OAV 01 - Remember When

Neo-Queen Serenity awoke in the arms of her husband, Endymion. In sleepy contentment, she snuggled closer to her love. Showing he was awake as well, Endymion's arms tighten slightly and a quiet sigh escaped from him. A gentle smile formed on the queen's lips as she felt his kiss press against the golden-yellow crescent moon on her forehead.

A knock resounded from the white crystal doors of their bedroom. Serenity sat up, pulling the silk covers to her chest blinked the sleep from her eyes. "Enter," she called in a melodic, regal voice.

The doors slowly opened, just enough to admit a small black cat. Quickly it pranced closer to the bed. As it gazed up at the couple, light glinted off the crescent bald spot located on it's head from a nearby window. "Queen," the cat purred.

"Luna, good-morning," the queen said cheerily.

"Good-morning, Luna," Endymion greeted as well.

The cat smiled as she watched the king sit up and take the queen's hand. She leaped in the air and landed near Serenity. Allowing herself to be petted, Luna soaked in the attention for a moment before she spoke. "Queen, the kingdom awaits."

With a nod of her head, Serenity threw her legs over the side of the bed and rose to her feet. She ran her slender fingers through the long blond locks of hair which hung loose from its usual style. Beautiful waves framed her face and gave her hair body. The graceful, dainty steps she took walking to the dresser, expressed her womanly qualities, much unlike her younger years. Though she was much older she retained the youthful features of when she was twenty-two. The Silver Crystal was the cause of their eternal youth as it had been for the people of the moon during the rule of the Silver Millennium.

The small cat hopped off the bed and quietly crept out of the room to allow the couple time to prepare for the day. She made her way down the crystal corridors until she came to another large set of doors. A tall woman in a green and pink Sailor Suit stood guarding the entrance. She had medium length hair, darkly colored and tied high in a ponytail. She was serious in face and beautiful in body. Luna called out to the woman as she approached, "Jupiter, good morning!"

The soldier's serious face vanished as she heard the voice call her name. She whirled around and looked down with a huge welcoming smile on her lips. "Luna, a very good morning to you! Ah... I'm afraid the princess hasn't woken yet."

"That's okay, this always happens on important days. I'll wake her up," she said shaking her head, "After trying to wake the queen so often in the past it's only fitting that the situation repeats with her daughter."

Jupiter giggled at the cat. She swung open the door as quietly as possible and Luna crept in disappeared into the darkness of the room.

The black cat tiptoed to the window and moved the curtains back allowing the morning light to pour into the room. Her ears twitched at the sound of stirring in the bed. Above the cat's eye level, a young woman, who looked no more than late teens, began to move. Luna called for her to awaken but the girl covered her head with a pillow intent on blocking out the day. The cat shook her head before snatching the pillow away, revealing long pink locks of hair. "Princess, you can't sleep the day away. Especially not today."

"I know, Luna. Just let me sleep three more minutes, okay?"

"Small Lady, not today. This day is a very important one. Your mother and father expect you to be ready for this evening."

"It won't take a whole day to prepare. I'll be okay for another minute or two. Don't worry," she insisted groggily.

Luna sighed as she gave up and left the girl to sleep a little longer. The princess listened with her eyes still shut as the door shut then she sighed in frustration. Although no longer tired she continued to lay in bed. "It's the principal of the matter," she thought to herself."

Restless, the princess finally rose from the comfort of her frilly pink sheets and moved to her dressing room. She stood before a large array of gowns and picked out a pale pink dress. She hesitated, wondering if something less casual would be more appropriate for a princess. She glanced at the lady-like gowns still hanging in the closet, then threw the dress on anyway, deciding it was acceptable since she was still young.

After she was finished, she moved to the mirror on her wooden dresser. Painted white, the only other color on the dresser was the gold rim around the mirror itself. The gold provided quite a contrast to everything else in her silvery white and pink room. Still, she had begged her parents until they gave in and let her have it made that way.

Her eyes moved to the bow carved on the top, while her fingers lovingly touch the object so like the dream mirrors hidden inside beautiful dreamers. She smiled as she thought of the one who had her heart, but when she looked at her reflection a sadness entered her eyes. "I'm no longer 'chibi', I'm a real lady like I've always dreamed. I wonder if he knows."

She opened the dresser drawer to find a picture she drew done long ago, when she was about nine. She had been visiting the 20th century and decided to take an art class. The children were asked to draw realistically. As it happened, she felt that a pegasus should be included in the picture so she painted in. After all this time, she kept it in her bedroom and thought always of him. With a resolute nod, she left the dressing area.

Finally, emerging from her room, she greeted her guard, Jupiter. Afterwards, the soldier left Small Lady to look about her daily duties. Small Lady made her way to the dining hall for breakfast with her parents.

As she entered the room Small Lady's attention was drawn to the vividly bright paintings of scenery, all of which were done by her, the talented princess, hanging on the walls. Looking at the paintings brought to her mind the only two that were her favorites. One was a recent portrait of her parents and herself that hung in the main throne room. Another was done a few years back, painted in pastels of a pegasus and a lonely maiden.

