Quite a few worried faces welcomed me as I entered the dining room. My mother and father were the first two I glanced at; two regal people who were truly my saviors in so many ways. I never got over how beautiful my mother was, with her long blonde hair and deep blue eyes. I had seen her grow up in her own ways, due to my many travels between time and space. As much as she irritated me when we were both younger, I did miss those funny moments we had. She was still a bit clumsy and short-tempered, but she was much more knowledgeable and mature now. My father looked handsome, as always. Although he looked like he aged more than my mother, he still kept his boyish face that I remembered from years past. The black hair that I remembered from back then had faded into a shade of pale purple, which must've come from his fusion with the Silver Crystal when the two became rulers of Earth. I noticed his hand curled around my mother's, and I smiled. They both looked terribly worried and I felt a sting of guilt for making them feel that way.
Alongside my loving parents were my mother's guardians, the Inner Senshi as we called them. The raven-haired one looked at me with her ruby red eyes. Sailor Mars was always very close to my mother. Their arguments always made me laugh when I was younger. Next to her was Sailor Jupiter. Her brown hair sat tightly behind her head in a ponytail. A few strands sat at the sides of her face and her dark green eyes stared back at me. I shuddered a little and peered over at Sailor Mercury. Her blue eyes were calculating something, from how they looked at me from head to toe. One of her hands pulled part of her short blue hair behind an ear and she sighed. I heard a soft chuckle from next to her, and I saw Sailor Venus holding a hand at her mouth. I could tell she was scheming from the way her blue eyes narrowed at me.
Across from this group sat my own guardians, the Asteroid Senshi, as they were called in the kingdom. My eyes followed PallaPalla as she sat down between VesVes and CereCere. I heard VesVes grumble something under her breath as one of her hands fixed her bright red bangs, her matching red eyes looking at me in irritation. CereCere's gentle pink eyes rested on me as she sighed, leaning back in her chair. Her pink hair bounced slightly as she moved. JunJun sat closest to me, her green eyes filled with hunger. Her arms were crossed against her chest with strands of her green hair lightly touching her fingers as they tapped against her gloved skin.
"Everything alright, Lady Serenity?" My mother spoke first. Just as I expected, she sounded very worried. True, it wasn't like me to be late to dinner. But it wasn't like I was an hour late. Why be so worried?
I flashed my smile again and took a short breath. "I'm fine, Mom. I just lost track of time…" I trailed off as I walked over to my chair next to her. I could feel all their eyes burning into me, making me feel uncomfortable. I heard my father cough to break the tension.
"Well, since everyone is here now, why don't we eat, hmm?" His gentle voice made me feel better. As the servants presented out meal to u, I felt the glares disappear from me. The sweet aromas of pasta and fresh bread eased my mind. As I ate, I began to ponder what happened on my balcony moments before. That horse was familiar. It called me something…'Little Maiden'. I had not been called that since…
My fork fell through my fingers, clashing with the silver plate beneath it. My mother placed a slender hand on my shoulder and shook me. I blushed in embarrassment while I regained my composure.
"What's the matter? You look dazed," my mother said in a soft tone. "Is something bothering you?" I nervously chuckled.
"I'm fine, Mom. Really." I tried to convince her. Maybe she would buy it. But she had become desensitized to my acting many years ago. Maybe I'd get lucky.
"She's probably just excited for her party, Usagi." Jupiter piped up. "I know I would be daydreaming about it if I were her…" her voice chimed as she spoke, as if she were starting to daydream herself.
"Mako is right. It's not every day when you turn '21'. Least appearance wise." Mars said. Then I remembered. I was turning the important age of 21. I was actually a lot older than that, more like 3,700 years old. But I was finally going to stop aging once I turned the appearance age of 21.
"Yes, they're right, Mom." I placed my hand on hers and pulled it off of me. "I keep thinking about the dancing and the dress I'll be wearing, and I just zone out. I'm sorry about that." I apologized, hoping to calm her down. Her face softened and she smiled, turning to my father. He didn't seem so convinced. Drats. I could never fool him as easily as Mom. Instead of calling me out, he only smiled back at her.
"See, Usako? Nothing's wrong." He returned to his meal with a relieved sigh. The others followed suit. As I continued to eat, the beautiful image of the Pegasus replayed in my head.
"There's still so much to plan!" A small voice chirped from below the table. I pushed myself from the glass table and glanced downwards and saw my best little friend staring up at me with her adoring pink eyes.
"Diana! What are you doing down there?" I asked as the small cat jumped into my lap. A little golden bell jingled as she purred. I lightly pat her grey head.
"I just came back from the decorators for your party! Everyone is so excited, Lady Serenity!" Her excitement made me smile as I pet her.
"I would hope so, it's only a few days away! I'd be jumping out of my skin!" Sailor Venus grinned. "Remember your party, Usagi? It was so extravagant!"
My mother giggled with a nod.
