The music from the Tsukino residence blasted into the early evening air as the people inside celebrated the return of the children that were missing, but were now returned to them as though from a miracle. Usagi Tsukino's parents had decided to throw a party to celebrate the return of Shingo Tsukino and invited the parents of the other children who were also kidnapped by Sailor Galaxia. The Golden Senshi was using them to find suitable Star seeds to try and conquer the whole galaxy. Luckily, Sailor Sirius and the rest of the Sol senshi, along with the help of the Sailor Starlights, were able to stop Sailor Galaxia with their teamwork and combined strength to save Shingo and the other missing children.
The front door of the Tsukino residence opened, and the music from Zhane's song "Hey Mr.DJ" grew louder as Tanya Cambridge walked out of house and sat down sadly on the front steps. Turning her dark brown face upwards, she watched the stars twinkle in the black sky and stared at the full moon as it bathed her in it's bright glow. She recalled in her mind of how the Sailor Team got back from the dreary dimension. Sailor Pluto had found where the senshi were trapped, and recruited the Sailor Starlights to help the girls. When they defeated Sailor Galaxia, Sailor Pluto appeared, and with her Garnet Orb she quickly teleported the Sailor Team back home, along with the missing children. Tanya was glad they were able to fight and win the battle, but there were still some troubling thoughts going through her mind.
Tanya sighed. "I STILL think that Sailor Star Healer could be Yaten. But how can I know for sure if I don't ask him?" she muttered to herself.
A moment later, Usagi appeared at the front door and saw Tanya sitting on the steps. "Hey Tanya! What are you doing out here? The party's just about to end, and we need help cleaning up!" she said, her voice whiny as she thought about the huge amount of work that was waiting for her inside.
When she saw Tanya's face, she quietly walked out and sat down on the steps beside her. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.
"Hmm? Yeah, sure!" Tanya said, looking up at Usagi in surprise. "I was just thinking...you know, about the fight and all, and what we've been through with Galaxia." She tried to smile reassuringly, but worry still shone in her eyes as Tanya looked back up at the moon.
Usagi nodded and looked up with Tanya at the shining object in the starry night. "Yeah, it was a pretty close call. We were lucky to have you with us. You did great in your first battle with the Sailor Senshi!" The former Moon Princess laid a friendly hand on Tanya's shoulder, reassuring her that she did well.
"Thanks," Tanya smiled shyly. She looked intently at the moon for a few more moments, then looked back sadly at the blonde girl next to her. "You know, it's too bad people today don't know what a beautiful place the Moon Kingdom was. To all of them, it is just a speck of grey matter." she said softly.
"Yeah," said Usagi dreamily, thinking backing to centuries ago. "There's so much I still wish I could know and remember from then," Both girls continued to look up at the moon, lost in their own memories and thoughts of the past and their lives on the now desolate satellite of the Earth so long ago.
Usagi shook herself mentally out of the dream sequence and looked hard at Tanya. "Hey, wait a minute! What's the matter? From since I've known you, you've never been so dramatic and serious," Her blue eyes stared with understanding into Tanya's own brown-hazel ones. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"It's nothing, really!" said Tanya, waving her hands in front of her defensively. She lowered her eyes a little sadly. "I..I've just been thinking. What if I had done something wrong in that fight? What would I change if I had the chance?"
"What are you worrying about that for? We did fine against Galaxia!" Usagi said, giving Tanya a questioning look. "None of the other senshi had any doubts."
"I know," said Tanya. She looked at Usagi. "Have you ever wondered about YOUR first battle? What it felt like? What you would have changed? What you can learn from that, and how to use it in future battles?"
"Well, no," said Usagi, a little embarrassed. "Luna says that with my first battle, I was a wimp and I definitely needed work on!" She laughed softly at the memories of her first battles and Luna's reaction to them.
Tanya chuckled. "Yeah, it was kind of like that with me too. You know, I'm going to talk this over with Marco. I want him to tell me how I was in my first battle, and maybe I can find a few things I can work on."
"Sounds like a good plan to me. Meanwhile, I STILL need help with cleaning up!" smiled Usagi, standing up over Tanya with her hands on her hips.
"Yeah right, I'm coming!" said Tanya, following Usagi in the house and smiling in appreciation.
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Later at Tanya's home:
Tanya sighed softly as she slid into her large bed and laid down, her soft white nightgown hugging her curvy body comfortably. For a moment, she stared up at the ceiling, remembering her conversation with Usagi. Maybe she was right. Maybe there was nothing to worry about. But somehow, she still couldn't the thought of something going wrong out of her head. The dark-skinned girl propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at her guardian laying at the right side of the bed on the floor. "Marco, I really need to talk to you. Do you mind?" said Tanya. Marco looked up from the floor and gave her a questioning look.
"What about?" he said as he looked at the clock, "It's really late and you should get some rest."
