go ahead and call me a butt, I wanted to have all my contest entries, winners and not, in one place for me to reread. 

 ( you can, too, if you like)
Comments allowed: Yes, on any XD


Transformation - Michiru transforming into Sailor Neptune for the first time *winner
Memories of the Past - SilMil, End of SilMil
Spending a Birthday Alone - Tokyo, Makoto *winner
A Change of Season - Tokyo, post S season, Haruka
Obsession - Pre-Stars, Galaxia
The Death of a Pet - "Goodbye", Tokyo, post Stars, Usagi. Not entered
Creation of a Magical Girls Team - Iridescent Tears, original
Villains - Pre-Stars, Aluminum Seiren *winner
Inverted Roles - AU, Moonlight! Inner Senshi / Star Lights story swap
Remember When - Crystal Tokyo, UsagixMamoru *winner
What if...? - AU, EndymionxBeryl *winner
Double Moon Birthday - Tokyo, Usagi and Chibiusa *winner
Song-fic Contest - Tokyo, Minako *winner
Birthday Present - pre-Tokyo, Mamoru *winner
Valentine's Day - Crystal Tokyo, Ceres
Christmas Traditions - SilMil, Endymion and Shitennou
Double Moon Birthday - Crystal Tokyo, Queen Lady Serenity *winner
Neptune and Springtime - SilMil, Neptune Guild Contest
Fairy Tale - Post Crystal Tokyo, Future Serenity heir *winner
Other Reincarnations of Endymion and Serenity - "The Sea"  Not entered
Holidays - Nutcracker Suite crackfic? Writing Guild
Letting Go - Post Crystal Tokyo, Future Serenity heir *winner
Creatures of the Night - Silver Millennium AU, Prince Endymion *winner
Reincarnation - Pre-Modern Tokyo, Artemis Writing Guild  
Mars, 2062 - Modern Day/Future AU, "Usagi" *winner 
Ningyo - Mythical Creature AU, "Haruka" and "Michiru" Writing Guild, *winner
Gold - SilMil, "Zoisite" Writing Guild 
No Regrets ...(Mostly) - Modern Day AU, Usagi Writing Guild

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First Writing Contest
Theme: Transformation

There was no going back.

She knew that with a strange certainty, and yet her hand clasped the light blue rod anyway, knowing with just as much conviction that if she didn’t take it her life would be forfeit. 

----------

As the piano melody danced through the air, its calming voice spinning a tale of awe and regret, the young violinist closed her eyes, her heart threatening to lose itself in the tender tones. But even with the beautiful music moving through her, she could not shake a feeling of suspense. Nervously she approached the curtain from her place backstage and peered through a small opening. The theater was packed, the audience quiet and absorbed with the performance; nothing out of the ordinary caught her attention, but the feeling of foreboding remained. 

“Michiru, are you alright?” her benefactor asked quietly from behind her, placing her hand softly on Michiru’s bare shoulder. “It’s not like you to be nervous, my dear.”

She nodded absently and turned to face the elderly woman, “I’m fine, thank you.”

“You’re on next,” she reminded her gently just as the solo ended to immense applause. 

Michiru Kaioh, age fifteen, straightened her white gown and checked her bow, waiting for the previous artist to take his bows and leave the stage. She nodded to him in passing – he was another of the talents from her academy of Fine Arts, home to the young musical geniuses of Japan. This was just a concert, one of many used to attract the attention of the city at large, and any possible benefactors for the young students. Already Michiru had collected four; those four would be enough to supply any tuition she may need to advance her musical studies, but her teachers had instructed them to gather as many as possible – who knew when your instrument could break and you may need a new one? Who would fund sheet music, buy gowns and tuxedos, rent performance areas? To be famous and successful you needed three things: Talent, Determination, and Benefactors. 

She strode to center stage and positioned her instrument on her shoulder. Nodding to the audience’s initial applause, she set immediately to a particularly tricky tune. It was a favorite of hers: while it was quick and had a good beat, it also brought forth feelings of deceit. The audience wasn’t expecting this tune; usually she chose more languid pieces, soft and slow and beautiful, but today she wanted to show them that she could do playful just as well.

Just as one brave soul started clapping along, the air of frivolity was shattered with a hair-curling shriek. Michiru played on, hoping to calm the audience and give authorities time to sort things out, but suddenly the doors at the end of the auditorium burst open and arched through the air to land somewhere amongst the seats to a chorus of screams. She saw the silhouette of the creature standing in the threshold for only a moment before it shot off into the audience. It was a monster – there was no other way to describe it. Huge, bulking, like a worm upended without limbs to speak of; while her knees started to shake, Michiru played on. Like the musicians on the Titanic, she thought to herself as the room erupted into chaos. What could she do? She was only fifteen, a middle schooler with a knack for music. The police would arrive soon, else those Sailor Senshi the newspapers reported about; someone would come to save these people. 

But as the monster approached the stage with a bulking lunge, the teenager wondered if they would come soon enough. 

She was knocked aside, her violin and bow sliding across the stage with the force of the blow as someone from backstage pushed her away, saving her from a direct hit. The creature writhed in the backdrop, tangling the heavy red velvet curtain about its freakish mass, momentarily stopping it’s rampage. Michiru turned to see that it had been the pianist that had tackled her, and he now awkwardly struggled to his feet, still unsure of his movements in his white tuxedo. She, too, struggled with coming to her feet, the tight dress not allowing her much movement. He reached down and she accepted his hand, but the pair of them weren’t on their feet for long. 

With a strong lurch, the beast pulled the curtain down, its rod and the catwalks above with it. The falling obstacles butchered the stage with sharp metallic pieces, crushing the beautiful piano with a solid blow and littering the wooden floor with fresh shrapnel. She had seen the piece falling seconds before it would have hit them, and this time she dove covering him; miraculously, both of them came out unscathed, but their closest escape to backstage was demolished. To get away, they would either have to jump off stage or directly cross the path of the monster.

They had just managed to get to their feet again when they found that the monster had a ranged attack. Wrapped tightly in the curtain, it had seemingly had enough, and now spat a substance that was similar to fire. The flaming liquid arched out into the audience and immediately found kindling in the seats. The audience screamed anew, but the knot of people at the doorway wasn’t lessening. It was impossible to get out that way, and with the central isles engulfed in flames, the front exits were no option for the captured people. Backstage, artists and their benefactors were evacuating quickly while she spied stagehands hurrying for fire extinguishers. The elderly woman and a middle-aged lady were beckoning for them frantically, intent not to leave them behind, and she shoved the pianist that way.

Thrown off-balanced, he managed to clear the stage at an awkward run, but the monster was free now, and it had her in its sights. With one swipe of its hindquarters, her remaining exit was blocked; with another, she found herself pinned to the ground on her stomach by heavy machinery. The monster loomed before her; the audience screamed in despair beyond her, their desperate attempts to escape futile; the brave stagehands who would have helped were now trapped behind debris. With the theater filling with smoke and flames, there was no hope. 

And then an object appeared, floating just within her reach…

Second Writing Contest:
Reaction Against Vastly Uneven Odds.

((Original fiction))

A cool knife met her throat, the edge of the blade biting into her skin as though it were butter. Her captor pulled at her hair again, tilting her head back even farther, supposedly to let this King see her in the better light. She barely saw his seated form from that angle, her brows furrowed helplessly as her eyes pled for forgiveness. Was this man as cruel as rumors made him to be? Images unbidden flashed through her mind, images created through stories woven in the dark of night, of murals of this strong-faced man on his throne of cold steel with his feet resting on the bodiless heads of his enemies. What would he do with her? Would he have her killed on the spot, or held for questioning, torture, and eventual death, publically through spectacle or privately through starvation? There was no hope here for her, not in his throne room surrounded by his court of loyal followers, lords and knights. Even if she could slip this man’s grasp, there would be no escape for her here. Even if she were to somehow escape, what would that mean for those whom she loved?

Briefly she thought of her family, her mother, father, siblings… and of Cale. What would they do to them now? Did they know whom she was, that they might track her family down and make examples of them? Her heart hurt for that – to see her tiny brother in chains, or suspended by his chubby little ankles in the square… it was too much. Her eyes watered, wondering what they would do to her sisters and her mother, for her father and older brothers would not survive an initial assault, she was certain of that. Her mind faltered, weakness stealing through her at the thought of her family being held responsible for her actions, of their taking on her burdens, when they knew nothing of this new life of hers, or even of where she had been this past year. 

But perhaps there was hope for them; perhaps the others had found her missing and thought to find her family and protect them. If they left now they could get there ahead of the King’s men, they could get them into hiding and save them. If they knew, if they only knew!

She had been so stupid. Cale would not have wanted this! Her breath caught in her throat in a dry sob; did they know why she was here? Did they know where she was going? What of the poor boy in the dungeons below – what would they do to him if they knew? 

“Speak, girl,” the man who held her demanded sinisterly as he pressed the knife even farther into the vulnerable skin of her neck. He turned her head further so that his breath blew against her ears, his malicious whisper causing her blood to cool, “What were you doing in his majesty’s castle, uninvited and unwanted?” She could hear the smile on his lips, the giddiness barley masked beneath his tone. Her heart hammered nervously as he pulled her body closer to his – was he a sadist? Was he to be her fate now?

“Nothing,” she croaked weakly, her words barely escaping her lips as her vocal cords were stretched to their limits.

The King’s cold grey eyes flickered to his left, and a man dressed in black immediately stepped forward to punch her in the gut. Her body tried to double-over, but with her hair wrapped around his fingers she could not manage it; instead her knees buckled beneath her as her eyes rolled back in pain, her abdomen enflamed, the wind knocked out of her. Her captor kept her vertical, pulling her to stand even taller. Her scalp burned as if it would bleed and she couldn’t help but cry out in anguish.

“The King demands truth, girl, and nothing less,” the man hissed again, the glee in his tone coming through strong and clear now. His lips brushed against the top of her ear as he spoke again, “What were you doing in the King’s castle?”

What could she say? … nothing. The odds were not in her favor; this was not how they were to confront the King; and what could she do alone? She depended on them, on all of them. They were a team – wasn’t that why she had done this? Cale was part of this team, of their family. He said it was the first he had ever had, and she told him that families looked out for one another… but all she had managed to do was to get herself caught. The King didn’t know who Cale was, only that his men caught a boy with a fistful of gems. They hadn’t known that the legend came true; they might be researching it now, but with her here – they were bound to find out now! How stupid was she?! She was providing further evidence, further proof, like a warning beacon for the King to prepare himself for the worst!

The man pulled tighter, inching his knife along her throat and breathing an excited sigh against her ear, as if hinting that his fun had not yet begun. “What were you doing?”

She was trapped; what she said wouldn’t make a difference, but she suddenly decided something: she wouldn’t go down without a fight. If her family and friends were to suffer, it would not be her inaction they would suffer for! “Looking at tapestries!” she spat, stomping on her captor’s foot as hard as she could. It worked – his grip loosened enough for her to slip down and through, the knife tip brushing a cruel and hot line in her cheek as she pushed away. She quickly hopped, moving her bound hands from behind her back to in front of her and, as quickly as she could, with guards and attendants coming to attention at either side, she rushed the steel throne.

Third Writing Contest
Memories of the Past


“Princess! Hurry, come with me!” gloved hands took her by the wrist, pulling her urgently out of the cushioned chair of the vanity. Her brush clattered to the floor, a thousand thoughts racing through her mind as she tried her best to keep up with her blue-haired friend. Something was wrong – Mercury wasn’t usually like this. Her heart racing, they burst into the grand hall and ran, faster than she had run in her entire life. Noises erupted around her, voices raised in concern and determination to her left, from within the courtyard of the palace; and voices raised in fury and terror from without, the foreground to a low rushing sound. She glanced to her right and slowed involuntarily at the sight spied through the columns.

“Princess!” Mercury cried out again, her voice tight and anxious, pulling her along, but Serenity’s shock slowed her still. The gardens were on fire; the flames roared from a distance, creeping ever closer to the pools nearer the front of the palace. Off in the distance, seemingly rising from the thick black smoke, was an enormous crowd of people, shouting in fury as they approached. They were armed with swords, their weapons glinting red. She couldn’t tear her eyes away. From her right erupted a command – “Charge!” – and men and women clad in silver armor rushed through the passageway beneath her, hastening to meet the charge, to defend their kingdom from the encroaching threat. What was going on?!

Mercury stopped and wheeled around, her hands gripping Serenity’s forearms tightly; she pulled Serenity’s confused gaze with the uncharacteristic roughness. Her blue eyes streamed tears, her face red and frightened, “Princess, please!” she begged desperately.

It was then that Serenity became truly frightened.

She nodded and started running, focusing solely on the blue-haired head bobbing before her, the sailor collar that rippled with their speed. They dashed down a circling stair and darted out into another hall, racing quickly away from the chaos behind them. If she could go fast enough, perhaps it would go away. It would go back to the way it was before – no more battle cries and the screams of agony, but the music of a ball, the soft whisper of wind through the flowers, the trickle of water in the fountains.

They burst through a door that would lead them out of the palace, out into the capital city, but before they could run down the short staircase and lose themselves in the chaos of the streets, Mercury’s hand was torn from hers and she fell hard on the marble stairs. She shrieked in pain, fear, and confusion as she fell, the scream turning into a sharp gasp as a stair jutted into her stomach. Tears coming to her eyes, she pushed herself up onto her hands and looked around for Mercury, only to see her sprawled, unmoving, back at the top of the stairs several feet away from her.

“Mercury!” she called fearfully, struggling to her feet through the pain and telling herself forcefully that the blackened blast across her friend’s chest wasn’t a fatal blow.

“Hello, Princess!” a voice hissed from below. She turned and saw a woman with wild red hair glaring up at her, pointing at her accusatorily, a mad smile on her face, “We will take the Kingdom of the Moon and make it our own! The Legendary Silver Crystal will be mine!” Her eyes were unnatural, her aura black and sinister. She held her hands above her head and an even crueler force manifested, a terrible blade shining though the coalescing darkness.

But suddenly she wasn’t alone. A caped shoulder hid her from view; a tall, raven-haired man took a stance between her and the cruel women before them, his sword raised defensively. Endymion. Despite the situation, the fear, the panic around her, she felt safe behind him.

“Prince!” the woman spat, “will you be a traitor to Earth? This is all for Earth’s prosperity!”

Earth’s prosperity?! What was she talking about?! Her heart hammered in her chest.

“Stop! Lay down your arms!” Endymion commanded, his voice strong and confident in the face of evil. He sounded convinced that his words could stop the battle, and she put her faith in that. “Stop this futile war immediately! War and hatred will never amount to anything!”

She appeared before them in a blurred flash, her sinister eyes glowing angrily, and brought down her blade. It tore through Endymion’s shoulder, continuing sickeningly through his chest, and her world crumbled around her as he cried out in pain. She screamed, as loud as she could; screamed in rage at this woman and her war, screamed in terror for her people, but, most of all, screamed in pain as the person most dear to her was torn from this world. Endymion! “Endymion!” she screamed, her eyes closed and her hands in fists near her face, wishing that none of this were real! None of this could be true! It just couldn’t! 

Her mind turned to frenzied despair, watching Endymion’s body collapse, his red blood spilling over the white marble in pools. He was dying – he was dead. What was left for her, now? Her heart crumbled, taking her soul with it, deep into loss and despair. There was only one thing she could do.

With all of her being she called forth the sacred sword, the sword sworn to protect her, and as it materialized in her hands she turned it upon herself, then pulled it close to her as though it were him, her love. The blade bit deep into her chest, and she fell down beside him. While blade disappeared her mind lingered for a moment as visions of her life flashed before her eyes: of music and parties with her friends; of the ocean on Earth and his deep blue eyes that she felt she could fall into; of stolen kisses amongst roses…

And she wished she had told him that she loved him.

Fourth Writing Contest
Spending a Birthday Alone


Dawn crept softly across her room, streaming through the thick green leaves to create blotches of shadows on the carpet and hardwood, the rays creeping ever closer to her bed. This was one of her favorite times of day. It used to be right about now that Dad would be turning on the coffee maker in the kitchen, pattering around as he sleepily fumbled for the pre-ground beans. The Mom would pop into the kitchen, tease him quietly for not knowing his way around her kingdom, and playfully push him back towards their room to get ready for work. Then she would measure out the coffee and put it into the machine, the beans sliding into the filter with a quiet shhh and then she’d press the button. The maker would bubble and steam and the smell would seep through the hallway and hit her immediately.

She would already be awake, watching them through the crack in her open door, but when her mother walked down the hallway to wake her up, she’d hide back under the covers and pretend to be asleep. Being woken up by Mom was always nice; she would sneak in quietly, look around the room with a smile when it was clean, and then get really close and kiss her on the forehead. “Wake up, Mako-chan! ” she would say, “The day is ready for you!” 

