The Light Never Fades, June, 2001, by Sailor GlitterGirl & Rose Aquarius GlitterGirl: Heeeeellllooooooooo!!!!!! Rose-chan: We're baaaaaaaaack!!!!!! GlitterGirl: *rubs hands together, evil grin on face.* Rose-chan *bops GlitterGirl on head* Stop that! You'll scare them away! GlitterGirl: *grumbling* yeah, yeah, yeah. *sigh* Now, you guys ready for some super writing? Alright, then, read on! *****@ THE UNIVERSAL GALAXY SAGA @***** The Light Never Fades Part One: Strangers Rated: PG By: Sailor GlitterGirl and Rose Aquarius At: sailorglittergirl@sailormoon.com or Rose Aquarius@aol.com "So this is 20th Century Tokyo," Laxa observed as she and her sister Versia exited the bustling air port. Staying close and each clutching a bag, they hurried along towards what looked like to be the suberbs. As soon as Pluto had dismissed them, they'd used their own powers and their own personal gateway to speed through time and space to the future. They'd found themselves wearing extremely odd looking clothes, each holding a bag with more clothing and oher odd things, and sitting in an extrememly unsafe and slow flying vehicle. Going with the flow, and doing some discreet snooping, they'd discovered that they were headed for Tokyo, in the year 1995. They each had passports stating that they were from some place called the 'United States,' and that they were cousins. "It makes sense, I guess," Laxa had shrugged when Versia had gawked. "We don't look at all like we're sisters. We could probably just barely pass as relatives at all, let alone cousins." Reluctantly, Versia had agreed. They also had aliases, Laxa now being Alexandria Whitcom, called 'Alex,' and Versia was now 'Alisia Warden,' called 'Ali.' Both had winced at the names, but thought that at least they sounded a bit like their own. "Yup, this is it," Versia said in answer to Laxa's earlier statement. "Hey, Laxa, look at that!" The ebony haired girl cried, pointing up at a tall, reddish tower in the distance. Laxa looked up at it, squinting against the bright sun, then looked down at a small pamplet in her hands, she opened it, flipping through. "That's the StarLight Tower," Laxa informed Versia. "That's where the brainwashed General Zoicite was defeated, and Prince Endymion was taken to the Negaverse." Versia said saddly. Oddly, when they'd awoken, they'd had a sketchy outline of the events that had happened when and where imprinted in their minds. The work of Sailor Pluto, no doubt. "It's also where the Princess remebered herself. I think her name on Earth is Serena Tsukino, and Prince Endymion is Darien Shields." Laxa pulled her sister along again, sidestepping the crowds as best they could as they made their way through downtown. "Oh, Laxa, how could we have missed so much?" Verisa cried. "I know, sister, but-" Laxa stopped. "I sympathize, but I think we should start calling each other by our new names, and we're no longer sisters, too." "Oh, right," Versia blushed. "So, ALEX, where to?" 'Alex,' smiled, and laughed lightly. "Well, ALI, first I think we should put on those translator earings that we aquired so long ago," She said. "Oh! Yeah, right," 'Ali,' looked around to make sure they weren't being watched, then waved her had in front of her chest, weaving an intricate patern with her fingers, as Alex did the same. And in doing so they opened their personal sub-space pocket. It could hold literally anything, and everything. Inserting their hands into their seperate pockets, their hands disappeared for a moment, then reappeared, ech holding a small, black velvet box. Closing the tiny sub-space portals with a flick of their fingers, they opened their boxes to find pairs of what appeared to be diamond earings, and crystal choker. Alex's chains and metals being silver, and Ali's being gold. The two 'cousins,' helped each other put the jewelry on, then tapped their Light Crystals under their shirts, activating the translation sets. "What exactly do they do?" Ali asked. "The earrings let us hear whatever someone else is saying in our language, and the necklaces let others hear what we're saying in their language." Alex explained. "Oh, well that ought to be useful." Ali answered, nodding, "If they work." "Let's hope they do." Alex said wistfully, "I don't want to have to learn Japanese." "Ditto!" The two laughed as they rounded a corner. Laughing and looking at each other, they didn't see a golden blonde blur racing towards them, shrieking. Alex gasped for air as she suddenly realized she was no longer on her feet, but on her back on the ground, the wind knocked out of her. "Hey! Watch where you're going, you-" Alex waved a hand to silence her sister as she looked up at her attacker, who was apologizing profosely, trying to help her up. Laughing as she got her breath back, she let the blonde that had nearly run them over and Ali help her up. "Hey, don't worry about it," Alex laughed, eyes watering. "I'm-" Alex stopped mid sentence as she looked at the golden haired girl before her, who was still all over the place, trying to make sure her victim wasn't hurt. "Versia..." Alex whispered to her sister who was holding up, standing behind her, momentarily