SILVER SUN

A Sailor Ranko fanfic
by Jason Heinrich

Based on the Sailor Ranko story and webcomic by Duncan Zillman and Rebecca Heineman. All Sailor Moon characters are owned by Naoko Takeuchi.


CHAPTER 2: IN THE HOUSE OF THE QUEEN

Sailor Venus was out of the transport and onto the lawn of the small farm before the vehicle had even touched the ground, scanning quickly for any potential threats to her queen. She relaxed visibly when she saw that Sailor Mercury was already on the scene, directing the Royal Emergency Services responders and doing a fair impression of a human fire extinguisher by using her Shabon Spray to help put out spot fires for the forensics team. Sailor Jupiter stepped out of the transport behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, relax," she admonished. "We knew the scene was secure before we even arrived. What's gotten into you?"

Venus shook her head. "You didn't see the look on Serenity's face at dinner, Jupiter. Whatever happened here, she felt it and it caught her completely by surprise. That just doesn't happen, you know."

Jupiter thought for a second. "Oh, I don't know. Remember her birthday party a couple years ago? Her reaction when she opened Pluto's gift?"

Venus chuckled despite her mood. "Yeah, I don't think I'd seen her turn that red since that time I... uh..." The blonde started to blush a little herself. "You know, she never did show us what that gift was."

Jupiter was about to drill Venus about her little slip, but an approaching officer brought her concentration back to the task at hand. She raised an eyebrow as he got closer. Something about him seemed familiar.

"Captain Merrick Shelton of the RES, Haemus battalion," he introduced himself, saluting. Glancing past the senshi, his eyes went a little wide, and he bowed. "Your majesty."

Serenity stepped up next to Venus and nodded to the captain. "Report, Mr. Shelton. Who lived here and what happened?"

"Property records indicate the farm is owned by an Aiden and Cara Weaver. As you can see, the farmhouse was completely destroyed by an explosion that originated within the structure. We've determined the explosion was magical in nature, as we've picked up fire elemental readings on all of the debris, and especially at the epicenter of the explosion. We've even detected residuals from fire magic from as far away as behind the barn."

Jupiter looked at her queen in surprise. "Magic? A royal did this?" She produced a communicator from subspace. "Mars is with the princess at the palace. I'll have her start a roll of all of the nobility that are on-world at once."

Serenity waved her off. "No need," she said, and turned back to the captain. "Were there any survivors?"

"One, a teenaged girl," he replied. "We believe she may be the owner's daughter, but she's unresponsive and we haven't had a chance to run an ID check yet. She's in the medical transport now. There was also a body inside the front entrance. No word yet on whether it was one of the parents, but the forensics team just got into the house. We should know soon if anyone else was caught in the explosion."

"I'd like to see the girl," Serenity declared. She turned to her senshi. "Jupiter, see if you can assist Mercury and the forensics team. I want to know details of just what happened as soon as they have them." Jupiter nodded, stowing her communicator back in subspace, and headed toward the house. "Venus, you're with me."

"There was one other thing I wanted to show you," Captain Shelton continued as he, Serenity, and Venus started across the lawn toward the medical transport. "We scanned the girl shortly after we arrived. She was clean – no residual magic on her – so she was apparently not near the blast when it went off. However, where she was sitting..." He gestured to a perfect circle in the lawn, completely void of grass. It was slightly concave and glassy, as if a superheated ball of plasma had just barely touched the surface. The captain took a deep breath and concluded, "The circle reeks of Holy magic, your majesty."

For the second time that day, Serenity went rigid, and Venus let out a gasp. Only the strongest of mages had the power to evolve their magic beyond the typical elemental power into Holy energy. It was the power of life, creation, and annihilation, and to the best of Venus's knowledge, only two individuals in the entire solar system had that power: Queen Serenity and the near-mythical Sailor Saturn. Had Saturn awakened? That didn't make any sense; she would have been aware of the kind of kingdom-threatening peril that would necessitate Saturn's return and intervention. Perhaps someone from one of the royal houses had more power than they had been led to believe? Venus shuddered. If that was the case, then judging from the scenery, the individual in question wasn't likely to be friendly.

Serenity, however, had already moved past her initial shock and was considering something else the captain had said. "Wait. Did you say the girl had no residual magic on her? At all?"

