"Please find me, Endymion."
"What do you mean find you and how do you know my name?"
Standing in a large thicket of mist, Chiba Mamoru stared the shadowed figure in front of him as the melodic figure cried out to him. Even if he couldn't see the person talking to him, the figure sent waves of familiarity and nostalgia through his veins.
"Please find me, Endymion. Where the Legendary Silver Crystal is, that is where I am. Where I am, lays the Legendary Silver Crystal."
"What do you mean by that? Who are you and why do I have to find you?" Mamoru's voice grew more and more desperate.
"Please find me before it is too late. Please, Endymion."
Opening his tired eyes from another restless sleep, the black-haired sixteen year old brushed his hair back as he slowly rose from his lying position. Feeling that his back was damp from a thick layer of sweat, the boy removed his shirt and slipped into a blue top as the door to his bedroom opened, revealing a light-brown haired male.
"Did you have that dream again, brother? Hasn't it been happening for a while now?"
"Y-Yeah, Daisuke. I'm not sure what it's supposed to mean, but by the way she sounds, it looks like we have to find the Legendary Silver Crystal, for that is where she is."
Moving his heavy gaze towards the window, Mamoru let out a long sigh as the mysterious woman's voice rang through his ears, beckoning him to find the powerful Crystal and her.
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"Awaken. You need to find Endymion before it is too late."
"Huh? What do you mean? Please, explain it to me!"
Clad in a white dress with her hair flowing out behind her, a long lilac-haired woman reached her arms out to a woman in a tight-fitting, white dress with light mint-green hair, the resemblances in their faces uncanny.
"Please, Awaken--"
"Yumiko, you should be getting ready for school! You don't want to be late, do you?"
Jolting up in her bed, the said fourteen-year old scratched the back of her neck as the sound of someone slamming their body into the bedroom door didn't seem to faze her. For the past few nights, the teenager had been receiving odd dreams in where a woman in fine clothing would whisper the words 'awaken' into her ears, triggering a pounding pain in her chest.
"Sister? We have to hurry up or we'll be late for school!"
Turning her body towards the bedside alarm clock, the female's deep-blue eyes widened as they calculated the time that she had been sleeping and how much time there was until school was to start.
"Usagi, how did we oversleep? And when did you wake up?"
Jumping out of their shared bed, Yumiko ran around the room as a blonde girl in a blue-white-and-red sailor themed school uniform and her hair in an odango slowly got up from the floor while rubbing her head.
"You were up trying to finish something late last night and I didn't want to bother you, I guess that I overslept this morning and forgot to wake you up . ."
Stumbling out of the bathroom as she zipped up her skirt, the lilac haired girl let out a breath as she ran to the opposite side of the room while tying her red ribbon around her collar.
"Hi, my name is Tsukino Yumiko. I am fourteen years and old and the eldest twin in my family out of three siblings, coming before my sister Usagi. Being the older sibling can be tough while trying to be a good example to my brother and sister while juggling academics and fun moments. When trying to impress my parents, I find myself falling into the cracks of being Usagi's twin at times, but we always have each others back, no matter the situation."
Tying her hair into an odango like her sister, the eldest sister fell onto her stomach as she tripped over her own foot while slipping her feet ankle-high socks.
"Yumiko, let's go!"
"Coming!"
Flailing her school bag behind her, the eldest twin rushed into the kitchen before plopping herself down on a chair where a plate of toast, cheese and ham were served for her.
"How did you two wake up late again? Especially you, Yumiko. You should be more careful with time, since it's you who wakes Usagi up."
Shooting her younger brother- Shingo, a dirty look, the eldest stuffed her mouth before reaching over the table and stuffing her lunch bag into her school back, all happening before she ran to the door, where the blonde was waiting.
"We're leaving!" Running out of the house and front lawn, the Tsukino twins ran down the block with food in their mouths.
"Don't you find this weird? It's usually me who wakes you up, but now the roles are reversed and you are waking me up."
"Isn't it because of those dreams that you have been having? Maybe they are what are keeping you awake at night."
