The Child

[Inu]

More Sailor Moony stuff XD

Part 1

The wicked laughter echoed throughout the abandoned cave, bouncing from the walls as if the horrible sound was coming from everywhere all at once. A young woman sat at the centre, her features shrouded by the darkness around her, her eyes closed as she listened for the slightest movement around her.

Nothing stirred, and she hadn't expected any such thing would happen. He no longer had a body that tied him to this world, and she had been raised with knowing his presence alone. That had never bothered her however, never felt strange in her mind. It had been the way she was brought up, and she had always believed it was a normal occurrence for a family, that once they reached a certain age, a child would leave their body and become a higher being.

It was only recently, when she had travelled beyond her cave and the meadow and forests that cloaked it, when she had come across a travelling family. They were enjoying a picnic just beyond 'her' borders and it was then she noticed that they were all... there. She didn't hear any far off voices, nor any mention of another member of their party.

She'd left then, just as the father had picked up his son and raised him into the air as he laughed something about and aeroplane. Confused, she'd run straight back to her cave, sat on the ground and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"What's wrong child?" the voice of the man she had come to know as her father spoke. She knew he wasn't her true father, he'd told her that much. Her real father had been killed a long time ago. She still didn't know who could have done such a horrible thing, but her 'papa' had told her that she would be able to find revenge soon enough. He had never mentioned her mother, and sometimes she longed to know the truth about her.

She'd shaken her head and relaxed her body, smiling into the darkness. "Nothing papa," she told him, shaking the thoughts from her mind. Maybe the family had just been a special case, or rather, maybe her father was special. Maybe this was his shot for a second chance at life.

That had been the theory she'd decided upon now and had not ever thought to actually question him about this. "Papa," she spoke up, opening her eyes slowly, even if she wouldn't see anything there but the bedding she slept on and the few trinkets she had gathered over the years.

At first she didn't receive a response, and she wondered if he had left, or was maybe asleep. He had just been laughing a moment ago though. "Yes?" he answered after a few more moments of silence, not too interested in what the girl had to say, but he had always played the part of a caring father well. He had to if he'd wanted to gain her trust, to have her believe everything he had ever told her.

"Papa..." she started, trying to form the words in a correct way so that he wouldn't be mad and downright refuse her request. "I was wondering... may I go visit the city?" she almost whispered the words, not able to think of any other way to voice her question.

She knew that this was a large demand for her to ask of him, but she had never been allowed beyond the borders of her forest, let alone anywhere near the large, crystallized city that she had dreamed about visiting from the first moment she'd spotted hundreds of years ago, when her body had begun to stop aging as she'd reached the age of 15. She was much older than that however.

That was probably why she believed that it wasn't an unusual thing for a spirit to be connected from their body.

"You may not leave!" his voice was angrier then she had ever heard it before, causing her to cringe back in fear. Not once had he ever seemed so determined about something, nor so furious. It made her wonder for the first time if there was something he was trying to keep hidden from her. "Do you understand, Eris?" he pushed when he didn't receive a reply from the young woman.

She did not bother to respond, and simply nodded her head. Even if her papa didn't have a body, he was still able to see any move that she made. "Good," was the last thing she heard him say, before everything around her became silent. She wasn't sure where it was, but as the sun began to set, he would always leave her to go off alone, and even if she tried to follow, she never was able to find him.

Glancing just outside the cave she could see the sun was already slowly falling asleep as it left the sky and made way for the moon to illuminate the night. She didn't know why, but she had always felt more comfortable in the silvery light of the moon, then the warm radiance of the sun. She always assumed it was because she had been raised in the dark.

Running her fingers through her long silver hair she gave a soft sigh as her thoughts drifted back to the city and the happy family she had spotted that time. Maybe... Maybe someone there would be able to tell her about her mother... or about what happened to her real father. Her papa couldn't be the only person who knew her, right? There had to be someone out there.

Then again, her thoughts trailed back to the idea of her papa being a bodiless life form being unusual, and she wondered if it was strange that she had lived for such a long time. Maybe everyone who could have helped her had already passed on.

She shook her head, pushing those thoughts from her mind. There was only one way to figure any of that out, and that was to find anything information she possibly could. Maybe there was some hope in the city, and she was determined to find out. "I'm sorry papa," she spoke softly as she stood, brushing any dirt from her plain white dress that was made from a simple fabric and some rope. You didn't get many luxuries in a forest. Her bath was a small river and waterfall not too far from the cave itself.

Quickly grabbing the few belongings she owned and stuffing them into her bed sheet so that she would be able to carry them, she blinked, glancing back into her cave and muttering one finally apology before she took off, hoping that her papa wouldn't be home for a while yet. When he saw she was gone... well she could only imagine how furious he would become.

*****

It had been pitch black that night as she had travelled toward the city, yet she did not fear teh darkness, only the thought that she would hear her papa calling out after her in fury. Now that she was standing at the arch that signalled one of the city's entries as the sun began to rise, giving the entire city a sparkling look however, she was much more nervous for what awaited her.

Taking a deep breath she took her first step into this new city, only then realising that she had no real plan for what she was going to do now that she was there. She had no leads on who she should approach, or really, what kind of questions she should even want to be answered. The only thing she really knew was that her hair had been inherited from her father, while she kept her mother's pink eyes.

"Are you lost?" the voice had her jumping nearly three feet into the air, and she quickly spun around to face a man with dark hair and kind eyes looking over her carefully.

She wanted to respond, to answer his question, but her whole body had frozen up. She had never spoken to anyone but her papa before, and the animals around her home. Now here she was, being spoken to by a real life person, with a body and everything, and he was expecting an answer. The only answer she had though, was to nod her head so that her bangs would cover her eyes.

His kind smile turned to a look of worry as he saw that she didn't answer, and it wasn't hard for him to see that she was, well, terrified of him. "Ahh..." he glanced around quickly, trying to figure out what to do. Maybe she had been taught never to speak to strangers, or maybe he had just appeared scary to her.