"Yes, ma'am," he responded. "We believe she was far enough away from whatever happened here that she wasn't touched by the magic, though we think she did witness it. Unfortunately, whatever happened in this spot," he nodded at the glassy circle on the ground, "must have been particularly traumatic, because that's where we found her kneeling when we arrived, and she hasn't said a word to us the entire time. She's in some sort of emotional shock."

Serenity frowned, and for the hundredth time that day Venus wished she could crawl into her regent's head and find out what had her so out-of-sorts. It looked like Serenity was about to say something, but at that moment Mercury came running over, followed closely by a forensics technician carrying a portable scanner and a vial. "Your majesty," Mercury said, bowing quickly. The technician followed suit with a nervous bow of his own, nearly tripping since he hadn't yet come to a complete stop. Venus suppressed a giggle as she appraised the young man. Skinny, brainy, uncoordinated, and blond – cute though – yeah, he looks like Mercury's type.

Mercury took the vial from her companion and held it out to the queen. It was filled with a grayish-green dust. "Jupiter sent us over," she began. "I thought you should see this. We found it under the body near the front door." Holding up her Mercury computer, she gestured at its screen. "The dust's mineral composition indicates that it's not of lunar origin. The closest geological match I could find is from the area around Earth's capital. There are also some biological elements in it that we couldn't identify."

Serenity studied the contents of the vial for a moment. "Are you saying that this attack may have come from Earth?" she asked the technician.

The young man nervously licked his lips to wet them, as he found himself suddenly put on the spot. "Uh, we, um, haven't ruled out the possibility of this being an accident." Seeing that everyone was continuing to stare at him, he quickly added, "Though an Earth-based terrorist attack is one possibility we're considering."

Serenity handed the vial back to Mercury. "Thank you. Let me know if you find out anything else." Mercury and the technician bowed and headed back to the house, while the queen turned back to Captain Shelton. "We have a lot of "might's" and "maybe's," but no answers yet. Take me to the girl."

"This way, ma'am," replied the captain, and they continued their short trek across the front lawn of the small farm. As they stepped around the back of the medical transport, Venus looked inside to see a short girl with fiery red hair sitting on the bench. She sat hunched, blue eyes vacant, staring at the floor. She didn't even look up as the two women stepped into the transport and sat down on the bench opposite her. Venus' heart ached as she considered that this girl's life now lay in utter ruin, like the decimated house outside. Knowing that someone was affected by the event was one thing, but seeing that effect etched on the face of the human being right in front of her was something entirely different.

From outside the transport, the captain cleared his throat. "With your permission, I have some other duties to attend to, so if I may leave you with her?" When Serenity nodded her assent, he bowed and stepped out of view. Venus noted that her queen was no less touched by the girl's plight than herself, as expressions of concern, compassion, and – something else? – fought for preeminence on the silver-haired woman's face. Compassion won, and Serenity stepped forward, kneeling in front of the girl and gently lifting her chin so that she was looking directly into her eyes. "Hello?" she said softly. "I'd like to help you. Can you tell me your name?"

At first the girl didn't respond. She continued to stare blankly into the queen's eyes for several seconds before recognition slowly dawned. With a start, she pulled away from Serenity's touch, sitting bolt upright. Wide eyed, she stammered, "Q- Qu- Queen Serenity?"

Serenity smiled gently and spoke softly, trying to put the girl at ease. "Yes child. What's your name?"

"Um, Ang- Angwyn, your majesty! Angwyn Weaver."

"It's good to meet you, Angwyn. Is this your home?"

"Yes." The girl hung her head. "At least... it was."

"Hey," Serenity said gently. Angwyn glanced back up, the haunted look back in her eyes. "Do you mind telling us what you saw?"

Angwyn took a deep breath and didn't say anything for several seconds. Finally she responded, "I was out at the barn pra- feeding the pigs when I heard someone shout. I started to come back to the house, then it just blew up!" She suddenly grabbed Serenity's hand, causing Venus to tense for a second. "Who did this?" she pleaded, stricken. "Who killed my mom and dad?" It looked like she was making a supreme effort to keep from bawling all over the queen.

