SILVER SUN

A Sailor Ranko fanfic
by Jason Heinrich

Based on the Sailor Ranko story and webcomic by Duncan Zillman and Rebecca Heineman.


CHAPTER 4: RELATIONSHIPS

The following Monday saw Angwyn and Cytheria walking down a tree-lined path on the palace grounds, headed for Angwyn's first martial arts class. Their destination, the palace's athletic complex, lie on the northeast corner of the royal property against the shore of the Sea of Serenity. The lunar morning Sun glistened off of the water and warmed Angwyn's face. She closed her eyes for a moment and soaked it in, relaxing after what had been a trying day.

That lasted for all of about three seconds, when her shoe caught an uneven section of the sidewalk and she stumbled, narrowly avoiding an embarrassing faceplant.

"Hey, watch where you're going," Cytheria chuckled.

Angwyn's cheeks flushed. "Sorry. My brain is toast after today's lessons. I had a feeling Minerva was going easy on me last week, but I had no idea she could be this brutal."

"Yeah, she wanted to ease you into your studies, but at the same time she didn't want to eat into too much of your break. From what she told me, your school year ends in two weeks, and she expects that at this pace you'll need only one extra week to finish everything."

Angwyn nodded. "That's what she told me, too. Though I think she could have 'eased' into it a bit more."

Cytheria chuckled, and they continued walking in companionable silence. After a few moments Cytheria asked, "So are you ready for your meeting with the queen tomorrow?"

"I guess," Angwyn sighed.

Cytheria was surprised. "Huh? Last week you were all gung-ho about it. What's wrong?"

Angwyn smiled weakly. "Just a little nervous, I guess."

"Uh-huh," Cytheria said, giving Angwyn a questioning glance. The girl had been particularly quiet their entire walk. Something was clearly bothering her, and she just as clearly didn't want to talk about it. Cytheria decided to let the matter drop for the time being.

As they neared the entrance to the athletic complex, Angwyn began to trail her companion, and when Cytheria climbed the few steps onto the portico, she stopped altogether.

Cytheria realized belatedly that she was now alone, and looked down at the red-headed teen at the bottom of the steps. "Ang, is something wrong?"

Angwyn looked at her shoes for a moment before quietly replying, "I don't want to do this."

Cytheria hopped back down the steps to stand next to her friend. "What? Why not?"

"I... it's just... you wouldn't understand," Angwyn said.

"Well, I certainly won't if you don't tell me," Cytheria replied. "So come on. Maybe I can help."

Angwyn sat down on the step, and Cytheria followed her. "I doubt it." When she didn't continue, Cytheria put an arm around her shoulder, giving her a little squeeze of encouragement. Angwyn sighed. "Do you remember the night my parents died?"

Of course Cytheria remembered. She gave Angwyn another squeeze.

"Well... Jupiter just didn't seem to care. She was only interested in that guy that looked like her old boyfriend. I'm not sure I want to train under somebody that couldn't care less about me."

Cytheria was shocked. "Angwyn, Juno is one of the warmest, most caring people I know! I know for a fact that she's been looking forward to working with you and getting to know you better." Angwyn still looked doubtful, so Cytheria scooted back to look her in the eye. "Look, if Juno has a fault, it's that she can be impulsive. Sometimes she'll just say the first thing that pops into her head. It got her into trouble a lot when we were young –" she paused to smile at an old memory "– but you couldn't ask for a better or more loyal friend. Please give her a chance."

"Are you sure she wants to get to know me?" Angwyn questioned.

"Absolutely."

Angwyn stood up slowly. "Well, okay. If you say so."

Together they turned back up the steps and entered the atrium. "Wait here," Cytheria instructed Angwyn, before continuing on past the greeter's desk through a set of double doors that led to the practice facilities. Angwyn busied herself with admiring the atrium. Like everything else in the royal compound, money had obviously been no object in the facility's construction, though its design was less ornate than many of the palace structures, reflecting instead an elegant simplicity more akin to Angwyn's own quarters. To the left of the main entrance, across from the greeter's desk, two large polished wood pillars were inset into the wall, framing the arched entrance to the arena, where competitions were held. She walked over and peeked inside. It was empty now, though she could see that it was set up for Rocket-Ball. She made a mental note to get the arena's schedule of events: Rocket-Ball was her favorite sport.

