We're back! Thanks for all the great reviews. Your words of encouragement have brought about this next chapter of my typical Silver Millenium story, haha.
And Sailor Moon still doesn't belong to me. But maybe someday... :X
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"Hm…"
It was the following day, and Haruka gazed at her reflection in the full-length mirror, scrutinizing her every detail. She wasn't usually so vain about her appearance, but she was attending the queen's banquet, held in honor of the prospective senshi and to demonstrate the powers and progress of the current. As little as Haruka cared about the purpose of the banquet, she did care about her appearance there. The entire royalty of the galaxy would be present to witness the renewed tradition, and as the commander of Uranus, Haruka had to represent her own planet in a positive way, making proper attire a must.
She ran a comb through her hair, frowning in dissatisfaction at her cowlick which refused to be at all manageable. She finally shrugged and decided that it still looked decent, and double-checked her appearance. Satisfied, she left her room and walked down the hall to meet Tachi in the greeting room, and together they made their way to the banquet hall.
The banquet hall was a large rectangular room, set like an auditorium but with a huge serving table on either end that contained a small buffet of finger foods, fruit and cheese platters, fondue, and refreshments. In the center of the room, against the back wall, was a large stage, with rows of anchored, plush chairs set before long dining tables serving as the audience. The tables were made of thick, solid, white glass, and adorned with a glittering silver tablecloth, a place set before each chair. Upon noticing the snack foods, Haruka's stomach made a disgruntled growl, and Tachi stared at her.
"Hungry?"
"I guess so," she laughed.
They walked over to the end table, where Haruka noticed they weren't the only ones who decided to check out the buffet- the group of girls from the previous day were gathered around, one girl in particular making the most of the free food.
"Usagi, you act like you've never eaten!" Scolded a black-haired girl, placing her hand on her forehead and using her fingertips to rub her temple. The black-haired girl watched as a blonde pig-tailed girl went from tray to tray, sampling nearly everything.
"But it's all just so good!"
The other girls sighed.
"Hey, pretty girls, do you mind if I get by?" Haruka asked as she moved in front of them.
Blushes spread across four faces, the blonde pig-tailed girl still too immersed in the fondue to notice.
"Y..yes!" They answered as one, nearly falling over each other in their haste to move.
Haruka raised an eyebrow. "Is it good for her to be eating like that?" she asked, indicating the blonde.
"Well, she does it all the time, so I don't think we should be worried," a short-blue-haired girl reasoned logically.
"Yeah, she's sure got an appetite!" A pony-tailed brunette spoke up, placing her hand on the back of her head and laughing slightly.
"That's our Usagi- but you know what they say! All's well that eats well!" Another blonde, this one with a bow in her hair, said with a grin.
The other girls sighed again.
"You are the Sailor Senshi, ne?" Haruka asked.
The other girls nodded, still blushing slightly.
"I guess I will be seeing you, then."
"Yes!"
She smirked, secretly pleased at the effect she had on them. "Ja."
Haruka slipped into the shadows as she noticed that the banquet hall was becoming rather occupied, with more and more people entering and milling around. Tachi had gone to mingle with the crowd, which left Haruka to fend for herself. She tried to identify other possible Senshi candidates, knowing that the five younger girls must be the already-initiated Sailor Senshi of the innermost planets and Jupiter, which left her to find the other three from her side of the Milky Way. She knew one of them to be Meioh Setsuna, the mysterious woman she had met previously, and another to be Kaioh- she didn't know her first name. But what of Saturn?
She tried to think, and couldn't remember anyone on Saturn being born in the same timeframe as her… which meant… there was no candidate for Sailor Saturn?
Scanning the crowd, Haruka saw the tall, shadowy figure of Pluto, and nodded briefly at her. Setsuna noticed her searching gaze and indicated a young girl nearby. She had chin-length, dark, purple hair, pale skin, deep, purple eyes, and looked to be about 11 years old. Without Tachi, she could not identify people of importance which left Haruka wondering who she was, having never seen her before in her life.
But mostly she wondered where Kaioh was. Haruka was very interested in the gorgeous girl and was anxious to see her appearance at the banquet.
"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen…"
Haruka looked over at the stage where a sharply dressed man in a black tuxedo was speaking, and all the laughter and polite conversation in the room turned into a hushed silence.
"If everyone would please have a seat, the ceremony will begin shortly."
Swiftly, Haruka turned back to where Setsuna had been, but again, the mystifying woman was nowhere to be found. She did notice the young purple-haired girl skip over to a tall blonde man in a white tuxedo and large round glasses, who smiled at her and ruffled her hair.