Answering from the front as the girls held each others hand, the blonde led her sister into the school courtyard as the starting bell rang. Rushing into the building of Juuban Municipal Middle School, up the stairs and down the hallway, the sisters loudly sighed as they slide open their classroom door.
"Oh my, Oh my. Looks like we have two girls who are late today."
Freezing the high-pitched voice, the two females heads creaked as they slowly faced their teacher, Ms. Haruna, who was standing at the front with a pair of late-slips in her hands.
"The Tsukino sisters are late once again. What should I do about it this time?"
Turning around and facing their friends with sly smirks, redhead Osaka Naru, light-brown haired Chiba Daisuke, and brown haired Gurio Umino covered their mouths with their hands as they watched the girls get scolded by their blonde teacher.
"Goodness, if it weren't for those dreams, Usagi and I would have been here earlier and not have to clean the tables after lessons."
Seating herself at her desk next to the window, the fourteen year old let out a sigh as she took out her notes for class. Placing her chin in her right palm that was being supported by her elbow, Yumiko took a small peek at the flower patch outside before her mind wandered off into unconscious thoughts.
"Awaken, please. Endymion will protect you."
Shooting her head up at the sudden voice, the lilac haired teen shot her head up as the silhouette of two females reaching out to her was the only thing that she could think of as her soft voice rang through her ears.
"Please, awaken now before it is too late."
Placing her head in her arms, the fourteen year old clenched her eyes closed as the voice repeated with the addition of slight chest pains forced the girl to stay awake, obligating her to be hunched over for the duration of their morning classes.
"Yumiko!"
Turning around after the lunch bell rang as she looked up after cleaning the last table, a smile made its way to the said teenager's face as Usagi, Mizuno Ami, Kino Makoto and Aino Minako ran towards her. Wrapping her arms around her older sister, the blonde Tsukino led the way outside as her twin and four friends followed closely.
"Now that we've finished cleaning the tables, let's go outside and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!"
All running outside and basking in the warm sun, the five females all fell on the ground back-first before sitting up and opening their lunch containers. Keeping head down as the pounding-feeling in her chest forced all of her attention to it, Yumiko slightly gasped as hand was placed on her shoulder.
"Are you alright, Yumi-chan? Do you need anything?"
"N-No, I'm alright. I was just thinking of something deeply."
Sending Minako a small smile, the long haired blonde returned the gesture before her her blue eyes widened in surprise. Flashing in her mind, the image of the Crystal Palace, decorated with flowers and glimmering in the sunlight interrupted her thoughts as her hand remained on the lilac-haired female's shoulder.
Catching the wavering eyes of Ami, the two girls subtly nodded before Minako removed her hand from Yumiko's shoulder.
"Oh, that reminds me. After school today, all of us, Daisuke and Mamoru are going to meet up at the arcade. Do you want to come with us?"
Changing the air into one lighter, the odd-one-out nodded her head at the idea as she forked a piece of octopus-sausages into her mouth and as her sister fawned over the idea of Mamoru meeting up with them.
"I would love to come! There is this game that I really want to to beat for a while and I also want to buy this cupcake from a bakery near by . ."
All agreeing to the plan of action, the group of five soon became four as Yumiko had to depart for a friend's apparent emergency. Jumping down from a hidden tree branch, Luna and Portia looked around for anybody else before moving towards the Sailor Guardians.
"Luna? What are you two doing here? School isn't over yet."
"I know that, Usagi. The two of us- Including Artemis, have been sensing a large amount of power from around here. Portia has been doing some scans recently and has discovered some sort of power lingering around. Though, whatever the power is, something is holding it back."
Nodding at the midnight-blue feline's words, the silver cat blinked her blue eyes before moving forward.
"There is no set location for this power source, but I find that it is continuously around you girls. I attempted to do a few scans on Minako, but the signs on the Princess have been negative. The power fluctuates at times, one moment being very high and obvious for anyone from the Dark Kingdom to locate and take, while other times it is nearly impossible for anyone to find."
Moving their gaze from the blonde female, who was eating calmly, Ami moved her gaze back to Luna as she cleared her throat.
