Sailor Moon: Distant Stars
Chapter 11:
Tanya and her friends ran quickly down the sidewalk to a small alley a little ways off. When they ducked inside, Makoto, Rei, and Ami nodded to each other, made sure no one was around, and raised their henshin items high in the air.
"MARS CRYSTAL POWER..MAKE-UP!"
"MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE UP!"
"JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE UP!"
Each girl was then surrounded by their auras, and their clothes magically dissipated from their bodies. With a few spins and twists, their bodies were covered with the fuku uniform that gave them the strength and power they needed to become the Sailor Senshi. When it was done, they looked expectantly at Tanya. "Well?" asked Sailor Mars, ready for battle.
The shorter girl nodded and turned to the child besides her. "Are you ready Tilly?" she asked, slight worry in her eyes. She didn't want one so young to be involved in a battle such as this, but she knew, as well as everyone else, that there was no choice.
"Hai! Let's beat this baka!" shouted the little girl, excitement lighting up her dark green eyes. Both dark-skinned girls stood next to one another and raised a right hand in the air;
"SIRIUS EMERALD STAR POWER!" began Tanya;
"CHIBI-SIRIUS STAR POWER!" followed Tilly,
A bright flashing erupted from their chest, and washed the whole alley way with a bright, white light. A small crystal appeared floating in front of Tilly for a brief moment, then reabsorbed inside. The necklace appeared around Tanya's neck, holding the Emerald Star Stone, then flashed and morphed into the large black opal. They both opened their eyes at the same time, and yelled;
"MAKE UP!" Immediately, the light got a little dimmer, and the other senshi saw their bodies outlined in a background of blue and yellow light. Their ordinary clothes melted away, and when they twirled around each other, they were covered in a swirl of a black, smoke-like substance, which immediately wrapped around them and turned into their fukus. When it ended, Super Sailor Sirius and Chibi Sirius looked at one another in amazement.
"Wow! How did you both...do that?" asked Sailor Mercury, blinking her eyes at the astounding scene. Mars and Jupiter had the same look of bewilderment on their faces.
"I..I don't know..," said Sailor Sirius softly, looking at Chibi Sirius, then back at the others, "For some reason, it..seemed like the right thing to do.."
She was about to say something about it having to do with the crystal she had, when a huge explosion rocked the entire block before them. Sirius and everyone else was nearly knocked to their feet.
"Never mind now! We got trouble!" said Sailor Mars, slamming her fist into her left hand. Each senshi ran high speed out of the alley and toward the source of the mayhem, and as they quickly raced by people on the way, many cheered and yelled encouragement at them. Chibi-Sirius, loving all the attention, giggled and waved back, a big smile on her face.
But all the smiling and giggling suddenly stopped when they finally reached the large street where the monster was. The large grey and black insect, resembling a grotesque beetle, roared loudly as it shot another deadly beam out of its mouth and blasted another car in front of it. A huge fireball erupted and burned the clothes of a few bystanders as they tried to run away. Screaming, they were then grabbed and thrown to the ground as Good Samaritans rushed at them and rolled them to put out the flames. Sailor Chibi Sirius gulped loudly. This didn't seem like it was going to be fun....not at all!
"HEY, BUGFACE!" screamed out Sailor Sirius, stepping up in front of the others with Jupiter. The creature grunted in surprise and turned around to look at the girls standing before it.
With its antennae twirling on top of its head, the bug monster raised its pincher arms and pointed to itself, as if to ask "Who, me?"
"Yeah you! Playtime's over!" Sailor Sirius ran forward and jumped high into the air. She flipped over the monster, thrust out her leg behind her, and landed a hard kick upside its vulnerable head. The monster went down with a grunt as Sirius landed right behind it on one knee.
Sailor Mars next ran up to the fallen monster, her eyes flashing with challenge. She smirked as she took out one of her ofudas and held it up to her face, her eyes closed. The Fire Senshi's eyes then snapped opened, and she yelled "Akouryou, Taison!" She threw forward the ofuda, and it struck the monster right in the center of its face. The creature roared in confusion as it found it couldn't move, no matter how hard it tried.
Immediately after, Sailor Jupiter stepped up, her emerald eyes bright with excitement. She thrust out her hand and yelled, JUPITER OAK...EVOLUTION!" The power of electrified, razor-sharp oak leaves raced out and struck the crystal warrior dead center on its chest. The blast knocked the monster back a few feet and smashed it into a large van, leaving behind a huge dent. Growling, the creature quickly got back up, shook its head, and glared at the figures before it. Suddenly, it didn't like what these things where doing to it, and the creature decided to remedy the situation. Its many eyes then fell on the small girl standing off to the side. The monster suddenly recognized it from the instructions and images that was given to it from its masters.
With a rageful roar, the warrior rushed forward, its pincer hands and mouth opening and shutting with loud snapping sounds. "Get Hatchling!" it screamed, madness glowing in its eyes.