Serenity covered Angwyn's hands with her free hand and gave them a squeeze. "That's what we're here to find out." Her gentle smile slipped slightly as she added, "I won't allow anyone to get away with attacking my people like this."

Venus felt it would probably be unwise to remind the queen that the "accident" scenario was still on the table, instead saying to Angwyn, "That's right! It's the senshi motto: Love," she stepped forward and put a hand on the girl's shoulder, "and Justice."

Angwyn glanced up at the blonde senshi, who she hadn't really noticed until now. Slightly awed, she managed a weak, "Thanks."

Serenity drew the girl's attention back to herself. "Angwyn, I only have one more question for now." When Angwyn nodded, she continued, "Do you know how to use magic?"

Venus was convinced her queen had lost it. Commoners didn't have magic abilities, and this girl certainly wasn't royalty. Besides, that captain had already told them that they had checked her with a magic scanner. If she had any magic ability at all, it would have registered.

Angwyn sat quietly for a moment, looking at the floor again. "Yes," she finally responded.

Venus's rear end hit the bench behind her with a plop.

"I just found out yesterday," Angwyn continued. "It was my b-birthday. M-Mom c-could t-t-too…" As she finally broke down, Serenity pulled her into a hug, holding the girl tight as her shoulders heaved with her sobs.

Venus stared at the red-head sobbing on Serenity's shoulder. Suddenly all of the queen's odd behavior since dinner made sense. Somehow she had known that they would find a magic-wielding commoner. That's why she had called off Jupiter's call to Mars, why she had been surprised when the scanner hadn't revealed any magic on the girl, and why she wasn't surprised now. Granted, the failure of the scanner to detect Angwyn's ability was still an oddity, but odd was becoming par for the course today. "B-but, how?" she finally managed to get out.

Serenity patted Angwyn's back as the girl continued to cry. She glanced back at Venus. "We can figure that out later. Right now we need to take care of our friend here. Angwyn?" Angwyn's sobs had degenerated into hiccups, and she sat up, her eyes bloodshot. "Do you have any other family, dear?"

Angwyn shook her head. Her mother had been an only child, and her father's only brother had died when she was very young. It wasn't something Aiden had liked to talk about much, but Angwyn had gathered enough to know that there had been some sort of accident that had killed both her uncle and her grandfather. Her grandmother had passed away a couple of years later. As for her mother's parents, they had left with a colony ship over a decade ago, and no one had heard from them since. The lost ship had made news headlines for months.

"Well, that settles it then," Serenity stated firmly. "You'll just have to come live with me."

"Wh- wha?" Angwyn gaped at the queen. "Y-you mea- *hic* – you mean in the palace?"

Serenity nodded. "You're going to need a place to live, and training in your newfound skills. We can provide you with both." Venus noted that she had carefully not mentioned that they would also want to keep a close eye on this enigma, in addition to keeping her safe in case whoever had attacked her family came back to finish the job.

Turning to Venus, Serenity instructed, "Go get Jupiter and Mercury. The RES can finish up here." Standing up, she held her hand out to Angwyn. "Shall we go home?" Still a bit dazed, the red-head took her hand and allowed herself to be led out of the medical transport and across the lawn to the queen's vehicle. Serenity was careful to keep herself between the girl and the carnage that had been her home, but Angwyn never once looked up, keeping her eyes on the ground. As they reached the royal transport, they were met by the three senshi, and they climbed aboard.

As the vehicle's engine hummed to life and the door started to shut, Jupiter looked back at the people working on the scene, her expression thoughtful. Just as the transport left the ground, her eyebrows shot up and she snapped her fingers. "That's it!" The other women, including Angwyn (who looked a little shell-shocked at being in the presence of three sailor-suited defenders of love and justice), glanced up at her in surprise. "I knew that captain looked familiar!"

"You've met Captain Shelton before?" asked Mercury.

"No," replied Jupiter. "But he looks just like my old boyfriend!"

Venus groaned and Mercury rolled her eyes, while something that sounded suspiciously like a snort came from the queen's seat at the front of the cabin. Angwyn just sighed and buried her head in her hands.