"We have to find whatever this power is before anyone from the Dark Kingdom does, especially after Kunzite has called out to the Princess, wanting the Legendary Silver Crystal. What we could be looking for may be the younger Moon Princess."
All nodding at the two felines words, the group of five girls continued to eat their lunch and converse about their nearing trip to the arcade as the cats sat on their laps. Snuggling her head into Rei's lap, Portia furrowed her brows as she sensed that something was wrong. Lifting her up slightly to look around her surroundings, the blue-eyed cat shrugged her head, dismissing the worrying thought as stress from their investigation.
Hunching herself over the bathroom sink as she was alone, Yumiko clenched her blouse tightly as another pounding pain hit her chest, harsh breaths to escaping her lips.
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"Yeah! I got a second point in a row! Beat that, Minako and Daisuke!"
"Well, you cheated!
"Usagi, you should be more quiet!"
"I did not cheat, you sore loser! No wonder I can beat you in every game!" Sticking her tongue out towards the light-brown haired male, the younger blonde laughed at him as he crossed his arms at his chest.
"Usagi, you are being too loud!" Having been fed up with girl's screaming as the words were being screamed into her ear, Rei stood up and pointed towards the younger twin, who puffed her cheeks.
"Well, I can be as loud as I want to!"
"No, that is called being disruptive and annoying!"
Laughing quietly as she watched her sister and friend bicker over their noise level, Yumiko covered her mouth as she sat next to a calmly-reading Ami. All scattered around the arcade after school, the Sailor Guardians, Yumiko, and the Chiba brothers had made their way to Motoki's place of work and enjoyed themselves as the bright sun outside forced them indoors.
"Yumiko, are you not playing any video games or reading about sweets? Wow, this is a first."
Sitting down next to one of the twins, Makoto lifted on her brows as she stared at the fourteen-year old. It was known to the whole group that the older Tsukino twin was a crazy fan over cake and sweet treats, so seeing the girl so calm about the topic surprised the younger female.
"Oh, I'm looking at sweets right now, this magazine has a bunch of different kinds. Do you want to see too?"
Lifting the book in her hands, the brown-haired teen sweat-dropped as she analyzed the 'Lovely Cakes and Sweets' menu, noting that the book resembled a novel more than a proper menu. Gazing down at the dozens of 'delicacies' in displayed in front of her, the deep-blue eyed bubblehead failed to notice a new person until they sat down, peered over her shoulder and stared at the book in her hands.
"Wow, knowing your love of sweets, I am quite surprised that you haven't gotten a cavity yet. You must have teeth of metal."
Suddenly jerking as a sudden blush formed on her face from the quiet, yet deep whisper, the young girl nodded curtly as she continued to read through the menu. Tilting his head to the right for a better view of the different 'Special Lovely Cakes', Mamoru quickly moved his gaze to Yumiko's petite figure and back to the book, the subtle gaze being caught from Portia's moving eyes as she rested in the female's lap.
"You should try this one, 'The Celestial Truffle' sounds really good to me."
"Y-You really think so?"
Nodding at the lilac-haired female, the black-haired teenager averted her gaze as a soft blush brushed over his face lightly the longer pair remained close to each other. Moving the book so that it was in between them, the youngest out of the two calmed herself as she leaned closer to her left to get a better look at the other sweets.
"I know that you like strawberries, Mamo-chan. How does this one look? 'The Pink Tuxedo Blast' doesn't sound too bad to me. Or maybe the 'Red Rose Dash', this one is said to be popular with fstudents. It doesn't look that bad . ."
"You're right, Yumi-chan. They both look really good."
Smiling to herself at the sound of her nickname, the said female's eyes sparkled as she turned the page to reveal different box sets.
Yumiko had grown fond over Mamoru after the first time they had met after Usagi had thrown her crumpled test paper at him two months ago. The pair had not yet introduced themselves to each other until Daisuke had urged his brother to meet 'one of my friends pretty twin sister', which turned out to be Yumiko. The fourteen-year old and sixteen-year old had instantly connected, like a rope had tied itself around them, forcing them to get close to one another. The girl wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she had become smitten for Chiba Mamoru.
A fact only known by Portia.
