Outside in the streets, the demon continued his rampage. He smashed cars, and hurdled people several feet from him as he searched for the Star Seeds he came for. Tanya could only stare in horror as he came nearer to her house, and smashed the head of a policeman who tried to stop him into the ground. Her heart began beating so hard and fast it felt like it wanted to break out of her chest.
"Listen to me Tanya!" shouted Marco above the screams as he was looking into her eyes. "I know that you are scared right now, but what I have shown you is not a dream! You must become Sailor Sirius, and defend innocent people from evil such as that!" He pointed with his head at the demon advancing up the street.
"But HOW? If I go out there, that thing will eat me for breakfast! Just what exactly am I supposed to do against...that?" Tanya said back, fear causing her voice to tremble like it never had before. This was one birthday Tanya never dreamed of getting, and it chilled her to the very bone in the warm day. "There is no way I can defeat him!" She clutched the necklace she had in her hand with a shaky fist and looked at Marco with a sad face.
"Yes you can! That necklace in your hand is the Sirius Emerald Star Stone that protected the Sirius Star System for thousands of years! If you believe in it now, it will help you win the battle you must fight. After all this time, destiny has brought you together. Now, do you believe in yourself, and that you WILL defeat this monster?" Marco now had his paw on her foot and fixed Tanya with a hard stare to show that he meant every word he said.
Tanya looked at Marco again, then back at the necklace in her hand. You know, for some reason, I believe I CAN do this! she thought to herself. Tanya narrowed her dark hazel eyes and straightened up with new determination and courage. "YES, I do believe in myself, and I will defeat this...whatever it is! What do I have to do?" she yelled, now feeling outrage that her birthday, as well as the livelihood of the people in her neighborhood, had been ruined.
"Quickly!" said Marco, relief evident in his voice. He looked around, making sure there was nobody in the house. "Put the necklace on, and shout out..." he never finished as it seemed as though Tanya took over the whole situation.
Somehow, Tanya had an idea what to do. Just as she slipped the jewelry around her neck, a phrase came into her mind. Almost as a reaction from some deep memory, she threw up her right hand, spread her legs apart, and shouted out, "SIRIUS STAR POWER! MAKE-UP!" The whole house was then washed in dark blue light, followed by a burst of little blue stars. A white six-pointed star flashed on Tanya's forehead, then it disappeared and in its place was a gold tiara with a black opal. The Sirius Emerald Star Stone flashed, then morphed and transformed into a gold six-pointed star on the large yellow bow on her white shirt.
When the sequence was done, Sailor Sirius stood in front of Marco in a white, black, dark navy blue, and yellow fuku. She looked down on herself with wide, confused eyes, and turned back to look at the golden-furred dog. "Wha...what's this! I..I was just standing here...and..these sparkling things flowing all around me! And then I was..spinning around...and...and...!" The new Sirius Senshi stopped blabbering for a moment and looked down on herself once more, surveying her boots and gloves. She gave a wide triumphant grin. "This is...this is...SOOOO COOL!" Sailor Sirius gave a triumphant yell, throwing her fist high in the air. The golden dog sighed and shook his head slightly.
"After all this time, it never ceases to amaze me!" Marco mumbled to himself. "Come on! We don't exactly have time to stay here and admire the fashion!" he said as he dashed out the front door of the house, Sailor Sirius running behind him.
The two heroes ran down the block to were the demon had yet another victim in his hands. The demon was about to thrust his claws through the woman's body to take her Star Seed for his own twisted deeds, when a young voice filled with anger and disgust shouted above the screams to get his attention. "Hey! You ugly...thing!" shouted Sailor Sirius, pointing her finger at him. "You have no right being here! Put her down and back off, or else you're in serious trouble!" She suddenly stopped in her tracks, completely confounded. "Whoa, where did THAT come from?" Sailor Sirius looked at her pointed finger in confusion.
The creature only stared at her for a few moments, then began to laugh hysterically. In his amusement, he did not realize he had let the woman go, and she crawled away with tears in her eyes and whimpering softly. "How poetic is this?" he asked himself in a high raspy voice, "A mere wisp of a girl and a hurt pooch here are going to give ME trouble?" He suddenly stopped laughing and clasped his hands in front of him. "How's this for trouble, sweetie?"