Angwyn groaned as she rolled over in the luxurious bed, trying to ignore the knocking on the door to her room. She had only just managed to fall asleep a couple hours ago, and right now she was so tired that she could have been laying on the bare floor and it still would have been irresistibly comfortable. She groaned again as all of the turmoil and heartache that had kept her awake all night came flooding back, ensuring that she wasn't going to get any more sleep for a while. Rolling onto her back, she desperately wished that this whole series of events had been just a horrible nightmare. Unfortunately, the impossibly cozy bed, tall ceilings, elegant décor, and servant standing over her demonstrated otherwise.

"Eeek!" she squealed as the fact that a stranger was standing there finally registered.

The servant gave a small bow. "I apologize for startling you, Miss Weaver. The queen has requested your presence at 10 o'clock. You may wish to get washed up; I'll be back with breakfast and an appropriate change of clothes in half an hour." With that she bowed again and glided out of the room, closing the door silently behind her.

Angwyn swung her feet over the side of the bed and sat up. She instantly regretted it, as a headache, courtesy of her lack of sleep, slammed her right between the eyes. "Unh," she grunted, and sat still for a minute before slowly standing up. She padded over to the window and pulled back the drapes. At first she was a little disoriented, having not really payed attention when she was led to her room the night before. "Night" was something of a relative term of course: while schedules on the moon were based around the standard 24-hour Earth day, the sun outside the window was still fairly high in the lunar afternoon sky. Though it didn't help her headache, Angwyn was glad for the light at the moment, as it allowed her to view the landscape and get her bearings. She was on the south side of the palace: off to her left was the city, with the suburbs spreading out ahead of her. And if she pressed her face up against the glass and looked far enough to her right, she could just catch a glimpse of the hills to the west of the palace, and the road that led up to her favorite park. Knowing that one familiar landmark was nearby gave her a surprising amount of comfort in what was otherwise such unfamiliar surroundings.

Angwyn turned away from the window and headed over to the washroom. Like the rest of her quarters, it was elegantly appointed without being too lavish. As she pulled off her tunic – which she had never bothered to change out of the night before – she noticed with some sadness that it had a faint smell to it, like a mix of livestock and smoke. More distressing were the small scorches in the fabric from the embers that had fallen around her as she had sat in front of her burning house. Hardening her jaw, she dropped the clothes in the wastebasket and turned into the shower.

The hot water was like a balm to both body and spirit. She let it splash on her forehead, soothing the pressure and pain of her headache, and allowed herself to relax, her mind drifting off to some distant neverland without trouble or sorrow. It was with no small hesitation that she finally stepped out of the shower and toweled off, figuring she needed to be at least somewhat decent and presentable when the servant returned. She was wrapped in a snug robe, brushing out her long red hair when the expected knock on the door came. "Come in!" she called.

The same servant as before entered the room, pushing a cart loaded with breakfast foods both steaming and frosted. Up until that moment Angwyn had been sure that she wouldn't have much of an appetite that morning, but when the servant lifted the lid off of the main dish, her stomach decided otherwise. A decidedly unladylike growl from her midsection caused her to blush, but the servant didn't seem to notice. "Wow, that looks great," Angwyn commented as she walked over to the sitting area, where the servant had laid out a set of dishes and was pouring some juice into a glass.

"We brought you a variety of different foods, so just eat what you like, and you can leave the rest. We'll customize your menu once we have a better idea of what you prefer," the servant responded. As Angwyn seated herself she continued, "Your clothing will arrive shortly," and started to turn back to the door.

"Wait!" Angwyn called after her, causing her to pause mid-turn. "What's your name?"

The servant blinked, obviously not accustomed to being addressed personally. "My name is Sandrine," she answered.

Angwyn's eyes glistened with moisture. "Thanks, Sandrine," she said. "I... well, I know it's just breakfast, but this means a lot. More than I can say, really."

Sandrine's eyes also began to look suspiciously moist as she bowed. "It's my pleasure to serve, Miss Weaver."

"Please just call me Angwyn."

For the first time that morning, Sandrine's professionally neutral expression cracked into a smile. "As you wish. If you need anything, just page us using the intercom on your desk." With that she stepped out and shut the door behind her, but not before taking one last glance back at the diminutive red-head gazing wide-eyed at the food, biting her lower lip as she tried to decide what to try first. Sandrine smiled again and headed down the hall.