Due to the known truth that Yumiko doesn't know that her silver feline can speak and understand her words, the teenager would confess her utmost feelings for the boy secretly in their room when no one was around. The blue-eyed feline had kept her word in not telling anybody else about the female's crush, but knowing that someone you are close with like someone, Portia has been forcing the girl closer to Mamory with slight nudges to his direction or moving her head between the two.
All-in-all, the young girl has kept her feelings for the boy to herself and her cat, knowing that her sister would accidentally tell the whole world if she knew.
"Ooh, there's a box deal where I can get eight cakes for the price of four. Maybe I should get that for us one day . ."
Instantly feeling the urge to use the bathroom, the lilac-haired teen excused herself from the group before making her way to the ladies room, which was located in the back. Right at the moment when the sole girl had turned a corner, Luna perked up her head when she felt the power of the Dark Kingdom enter their area.
"Everyone, I am sensing an attack happening right now. It's Kunzite, again. I'm not sure how you plan to fight him, but you all have to be there and protect the Princess."
Making eye-contact with her silver-haired comrade, who nodded for her to continue, Luna stared at the group in front of her as they huddled around.
"The threat of him wanting the Legendary Silver Crystal still looms around us. Sailor Guardians, it is your task to guard Minako until we are able to find her younger sister and secure the Crystal's location."
All understanding the midnight-blue cat's word, Ami lifted her head as a sudden thought came to mind.
"What about Yumiko? We can't just run off and leave her here." Leaning back from her partly-crouched positions, Usagi perked her head up at the thought of her twin.
"I'll hold her up and you guys go. I should be able to catch up if I run." Turning towards each other in case of any protest, the group agreed to the plan as the talked-about girl emerged from a row of arcade games.
"So, I was thinking--"
"Sorry to disturb your plans Yumi-chan, but Minako and I need to go to the mall and shop for new clothes. There is this new sale that is happening, and we don't want to miss it!" Linking her arms with the younger blonde, Makoto excused the two of them before they ran out of the building.
"My teachers emailed me and said that I have a test tomorrow, so I have to study for it! I can't risk the chance of failing a test!" Collecting her books and bags in a rush, Ami flashed her friend a smile as she departed.
"I sense a bad spirit lingering around the place, which I must go find and eliminate!" Extending her arms out in a way that she was warding off spirits, Rei swiftly grabbed her bag before heading towards the exit.
"Usagi promised me that if I beat her in 'Star-hunter: The Last Raid', she would treat me to a doughnut party, which starts soon! I'll also take Portia for you!"
Throwing the older blonde and silver feline over his shoulder, much to female's annoyance as seen in her punches and yells, Daisuke hauled her out of the arcade prior to him running off with her. Standing across Mamoru with a slightly ajar mouth, Yumiko let out a small sigh as she moved her gaze towards him, who was holding his school bag and book in hand.
"Do you have somewhere to go to as well?"
Nodding at the female's soft question, the cerulean-eyed boy moved his gaze towards the menu on the bench before he picked up and handing it towards the younger teenager.
"You should check out the cakes before the good ones are all taken. I heard that a lot of people line up to get 'The Celestial Truffle', so you should hurry up to be one of those people. We'll meet you back here later."
Gazing at the gold-and-lilac cake as a smile appeared on her face, the teenager firmly nodded, "You're right, Mamo-chan. Since you guys are all of to go somewhere, I should treat myself to a few cakes."
Tilting her head upwards to flash Mamoru with a large smile, the boy forced himself not to wrap his arm around the petite girl as she brushed past him, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable.
Quickly grabbing her bag and menu, Yumiko gave her glasses-wearing friend a quick hug, something she felt compelled to do, before rushing out of the store. Staring at the Yumiko's retreating figure, Mamoru shook his face to remove the bright blush on his face as he exited the arcade. Running down the opposite direction as everyone, Yumiko hid her face in her hands to hide the immense blush while making her way to the popular cake shop.
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"So, you have defied me again and have not brought me the Legendary Silver Crystal? It looks like you are all asking to be defeated easily."
