pwinram@coastnet.com

Claire de Lune

Enter Star Navigators

Chapter Two
A Navigator to Show Her Path

	Everyone was at Raye's temple, and Raye was doing a fire-reading to find
out where these Negaverse bugs were coming from and what their purpose was.
	"I could only get a vague impression," she said, "but it seems like these
insects are only energy-collecting drones.  Once they had enough, they would
have returned to the Negaverse."
	"But who's sending them?" asked Mina
	"I have no idea." admitted Raye, "When I tried to find out, I hit a blank
wall.  Whoever they are, they're somehow shielding themselves."
	Serena, by this time, had found Raye's stash of comics, and was laughing
uproariously.  Raye started yelling at her, and the other Scouts all sighed
in concert and began to walk off.
	"Are they always like that?" asked Ailine
	"Yes," sighed Amy, "it's been going on since the day they met."
	"They'd probably miss it if it ever ended, though," pointed out Elwing,
"from what I've seen, it's the basis of their friendship."
	"You're right." said Mina, "But that doesn't make it any easier to be
around them."
	"Agreed!" sighed Elwing emphatically.
	"Well, we'd better be going," Ailine said to Elwing, "otherwise we'll be
late for the first day of the summer semester."
	Elwing started laughing.  "Like that would be new for me!" she giggled,
"That's one thing I do share with 'Serena the Hyena', I'm not good with
morning classes!"  Caiona swatted her ancle playfully.  "Alright, alright,
I'm going, I'm going!" she laughed.  She translocated herself and Ailine to
the college, and Caiona back home.  "Well," she said to Ailine, "off to math
class.  Ick!  If I live through it, I'll meet you in the cafeteria for=
 lunch."
	Ailine laughed.  "Good luck!" she shouted back to Elwing as she ran off to
her music composition class.
	Math class actually went better than she had expected, but even so, she
wanted to get out of that room as fast as possible.  She shoved her books
rapidly into her book bag, and quickly walked out of the classroom.  Her
mind was on the strange Negaverse threat, and her head was down, so when
someone tapped her on the shoulder, she let out a little yelp, jumped about
a foot in the air, and turned around to face whomever had disrupted her
thoughts, eyes blazing.
	"A little jumpy, aren't ye?" said a tall young man with carrot red hair
which fell in a cowlick over the left eyebrow which he had raised in ironic
amusement.
	"Well, you could have said 'excuse me' or something!" said Elwing
indignantly, "You can't expect someone not to jump when you surprise them."
	"Aye, and I did, but ye seemed so wrapped up in yer musin's ye didn't hear
me.  Can I treat ye to a bite o' lunch as an apology?" he asked.
	"Only if you tell me two things." answered Elwing, coyly.
	"And what would those be, then?" he asked.
	"First; what's your name, and Second; what did you want to say to me in the
first place?"
	"Well, since I startled ye, I guess it's only fittin' that I interduce
meself.  Me name's Treyor Camecta.  As to why I tapped yer shoulder, well,
te tell ye th' truth, I've been tryin' te catch up with ye since ye stormed
right quickly out of our math class, I wanted te know what made ye be in
such a hurry.  Also, ye looked familiar, and I was tryin' te remember where
it was I knew ye from." he explained.
	"Well, I guess I should introduce myself, then.  My name is Elwing; and no,
there's no last name attached to that, I go by my craft name.  As to why I
was in such a hurry, I'm not overly fond of math, and I have no desire to
stick around in a place where it is being taught for any longer than=
 necessary."
	"And the last?" Treyor asked.
	'I'm not sure." admitted Elwing, "I'm sure that if I had met you before I
would remember... and I haven't; and yet, you do seem very familiar
somehow."  Elwing shook her head, "It's all too confusing after an hour of
math on an empty stomach, and I have to meet a friend in the cafeteria, so
I, at least, have to get moving.  I forgive you for having startled me, you
don't have to buy me lunch, you know."
	"Ye're not gettin' out of it as easy as that!" Treyor smiled, "I intend te
treat ye te lunch whether ye fergive me or no."
	"Alright, then, if you insist." said Elwing, mock reluctantly (actually,
she was rather flattered by the offer).
	"That I do!" stated Treyor emphatically.  They continued on to the
cafeteria, and when they got there, Treyor told Elwing, "Ye just go find yer
friend, now, I'll buy us lunch and bring it to ye.  Which do ye like better,
pea soup er clam chowder?"
	"Clam chowder." she answered, "And thanks again!"
	"Ah, ye needn't be thankin' me." objected Treyor, "It's me who should be
thankin' ye fer th'oppertunity te buy a pretty girl a meal!"
	Elwing blushed, then went to find Ailine.  They were laughing about the
meeting in the hall when Treyor showed up carrying a tray with two bowls of
clam chowder.
	"Ailine, this is Treyor," introduced Elwing, "Treyor, Ailine."
	"Pleased te meet ye I'm sure." said Treyor.
	"So, Treyor," Ailine ventured, as Elwing tucked into her chowder, "where
are you from?"
	"What?" joked Treyor, intensifying his accent, "Ye think I'm nae frum yer
deer hometoon?"
	"Your voice tells me you're from Ireland." Elwing put in.
	"Indeed, ye've got me there," admitted Treyor, "I'm from County Clare,
Ireland."
	Ailine started laughing, then Elwing joined in.  Treyor looked confused. =
=20
	"Let me guess, you told him your craft name, not your given one. " giggled
