version is © Tokyopop Manga. I do not own any of the characters contained within the manga or anime version of Sailor Moon. The anime is © Toei and Kodansha. English adaptation is © DiC entertainment and Cloverway. Happy now?
But, my characters are my characters, as it the plot line and anything else I threw in there. So, no touchy! MINE!
A lean figure crept through the early morning mist, keeping as inconspicuous as possible. Her eyes glittered; examining the area for any sign of predators. In one hand, she held a sword. The sparkling talisman was held at the ready, for the wind whispered in the girl's ear of another presence here. And the wind didn't lie.
A deep, low growling rang through the forest, and a dark figure leapt at the approaching Sailor Soldier. It was a wolf; however, it was unlike other wolves. Its pelt was midnight black, its eyes crimson and blood shot. Its fur seemed shorter than other wolves, and its two back legs were taller than its short front ones. A werewolf.
"SPACE SWORD BLASTER!" Sailor Uranus roared. The blade of the sword took on a bright glowed, and as Uranus brought it down through the air, a deadly blast of energy shot from it, spiraling through the air and knocking the wolf down. Uranus wasted no time. She raised her hand, gathering energy in her palm, and slammed her fist into the ground. "World Shaking!" The attack took on the form of a planet, and shot toward the werewolf, who had no second to prepare itself. It let out an agonized howl before it completely disintegrated.
Uranus knelt down where the wolf had been, digging through a few leaves before she found a dull, cracked, agate stone. She held it aloft, it's gloomy gray light adding to the eeriness of the forest.
A few light footsteps echoed through Uranus' ears as her partner emerged from the bushes. Sailor Neptune strode elegantly, as always, to Uranus' side.
"I see you have a crystal," She said, voice barely higher than a whisper. "But where's its keeper?"
Uranus shook her head. "I don't know, but this crystal is cracked anyway. It won't do them any good now. He's probably dead by now anyway."
Neptune bowed her head in respect and was silent for a moment, before grabbing Uranus' wrist. "Uranus," She whispered, distress tingling in her clam voice. "This is just like before, isn't it? People are going to have to give up their lives, aren't they?"
"Probably," was her solemn reply "But then again, those people could be lucky, like us." At this, she smiled down at Neptune.
The snapping of a twig caused both scouts to look up, alert and tense. Though the shadowy swirls of night hid most of the figure, Neptune and Uranus could still make out the silhouette of a sailor suit standing in a tree. In less than a second, the scouts had their talismans drawn and were ready to attack.
The figure, however, didn't seem to have any interest in a fight. Instead, she turned and, with a mighty leap, began running, disappearing into the night sky.
"Let's go!" Uranus ordered, taking off after the mysterious scout. Neptune followed, but the racer was much faster, and she found herself acting as the caboose. Scowling, Neptune picked up her pace.
Sailor Uranus' long legs carried her graceful over the landscape, hot in pursue of the scout. Finally, she caught up to her. The girl was sitting in a tree and, although it was still dark, Uranus could make out the green and yellow colors of her sailor suit, and her sandy blonde hair. Her were legs crossed casually, as if she were attending a tree party, and she looked down at Uranus with interest.
"You were actually able to keep up with me, hun?" She spoke, more to herself than Uranus. "You're pretty fast then."
"Who are you? What are you after?" Uranus questioned, holding her sword at the ready. She didn't waist any energy by using a calm, kind tone. Her voice was blunt and unfriendly.
"Isn't it obvious? We're after the Moon Crystals," The scout's own voice was grave too, yet with a hint of amusement, and something about her gave Uranus the sudden sensation of such frustration that she longed to kill someone.
"Why?" persisted the tomboy.
The scout's eyes leveled with Uranus', and she narrowed them, as if to look straight through Sailor Uranus' soul. The piercing blue color of her eyes was enough to make any child burst out in tears, but Uranus kept her demeanor strong. "Brought together, the crystals will create the Cosmic Crystal, the ultimate source of power in this dimension. That is what we seek." She explained.