"Angwyn?" a voice called out behind her. She turned to see a familiar woman with short brown hair.

"Sandrine!" Angwyn smiled. The servant was one of Angwyn's few good friends in the palace, and she always looked forward to the days that Sandrine was on duty.

"I thought I recognized that red hair," Sandrine said. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm supposed to start martial arts lessons with Juno today," Angwyn replied, her smile faltering slightly.

"Martial arts? That's why I'm here!" Sandrine's eyes went a little wide. "Wait, did you say Juno's your instructor? She has a waiting list that stretches to Earth and back! How did you... oh, never mind. You're friends with the senshi." She sounded a little jealous.

Angwyn looked embarrassed. "You know I didn't ask for any of this."

Now it was Sandrine's turn to look abashed. "Sorry! I didn't mean to imply anything. You're just really lucky, you know?"

Angwyn shrugged. "That depends on your point of view. So is Juno really that good?"

"Well, she is a very good martial artist, one of the best. Not the best though; I think my instructor could probably keep up with her as long as she's not powered up. People just want to be taught by a senshi, I think."

Angwyn was going to reply, but Sandrine suddenly broke out into a huge grin and started bouncing on her toes. "Oh! I've got big news! I was going to tell you tomorrow when I was working, but since you're here..."

"What is it?" Angwyn asked anxiously. Sandrine's excitement was infectious.

"I'm pregnant!" Sandrine squealed. "Alexander and I just found out for sure this morning!"

Angwyn clapped her hands. "Wow, congratulations! Do you know what you're having?"

Sandrine nodded. "The Lifewalker at the clinic was able to sense the baby's ki, and she said it's definitely a girl. A strong one too, from what she could tell."

"Wow," Angwyn repeated. "I'm so happy for you! So are you gonna be able to keep doing martial arts?"

"That's actually why I'm here," Sandrine replied. "My instructor says he's going to stop the high-impact sparring, but that otherwise I can keep up with everything else, at least until my stomach gets bigger." She rubbed a hand over her currently-flat belly lovingly.

Just then Cytheria returned followed by Juno, who was sporting a loose and comfortable pale green gi along with her trademark ponytail. Sandrine saw them and bowed. "Princesses," she said as she excused herself. "I'll see you tomorrow, Angwyn."

"Bye," Angwyn called back before turning back to the senshi. Much to her shock, she saw that Juno had bowed low herself. "What...?" she asked, looking around to see if the queen had come in behind her.

"Angwyn Weaver," Juno began formally, "I wish to apologize for my comments on the day that we met. I intended no disrespect toward you or your parents, nor did I intend to slight the incredible trial which you were facing at the time. I humbly ask for your forgiveness for my thoughtlessness." She looked up with a hopeful smile.

Any remaining bitterness in Angwyn's heart melted in the face of that warm and genuine smile. She suddenly became acutely aware of several passers-by, including the greeter at the desk, gawking at the sight of the Princess of Jupiter bowing to a commoner. Her face growing hot with embarrassment, she frantically gestured for Juno to stand up.

"Yeah, I forgive you! Can we just go in now?"


Endymion, crown prince of the planet Earth, sat gazing at the four men who surrounded him. One, a blond with a boyish face that made him appear younger than his age, turned and gestured to one of his companions, who handed him a large gilded bowl. Lifting a sizable golden ring from the bowl, he held it up toward the prince.

"Answer me one thing, Endymion," he said. The man in question raised an eyebrow.

"How on Earth do you get these potato rings cut so perfectly? Every time I try they always come out lopsided and fall apart in the fryer."

Endymion chuckled. "You really want to know my secret, Jadeite?" When his friend nodded, he answered, "I don't."

Jadeite blinked. "You don't what?"

"I don't cut them. There's an old lady on Phalanx Street who makes them for me. She breads them and everything: all I have to do is fry them."

"You mean the Phalanx Street right outside the East gate of the Military Academy?" Nephrite asked. Endymion nodded at the brown-haired man to his right, and Nephrite huffed. "I wish you would have told us back when we were students. I loved these things, and you were the only person I knew who made them. If you had told me your source, I wouldn't have bugged you for them so much." The other three friends nodded their agreement.

"Well, how else was I going to get you guys away from your studies?" Endymion pointed out. "I know you just hung around for the snacks."