Quickly spotting a woman humming to herself, he stopped her, pointed to the still frozen girl and led her toward her. "Hello sweetie," the woman smiled, bending slightly so that she was at the girl's level. "What's wrong?"

Eris finally managed to find her voice when approached by the woman. She wasn't sure why, but it must have been because she felt a connection with the woman, seeing as they were the same sex and she was the first woman that had ever approached her. "I'm looking for..." she mumbled, barely above a whisper, before she stopped.

What was she looking for? She didn't even know if her mother was still alive. "My mother," she decided to just go with that, in the hopes that she really would find her mother somewhere in this city.

"Your mother?" the woman asked her softly, speaking to her like she would speak to a frightened animal. "What's her name? Maybe we could help?" she offered, really wishing the girl would look up at her so that she could get a better look at her face. She obviously didn't seem to be from the city itself by the knapsack she was carrying, and the raggish dress she wore. Maybe she had had family trouble where she'd come from and ran way.

The young woman shook her head, feeling disappointed in herself that she wasn't able to answer the question. It wasn't her fault that she had never gotten this information though, she had tried many, many times to get her papa to speak. He always just said 'A little longer. Then you'll understand why I kept this from you.' It confused her, and she couldn't understand why he always said this with an almost angry tone. What had happened between them?

"I'm sorry," she sighed.

The older woman shook her head, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder lightly. "It's fine, is there anything you can tell me about her?" she tried a different approach, hoping that the girl would be able to tell them something they would be able to follow.

"No."

"What about your name? You know that at least, right?" she smiled, figuring that if they could get that much from her, then maybe it wouldn't be too hard to find her mother. It wasn't like a mother wouldn't know her child's name.

The girl swallowed. "Eris. My name is Eris," she told the woman, lifting her head so she could see her properly. She had long brown hair that was tied back, and kind green eyes. "But Papa named me. I don't think my mother knows," she added on quickly, having figured out the woman's plan.

The brunette frowned, and was about to tell her that they'd figure something out when the girl lifted her head, causing her voice to catch in her throat. She brought a hand up to her mouth to stop her gasp, and quickly took a step back. "What's wrong?" the man who had first found Eris pushed past her, trying to see what happened. He was struck speechless by the same sight.

"What? What?" Eris's eyes widened and her silver hair fell around her as she quickly whipped her head around to see if there was anything behind her. Not seeing anything but a few people walking around in the crisp morning air and tired buildings waking in the morning, she turned back to the pair before her.

"Who are you?" his voice became cautious as he scrutinized the girl, his eyes resting on the blackened crescent moon that sat comfortably on the middle of her forehead, pulling the woman behind him in case the girl had really come to cause trouble.

The girl gave him a frightened look, taking a soft step back. "I-I'm Eris," she answered, not liking the look she was getting. What had she done wrong?

*****

"Damnit! Only a short while longer and her powers will reach their peak!" he growled to the never ending darkness. "I must bring her back before they brainwash her!"

[Inu]

Part 2

It had only taken a few more seconds under the suspicious glare of the man, who had seemed so kind at first, to send Eris running. She didn't really know why she had run, she hadn't done anything wrong as far as she'd known, yet something on the man's face had shown clearly that she was not wanted there.

Then there was the woman, who had spoken to her so kindly, that she really felt like she had a chance, however slim it was. She had looked so scared, so afraid that something was going to happen to her, just by speaking to the young girl.

She couldn't understand why though. Was there something wrong with her? She didn't know, how could she? She didn't know anything of the world outside of her forest, knew nothing of how a person was supposed to act, look, or even speak. Maybe in those few words she had said, she had said something wrong.

No. It wasn't any of that that made her seem strange. There was one thing that stood out while she spoke to them, one thing that she hadn't really noticed until now. Neither of them had any kind of symbol decorating their forehead. Maybe that was something bad, something to show she was cursed.

It had never seemed strange to her though, it had been the way she was born. Yet she started to realise that this thought was the same one that kept swimming through her mind, questioning everything she had ever known, everything she had been raised to know.

She finally stopped running, her breath coming in heavy gasps. Her body was not attuned to strenuous exercise, and was as frail as that of a small child. She had never had any need to use such strength, or to run so hard, and it was only now that she realised that it had taken a heavy toll on her body.

She feel to her knees as a coughing fit overtook her, her whole body quivering as she tried to catch her breath. She wanted to cry, to call out for her papa to come and take her home, to say she was sorry, but she couldn't even find the strength to move her lips.

"Eris!" a voice called, and she managed to turn her head the tiniest bit so that she could catch sight of a woman running towards her. Her mind was too preoccupied by the burning sensation in her chest to realise that it was the same woman as earlier, the man who had first greeted her following closely behind.

They had both taken off after the silver haired girl when she'd run, having notice the true fear and confusion on her face at their reactions. Something was wrong, that was what they had thought, but now they wondered if the girl was truly just different, and meant no harm. They had been too quick to judge, and felt as if they needed to apologize. Seeing the girl doubled over in pain however, tapped into the woman's motherly side, and she quickly ran to the girl, reaching out to her and cradling her in her arms.

"Shh, shh," she soothed as Eris tried to process between a round of gasps and coughs. The woman rocked her gently, lightly stroking the long silver hair that was sprawled between the both of them. It made her wonder how a girl who looked like she was in such a bad situation by her clothes and mannerisms was able to take such good care of her hair. Though now was not the time.

The man who had introduced himself to her as Lin quickly followed, having been left behind by the woman's sudden burst of speed. "Is she ok?" he asked in an almost panicky tone just as the girl finally began to calm down.

"She should be fine now," she smiled in relief as Eris' eyelids fluttered closed as she fell into a peaceful sleep. "I just wonder what we're supposed to do with her."

"I have an idea."

*****

A few hours had passed by the time Eris finally awoke. Dazed, she unsuccessfully tried to blink the sleep from her eyes as she waited for her head to stop spinning and everything to begin making sense. Her first thought was that she was in an unfamiliar place.