"Well, it's about when we were home in Libya, when I first met you, and when I first fought a demon on my own." said Tanya, sitting up in bed. "I want to know about how I was, how I fought and everything. This fight with Galaxia really shook me up, and I was wondering that maybe there's something that I can find that I missed before, that I can work on. You know...that will help me in my battles in the future."
"I see," said Marco. The golden-furred mentor jumped up on the bed next to her and got comfortable as he lay down beside her. "Well, I wanted to talk to you about that too. Maybe now is a good time. Alright, let's start at the beginning, shall we?"
Tanya smiled gratefully, then got herself comfortable and listened and Marco began the story of how they met:
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First Battle:
In a small village nearby Tripoli, Libya, in Northern Africa, a young girl named Tanya Cambridge is happily celebrating her fifteenth birthday given to her by her father and friends. On this festive occasion, Tanya received gifts, songs, dancing, and quality time spent with her often absent father, Rev. Peter Cambridge. Little does she know, this night was to be the beginning of her greatest destiny:
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October 21st:
"Thank you SO much Ronnie for all these great gifts and the party!" exclaimed Tanya as she hugged her best friend and godsister Veronica.
"Hey, It's no problem! You deserve the very best." said the light-skinned girl from Nigeria. She hugged Tanya back and kissed her on the cheek. "It is just a way of thanking you for being my closest friend and sister in spirit."
Tanya blushed and playfully punched Veronica on her shoulder. "AWWW, You don't HAVE to be mushy like that! Just a simple "you're welcome" would have done it!" she snickered softly.
The rest of the party guests in the large two story rented house snickered behind there hand, knowing that was the typical "Tanya" comment. The party was just about to end, as it was late and people had places to go in the morning. Tanya went up to the guests and thanked them for their gifts and for coming to the party. Tanya's father, who was outside talking to leaving guests, came back inside and quietly walked up to her, "Okay sweetheart. It's time to leave. We gotta get going."
"Sure Dad, I'll be right there," said Tanya, "I just want to talk to Veronica for a moment." She grabbed Veronica by the arm and pulled her to the into the kitchen away from prying ears.
Once inside the kitchen, Veronica gave her a concerned look. "What's wrong Tanya? You look a little worried."
"I am. That's why I waited until the end of the party to talk to you. I had one of those strange dreams again last night." Tanya replied, holding the girl's hand.
"Oh no, not that dream about that strange blue-skinned lady with the red hair and you dying! I thought you were over that. What brought it on this time?" said the older girl, pulling Tanya close and laying the shorter girl's head on her shoulder. For nearly as long as she could remember, Tanya woke up screaming sometimes, drenched in sweat and stammering about some strange woman with blue skin laughing at her. It had been years since she had that dream, but suddenly, the dreams came back, and it scared her very much.
"I don't know. But this time it was ...different, somehow. Now I see a dog of some sort, and the strange thing was, he was trying to talk to me somehow, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. I think it was a warning. What am I going to do?" said Tanya in a shaky voice. She looked up in the girl's face, "Do you think I should talk to my dad about this?"
"Of course! Maybe he can help you. Even though I'm into interpreting dreams and such, I'm afraid even this has boggled me." Veronica sighed sadly. "But just in case, I'll try to speak to the spirits tonight about this when I communicate with them through the fires."
A jeep's horn was suddenly beeping outside before she could say more, and Tanya gave her godsister one last hug, "Thanks for everything! I knew I can talk to you about this. I'll call you later if I can sneak past Dad, okay?" She smiled to let her god sister know how much she appreciated her and the incredible advice she gave.
"Sure thing," Veronica laughed, "Now get going before your dad has a fit!"
"Yeah right!" giggled Tanya. She reached up on tiptoes, gave her god sister a quick peck on the cheek in appreciation for listening to her, then ran off to meet her father outside, waving goodbye to everyone she passed by.
On the way home in the jeep, Tanya was unusually quiet as she took in the night's events, and she contemplated on how she was going to tell her father about her strange dreams. Before, they only happened rarely. Now, it seemed like it happened every night, and that scared her like nothing else. Tanya folded her hands on her lap, her fingers intertwined as she's done many times in prayer, and squeezed hard, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill over.
Peter looked over at his daughter, and seeing how her mood had change, decided to try and get her to talk about her feelings. "Did you like the party tonight honey?" he asked as he drove.
"Hmmm? Sure Dad! It was great! The best night of my life!" replied Tanya, smiling up at her father.
Somehow, Peter knew that the smile did not quite reach her eyes. "You know Tanya, if there is anything you want to talk about, I'm always here for you." The older man nodded his head to reassure her. "Are you...were you...thinking about your mother?" he asked in a concerned voice.
"Part of it," she muttered to herself. She looked up at her father, "I wish she could have been here with us, to enjoy tonight. I miss her so much!" Sadness slipped into her voice more and more.