Zoicite, who was sitting next to Kunzite on Endymion's left, snorted, and his silver-haired companion rolled his eyes. The two had been nearly inseparable at the academy, and it was generally assumed that if it hadn't been for Kunzite's conservative influence, Zoicite would have been kicked out for excessive partying. Too much studying had hardly been an issue for him.

Kunzite's influence had paid off though, and now Zoicite was considered to be one of the most promising young officers in His Majesty's service, as were all of the four friends gathered in Endymion's apartment this evening. Kunzite himself had just returned from a six-month tour on the Western continent, which was the reason for this get-together. It was the first time all five of them had had an opportunity to just relax and socialize in almost a year.

Nephrite turned to the silver-haired officer now, bringing the conversation back to the reason for their meeting. "So Kunz, you still haven't told us all the juicy details of your deployment. Is the Baldrin province as exotic as I've heard? Did you meet any hot girls?" He glanced at Zoicite. "Or guys?"

Zoicite glared at his sometimes-friend, sometimes-rival, but Kunzite brushed the insinuation off, as unflappable as always. "There's not much to tell, really. I spent most of my time at the royal compounds. The Baldrins didn't cause any trouble. It was rather boring, actually."

Endymion shook his head. "I can't believe that after more than a thousand years of unity, that one province still makes noise about independence."

Kunzite shrugged. "Most of the people there don't seem to have a problem with the crown, actually. There's just a small group that likes to stir up trouble now and then." He looked at Endymion pointedly. "Usually when a new king takes the throne."

"Lovely," the prince groaned.

A small smile cracked Kunzite's normally stoic visage as looked around at his companions. "But enough about me. I hear you had a little excitement last week." At their blank looks he continued, "Something about a new representative?"

Four light bulbs went on simultaneously. Endymion rolled his eyes, while Nephrite grinned. "Beryl," he replied, "from the Anden district just north of here. She turned a few heads at this term's opening reception."

"To say the least," Zoicite snorted. "You should have seen representative Androcite fawning over her. It was embarrassing."

"Attractive then, I take it?" Kunzite asked.

"Try gorgeous," Jadeite responded, "and dressed to kill."

Endymion shook his head. "She bordered on indecent. It was totally inappropriate for an official function like that."

"Stick in the mud," Zoicite teased. "Admit it, you enjoyed the view."

Jadeite spoke up before Endymion could reply. "Oh, no; our prince only has eyes for another."

Three sets of eyes locked on Endymion, as the prince visibly tensed. "Wait, what?" asked Zoicite. "Did I miss something?"

"Yes, do tell," added Nephrite.

"Well, from what I hear, not just any woman will do," Jadeite explained. "He's only interested in royalty."

Nephrite looked confused. "But there haven't been any other royal families for over 300 years."

Understanding dawned on Zoicite's face. "Not on this planet, anyways..."

"Now look–" began Endymion, but Kunzite cut him off.

"Oh, ho ho! Does our prince have a fondness for silver?"

"It's not like that!" the prince objected in exasperation. "Yes, I know Pandia personally, but we're just acquaintances; peers, nothing more! We're both heirs to our respective crowns. It makes for engaging conversation, but that's all."

"Right," grinned Jadeite.

Zoicite, on the other hand, looked thoughtful. "You know, there's an important difference between the two of you. That is, you'll actually be king someday. As far as we know Serenity is nearly immortal, so Pandia will be stuck as a princess forever. I bet she's interested in you just so she can have a chance to be a queen."

Endymion's jaw clenched, visibly struggling to control a surge of anger. Kunzite's smile also faded into a frown. "You may want keep that opinion to yourself," he advised his younger companion. "There are enough people that think the Moon Queen wants to annex the Earth. Sentiments like that could start a riot."

Zoicite glanced between the two of them, realizing he'd crossed a line, but he wasn't ready to concede the point just yet. "They may not be wrong, you know," he said quietly.

Jadeite decided to run interference before the tension in the room escalated any further. "All teasing aside, I understand you actually visited the Moon a couple of months ago. Some sort of diplomatic tour? How did that go?"

Endymion took a deep breath to restore his composure. "Yes, I spent two weeks with a handful of representatives and a number of leading scientists touring some of the Moon Kingdom's colonies and research outposts. We visited the colony on Ganymede, Mars, and a small science station in orbit of Venus. After that we spent a week on the Moon itself."