A massive laser of pure black energy leapt out of his hands and headed directly for the two standing in front of him. Fear nearly paralyzed Sailor Sirius in her place as she stood still, waiting to die by the hands of a monster. Marco growled fiercely and jumped up just then. He butted his head against Sailor Sirius's back, pushing her out of the way just as the energy struck the place where she was standing. The black energy hit the ground hard, leaving a crater a few feet deep. The noise of the impact sounded like a bomb exploding.
Sailor Sirius landed hard on the ground near the impact and quickly covered Marco with her body to protect him from the pieces of gravel falling all around. When all was quiet again, Sailor Sirius dared a look at Marco. The golden retriever's left back paw was covered in blood, and the fur was nearly burnt off. "Marco, NOOO!" Sailor Sirius yelled angrily. She held his gold head in her hands to see if he was still alive.
Marco's eyes slowly opened and weakly whispered, "Your...scepter. You must use your scepter to defeat him! It's the only way!" He blew out one last breath, then was silent.
Sailor Sirius gently let Marco's head drop from her hands, the realization that she was alone sinking into her mind. This dog did nothing to deserved what had happened to him, and now he was probably dead because of her. She heard the demon chuckling behind her. Slowly she stood up, turned around, and fixed the monster with a cold as ice stare. Slowly, dangerously, she walked up to him. "You! You're going to pay for what you did! You and all others like you are a disease to all that is good and beautiful! Prepare to die ugly. As sure as the star that shines brightest in the Heavens, I am Sailor Sirius, and you WILL be vanquished!" From a memory long hidden, Sailor Sirius threw up her right hand, and magically a black scepter with a rose shape tip and a diamond fixed at the top appeared in her hands. With full purpose, the new dark-skinned senshi pointed the scepter straight at the demon.
"HA! What are you going to do, beat me to death with your little toy?" he bellowed. When he smiled, his ugly yellow teeth was razor-sharp, and he growled loudly to be intimidating.
"No," Sailor Sirius answered coldly, still pointing at him, "I am going to destroy you. Or are you just too stupid to understand that?"
The creature growled low in his throat at the insult and threw another one of his black energy at her. This time, Sailor Sirius was too angry to be scared. She easily jumped out of the way, then ran forward. She expertly jumped high, flipped over the monster's head, and landed safely behind him. By the time the demon turned around, she was ready for him. "SIRIUS SCEPTER ILLUMINATE!" she shouted. A massive beam of white light energy shot of the scepter and went straight into his eyes. The demon screamed horribly with pain and frustration.
Knowing the demon was unable to see now, she quickly ran up to him and gave him a swift punch in the face. "That is for calling me sweetie!" she shouted. The creature began to stagger, his pain now increased by the punch. Sailor Sirius then went for the lower gut with a powerful kick, knocking the air out of him. "And that is for calling my dog a pooch!"
The demon was now on the ground, and Sailor Sirius looked coldly at the kneeling figure. She slowly raised her left hand pointed her palm at the demon, and yelled out, "SIRIUS INFRARED LASER, DISINTEGRATE!" Her body began to glow a red aura as she spun once, and out of her palm shot a thick massive red beam of laser energy. It struck the demon right in the middle of his chest with full force. Slowly, as if time itself was slowing down, the demon screamed. He began to disintegrate little by little from the top of its head, all the way down. When it was finish, nothing but a pile of black sand stood in his place.
"And that," Sailor Sirius said with a cold, little smile, "is for ruining my birthday!" She stared at the pile for a second, then turned and walked over to Marco, who was still laying on the ground unconscious not too far from her. "Oh Marco, I am so sorry..." she whispered, cradling his head on her lap. "I didn't want this to happen to you," A teardrop fell unknowingly from Sailor Sirius's eye, down her neck, then on to the necklace that was hidden inside the fuku shirt. The tear dropped on the large jewel and it suddenly began to ripple like a body of water. A green light suddenly began to envelope the two who sat on the ground. Sailor Sirius looked wildly around, not quite knowing what was going on. Magically, the wounds around the dog's side and paw began to shrink, and suddenly, disappeared. The bandages fell off of Marco and his eyes flew open.
"Marco!" Sailor Sirius yelled, feeling him move in her arms, "You're alright! What happened?" She stared at the golden furred canine with disbelieving eyes.
"Your bravery and courage gave the Emerald Star Stone strength, and when it felt your pain, it knew exactly what to do!" Marco said, winking at her. "Always knew you had in you kid!" Sailor Sirius laughed and gave Marco a gigantic hug, and he happily gave her a loving doggy kiss in return.