Angwyn had polished off half of the feast and was taste-testing half a dozen varieties of diced fruit that she couldn't identify when there was another knock on the door. Hastily swallowing the tart pink citrus that she had just popped in her mouth, she called out "Come in!" once again. Much to her surprise, the head that poked in wasn't Sandrine's brown bob-cut, but the long blonde hair and red bow of Cytheria, the princess and senshi of Venus.

Angwyn jumped to her feet, nearly upsetting her chair. The front of her robe caught the edge of the plate from which she had been eating, flipping it clean over with a loud clank and sending the remaining pieces of fruit scattering across the table. One landed in an unfortunately full cup of red juice, splashing the stain-inducing drink all over her toast, the tablecloth, and her white robe.

Mortified by the faux pas, Angwyn bowed deeply as her face turned about the same shade of red as the juice stains on her robe. "Princess Venus!" she cried, not daring to look up.

The other woman just laughed. "Please, only courtiers looking for favors call me 'Princess Venus'. To my friends I'm just 'Cytheria', plain and simple."

Angwyn wanted to protest that the princess was neither plain nor simple, but kept her mouth shut.

"Oh, for crying out loud," continued Cytheria. "Stand up already." She grinned. "We can't get you dressed if you're all hunched over like that."

Angwyn glanced up, wide-eyed, to see Cytheria holding out a bundle of clothing. Slowly straightening up, she stepped over to where the princess was standing and hesitantly took the clothes, hanging her head again to hide the furious blush. She wanted to ask why a senshi of all people was waiting on her, but couldn't think of the right words. Cytheria saved her the trouble. "I'll be escorting you to see Queen Serenity in a little bit, but I wanted the chance to get to know you a little better first. Why don't you go put these on, and then we'll chat?" Angwyn nodded – something of an accomplishment considering she was already looking at the ground – took the bundle, and scurried into the washroom.

A couple minutes later she emerged, dressed in a simple yet elegant tunic-and-pant set. The basic style was actually quite similar to the dirty work outfit that she had disposed of earlier that morning, yet there was no mistaking these clothes for farming attire. The fabric alone would have cost ten times what her previous outfit would have sold for new; and this was perfectly fitted, with tiny inset jewels under the collar and across the shoulders that were barely visible but added sparkle without being gaudy. The soft purple pants offset the smooth taupe color of the top, with a shimmery golden-cream sash tying it all together around her waist. It was all quite stylish, and perfectly suited to an informal meeting with the upper class.

"Beautiful!" Cytheria gushed, clapping her hands and causing Angwyn's blush, which hadn't diminished in the slightest, to grow even deeper. She stepped over to the red-head, eyeing her appraisingly. "That top really helps your hair to stand out. I really must compliment the staff; I doubt I could have chosen better myself! Now come over here, sit down, and finish eating while I do your hair." Angwyn did as she was told, somewhat dazed and at a complete loss for words as the energetic blonde scurried into the washroom and returned with an armload of hair care products. The whole scene felt completely upside-down to her. Cytheria fingered her red locks as she grabbed a brush. "You know," she commented to Angwyn, "this is a really beautiful hair color, and so rare." Her eyes sparkled. "This is going to be so much fun!"

Angwyn finally managed to find her voice. "Um, why are you doing this? I'm not... I mean... I'm just a commoner! And you're Sailor Venus!"

Cytheria let the hair she had been holding drop down and laughed. "Oh, don't worry about me, I like playing with hair!" She smiled more gently. "Besides, Angwyn, you're not 'just a commoner.' You're the first non-royal to ever show an ability to use magic. News travels fast in the palace, and I'm afraid you've become something of a celebrity." Though she couldn't see Angwyn's face, Cytheria could sense the teenager's mood shift. "Don't worry," she reassured her, "your meeting with the queen will be private. You won't have people gawking at you."

But Angwyn hadn't even considered being a spectacle. While the activity and downright bizarre feeling of the morning had monopolized her attention, the hole in her heart left by the previous night's attack remained. Not even Cytheria's effervescence could drive away the cold emptiness that filled her soul as the mention of her magic reminded her of all that she had lost.