"Learn anything interesting?"

Endymion shrugged. "The scientists got more out of it than we political types. But I was impressed with the Martian terraforming methods. And there was a scientist on the Moon – Weaver, I think his name was – who did some pretty amazing things combining traditional technology with magic."

"So... you did meet Queen Serenity and Princess Pandia while you were on the Moon, right?" Nephrite probed.

"Yes."

"Come on, man," Nephrite said, rolling his eyes. "Elaborate!"

"What do you want to know?" Endymion sighed.

"What's Serenity really like? Is the Princess anything like her mother? Are men really treated like slaves up there?"

Endymion blinked. "What?"

"Where did you hear that one?" Kunzite added.

"Some of the men in my division were speculating," Nephrite answered. "You know, with all of the rulers – the queen and the planetary princesses – being women."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a long time," Kunzite stated.

"Utter nonsense," Endymion agreed. "Everyone in the Moon Kingdom has equal rights, the same as here. In fact, even the lower-class Moon citizens are generally better off than their counterparts here on Earth."

"It helps when you have a near monopoly on the Solar System's resources and interstellar trade," Jadeite mumbled.

Endymion shrugged. He couldn't really disagree with Jadeite's assessment.

"Okay, okay," Nephrite conceded, "but you still haven't answered my original question. What is the Moon Queen really like?"

"Well, as a future king myself, I personally found her to be rather inspiring. It's obvious that she loves her people. Her kindness, her wisdom, her sense of justice: there's a lot that I could emulate."

"What about the princess?" Jadeite asked. "Was she as inspiring to you as her mother?"

"Sure she was!" Nephrite interjected. "Just look at those new fancy clothes. Obviously meant to impress someone, and I don't remember him wearing them before the trip."

"Actually, I've had these..." Endymion began, but Zoicite was next.

"Is that new cologne you're wearing?"

"And I hear the palace gardeners have planted several dozen new rosebushes," Kunzite added. "I wonder where those roses will end up?"

Endymion threw his hands in the air. "With friends like these, who needs enemies?" he quoted with an exaggerated sigh, then joined them in their laughter.

After all, they weren't wrong about the rosebushes.


Angwyn moaned as the hot water of her shower slowly began to loosen her sore muscles. It just didn't seem possible that the stretching and simple kata that Juno had taught her the day before in their inaugural lesson could do such a number on her body. But she had been feeling a little stiff when she went to bed last night, and when she had gotten up this morning it seemed that every muscle in her body had protested.

I must be getting soft from living in the palace, she reflected, wincing as she reached up to rinse the shampoo out of her hair. Never thought I would miss those farm chores. Turning off the shower, she stepped out and grabbed a towel, wincing again as she wrapped it around her body. And what luck, getting all stiff and sore the same day I'm gonna go talk to the Queen.

She wrapped her hair in another towel and stepped into her closet, scanning her clothes for the perfect outfit for her upcoming meeting. Her collection was rather substantial thanks to Cytheria, who had taken far too much pleasure in dressing up her young friend. Angwyn smiled as she remembered that shopping trip. The Venusian princess had run her ragged, dragging her from one store to another and insisting on paying for it all, despite the fact that Angwyn had already saved up a fair amount from the generous allowance the Queen had granted her.

Cytheria had brought another one of her friends along on that excursion, a blonde-haired young woman that looked slightly older than Angwyn and introduced herself as Peri. Angwyn had quickly taken a liking to her, and they had taken turns teasing Cytheria for her over-exuberance in the retail arts. Not that it stopped Peri from participating in the dress-up sessions: she walked away with almost as much product as Angwyn.

It wasn't until they had returned to the palace, feet aching and arms loaded with a rainbow of shopping bags, that Peri pulled a familiar-looking pen from her purse, identical to the one Cytheria always brought with her whenever they left the palace compound. As the disguise field dropped, Angwyn found herself staring at Serenity's heir – her princess – Pandia. At that moment Angwyn understood what had endeared the Princess so strongly to the Inner Senshi. She wasn't some snooty aristocrat that barely tolerated the mere mortals under her. She was just a normal human girl that just happened to be the daughter of the queen. She liked the same things that other girls liked, and her cheerful, friendly disposition endeared her to anyone who could see past her royal lineage.