Shooting up from the bed she had been lain on, she ran to the other side of the room and into the corner where she felt she could better protect herself. No one could sneak up on her there.

"Don't be frightened," the voice nearly cause her to jump three feet in the air, not having noticed that she wasn't the only one in the room. "Please, I won't hurt you."

She turned slowly to face the same woman as earlier, sitting on a stool beside the bed she realised she had been sleeping on. "Where am I? ...Who are you?" she questioned cautiously, not liking the small space she was stuck between.

It was, some kind of bedroom, that much she could guess just by the fact that there was a bed there, but it was a box shaped room, not like the cave she herself stayed in.

The woman smiled, not moving from her position so that she would not frighten the child. "My name is Naoki, and I'm sorry if I frightened you earlier... I was simply surprised," she introduced herself, apologizing in the process. "And this is the Crystal palace. I'm the head maid, and these are my living quarters."

Eris' looked over the brunette scrutinisingly. Her earlier fear seemed to have completely left her features, and she no longer cringed away. "The... crystal palace?" she spoke softly, the name seeming to bring an image to her mind. The large crystal building in the centre of the city, where she had always wanted to visit. She was inside there now? Her heart began to beat with excitement, and she just wanted to run around and explore. That was until Naoki's voice snapped her out of it.

"You said you were looking for your mother, right?" she inquired, revisiting their earlier conversation. Even if the girl's mother did not know her name, there was no way she would forget that her child had a blackened crescent moon on her forehead. Then again, maybe that had been the reason she had given her child up in the first place.

She figured this topic was a good way to start, to show the girl that she really did want to help in case that she was still suspicious of her intentions. "There's nothing you could tell me about her? Anything at all?"

Eris still wasn't too sure about how to respond to the brunette's sudden mood shift, but she figured this might be her only chance to find out. Who knew how anyone else might respond to her... situation. The might not respond as well as Naoki had. "I... have her eyes," she whispered, giving her the only piece of information she had.

The woman took notice of what the girl said, for the first time drawing her attention from the silver hair and black crescent moon to actually notice her eyes. They were a deep pink, almost red in color. It was a rare shade, something she had only seen in a few people. That didn't help however, it didn't matter if they were to check every woman with that shade of eye color, her mother may have died a long time ago, or might not even live anywhere near the city as far as they knew. It was the only lead they had though.

"Do you, think we'll be able to find her?" Eris spoke with such a hopeful tone, that the woman didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise.

"I'm sure we will," she smiled. "Now, I figure our best bet might be to check the palace records," she explained, telling her about the large room that had the date of birth, eye and hair color, as well as the name of the parents of every resident of the city. "But first, you can't go out wearing that," she pointed to the rags the silver haired girl was wearing and shook her head. "Let me see if I can find something."

*****

"Are you sure this is ok?" Eris asked as she lightly tugged on the dress. It was still a simple white, like her old one had been, yet it was cleaner, properly cut, and had gold embroidery running through the hem and along the long sleeves.

Naoki nodded her head, brushing the girl's already clean hair and styling it so that it wasn't almost brushing against the ground. She also brushed down the girl's bangs, as to hide her crescent moon. It would do them no good to arouse suspicion. "It's fine. Besides, you couldn't walk around the palace in those rags now, could you?" she chuckled softly.

Eris nodded. "I suppose not."

"There we go!" the brunette smiled, placing the brush she had been using back onto her dresser as she finished. She lightly placed her hands on the younger female's shoulders and spun her around so that she would be able to see her reflection. If Naoki had thought she had been beautiful before, she couldn't believe how a simple dress and hair change could make her look so much more elegant, more like, well... a princess.

Eris was struck speechless by her own refection, lightly reaching up to touch her face, the run a hand through her long silky hair. She tugged at her dress lightly, not able to take her eyes off of the bewildered girl before her, who resembled her so greatly, but at the same time looked like a stranger. "Is that really me?" she spoke softly, scared that it was an illusion that would shatter with her voice.

The older woman nodded, a warm smile having found its way onto her features. Watching the girl,, it made her feel a longing to have her own child, to see them look at her with such adoration as Eris was at that moment. "Now, should we be going?" she pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind, holding out her arm for the girl to take.

She nodded, lightly reaching out to hold on to Naoki's arm. It would do her no good to be getting lost now. She had to stop herself from running off as they left the small room however. Seeing how large the palace really was made her breath catch. She'd never been anywhere that large, or that beautiful. The delicately embroidered carpet along the hall was enough to take her breath away.

"Come now," the woman began to walk, having to tug the young girl who was too busy taking in every detail of the hall. "We don't have much time," she explained. "Or I would give you a proper tour."

"I'm sorry," Eris nodded, but she still turned her head back to try and burn the picture into her memory. Now her cave, which had seemed perfect to her, looked pale in comparison, and she knew she would probably never be as happy there again when... if she returned.

It wasn't long however, before Eris could no longer control her urge to explore the great palace, wandering off as Naoki was stopped by another woman in a white uniform, asking something about dinner preparations. It also wasn't long, after she had been studying the garden through one of the windows, that she figured she was lost.

She tried walking back the way she had come, but soon found that it was no use, and she had simply gotten herself lost further in the palace, where there were no longer any windows to the outside. "Hello?" she called softly, hoping that someone would hear her and be able to lead her back. She wasn't so lucky.

Now she'd done it. By the size of the palace it could take hours until someone found her, or with her luck, days. "Now I've done it," she sighed as she rested against the wall, right beneath where a portrait was hanging. What was she supposed to do now? If she waited, it could take ages for her to be found, but if she continued walking she could end up becoming more lost.

Barely a second later though, she could hear the sound of footsteps, and her head shot up, banging straight into the bottom of the portrait. "Oww," she winced, holding the top of her head just as a woman in a long, flowing gown came around the corner.

She had long, bright blonde hair that had strands of silver running through it to show age. It was well placed though, looking as if the strands belonged there. It was easier to see she was much older than Naoki had been, though not because age had ravished her features, it was more the wisdom that shone in her kind blue eyes that abled Eris to guess just how old she might be.