Haruka smiled slightly. So. This was her father. She felt a twinge of sadness thinking of her own father, but shrugged it off when she felt eyes on her.
She saw it out of the corner of her left eye- a flash of aqua curls and shimmering ocean blue. She glanced in the direction and found the lovely goddess to be standing with a man, his hair light and graying. They seemed to be immersed in conversation, and although her mouth was moving with words, her eyes never left Haruka's. She was holding a glass of wine delicately in her hand, and she sipped sparingly from it as her and her company talked lightly.
A slight smile graced her lips and she nodded in Haruka's direction, causing the tall blonde to swallow very hard and return a slow nod. Finally, the girl turned away and followed the man to their seats, and Haruka, released from the spell she'd been under, gathered her bearings and scanned the waning crowd for Tachi.
"BOO!"
Haruka turned and gave Tachi an irritated look, and Tachi laughed and grabbed her arm. "Come on, our seats are over there."
"At least you're good for something."
"Shut up."
If it hadn't have been for the fact that she was seated in the front row, Haruka probably would have fallen asleep. There were many speakers from all over the galaxy giving their thank-yous for the protection of the Silver Millennium and the awarding of insignificant titles to those who contributed to the efforts. A lot of political jabber that Haruka couldn't care less about.
The only thing that kept her interest was the gossip around her. She could hear a group of people from behind her talking in hushed tones about several of the speakers, and even mentioning a few things about the senshi.
"I heard that the Princess Tsukino is secretly meeting a young gentleman from the Earth!"
"Oh, I think I heard that too… but wasn't he the Prince? …Chiba, his name was…"
"Well, girls, I've got even better news than that- I heard that the fated senshi of Saturn is no more than an 11 year-old girl!"
Haruka's ears pricked up at the sound of that as the other gossipers let out a slight gasp. So the 11 year-old that Setsuna had gestured to was actually the future Saturn! Haruka couldn't believe it.
"The poor girl!"
"Mm-hm, and the way I heard it, it sounds like Tomoe doesn't want her to have anything to do with the Sailor Senshi!"
"Who would, at that age…? My goodness, that's just terrible… the poor thing…"
"Well ladies, if I may interject," a clear voice belonging to a gentlemen seated beside them said, "There's fresh news about the Princess Kaioh."
"Really? I hadn't even heard anything about the girl!"
"But she seems like such a nice young lady…"
"Well, sir, please, don't withhold information!"
The man lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "It is said that she's very cold, snobby, and especially full of herself…"
Haruka frowned. She did not like the way this conversation was going.
"Last week, she turned down her betrothed suitor, hand-picked by her father when she was born!" the man finished in a rush.
"Oh, my goodness!"
"The nerve!"
"Well, apparently she wasn't ready to settle down, but her father was furious- he had made a deal with the young lad's parents."
"The very idea…"
She was cut off by a loud, clear female voice.
"If I may have your attention please…" The girls quickly silenced their gossip as Queen Serenity began to speak.
"Ladies and gentlemen, friends and allies, I have called us all here for two very important reasons. We have all, for the most part, lived out our lives during a time of peace. We do not know what it is like to experience battle and bloodshed on an everyday basis. And while some of us have experienced wars on our home planets, it is not the large-scale war that threatens our solar system, and our very existence, even now."
At this, murmurs went up from the crowd and people began to question each other. Haruka listened intently. The queen paused before continuing on. "I have worked, mainly in secret, for the past few years in building up our once-great Alliance. Perhaps there is no one here who remembers the times long-passed, but I do. I remember the Silver Alliance that bound our system together, in peace, and helped us to stand against every enemy who tried to destroy it.
Lately I, and others sensitive to these perceptions, have felt a great enemy approaching again. That is the reason why I have worked towards rebuilding our alliance- the strongest and most important part being the Sailor Senshi. I have done it in secret to keep wide-spread panic from developing among the planets, and I hope that people will still have nothing to fear- at least, not for a long while. But the enemy WILL COME, and I must have everyone's participation in order to defeat it."
She looked straight at Haruka as she said the last sentence, and Haruka felt a tingle go up her spine when she realized she was talking about her.
"It will not be easy. But we all, as members of this system, have a choice to make- an important one. We can choose to live our lives as best we can- not in fear, but in hope. Let those who know about what's coming handle the preparations. That being said, there are others here who have a bigger choice to make- will they help?"
There was a pause, and silence ensued.