Ailine, noting the expression on his face.
	'Yup, absolutely!" giggled Elwing
	"Would ye mind lettin' me in on th' joke?" asked Treyor, a little
exasperated, "What's so funny about me home?"
	Elwing took a deep breath in an attempt to stifle her giggles.  "Sorry
about that, but it's just too funny!"  She smiled, "Clare may be your home,
but it's MY name!  My given name may be spelled C-L-A-I-R-E, but I'm named
after County Clare." =20
	She started giggling again, and this time, Treyor joined in.  "So ye mean
te say," he laughed, "that I've travelled thousands of miles from me home,
only te find her again!"=20
	 They all broke into a fit of giggles, and by the time they caught their
breath again, the soup was cold, and had to be warmed in the microwave
before they could eat it.
	"Well," said Treyor, after they had all finished eating, "since ye shared
yer other name with me, I should do the same.  Me craft name is Pol."
	"Hello then, Pol," said Ailine, "Mine's Vega."
	Elwing looked at her watch.  "I've got to go." she said, "My other class
starts in five minutes."
	"Which class would that be?" asked Treyor.
	"Creative writing." said Elwing.
	"Yer pullin' me leg!" exclaimed Treyor, "That's my next class too!"
	"And mine!" chimed in Ailine.
	"Then may Ih have the plehsuh of escohting you two rraavishing young ladies
to claass?" Treyor asked in a corny upperclass British accent and bowed.
	"Cehhtainly!" answered both girls in unison, with mocking little curtsies.
Each took one of Treyor's arms, and they walked down the hall and up the
stairs to class in this manner, receiving no small number of odd looks.
"What are those three so happy about?" muttered one girl, "It's the first
day of school in the summer, for cripes sake!"
	Truth to tell, they didn't even know themselves why they were getting along
so well.  Elwing would normally never have let a complete stranger buy her
lunch, and Ailine was normally politely reserved when meeting a guy for the
first time.  Both girls felt as though they had known Treyor for ages.
This, of course, set alarm bells ringing in both their heads.  When they got
to the classroom, they both curtsied again to Treyor, then Ailine drew
Elwing aside.  "Do you think he could be from the Silver Millenium?" she=
 asked
	"I don't know." answered Elwing, "Do you remember there being male Star
Navigators?"
	"I don't remember there not being guys," replied Ailine, "but that doesn't
say anything specifically."
	Treyor had saved two seats at his table, so the girls sat down.  The only
other student at their table was a man in his mid-twenties who seemed angry
about something, so the three new friends ignored him, and chatted until
class started.  Class went well until about halfway through.  Elwing got a
sudden flash of memory from the Silver Millennium.  It wasn't very clear,
but she seemed to be fighting some sort of practice battle.  She caught a
glimpse of a young man in yellow fighting beside her, but couldn't see his
face before she jolted back into reality, feeling very faint.  The class,
which had been perfectly normal before, was now in turmoil.  Everyone was
talking amongst themselves, Both Treyor and the other man at their table had
jumped up, and Ailine was lowering her to the floor, trying to keep her from
fainting.
	"What happened?!" asked Ailine quietly.
	"I... remembered... something." whispered Elwing shakily.  "It seems that
there were male Star Navigators."  She shook off Ailine's arm.  "I'm all
right now." she said for the benefit of those watching, starting to get to
her feet. =20
	Just then, the other man who had been at their table sprung to her side,
grabbed her, and materialized a black crystal sword in her hands.  "Everyone
out!" he shouted.  All the other students and the instructor began to sidle
out of the room.  Last to leave were Treyor and Ailine.  As they were
backing out of the classroom, Elwing sent a pleading look to Ailine, and
thought, 'Please, try to get the Scouts!', then the door was shut behind=
 them.
	Treyor had caught the look between the two Navigators, and it seemed to
have touched some inner part of him; he was seething.  "What in th' name of
all that's sacred was that all about?" he ranted, "And why did'na ye try te
help her!"  As he got upset, there appeared on his forehead a glowing=
 sextant. =20
	Caiona came running up.
	"What are you doing here?" exclaimed Ailine
	"Elwing summoned me unconsciously when she had her flashback." she
explained.  "Oh," she said, looking at Treyor, "I see you've found Sailor
Polaris."  She did a backflip and got a purple power stick with a gold
sextant inside a crescent moon.  She handed it to him, and he took it and
said "Polaris Navigator Power!" without any prompting.
	A sphere of golden light grew until it enveloped him, then shrank back
down, and he was wearing a sailor suit with yellow shorts and a purple bow.
The last spark of light travelled to his forehead and became a silver fillet
with a topaz sextant on it.
	Ailine quickly raised her power stick, said, "Vega Navigator Power!" and
changed into Sailor Vega.  Sailor Polaris was all for storming back into the
classroom, but Sailor Vega held him back.  "Remember, coz," she pointed out,
"our powers are really only effective for defence in a situation like this."
	"Me betrothed is bein' held captive by a demon from th' Negaverse, and ye
want me te do nothin'!" he protested. =20
	"That's not what I meant at all!" countered Sailor Vega, "But we need a=
 plan."

