Title: Afraid of the Dark
Author: Celia Tracy (aka Rae Street, aka Rainfall)
Summary: What if Rini never made it back to the past; had never asked Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts to help save her Mother? Where would the Scouts be now? Find the answer to these questions and more, in Twin Moon Rising.
Rating: PG-13
Status: WiP
Disclaimer: All Sailor Moon characters belong to ??, used without permission. All non-Sailor Moon characters belong to me. Story idea created by me. No money is being made off of this story. Please don't sue.
Twin Moon Rising ==Chapter One: Prelude to a Vision==
(Narrator)
A new day begins for the Sailor Soldiers of Love and Justice, as does a new chapter in their lives. As they embark on their first year of high school, what new challenges will they face? What lies ahead in the futures of our Favorite Heroines?
"I don't know what the future holds," Serena says with a smile. "But I sure hope that my future has a lot of yummy, delicious food in it..." she giggles, "and of course, a lot of time with my favorite guy, Darien..." she sighs. "With great food and a great guy, what more could I need?"
"Better luck on your next math test?" Rae says, grimacing over Serena's latest grade.
"Doh!" Serena says as her face falls, and she hangs her head down.
Alright, alright... enough with the intro. Now, on with the show...er... Story! :-)
(Scene One: Tsukino Residence, Tokyo, Morning)
It was the dawn of a new morning at the Tsukino residence. Mr. Tsukino and Sam were seated at the kitchen table, while Mrs. Tsukino was busy cooking breakfast. She stopped for an instant, and glanced at the clock.
Where is that girl? She thought. I’ve already called her three times this morning. If she doesn’t get down here soon, she’ll be late for her first day of highschool.
Soft snoring noises were drifting out of Serena’s bedroom, where, as you guessed it, Serena was still fast asleep.
(Scene Two: Serena’s Dream/Room)
Soft music flowed through the ballroom, accompanied by the whisper of silk and satin ball gowns as they moved across the floor in time with the music. Serena was dancing with her beloved Darien, who looked very handsome in his tuxedo. Serena herself looked positively radiant in her elegant white ball gown, and she danced gracefully in the arms of her love.
“You are so beautiful tonight, Serena.” Darien said, “All of the stars in the sky weep, for they know they could never hold a candle to you.”
“Oh, Darien... you say the most beautiful things!” Serena said, closing her eyes and tilting her head up ever so slightly to be kissed.
Darien leaned in...
“SERENA!!!” Luna’s shouted, her frantic face suddenly appearing where Darien’s face was moments before.
“AAAAAHHHH!” Serena yelped, as she tumbled out of bed.
“Oof!” she said, as she landed on the floor. “Luna, did you have to go and wake me when the dream was just getting good?” she muttered as she stood up, rubbing her sore back.
“Serena, have you forgotten? Today is when you begin highschool! Do you really want to make a bad impression with your teachers by being late on the first day?” Luna chided.
Serena got a horrified and shocked look on her face. She looked at the clock...
“7:50 a.m.!!! Oh, no! I AM going to be late! Why didn’t you wake me sooner?!” she screeched.
“I tried to wake you, your mother tried to...” Luna was saying, but Serena wasn’t listening.
Serena grabbed her towel and shower things, and charged out of the bedroom into the bathroom. She was back in just a scant two minutes, then made Luna dizzy by going into hyper speed. Serena was a blur of arms and legs, as she whipped her new school uniform on, straightened her hair, and grabbed her books, almost all at the same time.
That girl can move faster than the speed of light, when she has to, thought Luna, as she dazedly watched Serena shoot out of her bedroom door.
Downstairs, Mrs. Tsukino heard the commotion her daughter was making. She quickly stopped what she was doing, grabbed her daughter’s lunch sack and a piece of toast, and stood waiting at the door.
Serena came charging down the stairs, muttering all the while, “I’m going to be late! It’s 7:55 already, I’m going to be late!” She stopped just long enough to stuff her small feet into her shoes, and grab her lunch sack and toast from her mother.