The Queen smiled politely. "And now, let's turn our attention towards something a bit more promising. It is with greatest pride and honor that I introduce the Sailor Senshi Team- they have worked long and hard, and now it is time they are rewarded." She looked slightly off stage. "Whenever you're ready, girls."
The Queen stepped back and Haruka watched as the five girls she had met lined up on the stage; they seemed different somehow, but Haruka couldn't quite put her thumb on it.
All of them looking quite determined, the five girls lifted their arms into the air, each holding a small stick of a different color in their hands. Haruka was a little startled as each of them shouted out a transformation phrase. Nearly blinding, colored flashes of light encircled each of them as they transformed into their Senshi counterparts.
Haruka could almost feel the energy and power radiating from them as they completed their transformations and stood on stage, somehow completely different: older, stronger, more mature.
Queen Serenity spoke each of their names and planets in introduction as one by one they stepped forward, bowed, and returned to their place in line to the sound of much clapping. After four of the Inner Senshi had been introduced, the Queen paused.
"And last, but certainly not least… my daughter, Usagi, the Senshi of the Moon…" The blonde pig-tailed girl stepped forward and Queen Serenity continued, "She is destined to lead them all to victory."
On that note, the crowd erupted with cheers and clapping, and the Senshi once again bowed before filing their way off stage.
"Now we've come to the final part of our ceremony," Queen Serenity said softly and distantly, and the room quieted down again. Haruka's stomach clenched nervously.
"I have only introduced the Senshi of the innermost planets in our system- leaving out the four outer, and, as Senshi, most powerful. These four have not had the offer to join our alliance until now. Will they please rise and step forward, so that I may ask each of them individually?"
Tachi nudged Haruka's ribcage with his elbow. "That's you!"
"No shit!" Haruka growled, annoyed.
"Well get up, stupid!"
Haruka rose from her seat, standing out from the crowd and feeling awkwardly tall. She felt a million eyes staring at her as she made her way towards the edge of the stage.
On her left was Setsuna, who smiled briefly at her, with the little girl on her left, and Kaioh on the other end.
"I ask that each of you do not answer- but take a day to consider all the possible reasons behind your answer."
Then, one by one, she moved in front of each of them.
"Kaioh Michiru, Princess of Neptune, I ask of you, please-protect the Silver Alliance and take up your duty as a Sailor Senshi."
"Tomoe Hotaru, Princess of Saturn, though you are young, I ask of you, please- protect the Silver Alliance and take up your duty as a Sailor Senshi."
Then, the Queen was in front of Setsuna, and Haruka could see the sadness in her eyes.
"Meioh Setsuna, Sole Survivor of Pluto, though you have already fulfilled your duty to the Silver Alliance, I ask you as a friend- please, continue to protect the Silver Alliance by remaining a Sailor Senshi."
Setsuna smiled, her eyes welling with tears and she nodded slightly. Haruka was a little confused, but she shrugged it off as she realized what was coming.
Finally, the Queen was before her, her deep blue eyes pleading and boring into hers as she said,
"Tenoh Haruka, Ruler of Uranus, I ask especially of you, please- protect the Silver Alliance and take up your duty as a Sailor Senshi."
Haruka showed no emotion as the Queen finished up the ending to her speech.
Especially of you…
What did it mean?
"What did it mean?" Tachi was saying as the crowd was splitting up to retire for the evening.
"I don't know," Haruka shook her head. "It was weird to me, too."
"Well, if you don't mind, Haruka, I have some mingling to do before the crowd disperses. Mind waiting up?"
"Nah, Tachi, you can find your way back. Besides, I have some thinking to do," Haruka said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Enjoy yourself, I'm not into mingling tonight."
"Okay, well, then I'll catch up with you tomorrow."
"Ja…"
Haruka trudged slowly down the hall, lost in thought and contemplating the queen's words. She still couldn't decipher the queen's hidden meaning. She turned the question over and over in her mind, and as she neared her quarters, was stirred from her contemplations by the sense that someone was watching her nearby. She slowed her pace a little as she caught a familiar scent of perfume and a soft, melodic voice broke the eerie silence.
"Ara, the famed Tenoh."
Haruka stiffened as she recognized the silky voice. It was Michiru. Her stomach all of a sudden felt knotted and her heartbeat accelerated at an alarming rate.
She turned, half smiling, trying to sound calm. "It seems I've been hearing that a lot these days." She swallowed as Michiru moved closer, until she was but an arm's length away, her deep blue eyes shining in the dim light of the hallway, and, as Michiru came into view, Haruka had to hold in her gasp of pleasure. It was the first time she'd seen the princess up close, much less talked to her directly, and she felt compelled to pull the girl into her arms and kiss her.