Angwyn and Cytheria walked down a tall hallway, lined on one side by equally tall windows that let in the golden sunlight. Despite Cytheria's claim to want to know Angwyn more, the princess had more or less dominated the conversation as she completed Angwyn's hair, not letting the younger girl get in more than a sentence or two at a time. To Angwyn's distress, most of Cytheria's conversation had just been palace gossip, which Angwyn found dull and pointless, especially since she'd never even heard of half the royals Cytheria mentioned. Mercifully, Cytheria had stopped talking as they neared the throne room.

The two women stepped out of the hallway and turned into a large foyer lined with columns, at the end of which stood the huge double doors to the throne room itself. Sailor Mars stood guard before the doors, the senshi's presence silently announcing that the queen was within. As they approached, Mars nodded to Angwyn and smiled, saying, "It's good to meet you Angwyn." Her long black hair swirling around her waist, Mars turned to her counterpart and added, "The queen is expecting you; go right on in." Putting action to her invitation, she swung one of the huge doors open, allowing Angwyn and her escort to step through.

Angwyn's eyes swept the room in awe and not a little trepidation. Marble seemed to be the construction material of choice, as ten different types of the stone were arranged in subtle yet intricate patterns, giving homage to the ten original worlds of the Moon Kingdom. Sitting in the very center of the palace, there were no windows in the walls of the throne room; rather, a great crystal dome overhead allowed the sunlight to bathe the room in a warm glow. A trick of the dome's curve focused more light on the throne, which sat on a raised dais at the center-rear of the room. Much to Angwyn's surprise, the throne was empty.

"Hello Angwyn," came a familiar voice from Angwyn's right. Turning, she saw Queen Serenity emerging from a small alcove on that side of the room. She momentarily forgot her anxiety in her surprise at seeing the queen dressed in what was, for the queen, casual attire. She wore a blouse similar to Angwyn's, but of a shimmery pale blue fabric, complemented by a deep blue flowing skirt that came to mid-calf. It was so contrary to the regal, full-length winged gown that Serenity always wore in public, that Angwyn wouldn't have recognized her if it weren't for the trademark long silver hair bound up in twin odango on the top of her head.

Angwyn remembered herself after a moment and bowed low. "Good morning, Your Majesty."

As Angwyn and Cytheria approached the alcove, Serenity gestured to a woman with short black – almost blue – hair that stood within, waiting for them. "I'd like to introduce you to Minerva. You may know her better as Sailor Mercury. She's our resident expert on, well, just about everything. She'll be analyzing your magic and will help us determine the best course of training for your skills."

Angwyn nodded in acknowledgment. Of course she knew who Minerva was. Besides the fact that she had been on the transport that had brought them all back to the palace the night before, Angwyn had been a huge fan of all the senshi since she had been a little girl. She knew all of their names, personalities, and likes and dislikes (at least according to the fan club rumor boards); she could name all of their magic attacks; she even had owned the complete set of limited edition senshi action figures, with the exception of the extremely rare Sailor Saturn doll. Meeting all of the Inner Senshi over the past day would have been a dream come true if it had been under different circumstances. As it was, it just added to the surreality of the situation.

Serenity and Cytheria seated themselves in a pair of plush chairs in the alcove while Minerva produced the Mercury computer and opened it. Angwyn noticed the queen glance at a crystal ball adorning a short column next to her chair, as if seeing something there, before returning her gaze to Angwyn. She didn't get a chance to ponder it however, as Minerva began, "I'm going to start out with a simple scan of your aura to get a reading on your magic. Just stand there; this will only take a second." She pointed her computer toward Angwyn and tapped a key. After a few seconds, she raised an eyebrow and repeated the action. This time she frowned.

Both Serenity and Cytheria leaned forward in their chairs. Cytheria voiced the question that was on both women's minds. "No magic reading?"

Minerva shook her head. "None. It's the same result that the RES got last night." She glanced at Angwyn, not completely hiding the suspicion in her expression. "What type of magic could you use?"

"Fire," Angwyn replied.

"That's what the RES was reading all over the place last night," Cytheria recalled.

"Can you demonstrate your magic for us?" Serenity asked.

Angwyn glanced around the furnished and carpeted sitting area nervously. "Umm, okay, but would it be okay if I did it out there?" She gestured toward the spacious marble-tiled throne room. "My control isn't so good, and I don't want to burn anything."