"NOOO!!" yelled out the little girl. She closed her eyes, feeling power rush through her, then clasped her hand in front of her as if she was praying. A blue aura surrounded her body, and her eyes suddenly snapped open. She thrust her right hand in the air and shouted, "SIRIUS...TWINKLE BLUE STAR LIGHT!" The aura lifted from around her body and gathered in her hand. She brought the energy down, held it between her hands as if it was a baseball, and the brought it back for the pitch. She yelled "FLASH!" and threw the power at the fast approaching monster.
It struck the creature directly in the eyes and it screamed and hop around in pain and frustration. "Good work, Chibi Sirius!" said the older Sirius senshi, rushing over and bending down to give the younger girl a quick pat on the head. The other three senshi smiled and nodded in agreement. Moments later, the monster snapped its pincher hands and mouth again, the power already beginning to dissipate. "Look out, it's getting ready to attack again!" shouted Sailor Mercury. No sooner had she said that, than the creature began to glow its sickly grey and black aura. It snapped open its eyes and shot forth a large and deadly black energy beam. It blasted the ground before them, and the explosion knocked all the senshi back on the hard sidewalk ground, screaming in pain.
Moaning, the girls watched as the monster came closer and got ready to fire again. But right then, a shadowy outline jumped on top of the trailer nearest to it. It raised its arms high up, then pointed down at the insect monster.
"VENUS...LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!" the figure screamed.
Tiny golden hearts rushed forward towards the creature, then came together and formed a large golden and powerful heart. The power crashed into the monster and knocked it several feet away. Sailor Venus jumped down from the trailer and landed right besides the fallen group.
"Hey blondie, what kept you?" smirked Sailor Sirius as she and the others painfully got up. Venus rolled her eyes heavenward and groaned.
"Very funny! Try finding a place to hide and transform when there's people practically every where, AND when you have a burn on your leg!" she said exasperatedly, pointing to her right leg where a small nasty burn showed.
Just then, another figure ran up, this time carrying a scepter. "GUYS! Are you all right?" said Eternal Sailor Moon, breathing hard. She stopped before them and wiped the sweat from her brow."Sorry I'm late! The English teacher wanted to talk to me about..."
"Save the excuses! Let's just get rid of this thing already!" yelled Mars as she pointed to the monster that was now getting up and glaring at them with rage-filled eyes.
Sailor Moon looked at Mars in annoyance for a second, then nodded. "Right! Here goes!" She turned and pointed the Eternal Tier at the monster.
"SILVERMOON CRYSTAL POWER...KISS!" The enormous beam of purifying energy leapt out of the weapon and headed straight for the charging monster.
"That's our cue everyone!" shouted Sailor Sirius, "SIRIUS, KISS OF DEATH..CAPTIVATION!"
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!"
"JUPITER OAK...EVOLUTION!"
"MERCURY AQUA...RHAPSODY!"
"VENUS...LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"
Each power raced out the the arms of the Sailor Senshi, then slammed right into the warrior. It was lifted up a few feet in the air, then crashed back down to the ground in a loud bang as their powers continued to rush into it. Then to their surprise, three more figures jumped down from the air and rushed forward next to Sailor Senshi team.
"Can't let you have all the fun, ne?" teased Sailor Uranus as she and Neptune raised their arms. "URANUS..SPACE SWORD BLASTER!" the tall Sky Senshi yelled. The younger Saturn Soldier stood by, her Silence Glaive ready in her arms in case the monster escaped.
"NEPTUNE...SUBMARINE VIOLIN TIDE!" shouted out the Senshi of Elegance besides her. The two extra powers shot out and hit the creature full force. A few seconds later, the monster began to crack and split apart. A second later, with a loud bang, it exploded with a bright flash, and nothing but a blackened hole was left behind as the smoked cleared. "Is everyone alright now?" asked Sailor Saturn after a moment, leaning on her staff and giving everyone a concerned look. There were a few seconds of silence, then the crowd erupted into a loud applause as the senshi looked on in surprise.
Wow, they probably think this was part of the movie! thought Sailor Sirius, a small smile spreading across her face. The people clapped their hands loudly for the Sailor Senshi in not only giving a good show, but also in gratitude for saving the lives of innocent people. Sirius turned and watched a man being carried out from his trailer in a stretcher. He smiled and waved weakly along with the applause. A sweatdrop formed on top of each girl's head as they nodded their appreciation of the crowd's praise. Then waving their arms and hands nervously, they hurriedly left the gushing and shouting people and slipped away down the street out of prying eyes. Venus, unable to help herself, turned back one last time and blew a kiss, much to the annoyance and chagrin of Mars.
"I saw the whole thing. You did very well, Chibi Sirius," said Uranus, smiling proudly at the little senshi. Chibi Sirius smiled back broadly and gave a yell of victory.
When they detransformed, the group walked down the street towards the bus stop, eager to go home after a long day. Haruka, after being strangely quietly the whole way as the girls chatted on about the battle, cleared her throat, then turned to the smaller dark-skinned girl. "Tanya-chan, I...err...I want to...um..." A red flush spread across the racer's face.
"Go on Haruka, tell her," said Michiru, crossing her arms over her chest and giving her partner a stern look. "You now I'm not letting you leave here until you do."