"I know, Little Star. So do I. Very much" Peter said, smiling to himself as the memories washed over him.
Tanya always loved when he called her that, but she had no explanation why. For a few moments, Tanya remained silent as she put in the new CD she received for her birthday and listened to the music of BOYZ II MEN's song called "A Song for Momma".
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Tanya saw the jeep lights shine on something on the road as they passed it. To Tanya, it looked like a streak of blond hair, like someone was lying on the side of the road hurt.
"Dad, wait! Stop the car!" shouted Tanya.
Her father slammed on the brakes quickly, causing them to buck forward.
"What is it? What's the matter?" Peter called to his daughter as she opened the door and ran out of the jeep.
"Oh look, it's a hurt dog!" Tanya knelt down to look at the somewhat thin Golden Retriever dog laying down on his side. He looked up with pleading eyes.
"It looks like his side is hurt! Can we please pick him up and try to help him? PLEASE!" pleaded Tanya, while stroking his head.
"Now Tanya, you know we can't just pick up stray animals! We have no idea where he's been, or he could even belong to someone." said her father, walking out of the jeep up to her. "Now come along, I have a very important meeting in the morning...."
"But Dad, he's not a stray! Look, he's all clean, and he even has this cute funny little white star on his forehead. He has no collar either, so he must have ran away from the pound or something. Please let me take him. It would be the most wonderful birthday present EVER!" She was now hugging her father and giving him one of those "puppy dog" looks.
Finally, her father blew out an exhausted breath. "Alright, alright! He can stay for the night, and YOU can see if you can bandage him up. But in the morning, I'll see, okay?"
"Okay!" sang out Tanya. They both loaded the sleepy dog into the back of the jeep. On the way home, Tanya tried to comfort the dog by stroking and singing to it. Suddenly she stopped. Somehow, singing and stroking the dog seemed...familiar...somehow, but she didn't know why. Tanya never had a pet in her life. Then she had a thought...What if this dog was like the one she dreamt about last night? Could this be a sign? Tanya shrugged and quickly put the thought out of her mind.
When she got home to Tripoli and to her spacious two story house, Tanya spent the night mending the dog's wound with her father's assistance. She also gave him medicine and fed him nutritious dog food. When she thought she did enough for him, she finally went to bed, her thoughts on the strange dream forgotten.
When morning came and she finished washed and dressed, Tanya bounded joyfully into the den where the dog slept, carrying dog food. "Hiya pooch! And how is my patient this morning?"
"Very well thank you. And please do NOT call me "pooch". " said the dog sleepily, lifting up his head and turning to her.
Tanya could only stare for a second, blinking her eyes, until the incident finally registered in her mind. When it did, she did the only thing she could do in such a situation:
"EEEEEEEEKKKKKK!" Tanya screamed, dropping the bowl of food, "OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD! Y...YOU'RE TALKING! This can't be!"
The dog sighed and fixed mischievous eyes on Tanya. "I think we need to have a LONG talk." said the dog, doing a doggy style of smile.
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Tanya drew in huge breaths, trying to calm herself as she watched the Golden Retriever dog laying in front of her. "This can't be real! It has to be a dream somehow! Dogs do NOT TALK!"
"Why don't you take a seat, so I can give you some explanations," said the dog in a friendly way, getting up to sit. The bandage done around his side caused him to wince a little, but he kept a watchful eye on the girl.
Still in a slight shock, Tanya did as the dog asked and quietly sat down in front of the dog, waiting to see what would happen next. Anyway, I'm sure I'll wake up soon! This MUST be a dream! Tanya thought to herself. After sitting down, she stared at the dog curiously. You know, she thought again, this dog DOES look familiar, somehow...
The dog began his explanation with a simple question. "Your name doesn't happen to be Tonicia Knightstar, would it?" he asked.
Tanya could only stare for a moment longer before she dared herself to answer. "Ahhh, no, it's not. My name is Tanya. Tanya Cambridge." she said in almost a whisper.
"Oh dear, oh dear! I thought you were her! I really did!" said the dog despairingly, hanging his head low.
Tanya could only shake her head. My God, I am ACTUALLY talking to a dog! she told herself excitedly. Veronica's gonna flip when I tell her this dream!"
"Umm, who exactly are you looking for?" she asked quietly when she looked back up at him.
"I am looking for my mistress, the Princess of the Sirius Star System, Tonicia Knightstar. She was supposed to be here, fully restored to life and waiting for me!" the dog said with a little frustration. "But I'm afraid something has gone terribly wrong. I still haven't found her after so long!"
"The Sirius Star System? As in the "Sirius Star" also known as the "Dog Star" by the ancient Romans?" asked Tanya breathlessly. "Sorry, pooch, I'm afraid you're a little far from there, like a couple of light years!" She crossed her arms over her chest and giving him an unbelieving look.
