Chapter 7 A week later, the ball had been planned. It wasn't as extravagant as many of the others, but it definitely wasn't the worst either. There were beautiful decorations all around; streamers hanging from the ceilings, ribbons along the stairways and balloons everywhere. Food was not a problem either, for there were long buffets of every dish imaginable in the dining hall and appetizers in every other room. "Yes, this will do very nicely. Thank you ever so much," Neo-Queen Serenity said, "Of course, you're welcome to stay if you like. Royal Balls are open to everyone." "Thank you your Majesty. I think we will," the workers responded. <> <> <> <> <> The senior senshi were there early. Rei had a sleeveless, short, scarlet dress on; Makoto was in an evergreen, sequined dress that stopped at her heels; Minako wore an orange tube top connected to a white and orange layered skirt; Ami was dressed in a long-sleeved, puffy-shouldered, flowing, ocean blue dress; her daughter, Charlene, had a purple top with a shiny silver mini-skirt overall type thing over it and Setsuna was in a simple, but elegant, black dress. They, Serenity and Endymion were there looking around and making little last minute touch-ups. In about half an hour the real party began; starting with the King and Queen's traditional spotlight dance; which Danni would have been glad to sing for them, had she been there, but she showed up a little late, and alone at the moment. She took a chance by still wearing a shade extremely similar to that of the king's tuxedo, but it was her color. The velvet tropical purple dress, with two-inch wide straps that looped around the neck and crossed in back, had silver thread mixed in; giving it a metallic sheen. Endymion walked over while Serenity made the announcement to introduce her. "A few more minutes and you would have missed your cue," he said. "Sorry. I had some last-minute unpacking to do first," Danielle apologized. "So where's Motoki? I told everyone he was coming, and we'd like to meet him." "Oh, he's around......somewhere," she looked to the side. "Does he run off a lot?" Endymion said raising an eyebrow. "Well, actually-" Danielle thought about what to say, for in reality, she had told Motoki to stay out of sight until she could find something to act as a mask for him. What Endymion had suggested seemed as good an excuse as any, "Yeah." "Then we'll see him eventually, huh?" Danielle nodded. "Come on. You'd better get up there." "I didn't know I had to give a speech." "Just say a few things to introduce yourself." "Okay," she said cheerfully and stepped on stage. "And here's our new senshi now," Serenity announced. Serenity walked over to her and whispered, "There are going to be people asking questions; just answer honestly." "Right," Danielle took the microphone. "Hi. I hope everyone's having fun so far," she said with a confidence that showed she was no stranger to the stage. "Well, my name's Danielle, and I just got moved into my new apartment today, so things have been a little hectic," she laughed a little. "I'm very eager to get to know everyone around here, but I guess you should know me first. Why don't we just start with the questions the Queen said you had for me?" The reporters raced for the hand-held microphone. "We've heard you have unusual powers, right?" The quickest one asked, "What exactly are they?" "It's very simple when you see it, but kinda confusing to explain. You see, I sing songs when I want to attack. Whatever situation I sing about happens." He didn't quite understand, but before he could get another word out, someone else grabbed the mike, "You should know that you're supposed to report here as soon as you know you are a senshi. If it's true that you're a super, then you've been a senshi for a while. Why'd you wait?" The other senshi looked back and forth at each other. He had brought up a good point; citizens were supposed to report to the Queen's service within 24 hours of realizing they had the senshi gene. Danielle became wondered how to respond, but then it hit her: she had been there! "I've been helping Queen Serenity longer than anyone," she explained, "except, of course, for Pluto and her mother." "That's impossible! The seniors and King Endymion have known her since the Silver Millennium!" the reporter argued. "First of all, 'impossible' is not a word you say in my presence," she replied in a mock prissy tone. "Second, in case you haven't noticed, I'm older than any of the senior senshi except Pluto. I may not have been here, but my songs were." She turned to the Queen, "Don't you remember when the negaverse took over the superstar, Saffron, and held a bogus talent search? That was before any of the others had shown up." She began singing, "Each night, I sit and dream of the stars I see in magazines. I love to lose myself in the stories of the lives they lead. Why can't I be like them? Living life with fortune and fame? I know I've got what it takes. I've just got to start on my way. "I wanna be a star, star, star, gonna have my name up in lights. I wanna be a star, star, star, I'm gonna blaze across the sky like meteorite." Serenity stared unbelievingly; she did remember. Remembered that fight, and now recalled that in every major battle, there seemed to be some sort of music in the background, giving her and her friends energy and hope. "Or how about in the Starlight Tower? When Tuxedo Mask was near death, and we first found out you were the Moon Princess? How do you think the seven rainbow crystals ever melded in the first place?" She said smugly as another song began. "Deep in my soul, love so strong, it takes control. Now we both know. The secret's bared; the feelings shown. Driven far apart. I'll make a wish on a shooting star. "There will come a day, somewhere far away. In your arms I'll stay, my only love. Even though you're gone, love will still live on. The feeling is so strong, my only love. "There will come a day, somewhere far away. In your arms I'll stay, my only love. You've reached the deepest part, of the secret in my heart. I've known it from the start, my only love. My only love." Now the others were in disbelief. They certainly remembered every detail of that day. How could this stranger know so much? And she wasn't done yet either. She knew about them