"Outside of you tripping and causing the cake to spill over and cover me," another little voice growled. A darker grey cat appeared from beneath the table; her blue eyes filled with rage from the memory. "I certainly didn't appreciate that!" The others at the table chuckled as my mother blushed furiously in embarrassment. I couldn't help but laugh as well. Like I said, Mom was never completely graceful.
"I told you I was sorry about that, Luna! I can't believe you still remember…" my mother grumbled. A white cat joined Luna with a pout on his furry face.
"Of course. She smelled like chocolate for weeks!" He scowled.
"Oh, Artemis. You know you enjoyed it!" Venus snickered, making the white cat blush a bit himself. I heard a soft snarl from Luna. My father sighed. Even though we had all matured over the centuries, some things never changed.
"So, Lady Serenity, are you looking forward to your birthday?" Diana's voice caught back my attention. I smiled at her.
"Yes, Diana. I'm looking forward to it."
"It's such an important occasion, too!" Diana exclaimed.
"I know…" I winced slightly at the thought. Sure, it was my '21'st birthday. But on top of that, it would mean that I was a full-ledged adult. I would be coronated as the next queen. My parents were not going to rule forever, even if they lived that long. As much as I dreamed of being like my mother, I wasn't looking forward to that task. My mom made it look effortless. I was terrified of ruling. Especially alone. I didn't have my own Mamochan yet. How would I be able to look over an entire planet by myself?
"Lady Serenity! Snap out of it! Are you alright?" Diana nuzzled her head against my chest, breaking my thoughts. I smiled and patted her again.
"Yes, I'm okay. Just thinking, that's all."
"Seems like that's happening a lot today…" VesVes snooted. I glared at her.
"Now, now. No bickering at the dinner table!" My mother pleaded. "Time for desert, anyway!" She always got excited for desert. Something else that didn't change with my mother: her sweet tooth. I wasn't really in the mood for sweets at the moment, though.
"If you don't mind, I'm feeling really tired. May I excuse myself to my room?" I asked. Everyone looked at me strangely as I scooped Diana into my arms and stood up. I pushed out a fake yawn.
"Sure, Darling." My mother said sweetly as the trays of ice cream arrived. I could have sworn I noticed drool run down her lips, making me roll my eyes as I turned away.
"Don't forget about tomorrow, Lady Serenity," I heard Sailor Mars say. "Training begins at 8 am sharp!"
I grunted. I still had not achieved mastery over my senshi skills. For some strange reason, it was taking a painfully slow pace, even with my time travel training, as well as my current training. One would think centuries of practice would make me more powerful than my own mother. Fate, it seems, thought otherwise. I turned to Mars and nodded.
"Won't be a minute late! Promise!" I said, trying to sound happy. With a shrug, I walked back up to my bedroom. I had more important things to think about than training. More important things to remember.
Diana flew from my arms as we entered, and I felt another warm breeze fill the room. I had left my balcony doors open without thinking. I leaned against my bedroom door and sighed. Diana ran over to jump onto my bed.
"What is bothering you, Lady Serenity? Are you that worried about your party?" She was still so innocent. It made me smile slightly. I shook my head and walked over to the balcony doors.
"No, not about that, Diana," I said quietly as I touched one of the glass doors. The transparent pink curtain that covered the glass fluttered while the door closed. I wanted to go back onto the balcony, to see that wonderful creature again. But I couldn't when Diana was there. "It's something else…"
"Like what? Is it your training? I'm sure you'll master your skills very soon!" Her encouragement almost irritated me. I walked over to the full body mirror that sat at the corner of my luxurious room and gazed at myself. I looked very much like my mother did when she was younger. The main difference was that my hair was a pale shade of pink instead of blonde. The hair floated down past my waist, curling at my knees. The cone-shaped buns at the top of my head have not changed since I was a child. My dark pink eyes shimmered in the reflection, and I saw how confused they looked. My finger slid down my pearl-colored gown, feeling the satin fabric. I was slender like my mother, but had a slightly bigger bust. I grinned at a memory of her looking at me with a bright red, jealous face after I finished puberty. Surely I was a real lady now, right? I certainly looked like one.
With a yawn (a real one this time), I went to my dresser and pulled out a pair of pink pajamas that were covered in small bunny heads. The thin cotton felt almost cooling against my skin as I changed. I slunk into my bed and Diana nestled on the pillow beside my head. I stared at my ceiling for a while, unable to fall asleep. A light snoring from the side of my head relieved me. Diana fell asleep so fast, it made me relax a bit. It gave me a chance to think without her interrupting. I replayed the image of the Pegasus in my mind once again, trying to fully grasp what it meant. I knew it from somewhere before. And being called Little Maiden. That was something important, too. Someone called me that, long ago. It was still so hazy. Like a memory from centuries away that I couldn't get clear in my head. Those golden eyes…the sadness and longing in them…
I shuddered inside my sheets. I turned to my slide and gazed out towards my balcony; my eyes following the flowing curtains as they danced with the warm air. As sleep washed over me, I thought I heard a faint whinny sound from outside.