Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Crystal Flaws - Book 2 - Crystal Fears ❯ Chapter 2

The next day Small Lady asked her Senshi to meet in her room after breakfast, so they could talk. Small Lady again apologized to them for the harder workload. They couldn't stay mad at her. They were stiff, but they could see Small Lady was seriously suffering. They brought some aspirin and a heating pad to help her. Small Lady was grateful, but she had an agenda and quickly got to the point. “How often are they going to torture us like that each week? Is it the same each time? Have you found any way to make this easier, and have you ever been able to win?”

 

Ceres answered, “Three.”

 

Vesta said, “Yes.”

 

Pallas admitted, “No.”

 

Juno stated, “Only once or twice.”

 

Small Lady's response was a dismayed, “Icck!” She thought a moment and asked, “Have you tried to beg or bribe the Planet Senshi or the Soldiers?”

 

She received four glares. They didn't even bother to answer her.

 

“Yeah, I guess you're right,” Small Lady sighed. She continued with, “Well, we have to think of something because I hate cleaning and I really hate losing!” At first, the four girls were stunned by Small Lady's vehemence then they fell off their pillows laughing. Small Lady scowled and said, “I mean it!” which only made them laugh harder.

 

They finally calmed down and Vesta agreed, “I guess it wouldn't hurt to try.”

 

Small Lady smiled, and they all put their minds to work. They scribbled on paper, they argued, they laughed, and kept at it through lunch and almost to dinner. By the time they were done they had a few strategies to try.

 

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Small Lady panted quietly. She had managed to climb up and hide in a treetop undetected. She hoped no one would see or hear her as she waited for a soldier to hide behind the trunk of her tree. One showed up fairly soon and she prayed their plan would work as she launched herself off the branch onto his back. Muffling his surprised yell with the scarf in her hand, she used her powers to stun him for a short time. She then smashed a green dot in the hair on his head as she pushed and scrubbed his face in the dirt. Quickly pulling the scarf, she leapt away from his field of vision. When she took a chance to peek around a corner of the building concealing her she saw the soldier sitting on the ground, wiping his eyes, and looking dazed. He started to grumble as he tried to pull the dot out of his hair while walking off the field. [Yes! It worked!] she thought with triumph.

 

It became a ritual for Small Lady and her Senshi to meet in the morning the day after their Senshi Training. They would go over what had worked for them, and what they could do better. The girls even started to train in hand-to-hand combat together on their own time. So far they weren't winning so they were still cleaning the barracks, but each time they played they would get more soldiers out. The Planet Senshi noticed the younger Senshi were working together better. The soldiers couldn't help but notice, too. Each time they trained more soldiers left the field hurting. It was getting harder for the Planet Senshi to convince the soldiers they wanted to volunteer for the abuse.

 

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The day finally came when the younger Senshi managed to win the majority of the matches. When Sailor Jupiter announced the Senshi Team had won and could be dismissed, the girls whooped, hollered and pounded each other on the back. The soldier's expressions were classic disbelief and dismay. They never thought they'd actually end up having to clean the barracks!

 

The news of the girl's victory quickly spread in the palace. At dinner, Small Lady's parents congratulated her and her Senshi for a job well done. Sailor Jupiter made them a special cake and dessert turned into an impromptu party with all the Senshi. The off duty CTEM soldiers joined them.

 

Small Lady decided to take advantage of the good will by asking her parents if she and her Senshi could go in the city the next day to shop alone. Her parents said no, of course, but Small Lady could see they felt bad about it. Like any normal teenager, she saw her opportunity and took it.

 

“Why not?” Small Lady wailed loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

 

Her father calmly answered, “You know it's too dangerous for you to be in the city alone. If the Planet Senshi were available to go with you it would be different.” Small Lady pouted as she pointed out that her parents had run all over Tokyo alone when they were her age.

 

Her mother said, “We weren't royalty then.”

 

Small Lady was running out of arguments. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she whined, “It's not fair that I can't do fun things just because I'm a Princess!” She knew she was pushing it, but she really didn't want to lose! She could see her father's face turning stern, and her mother's eyes sent her a pleading warning to give it up. Unexpectedly, help came from a different direction.

 

Terrance had been quietly listening to the exchange, as had everyone else in the room. He interrupted, “If I may speak, I might have a solution to the problem.” All eyes turned to Terrance.

 

King Endymion hesitated then said, “Very well, what do you suggest?”

 

Terrance continued, “If the Planet Senshi aren't available, maybe the Princess and her Senshi could have a diplomatic escort instead.”

 

The King protested, as he shook his head no. “A diplomatic escort is only one soldier instead of four powerful Senshi. It's definitely not enough.”

 

Neo-Queen Serenity put her hand on her husband's arm and spoke, “Dear, four others in the party are Senshi who are gaining more power each day. Small Lady has shown she's improving in self-defense, too. I think what Terrance proposes would be sufficient.”

 

Her husband looked at her like she had abandoned him. He sighed, “Fine, I will agree to the diplomatic escort with conditions. Terrance, *you* will be the Princess's official diplomatic escort soldier. Also, any and all travel plans by the Princess and her court that include leaving the palace must be approved by the Queen, a Planet Senshi, or by me.”

