Hey! :D
So I'm going to keep this brief: Back with a new chapter and here it is.
As simple as that.
So always, I'd LOVE to hear what you think of how I'm progressing with this fanfic
I don't care what kind of review you give, even if it's one that'll tear me to shreds...I'm up for it
anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter...one of my longer ones though...
Thank you!
Disclaimer: Sailor moon is absolutely, positively, undeniably NOT mine. That is all.
Clutching an empty silver tray, Sierra stood in a perfect line side by side with the other maids at the end of the grand hall, dear the tall double doors. Her headache managed to subside and she was thankful that erratic old Margaret didn't make them stand smiling like idiots.
The whole room was silent and waiting for the final arrival of the king and queen. Rini was stroking Diana impatiently on her own little golden throne next to her parents'. She had her head propped on her free hand and Sierra couldn't help but hint at a smile at the little girl's annoyed yet bored face.
But what Sierra couldn't place were the three empty chairs. She had thought all the sailor scouts had arrived save the king and queen. So why are there three chairs left without occupants? Why hadn't anyone come to collect them? Surely under Margaret's eye of perfection a careless mistake such as miscounting the number attendees would never happen.
The rigid atmosphere was suddenly torn with the earth shattering sound of trumpets. Everyone held their breaths and were sitting at the edge of their seats.
Everyone except Rini of course who just rolled her eyes and continued to brush the cat's fur.
Sierra kept her head bent and her eyes lowered so they were glued to the surface of the tray between her hands. She felt her palms begin to sweat and her pulse quicken. She didn't want to see the two together no matter what people say about Endymion's cold shoulder toward Mars.
But suddenly, the room was filled with buzz. She heard a gasp, a few giggles, and everywhere, there was murmur.
Sierra finally managed to summon the courage to tear her eyes from the silver tray and peak at what roused the commotion in the room.
There, she saw Endymion and Mars, her arm hooked through his, making their graceful ascent to their rightful places at the throne. Stunned, Sierra helplessly watched as Endymion placed his lips close to Mars' ears and watched as the witch of a queen giggled and whatever comment he uttered. He escorted her to her seat first before taking his.
"Endymion," Neptune began, her gentle, feminine voice booming across the room, "still charming as always. It's a pleasure to see how happy you and dear Lady Mars are in each other's company."
Mars was seductively feeding Endymion grapes as she spoke while Endymion lovingly stroked her neck. "Ah, Neptune. How was your journey to Crystal Tokyo? Comfortable, I hope."
Mars seemed to practically purr under each of Endymion's warm touch. Sierra could feel Mars shudder with desire. Everyone in the room could see that the monarchs were thoroughly distracted with each other.
But all Sierra could think of was what happened to Endymion. And why he had an entire personality change.
"Our journey here was wonderful you highness. And we were more than thrilled to be greeted with such a fine planet. It's even better than I remembered."
"Mm-hmm." Mars was giggling as Endymion caressed her, barely paying attention to what Neptune had said let alone the audience that observed them like zoo creature from below.
Just as Mercury was about to speak, the two did something that stunned not only Sierra but everyone else in the room. Everyone was caught completely off guard.
The two found each other's lips and they were kissing, just like that.
The flaring passion was undeniable—it was no act to fool the visiting sailor scouts.
"Ugh, get a room," the maid standing beside her muttered.
But Sierra barely heard her; everything around her was spinning and began to blur together.
She felt her insides churn and spin themselves into knots. A numbness paralyzed her and she felt the nerves that strung through her body, holding herself together begin to tremble and unwind. The next thing she knew it, the piercing sound of glass hitting floor rang across the room but no one seemed to notice or care.
It turns out that the silver tray she'd been holding was actually made of glass and was painted with a coat of platinum.
Shaking, Sierra immediately dropped to the ground and began plucking the pieces from the floor. She felt the weight of over a dozen pairs of eyes on her and her face felt like it was swelling as it began to flush red. It took Sierra all her might to hold in the tears that were prickling her eyes.
She timidly glanced up to see Margaret across shake her head and shoot her a deadly glare.
One of the shards ended up slicing into her flesh and the crimson fluid began to seep through the cut. Sierra could feel it stinging but knowing the circumstances, no one would give her the time of day about what she felt so she sucked up the pain and continued to gather the mess of broken glass.
As the two monarchs pulled apart from their embrace and the sailor scouts tried to recover themselves from the awkwardness, Sierra heard a swoosh of the double doors opening and out of the corner of her eye, she saw three figures stride into the room. Al three distinctly male.