And then they would pick out her school clothes and get dressed together, and go back into the kitchen and make breakfast for Dad. She always got to stir and taste-test, but Mom had only recently let her near the pans on the hot stove. She got to walk the plate over to Dad, who would ruffle her hair and say “Good Morning, little girl! You’re so pretty today!” And they’d eat breakfast together. Then she’d help Mom collect the dishes and Dad would get his shoes on and grab his briefcase. She would jump into her shoes and grab her bag and lunch and they would kiss Mom goodbye, then she and Dad would walk to school. His work was in another direction, but he always took the train so they could walk together and talk about sports and classes.

But that was before. 

Her alarm went off after the sun had almost filled the entire room, and she shut it off with a sharp tap on the top, glancing at the date again as if by staring at it, it could change. It was 5 December, and she was fourteen today.

She pulled off the sheets and got out of bed, peeling off bedclothes and folding them nicely, putting them under her pillow just as her mother had done. She made her bed and looked around the room until she found their picture on her dresser, allowing herself one more minute of remembering them – their smiles, their warmth, and their happiness – before hardening the sensation of loss and locking it away. She went to the closet, pulled out her school uniform, and stepped first into the long skirt, then slid the long-sleeved shirt on over her head, taking a moment to push the sleeves up over her elbows despite the snowfall on the ground outside. She brushed out her hair, looking at herself in the mirror, and tied it quickly into a high ponytail with the green-bauble hair elastic her father had given her as a going-away present. She ruffled her bangs and offered a smile that, even to her, looked false. A grimace looked more at home, and it was that grimace she was known for now.

Picking up her book bag, she went into the main hall and exchanged the bag for a watering can and took a few minutes to water her plants and sweep the apartment again. She put her lunch by the door, then turned on the coffee maker, listening to its clicks and pops and breathing deeply its aroma as she stood, waiting for some water to boil for breakfast.

…….

She arrived back at her apartment just after dark, having stayed after school for cleaning and a club meeting. When she got in she put her school bag away and started water for some tea, then changed clothes into something more comfortable. When she finished the water was ready, and she made some rose tea as she washed her lunch container and got out some pots and pans to make tomorrow’s lunch, tonight’s dinner, and a small cake for herself, wanting to try a new icing trick she had learned earlier in the week. She smiled as she cooked, loving the sounds and smells as she multitasked, busily going from pan to pan, tweaking seasonings as she saw fit, stirring sauces and flipping shrimp and little hotdogs to make sure they cooked evenly, even as she preheated the oven and mixed together a quick cake recipe. 

As the cake baked and tomorrow’s lunch cooled, she had dinner. Making mental notes on her food as she chewed, she concocted new ways to make the dish better, or in a different style, keeping herself busy with exciting new combinations. Once dinner was finished, she arranged her lunch in her bento box and put it in the refrigerator to cool and keep for tomorrow. She took the cake out to cool, then started washing all of the dishes; her hands never stopped moving, the smile never left her face. 

Everything was put away, even the implements used to make the icing she piped onto the cake, making tiny roses on top. The more she made, the better they got, but by the end the entire top of the cake was covered in tiny red flowers and there was no room for a birthday message. She smiled and piped a message in sugar pink anyway, spelling out “Happy Birthday Makoto!” on top of the delicate flowers. 

It was then that her smile finally faded. When everything was finished, and she cut into her birthday cake alone.

Fifth Writing Contest
A Change of Season

Her booted feet clicked down the sidewalk one step at a time; she loved boots, and with the slight chill in the air the season for them had come at last. She received a few looks, a few smiles and winks as she passed, from the bolder sex for a change, and smiled at the reaction to her short, swishing skirt and tight-fitting vest over the white-button up. She wore glasses to ward off the light of the setting sun, protection against the ‘gentlemen’ who wished for her attention as much as for the UV rays. The cool evening breeze rushed through the trees beside her, freeing leaves from branches and putting a smile on her face.

Autumn.

It had been a hard fight, hard won, but it was time to put those fights behind her, to embrace the peace they had rightfully achieved and move on with their lives. Until such a time that she was needed to protect her Princess or Prince, she was simply Haruka Tenoh, and nothing more. Well… maybe a little something more. As she walked her phone rang a special tune, a tune reserved for only one person. She flipped it open and put it to her ear smoothly, “Ne?” she asked simply, her voice lighter than usual but just as natural for her. “Michiru,” she replied with a sly smile, “How’s it going? … What, again?! …” she listened, then laughed, “No, it’s okay! I was passing there on the way, anyway; I’ll just pop in and grab some. Is there anything else? … Okay, then, I’ll see you later.” She hung up with a smile, popping her tiny cell phone back into her small black purse, still striding down the serene street.

The meeting had gone well with her sponsors; she had the funds in place to move wherever she cared to under the stipulation that she showed up for various events throughout the year and went on a worldwide tour at some point in the near future. It was an easy promise to make; by then, things should be sorted out well enough that she could leave without any prior engagements to hold her back. Good thing, too; the place they had in mind would require quite the funding to live in comfortably and if she had to back out she didn’t know how they would make rent. Eyeing the signs in front of her, she stepped into a store and purchased a few items, primarily diapers and a cute racing-flag pacifier, then came straight back out and kept on walking.

By the time the public garage was in sight, she was ready for it. She exchanged her helmet for her parcels, stuffing the latter beneath the seat before hopping on her motorcycle and revving the engine. Tearing out into the street with the quick maneuvers only her time on the track could afford her, Haruka’s bike sung through the streets, weaving in and out of traffic effortlessly as she laughed, enjoying the tug of the wind on her clothes and skin. While she avoided most lights deftly, it was inevitable that she would hit one. She slowed, came to a stop, and used her booted leg as a kickstand while she waited out the red, her fingers holding the clutch softly, ready to go at any minute; but then something caught her eye, something that gave her pause, made her lean back in her seat and stare. 

Across the street, walking happily arm-in-arm with a tall young man, was her Princess, blonde, odangoed, wearing her Juban Middle School uniform and strolling in another direction. Haruka smiled, noticing that the Princess walked elegantly at that moment, as beautiful as any lady; she wondered if the unusual grace was due to a lack of attention, or if it had something to do with being on the Prince’s arm. Either way, she seemed lighter now, as though she walked without a care in the world; so different from only weeks before when the weight of the planet was on her shoulders. As she watched, an energetic pink-haired girl appeared out of a shop and rushed towards the duo, breaking between them eagerly. Haruka chuckled, watching as Usagi turned on the small girl with frustration, but quieted and cheered when she was presented with something – a small stuffed animal? – Mamoru looked amused, Chibi-Usa, proud, turning to shake her finger at her future-mother and receiving a noogie as a reward.

She heard the click of the light turning and bent back down over her bike, waiting for the person ahead of her to move, but glanced over one more time to see the three of them walking off together, holding hands contentedly. 

A new season had begun.

Sixth Writing Contest
Treading Through the Sultry Grass

Treading through the sultry grass,
Green stalks between my toes,
I smile uncontrollably,
At everything that grows.

The trees are just so real here,
The wind and water, too;
The greens are even greener,
And blues are just so… blue!

Racing through the sultry grass,
White skirts behind me fly,
I laugh, I can’t control myself!
I fall and see the sky…

Clouds are beautiful from below...
And air is fresh, and new…
Sunshine warms me to my bones,
My eyes close and I see… you.

Sneaking through the sultry grass,
To your Earth Kingdom home,
I hide amongst your garden trees,
Sounds muffled by fountain foam.

Peering around the trunk so rough,
I catch a glimpse of you.
My heart stops within my chest,
A Prince too good to be true.

Stomping through the sultry grass,
Displeasure in her tone,
Venus comes to take me back,
My secret cover blown.

But as she takes my hand and pulls,
I shyly say goodbye,
The look upon your perfect face…
I smile; I caught your eye.

Stealing through the sultry grass,
Escaping yet again,
I find you and we meet at last,
And converse for an hour or ten.

In you I find someone like me,
But stronger, silent, and proud
A soul that I can lean upon,
And in secret we avowed…

That so long as there was sultry grass,
And wind and water and sun,
The two of us would laugh and love,
Our hearts entwined as one.

Strolling through the sultry grass,
My hand fits in yours,
It feels as though my powers grow,
With you, on Earthen shores.

This calm, this feeling of deep peace,
Am I finally complete?
How cruel, how blessed the gods must be,
To allow you and I to meet.

For while we have this sultry grass,
We may never be free
To give our lives to one another,
We, Endymion and Serenity.

For we were of two different worlds,
His open and mine hidden,
And any interaction with the other
Was divinely forbidden.

And plotting in the sultry grass,
An evil woman schemes,
Against us, Prince and Moon Princess,
For stealing away her dreams…

Through secrets and the darkest plots,
The witch’s powers grow,
And into Earthling’s deepest thoughts,
The seed of suspicion she sows.

Marching across the sultry grass,
An army for Earth toils,
Intent upon a bloody conquest
On Moon Kingdom soil.

They know not why they must do battle,
But in Beryl they trust,
And through her words and promises,
She elicits their bloodlust.

…

Remembering the sultry grass,
As my kingdom burns to the ground
My last sight, your peaceful face…
T’was true love I had found.

Raising the sword within my grasp,
Somehow I just knew,
We would be given a second chance,
And again I would find you.

For so long as there was sultry grass,
And wind and water and sun,
The two of us would laugh and love,
Our hearts entwined as one.

Seventh Writing Contest
Obsession

Sitting in the corner of a dimly lit bar, a woman with long red hair sat nursing her drink, her scowl as bitter as her poison. With thinly veiled disdain, she glared at the men on the barstools through blonde lashes, long fingers pressing against the sides of her glass as if trying to keep herself in check...

Worthless, she thought with disgust as two of them laughed uproariously at a pathetic joke. Within her heart something riled, rebelling against the truth in her second-rate position: as a woman, she was ranked below either of those insignificant and ignorant worms and there was nothing she could do about it. She had tried. Years of studying in her free time, teaching herself what teachers had neglected to mention to her gender and others of her class and rank, learning more than half of the people in her district, and yet it had amounted to very little. Her intelligence and intellect had bought her a position barely above the minimum level, and though she knew more than all of her superiors put together, there was no room for advancement, no way for her to gain real respect. 

It was below her – this life, these people, this city, this planet – all of it was below her, and yet she was stuck in it as surely as she would be were she shackled to this very bar. She sipped the amber liquid acrimoniously, her eyes on the crowd as a whole as the pair of imbeciles, clapping each other on the back for a belch well done, left into the foul-smelling night of the industry district. She was the first woman from her class to have ever moved districts, she reminisced, putting the glass back on the table with a solid thunk, and even that small accomplishment – that pitifully small accomplishment – was begrudged her. Everywhere she turned within her workplace she was met with sneers, gibes, and dirty comments as men tried to assert their dominance. Their attempts were quieter now, after the more overt attempts were met with her quick physical offense, but they were still there, everywhere she turned. She had been right to teach herself self-defense before sticking her neck out for advancement; her skill with her body had saved her many times over now, here in this piece of chibi city on this god forsaken planet. She deserved so much more than this.

She should be running her own business, earning thousands a year and finally weilding power over those insignificant bugs that deemed themselves more worthy than she on the basis of their genitals. She took another drink. Or, even better, she should be captain of her own starship, running between Saffer and the other planets of the system, deciding which cargo would best be served where, deciding the fates of other people by choosing her crew and deigning whom she moved from planet to planet. Or, maybe even a leader. On other planets in the system their government is elected via a majority vote; if she could just enter that political contest… if given a level playing field, she could do well, use her sharpened mind for a useful purpose, her female intelligence and mind to determine how a planet would be run… But she would never have a chance like that. Not her, not here, not ever.

She threw her glass behind the bar, taking no relief from the sound of the glass shattering on the floor as she stood. She exited, tossing coins at the screaming barkeep and fluidly dodging as he threw a mug at her ‘disrespectful wench’ head. Walking home, her coat tight against her to keep off the general street sludge and her mask around her mouth to keep out the smog, the woman marched, pointedly ignoring the catcalls and the verbal advances that were common for a woman to receive when out past starset. Refusing to move to the other side of the building aisle, she ducked, kicked and punched her way out of an attack and kept on going, her anger rising – she deserved so much more; if only she had the power to obtain it!

…

Sailor Saffer… it had such a nice ring to it. A powerful ring. With her new abilities the skies were the limit, and, really, that ‘limit’ was only semantics. Their system’s first attack by Chaos had awakened her to her true self, her true purpose, and had introduced her to the other women with power from her system, women who answered to her. It was destiny, it had to be – all of her life she had felt like she was meant for more and, all along, her star seed – the very source of her life – was shared with her planet. This connection gave her the powers and energy of Saffer, sufficient enough to fight and destroy as she pleased. And not only that, but her Sailor Crystal was the strongest of her system – she was their leader, their commander; and yet the day-to-day life on her planet had not changed.

Now as she sat in the bar, her long red hair growing out golden since her first transformation, she was met with hateful side-long glances; she was still treated as a woman of the fifth rank, and maybe even worse than before because she had saved them all. They resented her power, hated that her power had fallen to a woman, despised that they owed her their lives; they were ungrateful. Ungrateful, small minded, and she had outgrown them. She was no longer worthless, as they were; she was a Senshi, perhaps the most powerful senshi of them all… and if she wasn’t, she would be.

There was no longer a glass ceiling above her head. The future was open, ready to be taken; she just had to seize the power with her own two hands. “Sailor Saffer” was nice, but “Sailor of the Galaxy”? That was her true destiny.

Special Writing Contest:
Pluto and Venus

no entry.


Eighth Writing Contest:
NaNoWriMo or A Story About Cecil

no entry.

Ninth Writing Contest:
Creation of a Magical Girls Team


“Please! Don’t make me do this!” she implored, her voice hoarse with pain and fear as her eyes pleaded with the woman at the end of her staff, golden sickle pressing gently against the soft skin of her opponent’s black neck. Her arms shook with the effort of keeping herself together, every fiber of her being crying out against her moral center, muscles and emotions begging against unrelenting responsibility to back away, to let the dark woman dressed in smoke and stone up off of the floor, to embrace her; but the cool glint of starlight-steel shining by the woman’s outstretched hand warned her against such 
an action. If she relented, she would die. She and the people she had sworn to protect. There was only one option for a happy ending – only one that would let the beautiful woman live: Umbra had to surrender her weapons and submit.

“What would you have me do?” her voice, deep and gusty as the midnight wind, asked calmly, malice laced in her tone, “Surrender to you? To dear Iridescence, and suffer the wrath of the Balance Keeper? To live the rest of my life in a cell of restraint, suffering to be little more than my divine purpose?!” The anger that had appeared so suddenly days ago returned in her eyes, “Never! I was here before you, Iridescence! Before anyone!” she squirmed beneath the weapon, acting as a rabid cornered animal desperate for escape and revenge. Iridescence’s heart cried out in pity and disdain to see the woman act this way, so weak in comparison to her former self. Umbra continued, her eyes darker than night, “I am tired of this! Of You and Yours and the others that have polluted my universe! The dark is where all was created and the dark will be how all things end! The time is now for me to reclaim my rightful place and return everything to its prior perfection!” She lunged towards her fallen steel and Iridescence moved to block her, keeping her at bay.

“Umbra, no! Why are you acting like this?!” she cried, her corona weakening around them as Umbra’s darkness increased. “You helped us, don’t you remember?” she pled, trying to invoke the memories of before, of her own awakening and their meeting, of Umbra’s happiness and their joy. Of how they lived and laughed and spent millennia together, never able to separate from the other even at their worst. She couldn’t leave Umbra; for all of her faults, she was perfect for her. And she thought Umbra had felt the same way – no matter what happened, no matter how far away she went and for how long, Umbra always returned with anger forgotten, ready to resume their life together. Even when the others awakened – the 
Elements – Umbra, while upset, had always come back. When Carbon had suggested creating something together, creating living creatures, Umbra had agreed and worked with them. Together they created planets, together they created life; from bacteria and viruses to flora and fauna, Umbra had been with them, adding her experience and ideas to create worlds filled with diversity. What had happened to her? Why had she turned on them suddenly and tried to destroy the life they created together?

Umbra’s eyes narrowed, her gaze on the golden-wrought blade before her, “A mistake that I intend to remedy.” Steadily her shadows increased until the woman was lost amongst them. 


Iridescence, afraid, pressed forward with her scythe, intent to keep connected to Umbra by touch if not by sight, but in pressing forward she felt no resistance. “Umbra?” she called, her fear constricting her veins, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she pressed forward further, searching the murky area before her for the dark woman with the sultry voice. She found nothing. “Umbra?!” she yelled again, her corona bursting outwards, fighting the darkness until it won out, light shining on the reflective floor in front of her, and the 
black sigil burnt into the material. Umbra was gone. 

"No!” Iridescence screamed, “You can’t!” her breath caught in her chest as the gravity of the situation fully fell. She collapsed to her knees, throwing her weapon aside as her glowing hands searched the floor, dispelling the last bit of darkness. Yet the sigil remained, and Umbra was gone. “Umbra!! Come back!” she cried, tears forming in her eyes. “Umbra!” Her heart breaking, she fell to her elbows, golden hair cascading around her as she sobbed, “Please!” Pressing her forehead to the ground as three tears fell onto the black sigil, she begged, “Don’t leave me alone.”