“Thanks, mom!” she said as she charged out the door.
“Remember, Serena!” her mom called out after her, “Try to make a good impression on your teachers!” That girl, she thought, shaking her head. Then she turned and went back inside.
Serena tore down the street, while stuffing her piece of toast into her mouth. I wish I’d had time for some marmalade, she thought to herself.
She ran past a trio of kindergartners on their way to school. She thought for a moment that they seemed familiar to her, but couldn’t think of why. She chided herself for getting distracted on such an important day, and picked up speed, pushing herself to the limit.
(Scene Three: Juuban High)
The breathless Serena finally made it to the steps of her new school, Juuban High.
“Oh, I hope I made it in time,” she said to herself, as she charged up the steps.
To Serena’s surprise, Amy, Mina and Lita were there, waiting just for her.
“Serena!” they cried out, happily.
“You made it with one minute to spare!” Mina said, as they began to drag the tired out Serena to home room.
“I told you she’d make it,” said Lita.
“Of course she’d make it,” Amy said with a smile. “Serena’s the only girl I know who could run a mile in under four minutes, when she has to.”
“Thanks for the confidence, guys,” Serena said in a worn out voice.
They made it to home room and collapsed into their seats, with just seconds to spare. The school bell rang almost immediately after, and the four girls let out a sigh of relief that they had made it in time.
Right after the bell rang, Mr. Moto stood up from his desk and walked over to the door, locking it, much to the chagrin of a poor student who had gotten there moments too late.
Mr. Moto walked back to the front of the class, and addressed the students.
“Good morning, class. I am Mr. Moto, your teacher for this term,” he said. “Before we begin, there are a few ground rules which must be covered. Rule number one: Tardiness is unacceptable in this class. If you do not make it before the bell rings, you’re out of luck.” he said, as he glanced at the four girls who had just made it in time.
Serena slid down ever so slightly in her seat, and blushed.
“Number two,” Mr. Moto continued, “there will be no grading on a curve. Whether you pass or fail, it will based on your own merits, not on anyone else’s.”
A student in the front row raised her hand and spoke up.
“Is there a third rule, Mr. Moto?” she asked, in her best teacher’s pet voice.
“Yes,” said Mr. Moto, looking down at the girl. “Number three: No speaking out of turn.”
The girl slid down in her seat and blushed, embarrassed.
“Any questions?” Mr. Moto addressed the rest of the class. No one raised their hands.
“Good. Now we can begin.” he said, as he picked up a stack of papers from his desk.
He chose two students from the first row to come get the stack of papers, then had them pass the papers out to the class.
“We will begin with a pop math quiz, to see how much you have all learned from your previous years of school...” he said.
A math quiz on the first day? Serena groaned to herself, I knew Highschool was going to be tough, but not THIS Tough!
(Scene Four: Juuban Highschool, lunch time)
The four girls were sitting out under a tree. Mina and Lita were eating their lunches, and discussing the day’s events thus far. Amy was reading a book.
“Boy, our math teacher, Mr. Moto, sure is tough,” Lita said.
“I’ll say. I mean, a math quiz on the first day? I couldn’t believe it!” Mina said, watching Serena stare hungrily at Lita’s food.
“Say, Lita, do ya got any extra?” Serena asked, hopefully. She’d already eaten her lunch, and was still starving.
“Sure, in honor of you making it to school on time,” Lita said, smiling, as she gave Serena some of her food.
Serena accepted it gratefully. “Lita, you are such a wonderful cook! I really love your food!” she said, around a mouthful of chicken and curry.
“Yeah, you do,” Mina said, “but do you have to share that fact with the rest of the world?”
“Huh?” Serena said.
Mina did an impression of Serena when she’s eating, with imaginary bits of food flying out of her mouth. Serena stuck her tongue out at Mina, then resumed eating.