"Oh, hello," the woman smiled, coming to a stop as she noticed Eris who was still clutching her head. "Are you alright?"

When she didn't receive a reply from the awestruck girl the woman paused, wondering what might be wrong. Glancing around and seeing no one else in sight, she came up with some kind of theory. "Are you lost?

This time Eris managed to respond, nodding her head slowly.

The woman's smile widened, and she held a hand out to the girl. "Come with me and we'll find our way back. Are you here with someone?" she asked.

Hesitantly, Eris reached out to take her hand, finding a sense of familiarity overcome her. "I'm here with..." she spoke softly, before trailing off as she took a lost at the portrait that had harmed her for the first time.

It was a family. There was a man with dark hair and blue eyes smiling as he held a young girl in his arms. The girl was grinning widely with her eyes closed, her pink hair tied up in twin tails and buns as she held her mother's hand. It was the mother that caught her attention, with her kind blue eyes and her blonde hair in the same style as the young girl's, as well as the woman who's hand she was holding.

It was the golden crescent moon on her forehead that caught Eris' attention though, as well as the crown on her head. Was she... a queen? She didn't have a crown on her head now though, and that painting showed her a younger version of the woman. "You're..."

The woman blinked, glancing down at the girl at her side, before following her gaze to the portrait. "Ahh, I didn't introduce myself, did I?" she chuckled lightly. "Many people still refer to me as Serenity, but I prefer Usagi, ok?" she winked. "What's your name?"

"It... it's Eris," she answered, the woman's smile being contagious and catching on her lips.

"Eris, huh? That's a pretty name," Usagi smiled, glad she had been able to get the girl to speak to her. She couldn't help but notice how much the child resembled her own daughter when she had been younger. They had the same face, as well as the same eyes. It made her miss the time when her daughter had still had time to spend with her. Now that she was queen however, with her own daughter to care for, it left her little spare time.

Eris blushed at the compliment, not sure how to respond. "Th-thankyou... umm... you're very beautiful," she spoke in return, meaning it completely. She only wished that when and if her body ever continued to age, that she would be able to look even half as beautiful as the woman before her.

"Why thank you too, though you're plenty beautiful yourself," Usagi squeezed her hand warmly. "Now, what were you looking for? I can't lead you back if I don't know where we are going," she chuckled softly, a melodious sound that made Eris feel at peace.

"I'm trying to find... the palace records," Eris answered, explaining to her quickly about the situation she was in, and how she was searching for her mother.

Usagi frowned hearing her story. It was horrible for a child not to know her mother, nor have any lead on where she could find her. "Hmm, well since I like you, how about I help you out?" she winked, a light laughing escaping her.

"You'd really help me?" Eris' eyes widened in disbelief. Maybe with someone like Usagi helping her... maybe she would have a chance. "Thank you mommy!" she laughed lightly, throwing her arms around the older female. It was a few moments later before she realised what she had said, and she quickly released the other, covering her mouth with her hand. "I... I'm sorry," she blushed.

The blonde's eyes had widened at the use of the word mommy, but at the same time it made her feel nostalgic. It had been a while since anyone had called her that. She shook her head, a loving smile gracing her lips as the girl apologized. "It's fine. Until we find your real mother, feel free to think of me as your mommy," she told her, taking a step forward and wrapping her arms around Eris.

The silver haired girl could feel tears stinging in her eyes as Usagi wrapped her arms around her, and she quickly hugged her back. It was the first time she had ever been hugged as far back as she could remember, and she couldn't believe how safe she felt in the other's arms.

It was the first time she felt like she was truly loved, like she truly belonged.

[Inu]

Part 3

"Usagi," Eris spoke meekly as she glanced at the woman from the corner of her eye, having half hidden behind her hair. "How much further?" she asked softly, not wanting to sound rude, but at the same time wanting to get there as soon as possible.

It had turned out that even though she had went and gotten herself lost, having no idea where she was, she had actually been going in the right direction for the palace records, and Usagi had commented that she must be a lucky child.

For once, Eris actually believed she was.

Of course she was sad that she had never met her mother or father, but if she had grown up normally then she may have never gotten to see the inside of the palace, let alone have met the queen. Or well, the past queen as she had explained.

Usagi chuckled. It was easy to see how anxious the girl was, and she thought it was absolutely adorable. Squeezing her hand soft the older woman smiled. "Not much further," she smiled. "I'm sorry the palace is so large."

"No, no!" Eris shook her head quickly. "It's absolutely perfect," she spoke in a dreamy tone as she studied every detail of what surrounded her. The delicate embroidery, beautiful paintings that hung along the corridor, even the doors that led into other rooms were carefully hand carved, with gold painted decorations. Everything was perfect.

"I'm glad you think so," the blonde chuckled, before coming to a halt, startling the young girl who neatly tripped and just managed to catch herself before she went tumbling along the hall. Usagi's eyes widened as she quickly looked the girl over. "I'm sorry, I should have warned you we'd arrived," she smiled apologetically.

Eris quickly straightened up, shaking her head again. "No, it's fine! I should have been paying attention, it's not your fault!" she countered quickly, not wanting to have someone so important apologizing to someone like her. It was enough that the woman had even taken the time to stop and speak, let alone promise to help her in her quest.

The older woman sighed softly, though her smile never left her lips as she placed a finger against the others. "Don't act like I can do nothing wrong, or that I am better then you," she scolded in a voice she used to use to tell her own daughter off when she wasn't truly mad. "I told you you can think of me as your mother for now. Don't treat me like I'm still the queen," she chuckled softly as the girl nodded feverishly.

"Good, then let's see if we can find what we're looking for," Usagi nodded, pushing open a large, wooden door to reveal a room larger than anything Eris had ever seen. There were books everywhere, more than she could ever count, ever thought she'd see.

She did own one book, but it was only so her papa could teach her to read, she still enjoyed it though, and often wished she could have some more. She'd asked once, but her papa had said no. She'd never pressed further on the matter after that. Instead she reread the one book she owned, for years and years and year, never tiring of it.