Three tear drops with a shining star within moved through the sigil, transferring suddenly into another plane, onto a world the great ones had created together, a world wherein one had escaped. They fell as if raindrops 
from nonexistent clouds, drifting steadily down towards the planet’s surface below. The wind blew and teased, pushing the drops of light to and fro, separating them from one another, but still they fell, gaining speed until, at last, each landed...

Tear One:]
“Oh gross!” the girl cried, rubbing the back of her hand on her friend’s arm, her freckled face filled with 
revulsion, “Tiana! You sneezed on me!”

“Sorry!” the girl beside her laughed.

“Uuug,” the first girl groaned, nose still crinkled in disgust as she rubbed her hand on her own skirt, “It was still warm!” she turned on her shorter friend and put both hands on her hips, stopping in place as she declared, “Sorry’s just not going to cut it - you owe me a root beer float!”

Rolling her eyes, Tiana agreed, “Sure thing, Marilyn. I’ll get right on that.” She moved around the girl and kept walking past the rows of suburban homes. 

Marilyn stomped her foot and followed, her backpack bouncing as she caught up, “I mean it this time!” she stated, walking backwards to continue facing her friend, green eyes blazing bright, “No substitutions, 
trades, or outsourcing!”

“Okay, okay…”

Tenth Writing Contest:
The Loss of a Pet

No entry due to short fic I had just finished on the exact topic: Goodbye.


Usagi’s fingers softly brushed Mamoru’s and he instantly responded, taking her hand in his, intertwining their fingers in comfort and support as they silently stood together. Beside them someone sniffled quietly, the sound almost whisked away by the soft breeze through the budding trees. She could sense Makoto and Rei reaching out to comfort Ami, but she did not see them. Usagi’s eyes focused only on the ground in front of her: on the grass that was just starting to flourish, the tiny blue and yellow spring flowers that poked out of the ground in small patches, the fresh earth piled by the shovel to her right. The rectangular hole in the ground at her feet. 

Everything was supposed to have been okay. Everything should have been fixed, and yet now, as once before, she felt as though she were standing on the edge of an enormous precipice, looking down into the black depths and feeling so intensely that she wasn’t okay. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It was supposed to go back to the way it was before – her friends, her belovedfriends, had all come back to her. Her love, her Mamoru, came back, too; she squeezed his hand to reassure herself that he was actually there; he squeezed back, only confirming that this was in fact not a dream. She wished it were.

Three had been left behind at the cauldron.

Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she forced them back. That’s not what Luna would have wanted, was it? Her heart constricted and she focused on the ground again. On the hole. It was so small… so dark and lonely. But it would be okay. Luna wasn’t here anymore. Luna was with Artemis and Diana in the cauldron. She wouldn’t be put into the ground. She wouldn’t be buried. She wouldn’t be left behind in the dark. The tears threatened again and again she fought against them, using her grip on Mamoru to center her. This wasn’t real – she had seen what was real, she had been there. Luna wouldn’t be alone. She would never be alone!

Footsteps through the grass worried her – she knew who was coming, but she couldn’t handle it. Not now, not yet. Maybe not ever, but still the footsteps advanced. Far too soon, Minako was there, a small wooden box in her arms. Hotaru sobbed quietly. Michiru pulled her back, held her; the young girl pushed her face into Michiru’s blouse, wrapping her arms about her mother’s waist as she watched the box in Minako’s arms and cried. Briefly, Usagi wondered if Chibi-Usa was doing something similar in the future. Was she, too, holding her mother close as she watched the little wooden box? As she watched her best friend be put to rest? The tears came again and this time, Usagi didn’t stop them.

Her best friend was in there. Her mentor, her guide, the single person who was there through everything, from the moment she became Sailor Moon through the hardest period of her life, always offering support and comfort and asking for nothing in return. Luna had always believed in her, even at her worst, even when everything was falling apart. And she never doubted, not even once, that Luna had loved her. Had Luna known how important she was to her?

“Artemis,” Minako shook violently, her hands gripping the box as the whisper seemed to tear from her throat of its own accord. Tears, fat and heavy, splashed down on the wooden top as she sniffled greatly, shaking her head to ward the others away as both Rei and Setsuna stepped forward to help her. Usagi could hear Ami crying again as Minako bent down, her tear-streaked face determined as she knelt in the grass before the small, gaping hole.

Don’t put her in there! Usagi’s eyes were glued to the box, as though she could see the three cats through the casket and by sheer force of will make them come alive again. But nothing happened, nothing except the box lowering, Minako’s hand guiding their loved ones down into their final resting place. She couldn’t see the box anymore.

They weren’t coming back.

Luna was gone. Forever. Her breath caught in her chest as Minako leaned over to scoop up a handful of dirt off of the pile. Her hands paused above the hole, hovering in place as though she, too, were waiting to see if something miraculous might happen. But it didn’t. And it wasn’t going to. Luna wasn’t here anymore. Neither was Artemis, or Diana. They were gone. They had moved on. 

Usagi let go of Mamoru’s hand and bent down across from Minako, cupping Minako’s hands in her own. Her fingers were cold, and at her touch Minako seemed to melt, to break in some way. Together they released the dirt, listening to the cascade of earth fall upon the little wooden box in a steady, peaceful stream until it was quiet again. Holding hands, they knelt there for a few moments more, quietly mourning their friends, trying to let them go. Finally, they helped each other stand. Hand-in-hand, they moved away from the rectangular hole in the ground and returned to their friend’s sides, turning to look once more on the little patch of Earth. Usagi reached again for Mamoru’s hand; Minako reached for Makoto’s, Makoto for Ami, Ami for Rei, Rei for Setsuna, Setsuna for Michiru. Hotaru, her face red from crying, stood back and took both Michiru’s and Haruka’s hands. Haruka and Mamoru completed the circle.

Fate had brought them all together. Power granted them new life. Destinies intertwined to determine their future, but two little cats had started it all.

Usagi felt lighter. She closed her eyes squeezed Minako’s hand, and in a moment felt a squeeze from Mamoru. They were all together. They were as one. She took a deep breath, a sound that echoed all around her, and held it, thinking of Diana, the tiny purple kitten from the future, of Artemis, wise and loyal, and finally her little black cat with the ‘crescent bald spot’. She exhaled, letting them go, knowing they would find happiness. “Luna,” she breathed in farewell.

When they opened their eyes a great crystal spire was before them, rising up within the encircled gravesite to give Luna, Artemis and Diana a strong and beautiful headstone that seemed to touch the sky. It reminded Usagi of the Crystal Tower of the Moon Kingdom, the Pillar of Prayer Luna had prayed to when Usagi struggled to defeat Chaos’s first incarnation on Earth, Metallia. A faint smile tugged at Usagi’s lips with the understood meaning: it was time. With a Crystal Tower of their own, a new kingdom could be built; Crystal Tokyo was still in their future, whether they had lost their important friends or not.


A thousand years later, the Crystal Spire stood enshrined in a new Chamber of Prayer, this one opened to all residents of Earth. Children, women and men of all ages visited the shrine to pray for love and peace, wisdom and clarity, courage and luck; hundreds of people passed within its marble hallways, and everyone knew the names of the three cat statues that stood watch over them all.

Eleventh Writing Contest
First Love

No entry.

Special Writing Contest
Villains


Alumi opened her eyes and stretched, yawning as she sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. Another day, another harvest, she thought with little enthusiasm as she hopped up out of bed, swimming past her open window and completely disregarding the bustle of activity in the streets as morning broke over Mermadia. In her room of refreshment she ran a comb through her long blue hair, poked and prodded at her face as she grumbled about not waking up sparkingly beautiful, and retired to her closet to choose the day’s attire. Shimmying into a pair of yellow shells and throwing a light blue netting shift overtop, she returned to the mirror and pulled her hair into a loose seahorse tail, accenting the style with an anemone flower and winking before swimming out to grab her purse, giving a shriek of alarm as she noticed the time shadow.

Her tail flipping fiercely, she whipped through her house and wiggled out the front window rather than waste time opening the door. With a flip of her tail the window closed and she continue past her small front yard and raced through the streets, dodging around the slower traffic much to the chagrin of the Mothers. They clucked and tutted at her as she went around them, their calls of “Slow down!” and “Reckless girl!” falling on deaf ears who had heard the comments too many times before. She turned left, wheeled right, went through an open market stall to shave some precious seconds, her hands before her to cut through the current and streamline her motion; as she whizzed past a slack-jawed merchant, she brought a hand in and waved once cheekily, smiling a toothy smile as she bent backwards and turned down the last side street; this one would be a straight-shot to the fields.

As the long strands of kale grew in size, she stopped swimming and simply glided through the water, putting on the brakes only when hidden safely in the green stalks. Breathing normally, she gently took a stalk and examined it thoughtfully, making a soft and considered humming sound as a shadow passed over her site.

“Alumi?” her superior addressed with masked aggravation. Alumi ignored her at first, holding up a finger and really, really looking at the green, lofty leaf. The woman crossed her arms and tapped her own finger against her bicep, coral-colored eyes glaring under teal brows, lips pinching into a scowl; when finally Alumi thought the woman wouldn’t be able to handle it anymore, she released the kale and smiled up at her, waiting to be addressed, knowing she was just getting herself deeper and deeper into trouble but hoping a look of determination and friendliness might subvert the disciplinary action to come. “Alumi, did you arrive late this morning?”

“Me?” Alumi replied, pointing to herself expressively. She looked up, as though considering, “Well, let’s see… I think I woke up on time, and then I got dressed, and I remembered I had to hurry to get to work… but I’ve been here looking at this specimen for quite some time now… do you see its spots? They’re odd, aren’t they? Odd, but pretty… I think it’s a good specimen, one we might want to breed, but we should probably taste it first, right? Hmm… tricky… we can’t eat our kale and breed it, too… Oh! But anyway, I can’t be completely sure of when I got here,” she finished with a smile, “but it feels like I might’ve been on time today.”

The supervisor’s eyes were closed at this point, her fingers pressed to her forehead in annoyance, but overall she seemed obliging, and that gave Alumi hope. “Alumi,” the supervisor sighed heavily, looking at her with some gravity, “You’re working on your last scale here. One more mess-up and you’re out of a job, and there aren’t that many places left that will hire you. So just get here on time and turn in some logs, okay? I don’t want to fire my husband’s kid-sister but if you keep up this streak of irresponsibility, I will. Understand?”

Relief spreading like warmth, Alumi smiled and saluted, “Sure thing!” she then turned the salute into a lazy wave as she bid her sister-in-law-turned-supervisor goodbye, “I’ll get straight to work, no problem! Have a good one, I’ll check in with you later,” she said with a sing-song voice.

The woman growled, “Just do some work,” and swam away. 

Morning came and went; as soon as noontime came and the whistle sounded, Alumi threw her bag over her shoulder, grabbed a handful of kale to make a third bundle, and rushed to the collection bin. Once there she tied the bunch with a hardened piece of weed and dropped it into the bucket, then swam off as quick as she could, someone yelling after her about an improper knot but it was too late – lunch had started! She raced through the streets again, weaving through the noon crowds on her way to their normal place; by the time she got there everyone else was already seated, but Himil had saved her a spot and she coasted right to it, tearing off her bag and putting it below the coral table in the same motion as she stuck her elbows on the table and cupped her chin in her hands. With a huge smile she greeted her friends from a previous job and the second favorite part of her day started. As much as she hadn’t enjoyed the stress of her former job, she just adored hearing the gossip, especially when the most exciting thing to happen in the fields were her mistakes. 

As the hour came to a close and they packed up what was left of their lunch to head back to work, Alumi doddled as much as she could, even swimming part way back to the office with them before grudgingly heading towards the fields. Hearing the faint whistle in the distance she put on some speed, but unlike her earlier trips, this time she was forcefully stopped at a cross-street by a strong-armed man. “Hey!” she exclaimed at first, but after following the hand up the strong arm, across the broad, well-muscled chest and up to the statuesque face, her attitude changed abruptly. Her eyelashes fluttering automatically, a light chuckle catching in her throat, she apologized, her tone lighter and lilting, “Oh! I’m sorry, I must have bumped into you – clumsy me!” The strong, handsome face quirked a brow and Alumi internally celebrated – she’s got him amused, she’s got a chance! “You know, I could make up for it by joining you for dinner sometime,” she invited coyly.

“That won’t be necessary,” he replied with a deep, serious tone. 

She pouted at the loss. “Well then, you’ll just have to accept my apology without dinner and let me continue on my way, though, just so you know, I am still accepting offers of lunch, drinks, or tea. Just find me sometime, okay?” She smiled and tried to move around him, but his arm came out and caught her yet again. Scowling, she looked up at him again, “Listen, first time it was almost cute, but this is bordering on harassment.”

“You can’t cross. Royal Party coming through.”

The scowl still on her face, Alumi nevertheless bent her neck to have a look; sure enough the entire street had been emptied as a small group swam leisurely through, laughing and smiling and pretty much enjoying the high life. She sighed enviously as the brightly-colored crew passed her by, watching the Princess’s joyful face as her amber eyes sparkled at some inside-joke before her shell-white hair obscured Alumi’s view. She wished she could be Princess. Or even just part of Princess Meria’s inner group – they never had to get up early or go to work or get yelled at or get fired time after time; they lived the high life, with parties every night and entertainment every day, and they heard the best jokes and the most amazing stories. As they moved out of sight, the muscle-head moved aside and she swam through, pausing in the middle of the street to watch them go. 

In the middle of the afternoon, the vibrations struck. You could almost see the wave rippling before it reached them; as Alumi floated lazily above the field a new bundle in her arms, her eyes doubled in size, watching the mass head towards them. It was the single largest disturbance she had ever witnessed, and she didn’t know what to do. The sirens wailed a warning, the brass tune echoing out from the palace as voices rose in alarm, yelling to go indoors. Beneath her she felt the kale move as other workers dashed through the forest, but she couldn’t move, not yet. It was as beautiful as it was ominous, as magnificent as it was terrifying, and she was frozen, watching as it tore up the sand and crushed rock. Only when her tail was tugged sharply did she look away, dropping the kale and flying away, following on her sister-in-law’s tail as they darted back into the city.

“What is it?!” Alumi cried in fear, already feeling the pressure lessening around them in preparation for the fall. 

“Just keep going!” her sister demanded.

“In here!” someone yelled, and with grabbing, helpful hands the pair of them were pulled inside a shop and pushed towards the back room as the pair by the door pulled other stragglers inside. As they swam into the back room she could hardly breathe, the pressure so low her gills had trouble filtering the rarefied oxygen. Fear rising, she looked to the others – there were twelve in there, some holding hands in a circle, their heads bowed. Her sister-in-law joined the circle, but Alumi couldn’t move. She was so scared – this was serious. The sound reached them then, the cacophony of rocks crushing, coral snapping, the thunderous whir of the wave churning the ocean a constant noise that just grew louder in her ears. She pressed her hands to her ears. Her heart raced as the walls seemed to come in on her, pressing around her even as she slowly suffocated.

A hand on her elbow made her jump, her eyes wild as she turned to her coral-eyed sister-in-law – was she the last family member Alumi would ever see?! She was pulling her closer, but Alumi didn’t want to be there anymore! Listen, listen to what the wave was doing to the hardened stone of the ocean floor! Listen to what it did to coral – it would tear through these buildings effortlessly! They were trapping themselves; they were dooming themselves! They had to swim! Swim up and away, over the wave, away from the wave! She jerked her arm free and flipped on her tail, putting her arms before her to swim faster, pumping her fin through the shop and back out the door, evading the hands of the helpers as she turned upwards, out of the city. She couldn’t stay there – she didn’t want to die! Not yet!

Her heart trembled as she climbed higher and higher, until the city streets were just lines in the floor below her, the castle spires even with her height, but still the wave was taller. She couldn’t breathe anymore, she couldn’t push any farther; desperately she reached for the surface far above her, to the sun-disk far above her, but she knew it was useless.

“Mermaid Tsunami!”

Like a clear echo rising above the noise, the voice of Princess Meria – Sailor Mermaid – rang loud and clear to Alumi’s ears and she turned hopefully, watching as the clear blue energy raced outward to defend them from the wave. Sailor Mermaid, of course, Sailor Mermaid would save them! Their senshi could stop anything, could defend them from any threat; she could take care of this wave, she could save them. Her hands clasped tightly before her chest, Alumi watched tensely as the Mermaid Tsunami raced towards the oncoming threat, but as they touched… the wave increased in size. Again Sailor Mermaid threw out her attack, but Alumi knew what would happen, knew it was useless. There was no hope! She looked up again and forced her tail to move, forced herself upward.

“Do you want to die?” a voice, calm and deep and completely imagined, asked her softly.