Serenity nodded, and they all stepped out of the alcove. As the other women watched, Angwyn closed her eyes and turned her focus inwards. Breathing deeply, she followed the flow of her ki around her center as she had in that first meditation session with her parents, but could not sense the warmth of her Spark as she had before. After almost a minute she opened her eyes and frowned. "That's weird," she muttered.

"What is it?" asked Minerva.

"I'm not sure," replied Angwyn. "It doesn't feel the same as before. Maybe..." Trailing off, she pulled the twin bracers that she had received on her birthday from under her sash. As the only personal items that had survived the destruction of her home, she had wanted to keep them as close as possible. Now she strapped them onto her arms and prepared to try to find her Spark again.

"Wait, what are those?" Minerva demanded.

Angwyn paused, surprised at the anxiety displayed on the faces of both the senshi present, and looked down at her forearms. "These are to help me find my Spark," she explained. "My dad made them so my Mom could..." She paused a second to force her emotions down, then continued, "could learn to use her magic. They're how I found out I could use magic too. I... I don't know, but for some reason I can't feel my magic right now. I think these can help."

Minerva looked like she wanted to ask another question, but Serenity gestured toward Angwyn. "Go ahead, continue."

Once again, Angwyn closed her eyes and focused. As before, she could trace her ki down and around her center. However, even with the bracers she could sense no warmth of magic where her Spark should have been. The ki swirled around it, but in that spot was just a cold chunk of nothing. This time when she opened her eyes, she felt tendrils of panic wrapping themselves around her heart. The dark crystals on the bracers confirmed her fear. "It's gone!" she breathed. "I can't feel my Spark at all!"

Cytheria looked at Angwyn with concern, and asked, "I hate to ask, but what is a Spark?"

Minerva saved Angwyn the trouble of answering. "I think she's referring to her star seed. Just let me adjust some settings here... There, that should do it. Angwyn, I'm going to run one more scan on you, so just hold on for a few more seconds." She ran her scan, and her expression fell as she viewed the result. "Nothing." She looked at the queen. "The Mercury computer isn't detecting a star seed at all. I was sure that was impossible! I thought all sentient beings possessed a star seed?"

"It certainly is strange," Serenity replied, "but I have an idea. Angwyn dear, I'd like to do a little 'scan' of my own." With that, she placed one hand between Angwyn's shoulder blades, and the other low on her abdomen; uncomfortably low in Angwyn's opinion, but she said nothing. Serenity closed her eyes and concentrated. After a moment Angwyn felt her midsection grow slightly warm as energy flowed between Serenity's hands, through her center. The queen stood that way for almost a minute, unmoving, before releasing Angwyn and stepping back. She studied the girl for a moment before finally saying, "Interesting."

"What?" asked all three of the other women in unison.

"You're right, Minerva," she replied. "She doesn't have a star seed. She has a star crystal."

"What?" repeated both of the senshi, while Angwyn just stood there confused. Minerva waved her hands. "Wait, if she has a crystal, then I should have picked up some trace of magic for sure. Are you positive?"

Serenity nodded. "Yes I am, though I've never seen or even heard of a situation like this before. She has a crystal, but it's completely inert. It's not channeling any power at all." She turned back to Angwyn. "I'm sorry dear, but I don't think you will be able to access your magic for some time, if ever."

Angwyn just hung her head for a moment before looking up, her eyes wet and a wan smile on her lips. "Well, I guess I don't have to worry about being a celebrity." She dropped the smile. "Wh-where will I live?"

Serenity looked puzzled for a second. "Angwyn, I said you could stay here, and that hasn't changed."

"Even without any magic?" Angwyn queried, incredulous. "Even though I'm not royalty?"

The queen shook her head, sadness in her eyes. "My compassion isn't limited to your lineage, dear. Besides, I never go back on my word. If I said you can live in the palace, then this is where you can live. I'll protect and provide for you, you will receive the best education, and no matter where life may take you in the future, you will always have a home here with me."

Angwyn just stood there for a moment, tears flowing freely now, unable to speak. Finally she stepped forward and threw her arms around her benefactor. "Thank you," she whispered.

