Zodia Leo Saga - Chapter 1

Hey, sorry it took so long for me to write another story. I've not been in a writing mood of late. I might not write much until the end of the school year (coming up soon). Anywho, Sailor Leo has arrived! I own all characters and creatures mentioned in this story, so no stealing please! Though I don't own Sailor Moon. Flame me when your done at lildragon@snet.net. Thanx! -Pretty Sammi

"Come on," Psyche is telling me as he softly shakes me with his paw. I envision the wonderful palace room back on Salinea, draped in gauze and silk with a warm fire softly licking the edges of it's urn. But now as I open my eyes and I am momentarily shocked by the cramped inn room as I realize that I had left Salinea behind yesterday.

I roll over and moan, "No, Psyche. It's too early."

"Wake up now," the lareon insists, more firmly this time.

"Fine fine, I'm awake." I hop out of bed. I delicately brush out my short pink hair and tie it back with a red ribbon. I run through my daily morning rituals like bathing, dressing, and praying, and before I go I grab my small silver star pendant with a pastel orange star sapphire set in the middle. I quickly fasten the clasp behind my neck and tuck it into my black sleeveless shirt. Psyche follows behind me as I exit the room and walk down the narrow inn stairs.

On the main level of the inn Psyche and I grab a small breakfast consisting of a ripe ruanem fruit and some pasinas juice before we head out the door and into the big city of Galern. Galern is a beautiful city in my opinion, mainly so because of the several jungle-like-parks that are scattered strategically throughout it.

It is in one of these marvelous parks that the Goddess of Luck decides to give Psyche and I a little help….

Psyche and I wander through Galern until mid afternoon. We buy some food from a street side vender who stares at Psyche with idiot written all over his face. Obviously familiars aren't common here on Salinea. We take our meal in a nearby park where the vegetation is so thick that only a little light can push its way past the leaves. The street lamps, which are actually orbs planted in the ground along side the paths, provide and eerie but sufficient light.

As I am about half finished with my meal, and I hear something. It sounds like crying, and Psyche hears it too. I can tell because his is prick up all of a sudden and they start to twitch. The noise is so soft and light that it tickles my golden cat ears, and they tremble irritably.

I put down my lunch as I decide that this noise is more important than my food. [Come on Psyche,] I think to him. Telepathy is an amazingly simple technique that Psyche recently taught me. It comes in handy remarkably often.

[Right, I'll go take a look first, and you wait here,] he thinks back. I know that this is most likely not a potentially dangerous situation, but better safe than sorry is my maxim. Within seconds Psyche returns and reports, [It's just a girl. Humanoid I'd guess. She seems extremely distressed. Maybe you should help her.]

[Alright,] I reply. I jump up from the ground, literally, with remarkable grace, one of the few things I take pride in, and follow Psyche to the girl.

The girl looks my age in years, perhaps a few years younger than I. She has longish white hair with bright pink streaks. I believe the highlights are natural since I smell no chemicals. This is a very rare trait in humans, or in any rate, humanoids.

I approach her, and I try my best to look cool and gentle at the same time. I don't want to seem like and idiot or a jerk or even too much and adult. She either doesn't notice me, or really doesn't care.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I ask her.

She stops sobbing, but her body jerks severely as she tries to choke down her tears. I sit down on the bench next to her. I just realized the bench is made of a durable plastic and is filled with air. It somehow holds it shape as well.

"I-I-I," she stutters. I guess that she is more upset then I estimated.

"Come on, you can trust me," I try to comfort her. This is harder than it seems, for the plastic this bench is made of is beginning to irritate my golden tail.

"I can't talk about it." She spits the word out like she unknowingly ate a jitacious fruit (these fruits are very bitter, and are commonly disliked). Most people would assume this means that she is forbidden to talk about it, but I think differently. If I'm right, she's telling me that she just…. Can't. It's too hard on the soul sometimes.

"That's alright. Is there anything I can do?" I ask her.

"No," she replies. Finally she gains control of her violent shudders and manages a smile for me. Probably the most that she can do, poor girl.

I just sit there with her for a while since it seems to be some sort of comfort, or at least I hope it is. Psyche is watching from the bushes. I guess he is not ready to reveal himself, or perhaps not. It's hard to read Psyche, even in his Leonian form. His rose-jade pendant is gently pulsing on it's silver chain around his neck. It's not enough to be noticed, but it's definitely emitting a faint light.

Psyche is blocking me as I try to reach him. Something must be up. I'll check later. Right now this girl is important, stranger or not.

"What's your name?" I ask her.

"Evangeline," she replies softly, "but just call me Eve."

She stares down at the ground, and sighs sorrowfully. Then she notices the small sun watch bracelet on her left wrist and yelps, "Oh god, I've gotta get a move on it." Then she jumps up and leaves. "I'll meet you tomorrow, same time and place," Eve calls over her shoulder as she runs. She never asked for my name.

Psyche hops out of the bushes and makes a balanced landing next to me on the air bench.

"So what distracted you so much?" I quiz him.