“No!” Alumi cried desperately, kicking harder and harder towards the surface. “I don’t want to die! I want to live!” Her whole body ached, weakened, her eyes seeing stars with the exertion and lack of oxygen. “Please,” she whimpered, her fin burning too much to continue, “Please, I want to live.”

“Will you serve me?” the voice asked, her mad mind making a deal as though it could save her from the catastrophe getting ever closer. Looking down she saw it reach the outskirts of town, tearing through the buildings, Sailor Mermaid pressing back as best she could, but her attempts were ineffective. The screams joined the enormous sound of the wave.

So afraid she was shaking, she cried out, “Yes! Yes, I’ll do anything!” and wondered how soon the wave would reach up and claim her, too. Would she have enough energy left to scream?

“Take the crystal,” the voice commanded, “Serve me, and you will never know fear again.” The end of the sentence was punctuated with a grand explosion that nearly deafened her; she closed her eyes tight and covered her ears, but after the worst of it she squinted around her, looking for the crystal the voice spoke of. There it was, blue and glowing eerily, quickly moving towards the surface. With her last reserves she pushed herself towards it, reached out, and took it. The pain that shot up her arms was immeasurable – she almost let go, but she stubbornly refused, holding on for her dear life as a fire burned inside her, a transformation taking her over. Below her the cries had stopped but still the wave moved on, and she didn’t care. She felt powerful, she felt unstoppable, she felt alive, and even as the golden cuffs linked around her wrists and her fin burst in two, giving her two limbs below her waist that moved apart from each other, she felt free. With energy she could now wield with her own will, she followed the silent call and burst upwards, breaking through the surface of the water and up farther still, flying through the air as easily as she swam through the water, climbing ever higher. When finally she burst through the surface of the air and found herself surrounded in a new black medium, she turned and met the golden-clad woman who had saved her. The woman, beautiful and powerful and strong, smiled as Alumi bowed her allegiance, and with a single flick of her wrist Planet Mermaid was destroyed.

“Come, my Aluminum Seiren. There are many other crystals to collect.”

“Yes,” Aluminum Seiren replied, “My Queen.”

Twelfth Writing Contest (WTF SPELLING OF 'TWELVE' INTO TWELFTH? WEIRD-chibi WORD.)
Inverted Roles

MoonLight!

Her heels clicked down the hallway, the echoes of her steps slowly swallowed by the cacophony of the crowd’s cheers as she approached the backstage door. A stagehand saw her coming and pulled the heavy black door open, fully releasing the sound of thousands of fans, their cries buffeting her with their eagerness for the show to finally begin. As she passed through the threshold, Venus winked at the boy and blew him a kiss, keeping up her persona as she marched into the fray. The moment her shoes touched the stage she had a smile on her face, her hands waving once before she turned to blow kisses into the crowd, the fans screaming even more. Behind her, Jupiter’s sticks smacked a tempo and then crashed into the drums, throwing out an upbeat to get the concert started. On cue, Mercury chimed in with a riff on her synthesizer that poured like rushing water over the audience, and Mars flung her guitar around her shoulder and leaned into the music. In a fluid movement Venus pulled a microphone from its stand and started the song.

This was nothing. Just the starter – just to get them interested, to get them pumped. To get them in the door. She danced around the stage, winking at proper moments, pointing over the crowd, her voice ringing and playful as it enveloped them in this nothing-song of having fun, eating sweets, and hiding from authority. Things that she loved, she thought, pushing through to be louder, to be even more energetic. As the instrumental break came, she went to dance beside Mars, smiling playfully and miming the guitar before she returned to center stage to spin into the last lines of the chorus.

When the song ended the audience screamed and shouted, crying for more, calling their names. She smiled, thinking that she could grow to love this, if only they could find her. They just needed to find her! Mercury must have been thinking the same thing, because immediately she transferred to another song, her fingers running hastily along her board to blend the appropriate sounds together, and they were off again. More jumping, more singing, more energy, her voice pulling them in and encouraging them to listen – listen to these songs about nothing, calling back to memories that only one of the potential listeners actually shared with the band. Only one. 

And so they progressed. Three songs, four, five, and finally one that had something to it; finally one that they could use to find her. As a stagehand came out to take Mars’s guitar, and Mercury stepped away from the synth and towards her computer, the crowd twittered excitedly, but when Mars stood beside her the audience went silent, waiting. Venus turned to her, gazing into amethyst eyes to focus, to concentrate and channel her energy. To recall why they were there, and center her thoughts on the Princess they needed to find. The girl they were struggling to live without.

Serenity.

Venus took Mars’s hand and they concentrated, preparing to throw their planet power out over the audience, peppering their words with energy that they hoped would show her that they were there, searching for her. Mercury’s computers scanned for her, Jupiter’s bass drum turned on and ready to receive and analyze the data that they would pour through later. The audience twittered expectantly as they prepared, and Venus was just waiting on Mercury’s signal. It came in the form of a technical piano riff, signaling their upbeat Star Single to start. Mars and Venus let go of each other’s hands and hooked elbows for the start, throwing their voices out over the crowd and sang together:






Mars took the next stanza by herself, her voice deep and strong as she took hold of her microphone in both hands, her eyes closed. Venus, in the meantime, fit her guitar over her shoulder, ready for the solo.






All of their voices jumped back in to sing together.






Her guitar pick powering through several chords, Venus played to Jupiter’s beat as the audience cheered, jumping up and down in their excitement. Was she out there? 






They can find her, and they will find her! Mars joined her in the next instrumental, all of them playing their hearts out – they could reach her! All they had to do is believe, and keep trying!






At the final note the crowd was pumping, jumping and clapping and singing along, screaming at the top of their lungs. Panting heavily, Venus looked over the crowd of cheering fans, always searching, even after all this time, for a pair of blonde buns; but while she did not see their beloved Princess here, Mars had found something. Or, Venus amended, following purple eyes to a girl with red eyes and hair in the audience who was surrounded by shining stars, someone.

Thirteenth Writing Contest
Remember When...

“D’you remember when we got married?” Usagi asked with a dreamy smile, collapsing contentedly onto their bed. With the sound of cufflinks hitting a dresser she pulled a fluffy pink pillow from the top of their mattress and used it to prop herself up comfortably, watching Mamoru’s reflection as he undressed. She smiled, studying the casual concentration of his features as he adroitly worked the tiny buttons on his sleeves, his blue eyes narrowed at the golden adornments before sliding up to meet her gaze in the mirror, and her smile was returned in kind. Of course he remembered, but she wanted more out of him. “Wasn’t it beautiful?” she sighed, rolling onto her back and staring dreamily up at the canopy above her head. 

“It was,” he affectionately replied, unbuttoning his lavender jacket as he turned towards her. “And you were the most beautiful part,” he added truthfully, and then, curiously, “Are you thinking of anything in particular?”

Her grin grew delightedly and she giggled, throwing her hands up above her as though she could reach out and grab the memory right from the air. “Just everything! The flowers, the weather, the church, and everyone, everyone was just so happy!”

He appeared between her outstretched arms, a warm smile on his face as he bent down, supporting himself with arms placed on either side of her, and kissed her forehead. She folded her arms around his neck before he could leave. “Of course they were happy,” he mused, staying within her loose embrace, “They love you, and on that day it was nearly impossible to be anything buthappy with you around.” He leaned down further, resting his forehead against hers. “The staff were even talking about it,” he teased.

She giggled, “Really?”

“’Have you met the bride?’” he mimicked, “’She’s so happy even I can’t stop smiling!’” He kissed her lips lightly as a sign that he wanted to be let up, and she obliged, her hands moving from his neck to lightly caress his arms as he stood straight, moving out of her sight again. Her arms fell to the comforter lazily.

Thinking back on that day, the morning, the preparation, she shyly admitted, “I was really nervous, too.”

“Nervous?” Mamoru repeated with some degree of astonishment, immediately reappearing beside the bed with his tie untied and a mischievous grin on his face, “Usagi Tsukino, Sailor Moon, was nervous about marrying me?” She grinned, and he was back down with her, supporting himself with one fist as his other hand illustrated his speech, “Monsters? No sweat. Aliens? Not a problem. But that Chiba Mamoru, now he’s scary.”

She giggled and reached up to run her fingers around his collar, flipping up the stiffened neck of the shirt so she could easily pull his tie free. Holding the strip of purple fabric in one hand, she worked to unbutton the top two buttons of his shirt as she replied, “Well, what if you had decided at the last minute that you didn’t want to marry me?”

He scoffed with a smile, “Not a chance.”

Pursing her lips playfully she pushed him away and he bounded back up. She propped herself up on her elbows and threw his wadded-up tie at him. “Yeah,” she mumbled, “I bet you were the picture of total confidence.”

“I was scared stiff,” he replied, and she laughed at his straightforward response.

“No way!”

He smiled self-depreciatingly and expounded, “I was. Standing up there before the ceremony began, just waiting, I couldn’t have been more nervous. Every time that back door twitched I expected someone to come in and say that you had changed your mind. When Minako entered before the flower girl, I swear my heart stopped. The way she looked at me, her expression filled with such pity – did she tell you about this?” he paused his narrative in response to Usagi’s surprised laughter.

“No!” she replied, still giggling, “What did she do?”

He put his hands on his hip as he filled her in, “She opened the door really slowly, eyes downcast, and then slowly looked up and caught my eye and I swear it was the most consolatory look I’ve ever seen on anyone.” He paused for her laughter to subside before continuing, “She then crept down the aisle, biting her lip and looking guilty – I couldn’t even breathe as she passed the first pew and took a step towards me. But then she winked and turned to your brother to get your great-grandmother’s pin from him and waltzed back up the aisle like nothing had happened.”

Usagi laughed until her stomach ached, “When she came back she looked so pleased! I didn’t hear what was going on but I saw her and Haruka bump fists and Ami looked like she was lecturing her for something!”

“Well, now you know,” Mamoru commented dryly, which only caused her to laugh more. “I was still nervous,” he added when she had finished, approaching the bed with his deep blue eyes focused solely on her, “right up until you walked through those doors.” He smiled so fondly at her that she found herself blushing, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. “But then my heart stopped for something else entirely. You were so beautiful, so bright and full of light that I could scarcely believe that I was who you choose to marry.”

“Mamo-chan,” she murmured dreamily, sitting up and leaning forward for a kiss. He obliged.

“And now you’re stuck with me for forever,” he added, sneaking words and smiles around kisses.

“Mamo-chan!” she admonished, and threaded her hands through his hair to keep him close, unwilling to let him escape just yet.

He paused for only a moment more, “Happy Anniversary, Usako. I love you.”

Fourteenth Writing Contest
Extended background on a non-main character

no entry.

Fifteenth Writing Contest
Those Forgotten

She laughed and followed her new partners down the crystalline halls, the rainbows bouncing around them of little consequence to her now - she just couldn’t pay attention anymore. She was just too happy! She was a Sailor Senshi! She had transformed and fought a monster! Helped defeat it, too! She got to work with Sailor Moon! And now… now she was in the Princess’s palace, on a personal tour. She might… Princess Serenity might even like her. She might have even made a friend. She held the thought carefully as she followed the red-haired princess, the idea that the friendly, carefree girl ahead of her might someday consider her a friend almost too fragile a hope to really consider. She hadn’t really had any friends; she’d never been good at making them. She always said the wrong thing. She was watching her tongue really carefully now, praying that nothing awkward slipped out and jeopardized her chances.

 
Princess Lovely Serenity sped ahead with the blonde girl – Seika, the Sailor Senshi with the turquoise sailor uniform, first of the team to awaken – and both twirled around in the open hallway. They grabbed hands and spun, throwing their heads back so their long hair flew out beside them, laughing and laughing as they got dizzier and dizzier. She waited on the outside nervously, wondering what she was supposed to be doing or how she could join in without being too weird, when suddenly the girls let go of their hands and the Princess spiraled out of control, stumbling into her even as Seika called out a dizzy warning. 
 
She caught the Princess shakily and Lovely laughed up at her with blue eyes, “Sorry, Yue-chan!” she giggled lightheartedly, dizzily stepping away while keeping hold of Yue’s hands. Yue couldn’t help the smile on her face at the honorific. “But if you spin and look up, you get a complete rainbow effect! An ancient architect designed this part of the palace – my mother said that if you spin fast enough, the lotus crystal design will pop out at you like a 3D movie!” Yue looked up, but she couldn’t see the entire ceiling. “Here!” the Princess offered, “Lean back; I won’t let you fall.”
 
Tentatively, wishing will all her might that she wasn’t heavy enough to knock the princess off balance, Yue leaned back farther and farther, holding Lovely’s hands to keep upright as her short hair fell completely down and she finally saw the crystalline cutout of the lotus crystal from the ceiling, along with the rainbow of colors on various levels all the way up. “Woah,” she breathed, actually forgetting for the moment the two pairs of eyes that watched her. Her mind wandered as she stared up the sheer walls, wondering what was going on beyond the crystal glass. Was there anything there, or was it all a giant pedestal for the Queen’s Palace at the very top of the tower? Who had made it this way? Why was the palace so high up there?
 
“Here!” the princess offered, and Yue had the jolting feeling of being let go. Her legs started to buckle to help her fall easier, her mind wheeling – the princess had just let her go? – when suddenly the support was back, the princess’s hands having switched position to cross her wrists. “Let’s spin!” Yue didn’t get much of a choice! They were suddenly spinning, her legs moving to keep balance as Lovely’s spun them faster and faster in a circle. Above them the cool crystal blended with the colored lights, creating rainbows inside of rainbows in her vision; with the blood flowing to her head and her senses going haywire all Yue could do was join the Princess in laughing until they, too, broke apart. Yue landed hard on her butt as Seika caught Lovely – their positions having swapped completely – and as they finished laughing, Yue caught sight of a strange figure in an alcove far above them. 
 
“What’s that?” she asked, pointing a circling finger in the general direction of the crystalline statue that stood far above them.
 
“That?” Lovely repeated, holding her head. 
 
“It’s a statue,” Seika replied. “It’s supposed to be one of the senshi from the start of the Crystal Millennium.”
 
“Yeah?” Yue replied, curiously; she hadn’t heard much about the ancient senshi. The Crystal Millennium was working well past the 10^th actual millennia – they were considering a name change to the Crystal Eon, or the Eternal Crystal Reign, but the historians were throwing a fit. Apparently the era was called something else a long time ago and once the name changed, the original was lost to the ages. They didn’t like that – Yue didn’t really see the point, though. The present was all that mattered. She was sure that starting Crystal Tokyo must have been exciting for some people – like diplomats or whatever (apparently there was a time when Earth wasn’t unified?) – but enough to get a place of eternity in the castle? “What did she do?”
 
“Uh… we’re not really sure,” Seika replied, a little embarrassed. “The ones up there were senshi of the planets. Mercury, Venus –Neptune, even – but other than nameplates and astronomical symbols, there’s nothing up there about them.”
 
“Neptune?” Yue replied, “But that’s a dead planet – it shouldn’t have a senshi, should it?”
 
“Strictly, no,” Lovely replied, shrugging her shoulders noncommittally. “But who knows what life was like that long ago.”
 
“Huh,” Yue replied, then giggled, “I wonder what they were commended for? Chaos wasn’t even that big back then, was it?”
 
Both girls shrugged, looking up at the solar-system senshi with pony-tailed hair. 
 
“Designing the castle, maybe?” Seika offered. “Or building it?”
 
“Maybe they were the ones that unified the planet under one banner?” Lovely suggested, her tone unsure. “Or maybe they participated in some long-ago system war?”
 
“Well,” Yue commented, looking away from the statue. The past was the past. “We’ll probably never find out. What do you guys want to do next?”

Sixteenth Writing Contest
What if...?


Picking up a ceremonial pin from the dresser, Endymion paused, staring at the emblem thoughtfully.

“Endymion, dear, are you almost ready to go?”

“Nearly there,” he replied, turning to the mirror to pin it expertly in place. He straightened his jacket, hooked the collar together, and brushed a stray hair off of his sleeve. He looked regal; tall and well-dressed and stern, just like his father. Reaching down to the dressing table chair, he pulled one edge of his cape into place, locking it in under a shoulder guard, then reached behind his back and fumbled for a moment before he caught hold of the other edge. His mouth turned to a straight scowl for the inconvenience; before he had his valet in to help him dress, or one of his guards, but with his new wife getting dressed in the same room, those times were over. Until the “honeymoon” phase had ended, at least. Breathing out, he clipped the other end to his shirt and adjusted the heavy material to fit his needs. He knew she would be only too happy to help if asked, but while he tried to pretend otherwise in public, he didn’t much care for her attentions. This didn’t bother him too much – it was his duty to wed her; it was what was good for the Kingdom, and so it was what he need do. In time he would grow to care for her, maybe even love her, but… that time had not yet come to pass.

Her frame passed into his mirror and he immediately busied himself with his ornaments, picking other pins and braids that signified his station.

“Do you need any help?” she asked sincerely, pausing behind him.

“No, but thank you,” he replied, his eyes on the trinkets.