"I see a little introduction is in the works here." The dog growled softly with touch of annoyance, "My name is Marco, and I'm the Guardian and Mentor to Princess Tonicia Knightstar, Heir to the Phoenix Throne of the Sirius Star System, also known as Sailor Sirius. And we are NOT known as any "Dog Star!"
"I see," Tanya said, rolling her eyes, "Well, I'm definitely not a princess, and I know I'm not this Sailor whatever person. So now, before I totally freak out, I think I should put this dream to an end!"
Tanya got up from the floor and was about to leave in a hurry when the dog barked and winced in pain again. "Wait, come back!" he called out. "Maybe there's a way I can know for sure."
"Really? How are you going to do that? How do you know if I'm this Princess...whatever?" Tanya asked as she turned back around to face Marco.
"Come closer." the dog said quietly.
When Tanya stood right in front of him, the golden dog said a strange word in a language Tanya has never heard before, even though she spoke a few. All of a sudden, a dark blue glow surrounded the golden dog, and suddenly appearing around his neck was a beautiful necklace. It was silver with a rather large emerald inside surrounded by tiny diamonds.
"Please." Marco said with fierce determination his eyes, "Put the necklace on. I assure you this is NO dream!"
Oh my gosh! This ISN'T a dream! I have never seen a dog do that! Tanya blinked a few times as she felt her heart beat fast. "Ummm, sure, whatever." Tanya said cautiously. Slipping the jewel from around the dog's neck, she put it around her own.
As soon as she did, her body began to glow the same dark blue as Marco's. It enclosed her like wings of an angel, and Tanya closed her eyes as images entered her mind. She saw a girl who looked exactly like her in a beautiful pale blue dress, but her hair was wavier, and she had a bright white star in the middle of her forehead. She was standing in what looked like a garden, but strange somehow. The grass was red, and the sky was a violet color instead of blue, and shining down rays was a gigantic sun with a smaller one next to it.
Walking up next to her was Marco. The girl petted him for a moment, and then both walked into a magnificent castle. The scene changed, and now Tanya saw the girl in some sort of space station, hugging and kissing what seemed to be a king and queen by the way they dressed. The girl entered the ship and the couple watched as the spaceship rose and flew away. The Queen turned to another young man standing with her with tears in her eyes and buried her face in his chest. The handsome man held the woman's hand as she wept sadly.
"Mo...Momma? ..." whispered Tanya, feeling tears run down her cheeks. Even though Tanya had never seen this beautiful woman before, inside her heart she felt she knew this woman somehow, and felt a strong connection to the two men with the woman watching the girl leave. The last thing Tanya saw before all darkened was the people turning around to look at her, calling to her with tears in their eyes. Try as she might, Tanya could not hear or answer them. With a bright white flash, the vision ended as quickly as it began.
"Oh, it IS you! The princess! The Sirius Emerald Star Stone could not be wrong!" exclaimed Marco happily, "Oh thank the Sirius gods!"
Tanya threw back her head and took in a deep breath, overwhelmed by the visions she saw. Wiping the tears of her cheeks, she turned to Marco, "Who...who... were those people? That girl who looked like me? Why did I feel that lady was my mother? And why were they...crying?" Tanya said sadly.
Marco then proceeded to tell Tanya about the Sirius Star System, the Moon Kingdom, and the fate which befell them. He ended the story by telling her that now that he has found her, it is time for them to begin their mission in finding the reborn Moon Princess, Princess Serenity Crestmoon, who was a close friend of Princess Tonicia in the past.
At the end of the story, Tanya blew out an exasperated breath. "But I don't know any girl named Serenity! I don't even know where to begin!" said Tanya in exhaustion. She got up once more from the floor. "I have to call my godsister Veronica. Maybe she can help."
Marco was about to tell her about keeping what he told her as a secret, when suddenly a scream erupted outside. "What in the world is going on?" Tanya exclaimed while running to the front window.
Outside, in the street, a creature that looked like a giant imp was starting to smash up cars driving along down the road. It punched in windows and smashed in hoods. "Star Seeds!" it screamed in a high-pitched voice, "I want ALL your Star Seeds!" It started to grab people and flinging them in the air.
"Ughhh! What the heck is THAT ugly thing!" Tanya shouted, getting really scared. She turned to look at Marco, but he was already in front of her holding the necklace in his mouth. He dropped it in her hand.
"That is a chance for you to begin your destiny, princess! The time has come for you to defend the innocent and defeat evil!" he shouted. "It is time for Sailor Sirius to return!"
Tanya gulped hard, her heart pounding almost painfully against her chest, and looked from the beautiful necklace in her hand to outside, where the creature was still on a rampage. "This is turning out to be one STRANGE birthday!"
To be continued...
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