Stars in a New Sky

Chapter 7: Identity

Minako greeted the first rays of the sun from the floor of her bedroom. She stared up at her ceiling puzzled as to how she'd ended up on the floor. Slowly, she sat up...and immediately regretted it. Her head pounded furiously. What happened last night? She remembered coming home late after practice and making a half-hearted attempt at doing her homework, then...nothing. A quick glance in her mirror showed her she was still wearing her uniform.

"You're finally awake. I'm glad. I was starting to get a little worried." A voice above her spoke. Perched on the edge of her bed was a white cat.

Crab walking away from the bed, Minako gasped. "Did you just talk?!"

The cat sighed. "Yes. My name is Artemis. I was sent by the goddess Selene to watch over you."

Reaching down, Minako pinched her arm. She winced at the sharp pain. No, she wasn't dreaming. She was definitely awake.

"An evil force has returned to destroy this world. You and the other Sailor Guardians must protect the princess and fight this evil."

"Sailor- what?" Minako stood, claiming a minor victory when the room didn't spin.  She eyed Artemis critically. "That sounds crazy. What happened to me last night?"

Artemis groaned inwardly. This was going to be harder than he thought. Venus had a way of cutting to the chase in most situations. He could see that she hadn't changed even in this life. "Well...you passed out. It was probably due to the princess' awakening. I'm sure the other guardians must have felt it too."

Minako frowned. She vaguely recalled an incredible pain in her head and voice crying out. Had that been the princess the cat mentioned? She shook her head. This was too unbelievable...and yet it definitely wasn't a dream. Guardians who fight against evil? It sounded like something out of a video game. 

"We were just going to keep an eye on you two, but now that Metalia has made a move, we need you." Artemis steeled himself for a hard sell. Venus was stubborn, but once she'd set her mind to something she didn't back down. 

"You need me? I'm just a teenager and you expect me to fight evil. How do you even know I'm a sailor whatever? "

Artemis sighed. This was going to take a while. He hoped Luna was having a better time convincing her charge of her duty.

***

Usagi opened her eyes before the alarm went off. It was no great feat as she didn't really sleep much that night. Her restless mind would conjure images of monsters and battles she didn't recognize. Every time she awoke she realized it was probably something from her past life. Past life? It felt strange to even consider. Let alone that she was a princess. An echo of laughter reverberated in her mind. Was that Endymion's laughter? The dream prince who was actually real? Unbidden, tears welled in her eyes. A heavy melancholy weighed on her chest. 

She died...he died...and according to Luna everyone had died. 

And now she was supposed to stop it from happening again. How was she supposed to do that?! She was just a clumsy girl with bad test grades. There was nothing special about her. You saved us. Mamoru's voice broke into her shame spiral. The memory brought warmth to her heart. She'd saved him? She didn't remember doing anything. All she could remember was feeling a calm settle over her. It was as if  her mind had taken a snooze and her body had been on autopilot. 

The screech of the alarm startled her. Usagi sat up, wiping her eyes. She almost cried out when Luna spoke. "Are you feeling okay, princess?"

Usagi  bit her lip. Princess' probably didn't cry as much as she did. She tried nodding, but could only manage a jerky tilt of her head. As more tears coursed down her face, she shook her head. She wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her face. "I-I don't think I can do this!"