She moved to her perfume cabinet. He finished adorning himself, mentally keeping track of time until the feast began. When he had finished with absolutely everything, he finally picked up his crown and placed it on his brow, the circlet of bronze and gold pressing his black hair around his head. “Are you ready to go?” he asked.

She smiled and reached for his elbow to be escorted down to the commons; he offered it to her, and led her down the long hall, nodding at guardsmen as they passed, then down the two flights of stairs to the Great Hall. Nobles of the Golden Kingdom milled about, drinking and visiting with each other. As a lady came forward to speak to his wife he let her go, nodding at her before disappearing towards the courtyard and the large windows that looked into it. There he paused, his gaze moving through the blooming gardens, the couples walking arm and arm, and lingered instead on the quarter moon just above the castle walls. There he stayed, staring, remembering the beautiful girl with the long silver hair who had unknowingly stolen his heart, and wondering what might have been. What would his life be like now if he had pursued her in earnest? What would have changed if he had stood up against Beryl’s claims of the Moon Kingdom’s treachery, and followed his heart rather than stayed true to his duty as the Crowned Prince of Earth? What if…?

“Endymion!” Nephrite clapped him on the back, startling him out of his musings. “Nice to see you out of your bedchambers,” he teased.

“With as pretty a girl as his wife in there it’s no wonder he doesn’t leave!” Zoisite added, both of them getting a laugh. He just sighed, a permissive half-smile on his face as he let them have their fun, though their claims could not have been more wrong, and they both knew it. “C’mon, it’s time for the feast to start,” Zoisite nodded towards the doorway, where his wife stood waiting for him, her smile warm. He nodded and walked with them, stopping to offer his arm to her before they walked through the door. They paused before fully entering as the herald announced their entrance.

“Presenting their esteemed royal highnesses, Crowned Prince Endymion and Princess Beryl!”

Double Moon Birthday Bash 2013
Double Moon Birthday

“I ate too much cake.” A body fell backwards onto the bed, her hands over her stomach.
 
“You ate too much cake?” another body joined the first, this one smaller, but falling just as hard. She grumbled, her eyes closed and her lips in a sick frown, “I ate too much cake.”
 
The first opened her eyes and side-eyed the second, “I ate more cake than you could ever dream of eating.”
 
The second glared up at the first, tilting her head so their eyes locked. “I am made of cake.”
 
“Then maybe I ate your twin because the amount of cake I ate was the size of your entire body!”
 
“Then, proportionately, I still ate more cake!” the younger declared with a barb in her voice, crossing her arms in victory as the older girl got up on an elbow to glare at her. 
 
“Don’t bring math into this!” she exclaimed fervently, “This is a battle of ---uuuuugh,” she fell backwards, her face turning green as the miserably whined, “I ate too much caaaaake.”
 
The younger whined too, giving up the premise of battle in favor of an upset stomach. “Me, toooooo.”
 
“Why does she make it taste so good?” Usagi whined further, kicking her feet a bit.
 
“Because everything Mako-chan makes tastes good,” Chibi-Usa weakly replied, “I don’t think she can help it.”
 
“But it’s just so cruel!” Usagi wailed, “No one should feel this way on their birthday!”
 
“Why did I eat so much?” Chibi-Usa muttered pitifully, “I never eat that much. I should be laughing at you right now, not whining with you.”
 
“Yeah, you usually are, you little fink – now it’s my turn!” Usagi sat up again, making a face, only to plop back down again with a grimace, “I should be immune by now!”
 
“Maybe it’s an evil plot.” Chibi-Usa whined.
 
Both pair of eyes, blue and red, slowly opened until they were very wide.
 
“The eggs! Or the flour!” Chibi-Usa marveled.
 
“Mako-chan was an unsuspecting accomplice!” Usagi gasped shallowly, unable to get in a deep breath.
 
“It’s definitely the enemy!” they exclaimed together.
 
“And on my birthday!” Usagi’s whine turned into an angry accusation.
 
“It’s my birthday, too!” Chibi-Usa seconded.
 
“LUNA!” Usagi yelled. 
 
“Shh!” Chibi-Usa hushed quickly, putting a hand on confused Usagi, “We don’t want Ikuko-mama involved!” 
 
“Luna!” Usagi tried again in a loud whisper.
 
“Diana!” Chibi-Usa joined. 
 
The girls called their cats repeatedly, but even after a good amount of time had passed, neither of the guardians showed. Chibi-Usa flipped over onto her stomach and crawled across the bed to the window, peering outside suspiciously.
 
“What’s out there?” Usagi asked, grimacing as her future-daughter knelt on one of her pigtails.
 
“Nothing,” Chibi-Usa replied suspiciously. “But that doesn’t mean that nothing is out there.”
 
Usagi’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?” she asked, pulling her hair free before turning over and joining Chibi-Usa at the window. “I don’t see anything!”
 
“Shhh!” Chibi-Usa hushed again, putting a finger to her lips, “Just because we can’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not watching, just waiting for the right time to strike!”
 
“You think they’re invisible?” Usagi asked skeptically.
 
“Or camouflaged!”Chibi-Usa corrected heatedly, “They’re the Dead Moon Circus from the Amazon – camouflage is a big deal there!”
 
Usagi pulled one of Chibi-Usa’s pink pigtails and said, “I think you’ve had too much cake,” and plopped back down on the bed again. 
 
Sighing in defeat, Chibi-Usa turned around and admitted quietly, “I might have just eaten too much cake. It was so good.”
 
“See? You’re more like me than you think!” Usagi replied triumphantly from her back, a proud smirk on her face.
 
“Yeah, yeah,” Chibi-Usa agreed off-handedly, shimmying down until she had enough room to spread out on Usagi’s bed.
 
They were quiet for a moment, each absorbed in her own thoughts of their party, their friends, the cake, and that they were a year older. Usagi broke the silence. “Hey, Chibi-Usa?” she asked, her tone that of a girl at a sleepover party, speaking into the darkness really late at night and finally giving voice to the strangest thoughts imaginable and wanting to discuss them. Chibi-Usa hummed a response, indicating that she was listening. “What are our birthdays like in the 30th century?”
 
“Huge,” the younger girl replied casually, shrugging as she added, “Sometimes they’re accompanied by circuses, but the circuses aren’t evil. There’s always a ball and Sailor Mercury sometimes designs mazes or makes really cool laser shows. And Sailor Jupiter bakes and always makes us little baskets to take up to our room to eat later. I thought mom just got one so I didn’t feel bad, but now I know she probably pigs out just like I do,” the last was a go at Usagi, who laughed weakly.
 
“Hey Chibi-Usa?” she asked after another stretch of silence. Chibi-Usa sighed and hummed again. “Do you come on time?”
 
“What?”
 
Usagi kicked her feet uncomfortably, twiddling her thumbs as she clarified, “Are you an early baby or a late baby or do you come on time?”
 
Chibi-Usa rolled her eyes and shook her head, “Why?”
 
Usagi sighed heavily, “Well what if Mamo-chan and I – “ she was blushing and skipped ahead, “And they said that you were due on, I don’t know, July 10th or June 1st or something? Do you know how nerve-wracking that would be? Nine months wondering if something went wrong and –“
 
Chibi-Usa took Usagi’s hand and looked over at her skeptically, “Listen, I don’t know if I’m early or late or on time, but I’m your kid and you’re stuck with me. My birthday is June 30th, same as yours, so when it’s time just be ready for the absolute best birthday present ever.”
 
Usagi smiled and squeezed Chibi-Usa’s hand.
 
“Hey, Usagi? I am the best birthday present ever, right?”
 
“Hmm, I don’t know… apparently I have a lot of birthdays…”
 
“Usagi!”
 
“I’m kidding. You’re the best.”
 
“…. Good, because I didn’t get you anything this year.”

Special Minako Song-fic Contest 2013

Minako laughed and slapped Keichiro on the back playfully. He lurched forward but caught himself before he fell off the side of the levy, his hands gripping the corner of concrete carefully, turning his head to smile at her in his steady yet mischievous way. While his cheek dimpled cutely, his gaze was anything but frivolous as his blue eyes caught and held hers. Her heart thumped loudly, and it was then that she knew she was in trouble. Her face fell as her mind scrambled to find an excuse to leave, but he was too quick. He straightened so he wasn’t hanging over the edge, and slid his hand to cover hers, his skin warm and welcome in the crisp October air, but the turn that she felt the relationship just take was anything but welcome or easy.

“Minachan – “

She pulled away, smiling brightly to cover her hesitance. “Well, it’s getting late!” she announced, swinging her legs sideways up onto the walkway and standing in a fluid motion. He looked up at her with some disappointment, but cocked a brow, balled a fist and used it to push him up beside her.

“Not it’s not,” he countered, shrugging a shoulder towards the sun in front of them, nowhere near set. She just smiled – a romantic sunset date was no longer in the cards for them, and she had to break it off as quickly as possible. He sighed, stuffing a hand in his pocket, and asked, “Want me to walk you home?”

“That’s okay!” she replied, “I was going to stop by Rei-chan’s temple on the way home, so…”

“Gotcha,” he replied without any animosity, just understanding about how much Minako enjoyed spending time with her friends. “Well,” he hesitated, “Call me later?”

“Maybe,” she teased, sticking out her tongue playfully and winking – it was her usual joke with him, but this time the answer was honest. 

He smiled back at her, quickly sticking out his own tongue in response, then leaned in for their customary good-bye kiss. She turned at the last second, to kiss him on the cheek rather than the lips. ‘Goodbye, Keichiro,’ she thought in that moment, enjoying the bittersweet feeling over the usual feeling of disappointment at the end of a relationship. He pulled away and she smiled. He really was a great guy. Not boring, not too obnoxious, never stuck-up; he would play along with her, disguises and all, and never once had he tried to change her. She really liked him, and earlier… well, that was why she had to end it. He’d find love again, and with someone who could return his feelings fully.

“’Bye, Keichikun!” she teased again, then turned and left, her head high. She wouldn’t look back.


The temple was always nice around sunset, but her park was where she ended up. Sitting in a swing, staring at her lengthening shadow, Minako pushed back and forth slowly, rhythmically, as she worked through her little heartache. She was always a little sad when she had to end a relationship, but this was a bit worse. A bit heavier; that look that Keichiro had given her was one she had gotten enough to know exactly what it meant and where it would end, but that moment when their eyes met, she had almost felt it, too. But he was goofball and there were hundreds of other guys out there, and the longer she let this go on the more hurt they both would be in the end. Yes, he was great, yes they fit well, and yes there was even a hint at a deeper connection possible, a compatibility that made them click together so well, but he had no future with her. He’d expect her full devotion, all of her heart, and it wasn’t hers to give anymore. She loved Usagi – she was the most important person in Minako’s life, gladly and fully and wonderfully – and he would never understand that. How could he? Who would accept being second in the heart of the person they loved? And even if he could accept it, they were nearly fully grown now; how much longer did they have until the crisis that started Crystal Tokyo? It was no use, there was no future together; best cut ties now and heal a little heartache rather than a bigger one.

“Thought I’d find you here,” he said as he took the swing beside her. She took a deep breath, staring forward as Keichiro made himself at home beside her, stretching his legs out, wrapping his elbows around the swing’s chains. “You okay?” he asked, staring forward, too.

Now was as good a time as any. “Listen, Keichiro – “

“Earlier was weird, right?” he interrupted, looking up. “I didn’t want it to be, but I do want to be honest. Minako, I really like you; you’re cool, and funny, and you have the best outlook on life that I’ve ever encountered. Hanging out and dating you these past few weeks has been awesome, but I wish you’d let me in more, because I feel like we could really go places, you know?”

“We can’t go anywhere, Keichiro,” Minako replied quietly. “There’s someone else - more than just someone – that I love, and I can’t give them up for you.”

“I’m not asking you to,” he replied, shrugging, then turned his head slightly to look at her. “And I won’t ask to you. I don’t need you to be mine, I just want to be with you, and get to know you better.”


She smiled, her shoulders bouncing in a silent laugh. Well, why not? It’s not like their identities would be secret forever. “Keichiro, do you remember the Sailor Senshi?”


((Winner! No winning signature))

Mamoru's Birthday Special Writing Contest
Birthday Present

“Will you be able to stay home today?” she asked, watching him in the mirror as he stepped into his closet. She picked up her makeup brush, opening her powder to apply a light coating.

 
“I will – Suko said he would cover that last-minute meeting for me.” He popped out of the closet, his shirt unbuttoned, and asked, “Do you think he’ll be surprised?”
 
Holding the brush in one hand, she stepped closer and lightly kissed her husband’s smiling face and replied, “He’ll be thrilled.”
 
 
Dressed and made-up, she got to work on breakfast in the kitchen, mixing up pancakes and sprinkling in a surprise – chocolate chips. Birthdays came only once a year, and if he were over-energized in the morning, then so be it. It would be worth the excitement of the treat. She made the table for two, setting out glasses of orange juice as the coffee percolated. She was warming the syrup and cutting the fruit into funny shapes when she heard footsteps in the hallway.
 
“Mom?” he called, even as he was heading straight towards her. She turned and chuckled, seeing him look so confused in his blue pajamas, his hair a mess.
 
“Well if it isn’t my handsome birthday boy!” she greeted cheerfully, “Good morning, Mamoru! Are you hungry?”
 
He walked through the kitchen, padding over to his place at the table, and took a seat, “Yeah,” he replied, looking a little confused – perhaps she should have woken him as she usually did. But then his entire face brightened and his little nose twitching. “Are we having pancakes?!” he asked excitedly, and she poured the first batch on the griddle. 
 
They were halfway through their first pancakes – the chocolate chips were a success –  when he took a sip of orange juice and asked her, very politely, “Did Dad have an early meeting this morning?” 
 
She pushed her chair back and stood, belaying the answer as she returned to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee – the cue – and put on a new batch of pancakes. “Well, Mamoru,” she said, careful of her tone. The front door opened and she tried to hide a smile at Mamoru’s surprise as his father strode into the kitchen in his business casual attire and took a knee at their son’s side. She pulled out the extra place setting she had hidden away.
 
“Today I work for you, son,” he said convincingly, leaning in for emphasis, “Whatever you want to do, I will make it happen. What do you want to do first, Mamoru-sama?”
 
Their boy laughed, turning back to her and declaring, “more pancakes!”
 
 
After breakfast she cleaned up as the “men” went upstairs to get dressed and style their hair – Mamoru wanted to look like a proper ‘boss’, today, so he was taking his new employee to make everything perfect. When they came back downstairs she had to smile – Mamoru’s hair was pushed back out of his face and he looked like an exact smaller version of his father, right down to the black slacks and white button-down shirt. “My, how handsome!” she remarked, putting her hand to her chest and glancing quickly at her husband. The taller man surreptitiously reached up, then put his hand on their son’s head and messed up the hairdo. 
 
“Hey!” Mamoru cried, grabbing hold of his father’s wrist with both hands, his expression annoyed as he glared up at him. He let go and Mamoru looked to her as if to say ‘I cannot believe this utter betrayal’.
 
She put her finger to her lips and cocked her head to the side a little and then nodded, “I think you look even more handsome, Mamoru!”
 
Still annoyed, he tried to flatten his hair and turned to his father. “We still have to match!” he declared, and obediently her husband got down on his knees to let their six-year-old mess up his hair. Once he was done they both looked at her and she held back a laugh to nod appreciatively – now they both looked six.
 
 
 
Mamoru had an exciting day of activities planned – first they would go to the children’s science center, where they would play in their new exhibit and watch the IMAX presentation about dinosaurs. They would have lunch there, eating whatever they wanted, but they had to finish with space ice-cream. Next, despite Mamoru’s wish to go to the library for new books (so they could spend the night reading), they drove home and got him changed into shorts and a tee-shirt more befitting of the summer heat. She gave him her present – a new watch, a smaller version of his father’s. He loved it. But next came her husband’s surprise, and they all piled back in the car and headed for the soccer stadium – Mamoru would be attending his first game. When they arrived he looked a little confused, “Where are we?” but when his father pulled out the green jersey and baseball cap blazoned with the team’s logo, there was never a more excited little boy.
 
 
His team won, and Mamoru was ecstatic. And starving. They stopped off at a little restaurant for dinner, where he relived the game play-by-play, even standing at one point and acting out an impressive kick, pausing, and then cheering quietly as he pumped a fist in the air. She had to quiet him down every now and again, when the restaurant managers looked their way, but by dessert, after he blew out the candles on the small cake she brought in from the car, the game seemed to be finally out of his system, leaving him one happy and satisfied little man. They paid and left, planning to head home, but before they got to the car Mamoru turned around on them and said, “C’mon, Dad, Mom, I want to go for a drive now!” 
 
How could they resist? 
 
He was quiet in the car as they drove, heading for Mount Fuji – his favorite road for all of its twists and turns and views of the city. She glanced back occasionally to be sure he was awake, but he always was, just smiling and looking out the window. They made it to the mountain, driving up the curving paths… when suddenly her husband turned to her, his tone quiet despite his terrified eyes. “The brakes and steering aren’t responding.”  Ahead of them the road turned sharply to the left; beyond the road was nothing but a several hundred foot drop.  They were moving too fast. She turned around, throwing her hand back to press Mamoru into his seat. 
 