Remembering she was not alone, the princess bowed to the king and queen then sat in her usual chair. When her food was placed before her, she only poked at it with her fork, nibbling little bits here and there. A sigh slipped from her causing both Serenity and Endymion to look up from their breakfast. "Small Lady," the queen asked softly, "what's wrong?"

"Hm?" Suddenly snapping back into reality, the princess answered, "I'm fine, I'm fine."

As testimony that everything was all right, she began to eat her meal silently. She peeked up from her food in time to see her parents look to each other with concern, but neither spoke a word.

The four sailor soldiers, Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Mercury, were making their way through the palace to join the royal family for breakfast when the Small Lady rushed past them. They gaped after thinking it was peculiar that the princess was rushing out before the meal was finished, but Venus smiled. "She must be over-excited."

The others agreed and continued on their way. Smiles replaced any confusion felt as they thought of the night to come. It would be a fantastic evening with much to do.

Outside, the lady slowed to a swift walk. A gray cat sped up and ran alongside her feet. The bell tied to the its neck jingled with each step. "Diana, are you sure you want to come with me today?" she questioned in a hushed voice.

Although the cat only nodded Small Lady knew Diana was agreeing from the increased sound of her bell. The can leapt high in the air, landing on the princess' shoulder. After that, not a word passed between the two until they were a safe distance from the Crystal Palace.

Roughly an hour later, voices were echoing throughout the halls of crystal. The four sailor soldiers were searched high and low for Small Lady but could find her nowhere. Mars crossed her arms angrily. "How silly of her running off today to all days."

"We don't have time to complain now," Mercury stated.

Venus agreed, "Yes, we have to find her before tonight's ceremony."

With that, the four women continued their search in hopes, by some small miracle, of finding their princess. Preparations for the party were still needing attention and the main attraction was missing.

A dark skinned soldier knelt before the queen, long green hair trailing behind her. She held a key staff in her left hand as if it were a part of her. She spoke in a melancholy voice, "Small Lady has run off."

"What?" Serenity gasped.

For what seemed like endless moments to even the keeper of time, the queen was silent, pondering. Finally she spoke in her usual melodic tone, "Proceed with the preparations for tonight."

"My Queen-" Pluto protested.

"Proceed," Serenity cut in sharply. "Tell the soldiers to stop their search and prepare for tonight."

The soldier rose to her feet. "Yes."

Before she could leave, the queen caught her eye and gave a reassuring smile. "Pluto, my little Serenity will come back. Don't worry. Today is a big day her her, she needs time to think."

Pluto's lips hinted at a smile before she bowed and dismissed herself respectfully from the Queen's quarters. She new the princess was very much like her mother and if the Queen thought so then it would turn out all right.

Small Lady sat on a high hill that over looked the Crystal City of Tokyo. The morning sun glittered off the buildings and most of all, the palace. Petting the gray cat at her side, she listened to its soft purring and was lulled into thoughts of another time she arrived at this very place.

"It was just after me and Sailor Moon, mama, has battled the Death Phantom, wasn't it?"

"That dark being, the Wise man, had made me believe I was loved by no one, changing me into the cold-hearted Black Lady. At the time, I was so vulnerable, but with Usagi and Mamo-chan's help enabled me to overcome the evil influence. Together, Sailor Moon and I used both the Silver Crystal of the past and future to defeat the enemy. When I got home, I ran along this hill. There was so much joy in my heart and when I reached the top, mama and papa were there with everyone else."

She sighed, "Everyone was so surprised when I bowed respectfully to them. But looking at mama's face, I couldn't contain myself anymore. I ran into her mama's open arms. In that sweet voice she welcomed me home. What a happy day that was!"

Her eyes moved from the crystal city and towards the cloud filled sky. If she looked long enough she could make out various shapes in the clouds. One was the shape of a rabbit, another looked like flowers and for a moment one even resembled the head of a girl with odango. A tiny giggle escaped her as she realized it reminded her of her mother's hair style. "Do you remember, Diana," she whispered, "the stories papa would tell us of the Sailor Moon of legend?"

Sighing, she asked louder, "Do you think I could ever live up to that?" She stopped when she realized the cat had fallen asleep.

Small Lady lay down on the cool grass, but continued to look at the sky. She watched as the clouds became thicker, turning a pale shade of gray. "Nothing to worry about yet," she decided, "but I should go back soon."

Her eyes narrowed as she tried to make out another shape. She fancied she saw the form of a horse. "A pegasus...?"

At that same moment, Sailor Pluto once again kneeled before the queen. Pluto announced that the soldiers were no where to be found in the palace. With a somber nod of her head, the queen told her to continue their search off grounds and dismissed her.

When she left, the queen sighed nervously. She still knew no more than before about the location of her daughter, and time had drifted long into the afternoon. The skies has become threateningly dark, unusually so for rain. Desperately wanting some advice, Serenity rose to her feet and started through the castle in search of her husband.

As the clouds darken, Small Lady realized she needed to find shelter. Waking the gray cat, she picked her up and began to run. "I wonder if he'll come tonight," she questioned in her mind.