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Galactica Palace:
"SHIMATTA! DAMN THOSE SENSHI!" screamed out Sailor Galaxia angrily " She defeated Sailor Rage! No matter where I go, there has to be a sailor scout somewhere! How can there be a senshi so far away from Japan? In such a remote country?"
Sailor Iron Mouse winced at her mistress's outburst. "I do not know, your Highness. Queen Serenity must have scattered everyone's soul's all over Earth."
"We are going back to Japan...NOW!" screeched Sailor Galaxia. "The only way we can defeat these brats is if we nip them at the bud!"
"Yes, Most Exalted One!" Sailor Iron Mouse replied weakly. She bowed low and hurriedly left the presence of the Golden Queen. Alone once more, Galaxia narrowed her eyes, and they began to blaze a burning red.
"I WILL rule this Galaxy, just as I was meant to. I won't tolerate the senshi getting in my way! Beware, carriers of the true Star Seeds. Your end is near. BE PREPARED!" With that said, Galaxia threw her golden crowned head back and laughed loud and evilly, her voice echoing through the whole region.
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"But DAAAD! I don't want to move again! I like it here in this neighborhood!" wailed Tanya, walking behind her father into the living room. He had earlier explained to her that he needed to discuss something important with her after dinner. Tanya very well knew what was to be discussed. For most of her life, Tanya had been moving from city to city in the ancient country of Libya, and it was only recently they had moved back to Tripoli, the capitol city of her birth. The dark-skinned girl barely had time to make any friends, and because of it, she grew up lonely and unhappy, wishing she could finally call somewhere home. Now it was happening again, and she could only feel hopelessness as she looked into the sad eyes of her father.
"Look, I know this may be hard on you but it will benefit us in the end. This new missionary job I got is an opportunity that I cannot refuse! Besides, I'm not sure I like living in a neighborhood and country where demons and such can run a muck." Peter Cambridge gave his daughter a pleading look as they both sat down on the couch. "Please try and understand?"
Tanya rolled her eyes upward, knowing he was going to win this one...again. "Oh, alright. Where are we moving to?"
"A place in Japan called the Juuban District." her father replied.
"Japan? What do you mean Japan?" Tanya asked, totally shocked. "How can you even think of going there? We don't know the language or anything!" Uncertainty and confusion shone in her dark hazel eyes.
"Calm down Tanya. Look, the high school there has a very good reputation, and practically all the students will be speaking English, plus a few other languages." The older man nodded with confidence.
"You're almost finished with the 9th grade here...you graduate in almost two weeks. I'm sure you'll have enough credits to move on to what they consider the 10th grade when we move there. You'll fit right in, I promise. Just give it a chance, and I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time." Peter got up, walked over, and gave his daughter a small kiss on the forehead and a hug.
"Alright, if you say so." Tanya said, hugging her father back. She looked up in his face and gave him a teasing little smile, "But I won't promise that I'll like it, especially have to go back to school almost right after I graduate!"
The taller man smiled, and gave a slight nod. "That's all I'm asking sweetheart. It'll be for the best, I promise," he whispered.
Tanya smiled back and continued to hug her father, content for the time being just to be safe in his strong and caring arms. She knew her father would protect her from anything harmful with his life, and for that, she was grateful.
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The last bell of the day rang, signaling the end of another school day. Within seconds, the front door to Juuban High School was thrown open. Teenagers poured out into the school courtyard.
When the crowd finally thinned out after a few moments, a small solitaire figure slowly and quietly walked out, emotionally defeated by yet another day of loneliness and homesickness. As much as Tanya wanted to make friends and be accepted when she moved here a little over two weeks ago and transferred to the 10th grade..or what they call first year at the high school, her shyness and her lack of knowledge of the Japanese language and culture prevented it. She felt so out of place, so...different from everybody else. She knew they were all fascinated by her very dark skin color...she heard them whisper about it. But still, no one took the time to come up and talk to her. Many a day she came home to her father, crying her eyes out. Her father tried to comfort her and tell her to be strong, but it was hard...so very hard. Well, she didn't care anymore. Tanya just wanted to go home. She tried to stop the tears from misting in her eyes, but she was losing.