too. "Makoto, remember when you were lying in the hospital, telling the story of Ken, your best friend?" "When I think about the first time I thought I found someone who cared for me, but things were not as they appeared to be. Rainy day man, on your shoulder I cried, when my first brush with love left me shaking inside. "Ever since I can remember, just like a brother you've been strong and true. Always been the one to see me through. Rainy day man, you're much more than a friend. I would give anything just to see you again." "Rei, what about the talent show? And that last-minute song you thought of?" "I've waited all of my life for the day when love appears. Like a fairy tale in days gone by, he will rescue me from my fears, and now I feel him standing close to me, and how can I tell him what he means to me? My heart stands still. Has he come? "Oh starry night, is this the moment I dream of? Oh starry night, tell me, is he my own true love?" "Ami, How about the time you were going to Germany to study abroad? You seemed so intent to leave, but something held you back. Somehow you knew your friends were in danger." "I hear the voice of my destiny call, and I know I must go find my way. The hardest part will be leaving you all, and I'll miss you much more than words can say. "My intuition says something is wrong; my friends said they'd come and say goodbye. Oh, I can't go till I know what's going on. I fear there is danger somewhere nearby. "I'll be only a memory away. If you need me, you can call me anytime of day, and I'll be there, it's okay. Only a memory away." "Minako-" Danielle began, but stopped, narrowed her eyes and looked around. "What is it?" Minako asked. "Trouble," Rei felt the vibes too. Out of nowhere, a pack of wild dogs that had escaped the deserted pound, eluded the guards and had followed thier noses to the food, were now tearing through the ballroom. People screamed and scattered as the dogs came, leaping and snapping at their heels. The guards were frantically trying to catch them, but all their attempts had failed. One charged toward Queen Serenity, and took what could've been a fatal pounce. The senshi got out their power sticks, but before they could transform, a bolt of light streaked through the air, and a rose sliced the dog across the face, causing it to yelp loudly and stop dead in its tracks, but the rose also curved and cut Minako in the arm by accident. Serenity looked at Endymion, assuming that he was the one who had thrown the rose, but was probably just a little out of practice. Her husband, though, was staring in amazement at the injured animal; his silver rose still in hand. Serenity became confused; Endymion was the only one she knew who had powers like that. She turned toward the rose that was sticking out of the floor; it was........yellow? As the dogs were quickly captured one by one, with the senshi's help, and sent back to the pound, everyone's eyes were locked on the top of the stair's balcony. There was a teen that looked exactly like Endymion, except for his blonde hair. He was standing in a follow through stance wearing a canary yellow tuxedo and cape that matched the color of the bows that would have been on Danielle's senshi outfit. "You should wait until your aim is better!" Danielle scolded. The kid jumped down and landed in front of her, "Sorry Mom." The other senshi's eyes widened. They switched from Endymion, to Motoki, to Danielle and back to Endymion. "Motoki!" Danielle whined and turned bright red. "Oooops," he realized he probably shouldn't have said that. "Endymion," Serenity said part dazed, part confused and part upset, "Why does Danielle's son look like you?" Endymion was out of it, I mean totally gone. He was just standing there, staring at Motoki, extremely confused. "I can explain," Danielle said calmly. "Please do," Serenity growled. "The time has come for family reunions, huh?" Danielle sighed. Serenity did not like the sound of that. "For those of you who don't know, this is Motoki, my son." Now the people in the crowd who hadn't heard him say "Mom" understood why the Queen was so upset, and joined the others in extreme curiosity, especially the tabloid writers. "He looks like Endymion, because, well," she explained, "he takes after me." Now everyone had confusion plastered on their faces, but Danielle continued. "Motoki is also known as..." Danielle looked down at him in the yellow tux, "the Chartreuse Fox. The name means the same as what 'Tuxedo Mask' meant to Endymion in the past." "That still doesn't explain this," Serenity said impatiently. "It's a long story, your majesty. I'm getting to it, and it's not what you think," she hesitated, "First, you need to know that I refer to Motoki and Endymion as 'Tuxedo Warriors.' All right, pull up a seat," she said in that perky, sarcastic voice of hers, "you're gonna need it. "You've learned over the past month that when a Senshi and a Thalaxian interbreed, their powers combine as well, forming new, special powers, and that a daughter of the two," she looked at the queen, "is a Thalaxian-Senshi, but," she emphasized, "if the couple has a son, you get a Senshi-Thalaxian," she turned to Endymion, "a Tuxedo Warrior." Serenity looked at her husband, so that explained where his power came from. Not even he remembered his own parents from the Silver Millennium, but if what Danielle said was true, that meant that he, like herself, had a senshi mother and thalaxian father. "However," Danielle continued, "if the couple has both a boy and a girl, you get something a bit different," images began flashing through Endymion's mind once more. The thalaxian gene is most easily transferred to a boy, so, in this situation, he receives a senshi gene and a dominant thalaxian gene; creating a Tuxedo Warrior. The girl receives a senshi gene and a recessive thalaxian gene, but the recessive gene still has powers nonetheless, so you end up with the rare phenomenon known as......a general senshi, but this only happens under one condition," she raised her hand to her face, and the citizens watched curiously. With this little bit of information, their assumptions about King Endymion and Danielle's relationship had changed. "The brother and sister have to be," she paused and lifted the mask from her face, revealing another mirror image of Endymion, "twins."