It was a long story, with lots of words, about a warrior that fought to make the word a better place. She'd always admired the warrior, and cried every time she read about his death at the hands of the evil queen. It was only a short time ago that she found out that her papa had written the story himself, to teacher more than just to read.

"How are we ever going to find it?" she frowned sadly, having no idea where they would start in the sea of books, or what to even look for.

Usagi smiled sadly, placing a light hand on her shoulder. "We will," she told her reassuringly. "Now, the easiest way will be to look at birth records," she explained, looking the girl over. "How old are you? Fourteen? Fifteen?" she asked. The girl didn't look like she was any older than that, and so her body would not have ceased to age as it would when she reached an age of maturity, as did the bodies of all of the people of Crystal Tokyo, thanks to the silver crystal's effects.

Eris shook her head, thinking quickly. "I... don't know," she spoke sadly, looking to her feet. "I... stopped counting after three hundred years... but that was a long time ago," she hung her head, knowing she may have blew her only chance.

The older woman stared at the girl for what seemed like ages, trying to make sense of what she had heard. The only cases she knew of a child ceasing to age were her daughter, and now her granddaughter. It was the same thing however for the children she had come to know as family, yet they all had a special reasoning for stopping their aging early. They were children born of the planets, and so they had a different power living within them, that, like herself, gave them the ability to live longer than that of the already ageless citizens of Crystal Tokyo.

Besides, she seemed so innocent to have lived that long. Could it be another case of what had happened with her daughter? That her body, and maturity had been frozen.

"Who are you?" Usagi mumbled softly, not drawing her eyes from the girl who was now staring at her, confused.

Eris was beginning to believe that her long life was something unusual, and again it felt like she really didn't have a chance to find her mother. She could have passed away hundreds of years ago, and there was no way Eris would ever know. Since she didn't have any idea when she was born, they couldn't even find that out.

"I'm... never going to find her, am I?" her voice was shaky and she could feel tears brimming in her eyes as her entire body trembled. She wouldn't find her mother, and would have to leave the great palace and city and return to her dark cave... back to her papa who would definitely be angry with her .

Now she was really crying, her hands balling into fists as she clenched her dress between her fingers. "I... I just thought... that I might..." she managed to choke out between sobs. She was glad that she and Usagi were the only ones in the large room, she didn't want others to see her vulnerable state.

"Shh, shh," Usagi felt a pang in her chest as she saw the girl panic, and she quickly moved to wrap her arms around her once again. "It's ok," she stroked her hair softly, speaking in soothing tones. "We'll fine her, I'm sure," she promised. She hoped it was a promise she could live up to though, without even knowing anything about this girl, it would be hard to find any leads.

"Is there anything... anything you can tell me? Or show me? Maybe a birthmark," she tried to come at this from a different angle. If there was something unique about her, they might just be able to use that. She may no longer be the queen, but she still held enough power to ask for the city's help.

Eris hesitated to answer that question, her hand lightly reaching up towards her forehead before she dropped it again. She was scared to tell Usagi about this, even if she had been kind, after the reaction she had gotten from the others. "I..." she moved her hand to brush her hair from her forehead, the older woman watching curiously.

Before she could reveal her secret though, a bang scared her and she dropped her hand, running to hide behind the other. She peeked towards the doorway a moment later, spotting a familiar woman. "Excuse me, have you seen a girl..." Naoki spoke, before realising who she was actually addressing. "Serenity, forgive me," she curtseyed lightly, bowing her head.

Usagi sighed, smiling lightly as she shook her head. "I have told you before, and I will tell you again. Serenity is the title given to the current queen, please address me as Usagi," she told her softly.

"I presume you're looking for her," the older woman stepped aside to reveal Eris, and Naoki breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, I thought I'd lost her. I'm sorry if she bothered you."

Usagi shook her head. "Not at all, she's delightful company," she chuckled melodiously. "I hope you don't mind if she keeps me company for a short while longer, I know you're busy."

Naoki's eyes widened, but a small smile broke on to her face. "Not at all Serenity, thank you for watching over her," she bowed her head again, before waving to Eris and leaving the way she came.

"How many times must I tell her not to call me that?" Usagi sighed softly, before looking back to the younger girl beside her. "Was there something you wanted to show me?" she asked softly, remembering that she had been about to reveal something to her.

The girl paused, having seen Naoki had reminded her of the bad reaction she had brought forward the last time she had revealed herself. Then there was Usagi herself. She was kinder than anyone she had thought she'd ever meet, but with her golden crescent moon at pointed towards the sky, rather than her own black one which pointed in the opposite direction, it might be even worse for her.

"I... I..."

The older woman placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, trying to show that she meant no harm. "What is it?" she pushed lightly, not wanting to frighten the girl into silence. "It's ok, you can tell me."

A warm feeling overcame Eris, and once again she felt safe with the other. Maybe it would be ok, maybe... but she didn't want Usagi to hate her. "Nothing," she shook her head. "I'm sorry."

Usagi looked sad, but she didn't go any further with the topic. "That's fine, you can tell me when you're ready to," she smiled. She knew that the girl was hiding something, but she wasn't about to force it out of her, she could wait until she trusted her completely. She had promised to help thegirl, and that she would.

"Are you hungry?" she asked instead.

Eris blinked, not having thought of food the entire time she had arrived at the city, but now that it was mentioned, she could feel her stomach growl. It was pretty easy to hear too, and she nodded quickly as Usagi laughed lightly. "Would you like to have dinner with me?"

She couldn't help laughing again as the girl's eyes widened unbelievable, and she nodded her head furiously. "Are you sure?" Eris couldn't believe her ears.

Usagi nodded and lightly reached to take her hand once again. "I'm sure. Besides, I can introduce you to my family."

*****

"Come on, you don't have to hide," Usagi tried to coax Eris to come out from hiding behind her without much luck. As soon as they had entered the dining hall, and the girl had spotted the group of people sitting at one of the large tables, as well as the number of workers who were setting teh area up and serving the food, she had taken to hiding.