“MAMORU!”

Valentine's Day Writing Contest 2014
Valentine's Day

Why did I have to look up? Ceres mentally complained, peering around the corner of a changing shack with a definite pout to her lips, her heart, against her better judgment, pounding with excitement as she picked him out of a small crowd of people surrounding a bonfire. He was gorgeous, her heart cried, and she whirled back out of sight, scowling into the darkness of the surrounding beach, and he’s in my way. Her eye catching one of the Crystal Spires of the palace, she focused on it as she grumpily lowered herself to the ground, sitting with her legs together and folded beneath her as she concentrated all of her annoyance on that spire, and, in particular, one of the inhabitants within.
 
“Ceres!” Sailor Venus greeted, surprising her out of her latest failed attempt, “I see you’re still having issues.”
 
A little hurt with the blunt statement, Ceres nonetheless kept her composure and nodded, “Nothing I try is working; at this rate it will never work, let alone be ready in time for the solstice next month.” She sighed, staring at her contraption of crystals and lenses and the stubborn pod across the room that was, as always, refusing to bloom early.
 
“Hmm,” Venus replied with a wistful hum. “That’s just too bad,” her voice was wistful, “I can tell that Small Lady is taking winter a little harder this year; this surprise you had in store would have been just the ticket.” Cere’s heart sunk, “And not just Small Lady, but Neo Queen Serenity, too, has the Winter Blues.” She trailed off, and Ceres heart sunk further – if she could get this apparatus to work, she could have helped out everyone… 
 
Ceres looked up to the blonde, noticing the wishful look in Venus’s blue eyes as she regarded Ceres’s mess, and all Ceres could think about were the countless failed attempts, the hours spent trying to get it working, and couldn’t help but want a shortcut at this point. “I wish it would work, but –“ she was going to say that she had tried everything, but Venus interrupted her, first.
 
“Do you?” she cut in, her voice hinting at something, “Do you wish it more than anything?”
 
Perplexed at the question, Ceres thought for a moment, then answered, “Yes, but I don’t see –“ 
 
“Come with me,” Venus beckoned, and nearly an hour later they were in a small cove on the beach, Venus standing across from her on the other side of a peculiar well made of beautiful stones and shells, roofed by driftwood. “This,” she addressed, putting both hands on the well and leaning on it proudly, “Is the Well of Aphrodite, and it is a wishing well.”
 
Ceres looked at her skeptically, glancing down into the deep well and back up at her, wondering if she was being tricked. “A wishing well? The Well of Aphrodite?”
 
“Yes,” Venus replied happily, standing straight again and with a smile, “It’s an artifact from Magellan Castle, my birthplace. While we Venusians were renowned for our unbelievable understanding of Love and Beauty,” she winked slyly, “we also granted the occasional wish, and people from all over the system would come to us, tell us their desire, and if it were for love or a loved one, we would take them to this well, give them a special coin,” suddenly Venus had produced a coin and placed it in Ceres’s hand, “and tell them to make a wish.” She kept eye contact for the next part, speaking very seriously, “They had to concentrate on their wish, and only on their wish, as they flipped the coin up into the air and watched it as it fell into the well. If they heard a splash, their wish would be granted.” She smiled, moving around to Ceres’s side of the well, “Want to give it a shot?”
 
What was there to lose? So Ceres brought the coin to her chest, thought of Small Lady, and of Neo Queen Serenity, and of her contraption working. How with just a touch of her power, it would magnify her strength and abilities and make all the plants in the castle bloom again on the first day of spring, coming up healthy and smelling of everything good in the world… she opened her eyes, concentrating on her wish, and focused on the coin as she placed it atop her thumb and flipped it into the air. It arched up and her eyes followed, it started to fall and – “Ooh, who is that?” Venus whispered, and Ceres’s eyes darted away from the falling coin to land on a handsome boy running down the beach after a volleyball. She realized her folly too late, and when she turned back to the coin it was only a faint shining point beneath the well’s surface. Her heart racing, she listened and heard a distinct splash. Grabbing the edges of the well, Ceres looked in, then back up at Venus, “Venus!” she exclaimed, “I looked up! You – “ she couldn’t blame it on Venus, that’d be rude, “The boy distracted me – what will happen to my wish?!”
 
“Hmm,” Venus hummed again, walking away from her, towards the beach and the boy that had caught their attention. He was around her age, with tanned skin and blond hair that caught the rays of the setting sun and reflected them back. “This has happened before…” Venus continued, but Ceres couldn’t help but watch him; he had grabbed the ball and now, with a wonderful smile, was running back to his friends. His jeans were torn; she could see his skin… she tore her eyes away, blushing with embarrassment. “Looks like you’ll have to get him to go on a date with you.” She shot up to find Venus smiling a devilish grin, “Aphrodite Wishing Well rules – a boy caught your attention but you heard the splash. He’s in the way of your wish – once you win him over, your first wish will come true!” She smiled and waved, “Good luuuck!”
 

Growling with frustration, Ceres pulled a scrap of paper from her pocket, jotted down her communication number, and thinking well why not?, stood and marched from her hiding place, putting a smile on her face as she focused just on him. He stood quickly as she approached and, with some confusion, took the slip of paper that she offered. “Hey, I just met you,” she started, her smile becoming a little less bold, “And this is crazy…”

Festibration Writing Contest 2013
Christmas


The evergreen trees in the studies and entrance halls were decorated in garland and dressed in candles, wreaths were on the walls, holly graced every mantle, fires blazed in every fireplace, ribbons of red and green gave color to rooms, while musicians began carols and hymns that filled the castle with comfort. Endymion stood at the top of the stairs and took it all in, breathing deeply the smell of evergreen and fresh baked goods, enjoying the warmth of the season. Yuletide was here.

He descended the stairs, adjusting the clasps of his cape, knowing exactly how ridiculous it looked even as he knew how important traditions were. When he reached the bottom of the stairs Cassie, one of their maidservants, approached him with a small tray of china, a fond smile on her face as she looked up at him. “Prince Endymion, how handsome you look!” she fawned in much the same way as a mother would. He smiled halfheartedly in an attempt to placate her as she swapped the tray to balance on one hand so she could twitch the heavy red cape material into place and pat down the fluffy white trim. “The children will love you!” He smiled again, nodding slightly, causing the golden circlet to fall farther down to fit snugly across his brow. She stood back, smiling up at him, and then jumped a bit. “Oh! Would you like some hot chocolate?” she asked, pouring the sweet-smelling drink from the metal teapot and into a small teacup. He accepted, taking the teacup from her, and she excused herself to continue with preparations for the evening’s festivities.

Sipping carefully from the hot drink, he walked over to the window and smiled; the moon would be full tonight.



The tour began on the backs of grey horses, their saddles and bridles decked in tiny silver bells and bunches of holly. He led the procession through the crowded parade grounds, Kunzite, Zoisite, Nephrite and Jadeite following behind, each of them decked out as Yuletide Judges, wearing attire nearly as outrageous and opulent as his. The people cheered as they passed, little children hugging their mother’s legs or their father’s necks as their parents reminded them of the importance of the “Yuletide Judges”. Every year they were watched over by the benevolent Kris Kringle, who would deem them as either naughty or nice, but on the eve of Yule the Yuletide Judges would tour the city, making the last calls on the children who lived there. They would hand out treats and talk with the children, deciding once and for all if they would be visited by their dear friend Kris. If they had been naughty, this was their last chance to prove themselves good.

The duty of being a Yuletide Judge was a near-lifetime affair; when a judge retired he trained a younger lad to be Kris Kringle’s eyes and ears in the city, and that lad would continue the tradition for years on end, to keep the myth and spirit alive through continuity. Prince Endymion had turned Yuletide Judge when he was thirteen, taking over for one of his father’s knights just a few short years after learning the truth about Kris Kringle. One by one his friends were turned to Judges as well; Jadeite had been the latest and last to become one – he went through his ‘training’ last year through Sir Denevine, and now the group of five Judges for Elysion were complete, and they would keep the tradition for most of the rest of their lives.

He enjoyed the tradition, the emotions the children experience when he meets them, the trepidation, nervousness, and anxiety, only to watch the fears disappear when he decides that their nice levels outweigh their naughty and pardon them for the year, he also liked watching his friends’ styles, though he thought some were a little more annoying than others. Kunzite treated it as a true trial, making the kid unbelievably nervous before making his decision. Zoisite actually pulled the kids aside, one by one, and with a small scroll had them repeat everything naughty they had done and subtly hint that they had forgotten a thing or two. Inevitably the kid would start panicking, but he would pardon them; he said that he really wanted the kids to regret their mean streaks, and, typically, the next year the kids he had visited behaved a lot better than the year before. Nephrite was more jovial about the whole thing – he would stare them down, make them turn in circles, ask them a few strange questions, and typically pardon them, though he always acted suspicious and would involve other kids in one kid’s judgment, asking questions like “Has he been a good boy this year?” “Hmm… what do you think, does he deserve a gift from Kris?” or “I don’t know… should I pardon him?”. Jadeite was a little more aloof with the whole business, and would sometimes get flustered with the more outgoing kids, but he’d get used to it. 

It was a long day, but slowly they made their way through the city, splitting up to interview the children of different homes, or sticking together to face a large group of them (sometimes they were followed). Zoisite’s scrolls, rather than being filled with the naughty deeds of children, were a census of the children of the town, and as they saw each of them he would strike their name from the list. If the child wasn’t at home they would typically find them with a group of their friends, awaiting the Judge’s arrival nervously; but if they couldn’t find the child at all, he or she usually turned up at the Yuletide ball, their parents in tow, eager to find a Judge and earn his approval before it was too late.

When they arrived for the start of the Yule Ball they were tired but feeling fulfilled; none had given a poor judgment, though the rumors of such a terrible event still roamed the city; grabbing a quick meal in the kitchens they saw the last of the presents being wrapped, preparing for their midnight deliveries, and knew that no child would be disappointed come morning. None ever were.

Double Moon Birthday Bash 2012
Double Moon Birthday

Queen Lady Serenity smiled and nodded her head, her voice’s echo ringing against the crystalline walls for a moment before it was swept away in exuberant applause. The ballroom was filled with guests dressed in their finest gowns and tuxedos, and the color pink laced around the room elegantly: it peeked out from elaborate fabrics of those gathered, the rose on every man’s breast and tucked into every lady’s hairstyle, and the handkerchiefs tucked into blouses and sleeves; it colored the tabletops, sloshed in silver cups, frosted the cupcakes and stained the berries. She adored the effect, especially in the reflections on the ceiling and in the floor - it was as though they were dancing in a cotton-candy dream.

It had been a long night, and an excellent party. Her cheeks ached from smiling, her feet pulsed from dancing through so many songs, and, with the applause from her farewell speech still thundering and echoing back on itself through the ballroom, it was time to go. Smoothly she turned and walked across the dais through a large door, Pallas, Ceres, Juno and Vesta following behind her. The girls spoke cheerfully about the night as they walked from the ballroom to the elevator and rose the many stories up to the royal apartments, laughing at jokes and reactions, Queen Lady Serenity laughing just as loud as they, snickering every time she glanced over at Juno and saw her in the frilly pink dress Ceres had chosen for her to wear that night, which, of course, made Juno fume.

They said goodnight when they reached the floor of the Royal apartments, the guardian senshi to their quarters, the Queen of the Solar System and Crystal Millennium breaking off to visit the apartment of her young daughter, Princess Little Lovely Serenity. She crept through the night-lit room to her tiny crib and peered over at the darling baby sleeping soundly within. Her silvery lavender locks, already half as long as she was just after a year of life, spread out around her, her tiny fists tangled in the silky length. She smiled and bent into the crib, kissing her softly on the cheek; the baby fidgeted, her little mouth moving noisily for a second before falling back into a deep slumber. It had been a long and exciting day for the little princess, as first birthdays often were; she had presents and plays, and spent the entire day with both mother and her father for as long as she could stay awake, and those light green eyes tired quickly under such stimulation.

“Happy birthday, Little Lovely,” she whispered for the second time that day as the Queen turned and exited the nursery, closing the door softly behind her. When she turned around she jumped and squeaked in a childish manner, surprised to find a figure suddenly before her.

Helios chuckled. “I’m sorry to have startled you, my Queen,” he greeted slyly, wrapping his arms around her waist loosely, pulling her in close.

“Oh, my King, you lie so well,” she teased, kissing him lightly on the lips, her forearms resting on his shoulders with her hands clasped together behind his neck. “You missed the end of a wonderful party.”

“A regretful occurrence,” he sighed, looking away from her as though in melancholy.

She giggled and kissed him again, “Watch out, or your nose might start growing like the poor puppet in Little Love’s storybook!” Helios had never been one for large celebrations, and so, as usual, found some ‘pressing business’ in Elysion to attend to just a half hour into the celebrations, taking the Princess up to bed before moving to the realm deep within Earth. She didn’t mind, knowing his aversion to large crowds.

“Are you coming to bed?” he asked, resting his forehead on hers.

She smiled, “In a little bit, I wanted to wish my mother a Happy Birthday, first.”

He nodded and let her go, opening the wide doors to their room and disappearing into the elegant interior. She turned and continued down the hall, opening a door at the end of the hall and entering, the story and excitement still on her face. “Mother! Oh mother it was such a great day!” she gushed, sitting on a couch beside the pillow, “You should have seen Little Love! She was nothing but smiles and giggles, reaching and eager to touch everything! Oooh,” she groaned, “but she’s always putting things in her mouth. You wouldn’t believe the things she tries to put in there. Sure, food of any shape and size within reach, but also stuffed toys and ceramic unicorns and buttons and handkerchiefs – sometimes it’s all that we can do to keep her from choking on something! Oh, one day I’m just so afraid that someone’s not watching her and something terrible will happen.” She paused, “but then, with everyone watching over her, I’m sure she’ll be alright.

“There was a festival in every great city, of course, with schools and businesses shut down to celebrate, but we got celebratory messages from all over wishing for our wellbeing and long lives! I loved everything sent our way, but I think, even against the peacocks and other strange gifts, my favorite presents were the crayon drawings and pictures of the girls from around the world trying their own senshi poses. It’s so sweet, Mother, you should see some of them! Each say that they wish they were a senshi so that they could protect us; I’m trying to write a personal reply to each and every one of them, telling them how much the sentiment means to me, but saying hat the best thing they can do is to live happily, and to be true to their hearts…

“Oh, but the party! It was so excellent, Mother! The cake was so delicious and simply everyone wore pink, even Juno! There was so much dancing and singing and I really think everyone had a great time! I just…” she paused, staring into the folded hands in her lap, her voice growing quiet, “I just wish you could have been there.”

“I miss you,” the admission squeaked through her throat, tears forming in the corners of her eyes, her voice breaking with the desperate emotion, “And it’s selfish and it’s childish, but I just miss you so much!” she sobbed once, audibly, staring through watery eyes at the silver crystal on its pillowed pedestal. “I wish you could be here with me again. I wish you could come to parties and receive letters and laugh with me again, I wish you could see Love grow up! Mother,” she cried, her hand pressing her chest at her heart, attempting to ease the pain she felt, still as fresh now as the day her mother had moved on. “I miss you!”

She cried then, hard tears and sobs that drained her, thinking back on all their fights, all the trouble she caused her while they grew up, all the problems her mother had helped her through, her constant support and encouragement, easing her nerves and bolstering her spirits… they used to talk, so much and for such a long time, playing and teasing each other even when she grew to adulthood, and now… now her mother was gone.

When her tears had run dry and her throat was raw, she finally stood, feeling lighter and more at peace with herself. The silver crystal gleamed with a friendly light, sparkling in the spotlight above it and reflecting a rainbow of hues across the room, shining even on its golden match on the pedestal next to it. She smiled then as she noticed a strong pink hue in the center of the prismic beam, and whispered, “Happy birthday, Mother.”

When she left the room she found Helios waiting for her, and, hand in hand, they went to bed.


((Winner! No winning signature))

Writing Guild March Contest
Neptune and Springtime
Sometimes she liked to spoil herself.
 
A faint smile tugged at her lips as the spot of light before her grew, pushing back the ever-present darkness. She could feel her pupils dilating for the first time in what felt like months, her eyes starting to squint as the deep blue light enveloped her, brighter and brighter as she flew closer and closer to her planet. Still blinking in the light she caught sight of her goal and flipped elegantly, her wings disappearing as she coasted toes-first towards her castle, her arms outstretched behind her, delighting in the feeling of light. Her toes touched down and she paused, accustoming to the artificial gravity, and alighted on the balcony to drink in the sight around her, taking the image into herself, savoring every color of the beautiful dark blue planet that swirled gustily before her. She stepped forward, taking the thin metal railing in hand to steady herself as she let the calm wash over her like a deep and powerful wave. She was home.
 
