SOUL MATES
Chapter 2: "Secret"
A Sailor Moon fanfic
By Bill K.
It was nearly midnight when a red fox skittered up to the porch of the cabin on the lake front, one of two such cabins sitting side by side. One cabin housed Princess Usagi, Hotaru and Cere. The other housed Ves, Jun and Palla-Palla. Since the cabins only had two bedrooms each, Usa and Hotaru were doubling up so Cere could have a private room, while Jun and Ves doubled up so Palla-Palla could sleep alone.
The fox paused by the steps and sniffed the air. She stared out into the dark forest, watching and listening intently. Finally satisfied that there were no dangers around the cabins, the fox climbed up the stairs to the porch. Reaching the porch, the fox transformed into Sailor Vesta. By the time she reached for the door handle, she was Ves again.
Padding as silently as she could, so as not to wake Jun - - due to her early jungle training, Jun was as light a sleeper as Ves was - - Ves headed for Palla-Palla's room. Her intent was to peek in and check on how the teen was sleeping. Palla-Palla sometimes had difficulty sleeping in strange places, due to her mental immaturity. Too, Ves just felt better if she knew Palla-Palla was safe.
The sound alerted Jun that something was approaching. She sat up in her bed and peered into the darkness, old instincts keeping her ready to move in an instant.
"Ves?" she said softly. "About time you got home." Ves clamped a hand on Jun's shoulder, instantly communicating urgency.
"Palla-Palla's gone!" Ves hissed.
Instantly Jun was out of bed. She paused long enough to throw on a shirt and shorts, then looked in Palla-Palla's room while Ves searched the rest of the cabin. The bed had been slept in, but it was empty now.
"What could have happened?" Jun asked as Ves rejoined her. "I didn't hear anybody come in and I didn't hear her go out!"
"I don't know," Ves replied, trying to keep her head. "You go wake the others. I'll look around outside."
Outside, Ves summoned her henshin stick and transformed again into Sailor Vesta. Jun hurried over to the other cabin, knocked and came in. Inside, she found Helios sitting on the floor in the main room. He was in a lotus position, in a light trance, the gleam of his crystal horn giving his face an unearthly glow. As Jun passed by him, he emerged from his trance. Without knocking, she entered the room Cere occupied. The teen was curled up on the bed, wearing an expensive fashion sheer nightie. It took several shakes to rouse her.
"What is it?" Cere slurred. "Jun? This better be good."
"Palla-Palla's missing," Jun told her. Cere rose without further protest. She grabbed a robe while Jun moved to the other bedroom.
Inside, she found Usa and Hotaru back to back in the same bed. Hotaru had on dark, conservative pajamas while Usa wore just panties. Gulping, Jun steeled herself and went over to rouse the Princess. By now Helios was framed in the doorway.
"Just five more minutes, Mom," Usa mumbled. Jun shook her again.
"Princess," Jun repeated, then remembered herself. "Usa! Wake up!" The action did little to rouse the Princess, though it did stir Hotaru. Jun shook her again and saw a red eye look up curiously at her. "Palla-Palla's gone."
Moments later, four of the five teens were dressed and converged on the porch with Helios.
"Was there any sign of a struggle?" Usa asked Jun. Jun shook her head anxiously. "OK, Helios, can you sense any sort of mystical energy anywhere nearby?"
The dream guardian closed his eyes for a moment. "There is residual mystic energy coming from the lake itself. It is old, though, and probably a natural feature of the lake. Perhaps some creature of a mystical nature resides within it. I sense nothing coming from either cabin and little from the forest beyond the nymphs who live there."
"OK," Usa nodded, her brow knit. "How about Palla-Palla herself? Do you know when she stopped dreaming? That'll at least tell us when she probably went missing."
"It was early," Helios responded. "Her dream was short and ended before nine."
"I was swimming then," Jun muttered. "No wonder I didn't hear her leave. She was already gone."
"But where?" Hotaru wondered. "She wouldn't just wander off, would she?"