Sierra kept her head bent low, and tried to avoid eye contact and attracting the least attention as possible.
But as irony has its way, she felt a figure kneel down in front of her, helping her pick up each individual shard of glass.
"I got it," Sierra said, her voice choking.
The figure seized her hand, his grip firm yet gentle. "You're hurt. If we don't get that treated, you're going to get infected."
Sierra froze. All of the shards of glass that she collected fell from her hands back onto the ground.
She knew that voice. She knew that touch. She knew him.
"Seiya," she whispered.
With his other hand, he tilted her chin upwards him. "Yes, dumpling. And you're Sierra."
He had his playful smile on him and his eyes had a distressed feel about them. He gently pulled her up by the arms and put a protective arm around her shoulders.
"She's hurt and needs medical attention. Cuts from glass and metal can cause a serious infection. So if I may boldly ask the council, I would like to escort her out."
"You know this girl, Seiya?" Jupiter asked.
"Yes. In fact, she's a very close friend of mine."
Close friend? Sierra didn't feel like a close friend at all. Who in the world would betray a close friend?
They all looked to the monarchs but before either of them could respond, Rini jumped up. "Go, Seiya. I don't want Sierra to catch anything bad."
With a polite nod, Seiya pulled Sierra toward the exit. When they were outside, she heard the creaking of the double doors as they swung shut.
She shrugged his arm off. "Who are you?"
"I'm Seiya. You know that already."
"Yes, I do." Sierra remembered what Jupiter had addressed him. "So okay, you didn't lie about your name but why did you lie about everything else?"
He took hold of her arm again. "You're bleeding, let's go." He tried to pull her but she resisted.
"Don't change the subject."
"I'm not."
"Then spill."
Seiya studied her for a long, hard minute. "Fine. Just not here."
It was dark down in the kitchen's cold and damp storage room with only one small window near the ceiling that allowed a small patch of sunlight to poke through.
Sierra was perched on top of a closed barrel that was labelled to be filled with wine as Seiya kneeled in front of her, tending her wound.
Seiya had hunted down some cloth and bandages in a closet in the kitchen upstairs and he had filled a basin full of warm water.
Sierra winced once and a while as she felt the water sting her wound but there was something about Seiya that reassured her.
After awhile, Sierra couldn't hold it in any longer and finally decided to break the silence.
"You said you'll tell me."
After securing her bandage, he let out a sigh and spoke, "I'm a sailor star fighter."
"A what?"
"I'm basically a sailor scout."
"But—but you're a guy."
"In a transformation, I well—change."
Sierra stared at him in disbelief. There were a hundred questions racing through her head but not one seemed to be able to make it out through her mouth in words.
She began nervously rubbing her apron, trying to think of something to say but nothing came out.
But it was then when she felt the difference—the emptiness. Something was wrong.
"My locket!" she cried.
"What?" he said jumping up.
"My locket. I always had it my apron pocket so I don't lose it. It's gone."
"Maybe you misplaced it," he said.
"No, that's impossible. I never do."
Sierra began scavenging around the dark storage cellar, frantically looking behind the tall barrels.
Seiya took hold of her wrist and hauled her toward the set of narrow stairs leading upstairs to the kitchen. She dug her heels back and demanded, "What are you doing?"
"We're going to report that there's been a case of theft
"What? No! Maybe I did misplace it or dropped it or whatever. There's been no theft. We are not going back up there."
She pulled her wrist out of his grip and continued to search the cellar.
A silence trickled in until Seiya couldn't take it anymore.
"Just minutes ago, you about to break down and cry about your locket. But when I said that we'll go to the royal court, you recoiled. What's the matter?"
"Nothing."
"You do know that if we went and told the sailor scouts that you're missing something, they'd order the entire palace staff to hunt it down."
She whirled around to face him and threw her hands up. "Exactly! I, under no circumstances whatsoever, want the palace to trouble themselves with the lost of a maid's locket. They have more pressing matters to tend to like Giopiana or whether or not the King has enough sugar in his tea or why Mars and Endymion are suddenly head over heels for each other or, or—"
Sierra suddenly stopped, with a lump caught in her throat. She looked at Seiya and slumped down onto a nearby barrel and began fidgeting with her hands.
Seiya walked to her and crouched down before her.
"Sierra," he said softly.
No answer.
"Sierra, look at me."
She shook her head. Her frame trembled.