"Granny!" A sweet voice called from across the room as the young girl sitting there, who looked no older than eight years old, spotted them. Her light pink hair that almost seemed white was tied into two cone shaped buns on the side of her head, while the rest of her hair fell freely around her. Her warm golden eyes complimented her golden crescent moon perfectly. "Who've you got there?" she sat up straight on the chair she was sitting on, trying to catch a glimpse of the person hiding behind her grandmother.

"Manners," the woman sitting beside her scolded lightly, her hair a darker pink than the girl, and styled in the same way as Usagi's hair, except her buns were in teh shape of cones, like the girl.

The girl blinked, before laughing lightly. "Sorry," she bowed her head. "Good evening granny, and who is your guest?" she spoke politely, before looking back to the woman who had scolded her in confirmation that she had done it right this time.

"Good evening. Eris, this is my granddaughter Usagi, but we all call her Usako so we don't get confused. Usako, meet Eris," Usagi stepped aside, revealing the silver haired girl, whose face was flushed and was looking at her feet.

"It's nice to meet you," she mumbled.

"Good to meet ya too!"

Usagi waited a moment, before continuing her introductions. "This," she held a hand out to point to the woman who had spoken. "Is my daughter. The current Queen Serenity, and Usako's mother. Her name is also Usagi, but you can call her Chibiusa if you like," she introduced her, and Eris was surprised that all three of them had the same name. Was it some kind of tradition?

Chibiusa smiled, nodding her head in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you Eris," she said, before turning her attention to her mother. "Have you see Helios?" she asked.

Usagi shook her head. "He's with your father, but I have no idea where they went," she sighed, biting her bottom lip. "I hope they get home soon."

A laugh escaped the pink haired woman across the room and bother Eris and Usako looked at her confused. "It's only been a couple of hours and you're already moping?" she chuckled. "Don't worry, they never miss dinner."

"He-ey!" a voice cut over them and jolted Eris, everyone turning to look at the youngest girl in the room. "Eris! You can come and sit with me!" Usako patted the seat beside her, waving for her to come forward.

The silver haired girl looked up at Usagi, who smiled and nudged her forward. "Go on."

"O-ok," she answered, making her way over to sit beside the younger girl, her face flushed as Usako grinned up at her.

"So where're you from? What brings you to the palace? Are you staying long? Do you wanna play with me later?" the girl came out with a string of questions that left Eris with little time to answer each one.

Usagi placed a hand on her granddaughter's shoulder as she moved to sit on the other side of the table. "Don't bagger her dear."

"Sorry granny."

It was less than a minute later when Usako opened her mouth once again to continue to onslaught of questions, but she was quickly cute off by the sound of the doors opening, and masculine laughter echoing through the hall. "Mamoru!" Usagi called out quickly, and one of the two men who had entered glanced toward her, smiling.

"Sorry we took so long," the other male laughed lightly, his silver hair and golden eyes completely different from the one Eris guessed was named Mamoru's dark hair and dark blue eyes. She soon recognised his eyes as the same ones Usako had however, and she wondered if he was her father.

The two men went to sit beside their partners, and Usagi and Chibiusa both shook their heads. "It's fine, I'm just glad you're here," the pink haired woman smiled, leaning over to peck his cheek as he sat down. "Eris, this is my husband, Helios," she gestured to the silver haired man beside her. "And that is my father, Mamoru," she introduced the other male who was currently being smothered in hugs and kisses from Usagi, while Usako stuck out her tongue in disgust.

"Hello Eris," Helios smiled after they had explained that she would be joining them. "It's always a pleasure to have company."

"Th-thank you," she blushed lightly, intrigued by the red gem that sat on the middle of his forehead. The only one who didn't have any kind of decoration on their forehead was Mamoru, and she found it kind of funny that he was the odd one out. Not that any of the others knew that.

She felt bad though. Usagi had trusted her enough to let her meet her entire family, to have dinner with them, and she couldn't even tell her about her secret? She had to, soon. Or she would just feel guilty about it. Though it was hard for her to push away the fear that she would be rejected, and it was that thought that stopped her from doing anything at that time.

[Inu]

Part 4

Eris stared blankly at the tray that had been placed before her, lined with vegetables, what she guessed to be some kind of meat, and something else she had never seen before. Not only had she never had that much food at one time, but she had never had the chance to eat anything that looked as fancy. It seemed almost like a crime to destroy the meal that was presented like art.

"Is something wrong?" the voice jolted her from her thoughts, and her head shot up to meet Usagi's worried gaze. "You haven't touched your food."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Eris apologized quickly, stabbing her fork into the vegetables and making sure to avoid the meat. Her papa had explained to her that she could kill the animals in the forest for food once, and that had horrified her. Why would she want to eat her only friends?

Usako noticed this and frowned as she looked at the older girl's plate. "Ey nt cha eatin or meat?" she asked with a mouthful of food, only getting a confused look in response.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Helios scolded her lightly, a small smile on his face. "Maybe she's a vegetarian."

Eris blinked, wondering how the male had actually been able to understand his daughter. All she had gotten from that sentence was gibberish. "Sorry," Usako blushed lightly after she swallowed, glancing back to the silver haired girl. "Are you a vegetarian?" she asked, intrigued.

"Mhm hmm."

"Wow," the little girl looked at her in awe. "Then I'm gonna be a vegetarian too!" she grinned, pushing her plate away

Chibiusa smiled, glad that her daughter had taken a liking to this new arrival. They still weren't sure why, but somehow Usako had always been able to tell if someone had malicious intentions, and rejected them at first sight. Though she had seemed to become quite attached to that girl. "That's fine, but you still have to eat all of your vegetables."

"Aww, but mooommmy..." the little girl whined, reaching over to place a hand on ther mother's lap as she snuggled up to her.

"No buts. You have to eat them all or no dessert."

