So Hard to Find
by Sereko
sereko13@yahoo.com
Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I know I should be posting Chapter 8 of
'Affair' right now...but I needed a break from its density. So,
I started another fanfic. This one's a bit lighter and it takes
place in present time. It's an alternate reality, first season
fic. But it does have the senshi and Queen Beryl. You'll be
able to figure it out. Anyway, I hope none of you will kill me
for taking another week to work on 'Affair'. Hopefully, 'So
Hard to Find' will appease you just a bit. ^_-
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters
associated with the story. I merely use Naoko Takeuchi's genius
as a starting point for my own storytelling.
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Prologue
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She had heard the rumors, seen the news reports and felt the
tremors of the Earth. They were here. All of them were here.
She had finally found them.
The cool moonlight shown down upon her as she walked along the
sidewalk. The golden highlights in her silvery hair were brought forth by
its rays. A sweet breeze tousled the long, straight strands that hung freely
down her back. She smiled despite herself and a warm sparkle was brought to
her eyes. “Finally,” she sighed.
Suddenly, a scream erupted from a block away. The blonde spun to it
in excitement just as she saw people running away from it in terror. Now was
her chance. They would be there to answer that scream. And she would be there
to meet them.
-----
“Mercury! I need that status report!” Sailor Moon shouted as she
jumped to the side of an energy blast. The senshi were facing something that
called itself Batok. It was about eight feet tall with metallic green body
armor covering its entire length. Piercing yellow eyes were set in an engorged,
horned head. It had two weapons. The first, which it had demonstrated to the
senshi when they first arrived, was a set of spears that ejected from its
wrists. They regenerated themselves, too, so that Batok had an endless supply
to hurl at his foes. The second, which it seemed more accurate in using, was
a streaming energy that it shot from its hands.
The short haired senshi that had been called upon ducked behind a
tree to type commands on her handheld computer. “All of our energies seem
equally effective against him, but none of them hurt him very much. I’ll try
to find a finite weakness.”
“Please do!” shouted Jupiter. She sidestepped around Mars to lunge at
Batok’s back. With all the fury she had in her, she swiped its legs out from
under it and sent a nice, hard punch right into his vulnerable stomach. “Ow!”
So much for vulnerable. Her hand throbbed as she pulled away. Batok jumped up
quickly, perfectly unaffected by the assault.
“Pathetic!” it screamed with a snarl. “Now be a nice group of weaklings
and hand over the crystal!”
“That’s what I hate. Why did they have to send one that can actually
speak in intelligent sentences?” Venus groaned while sending a crescent beam
into the youma’s face. “That outta shut you up!”
Moon spun to avoid another spear and threw a pleading look to Tuxedo
Kamen who fought a few feet away. “Would you please hit this punk for me?” She
batted her eyes sarcastically. “I would just love to hear him howl at the sting
of one of your roses.” Moon winked at him before turning back around to face her
foe.
“I’ve never been one to disappoint a lady,” the caped man said smoothly.
With that, he hurled two roses at the beast. One stuck in its forearm and the
other managed to pierce its eye.
There was a loud, very girlish sounding squeal. “Grr! Who dared to do
that?!” the thundering voice didn’t quite have the same affect after its weak
yelp.
“I believe that was me. Would you like another dose?” Kamen smiled slyly.
Oh, it was always so much fun to toy with the hopeless ones. He turned to his
girls. Yes, he smiled slyly again, he did consider them his girls. Like a man
with a harem, that’s how he felt. And in just the same way, they were the ones
that held the power and the ones that did all the work. He was merely lucky
enough to have a few supernatural tricks of his own; otherwise he would be
standing on the sidelines like every other male in the world.
He was glad he could help, even in his small way. The senshi gave him a
purpose. When he woke up in the morning, he wasn’t just another boring college
student. He was a hero. Well, a sidekick. But he had the chance to fight with
heroines and make a positive change in the world. His eyes affectionately roamed
over the five girls. Each one was so unique, so special. He hoped they knew that.
No matter what quests they were on – to find a princess, to find a crystal
– they were the ones that did all the dirty work. They were the ones that had to
wake up in the early hours of the morning or skip out on dinner at least three
times a week.
The crystal was special. The princess was special. Of anyone, he knew
that the best. But he sincerely hoped that they didn’t think either of those
things was more important than themselves. They were just as priceless as their
goals.
“What do you think, girls? Has he been a good boy? Does he deserve another
round?” He saw Mars smile brightly.
“Oh, yes. I daresay he’s been too good of a boy. I think he should get
some fire with his flowers.” Sarcasm was way too much fun sometimes. “After you,
mon ami.” She swept her arms out to give him the right-of-way. Without anymore
preamble, Kamen twirled his fingers to generate four new roses that rested
between his fingers. He threw them with deadly accuracy as Mars’ fire chased
after them.
Though pain was inflicted, the youma still did not turn to ashes.