Her thoughts returning to the task at hand, Angwyn continued her scan of her wardrobe. Ultimately she selected the same blouse and pants that she had worn to her first meeting with the queen nearly a month before, reasoning that if that meeting had gone well, it wouldn't hurt to keep things as similar as possible. She snorted at all of the clothes she had passed over. She was astute enough to realize that the shopping trip that had led to their purchase ultimately wasn't about increasing her wardrobe. Cytheria had been concerned about her young friend's emotional well-being in the wake of her parents' deaths. Getting Angwyn out of the palace; inviting Pandia; hardly giving her a chance to breathe between fittings: it had all been calculated to get her mind off of her loss and help her heal. And Angwyn had to admit that it had worked. She knew she still lacked her former effervescence, and she still missed her mom and dad terribly, but she was undoubtedly improving.

She was just finishing pinning back her hair when a knock sounded on her door. That's odd, she thought to herself. Cytheria wasn't going to be here for another ten minutes. She stood up and stepped into the main room to answer the door, but before she could reach it the door opened and Sandrine poked her head in. "Angwyn?"

Angwyn approached the door. "Hey Sandrine. What's up?"

Sandrine looked a bit nonplussed. "You have a visitor," she simply said, pushing the door the rest of the way open and standing aside.

In stepped the Princess Pandia herself. "Hello, Angwyn," she said with a smile. Sandrine slipped out, shutting the door behind her.

"Princess!" Angwyn exclaimed, bowing. "Ah, um, what are you doing here?"

Curiously, Pandia looked somewhat embarrassed. "Well, I was wondering if you had a few minutes? I was hoping to talk to you, if that's all right."

"Okay," Angwyn answered, "though I was just going to meet with your mom in a few minutes." She fidgeted. "Is that why you're here?"

"No," Pandia replied. "I did know about your meeting, and I apologize for arriving with so little time to spare. However, this was the first opportunity I had to come see you, and I had to take it."

Angwyn cocked her head in confusion. "You had to see me? Why?"

Now it was the princess's turn to fidget, which only added to Angwyn's confusion and curiosity. Pandia said, "Do you... I mean..." She took a deep breath and blurted, "I-like-Endymion-and-I-think-he-likes-me-too." She blew out her breath and looked at the floor, her face beet red.

Angwyn just stared at her princess for several seconds. "Okaaay," she finally drawled. After a few more seconds she added, "Do you wanna sit down?"

The nonsequitor was enough to snap Pandia out of her embarrassment-induced immobility. "Y-yes, thank you," she answered. Together they sat at Angwyn's small dining table.

Short on time and emboldened by the princess's confession, Angwyn got right to the point. "Why are you telling me this?"

Pandia took another deep breath before responding. "To be honest, I don't think Mother would approve. And I felt like I was going to burst! I had to tell somebody, but all of my friends are senshi or other nobles, and if I told them I'm sure she'd hear about it. But you – I realized when I met you a couple weeks ago that you were different."

"I'm a commoner," Angwyn stated flatly.

"Well, yes," Pandia conceded, "and I noticed that you didn't care about palace gossip, so you probably wouldn't share this. But more than that, I was thinking that we are almost the same age, so you would understand my situation much better. Because let's face it," and here she leaned conspiratorially toward Angwyn, "the senshi are ancient."

Angwyn had to laugh. "Yeah. Though if you're looking for relationship advice I'm not sure I'll be that much help. I've never had a boyfriend."

Pandia gaped. "Surely you're joking!" When Angwyn shook her head she continued, "But you're so pretty! Your hair and your – um – figure; surely you must have had guys lining up to ask you out!"

Angwyn blushed at the awkward compliment. It was true that as she had matured over the last couple of years, her increasingly generous proportions had attracted a correspondingly increase in the amount of male attention, not all of it welcome. "If these are all a guy wants, he can look elsewhere," she stated with conviction. "I'm not interested."

"Well, good for you; though they certainly don't hurt your prospects," Pandia chuckled. "Just don't wait too long for Mr. Right. After all, you are only young once."

Not if I was a senshi, Angwyn thought in response. Then I would be young forever. Out loud she said, "So how long have you two been seeing each other?"

"Just a couple of months. We met when he came on a diplomatic visit with some other politicians and scientists from Earth."