"What is it you want to tell me, Haruka onee-san?" asked Tanya, clasping her hands in front of her. The girl's heart was beating loud against her chest, and she blinked her eyes with hope.
"Haruka-Poppa!" said Hotaru expectantly, a deep frown on her face as she also crossed her arms.
Haruka closed her eyes and groaned. She hated this. She really hated this! It was just as bad as confessing. Finally, the taller woman sighed and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, alright? I'm sorry about what I said before, and what I said about Yaten," She turned to look at Michiru, who smiled and nodded with approval, "Even though I still don't trust him!" The smile fell from the teal-haired woman's face, but before she could say anything, Tanya rushed forward and gave a surprised Haruka a big hug.
"Haruka onee-san," the shorter girl whispered, tears forming in her eyes as she looked up high into Haruka's face. "Arrigato." The racer, her eyes softening and misting also, smiled back gently as she hugged back the shorter dark-skinned girl. Like the other girls, Tanya understood how Haruka and Michiru's relationship was so misunderstood by others. She knew how close and good a friend those two really were to each other, despite the rumors about them being lovers. In her heart, Tanya hoped and wished that she and Haruka could have a relationship almost as close as the two older Senshi had. She admired Haruka so much, and wanted nothing more than to be as strong as she was.
As the others smiled in relief and happiness, the bus came up, and Usagi, Makoto, Rei, Minako, Ami, Tanya and Tilly hurriedly got on. Michiru, Haruka and Hotaru waved good-bye as the bus rushed by. Soon, each girl got off at her stop, until finally, only Tanya and Tilly were left.
"Hey, how about we pay Yaten a little visit? Would you like that?" asked Tanya as she winked at the little girl.
Tilly smiled and nodded her head "Yes" in excitement. "Hai! That would be cool!" Tilly cleared her throat and started to sing a little tune in her high, clear voice.
"When I want to happy, when I want to feel free,
I can just look to the shining stars, and watch them smile at meeeee!
When the stars are happy, so am I, and I love to see them shine in the skyyyy!"
Tanya's eyes widen slightly as she listened to the child's clear bell-like voice. "Tilly, where did you learn that?" she asked.
"My papa always...I mean..he used to always sing to me when he was happy. He also used to sing me to sleep." said Tilly. Tears misted in the little girl's eyes, and she sadly lowered her head and placed her hands on her lap.
"Don't worry Tilly-chan, your papa will sing to you again one day, I promise." Tanya gently laid a hand on the child's small shoulder and smiled reassuringly. Tilly looked up and nodded her head in agreement. With a tear rolling down her cheek, she smiled back in appreciation.
A few moments passed as they enjoyed the ride in silence. Soon, their bus stop came up, and they got off the bus and walked up to the apartment complex Yaten lived in. After a moment, Tilly looked up again at older girl. "Tanya-chan? I wanted to ask you...ummm...what's a...a..darkie?" The little girl looked up at her with curious eyes.
"WHAT? Where did you hear that?" an outraged Tanya said as she stopped in her tracks and faced the child.
"Well, there's a kid in my class from America, and he's really mean," said Tilly. "He got real mad one day, and when I asked what was wrong, he called me a darkie," The little girl looked up innocently at Tanya. "Is..is that a bad thing?" By the look Tanya gave her, the little girl knew somehow it was indeed bad. But she just didn't understand why, and she wondered why the other kids in the class snickered when the boy called her that.
"Oh Tilly!" The older girl squatted down and gently held her in a hug. Her heart felt pity for the child in her arms. She never personally had to go through what was called "prejudice" or "racism" before. She'd never even heard of those words until she went to the States. Now that it hit home and she faced it personally when she visited her cousin in America, she just wanted to protect Tilly from all the evils in the world.
"Tilly, don't worry about it. You're a very pretty girl, and if anyone calls you a..."darkie" again, you just tell them you're proud of your color, and that you come from a long line of very strong people and rich history, okay?" Tanya reached forward and tussled the child's thick black hair, then caressed her cheek softly.
"Okay!" Tilly smiled. The older girl nodded, and taking the child's hand, Tanya walked off to the apartment complex, the late afternoon sun shining brightly behind them and casting long shadows.
In the air above them, two gigantic figures appeared, yet remained invisible to the girls and they walked on. Their bulging eyes flashed an angry red blaze as they watched their two targets walk away from them. They wanted to attack, but knew they would be beaten badly if they did so unprepared.
"Stupid subspecies! Wasting all that time and energy hating each other for just looks!" said Va'trini, his tongue flicking out and snapping.
"Never mind that now," said O'mashki, his green hands tightening into fists. His body shook with barely contained rage at the thought of losing so many warriors to these weak species. "I'm getting SICK of losing, and SICK of those stupid humans! I have another plan, and we are going to set it in motion TONIGHT!"
The younger Vishtri looked at him curiously, but decided to say nothing. Both aliens then pressed their buttons on the large wrist device, then disappeared in a bright and quick flash.
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To Be Continued....
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