She swallowed again as they regarded each other, and she studied Michiru's every detail- her pale skin was unscarred and perfectly smooth, her shiny lips pink and full, her wavy aqua-hair cascading over her bare shoulders, the light blue fabric of her dress hugging her supple body in just the right places that made Haruka's insides melt. Haruka noticed that Michiru's eyes were regarding her with barely contained interest, and, she noticed (hoped) lust? She nearly shivered as Michiru's inviting mouth formed words and her silky voice carried to her ears.
"A powerful, skilled soldier who's faster than the wind…"
Haruka let the words blow past her, but inside she was in shock. How did this girl know so much about her? But she could sense the game Michiru was playing, and despite her questions, she continued the flirty banter. She closed her eyes briefly, smiling. "A fan?" she asked. "It appears you know a lot about me."
Michiru tilted her head slightly, a peculiar expression gracing her delicate features. "Do I? There is much talk of your fame on my home world, Tenoh," she said formally, though smiling warmly, as if the formality were misplaced and she knew Haruka like a long-lost friend. "You are a hero… and many girls have fallen madly in love with you."
Haruka, slightly taken aback, but determined not to show it, hid her surprise with a smirk. "It would seem so… I wonder," she started slowly, wanting to catch Michiru off guard, "Are you one of them?"
Michiru laughed delightedly, Haruka savoring the musical sound. "Perhaps… shall we see?"
At that comment, Haruka raised an eyebrow, and Michiru gave her a mischievous smile.
"Kaioh!"
They both turned at the sound of an older man calling out to them. He was tall, skinny, and dressed in a tuxedo. His hair was shades of silver and gray, and he had a thick mustache. Michiru's lips turned up into a smile as the man came striding towards them.
"Kaioh," he said, a little short of breath, bending over slightly to brace himself on his knee. "Good heavens, where have you been? We've been looking all over for you! I've been worried sick, who knows what could've happened? These are troubled times, and I was just short of calling your father and--"
Michiru smiled as the man talked, hiding her slight embarrassment, her hair masking the slight blush that had developed. "Geole, I'm quite fine," she interrupted. She looked over at Haruka and nodded. "Tenoh has been escorting me."
Haruka stood in silence, but gave a slight nod.
Geole raised an eyebrow. "I… see."
"Tenoh, this is Geole. My…" she smiled, flashing white teeth as she thought of how to describe him, "mentor."
Haruka nodded again, bowing. "A pleasure to meet you, sir."
Geole bowed as well. "And to you, Tenoh. My thanks for accompanying Miss Kaioh down these dark halls."
"They are quite guarded, sir," Haruka assured him.
Geole raised an eyebrow again, then shook his head as if to clear it, insisting, "In the Neptunian Palace there is always a guard within sight."
Haruka gave Michiru a look of remorse.
No privacy?
"However, I feel a lot better knowing someone as decorated as you is bunked close by. These are troubled times, you know…" He trailed. Michiru rolled her eyes and Haruka cast her a questioning look.
Michiru once again smiled. "We share adjoining quarters, or didn't you know, Tenoh?" she teased.
Haruka gazed into Michiru's blue eyes deviously. "No," she said, "but I'm glad I will be close by, in case my assistance is needed." She took Michiru's hand gallantly and kissed it, making the other's heart flutter. "M'lady, since you are once again reunited with your mentor, and within sight of your quarters, I bid you good night."
Michiru swallowed quickly and gave a small curtsy. "Tenoh," she addressed, trying to keep her heart from pounding as Haruka's hand gently released her own and the blonde turned to her door and disappeared into her room.
"Kaioh, I do believe you are attracted to her."
Michiru blushed. "Geole!"
He chuckled. "Come, come, did you honestly think I wouldn't notice the way you stare at her?"
Michiru bowed her head. "Don't tell my father… Geole, please…"
"Of course not, my dear. Now, off to bed with you. You have a busy day tomorrow, after all."
Michiru hugged the old man, and he placed an arm around her in affection. "Thank you, Geole…"
"Think nothing of it…"
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Yay! You made it through another chapter! As you may have noticed, I made all of the inners very stereotypical, and a lot of this story is parallelled (omfg why can't I spell that word :B TOO MANY LLLLLs) off of the anime. Always, your dear words of compassion are cherished in the very depths of my heart. Or something. See ya next time!