Angwyn furrowed her brow, then snapped her fingers. "That's right! I remember my dad talking about some VIPs that stopped by his lab at the University. He didn't say who they were, but the prince's visit was all over the news so it wasn't hard to guess."

"Yes, that was probably Endymion," Pandia sighed wistfully. "He was so handsome!" She giggled. "He actually didn't speak to me at first. I think he was trying to stay professional. But I caught him looking at me more than once. The night before he left Mother hosted a dinner for his group, and he was seated next to me. It was so cute the way he got all flustered every time I brushed his arm or leg."

Angwyn laughed. "Completely accidentally, I'm sure."

"Of course," Pandia responded, but her grin stated otherwise. "After the dinner he stopped me outside of the dining room. He said he had enjoyed his stay, thanked me for our hospitality, and asked if he could contact me if he had any further questions about the Moon Kingdom and its leadership."

"That doesn't sound very romantic," Angwyn stated with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, no," Pandia admitted. "But then why did he ask me instead of Mother? Besides, when he spoke to me he was nervous." She giggled. "I could tell."

Angwyn smiled. "So how many times has he contacted you?

Pandia's face fell. "Actually, none."

Angwyn leaned back in her chair, her doubt obvious on her face. "I don't know, that doesn't sound like someone in love."

Pandia blushed. "I didn't say he loved me! Just that he might like me. After all, he would want to be secret about it, right? Maybe he's trying to find a way to talk to me without anyone finding out!"

Angwyn was doubtful, but before she could answer the princess, another knock sounded on the door. Pandia's eyes went wide and she eeped.

"Ah! I can't let Cytheria see me here! I need to hide!" She jumped out of the chair, and after frantically glancing around the small apartment she dashed into the washroom.

Angwyn just stared after the flighty princess for a moment before shaking her head and stepping over to the door. She opened it just as Cytheria was raising her fist to knock again.

"Oh, hi Angwyn," Cytheria said. "Are you ready for your audience with the queen?"

Angwyn straightened her blouse and took a deep breath. Confidence, she told herself. Just be confident. "Yes," she answered to her friend.

"Alright then," Cytheria smiled. "Let's go." They stepped into the hallway, Angwyn hesitantly closing the door behind her. As they started down the hall, Cytheria glanced back. "So, I have a question," she asked.

"Yeah?"

"Why was the princess hiding in your washroom?"

Angwyn gave a nervous laugh. "You knew she was there?"

"Of course!" She touched her temple. "I detected her with my super senshi senses!" When Angwyn gaped at her, she laughed. "Well, okay, not really. She wasn't very quiet about trying to hide. I could hear her through the door."

Angwyn rolled her eyes. Though she didn't care for gossip, sometimes she overheard things, and if the grapevine was to be believed, Pandia was lucky to have made it to the washroom without tripping over her feet. Having spent a little bit of time with her, Angwyn knew that was an exaggeration, but she had to admit that the princess hadn't been too subtle in her haste to hide herself. For that matter, why was she hiding from Cytheria anyway? As far as she could tell the senshi hadn't overheard their conversation, and though the princess's presence in that section of the palace was unusual, it wasn't unimaginable given their previous meeting on the shopping trip. All in all, there wasn't anything Angwyn could think of that would clue Cytheria into the true reason why Pandia was in her apartment.

"Actually, I'm not sure why she was hiding," Angwyn finally answered, truthfully.

Cytheria eyed her companion. "So what were you two talking about?"

"Oh, you know, girl talk," Angwyn answered a little too quickly. "She, uh, asked if I had a boyfriend and stuff."

Fortunately for the princess, Cytheria latched onto that last comment. "Ooh, do you? Do I know him?"

"No, you don't! I mean, I don't!" Angwyn exclaimed.

"Hmm. Angwyn, my dear, I think we need to broaden your social life." Cytheria grew quiet as they walked on, wheels turning as she switched into full matchmaker mode. Angwyn, for her part, felt a growing pit of dread in her stomach that had nothing to do with her upcoming meeting with the queen.

Several minutes later the two women entered the large sun-lit atrium to the throne room. Cytheria was still plotting and occasionally muttering to herself, which was proving to be a very effective, if unintentional, distraction for Angwyn from any nervousness over her coming meeting. Standing before the large doors was a tall woman with long dark green hair and a black-and-white fuku. Before her she held a long staff with a heart-shaped tip, within which sat a large deep red gem. "Sailor Pluto!" Angwyn gasped.