forgetting to use their new names. "Could she..." "Yes, it's her," Ali whispered back quietly. "I'd know the Crown Moon Princess anywhere, and that is definately her." "Only one way to be postive," Alex murmured, pushing away gently and standing on her own. She grabbed the shoulders of the girl that was brushing her off, STILL apologizing. "Forget it!" Alex laughed. "I'm fine!" "Really?" The girl looked up, and Alex stiffened. Those eyes...the only one she knew with eyes as big and as blue and as innocent as those was...She HAD to be her! "Yeah, I'm fine," Alex smiled. "I'm known to be a bit of a klutz myself at times." "Understatement." A voice behind her murmured. Alex reached back and elbowed her companion. "May I ask your name?" Alex asked politely. "We just came in from the States and we don't know anyone." "Oh! From America? Cool! I'm Serena Tsukino, nice to meet you!" Serena held out her hand, and Alex shook it, slightly dazed. She felt a nudge in her mind from Ali, and she looked at the black haired girl with annoyance. They'd agreed not to use ANY of their telepathic powers while on Earth. Ali simply shrugged an 'I forgot,' and looked pointedly at Serena. "Oh, hey, you've got a smudge on you forhead," Alex said innocently, brushing aside some of Serena's golden bangs. "Here, let me get it for you." Wetting her fingers lightly, she pressed them to the center of Serena's forehead. If she WAS the Moon Princess, then... Alex heard Ali exclaim mentally as a faint, hardly visible, but definately existant gold crescent moon flashed momentarily into existence on Serena's forehead. Alex made a mental note to herself to reprimend Ali for her breach in rules. "There you go," Alex stepped away, smiling. "Thank you," Serena returned the smile, beaming. "Hey, if you guys are new, do you want to join my friends and I for lunch? I'm sure they wouldn't mind." Ali asked her sister absently, forgetting that she was using her mind and not speaking. Alex scowled inwardly, looking at her companion. Alex sighed. Ali sounded sheepish. Alex nodded absently to Ali. Out loud, she said, "Sure! We'd love to come!" Alex smiled brightly. "Yeah, thanks for asking!" Ali joined in. All three of them smiling, they followed the Princess from over a thousand years ago back towards the direction they'd just come from. *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* "Man, where IS that Meatball Head?" Raye growled, folding her arms as she glared at the automatic sliding glass doors that was the entrance to Crown Parlor. "She should have been here ages ago!" "Pipe down, Raye, she'll be here soon," Rini stood up for her future mother. Ever since she'd discovered how Sailor Moon had leaped from the flying vessel carrying a doomed Nepherina just to save her, she'd been much closer to the usually airheaded blonde. Raye sat there, glowering, as Mina laughed. A dead ringer look alike for Serena, the only thing keeping them from being identicle twins was the difference in hair style, and her hair was a lighter gold, and her eyes a darker blue. "Yeah, come on Raye, give her some credit. She HAS been a lot better lately," Amy added. "Why, thank you, Aims. I always said you were my only friend," A cheerful voice came from behind Amy. Amy and Raye turned to see Serena with two other ethereally beautiful girls. "Bout time, Meatball head," Raye growled. "What took you so long?" "For your 411, Raye, I met these two girls," she motioned to the two newcomers. "They're from the States, and don't know anyone, so I thought I'd bring em along if you guys don't mind." "Of course not!" Mina exclaimed, leaping up and snatching up the hand of the one on Serena's right, a tall, impossibly slender girl with knee length white -yes, white- blonde hair, and silver gray eyes. "Nice to meet you! I'm Mina Aino!" Mina exclaimed, then released the girl's hand and snatched up the hand of the other girl, who had knee length jet black hair, blacker than Raye's or Darien's. Her eyes seemed to be a shimmering gold, but upon closer inspection proved to be a dark hazal. Smiling, and laughing slightly, Amy gently pulled Mina away. "And I am Amy Mizuno, and this is Raye Hino," she said, motioning first to herself and then to the raven haired girl with purple eyes that was sitting down, eyeing them warily. "Hello," was all she said. "Say, where's Lita?" Serena asked. "Right here, girl." Serena, Ali, and Alex turned to see a tall -taller than Alex, even- girl. While smiling, there was still something about her that warned you not to mess with her. Muscles evident under her shirt, her long silky chocolate colored locks in a high ponytail. "Hiya, there, peoples," She said cheerily as Serena gave her a hug. "Who are these guys?" Lita asked, looking at the two girls who looked like they MIGHT be related. "This is Ali and Alex," Serena said. "Alex, Ali, this is Lita, the last of our inner gang." she turned to the rest of the girls. "Speaking of which, when is Amara and the girls gonna get her?" "Right here, muffin head," A deep, slightly masculine voice said from behind. Alex whirled to come face to face with Uranus and Neptune. "Amara! Michelle!" Serena