He tiled her chin so their eyes locked.
Tear pooled in her eyes, making them glistening even more than they usually do.
"What's wrong?"
"Promise me you'll me you'll help find me locket?"
He smiled. It's hard to forget how young and small she was. With his thumb, he stroked the wet streaks the tears she shed left away and said, "Of course. Now, come on."
He pulled her upstairs and they started for the grand hall. Sierra knew Seiya was going to be persistent about seeing the royal court so she knew that there was no point in arguing. But if she had to choose about seeing Endymion again or losing her locket, she'd honestly choose to lose her locket. Nothing was worth seeing the oh-so-loving king and queen of Crystal Tokyo tangled in each other's arms as if the whole had disappeared.
It was downright revolting.
But as Seiya dragged her through the sunlit palace hallways, Sierra couldn't help but noticing one of the rooms they passed.
"Wait," she said, pulled Seiya back.
"What is it?"
She walked a few paces back and found herself standing in front of room with its glass door thrown wide open. A few maids were in there packing fragile objects; wrapping them in bubble wrap before stashing them in the many cardboard boxes strewn everywhere in the room—on the tables and all over the floor. A large portrait of the late queen was hung on the mantel piece above the fireplace and the French doors to the balcony were opened, the wind blowing the white lace curtains and the sun streaming into the room.
Sierra recognized this room. It was the same room Margaret told her never to open (or rather never to try to open for Margaret had said this room was always locked) on her very first day at the palace.
But her recognition went far more deep than that. It was a recognition that spoke from deep inside her. She felt her legs move and her feet carrying her into the room she was forbidden to enter and began tracing her fingers along the objects which the maids haven't yet packed, completely ignoring everyone around her.
It was then, suddenly, she wasn't there anymore. All the maids, Seiya, the cardboard boxes, the dusty boxes, all gone.
She found herself in the same room with the same sunlight, the same cool, playful breeze but now, there were three people in the centre of the room.
A tall, dark man was leaning over a fancy chair. A chair which seated a woman with flowing golden hair and a pink-haired child in her lap, clutching an opened book. They were facing in the direction of the balcony, their backs toward Sierra but somehow, Sierra knew that they were happy. She could feel them.
But the fuzzy scene soon faded and reality returned. But along with it was came the same blearing headache that clawed her head earlier in the day.
Trying to shove the beating pain out of her mind, she turned to the maids. "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like we're doing? We're throwing out ancient stuff that should have been thrown out ages ago. Besides, aren't you supposed to be in the grand hall?"
Ignoring the question pointed at her, Sierra pressed on with millions of demands that twisted in her mind. She felt light and empty, as if she was no longer in control of her own mind and the questions began to spill out.
"But isn't this Serenity's drawing room?"
"It used to be," replied the same maid who spoke before. "But the king wants it cleared out."
The other maids began pulling down the portrait.
"Cleared out? But why?"
The maid shrugged. "Beats me but if you ask me, I think it's got something to do with Mars. At least that's what they all say anyway."
"Endymion...Mars?"
But Sierra wasn't even looking at her. She began stammering and the words that tumbled out of her mouth didn't make any sense. Her mind was reeling too quickly for words to churn out in time. Instead, she was focused on the portrait that was being wrapped up. At first, the one of the eyes were covered up with the cloth, then the mouth, then...
It hit her. Those eyes, those lips, the hair...
Sierra began to back out of the room, her hand accidently knocking over a vase on the table.
The shattering of the porcelain only made the pain grip her head even tighter.
Everything was swirling. The maid said something but her words just slurred. And then there was Seiya. Sierra knew he was calling her name but his voice was distant and it grew even more distant as she found herself making a dash out of the room and down the hall.
She reached the double doors and pushed them open.
Everything felt like it was playing in slow motion but at the same time, it didn't. Her mid was racing and she felt like everything she did was automatic but yet at the same time it wasn't. She knew what she was doing. But things just didn't feel like reality.
As she walked into the hall, all eyes turned to her. Margaret quickly darted to pull her to the side but she resisted. Her aim was to walk up to the platform where the monarchs sat at the end of the hall and her eyes were trained on Endymion.
Words were exchanged between Margaret and the guards and in the next instant, Sierra felt fingers laid upon her arms and the tightening grip on them. She winced and fell to the ground. Reality was finally beginning to refocus itself.
"Stop," cried a voice.
Sierra looked up and saw one of the sailor scouts stand. She was tall with striking long dark hair and a staph in her hand.