"She might," Cere said. "If she saw or heard or 'sensed' something that aroused her curiosity. You know she thinks like a little kid. Well because of that, she doesn't always consider that something she does might be dangerous." Cere took a breath. "I'll ask the trees if they recall sensing her."
As she walked off, Ves hurried up.
"I can't spot any sort of trail," Ves reported anxiously. "You don't suppose something teleported in and took her, do you?"
"It's hard to tell without Aunt Ami's Senshi Computer," Usa responded. "But before we jump to new theories, let's disprove the old theories first. And we need to assume that we're potentially in danger. Everybody transform."
Once that was done, everyone looked to their leader.
"Vesta, see if you can pick up her scent in case she did wander off," Sailor Moon said.
"Fauna Assimilation, Bloodhound!" Vesta transformed and immediately began sniffing the ground.
"I'll search the lake," Juno said.
"Can you do it without going in?" Sailor Moon asked. "Helios said there's some sort of mystic presence in there. I don't want anyone in the lake until I know what it is." She turned to Helios. "You and I can search from above. Your horn can give us some light. Saturn, you stay here in case Palla-Palla comes back."
Helios transformed into his Pegasus form. Sailor Moon mounted him and together they pushed off into the night sky. Pegasus illuminated his horn and projected a beam of white light from it, lighting up the shoreline like a searchlight.
"The trees remember seeing her," Cere said as she returned to the others. "But they can't recall when or where she went. Time isn't a concept they understand. It could have been from when we first arrived." She glanced over at Vesta the bloodhound. The dog was searching almost to the tree line. "Don't go too far, Vesta. If something is out there, we don't want it attacking you."
"I hope it tries to attack me!" Vesta snarled. "I'll rip it a new one!"
Cere was about to respond, but stopped when Saturn put a hand on her arm.
"She's just worried," Saturn told her.
"Yeah," Cere grimaced. "So am I."
By now Vesta had disappeared into the forest. Seized by an idea, Cere walked over to the tree line. Saturn watched her stand before a tree for the longest time. Then she brought her Senshi communicator up to eye level and pushed a button.
"I asked the trees to watch over Vesta," Cere said, returning to the porch, "and to let me know if something happens to her. What are you doing?"
"Contacting the Crystal Palace," Saturn responded.
"Is Usa going to like that?"
"Why wouldn't she?" Saturn asked. Just then, her attention was attracted by a face on the communicator screen.
"You're up pretty late," they heard Artemis remark. "And you're transformed. Is there trouble?"
"Palla-Palla is missing," Saturn explained. "She may have just wandered off, but we need to find her at any rate. Can you track her Senshi Communicator?"
"Give me a few seconds," the white cat replied. "Does she wander off a lot?"
"It's news to me, but Cere says it has happened," Saturn answered. "I apologize if I woke you."
"Don't. We cats do our best work at night," Artemis joked. Then his expression changed to a frown. "I'm not receiving a signal from her."
Saturn and Cere exchanged nervous glances. "Could it be a malfunction in your equipment?" Saturn asked.
"I doubt it. I'm getting transmissions from the rest of you. But nothing from Palla-Palla. Either something is shielding the transponder signal or she's not in the area anymore."
"That can't be," whispered Cere. Saturn saw she had a haunted look.
"I've widened the reception to planet-wide search," Artemis told them. "It'll take a few moments for the signal to reflect off the various telecom satellites."
"Who would want to abduct Palla-Palla?" Cere asked, her voice trembling. "Why? Do they need her for her mental powers? Or is it something more creepy?"
"Facts before extrapolation," Saturn advised her. "That's what Mizuno-Sensei always says. There's no sense making assumptions before we know more."
"Yeah," Cere nodded. "Sure. It makes sense. But I can't help worrying . . ."
"Saturn?" Artemis spoke up. The two teens hushed and listened intently to the communicator. "There's no signal anywhere on Earth." There was a pregnant silence that followed. "Remember, she could just be in an area that's shielded from the transponder signal being received."
"Does that occur naturally?" Saturn asked.
"I," Artemis began, "suppose. It would take an extraordinary set of circumstances, though. Do you want me to send in the Elder Senshi?"