 

Small Lady couldn't believe it. They could go! She ran to her parents and hugged them. Her father looked her in the eye and said, “This means when you are out you will do what Terrance tells you to do. If he feels something isn't safe, you will not argue. If you give him trouble, I will stop the trips immediately. Understood?” Small Lady nodded her head yes enthusiastically.

 

Terrance sat down disconcerted. He hadn't meant to volunteer. He had only meant to give a suggestion. He groaned silently as he realized he'd now be traipsing all over Crystal Tokyo shopping with five squealing teenage girls. [I should have kept my big mouth shut!] he thought with annoyance.

 

Sailor Mars frowned at the guarded expression she saw on Terrance's face. She could guess how many different ways he was mentally kicking himself right now. She opened her appointment book and added a meeting with Terrance first thing the next morning. She decided she would give him a different perspective regarding his new assignment, and also a few warnings.

 

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The next morning Terrance found himself standing at attention in Sailor Mars' office. She motioned for him to sit. Gathering her thoughts, Mars then looked him level in the eye as she spoke with deadly seriousness. “The King is entrusting you with one of the two things that mean more to him than his entire kingdom, and even more than his own life. You need to know the King, the Queen and the Planet Senshi are all depending on you to do a good job protecting the Princess. No other soldier has ever solely had this responsibility. We are expecting perfection from you in this assignment, and we won't accept anything less. If you betray this trust, you will wish we had court marshaled you and sent you to the Uranus moon mines. Is what I've said perfectly clear to you?”

 

When Mars had started speaking Terrance had been surprised then shaken by the full implication of her words. He knew she spoke the truth and he knew he could do the job required. He returned her look with determination and conviction as he said, “Yes, I fully accept the assignment, and I'm grateful to be of service to the Royal Family of Crystal Tokyo.”

 

Mars nodded her head affirmatively to accept his oath. She spoke again, “The Asteroid Senshi are Princess Small Lady Serenity's personal friends. However, they work for CTEM just like you and I do. If necessary, you will need to depend on them to fight and protect the Princess. You and they are a team, and you are the superior in this situation. They are young, but they know their duty to the Princess. They know they are required to carry out their duty bravely. If in that situation the Princess tries to save them by putting herself in danger, you are required to protect her from herself and her feelings for her friends.”

 

Terrance gravely nodded his head yes. “I understand what is required of my team for this assignment.”

 

Mars smiled and said, “One other thing. Congratulations on your promotion, Master-Sergeant Terrance Donovan. She handed him his new insignia, shook his hand and dismissed him. She knew her words had accomplished what she intended.

 

Terrance stepped out the door into the morning sunlight slightly stunned and surprised. As he pinned on his new rank, the world suddenly seemed a more sinister place than it had been before. The full weight of his new assignment sat heavily on his shoulders. Terrance thought about it, and realized he now had a better understanding of King Endymion's desire to keep his daughter inside the palace walls. Terrance laughed quietly at himself as he shook his head. [I'm a trained CTEM soldier and Royal Palace guard. I, and my team (Can't forget them!) are fully qualified to protect one little Princess!] With that thought, Terrance went to look for the Princess and his new team.

 

The trip to the city went well. The only snag was before they left. Small Lady had insisted she use the Luna Disguise Pen on Terrance's uniform so they could look around the city somewhat anonymously. Terrance first objected, but then realized she had a point. Small Lady and the Asteroid Senshi had civilian clothes on and his uniform did tend to get noticed in the city. Small Lady waved her pen at him and said some words. Suddenly he was wearing casual khaki pants, boat shoes and a light purple shirt.

 

“Purple!” Terrance exclaimed in horror as Small Lady and her friends giggled. He demanded, “Make my shirt blue.” Small Lady shook her head no. “Why not?!” he almost roared. He could already feel himself starting to loose patience with the Princess.

 

“Because I think it looks nice on you, that's why!” she retorted with her arms firmly folded in front of her and a pout.

 

Terrance sighed and suddenly found it hard to stay mad at her. “Fine, forget the color then and let's go,” he said resignedly. Small Lady graced him with her brilliant smile and the rest of the day was actually a little fun. If asked, Terrance would never have admitted that fact.

 

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Over the next year, Small Lady grew not only into a beautiful young lady, but also in grace and leadership ability. Each time she and her court went into the city more people recognized their Princess. Eventually even Terrance's imposing countenance was not enough to keep Small Lady's admirers away. Terrance took his job seriously and stayed glued to her side during these trips. He noticed that she was gracious to each person. No matter what her agenda was, Small Lady would take the time to talk with the people who approached her. Terrance also admired her diplomacy. Only rarely did he have to step in and deal with someone. Most of the time Small Lady was able to charm and disarm even the most antagonistic and disgruntled of the subjects. As Terrance got to know her better, he found he liked the strong spirited and spunky Princess.

 

 

Continued…

 

This story was edited by Meara, one of the *BEST* editors in the entire world! (I'm *SO LUCKY* to have had her help!! Thank you Meara! ^_^ ) Meara is also one of the greatest Sailor Moon Fanfiction authors around. If you haven't read her stories then do so right away! ^_^

Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did like my story, or if you have any (politely worded) suggestions/comments about my story, please let me know. I truly appreciate feedback. (The notification emails also remind me to post the next chapter ^_^; ) You can email me at ndeblock@att.net .



Bye, Luna Hope



Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all her friends (except for Terrance Donovan - He's mine! ^_^ ) don't belong to me. They belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I just borrowed them for a little bit of fun.