launched herself at the pair before noticing a smaller figure behind them. "Ho...Hota...Hotaru...?" Serena breathed before gathering up the small little girl in a big bear hug. "HOTARU!!!!" Rini screeched before darting to her friend and choking her almost as much as her mother was. The whole group -including the new girls- was laughing now, including Darien, who'd just walked up. "Hey, muffin!" Serena launched herself at her her boyfriend. Laughing, the former Prince Endymion caught his love and swung her around, kissing her lightly before setting her back down to snuggle deeper into his embrace. Looking at each other out of the corner of their eyes, the two sisters among all this grinned, their silent, mysterious merriment and expressions of secrets going unnoticed to all but one. *There's something about those two.* Raye thought, narrowing her eyes. *Something familiar, something that reeks of power.* She glanced at Serena, who was happily greeting all her friends. *I hope you haven't brought us another enemy, Meatball Head. Sometimes I think you're too trusting for your own good.* Ali looked at her sister out of the corner of her eye, her own eyes sparkling as she smiled. Ali said using thought speak, her voice without a doubt. Ali answered. Ali finished, her lips flinching into a small smile at her companion. They both remembered Princess Venus quite well. Though, like everyone else save the Moon Queen and Puu, no one even knew that THEY existed, let alone met them. Alex winced mentally. Ali ackowledged. Alex's own eyes were sparkling. Ali muttered mentally, her inner voice darkening slightly. Looking up to where her sister was looking, she saw something that simontaniously made her heart wrench and narrow her eyes to flashing silver slits. "Puu!" Rini cried, obviously in bliss that she had her best friend and favorite mentor with her. Keeping a grip on a smiling and laughing seven year old Hotaru, she dashed to Setsuna, dressed in a dark green business suit. Smiling, the woman knelt and hugged both girls close. Looking past the two heads of pink and black, her eyes met the sisters' squarely. Ali whispered mentally to Alex. Alex mused. Ali ackowledged. They were brought out of their closing conversation by Serena pushing them into two seats. Darien and Amara had pulled another table over, making a table long enough to accomodate them all. "Man, it's been so long!" Lita crowed, resting her chin in her hands, her elbows propped up on the table. "Yes, it has been quite a while," Michelle agreed, brushing aside a strand of wavy, shimmering aqua marine hair and tucking it behind her ear. "So, what state are you from?" Mercury -now called Amy, obviously- asked the two new girls. "Cana-" Ali hushed Alex just in time. Alex replied. Ali glared mentalLy. Alex waved it off. "We're from Florida." Alex said quickly, ignoring the slightly odd looks they were receiving for their longer-than-usual silence. "But we lived in Canada for a while before that." Ali explaining Alex's change of words. Understanding donned on their faces, and they all turned to order when 'Liz,' -aparently someone the Inners knew well- came by and asked if they were ready. Looking at each other with releaved and exhasperated looks in their eyes, the sisters didn't notice when Setsuna discreetly sat beside Alex, Rini in her lap. *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* "Is everything ready?" A high, feminine voice asked from above, hidden in the shadows of the tall dome roof of the ancient, crumbling and condemnded mansion, deep in the woods. "Yes, my mistress, everything is set, awaiting only your commands, my sovereigns," A slithery, slimy sounding voice floated in the darkness, up the sensitive, bat-like ears of the owner of the first voice and her companion. "Your servants only await your word." "Then the word is given!" A new voice proclaimed, a deep voice, one with commanding authority. "As you wish, my lord and lady," With that, the owner of the slippery voice scutteled from the large room, leaving behind the looming shadows, away from the suffocating evil and the putrid smell of blood and death. "Soon..." The male voice hissed. "Yes, the time is soon..." To Be Continued... Well? Did you like? This part was mostly written by me, Sailor GlitterGirl, with some modifications by Rose-chan. The next part will be written by her, with a few modifications by me. Rose-chan: "Ya know.... We talked about this for quite a while before we wrote it! *near tears and whimpering* And I for one *bawling now* want people to write us about our hard work!!!!!!!!" GlitterGirl: *holding her to comfert her and whispering* "It'll be ok, I promise. Now I'll talk to them. *letting go of the now glaring (in audience's direction) Rose-chan* See! See what you did to her! Now you go and write her or me- you saw the e-mail addys at the top- now! She'll do her Serena wail...... She's better than Serena herself!!!! Trust me! NOW GO!!!! maybe we'll post faster if you write us.... ok! We have an empty house! *in unison and waving* JA NE!!!!!!!! Don't forget to write!!!!! Sailor GlitterGirl and Rose-chan All Standard Disclaimers Apply