Usako puffed her cheeks out as she sat back up, but the mention of desert had obviously changed her mind on the vegetable topic. "Fine then!" she huffed, picking up her fork and digging back into her meal.

Eris wasn't able to help the light chuckle that escaped her, and she caught sight of Usagi smiling in her direction. "Finally, you don't look so scared," the older woman looked obviously relieved, and she was. She was worried the girl wouldn't be able to relax.

"Mhm," Eris bowed her head as she took another bite of her meal, a small smile on her own face. Maybe her fear was just irrational. Maybe Naoki had reacted bad to her because she wasn't used to seeing something like that. This family... they had to understand, right?

"Hey hey," Usako lightly jabbed the older girl with the back of her fork. "Wanna play with me after? I'll show you something cool."

Eris paused, not sure how to respond. Was she allowed to go with the young princess? She glanced over at Usagi for help, who nodded encouragingly. "I guess so..." she answered, nodding lightly.

"Yay!" the little pinkette cheered as she quickly dug into her food. "Hurry up and finish so we can go!' she grinned.

*****

"W-where are we going?" Eris asked nervously as the younger girl practically dragged her down the hall. As soon as she had finished her meal she had barely had the chance to thank Usagi and her family for allowing her to join them in their meal, before Usako had tugged her away, seeming to have completely forgotten about the dessert she had been so eager to have.

Instead of an answer, the little girl simply pressed a finger to her lips and shhed her. "Quiet, or you'll scare them away," she whispered, her attention purely on putting one foot in front of the other without making a single sound.

Eris wanted to ask what she meant by 'them', but she stayed quiet as she had been told to. She had no idea where they were going though, and she wasn't able to help the small panicky feeling that rose within her when she thought about the unknown.

The sound of women giggling drew her attention to a door that was slightly cracked open, letting a few rays from the light inside escape. Usako took a few, cautious steps forward and peeked into the room, a huge smile on her face. "Are they still here?" she whispered.

Someone inside the room must have responded to her question, because the little girl's grin widened even more if it was possible. "I brought a friend," she spoke softly, before motioning for Eris to join her.

Peeking into the room, the silver haired girl was surprised to see that it was more like a garden than a room, and at first she thought that they had ventured outside. "It's beautiful," she whispered, in a state of wonder as she studied the array of different flowers, each in different colors and sizes. The plants were all fully grown and thriving, and she could swear she actually saw a few animals running through the bushes.

Her attention became fixed on the two beautiful women standing at the centre of the 'garden' however. They both had an ageless look about them, like Usagi, and their hair was in a similar hairstyle of two simple buns, though the rest of their long hair fell loosely around them. They both wore beaded crowns, and they were wearing long, flowing robes.

Though it wasn't the women themselves that had caught her main attention, but the large group of fireflies that flew around them, lightly kissing their skin and playing with them as they flew around. It was then that she realised the rest of the garden was only being lit by the fireflies themselves, and that had been the light she'd seen escaping through the doorway.

"These are the Maenads," Usako introduced them and both women smiled at her in greeting. "They don't speak anymore, daddy said it was a price they had to pay for awakening before the curse was lifted," she explained. "I still don't really know what he's talking about, but it doesn't really matter," she nodded.

"I-it's nice to meet you," Eris smiled, and both women smiled sweetly in response, showing that they thought the same. Though she wondered how she had heard them giggling if they weren't even able to speak a single word.

Usako seemed pleased that Eris was in awe, and lightly poked her in the side to get her attention. "Hey, look at this," she whispered, softly moving forward with one finger outstretched. She stopped when she got closer to the fireflies, and barely a second later one flew down to rest on her outstretched finger. She giggled, and quickly turned to Eris. "Here," she used her free hand to grab the older girl's, lightly sitting the sleepy bug on her hand.

"Uh... hey," Eris froze, not sure what she was supposed to do. She was scared that if she even moved slightly the bug would flee, and the little princess might get mad at her.

Usako laughed when she turned back to glance at the other girl. "You have a funny look on your face!"

*****

"I hear your mother made a little friend today," a woman commented as she stood in the doorway of the now empty dining room. Her long black hair was tied back, a rare sight, and she was wearing a simply cut purple dress the just barely brushed against the ground. That kind of attire had been adopted as the regular wear of the 'higher' people of the castle, and it was something she, among many of the others, still had no idea how this tradition came about.

Chibiusa was sitting alone at the long banquet table, having told Helios that she would follow soon behind. Her thoughts had been not on the young girl who had called herself Eris, but her own daughter. She was worried, but still she had no idea why. There was just something that had been bothering her lately, like a small voice that whispered in her mind but she was unable to hear clearly.

This was soon brushed from her mind when she heard the new arrival's voice, and her head shot up quickly to meet the gaze of her closest friend. "Hotaru! When did you get back?" she smiled, standing up quickly and gliding across the room to embrace the older woman, who was just the tiniest bit taller than her. "Did the others come with you? Tell me about your time."

Hotaru smiled, returning the hug with a small smile before she released the other. "Everyone just got back now," she chuckled lightly "I'll have to tell you about it later though," she explained quickly. "I was a little annoyed however, to find that the moment I returned I ran into these for," she gestured behind herself, and Chibiusa peeked over her shoulder to see four women standing there sheepishly, like children caught with their hands in the cookie jar. "I found them poking around in the kitchen, with you nowhere in sight."

"How many times do we have to apologize?" one of the four women spoke up, rolling her eyes. She lightly blew at a stray strand of red hair, that perfectly matched her sailor fuku, that had fallen across her eyes.

"Yeah!" the shortest of the group frowned, her mannerisms completely different from the first woman who had spoken up. She had a huge pout on her face, and her eyes were wide and begging not to be punished. Though like her companion, her blue hair was in perfect synch with her own sailor fuku.

"Vesta! Pallas!" Hotaru glared in their direction, shutting them both up and forcing them to stand to attention. "Juno and Ceres too," her gaze shifted to the remaining members of the group. The green haired woman who had been slouching as is she was bored straightened up quickly, scared of what was going to be done to them. Even the leader of the group, a woman with pink hair, looked nervous.