Extending his arm out as energy ball formed in his hand, Kunzite wore a smug smirk as he watched the blast leave his hand, hitting the Sailor Guardians and Masked man in front of him, sending the large group down. Standing up as she was at the back, Sailor V clutched her sides as the white-haired man paused for question.
"Are you going to give me the Crystal or do I have to force you to tell me where it is, Princess?"
Shaking her head as she refused to say a word, the blonde warrior stepped forward and unleashed a yellow-gold blast at the white-clad male, who jumped out of the way seconds before he could have been hit.
"Fine, then. It looks like I will have to use more effort and force my answer out of you."
All standing up to protect the lone female, everyone's movements froze as an invisible wave flew over them, knocking each person to the ground. Clenching her eyes closed as she hit the cement, Sailor Moon's blue eyes opened suddenly as an image of a large garden with a shaded silhouette in the middle flashed through her mind. All feeling their bodies heal from the attacks, the Guardians formed a line before releasing their weapons.
"Burning Mandala!"
"Mercury Aqua Mist!"
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
"Moon Tiara Boomerang!"
Throwing two roses- One red and the other navy-blue, Tuxedo Mask and Shadow Mask jumped into the air as the attacks all caused a large cloud of smoke. Covering their eyes for them not to get distracted, the Sailor Guardians failed to bring down Kunzite as he had dodged all the oncoming attacks. Standing next to Tuxedo Mask as she clenched her fists closed, Sailor Moon furrowed her brows as she looked up in anticipation.
"You have all failed to attack- What is that powerful feeling? "
Sensing another wave of power rush over them, the white-haired man furrowed his brows as he followed the source, the Guardians, masked bandits and advisors not for behind.
"Oh, goodness. I should really get these pains checked out. They are beginning to really hurt."
Letting out a smooth breath as she released the tight hold she had on her blouse, Yumiko leaned against the arcade walls as she attempted to catch her breath. After arriving at the cake shop, the fourteen-year old indeed indulged herself in the large selection of sweets and cakes, having sampled dozens of sweets.
It was until she made her way back to the game shop when another wave of pain hit her chest, though these had rendered her immobile. Leaning against the cool wall, the lilac-haired girl clutched her top tightly as the image of a large garden with a shaded silhouette flashed through her mind.
"What was that? What was that picture?"
Feeling a sudden shiver run down her spine as the pain slowly subsided, Yumiko looked around her, failing to notice the man on the arcade roof, his blue eyes scanning over the area as he clenched his fists tightly.
"I know it's here somewhere. Now show yourself, you mysterious power."
Soon finding no trace of what he was looking for as the powers trace disappeared, Kunzite took a mental note before transporting himself back to the Dark Kingdom as the Sailor Guardians rounded a corner. Spotting an idly waiting Yumiko not far from them, the group pushed themselves back and de-transformed before making their way to the second-oldest female.
"Sister!"
Turning her head to the familiar voice, the fourteen-year old had seconds to react as a body pushed itself onto her. Wrapping her arms around Usagi's waist, the twins spun around as the rest of their friends emerged from behind them.
"How was your guys' afternoons?" Turning towards each other with small hints of worried looks, Mamoru stepped forward to answer.
"Everything went fine, and we all met up together coincidentally. How was the cake shop?" Feeling her stomach bubble up from the excitement of the man she crushed on asking the first question and the fact that she could talk about her sweets haul.
"It was amazing! There were so many cakes to chose from, it was kind of overwhelming . ."
Walking behind the conversing pair as they all dove into their own conversation, the girls and Daisuke talked quietly about the previous fight with the white-haired knight as the two felines followed close behind.
"Portia, do you think it was coincidental that the trail led us here? Even Kunzite took this path and it suddenly stopped here." Thinking for a moment as she thought of Luna's question, the silver feline slowly nodded as she stared at the duo ahead.
"I think there is a connection between the path we took and the source of power. We still have yet to find the Legendary Silver Crystal, yet I feel like we are closer to finding out its location than before."
Moving her blue eyes so that she was staring at the laughing teen in front of the group, Portia smiled at Yumiko's figure as the large group continued walking down the sun-kissed street.
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