"Hello, Angwyn," the Guardian of Time greeted warmly as they approached. She wore a friendly and strangely knowing smile. "It is an honor to finally meet you."

"Um, likewise," Angwyn stuttered with a bow. Today was certainly turning out to be a day of surprises. First a personal visit by the Moon Princess in her quarters, and now she stood face-to-face with the most reclusive and mysterious of all the senshi, the one who guarded not just the Moon Kingdom and its leadership, but Time itself. Sailor Pluto's duties were important enough to exempt her from the normal guard rotation in which the other senshi participated over the queen and princess. "What are you doing here?" Angwyn blurted out.

"I'm helping out a friend," Pluto answered with an enigmatic smile. "This would have been Mercury's week to guard Her Majesty, but she had other responsibilities. A tutoring job, I believe." Angwyn blushed as Pluto concluded, "I volunteered to fill in."

Angwyn wanted to crawl into a hole. Why did these people keep making such a fuss over her? Why would they keep going out of their way to help her, when it was to their own inconvenience? She was just an orphaned commoner. Sure she had been able to use magic, but that had been for only two days nearly a month ago. She hadn't asked for such attention, and she certainly didn't think that she deserved it.

No, she thought, I can't think like that. Mercury told me that my magic might return. Obviously Serenity and the senshi don't want a rogue magic user running around with no control over her powers. Control. That is the point of this meeting, after all.

Pluto and Cytheria watched silently as the tide of emotions played out across the red-headed teen's face. Finally Angwyn regained her composure and looked up at Pluto. "Thank you," she stated simply and honestly. Bowing, she added, "Sorry for taking you away from your other duties."

Pluto looked surprised. "Not at all! I look forward to any opportunity I have to return to the Moon. This is my homeworld after all, and I spend so much time away..." Her expression turned wistful for a moment before the corner of her mouth twitched upward. "I should be thanking you." Suddenly she straightened back to attention, absentmindedly touching the earring hanging from her right ear. "Sounds like it's your turn," she whispered to Angwyn, and stepped forward to swing open the large door.

An elderly couple stepped out of the throne room, smiling and nodding at the ladies. As they passed, Queen Serenity's voice followed. "Come in, Angwyn."

Angwyn took a deep breath and straightened her blouse. Behind her, Cytheria patted her shoulder. "Good luck," she whispered. Giving her a grateful smile, Angwyn stepped through the large door. A moment later it clicked softly shut behind her.

Angwyn walked stiffly across the multi-patterned granite tiles of the throne room floor. Her stiffness had nothing to do with her sore muscles. Confidence, confidence, confidence, she repeated to herself. Come on, you rehearsed this. You can do it! Across the room, Serenity sat patiently on her throne, her face a picture of kindness. Angwyn found that the Queen's open expression had a soothing effect on her nerves, though she couldn't help wondering how that expression would change when she presented her request.

In short order Angwyn stood before the dais. She bowed her head and knelt on one knee. "Thank you for seeing me, Your Highness."

"I must admit to some surprise when I received your formal request for an audience," Serenity said. "If we are not meeting your needs, you only need to let one of the servants know."

"No, Your Majesty, that's not it," answered Angwyn. "My request is a bit more... serious."

Serenity raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Angwyn took another deep breath. "My Queen, with your grace, I would like to join the ranks of your Sailor Senshi."

Angwyn had been right about the queen's demeanor. The kind and inviting expression disappeared, replaced with one that was carefully neutral, not revealing any of the thoughts or emotions underneath. "This is not a role that one should ask for lightly," Serenity stated, "and no new senshi has been appointed since the original eight, five centuries ago. Why do you desire this?"

Angwyn's hands started shaking slightly, as despite her preparations, her nerves began to get the better of her. She clasped them tightly over her bent knee as she launched into the justification that she had rehearsed. "Your majesty, when I first moved into the palace you told me that I possessed a star crystal. I know that my Spark – star seed – is what allowed me to access magic in the first place, and that the star crystal could give me access to far more power when my magic returns. I've also learned that the senshi's connection to their planets provides a buffer, limiting the amount of power that they can channel at one time. Without that buffer, I fear that a time will come when I may no longer be able to control my magic." She looked up into the queen's eyes. "I don't want to die, and I don't want to hurt anyone else."