 Eventually she managed to tear herself away, leaving her perch for the peaceful structure that was Triton Castle, her footsteps echoing grandly in the wide and impressive space, her eyes darting to familiar water features, following tall bronze pillars to metal-worked ceilings to see the small pipes meld themselves into fixtures of light and works of art. Her steps proceeded her down the main hallway, through the open chambers towards the very heart of the castle, Neptune’s glow following her through the wide windows and open platforms surrounding Castle Triton, and soon she had entered her chambers. Here the last bit of stress fell away, her eyes finding the comfortable pillows, her instruments, her soft and inviting bed… she headed there first, turning to selfishly fall flat into its plush embrace, sighing deeply into the soft down comforter, enjoying the touch of the silky covering.
 
She did not let herself sleep just yet. While she sometimes like to spoil herself, she had a duty, a guiding task she could not, would not, ignore. Thinking of her mission she rolled over to face the canopy of her impressively large bed and, holding her hands before her, called her Mirror to her, and got back to work. She scanned her section of the outer system, her intuition guiding her from quadrant to quadrant, peering into questionable intruding comets, examining the occasional darker darkness, but it seemed quiet. She smiled – what a wonderful present. She turned away from the mirror, was about to send it away, when that selfishness deep inside made her pause, her eyes lingering on her reflection. Should she…? Her heart yearned for it – even while she was sitting in her own personal luxury, reclined on the softest bed, surrounded by brilliant bronze works, bathed in the light of beautiful Neptune, she still craved that sight. She should resist it, reserve it for her weakest moments, the moments when she is alone and afraid, fighting monsters from beyond the system, when she can’t imagine how she will overcome – that is when the mirror sends her that image, not when she is lounging selfishly in her bedroom. … but then, it was her birthday…
 
She called it forth, her heart singing with the sight of them: Queen Serenity, Princess Serenity, laughing and smiling together in a backdrop of the Lunar Gardens. Her whole world seemed to fall into place, fitting perfectly as soon as she saw their faces, their bright and welcoming glows, their beings the only reason she ever needed to stay vigilant and fight off whatever evil made its way into their system, no matter what the personal cost. She would fight, and she would continue fighting, just for them. Princess Serenity laughed, and Queen Serenity chuckled in response, and then turned her silver gaze towards…  Neptune’s mirror. As though she could see through the mirror’s image, she seemed to be looking right at her, Sailor Neptune, and the soft smile she offered nearly made her jump off her bed and go right back to work. She didn’t need to rest, she didn’t need to lounge about today – she had a Kingdom to protect!
 
But as she did so, as the mirror faded and she stood, she nearly fell back on her bed again as she found herself no longer alone in her room.  “Sailor Uranus!” she identified in surprise, wondering both what the other senshi was doing here and what could possibly be going on in her area while she was away.
 
“Princess Neptune!” a small voice cried as her guardian flew into the room, navigating around the tall and elegant Sailor Uranus to hover beside her. “It’s wonderful to see you home! Sailor Uranus requested entrance; I hope you don’t mind I granted her request?”
 
“Not at all,” she replied, though the site of one of her partners in protection worried her, as did the presence of her Space Sword; if it started reacting to her Submarine Mirror, if the Garnet Orb were close… would they awaken her? She kept her composure as she nodded a greeting, “Princess Uranus, it is wonderful to see you.”
 
“Princess Neptune,” Uranus replied, a coy smile replacing the usual serious scowl on her lips. Neptune’s heart fluttered at that smile, and, as always was the case around Uranus, she pushed the curious feeling away. “I came to wish you a happy birthday.”
 
“You’ve traveled quite a long way to do so,” Neptune acknowledged in a grateful, yet reserved manner – when was the last time she had spoken with anyone, face-to-face? And here they were, in her bedroom of all places – 
 
“I brought you a gift,” Uranus continued, closing the distance between them, holding out her hand and summoning a small flowering plant in a golden pot of soil, “They’re Blue Irises,” she paused, Neptune’s eyes on hers, and answered the unspoken question, “from the Moon Gardens.” Neptune took the pot carefully, her palms singing with the pure energy that seemed to emanate from the flowers, her mind naturally traveling back to her earlier vision of the Moon, but as her eyes traveled up the petals and across to the soft smile of Uranus, she felt the flowers might serve as a dual connection to the people in her life. “It’s springtime there;” Uranus went on to explain, “they’ve just bloomed.”

GC Official Writing Contest: May
Fairy Tale

“Once upon a time—“

An explosion rocked the air, booming solidly in the distance. She held her daughter closer to her chest, covering the girl’s ears and rocking her back and forth, almost yelling over her fearful cries in an attempt to quiet her. “Once upon a time there was a beautiful queen who lived on the moon!” she projected, her voice barely carrying to the walls of their hiding place despite the volume. Her heart beat faster as she glimpsed the red glow of fire through the single soot-covered window; she stroked her daughter’s hair, her story flowing faster from her mouth as the distraction she had started for her daughter slowly became her own source of calm and strength. “She was beautiful, and she was strong, and she was fair, but she was lonely, as lonely as the moon amongst the stars. ‘Oh, I wish,’ the queen would say, ‘Oh, how I wish I had a daughter to share my life with! I would read with her, and laugh with her, and dance with her, and love her more than all the stars in the sky!’”
 
The cold floor beneath them shook as dust and rock fell from the concrete ceiling; she glanced up fearfully – would the shelter collapse?! – but she continued with her story, her daughter’s cries lessening. Feeling her eyes, she stared down at the tiny child in her lap and hugged her tighter, kissing her forehead tenderly yet fiercely, silently promising herself that they would not give up. “She wished this wish for years and years, praying on every star in the night sky. The moon moved around the earth and the earth around the sun, but still the queen did not have a daughter, and she was very sad, and very lonely.”
 
Her daughter’s breathing quieted, listening intently; the war beyond the windows momentarily forgotten. “But then one night, as she slept, she was visited by a tiny dream fairy. ‘I’ve heard your wish for a daughter,” the dream fairy said, ‘Is it true?’ ‘Oh, yes!’ the queen replied, ‘More than anything, I wish I had a daughter to share my life with!’ ‘If I gave you a daughter, would you love her?’ the dream fairy asked, and the queen promised, ‘More than all the stars in the sky.’ ‘Then from your heart I will give you a daughter for you to love and to be loved by you!’ and when the queen woke, she knew she would soon have the daughter she had always wanted, whom she loved with all her heart before she had even met her – “
 
The door burst open and she recoiled, clutching her daughter to her and turning away, fearing the worst. Instead a familiar voice called urgently to her, “Your Majesty, we must go!” Soft hands urged her up. She gently guided her child from her lap, the toddler’s tiny hand keeping hold of hers as her bright blue eyes followed her movements; once standing, she reached down for her little girl and carried her, keeping her close. Her little arms wrapped themselves around her neck and her little face nestled in the hollow of her throat as they followed her Sailor Senshi out of the bunker and into the violent night, moving quickly and silently through the maze of Crystal Tokyo.
 
---
The wagon trundled on, rocking back and forth on the dirt track as the horse carried them forward. She sat with her legs curled beneath her, her daughter perched before her; their years of exile had changed their attire drastically, but one thing would never change. “And when her daughter was finally born, the queen loved her even more,” she spoke, separating her little girl’s bright red hair into two sections, continuing to tell her favorite story as she brushed the tangled mess and pulled each side into high pigtails. “And they would read together and laugh together and dance together, and surely she loved her more than she loved the stars in the sky!” With a few deft twists and a handful of pins, the buns were complete. “But the night was dark, and sometimes dangerous, and so to keep her daughter safe the queen plucked four of the brightest stars from the night sky and asked for their protection. They became the Sailor Senshi, and loved her daughter nearly as much as she did. They would protect her.”

Finished, her girl turned around and watched her with those bright blue eyes; she reached forward and brushed the bright red hair from her face, making minute adjustments to her daughter’s odangos, and smiled softly. The wagon slowed to a stop, and her senshi poked her head through the canvas covering, telling them it was time to go.

---
 She smiled, pulling her teenage daughter to her feet and keeping her hands as she guided her into the open clearing, her smile nearly coaxing a similar expression from her sullen girl. “And so the six of them lived together in peace and prosperity, and they would read together, and laugh together – “ she pulled her daughter into a spin, their hands keeping them connected as their feet turned in tight circles, their long hair flying out behind them as they leaned back into the spin; in short accord, she had her daughter laughing as she spun and stared up at the trees above their heads and the waxing gibbous moon far above those. “—and dance together, and surely the queen loved her daughter more than the stars in the sky!”

---
“But not everything can last forever,” she repeated quietly to herself, watching as her young woman strode forward to address the fearful crowd. She wore her power on her sleeve, her Sailor Senshi uniform drawing eyes and demanding respect. Her awakening answered a question that had persisted for centuries; the reemergence of the Silver Crystal both proving their right to rule and condemning them once again to a life of hardship.




Note:
So I really like this super-far-future blurb where this descendant of Usagi/Serenity sees the Crystal as a burden more than a tool; I love how at first she is frightened for herself and her daughter as their regime is overthrown and they have to escape Crystal Tokyo -- I'm seeing an uprising with pretenses that she isn't the 'real' queen, else she'd have the Silver Crystal (which apparently disappeared hundreds of years ago) so their "utopian" society toppled and she and her small court barely escaped with their lives -- only to find she is much happier living a simple life, traveling around her kingdom under cover. I'm thinking she's way out of Japan by now; she'd be too easily spottable/recognizable if she stayed local. So they're living as travelers, going from place to place; she's raising her daughter with stories from the past, from the Moon Kingdom as well as Crystal Tokyo, teaching her to be good and fair, just for the sake of goodness and fairness. She never expects to regain the throne - she is content.

But her daughter? Who has been raised on these stories, who can summon the faint crystal mark of her birthright when she is angry or upset? She is starving to get her kingdom back, to see her mother reclaim her throne, because to her, her mother is the perfect ruler and the Rightful Queen. And when she awakens as Sailor Moon (or Sailor Earth, or Sailor Whatever-the-Crystal-wants-to-be-called-now *coughCosmos?cough*) it is her first and only thought - to reclaim their throne and oust the rebellion and bring Earth back to what it had been in her mother's stories. She would find or awaken new Sailor Senshi (her mother only had one) to help her, and she would become the new Champion of Love and Justice, just like her ancestor had been. She is so starved for this, she wants it so badly - her life, as she perceives it, had been so terrible, so unfair, and now she has a chance to make it right!

But her mother knows the truth of it. Her daughter was chosen by the Silver Crystal to serve as Earth's guardian. Wars are coming, battles and hardships and fate, which is never so kind. The moment her daughter transformed was probably the worst in the woman's life, worse, even, than when they were huddled together in that shelter as bombs went off around them. The Silver Crystal is supposed to be hope, but she sees it only as impending doom, and the object that shattered her wonderful dream of a life with just her and her daughter. "And they would read together and laugh together and dance together, and surely she loved her more than she loved the stars in the sky!"
And once again, just like in her story, the Silver Crystal would ruin her life. She knows the stories, she knows what happens to Princess Serenity, for love and for the power of the Silver Crystal, and while they were happy, and she was so fulfilled and so damn content, "Nothing can last forever."


Gah. Just. Yes. Thank you husband for playing a war game in the background when I sat down to write my entry.

GC Official Writing Contest: August
Other Reincarnations of Endymion and Serenity


Did not get entry in on time ^^'   Late, non-entered entry:

---

She’d always wanted to see the ocean. Something about it – ever since she was little and heard stories about the sea, she had wanted to see it firsthand; to look at a horizon that never ended, to see the sunset’s full reflection, to hear the sounds and play in the foam with her toes in the sand. Pictures were gorgeous, tales were treasured, but still her curiosity would not abate.  She even dreamed of the sea… her dreams as real and as vivid of a memory. To see the ocean in person was her very first goal. And now, with the help of her friends, it was finally becoming a reality.
 
“Well,” Wilhelmina teased, her arm crossing the carriage door to block the exit, “We should be able to see the ocean right about now.” Bunny sat straight up, her daydream ending abruptly as her heart started to pound with excitement. “What do you think, Rachel? Should we let Bunny see?”
 
“Yes! Yes, you should!” Bunny voiced immediately, raising her hand like they were still in primary school.
 
“I don’t know…” Rachel trailed, elegant fingers curling to cover her mouth as she made a show of considering the option.
 
Bunny reached for the window covers on her side of the carriage and drew them aside, only to see wide open fields with no sign of the coast. She whipped her attention back to the others in the carriage and grabbed Rachel’s free hand. “Pleeeeease?”
 
“I just don’t know…” Rachel repeated, a smile creeping into her expression.
 
Bunny turned her blue eyes onto the girl sitting across from her, her heart in her expression as she begged, “Annie! Make them let me see!”
 
Annie, her gaze leaving her book for the first time in hours, turned to the others and made a small attempt with an exasperated sigh, “Mina, draw back the curtains –“
 
But it had already taken too long, and Bunny, with an apologetic smile to Marceline, had climbed over her seat partner and wedged herself between the taller girl and the window, her fingers fighting Mina’s strength as she attempted to pull the curtain away from the window; with a laugh, Wilhelmina released her hold and sunlight flew into carriage, the afternoon glow amplified in the reflection off of the water’s surface.
 
It was like nothing she had ever seen before. Paintings did it no justice, stories paled in comparison. Bunny was finally there – the ocean.
 
They stopped at a beach and all took off their shoes and picked up their dresses to play in the sand and seafoam, spending the afternoon talking and teasing and taking in the beautiful scenery; they enjoyed each other’s company, and the picnic lunch Marceline had carefully made for them. Annie read poetry aloud as they ate, and she and Mina teamed up to tease Rachel into snapping at them, then dove in for consolatory hugs. Bunny adored every moment of it, of splashing in the shallow water, drawing pictures in the sand with their toes, of stretching back in the scrub grass and enjoying the salty air, and still she wanted to see more. As her friends calmed down and took to relaxing on the shore, she walked off alone, following her feet, her mind on her dreams, wondering if they could stay until nightfall, for in her dreams it was always nighttime. Closing her eyes she could picture it easily, and with the sounds of the real ocean and the smell of the sea aiding her, it was only too easy to fall back into that familiar scene:
 
Then, as now, she walked barefoot in the sand, though in her dreams it was much cooler, the water almost warm to her toes. The wind blew softly, teasing her dress, pulling at her hair, sending the salty sea air to dance around her. There was no heat from the sun on her skin, just the cool light of the moon, the calming sound of the waves upon the shore, and the reassuring warmth beside her…
 
She slowed, trying to push the dream further, willing it to move past the stubborn ending point. Who was there? And why did she always wake up so content despite the sharp pain in her chest?
 
They were walking slowly… she reached for his hand…
 
His hand… she was certain it was a boy, and yet he was so much more…
 
An interruption of the soft, repeating sound of the crashing waves grew too loud and uneven for her to ignore any longer, and Bunny opened her eyes, blinking in the light, and screamed. She ran forward and fell to her knees in the wet sand, her hands uneasy, hovering above the stranger’s head, not knowing what to do as he coughed and sputtered, his arms shaking and wavering beneath his weight. “ANNIE!” she cried, her voice shrieking – if anyone knew what to do it was Annie, “ANNIE!!”
 
He fell forward, his face hitting the sand hard, and, her heart fluttering in a panic in her chest, she took him by his shoulder and pulled as hard as she could to flip him over onto his back. She fell back as her strength finally overcame his weight, and she recovered as quickly as she could, her legs struggling in the fabric of her dress. She knelt over him, still unsure of what to do, of where to place her hands; behind her she heard her friends coming, calling her name; in the distance she heard other answering shouts – help would arrive soon; he’d get help. He…
 
He looked familiar, somehow… his black hair, his strong jaw, straight nose, even his height and build… His wheezing softened and his hand raised, shaking, to take hers. It was wet, his skin cold and clammy, and yet the touch filled her with warmth and a spark of the familiar. Looking to his face, their eyes met, and she fell into their deep blue depths, a rush of warmth flooding the sharp familiar pain in her chest.
 
Who was he?
 
Arms wrapped themselves around her middle and pulled her up and away, Marceline quickly removing her from the scene; Rachel took her hand as Marcy went back to help Annie, who was kneeling where Bunny had knelt moments ago, her hands on his wrist, her soft yet forceful voice asking him questions as Mina motioned to the men who were running down the beach towards them.
 
“Bunny, what happened?” Rachel asked quietly, but the man had tilted his head so his eyes could find her, and she could not look away.

GC Official Writing Contest: November
Holidays


No entry.

Writing Guild Writing Contest: December
Theme: Holidays


Snow fell thick and heavy, obstructing his windowed view. He sat on the edge of his seat, numb to the rolling chair beneath him and the table before him. The balls of his feet supported his nervous bouncing legs, his folded knuckles pressed against his lips as his vision swam blindly, his gaze directed towards the window that was quickly filling with snow. He had stopped actively thinking hours ago, his mind wandering and yet tethered to the present, never able to go far, always waiting for a sign.
 