"Why?" Uranus continued with her interrogation. The wind howled restlessly, lifting Uranus' sandy locks and revealing the aggravated look on her face. The girl stood, wind also blowing her hair away to show a small smile playing on her lips.
"I'm afraid that's none of your business, Sailor Uranus," She said. "Please remember to stay out of our way. I'd hate for you to get hurt." She hesitated for a moment, before adding. "By the way, my name is Sailor Ariel." And the wind blew again, stronger than before, and colder. Uranus felt the air chilling, and looked up at Sailor Ariel to find her long gone.
BSSM: Shards of a Cosmic Crystal
Episode 4:
"Warning Call, the Pieces of a Puzzle"
The teacher stood at the front of the classroom, facing the chalk bored, scribbling down the homework assignment. However, only a few of the students in the classroom noticed this. It was, after all, 7th Period of the day, and in one more week school would be out. The girls were huddled in the back of the classroom, giggling blissfully, while the boys somehow managed to start a paper war.
Among the few who took note to the assignment was Larken Taylor, one of the many new transfer students from America-and one of the few students who took her assignments seriously. Her head was bent over her notebook as she continued to copy down the assignment. Beside her, was Emily. She too treated her schoolwork with importance, but not nearly as much as Larken did. She was writing down two things-the assignment and the note to her neighbor, a boy that looked about the same age.
On the other side of the classroom, a certain blond princess had her head resting on the desk, snoring loudly, though it was concealed by the girls' recurring giggles, and behind the American transfers, was Lita Kino. The brunette teenager had taken notice to the assignment, but chose to ignore it. Instead, her emerald eyes were focused simply on Larken, watching her like a hawk watches its prey. Ever since Amy had informed her of the disk, she had been cautious of the girl and her friends, who seemed to have developed a sudden friendship with Serena. Because of this, Lita tried her best to keep a watchful eye on her ditzy friend. The Moon Princess seemed to care less than nothing that Larken was after the Silver Crystal, so Lita found it upon herself to make sure they kept their distances.
Finally, the piercing noise of a bell sliced through the atmosphere. Serena's head popped up, her sparkling blue eyes glittering with joy, and she was out the door before the teacher even announced, "Class dismissed." A small smile played Lita's lips, and she began to gather her belongings. As she did, Emily whipped around to face Larken, whispering quite loudly.
"So, did Apollo find anything yet?"
Larken sighed, brushing some of her blond locks out of her face. "No, not yet." Sighing again, she continued. "You know, it's just so aggravating. Apollo and Stacey have traced the Silver Crystal to this very district, but we still can't find it."
Lita paused for a moment, her mind replaying what she had just overheard. So they really were after the Silver Crystal! Lita continued attacking inconspicuous as Emily continued the conversation.
"What are you talking about? We've already found it! Sailor Moon has it, remember? So all we have to do is find her and grab from her! Then we just have to find the other Moon Crystals…"
At this, Larken's hazy eyes widened. "No! We can't do that!"
"Why not?" asked Emily, clearly aggravated.
Larken's eyes returned to normal size, and she seemed to have taken a sudden interest in her fingernails. "Well, you know. It just wouldn't be right…"
"What do you mean 'wouldn't be right?' The Crystal is rightfully yours!" Emily had to resist very hard from screaming some sense into her comrade.
Larken opened her mouth to respond, but it never came. Instead, a tall boy-the one Emily had been passing notes to early-walked up. "Why don't we continue this conversation somewhere else?" As he spoke, he looking cautiously toward Lita. The brunette felt her cheeks burn with the embrassment at being caught, and returned to copying down the ignored homework.
"Right, let's go," Emily seemed to have suddenly regained her self-control, for her voice was back to its normal tone. After the three had departed, Lita pushed the have-done assignment into the bag with the rest of her things, and followed them out.