“I think we could learn a lot from Mr. Moto,” Amy said thoughtfully, closing her book and putting it down. “Any one of us could use a bit more discipline. It wouldn’t hurt to start getting to class earlier.”
“Maybe it wouldn't hurt you,” Lita said with a grin, “But it probably would hurt Serena.” she grinned wider at the memory of Serena’s face when she finally made it to school.
Serena started to make a face at Lita, but thought better about it. After all, Lita was being nice about sharing her food.
(Scene Five: T*A Private Girls School)
Rae was in class, when she suddenly had a vision. Three visions, actually. The first was of a pink haired little girl, asking for help. It lasted only moments, and was replaced by a second vision; cold silver eyes staring out of the shadows. The third vision was the strangest of all; A twin moon rising, half in light, half in shadow. What could it mean? She wondered.
The Sailor Scouts had banded together originally to save the world from Queen Beryl and the Negaverse, and had thankfully succeeded. They had then lost their memories for a time, but regained them to fight Allen, Ann and the Doom Tree. After that, the Sailor Senshi simply went along with their normal teenage lives.
Luna and Artemis made sure that the girls kept themselves in peak fighting condition, but they hadn’t had to fight anything. Things had been rather quiet. But it appears that things are about to change, thought Rae, and frowned. What could these new visions mean?
Rae shook her head to clear it, then attempted to focus her thoughts on her teacher at the front of the class. Whatever the visions meant, it would have to wait until later.
(Scene Six: Astronomical Scientific Research Observatory, Tokyo)
From the Astronomical Scientific Research Observatory (ASRO) in Tokyo, Japan, a new black hole had just been discovered. It was less than 1500 light-years away from the earth, the closest one yet.
Dr. Serge Romanov, Astronomer, Scientist, and Black Hole Theory Expert was brought in to study it. He was anxious to get started. The window for observing this wonder was only about four weeks long, and he wanted to get as much information as possible in that time frame.
(Scene Seven: Cherry Hill Temple, Rae’s house, evening)
After school, all five girls met at Rae’s house to study, and have a little party to celebrate making it through their first day of highschool alive.
“I tell you, I didn’t think Serena would make it through today... You should have seen her face when Mr. Moto pulled out those math quizzes.” Lita laughed.
“Really? What did it look like?” Rae asked, and laughed as Lita demonstrated.
They both ignored the faces Serena was making at them.
“You know,” Mina said to Serena, “your face is going to freeze like that one of these days.”
Serena turned to make a face at Mina. Mina retaliated by pulling a mirror out from under the table, and showing Serena her own reflection. Serena grimaced at her expression, blushed, and stopped making faces. She looked like such a child.
Suddenly, a picture of a small pink haired child formed in Serena’s brain; but it was gone as soon as it had appeared. Weird, she thought, where did that come from?
Serena didn’t know why, but after seeing that picture in her mind, she suddenly felt very alone.
Rae glanced over at Serena, noticing a sudden change in her mood. Something seemed not quite right with her, but Rae didn’t know what. Maybe she’s just tired, she thought. Rae looked at the time. It's 8:30 P.M., time to call it an evening, she thought.
“Okay, guys, I think that’s a wrap,” she said out loud. “It’s getting late and we all need to get some rest before school tomorrow.”
Amy, Lita and Mina got up from the table, and murmured their thanks to Rae for her hospitality. They all told each other good luck for the next school day, as they slid their stockinged feet into their shoes and went their separate ways.
Serena lingered for just a few moments. She’d wanted to ask Rae something, but didn’t know what to say. ‘Hey Rae, have any weird visions lately?’ just didn’t seem appropriate, and if she did ask, there was the strong possibility that Rae would think she was crazy. Serena couldn’t take that right then.
“Serena? Is there something wrong?” Rae asked with concern.
Serena sighed. She couldn’t do it.