Behind him the clock struck midnight and he jerked violently, his raw nerves springing into action without delay, his right hand grabbing for his beeper. In his haste he fumbled and the small black case bounced away; it took two hands and a solid forward push to catch it before it fell off the desk. He turned it around quickly, flipping it over to read the message right-side-up… only to find there was no message. He pressed a few commands, just to be sure, and as the hope that had surged within him slowly faded he read only that the date had changed.
 
December 25^th.
 
Left elbow planted firmly on the desk, he rested his forehead on his palm, staring down at the little device devoid of any meaningful message. His body relaxed, slumping as he stared at the date, taking in its meaning as his emotions made his heart feel leaden. It was Christmas day. If it were any other year, he would have probably gotten a phone call by now as Usako made her rounds. “Mamo-chan, why are you still awake?” she would accuse, and then sigh remorsefully, “At this rate nobody is going to be visited by Santa.” Normally he would smile at the memory – there were times he couldn’t tell if she were teasing to be playful or bothersome and that was one of them – but not tonight.
 
His eyes returned to the window, the piling snow without lit only by the Moon, the power having gone out hours earlier. His eyes strayed to the decorations in the window, the small colored lights they hung together framing the sill, the small cards decorating the table, their old holiday photo with Chibi-Usa dressed as a small Santa Claus. Beside that there was the little tree dressed for the holidays, the hand-made ornaments hanging on its boughs, the small pile of presents sitting beneath it. He found Usako’s personalized ornaments right away; they were small and unique and well-crafted – despite Usako’s clumsiness in other areas, she had great ability in shaping cute cookies and clay ornaments. He first found the little pink partridge in a pear tree, the metallic gold-colored paint illuminated by the moonlight reflecting off the settling snow. Then the pair of turtledoves, shaped together into one form, tiny pink hearts for eyes; the three French hens with blue, green, and dark red eyes – she had them all wearing French maid bonnets and carrying feather dusters. He could not find the fourth calling bird in the dim light, but the details in the one he could see nearly made his mouth twitch up into a smile – they were all birds, but each had something on them that recalled one of her friends, and each held a tiny phone to its ear. That was as far as her ornament song went. This year was their fifth Christmas together, and one of the little well-wrapped boxes beneath the green boughs contained her take on five golden rings. Were they golden, or did she color them blue, red, yellow, green and pink? Were they rings, or hearts, or stars? How had she personalized them this year?
 
He stood, pushing back from his desk hastily, and strode to the door, slipping into his shoes easily and locking the door behind him as he headed upstairs rather than down. He would search again; he would scour the city until he found her. His transformation over in seconds, he jumped easily to the next rooftop, and the next, throwing his heart open for any hint of her, pushing forward through the thick falling snow.
 
….
 
“TUXEDO MASK, WATCH OUT!”
 
No sooner had his foot touched ice in the park then he was jumping back up again, Mars’s warning sending him skyward. He landed on top of a gazebo and looked around, rather than focusing solely on Usako, the absolute relief he had discovered in finding her fading away quickly as he took in her surroundings. They were there, all five of them, skating for their lives around the new ice-skating arena that had only recently been the natural park. He had had difficulties in breaking through the near-invisible barrier surrounding the place, his Golden-Crystal topped cane helping immensely to let him through. The barrier explained why he could not sense her before, but it did little to explain the scene around him.
 
The senshi were dressed for battle, but their uniforms differed from their usual forms: while still retaining the general feel of an ice-skater’s dress, they were now more military in nature, looking almost like soldier uniforms with skirts and bladed boots. Each carried a thin rapier, which they used to battle the human-sized anthromorphic rats that skated against them; as he watched Jupiter aimed a well-timed kick at a rat, turning into a spin neatly before changing direction to skate over to Mercury. Faint music played a background to the odd battle, and in the distance stood a grey-haired man with an amused smile on his face as he watched on.
 
Usako’s attire was different – the outer coat red, a large hat atop her head… The Nutcracker Suite. Mamoru jumped down immediately – if this were the nutcracker suite, then Usako was Nutcracker, and by the end of this rat battle she would be seriously injured by the Rat King. He would run interference for as long as he could, and distract the Rat King long enough to give them a heads up. As his shoes touched down blades immediately formed between his soles and the ice, and he turned his landing into a push and skated easily across the distance, a fight long ago coming to mind as he approached Usako, his cane in his hand like a sword.
 
But as he glided, pressing forward to gain momentum, he felt his attire, too, was changing in the magic of the air. He pushed faster, keeping his mind off the possibility that he might turn into the Rat King. As he closed in he could see the tears in her uniform, the thin lines of sword cuts in her skin, and while he was proud she was holding her own, the fact that the rats seemed to suffer worse damage did nothing for the anger he felt. His cane disappeared in his hands, to be replaced with…
 
A slipper?!
 
He glanced down at himself and blushed – he had not turned into the Rat King, but he had not turned into one of the Nutcracker’s soldiers, either. He had turned into Clara. Or a male approximation of Clara, at any rate, dressed in nothing but a full length white unitard with a blue vest and frilly necktie sewn on for decoration.
 
Too late to change trajectory, he held on to his blue slipper, reared his fist back and punched his intended rat in the face, knocking it to the ground. Usako cheered, a laugh trailing behind her tone, and Mamoru blushed brighter and fought harder, keeping an eye out for the Rat King as he punched and round-house kicked the enemies in his way. Any time he came close to Minako he heard a sly comment or remark – “Lookin’ good there, Tuxedo Mask~” – which at least told him they were still in good spirits. In fact, any time he saw Jupiter she was grinning determindly, whether she was racing across the ice or neatly slicing a rat.
 
Knowing his part to play, as soon as the Rat King came forward, Usako in his sights, Mamoru took aim with his slipper, treating it like a rose, and threw it as hard as he could towards the creature’s head. As it struck the rat’s head came clean off, and it fell neatly to the ice. Usako danced backwards as the other rats stopped their battle to gather around their King, raise him high, and skate back towards the old man as quickly as they could.
 
Mercury clapped behind him, and was soon joined by the others. “Way to go, Clara!” Venus cheered, emphasizing the last a little too heavily for his liking. He stood straight, refusing to look at them, waiting for his attire to be restored. Usako slammed into him, spinning them both around as she cheered, her words moving a mile a minute as she told him what happened, but before she finished she paused, listening as Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy snuck up on them, making them all very sleepy…
 
…
 
Mamoru awoke slowly, his mind fuzzy but well rested as he sat up, his elbows pressing hard against the floor. His head hit the lower boughs of his tiny tree, shaking the structure and causing all of the decorative bells to ring and shake.
 
“What time is it?” a familiar groggy voice asked beside him. As in the end of the ballet, Clara awakens beneath the tree with her nutcracker. Mamoru smiled, relieved to see her safe.
 
And then froze, as visions of Kenji-papa flashed in his head.

GC Official Writing Contest: September 
Theme: Letting Go


The world cracked and crumbled around her, a booming thunder in the stifling silence. Desperately she searched the sky, putting all of her attention on finding them again; her mistake had cost her, and now her failing heart beat ever faster. She was too weak to move, to reach out, to cry out her pain, but she could still search. She pressed back her panic and honed her focus by humming to herself, her voice nothing but an airy squeak at first, but growing with every hasty swallow – they were gone. She couldn’t find them. She pressed harder, forcing the slow tango melody through her nose until she could hear it in her ears, a hollow mockery of the dances they had hosted, the true memory haunting her relentlessly. She put more and more energy into it, forcing the song into her head, to work past the frantic worries of her heart as her eyes danced from star to star, looking for their particular shine. She forced back regrets, shielded herself against thoughts of their ruined future, built defenses out of her faulty reasoning, refusing to examine it – but she couldn’t find her. Her humming turned into a whine as a sob seized her chest; she swallowed it back and forced the song to continue. She was stronger than this. She knew the magic would work the way she wanted, she believed in it. It wouldn’t fail her now, not on something this important. The whine returned, her doubt breaking through defenses to control her; her bruised chest shook with sobs that she could not hold back. She had lost her.

She fought to breathe around her spasming lungs, her hands weakly gripping the rubble beneath her for support, tears further ruining her attempt at finding them again. Were they too far? Had they already been taken? Had she missed it? She blinked as quickly as she could, fighting the urge to give in and sleep. She had to find her; she had to make sure she was okay. 

But she couldn’t even do that, could she? She could only give them a chance; she could not guarantee fate would smile upon it. She couldn’t assure her daughter’s happiness. She couldn’t ensure finding love, or marrying, or having children; she couldn’t even guarantee their safety when they arrived in their new lives, let alone happiness or fulfillment. She could barely breathe from panic accompanying the realization – what had she sent them to?!

A surge of power and energy welled up behind her, and she knew the end was coming. She took a ragged breath, and suddenly found them, just beyond the full moon, the sparkling trail of star-seeds shining in their wake. A calming wave washed over her; her daughter, her guardians, the citizens of Earth… she could not guarantee their futures, but she could give them a chance. She could not foresee what the destruction of the inner planets would bring, or if their guardians would survive the ordeal, but she could give them a chance to survive on their new home, on an Earth-like planet in a younger star system. 

Their glow was lost in the sun’s reflection as the expansion closed in. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly with a prayer as planet Earth was destroyed, crumbled and absorbed along with the Moon into the Sun as it became a Red Giant and consumed the inner solar system.

Writing Guild Writing Contest: November
Theme: Reincarnation
“Why?! Why do you think this time will be any different?!” Luna choked on her words, her grief intense as they both stared at the blonde in odangos sitting and laughing in the park, surrounded by friends. They had found the Moon Princess once again, and again fate had already reunited her with one of her guardians.
 
“We have to believe,” Artemis’s voice was low and compelling, his green eyes focusing on reborn Venus; they would awaken her first – maybe if they didn’t awaken the Princess it would be different this time. Maybe if they kept her in the dark they could find the Silver Crystal first, could keep her identity a secret, and she could survive to face the evil that already stirs to combat them.
 
“It’s pointless!” Luna cried, turning her head aside as tears fell to the dirt beneath their paws.
 
Artemis watched her silently, wishing he knew better how to comfort her; she had always been closer to the girls. While both their places had been at Queen Serenity’s side, he served in official capacities as direct advisor, ambassador, and, occasionally, valet, while Luna’s place had been beside the Princess and her guardians, preparing the next generation for their turn. This chain of events – of finding them, attempting to prepare them, and inevitably losing them was taking its toll on her. If he could spare her this pain… But he needed her, and she him. It was cruel to expect her to face this fate time and time again, but she knew things about these girls’ souls that he did not. She knew how they thought, how they would react, how to gently persuade them; his understanding only scratched the surface. While they found them together, introduced themselves together, returned their memories together, it was she who watched after them as he researched the enemies steps and movements, and when the day came that the girls were overcome, she alone knew all the differences between this reincarnation and the last, and mourned the girls rather than the chance. He had noticed these past few times that she had been pulling back from them, afraid to love them as she had on the Moon; she was losing hope that they would overcome the enemy and live fulfill their destiny. Maybe she was beginning to believe that this was their destiny – that Queen Serenity’s final wish had been overruled by Beryl’s curse, and the girls were doomed to find each other and die, over and over, the Moon Kingdom left to weather and crumble with age, never again to know life. But he couldn’t believe that – he wouldn’t believe that. Queen Serenity’s willpower was stronger than Beryl’s, her cause greater, her death nobler – in the end she had to win the day. In the end, her daughter would ascend the throne of the Moon, and set this wrong to right. Their kingdom would be rebuilt and Metallia would be a thing of the past; his Queen would be honored as the heroine she had always been, and remembered. He refused to accept that the only people to remember her were the two of them, when she deserved so much more. Hardening against Luna’s distress, he turned his gaze back to the girls on the bench – the others were leaving; now was their chance. “It’s only pointless if we have given up before it has begun,” he stated with finality, and broke through the cover of the bush to approach the two blondes.
 
“Oh look!” the princess cried happily, her white-gloved hands grabbing Venus’s frill-covered elbow excitedly, “It’s a white cat! Look at his little crescent mark! How charming! Come here, kitty!” her smile filled him with familiar warmth – the smile was her mother’s. He continued toward her, but turned his gaze to Venus, who watched her companion fondly.
 
“Look there, Bunny! A little black kitty’s coming over to see you, too,” Venus commented, her lighter blue eyes focusing behind him.
 
This time would be different. They’d adopt a different strategy, and this time they would survive.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
 
“Mars?” Artemis asked as Luna approached, her light gait resounding in his ears.
 
“She accepts, but does not like the idea of disincluding Serenity,” Luna replied, her tone disapproving, but not of Mars. “None of them do – I don’t. It’s just odd, Artemis! Like we’re all keeping a secret from her. She deserves her memories! She deserves to be part of this!”
 
Artemis’s mood fouled. “We’ve talked about this, Luna. This time needs to be different – if the Princess does not know who she is, she could survive longer. Especially with everyone else watching over her. Remember last time? She went to face an enemy alone, to spare her guardians - it could have just been that incarnation, that culture of pride that had been nurtured into her from those birth parents, but that cost us! The battle was lost ere it began and the guardians fell soon after. We can’t have that happening again!”
 
“Then let us train her!” Luna barked back.
 
They both froze, staring at each other; neither could believe what she had just said. A beat passed. Artemis needed to figure this out – either to convince himself that it could be done, or convince Luna that it could not. “Train her with what? She does not have the powers of a senshi and we have not found the Silver Crystal yet!” but… maybe…
 
Luna stared at him, her blue eyes vibrant, “There are other ways to fight!”
 
Artemis scoffed, “Like what? Martial arts? Could you train her to be proficient with a sword within the next few weeks, Luna? Could you train her with a bow and arrow before the enemy engages?” his sarcasm was hurtful, but he had to convince her to follow this plan – there was no other way. Unless… no. Not in this lifetime. He sighed deeply, “The last guardian has been found – the enemy will not hesitate as it has been doing!” his statement ended in him snapping, “Keep the Guardians on alert, keep Serenity in the dark; she may live longer.”
 
Luna stayed silent, seeming to bite her tongue. Without another word, she turned and ran off.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
 
Luna stopped directly reporting to him after that, in protest and hurt, no doubt. Every time someone came up on him his heart swelled with hope that it was her, that he could apologize, and then sunk as he placed the footsteps as human rather than feline. She had been sending Venus, who, apparently, was the only guardian not to hate him for his decision. On the contrary, she almost supported it. She agreed with him that, based on their retellings of their previous incarnations, keeping Serenity out of the fight was the way to go unless they somehow met her when she was younger to start her training then. Without the powers of a senshi, putting her anywhere near danger would risk not only her life but the lives of her guardians, who would undoubtedly be distracted by her involvement.
 
They spoke quietly whenever they met; she would report on their training, on their morale; when Luna and Artemis had awakened them, they had regained all memories of their time on the moon, and while it made them feel complete, Venus reported that memories of their own demise depressed them, made them worry ever-more for Serenity, made them mourn their old lives, and question their new. It cast a shadow over their dealings, and having been told of their previous incarnations and how they had failed to protect her over again, there was a touch of hopelessness among them. Artemis listened closely; the more they met, the more he got to know and respect Venus; while she reported that the others were weighed down by the knowledge of their past, she seemed to be strengthened by it. Their conversations turned to his duties, and the difficulties of monitoring and researching without connection to the Moon’s supercomputer.
 
As battles became more frequent, their conversations became more candid. In Venus he found an ally who understood him and their goals, who could distance herself from the immediacy of their situation to see the big picture. She saw that, without the Silver Crystal, ultimately they would lose, but the other side would not win, either. It was a stalemate – time after time, when they had died in their previous lives, the Dark Kingdom faded when they could not find the Silver Crystal they needed to resurrect Metallia.
 
Then it happened; the Princess died, killed in the crossfire, and in the aftermath the senshi followed her into death. Artemis could only watch as the cycle restarted, but already ideas for the next opportunity simmered in his mind, based in conversations between himself and the leader of the guardian senshi. He and Luna traveled the world, her grief palpable; she didn’t have to say it – he knew she did not agree with his choice to leave Serenity in the dark. Next time, though, it might not have to be that way.
 
All he needed was for humans to develop computer technology; then he could move forward with this plan that he and Venus had cooked up together. This time, Serenity wouldn’t be left in the dark… Luna would. With the Mauan mind connection, he could erase her memories of the past, even make the Silver Millennium foggy. He could use a computer to interface with the Moon’s supercomputers and fabricate a transformation device for the Princess that would give her senshi-like powers, accessing remnants of the Silver Crystal energy that must run in her blood. Luna would train her and the other senshi without knowledge of their past, so their morale would not start out so low, and the Princess would be trained to defend herself so as to be an asset rather than a distraction. And Venus would serve as her decoy, as she suggested. She alone would receive all of her memories from the Silver Millennium; she would work with him in foiling Dark Kingdom plots, giving the others time to mature and grow into powers they, without their memories, would be discovering ‘for the first time.’
 

Maybe this time…