Raye was again tense. But that was no longer anything out of the ordinary. Ever since watching Phoebe and Michael morph into Moon Scouts, she had remained tense around them.
It was lunchtime at the TA Girls Institute. Raye was seated at the table in the farthest corner, her haven from the giggly, preppy girls that also attended the school. Her only company was Phoebe, the kind, modest girl who was in reality the ruthless Sailor Phobos.
Raye couldn't believe it. She had bonded with this girl, despite her attempt to maim her early. Phoebe was generous, and was most of the time remained bliss and bubbly, even telepathic! However, Sailor Phobos was the opposite. She was blunt and uncaring. How could such a nice girl turn into such a monster? Phoebe seemed to be the two-sided girl.
"Hey, Raye," Phoebe asked, breaking the awkward silence between them. "What are you thinking?"
Raye looked up, deep into Phoebe's violet eyes. Phoebe could easily tell what she was thinking, she was, after all, telepathic and psyche, so while around her Raye tried her hardest to close of her mind. "Nothing really. You?"
She shrugged. "Same old stuff." She looked down into her drink while Raye glanced down at her own un-eaten food. Only once she looked up again she saw that Phoebe's had fallen over, her head laying face-down on the table, completely motionless.
"Phoebe?" Raye asked, worried, shaking the girl slightly. "Phoebe?" She didn't respond. Quickly, Raye checked for a pulse and found none. Was Phoebe dead? No, she couldn't be. Raye could still sense her aura, strong as ever, but with another presence. It took her a moment to figure out what was happening.
Phoebe's mind had been invaded. Being telepathic, she was an easy target. And Phoebe had to fight out the invader, which must have been pretty strong. She had gone into an unconscious state so that she could more easily fight out the invader in her mind. All of her body's energy had gone to helping Phoebe keep control of her body, even the energy that made Phoebe's heart beat! Right now, Phoebe needed help that only Raye could give. There was only one choice, Raye decided. She too had to enter Phoebe's mind and help her fight off whatever was seeking to control her. If she didn't, Phoebe might die! Jamming her violet eyes shut, Raye searched again for Phoebe's aura, this time with her mind. She found it quickly, for it was a mix of good and evil struggling against each other.
Raye focused all her energy on entering Phoebe's mind, and finally penetrated the psyche wall. Raye felt her soul move from her body to Phoebe's, and she fell victim to gravity's pull as she entered her own unconscious state.
Michael jumped abruptly, causing the chair he was sitting on the fall backwards. Stacey and Apollo looked up in confusion. "Is something wrong?" The blue haired girl asked, clearly concerned.
"No, it's just…I think something may be wrong with Phoebe." He stuttered, finding it hard to speak.
"Do you need to go see her?" Apollo asked.
"No, I'm sure she's fine." Michael said, picking up the chair.
"Are you sure? We can spare you for awhile…" Apollo offered, but Michael firmly shook his head.
"No, you and Stacey need me here right now. The Moon Crystals won't find themselves, but Phoebe can look after her skin for awhile." Apollo and Stacey shared concerned glances, but continued working, as did Michael. But he couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was happening to his sister.
"It's such a nice day!" Serena commented, stretching and yawning. She sat alongside Larken, Emily, and Lita on the picnic blanket they had spread out in Juuban Park. People trotted past, laughing and chatting joyfully. Many happy looking couples pasted by while some college students hurried to catch a bus. "I just wish Darien was here!"
"You talk about this 'Darien' a lot, Serena," Larken pointed out. "Are you too an item?"
"Well, you could say that," Serena replied. "But I just like to call us the cutest, most passionate couple in the whole universe!"
A chorus of giggles rose up from her companions. "It's true!" Serena huffed. Changing the subject, she added. "So, Lita, what goodies did you bring for our picnic?"
"I brought a platter of chocolate cookies just for you, Serena."