"Let her go. She's Seiya's friend, is she not?"
"You heard Sailor Pluto," Mercury said. "Release her."
With a sweeping bow, the people towering over Sierra drifted back to the sidelines.
By now, Endymion was staring at Sierra as well. But she was well aware that his eyes were dark, nearly black and empty. They were cold and devoid of all emotion.
She shivered and looked away.
"Where's Seiya?" asked Saturn. Her voice was quiet but it echoed across the room.
Then, as if on cue, Seiya bursted through the doors and seeing Sierra in a hep on the ground, he quickly went over to her to help her up.
Then, Jupiter spoke, "What happened?"
Mars rose from where she was and slowly descended the steps down to the velvet carpet that ran from the throne to the doorway. "Yes, Seiya, what happened?"
Seiya was just about to speak but Sierra pulled away from his arms and walked towards Mars, holding her gaze nice and steady. Mars' eyes were mocking.
"Sierra, is it? Is something wrong?"asked Mercury.
Both ladies ignored her and continued to advance.
"Yes, Sierra, is there something you'd like to say? Confess perhaps?"
At Mars' comment, Sierra suddenly stopped. She didn't know why she was walking to confront Mars in the first place. There was just something about her that said she wanted to fight. And oddly enough, Sierra felt that she wanted to fight Mars. She felt angry, as if Mars had stolen something from her even though Sierra knew well enough that if anyone was going to steal something from anybody, it would be her from Mars.
"Confess? I didn't do anything. Why would I confess? I'm here because—"
"You're here because of guilt. Because you've stolen something vital to Crystal Tokyo."
"What?"
Seiya suddenly emerged at her side. "Impossible."
"Oh, is it?" Mars pulled out a golden chain and on the end of, dangled a delicate heart shaped locket.
The room let out a collective gasp.
"That's Serenity's locket." Sierra looked past Mars and saw that Endymion was the one who uttered the statement. She saw that the darkness in his eye had faded and he was looking at her with a peculiar gaze. A gaze of curiosity.
"Serenity's locket? That's my locket."
"So are you saying you're Serenity?" countered Mars.
"I'm not saying anything. All I want is my locket back." Sierra lunged for her locket but Mars was too quick for her and turned to show the locket to the room at large before Sierra could snatch it.
Sierra tripped and landed hard on the floor, her face bowed before Mars' feet.
Mars scoffed and turned to the guards. But before she could say anything, Endymion was down from his throne and by Mars' side. "If this maid did steal this locket, where did she steal it from? I never remembered Serenity having leaving a locket. It disappeared along with her."
The queen turned to her husband. "It was buried in the garden. I found it two days ago but you kept turning me away to leave you alone that you didn't even give me a chance to tell you."
Endymion laughed. "Buried in the garden! If you're going to lie, at least put more effort behind it."
Sierra was back on her feet and looked at Endymion incredulously. He'd completely changed from the last time she saw him; a completely different person.
But this time, Mercury interjected. "But your majesty, the locket really is dear Serenity's. According to my tracker, the Silver Crystal is inside."
"The what?" Sierra really wished she hadn't followed Seiya or rushed into this mess. "Okay, look: I don't want my locket anymore. You can have it. I don't want to have anything to do with whatever you're talking about."
She started to leave but a voice called her back.
It was Neptune.
"You can't leave," said Uranus.
"And why not?"
"Because you're Serenity, silly," stepped in Seiya.
If Sierra had been drinking something, she would have done a spit take.
"What?" She couldn't keep count anymore of how many times today she's uttered the word what.
"That's impossible," Endymion said.
Sierra tried to swerve past Sailor Neptune and Uranus and get to the door but the other sailor scouts were gathered at the door and looking at her. She turned back to the crowd before her.
"What do you want from me?" It came out practically as a beg.
Suddenly, Seiya reached and pulled off Sierra's bonnet and her golden locks came tumbling over her shoulders. This time, Sierra was the only who gasped.
"Why did you do that for?" she hissed.
"It is Serenity," came Venus from the back of the room.
Sierra glanced at Endymion and he looked back at her with considering eyes: deep and thoughtful.
Mars was silent and stood stunned. She had her suspicions of who Sierra was from the beginning but she never thought the cards would be played like this.
While Sierra stood burning from the stares that were shot at her from all directions in the room, there was a sudden clink that rang throughout the room followed by a shattering noise.
Everyone turned and saw shards of twinkling glass scattered on the floor and Mars' opened palm.