Saturn swallowed. "I'd better let Usa make that decision. We'll let you know." She paused, then as an after thought. "Thank you for your help, Artemis."
"I hope it works out," Artemis replied. "I'll be standing by."
By that point, Juno had joined them. Cere and Saturn looked hopefully at her.
"She's not in the lake," Juno told them. "Which, I suppose, is a good thing. But something's not right about that lake."
"Not right how?" Cere asked.
"There are," Juno struggled to say, "presences. It's in the lake and yet it isn't. I didn't sense it before because I wasn't looking for it. And I can't for the life of me identify it. But it's there, in a couple of spots."
"Can you sense where?" Saturn asked.
"Closest one is south of here," Juno answered, vaguely gesturing in that direction. "Somewhere over there. But I can't pinpoint it. It keeps shifting. And it's not always in the water."
"That's the direction Vesta went in," Cere added.
"Sailor Moon?" Saturn said, pressing the call button on her communicator. "Come in, Sailor Moon!"
"I'm here, Saturn," Sailor Moon answered over the communicator. "What's up?"
"Concentrate your search south of our position along the lake," Saturn told her. "Vesta's picked up a scent in that direction and Juno detected a vague presence there, too."
"We're on it," Sailor Moon replied. "Saturn, see if you can contact Artemis and get a trace on her communicator."
"I already did," Saturn told her. "He can't pick up her signal."
There was silence.
"Do you want him to send in the Elder Senshi?" Saturn asked.
They heard an audible sigh. "Yeah," Sailor Moon said at last. "Maybe he better."
The gleaming white horse Pegasus shone like a star in the night sky over Lake Biwa. As the horse and his rider banked left toward the shore, a beam of white light illuminated the bluffs below. Water erosion had carved a small cliff along this part of the lake. The bluff was only ten feet high from the water line.
"I wonder if Palla-Palla knows how to swim," Sailor Moon murmured.
"A legitimate concern," Pegasus thought back.
"Why didn't I find out before coming here?" the pink teen cursed herself.
"Maiden," Pegasus thought to her, "recriminations distract you from the task at hand."
"Yeah," frowned the Princess.
On they flew, the light from the equine's crystal horn exposing the night activity on the ground. Chipmunks, rabbits, foxes and other night foragers would bound away in fear from the illumination. As Pegasus flew, he could feel the thighs and knees of his love pressing into his sides, her tension transmitting to him. He wished he could ease her fears. Should the worst happen, she would be devastated and that in turn would make him sad. And he would mourn the loss of the happy dreams that sprang from the child-like innocence of Palla-Palla's mind.
"There's Vesta!" Sailor Moon exclaimed, leaning forward and pointing. "Can you set down safely?"
"I cannot land directly beside her," Pegasus thought, "but I can put down near enough to walk to her."
The two landed and ventured through thirty yards of forest. When they reached Vesta, still in the form of a blood hound, they found her searching in small circles around the area.
"Vesta?" Sailor Moon inquired.
"I lost her scent!" the hound replied. There was panic in her voice. "I can't find it again! It just stops!"
"Helios, can you throw some light on this area?" Sailor Moon requested.
"Maiden," the winged horse thought back to her, "I sense something in this area."
"What?"
"I do not know," Pegasus responded. "It is disguised from my senses. I do not know what or where it is," and he paused to stare ahead, shifting anxiously on his hooves, "but something is near."
"Yeah," Vesta added, staring in the same direction. "I can feel it, too. So do the other animals. See any birds? Any nighttime mammals?" Vesta continued to stare. "They're all steering clear - - giving this area a wide berth."
"Then maybe that's where we should look next," Sailor Moon replied, her mouth thinning.
"Caution, Maiden," Pegasus advised. "We do not know what lurks in there. To just blindly walk in risks disaster."
"And whatever's in there might have Palla-Palla!" Vesta argued. "That means it's going to have to deal with me!" A thought struck the hound. "Princess, maybe you better stay back. Just in case he's right, you know."