"Did someone say chocolate cookies?" All the girls jumped in surprise and looked up at the new voice. The newcomer was a boy about their age, with sandy blond unkempt hair and big, puppy-dog blue eyes.
"Oh, get lost James! She didn't bring any for you!" Emily told him firmly.
"You're so mean, Emily!" The boy, James, huffed.
"So, what is it you want this time?" Larken asked, changing the subject to a more pleasant topic. "It's unlike you just to show up behind us."
"Well, Apollo sent me to look for you and-oh, you have company." He winked, and Lita and Serena cheeks burned bright red with blush. "Anyway, he told me to find you guys. So I did."
"I guess that means we have to go," Larken sighed. "Thanks for lunch Lita. We'll see you later!"
"You have to leave?" Serena said, sounding disappointed, even a bit hurt.
"Sorry," Emily offered lamely. "There's somewhere important we have to be. How 'bout I make it up to you?" Grinning, she produced three tickets and handed them to the upset blond princess. "These are for the concert tonight at the Juuban District Music Hall. I scored a few off a friend who's in it. How about you come along with this 'Darien' and Lita?"
"Oh wow, this is the concert Michelle is playing in!" Serena noted, examining the ticket. "See you there!" And with that, the trio ran off.
Raye found herself in a maze of mirrors, though none reflected herself. In each mirror a different of Phoebe's life was playing. She saw images of Phoebe as a little girl, of Phoebe's brother and friends, and another of Sailor Phobos attacking herself, Sailor Mars. The most interesting one, Raye thought, was of a strange red castle laying in pieces. All around her, Raye found Phoebe's entire life being played in mirrors.
Focus, Raye thought. You need to get to Phoebe's inner mind. You can't let Phoebe's thoughts distract you. And so Raye focused. She thought of helping her friend, the joyful times she had had with her and any other thoughts that would help her find her way to where Phoebe's attacker was.
Seconds later, Raye heard satisfying 'click' and a mirror swung open, revealing a long, dark hallway. Raye ran through it as fast as her legs would carry her, working out in her head how she should fight out Phoebe's invader. After a few seconds of running, Raye had reached the end of the hallway and had entered a strange, circular room.
The room seemed to be made of some sort of glass or crystal, for everything was either see-through or creating a white glow of some sort. A strange symbol was carved in silver on the floor, and the room seemed to go on forever up and down. In the center of the room was Phoebe. She was held down by strange chains of what seemed to be solid darkness. She was scowling and struggling, though her efforts appeared futile. Above her stood a hooded female figure wearing a black robe that concealed her completely. She grinned, though Raye couldn't see it she could sense it, and spoke.
"Why struggle? Soon I'll have control of your body and you'll be trapped in this maze of your mind forever!"
Phoebe scowled and continued to thrash. "You may control my body, but you'll never control my mind!"
"Really?" The hooded girl cooed, clearly amused. "I think I will. Soon you will crumble to my will!"
"I wouldn't be so sure of that!" Raye cried out, to everyone's, including her own, shock.
At the sight of her, Phoebe's eyes widened. "Raye! Get out of here now! You can't help! Get out! Save yourself!"
"Why look!" The girl called out blissfully. "An uninvited guest! How rude! I guess I'll just have to deal with you then!"
"I'm afraid I'm not that easy to deal with!" spat Raye, summoning her power stick. "Mars Star Power!" Raye bit down her lip, anxious to see if her transformation would work while she was in Phoebe mind.
It did. Flames spiraled out of the stick, surrounding Raye's slender figure. She felt the fire, blazing hotter than ever before, race across her skin and through her veins. Finally, in a great fiery blast, stood Sailor Mars.
Phoebe's eyes widened again, in shock and confusion. "Raye, you're Sailor Mars?" She whispered in disbelief. Mars sensed the attacker grin again.