Once Hotaru was satisfied that they were paying attention, she softened her glare, but her frown stayed in place and her anger had obviously not just dissolved. "Now, explain to me why the queen's court, and her main guards, were lounging around with the queen herself nowhere to be seen and unguarded?" she spoke softly, but the irritation in her voice was easy to place, and those quiet words terrified the women more than if she had been shouting at them.

It was a rare moment to see the woman truly angry, and even Chibiusa was the slightest bit frightened. "Now Hotaru, don't you think you're being a little hard on them?" she placed a soft hand on her friend's arm, trying to show that everything was fine.

"It is not fine," the older woman answered, knowing exactly what the queen had been thinking. "You could have been attacked and there would be no one there to help you Serenity," her voice softened as she spoke and her anger slowly faded away as she turned to look back at the other.

Chibiusa smiled sadly. "You of all people should know that I like to be called Chibiusa by my friends," she answered. "And as you can see, I'm perfectly healthy, and also capable of taking care of myself," she chuckled. "Besides, I have Helios too."

"Yes but..."

"You heard her, she's fine. We're obviously sorry, big apologizes and it won't happen again," Vesta spoke up at exactly the wrong time as she waved her hand dismissively, and Chibiusa practically had to hold Hotaru back from attacking the woman.

Eyes wide and obviously in fear for their lives, the remaining women quickly moved to quieten their companion. "Do you want to get us all killed?" Ceres hissed as she clamped a hand over the other's mouth.

"Idiot!" Juno had taken a more physical approach to the problem, and administered a hard punch to Vesta's arm. This unfortunately led her to fight back, and having expected that reaction, Juno dodged her kick easily. Pallas on the other hand wasn't so lucky.

"Owwwwiiieee," Pallas cradled her side in pain.

"Look what you've done," the cocky green haired woman of the group shook her head, smirking at the angry ball of fire.

"Ow! She bit me!" Ceres cried, waving the hand that she had used to cover Vesta's mouth.

"Say that to my face!"

"I just did moron!"

"C'mon guys don't fight!"

"Do you really have to do that now!"

"Come at me! I'll take you down!"

"HA! I'd like to see you try!"

During the exchange, Chibiusa watched with wide eyes, not sure whether she should scold them, break up the fight, or just laugh. Hotaru on the other hand, had apparently had enough. "SHUT THE HELL UP!" she snapped, shouting over the women, her aura seething rage but her expression blank. "You're all acting like children! Grow up!"

Pallas pouted, not liking that she was being yelled at. "You used to be such a sweet girl. Now you're just mean," she commented.

"Get out of my sight. I will watch over Serenity tonight," Hotaru commanded before she could go any further, not wanting to get into a screaming match with the four women.

"Feh, whatever," Vesta shrugged and walked away, the other's following closely behind.

When they were gone, Chibiusa turned her attention back to her friend, noticing that the ordeal had stressed her out. "Pallas was right you know," she commented as she led Hotaru to the banquet table, making her take a seat beside her. "You never used to get this mad at anyone. What's wrong?"

Hotaru laughed lightly, though it was almost humourless. "Over a few centuries you start to pick up different personality traits. I try not to get mad at them, but they make it so hard... You saw how they acted. They're worse than you, Usako and I have ever been. Put together. It just... frustrates me," she let out a long sigh as she glanced towards the other side of the room as if there was something interesting to see there.

"I understand," the younger woman nodded lightly. "But you just have to try and be more patient with them. You can't blame them for wanting to have a bit of fun after having to have slept for so long."

"But..."

"No buts," Chibiusa mirrored the tone she had used with her daughter barely an hour ago as she shook her head. "Besides, you know they're not the types that respond well to punishment anyway," she chuckled.

Hotaru laughed lightly again, this time having calmed down a lot more. "We can change that," she snickered lightly, her eyes glinting as plans flashed through her mind of what she could do to the women.

"Hotaru..."

"It was only a suggestion," she chuckled and Chibiusa smiled in response, glad to have her friend back to normal.

*****

"So what did you think?" Usako grinned after the closed the large doors behind her, hiding the peaceful little garden away from the rest of the world. "The Maenads really liked you," she nodded happily.

Eris nodded in response. Soon after she had finally figured out she was free to move, and teh sleepy bug that she had been taking care of wouldn't flee, the two women had grabbed her, Usako pushing her forward. Confused, she had panicked a little, almost scared that they were going to perform some kind of weird ritual on her.

Instead they just grabbed her hands and spun her around, and it didn't take her long to figure out that they were dancing. Or well, trying to dance. Eris soon realised she wasn't very graceful on her feet, and mostly stumbled through the whole thing. The other's didn't seem to mind though, and simply giggled in response, and she could tell that they were only being playful, and not meaning to insult. Though she was still confused about the whole 'they can giggle but have no voice thing'.

"Did you have fun?" Usako broke through her flashback, smiling up at her.

Eris smiled and nodded in response. "Yes, thank you for showing me that amazing sight," she couldn't help the warm look that broke onto her face, and she was surprised to feel small tears pricking in her eyes.

"Are you ok?" the younger girl's eyes widened, and she quickly moved to wrap her arms around the silver haired girl.

Surprised, Eris automatically returned the hug. This was the second time she'd been hugged in her life, and both times by the same family. Like with Usagi, she felt safe with Usako, even if the other was a lot smaller then the woman who had helped her. Slowly, she leant down to rest her cheek against Usako's head, smiling again. "I'm fine, thank you."

"I'm glad!" the little pinkette grinned as she pulled back from the hug. "Ok! Now I want you to meet some more of my friends!" she grabbed Eris' hand and once again dragged her forward. "You're gonna like them too and they'll like you!" she nodded as she pulled her along.

Eris couldn't help but chuckle, finding that as each minute passed she begun to feel more at home, and less afraid. That was when she made up her mind. Next time she saw Usagi she would tell her the truth... hopefully she wouldn't be too mad. "I'd love to meet your friends."