Mercury furiously typed in a few more codes. Her computer beeped eagerly. “Yes!
I’ve got it guys!” She came out from around the tree to engage in battle once
more. “Its lower back doesn’t have as thick a body armor as the rest of his
body. Hit him there!”
A few minutes later, the six of them were standing in a circle around
a pile of dust. “Well, that was fun. I think we should do this again sometime,
ladies.” Kamen tipped his hat and turned to leave. He was stopped by the sight
of something altogether ethereal. There, in front of him, stood a young woman
who looked very familiar. He couldn’t place where he’d seen her, but he knew
he had.
“Please,” she implored. “Please, do not leave just yet.”
He stopped out of curiosity.
Behind him, the senshi were wrapping up their report to Luna and Artemis.
The two felines had bounded out from behind the bushes when the fight ended.
None of them noticed the new visitor walk up. “All right,” Luna concluded,
“sounds like a job well done. You girls are increasing in talent every time you
fight.”
Jupiter scoffed, “Did I just hear a compliment come out of Luna’s mouth?”
The other senshi giggled.
“All right, all right. Enough. It’s time to go home and get to dinner
before your parents begin to worry.” She rubbed Moon’s leg as she passed her on
their way home.
“Luna?! Luna! Is that really you?”
The black cat whirled around. For the first time she noticed the slim
figure standing with Tuxedo Kamen. She pranced forward. Jumping up on Kamen’s
shoulder, she nuzzled her head against his neck and mewed. She would pretend
that she was an ordinary cat until she was sure this girl could be trusted.
Kamen scratched her chin and she didn’t have to pretend to purr at the affection.
The silver-haired one looked at her in amazement. Her light grey-blue
eyes were as wide as saucers. “Oh,” she crooned. “I knew I would find the
senshi, but I didn’t know that I would also find you!” She reached out with her
arms and petted the spot between the cat’s ears.
Luna had stiffened at the mention of the senshi, but she began to relax
under the girl’s familiar touch. However, when two hands came under her belly
and tried to pick her up, she wasn’t nearly as relaxed. A violent hiss escaped
her mouth. She dug her claws into Kamen’s lapels in order to stay firmly planted
on his shoulders.
“Luna? What is wrong?” She tried to reach out again and was met with
another hiss. “Do you not remember me? If you did, you’d know that I would never
hurt you,” her tone was soft and confused. Luna didn’t respond to her questions.
“You can trust me,” she said earnestly. “Why won’t you speak to me?”
The cat stared searchingly at the figure before her. It was a well-known
fact that Luna rarely trusted anyone that she didn’t know very, very well. It
had taken her six months to trust Tuxedo Kamen. The fact that the girl knew of
the senshi and that she could speak was a little more than unsettling. On the
other hand, there was a nagging feeling in the back of Luna’s mind that told
her she knew the girl. She opened her mouth to say something when she heard
Sailor Moon softly call her name. Turning her head, she noted that the senshi
were all standing right behind Tuxedo Kamen.
“It seems that this girl knows us. But I have no recollection of her
myself.”
“So you do not remember me, then.” The stranger soundly positively
defeated. “You were my mother’s advisor along with Artemis,” she glanced down
at the white cat, “for twenty years and you do not remember me.”
It took a few moments for the information to process, and then
connections began to be made. The familiar feeling they were all being affected
by had been faint because she was from their past lives. But it was still
familiar because they had known her closely once. She was their princess. All
of their eyes suddenly jumped out of their sockets. They had spent nearly a year
fighting to find her and instead she had found them.
Sailor Moon had lightly rested her hand on Kamen’s shoulder when she
called Luna’s name, but now it fell like a rock to her side. His princess.
*Their* princess. “It…It’s you!” Moon stepped forward and brushed her hand
across the girl’s forehead. The movement shoved aside bangs to reveal a crescent
moon mark that had just flared at the declaration. “Our princess! It’s really
you!” In normal, enthusiastic Usagi-fashion, Moon jumped forward and embraced the
princess in a tight hug. “Oh! We have been looking everywhere for you!”
She was politely pushed away. “I am sorry to say that I do not remember
a senshi of the Moon. I do, however, remember all of you!” She turned in
excitement to be eagerly greeted by the rest of the senshi, the cats and Tuxedo
Kamen. Moon was easily forgotten. She took a step back as everyone formed a
circle around the newcomer.
So this was how it was going to be.
She sighed.
End Prologue
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What do ya think? Good, bad,
mediocre? Interesting?
Whatever your reactions are,
I am going to continue
posting for this story while
I post for 'Affair'...some
weeks you may only get an
update for one of the
stories and not both, so
you'll have to forgive me for
that. School is starting so
I won't have as much free
time as I have had this
summer. :(
Please send ANY comments to me, Sereko.
My e-mail is: sereko13@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2002 by Sereko
(
geocities.com/sereko13)