"Well, if this isn't a treat!" She exclaimed. She threw off her robe, revealing her navy mini skirt and tank top, as well as the matching jewelry. She had midnight black hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall down a mountain and silvery eyes dancing with glee. "I am Euphrosyne, the successor of Thalia, the second of the Graces and the loyal servant to the Mistress of the Dysnomia Kingdom! Sailor Mars, I shall be the one to destroy you once and for all!"
Mars' eyes narrowed. "Mars Fire Ignite!" She cried, wasting no time at all. Fire coiled from her fingertips, streaming toward Euphrosyne, who held out a hand-revealing bright green nail polish-and created a circle shield around herself. The fire hit it and pressed into it for a few moments before vanishing.
"Is that the best you can do?" she sneered.
"Not close! Mars Celestial Fire Surround!" Fiery circles shot out from her hands, spinning through the air. Again, Euphrosyne raised her hand, but this time the flames were turned to solid gold and hit the floor with a loud 'clunk.'
Sailor Mars took a moment to aim before again tossing out her scrolls. "I call upon the power of Mars! Akuryou Taisan, Fireball charge!" She called out, her voice ringing through the room. This time, Euphrosyne didn't move fast enough to dodge. The scroll hit her chest, and momentarily paralyzed her. Sighing in relief, Mars tossed another scroll at the chains that held Phoebe, and they burned up once touched by the anti-evil parchment.
Phoebe stood, an expression of shook on her face. She looked at Mars as though it was the first time she had ever seen a person. She did not speak, for she was still in awe, and even after she had recovered from her shocked state, she said nothing. Phoebe reached out and touched Mars' shoulder. "But you're aura…" She shook her head. "No, I must be imagining it."
Phoebe spoke no more. Instead, she walked over to the frozen figure of Euphrosyne. "You," She said, her voice changing from small in disbelief to venomous in disgust. "Will leave my mind and never return. You will never destroy me or my friends!" And she closed her eyes; taking on a violet aura that flared out and enveloped Mars and Euphrosyne. "BEGONE!" She ordered. And in a flash, both Sailor Mars and Euphrosyne had vanished.
Michelle strummed the strings of her violin gently, sending a melodic ring out into the empty auditorium. The concert started in two hours, and Michelle still felt uncomfortable with her piece, which was rare for her. She assumed it had something to do with the encounter of the mysterious soldier the previous morning. Since then, she and Amara had been searching the district for any sign of the new enemy without much luck.
After missing another note, Michelle sighed in frustration and lowered her violin. She had been practicing for the past two hours and still was without success, also unusual for her. She suspected this had something to do with the sea raging in her ears, warning her of something to come-soon. On top of that, she and Amara had had the same recurring dream for a week now. It was like a puzzle, Michelle figured, and all the pieces were beginning to come together to reveal the big picture: a warning.
Footsteps echoed through Michelle's ears and she turned toward the doorway, where a girl stood.
"Oh," she said, her voice soft and innocent. "I didn't think anyone else would be practicing." She was short, shorter than most her age at least. Her wavy light colored hair was tied back into a loose ponytail, and through her blue eyes shone wistfully through her glasses. In one hand she held a violin and in another its bow, which led Michelle to believe she too was performing in the concert this evening. Something about this girl made little flags pop up in Michelle's head, but what she couldn't tell. It took a minute for the turquoise haired girl to register the strange aura she was emitting, one much like her own.
"No, it's alright," Michelle smiled. "I was just finishing up anyway. You're in the concert tonight." It was a statement.
She nodded. "And you are too." She added. The conversation did not continue, so the girl raised her violin and played.
The harmonic sound washed over the auditorium, the song, though one Michelle didn't recognize, was in perfect tone and rhythm. Michelle felt entranced by it. It reminded her of something out of a romance novel, like a sad scene when the two lovers parted. And to Michelle's surprise, that's just what she saw.