Suddenly from behind her, Tanya heard the sound of pounding feet on the ground. She turned to look behind her just in time to get knocked down in a whirlwind of blonde pigtails. "OWWW! Hey! Watch where you're going next time!" shouted Tanya on the floor, rubbing the sore arm she fell on. When she looked at the girl's face, she gasped. It was the same girl she had detention with yesterday for being late.
"Oh! Gomen nasai! Sorry about that! I didn't see you. I'm in a real hurry. I was supposed to met my friends somewhere, and I wanted to show them that I CAN be on time for once in my life. Here, let me help you up." The girl had a silly grin on her face and spoke very fast...almost too fast for Tanya to understand, as she was talking Japanese. She stretched out her hand and helped Tanya to her feet. "By the way, my name is Usagi. Tsukino Usagi."
"Thanks," said Tanya, brushing herself off and struggling to remember the Japanese language. "My..name is Tanya Cambridge. I...err...remember you from detention...yesterday." She gave Usagi a shy look as she smiled softly.
"Yep, that was me, as usual!" Usagi giggled, "Sorry I didn't introduce myself then, but I was in a very bad mood." She looked at Tanya in an interested and curious way. "You...you have a nice accent. It's so different from everyone else's. Is that how they talk where you come from?"
Usagi then gasped at what she just said without thinking, and blushed. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it! It's just...umm..."
"No, it's alright, really!" Tanya smiled as she waved her hand dismissively. By now she had gotten used to the few students who had taken the chance to talk to her, and they were just as fascinated by her accent as by her dark coloring. "As far as I know, yes, we do!" At that, Usagi relaxed and laughed softly, already liking this new transfer student.
Tanya couldn't help herself and chuckled along with the funny girl she just met. Somehow, the dark-skinned girl couldn't help but feel she knew Usagi in some way, like an old friend she hadn't seen in years. She looked into the blonde girl's eyes, and knew that she was thinking the same thing. Tanya was about to comment on that when suddenly two figures walked up to them, the sun shining brightly on them. Another blonde-haired girl with a big red ribbon tied into it smiled and waved to Usagi.
"Hey Usagi! Look who decided to hang out with us today on his day off!" Stepping up beside her, the most handsome boy Tanya had ever seen in her life smiled and waved a hand in greeting.
Tanya began to blush fiercely as a strong and unfamiliar feeling coursed through her body. She had seen him around of course...always surrounded by adoring and screaming girls. As far as she knew, it had something to do with him being a singer, but she wasn't sure. He shared a class with her, and she had always watched him silently from the corner from her eye. But somehow, the same feeling filled her whenever she saw him. But she didn't delude herself into thinking he would even notice her. Why would he, with so many girls around him? He would never give her the time of day. But yet...what was it about him that made her feel this way every time she saw him?
Usagi never noticed her reaction though, and happily waved back to them. "Hi guys!" smiled the pig-tailed girl. She turned back to Tanya beside her. "Come on, I'll introduce you!" She grabbed Tanya's hand and half-dragged her to the two waiting students. When they met them half-way, Usagi began the introductions. "This is Minako Aino and Yaten Kou. Minako-chan, Yaten-kun, I'd like you to meet Tanya Cambridge."
Minako smiled warmly and shook Tanya's hand. "Oh right, the new student that came from Africa a couple weeks ago. Nice to meet you."
The white-haired boy with beautiful green eyes stepped up next to shake her hand. He winced slightly as he felt a jolt of power surge through him as he took her small hand in his. What's this? Yaten thought to himself. I feel the power of the stars within her! Can she be a holder of a pure Star Seed? Yaten stiffened a moment, drawing curious stares from the others. He looked at the girl before him, and when he saw her eyes widen for a moment, he knew she must have felt the tiny, barely noticeable jolt too. He quickly shook off the feeling from himself, and gave his trademark lop-sided smile. "Nice to meet you too. I believe we are in the same English class, but I never got a chance to talk to you." He bowed slightly and winked.
The smile he gave her nearly made Tanya faint from the weakness in her knees. Forgetting what she felt a moment before, she could only stare at Yaten for a few moments. Then composing herself quickly, she answered him. "Ummm...ahhhh...yeah!" Tanya groaned deep inside at her sudden inability to speak and began to blush fiercely once more.
Yaten raised his brow in amusement as Minako barely stifled a giggle.
"Look, I don't mean to be rude or anything Tanya-chan, but we really have to go. I'll see you in school tomorrow?" interrupted Usagi, amusement shining in her eyes and evident in her voice as she noticed Tanya's reaction to Yaten.