“No, nothing’s wrong. I guess I’m just a little tired after the day’s events, and a probably just a little nervous about school tomorrow.” she hedged. Then she grinned, “Say, Rae, do you have any special charms or anything that would give me extra luck in school tomorrow?”
“I don’t believe I have a charm big enough for the job,” Rae joked. Then she looked thoughtfully at Serena. There really was something troubling the girl.
Rae reached out a hand and touched Serena’s shoulder, which startled Serena.
“Whatever’s wrong, it’ll be okay,” Rae said. “We’ll get through it together. We always do, you know?”
Serena nodded; moments like this with Rae made her speechless.
“Just go home and get some sleep,” Rae continued. “You’re sure to feel a lot better in the morning.”
“Alright, I will,” Serena said with a wobbly smile. “Thanks, Rae,” she said, as she slid her feet into her shoes and began to walk home.
Rae watched her go, then slid the door shut. She paused, remembering the strange visions from earlier. I wonder what they meant? She thought. She turned to go meditate in front of the fire, to see if any explanation or further visions would come.
(Scene Eight: Serena’s Room, middle of the night)
Serena lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Luna was asleep on Serena’s stomach, and Serena stroked her absentmindedly as she wondered about the past two days. Something just didn’t seem right to her, as if something or someone were missing. But Serena couldn’t figure out what.
“I just hope that Rae was right, and that whatever’s wrong, it can be fixed,” she said to herself, then drifted off to sleep.
(Scene Nine: A Public Park, USA, early morning)
The park was deserted, except for two or three early morning joggers, running along the paths. One of the joggers made a detour to the drinking fountain, and stopped for a drink.
She pulled her hood down, revealing dark brown, shoulder length hair; most of which was now escaping the loose pony tail it had been pulled back in. The girl pulled the band from the rest of her hair, letting it flow freely in the delicious breeze which had just sprung up.
She walked over to a bench and sat down, pulling a folded piece of paper from her jacket pocket. She unfolded it and smiled, as her light green eyes focused on the most important part of the letter. ‘Congratulations’ it said, ‘on your acceptance to the Science/Astronomy internship program held in Tokyo, Japan...’
She smiled wider. She had been accepted to the Student internship program, and was going to study abroad, in Japan. She was ecstatic. This was her chance to live her dream. She couldn’t wait!
A strong breeze suddenly blew through the park, nearly snatching the paper out of the girl’s hands and blowing her loose hair into her face. The sound of great wings beating the air followed the breeze, coming near to where the girl sat. She swiped her hair from out of her face to see what was going on; but there was nothing there. Or was there?
The girl caught a glimpse of something shimmering on the park bench, from out of the corner of her eye. She looked down and gasped. That wasn’t there when I sat down, she thought.
There were two items; the first one seemed to be a strange looking silver pen. The second item was a silver ring. It had a small, brilliant gem, nested inside an intricate silver setting. It was this sparkling gem which had caught the girl’s eye, and she was mesmerized by its beauty.
As though in a trance, the girl picked up both items. She slid the pen into her jacket pocket along with her letter; then slid the silver ring onto the ring finger of her right hand. It was a perfect fit, as if it had made just for her.
After the ring was on her finger, the girl shook herself as though she’d been asleep. She looked at her watch, and sprang up from the park bench. It’s not good to get distracted, she told herself. I’ve got a lot of things to do today, and the rest of this week, before I go to Japan, she thought as she resumed her jog.
She never noticed the something or someone watching her, from out of the shadows of a tree.
(Narrator)
Sailor Pluto had been captured by an unknown evil, and the normal flow of Time had been altered. Rini disappeared almost as though she had never existed. Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi never met nor fought the Dark Moon Family, and their war against evil had ended with the defeat of the Doom Tree.
Where was Rini, and what had caused the time-line to be altered so much? Does this change spell certain doom in the futures of our Heroines? And are the strange visions Rae had a foreshadow of things to come?
Find out next time in Chapter Two of Twin Moon Rising!