The room seemed to have faded away completely, with only the girl and her violin remaining, though she suddenly appeared far-off. The scenery had changed to that of an ancient castle, and a young woman, who looked very much like Princess Serenity, standing with a man that was very similar to Prince Endymion, was embraced tightly, tears welling from her crystal blue eyes. The man released her and handed a brilliant red rose to her, his mouthing moving though Michelle could make out nothing her was saying. The girl took the rose, and said something to him before her embraced her again and pecked her gently on the lips.
The music stopped and the scene faded away. Michelle found herself back in the auditorium, right were she had been standing seconds before. The girl had lowered her violin and was turning to leave, but Michelle's words stopped her.
"Who are you?" She questioned, no kindness at all in her voice.
"Morgan Miller. And you?"
"Michelle Kaioh," Michelle returned. And with the exchanged words, the girl left.
She stood on a circular platform, made entirely of stain-glass that glowed though no sunlight shone through it. The stain-glass displayed a beautiful picture of a crescent moon-The symbol of Luna-and other symbols around it. Hovering over the middle of the stain-glass platform was a crystal. It appeared white, though the light it emitted was of every color and shade in the spectrum.
Near the crystal stood a girl with willowy hair and piercing white eyes-her only visible features. She held out a hand, and the crystal floated toward her, landing just above her palm and rotating in place. Her hand folded around the crystal, it's light leaking through the cracks in her fingers, and then unfolded, letting lose a light so blinding that anyone witnessing this wound surely have been blinded.
And then the light vanished, and everything was gone-destroyed. Even the broken pieces of the stain-glass platform had been obliterated by the woman and her crystal. Nothing remained but the solemn darkness of nothingness.
And the words 'The Cosmic Crystal' rang through her ears.
Amara's eyes snapped open, immediately alert to her surroundings. She was in her bedroom, light flooding in through the wind, and little 12-year-old Hotaru standing over her bed, concerned.
"Amara-Papa, you're okay?" She whispered. Amara nodded, not able to resist smiling. Hotaru always made her smile, and for that it made Amara sad that she and Michelle were just Hotaru's babysitters while Dr. Tomoe recovered from his recent stroke. "It was the dream again, wasn't it." It wasn't a question.
Amara nodded. "It's a warning. It's telling us to find the Cosmic Crystal and destroy it-or it will destroy us."
"I'm not so sure," Hotaru said, shuffling her feet nervously. "It could be showing us what the Cosmic Crystal can do and telling us we can't let it fall into the wrongs hands…"
"Maybe," Amara said blankly, glancing at the clock. It was six o'clock now, Michelle's concert started at seven, and Amara liked to arrive early rather than on time. She looked down at what she was wearing-a white shirt and black pants. They would do.
"Come on kid," Amara said, leaving the unmade bed and ushering Hotaru out the door. "We've got to get to Michelle's concert."
"Shouldn't you make the bed first?" Hotaru reasoned. She shrugged. "When Michelle-Mama gets mad at you, don't blame me!" Amara chuckled.
Normally, Amara would ride her motorcycle to the Music Hall. She liked the feel of the wind rushing up against her skin and the satisfying roar it made. But, seeing as she Hotaru would be riding with her, she didn't want to use it. So instead she climbed into the bright yellow sports car and pulled out the driveway.
Amara always drove over speed limit. It was one of her many bad habits. Michelle usually rolled her eyes and didn't comment, but Hotaru was different. Her violet eyes were round and frightful, and she sputtered. "Amara-Papa, maybe you should slow down…"
"Nah," Amara said blankly, smiling at Hotaru's concern. She pressed down on the hard, not hard enough to slam it, but hard enough to make the car go skidding to a stop in front of the red light. Hotaru's eyes were still wide, but her expression portrayed a kind of disgust that made Amara lean back in laughter.
Hotaru shook her head disapprovingly, but abruptly stopped, a pensive look dawning on her face. "Amara-Papa, do you feel that?"