"Yeah. School tomorrow. Bye!" said Tanya, still not believing how much of an idiot she sounded like. When the three left, Tanya groaned aloud and smacked her palm against her forehead, "Good going Tanya! Now he thinks you're a complete basket case!"
Tanya let out a long sigh as she leaned against the school fence, watching the trio walk away. "Still, this school isn't so bad now. I can actually like going here, for once," Another picture of Yaten Kou flashed in her mind, and Tanya could not help but smile. When she looked in his eyes, she felt as though a song...a message, somehow was in there. A message to a very important person. Butterflies always fluttered in Tanya's stomach whenever she was near or thought about him. The one thing that intrigued her the most about the young man was his eyes. Yes, that's what was so familiar to her when she first looked into his eyes! They were beautiful clear green that Tanya loved with all her heart. Her favorite color, green, which symbolized hope and a new beginning. At the thought of that, the girl's heart skipped a beat, and she wished she could look into Yaten's eyes again soon. Even though she hadn't known him long, she felt like she wanted to know him forever. Sure, she had crushes on cute guys before, lots of times! But somehow, this felt different to her, as though for some strange reason, she can imagine a future with him. There was just...something...about him that filled her with anticipation, and Tanya couldn't wait to see what it was.
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Meanwhile, a look of concern spread across Yaten's face. If she is a holder of a strong Star Seed, then she had to be watched carefully. Yaten sighed softly to himself as he walked with Usagi and Minako, their chatter barely reaching his ears as a mental image of Tanya smiling face entered his mind. The young man couldn't help the small, secret small that appeared on his lips. Most of the girls in his school in school always flaunted themselves for him, giving him love letters and trying to get a date with him, but this girl...this very shy and interesting girl...was different. She wasn't interested in autographs and getting things from him.
Somehow, he felt like he wanted to get to know her better. He remembered when he saw her when she came into the classroom for the first time, looking very small and out of place as the teacher introduced her. Yet even though she was very nervous as she said her name softly and said hello, he could tell that she had great confidence and strength in her. It showed in her eyes, and he knew then she was not one of the "typical" girls and fans he met so often in the school...the kind of girls that annoyed him so much. Another thing that struck him was her strange, yet melodious voice and accent. It was very different from the other students, and it made him think of warm, tropical weather and gentle breezes.
It was similar to the accents he'd heard from the people of the Middle East and Western Africa, based on the many school films on history he'd seen, but somehow, Tanya's accent and sweet voice was all so unique and...beautiful. Yaten also remembered he had openly stared at her for long moments when he first saw her, standing in front of the class and telling a little bit about herself. He blushed fiercely when she looked up and caught him looking at her. He had looked away quickly, but somehow, he knew that she saw him staring. Yaten slowly placed his hands inside his pockets, smiling more as he thought about this strangely exotic girl from Northern Africa. "Maybe, someday I will get to know her," the young singer whispered to himself, "Maybe someday I will." Suddenly, he shook his pale head and narrowed his eyes as an image of his princess entered his mind. Well, it will have to wait, because he had a mission here. A mission to find someone very important. With that, he nodded slightly to himself and continued walking with Minako and Usagi.
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Present time:
"So that's how I did, huh?" said Tanya after listening to Marco's story. She sighed softly and stared up at the ceiling, her thoughts still slightly concerned.
"Yes, you were fine," assured the golden dog, looking gently into Tanya's eyes. "Your friend Usagi was right. You have nothing to worry about. All you need to do is believe in yourself, and you'll be a fine addition to the Sailor Senshi Team, just as you were destined to be," To emphasis his words, Marco leaned over and softly licked Tanya's dark cheek, a dog's gesture of a kiss of affection.
The short dark-skinned girl giggled and pushed the dog away playfully. "I guess you're right. I'm just so scared I might mess up or something..." Tanya turned over to lay on her stomach, closing her eyes and folding her arms under her head. But before she could say anymore, sleep overtook her, and within a few seconds, she was asleep.
The guardian dog looked down on his sleeping charge for a few moments with affection, and reached over once more to give her another doggy kiss. "Don't worry Princess, you will be fine, I promise you," he whispered. Marco softly jumped off Tanya's bed. He laid down on the floor next to it and promptly fell asleep, hoping that he was able to give his young charge peace of mind.
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