	Meanwhile, in the classroom, Elwing was being interrogated by the Negaverse
henchman.  "What did you see?" he demanded.
	"I don't know!" she said, playing dumb.  She had quickly realized he didn't
know she was a Star navigator, and thought she was simply someone physically
connected to the past of the Moon Kingdom.  'The less he knows, the better!'
she thought.
	"Tell me exactly what you saw before you fainted." he ordered.
	"Um... blackness and sparkles?" she said tentatively, seemingly confused by
the question.
	"I know you had a vision!" he said, pricking her in the side with his black
sword, "Now stop playing dumb, what did you see?"
	"It was really murky and unclear," said Elwing, "I couldn't make much out."
	"Well tell me what you did make out or I'll stab you further next time." he
threatened
	Elwing was thinking quickly, what could she tell this man to satisfy him
without giving out damaging information?  Finally she decided.  "I saw
someone wearing yellow." she told him, "That's really all I saw."
	'I think you're not telling me the whole truth!" he growled.
	Just then the door burst open, and the Sailor Scouts ran into the room,
followed by Sailors Vega and Polaris, who seemed strangely tired.
	"Moon Sceptre Elimination!" cried Sailor Moon.  The attack did only a
little damage.
	Sailor Mars, Sailor Venus, and Sailor Jupiter were unable to use their
attacks, for fear they might hit Elwing, so "Mercury Bubbles Blast!" yelled
Sailor Mercury.  The room was filled with mist, which allowed Sailor Polaris
to sneak up behind them, using his talent of guidance to avoid obstacles,
and snatch Elwing away from her captor.  The minute this happened, the man
realized he was outmatched, as he no longer had a captive to be his shield,
and made a hasty departure.
	They all detransformed, and Treyor hugged Elwing tightly.  As he did so,
all her memories of him came rushing back.  She hugged back just as tightly,
then they both pulled back as they began to hear badly concealed giggles.
Elwing combed her fingers through her hair to push it out of her eyes.
"What!" she exclaimed ironically, "I'm not allowed to hug my own fianc=E9
without getting mocked!"  She laughed.  "How did you five get here, anyway?"
she asked the Scouts.  "And you too!" she exclaimed as Caiona walked up.
	They explained about her summoning Caiona, and that, after Sailor Vega had
calmed Sailor Polaris down enough to spellcast, she had gotten him to locate
the Sailor Scouts, then the two of them had pooled their power to transport
them to their location.
	"No wonder you two look so tired!" interjected Elwing.
	"Indeed, Love." said Treyor, who still had his arm around her, "It may be
easy fer you, but fer me cousin and meself, translocation takes a bit more
effort!"
	"The rest you know." continued Ailine, "We burst in and ran off that
Negaverse lackey, and here we are!"
	"What did he want, anyway?" asked Serena.
	Elwing told them about her vision, which everyone now realized had been of
Sailor Polaris, and about how the man had interrogated her concerning it.
When she told of how he had pricked her with the sword, Treyor insisted on
healing the little wound for her.  After he had done this, she gave him back
some of the energy back that he had expended.  "After all," she insisted, "I
wasn't the one fighting using skills not my own today."
	Suddenly, Mina piped up.  "I guess you won't be sitting on that park bench
moping any more!" she said to Elwing.
	"What's this?" asked Treyor.
	Lita told him about their first chance meeting with Elwing.
	"Nope, no more moping." said Elwing happily, "Now that I have a Navigator
to show my path, he can help me not to trip along the way!"  And with that,
she and Treyor kissed.

FIN.