Serenity smiled and patted Angwyn on the back, holding her until the girl managed to compose herself. As Angwyn stepped back, looking a little embarrassed, Serenity beckoned Cytheria over. "Please show Angwyn back to her quarters," she instructed. "And if she's feeling up to it, she may enjoy a tour of the palace and grounds. This is her home now, after all."

Angwyn allowed herself to be led back out of the throne room, as her escort began to expound on the benefits of the royal compound. "You're going to love it here! There's always something to do, whether you like sports, music, plays – there's the Royal Lunar Library if you're into books: you could spend your whole life in there and not read them all, but who would want to do that? Well, Minerva would, but she's different. Of course, you're going to need new clothes. We have tailors and even a small mall, but if you want the best deals, let me know and I'll show you around downtown. For instance, I know this guy that runs a little shop out of his basement – you'd never even know it was there – and he has the most amazing prices on top-brand shoes..."

"Wait a moment," Serenity instructed Minerva as the large doors closed behind Cytheria and her red-headed charge. "There's something I want to show you." She led the senshi of Mercury back to the sitting area and touched the communication crystal. An image formed within the crystal, projecting into the air above it to display the girl that had just left, only clad in a red and white senshi uniform.

"What?" gasped Minerva. "A senshi?"

"A couple of months ago, Pluto saw this image as she monitored the Timestream and brought it to my attention," Serenity explained. "I didn't want to get her hopes up, but despite what I told her, there is little doubt in my mind that Angwyn will eventually regain access to the power of her star crystal and learn to use magic again. I need you to instruct her and prepare her: we can't risk her coming into power that she doesn't understand and can't control. I suspect that is why she can't use her magic now."

Minerva thought about that for a moment, then nodded. "That is a possibility. If she had a strong magic potential, and that magic was unleashed all at once, it could have crystallized her star seed and essentially shorted it out. Indeed, we know that strong emotion can sometimes be the key that unlocks magical power, and yesterday's events were very traumatic for her."

"I agree," Serenity replied. "It also explains why the spot where they found her registered Holy magic. An outburst intense enough to crystallize her star seed – and intense enough for me to feel here at the palace – could also have pushed her normally elemental magic across that threshold."

Minerva nodded, then closed her eyes and shook her head as if to clear it. Looking at the image above the crystal she asked, "So she's going to be a senshi?"

Serenity shook her head. "This is only a possible future. I certainly have no intention of appointing any more senshi. The eight that we have now should be more than enough to handle any threat. And I know that you four Inners continue to train, especially since you took on the task of protecting my daughter as well as myself."

"Yes, ma'am," Minerva acknowledged. "With your leave, I'll start preparing a training schedule right away."

"Just be sure to give her a couple weeks before you bury her in books," cautioned the queen. "She's still mourning, and needs time."

"Of course," agreed Minerva. She bowed and turned out of the sitting area, leaving Serenity to study the image floating over the communication crystal.

There had been more to Pluto's warning than just a possible addition to the existing team of senshi. After returning from the Weaver farm the night before, Serenity had done some research into Angwyn's family, and had learned how one by one they had all died or gone missing. When she added to that Pluto's discovery that all of the senshi would die sometime after "Sailor Sun" had joined their ranks, it seemed almost as if the girl was cursed. Serenity didn't believe in fate or curses, but it still nevertheless seemed prudent to be cautious.

A chime sounded in the throne room, reminding her of her upcoming luncheon with representatives from the Martian Farmer's Co-op. With a sigh, she again touched the crystal, causing the image to vanish as the sphere went dark. A queen's work was never done. She turned her back on the crystal and headed toward a changing room in the rear of the main throne room to don her traditional gown. Serenity had made up her mind: there would be no Sailor Sun.


Author's notes:

Unlike the modern senshi, it's evident from this chapter that the senshi of the Silver Millennium don't have disguise fields, or at least they don't use them. I figure that in the near-utopian society of the Moon Kingdom, there simply wasn't a need for them. Remember that in Sailor Moon, the reincarnated senshi are schoolgirls, and just relearning their powers, so both they and their families would have been at risk from the repeated waves of enemies that they had to face if their identities had been known. However, though it's not really stated in this chapter, the Silver Millennium senshi are much older and haven't had to face a real enemy in centuries.

Thanks for the kind words and for sticking with me through this long writing process. Bonus points to anyone who caught the Letters from Juilliard reference.