She wanted to argue. But Vesta and Pegasus both were only doing their duty as a Senshi and as a lover: looking out for her safety. That was the price of her station, as royalty and as a leader.
"All right," she said, clearly annoyed by the logic of the situation. "But maybe you'd better go in as something better equipped to deal with an attack."
"Way ahead of you, Princess," Vesta replied. "Fauna Combination, Silver Back Gorilla African Elephant!"
Sailor Moon and Pegasus had to step back to allow room for the suddenly expanding Sailor Vesta as she mutated into a silver back gorilla roughly the size of an elephant. Vesta was about to venture forward when Sailor Moon's communicator signaled.
"Sailor Moon!" she heard Saturn exclaim. "Palla-Palla's back! She's back at the cabin and she's safe!"
Not wasting time to transform, Vesta whirled one hundred and eighty degrees and bounded for the cabins. Sailor Moon quickly mounted Pegasus and the pair were airborne in moments.
Because she was flying, Sailor Moon reached the cabins first. As Pegasus put down, Sailor Moon could see Palla-Palla bracketed by Saturn and Juno. Cere knelt before the girl and had hold of her arms while she questioned the girl intently. Quickly the Princess dismounted. As she approached, Saturn shot her a nervous glance.
"But WHERE did you go?" Cere persisted. Palla-Palla seemed nervous and intimidated and the Princess wasn't certain if it was because of the way Cere was asking or what she was asking.
"Around," Palla-Palla responded, struggling not to cry.
"'Around' isn't a place," Cere argued. "Where is 'around'?"
"Palla-Palla doesn't know its name!" the teen howled. "She heard something and she went to see what it was!"
Gently Sailor Moon eased Cere away from the teen. She took Cere's spot kneeling before the shorter teen.
"We're glad you're back safe, Palla-Palla," Sailor Moon told the teen gently. "You really had us worried."
"Palla-Palla is sorry," sniffed the girl.
"So you're OK? You're not hurt?" Sailor Moon asked. Palla-Palla shook her head. "You said you heard something. Do you mean 'heard' it telepathically?" Palla-Palla nodded. "What did you hear? Do you know?"
"It was," Palla-Palla began. Sailor Moon could see that the girl didn't want to answer, but couldn't think of a way to get out of it. "It was a thought."
"From a stranger?"
"Palla-Palla hadn't heard it before."
"So you got up - - in the middle of the night - - and wandered off into the forest because you heard a strange thought?"
"Palla-Palla's sorry," the girl whimpered. "She knows Ves-Ves has told her not to wander off."
"OK, don't worry about that now," Sailor Moon said softly. "Did you meet the person who had the strange thought?"
Juno noticed that Vesta was a few feet away. She had transformed back to a human form and clearly wanted to hug Palla-Palla and then tear into her, but hung back in deference to Sailor Moon. Juno could see Vesta had that intense look she always had when someone or something threatened what she cherished.
Palla-Palla considered her answer. "Palla-Palla didn't see any people," she said finally.
"That doesn't quite answer my question," Sailor Moon observed. "Did you meet whatever it was who had the strange thought?"
Instantly she saw the girl tense up. Everyone saw it. Palla-Palla's eyes sought the ground and she resembled a trapped animal.
"Palla-Palla?" Sailor Moon nudged.
"Please, Princess, don't make Palla-Palla tell!" squealed the teen. "She promised!"
"Promised what?" roared Vesta, leaning in around Sailor Moon. "Promised who? DID HE THREATEN YOU? DID HE HURT YOU?"
Palla-Palla's eyes bulged as she stared into the face of Vesta's barely contained fury. Then she tore away from Sailor Moon and bolted for the cabin.
"PALLA-PALLA PROMISED!" she wailed, flung the door open and disappeared into the structure. Vesta lunged to pursue, but Sailor Moon intercepted her and held her back.
"No, Vesta! Let her be!" Sailor Moon advised. "In her state, you'll only make things worse!"
"If somebody hurt her, I'll kill him!" bellowed Sailor Vesta. "I'LL KILL HIM!"
Continued in Chapter 3