"That humanoid Eve is special. Her energy signature is similar to yours, but different too. I think that we've finally found another Sailor Zodia," he replies.

That girl? cat? no, whatever. She was strange. Oh well, I should be focusing on getting home before my father. Another night of terrors I suppose. I need to be there, to try if not succeed at preventing another dinner table fight. It'll only be worse if I don't make it home in time.

I rush into my home and close the door quietly behind me so as not to wake my older brother. He's sleeping on the couch, like usual, and probably doesn't want to be waken up until dinner is ready.

I close the kitchen door and turn on the radiophone. The earpiece fits perfectly over my ear as I dial up the Mannoiose restaurant. I order the usual, and the clerk tells me that the food will be delivered in a few minutes.

The front door slams open and shut, and my brothers continuous snoring is briefly disturbed, but it soon resumes its normal pattern. My father walks through the door, thoroughly furious. He's probably ticked at my brother for snoozing.

"Hi," I say as cheerfully as possible, but I feel like saying, 'Just cool it so maybe I could have just one night of peace.'

The door chime lets out a soft twinkling noise, and I run to the door. Sure enough, the deliveryman is there holding the food I ordered. "Thanks," I say as I hand him 20 credits for the meal.

"Sure thing," he grunts and leaves. As I reenter the kitchen, and my father is already sitting down and browsing through the news on his mini-broadcaster. I quietly set the table for three and put the food out.

"Go and wake up your brother," he orders me. I obey, and my brother is in an irritated mood when he wakes.

"Thanks a lump," he says as he throws himself off the couch.

My dad and brother and I quietly sit at the table as we eat. There's lots of friction between them, and I just get forgotten in the middle. It's very depressing, and in fact that's what had upset me so earlier.

At last my dad says to my older brother, "When do you think you'll be heading back to the university?" Here we go again.

"I'll go back when I feel like it," he replies.

I don't feel like hearing this again, so I slip out unnoticed. I grab my purse on the way out the door and head to the all night mall. I'll just hang there until tomorrow.

Here I am again at the park. Eve is waiting for me, as she said yesterday.

"Hey, uh...." she waves to me.

"Kitty," I inform her. This time Psyche is with me. He nearly prances beside me, and a smile, or at least the best smile a lareon can manage, is on his face. His long tail swishes just above the ground.

"You brought a friend," she smiles sweetly.

"Yes, this is Psyche," I say. "Psyche, this is Eve."

"It's my pleasure to meet you," Psyche says.

Eve seems a bit shocked, but shakily replies, "The pleasure is mine."

"There's something we need to talk to you about," Psyche tells her.

"We think that you might be a sacred warrior called a Sailor Zodia," I explain.

"So how do you know for sure?" she asks me nervously.

"Like this," Psyche says. His rose-jade pendant begins to glow, and a small star pendant like mine materializes in mid-air. This one has a deep red star sapphire. "Take the pendant," Psyche commands.

Eve takes the pendant as told, and the star sapphire begins to shimmer.

"Just as I predicted," he says. "Your officially a Sailor Zodia, Sailor Taurus. Welcome!"

"If you want to transform, just say 'Zodia Taurus Power'," I tell her.

"So, can I do it now?" she queries.

"You won't have time to do it sweetie," says a charming voice from behind. I recognize it immediately.

"Miazan," I say as I whip around to face her. She is a Dark Dragon Warrior, and has been tracking me for the past few months, ever since she discovered I was a Sailor Zodia. She has fiery red hair, a red handkerchief tank and short blue-jean shorts. It's almost impossible to go anywhere without her showing up. Apparently at I'm at the top of someone's hit list.

"Zodia Leo Power!" I say as I hold my pendant. In a second my light orange and pastel pink uniform materializes around me with a flash of light.

Eve decides to try it too, but Miazan makes her move first. "Nebula explosion!" she yells as a blast of energy forms in front of her. It hurtles towards Eve, but luckily Psyche pounces on her and knocks her back.

I smile as I anticipate my victory. "Lion's Pride!" I yell. A spirit pride of lions charges at Miazan, and, to my disappointment, is slightly off. My attack only distracts her from her original target, Eve. This gives Eve just the chance she needs.

"Zodia Taurus Power!" She whispers. She transforms as I, and her uniform is a deep red and deep violate. It's quite stunning on her, but I must clear my thoughts for battle now.

"Blinding Rage!" Eve shouts. Wonderful, she's even learned her attack! A powerful blast of energy flies at Miazan. Now she's lying in the dirt, severely cut in a few places.

"I'll be back Leo," Miazan mutters as she disappears.

"Wow this is so cool!" Eve, or rather, Sailor Taurus squeals. "So how often do I get to do this?"

"Well," I begin, "Psyche and I are traveling the universe and looking for others like you and I. You can stay here, or come with us. It's your choice, we can't force you."

Taurus sat down on the park pathway and thought for several minutes. All I can do right now is hope. Eve would make a great ally.

Finally she says to us, "There is nothing for me here. I don't like my family much, and there's little other wise. Besides, this Sailor Zodia thing seems much more important in the big scheme of things."