She closed her eyes and thought back to when she fought as the soldier in training, Sailor Chibimoon. The scene in her imagination moved to when a beautiful winged horse with a golden horn had appeared to her, giving her new powers. She remembered the feelings that had so quickly developed between them and the first kiss ever given to her. It was on the night he revealed himself to her as Helios, the priest of Elysion.

Small Lady's cheeks burned as she giggled to herself. Suddenly, a shrill call cut through her daydream. She opened her eyes only moments too late. The crash was terrible. When she was able to focus her vision again she noted the large tree in front of her. "When did that appear?"

"Small Lady, that tree has been there for some time. You should learn to watch where you are going," the cat scolded as she climbed onto a low branch. The cat had obviously picked up some of her mother's traits, scolding being one of them.

A small embarrassed laugh escaped from the girl as she stood to her feet once more. Feeling gentle plops of rain on her head, Small Lady looked up. Three spheres of light started descending from the dark sky. Memorized, she hardly noticed the sound of her name being called in the distance. Closer and closer, the voices became louder. Finally the princess heard them and tore her eyes away from the approaching lights. She recognized the voices as her mother's four soldiers, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus. She clutched the broach on her dress. "Right on time," she thought.

When she turned back to the strange apparitions she found herself face to face with the lights. "Funny, they seem less bright up close."

Each orb of light was colored brightly, one was orange, the second blue and the last was a brownish-purple. Still feeling threaten, she prepared to transform but she stopped when a familiar voice spoke, "Princess, we three greet you."

"Tigers-eye! Wha- what are you doing here?"

"Your presence is requested," Fish-eye responded.

"Will you come with us?" Hawks-eye asked hurriedly.

Taking a moment, she looked over her shoulder at the four soldiers calling to her, then nodded her agreement. She stepped forward and held out her hand. Just as she and the three spheres faded Sailor Jupiter cried, "Small Laaaaady!

The soldiers watched as Small Lady disappeared from sight then Mars yelled angrily, "How irresponsible of her to run off now."

Just then, a familiar soldier came towards them. She was tall and mysterious looking even though they knew her very well. She never seemed to lose her dark feel to her. Pluto called out to them to return.

In the presence of both the king and queen the sailor soldiers began to tell what had happened over the past few hours. Sailor Venus spoke, "Your highnesses, we found Small Lady, but before we could reach her she disappeared with three glowing spheres."

"We have no idea where she disappeared to but I heard her call one of the spheres Tigers-eye," Jupiter stated.

"Tigers-eye?" the queen said surprised.

"Could it have been a trap?" The fiery Mars inquired.

Serenity looked at Endymion, and realization over what was going on hit her. The Amazon Trio had come back and taken the princess to Elysion. A knock sounded on the huge doors and four women entered the room.

The first to be seen was Pluto who led the others into the room. The next was tall, with serious eyes serious and short hair the color of sand. She wore a dark blue and yellow sailor suit. A jeweled sword was held up by a belt around her waist. Close behind her, the second woman came into view emitted elegance and femininity. Her hair flowed like the sea and her eyes sparkled with light. The last was the shortest of them, with black hair, a long glaive in her hand, and eyes that held a knowledge beyond her age. Of the four, her aura held the most darkness.

"Pluto, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn. Why have you come here?" The queen questioned.

"We felt something had gone wrong, Queen," Uranus answered in her deep voice.

"We wish to help," Neptune added.

"That is not at all necessary for the problem is under control. We already have someone in mind who can retrieve Small Lady from Elysion," Endymion stated, causing all eight soldiers and the queen to look around in surprise.

"Serenity, I think they are ready to protect the princess. She needs her protectors, her soldiers to help her now." Endymion said.

With a slender hand, she reached into the skirts of her gown and pulled forth four small orbs. They were emitting a soft glow. "I thought we were going to wait until tonight to awaken these four, but I guess it won't hurt."

She rose to her feet and stepped forward with her arm extended and her palm open. The orbs began to float above her hand and finally the glow grew bright. Four women formed and the orbs disappeared. A moment was taken as everyone in the room stared. The four soldiers named for the asteroids were standing right in front of them.

Sailor Ceres spoke, "Neo-Queen Serenity, greetings," they bowed low, "we have been awoken and are ready to serve the court of the moon people. We stand before you now, the Sailor Quartetto!"

The small dark senshi stepped forward and Neo-Queen Serenity smiled. Saturn bowed, then spoke to the royalty before her. "King, Queen, allow me to join them in this search. I wish to see Small Lady, Chibi Usa once again."

The girl had grown since she had last fought beside Sailor Moon. She was more of a woman, her body less child-like than it had been. "All right, Sailor Saturn shall accompany you four girls on your trip. Be cautious on your journey."

"Thank you," Saturn replied.

Endymion and Serenity folded their hand seemingly prayer-like and concentrated. Two small crystals appeared, one in front of each. The girls gathered in a small circle and clasped onto one another's hands. Various colors of light filled the room as each soldiers aura shone brightly. The outer soldiers watched in awe as they had seldom seen from such an angle. Then they heard Ceres call out, "Sailor Teleport!" The five soldiers disappeared leaving the others in the room with only hope.

End.