Amara stopped laughing, taking on a serious demeanor and narrowed her eyes. She did feel it; a strange sensation of frustration that she couldn't quite describe, and with it a strange, powerful aura. The same feel she had encountered with the Sailor Soldier earlier.
Eyes narrowed, Amara turned toward the source-the driver in the car next to her. She was visibly tall, and had wavy blond hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall does a mountain. Her eyes were a piercing yet light shade of icy blue, and she suddenly seemed to notice Amara's gaze upon her, for she turned her head slightly and met her eyes. They held each others gaze for awhile before her car lurched into sudden motion and flew off down the streets. Amara stared after her for a moment, expression blank, until Hotaru spoke.
"Uh, Amara-Papa, the light changed." Hotaru told her, pointing toward the now-green stoplight. Amara nodded and pressed down on the pedal, the car jerking into motion.
As Amara pulled into the parking lot the first thing she noted was the light blue sports car in the space next to her. The same car the girl had been driving. And then she noticed the girl leaning up against it, eyes closed and aura strong, clearly waiting. As Amara pulled in, she opened her icy eyes and looked straight at Amara. Amara gave a brief nod at her as she climbed out of the car.
"Hotaru," she told the twelve-year-old. "I want you to go inside and find Michelle, okay?" Hotaru look up at Amara, her violet eyes scanning Amara with concern. But she seemed to sense the older Soldier wanted to be left alone and departed without protest. Amara turned to approach the girl, but she was already speaking, her voice icy like her eyes.
"Amara Ten'oh. You're Sailor Uranus." It was not a question.
"So, you know who I am. How about you return the favor?" Amara said acidly.
"My name is Nicole, and I am Sailor Ariel. Sailor Uranus, I am here to tell you not to interfere with our mission. If you do, I'll see to it that you regret it."
"And your mission is?" questioned Amara, raising her eyebrows. She did not reply, just straightened herself and looked harshly into Amara's eyes. Words seemed to pass between them.
Amara's cold eyes narrowed, and she questioned, "The Cosmic Crystal, just what is it?"
"It," Nicole briefed her. "Is a crystal made from all the Moon Crystals coming together as one. It is the ultimate power of this universe and many others. It is our mission to find it and return it to itself rightful wielder."
"And who's that?"
"You'll find out soon enough," the girl reply, a hint of amusement creeping into her voice. Amara was prepared to interrogate Nicole farther, but didn't get the chance to. She had turned away, walking into the auditorium, saying in her icy voice, "I think we'll meet again sometime soon, Uranus. You can get your answers then."
And then the wind blew. Normally Uranus woulnd't have been startled by this-but it was an unearthly wind, stronger and colder than normal. Her short sandy blew out over her eyes, blocking her sight for a minute, and when Amara had pushed the wild strands aside, the wind had stopped and Nicole was gone, a small piece of paper left where she had been standing moments ago. In shock, Amara reached down and picked it up, reading the text on it quickly before walking in the auditorium. And, from the rooftops, Nicole smiled.
Michelle sighed. She had finished her piece quickly and smoothly, the crowding 'oohing' and 'awing' at it, commenting on how peaceful and angelic she appeared. However, on the inside Michelle felt anything but relaxed. She couldn't shake Morgan's strange aura, and throughout her performance Amara had been giving her 'the look' telling her something was wrong. And to top that, she could feel the sea rocking uneasily and anxiously inside her.
The door swung open without an indication, telling Michelle Amara had arrived. Again, she gave her 'the look' with her crystal eyes and tossed a piece of paper in her direction. Michelle snatched it out of the air, as if slapping a fly, and read it. She finished, and the two sat in silent thought for a moment.
"Well?" Michelle finally questioned.
"Well," Amara repeated. "Looks like we'll be getting the final piece of the puzzle tonight."
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Author's Notes 2: I took forever to write this and I still hate it with a burning passion. It sucks. This chapter wasn't flowing like I tried to get it too. But I got back from camp (again) and decided to get it up. So, sorry for all the suckyness.