Serenity's chest tightened at the emotion behind that last plea. But there was a hole in Angwyn's logic. "Angwyn, just because you have a star crystal, does not mean that you will have full access to all of the power that it could potentially channel," she pointed out. "The fact that you cannot use any magic right now demonstrates this. The risk may never arise, and even if it does, we can find other ways to mitigate it. Besides, the mantle of a senshi is not a light one. My guardians have given up much to bear the responsibility for the safety of this kingdom, not the least of which is watching their friends and family grow old and pass on while they never age. It is not an easy life."

"I have no more family," Angwyn answered, "and some of my friends are senshi. I have nothing more to lose."

Serenity closed her eyes and didn't answer for a moment. When she opened them, the determination behind her gaze left no question that she had made up her mind. "I am sorry, Angwyn. The eight current senshi are enough to protect the Moon Kingdom, and I have no intention of appointing more. I am afraid that I must deny your request."

Angwyn swallowed in bitter disappointment, and she nodded. "I understand. Thank you for hearing my request."

Serenity's expression grew warm again. She stepped down from her throne and motioned for Angwyn to rise. As they started back towards the entrance to the throne room, she put an arm around Angwyn's shoulder and said, "Do not be discouraged, my dear. You possess a strength and a resiliency that is to be admired. I foresee you accomplishing great things in your life, regardless of magic ability or title. Be the remarkable young woman I know you to be, and make your parents proud."

Angwyn's eyes were moist as they approached the large double doors. As Sailor Pluto pushed the door open, Angwyn stopped and turned toward the queen. "Thank you. Your confidence... it means a lot. I'll do my best."

Serenity smiled. "Take care, Angwyn."

Angwyn bowed one last time and walked out of the throne room. Cytheria was waiting for her. "So... how did it go?"

Angwyn shook her head. "She said no."

Cytheria sighed. "Well, we knew it was a long shot. Still, that took a lot of courage to ask her. I'm really proud of you."

Without warning, Angwyn threw her arms around the taller woman, her tears suddenly flowing unbidden. After a brief moment of surprise, Cytheria smiled and hugged her young friend back. Angwyn sniffed, "You're a good friend, you know that?"

Cytheria was unsuccessful at keeping her own vision from blurring a little. "Thanks; you're not so bad yourself." She felt Angwyn chuckle into her shoulder. "Tell you what, I feel in the mood for a big bowl of iced cream. Are you with me?"

Angwyn's mouth watered. Iced cream was one of those exotic treats that she had first been introduced to here at the palace, and it had been love at first bite. She stepped back and gave Cytheria a big grin. "That sounds wonderful! Lead the way!"

Serenity and Pluto watched the two women leave the atrium, headed toward the Royal Mall where the iced cream shop was located. "You know," Serenity mused, "That was my last audience for the morning." She produced a disguise pen and turned to the green-haired senshi. "Setsuna, do you like iced cream?"

The Guardian of Time grinned, and in a flash of light her senshi armor was replaced with elegant yet casual street clothes. Echoing the recently-departed teenager she replied, "Lead the way."


Author's Notes

Rocket-Ball is from Shadow of the Sun: The Dark Side of the Moon by Almech Alfarion.

Finally, in this chapter the remainder of the major players in the last days of the Silver Millenium get to make their appearance. The Shittenou were particularly fun to write, the way they badger each other and Endymion. They remind me of some of my room mates back in college.

This chapter also marks the end of the first part of the story, where Angwyn settles into life in the palace. From here on out there will be longer gaps of time between the chapters as we touch on the major events of her life. That is, longer gaps of "story time." The amount of real-world time between chapter releases is long enough. :-P


Copyright Notice

The characters and stories of Sailor Moon and Ranma ½ are Copyright © Naoko Takeuchi and Rumiko Takahashi, respectively, and are used here without permission or license.

No claims to the above copyrights are made by the author of this work.

This work is for non-commercial use ONLY, and is produced for the enjoyment of fans only.

This work is the expression of the author and the depiction of the Sailor Moon and Ranma ½ characters herein are in no way represented to be a part of Sailor Moon or Ranma ½ as depicted by the original authors and copyright holders.