Battle & Romance Senshi of the 6th Dynasty

Author: loki

Rated: PG13

Prologue

Battle and Romance: Senshi of the Sixth Dynasty

Book I

Digitized

Crystalized

You bathe in refracted dawns

And glorious sunsets

A flower unfolding in my sight

Taking my breath away

A kingdom of gemstone

I bow to you with my heart

Spires proud

You've endured six millennia now

And shall bloom for evermore

Oh Crystal Tokyo

Oh Crystal Tokyo

I love you

(Inspired by Ten C C's ‘Tokyo' from Bloody Tourists CD)

I can speak with dolphins, and I love to swim in the ocean at dawn butt naked, with only the sea and its inhabitants for company.

I can cool drinks in the summer just by thinking on it, and make it rain with or without clouds.

I am a celestial warrior, a mermaid with legs.

I am Sailor Mercury.

Fumie

Crystal Kingdom

Sixth Dynasty

62088: CK (Cristal Kingdom)

I was a keen student, and had to know more about the past. Sailor Moon, I was intrigued by her back-story, a girl with a natural affinity with animals, particularly bunny-rabbits.

Yes, I shared this gift with my ancestress, Tsukino Usagi of the 21st century Old World.

My name is Asukai Mariko; I spend much of my free time, bunnies in tow, indulging my second passion, building solar powered vintage sports cars in my back yard with the blessing of my parents.

I was a clever child according to my sensei, family and friends but I tried hard not to let it all go to my head, but hey, I am who I am, aren't I?

I continued to bloom into my adolescence and the world was mine, much like the sentiments expressed in the 21st centry classic title by Hatsune Miku, I loved her music and that song in particular.

I had mounted three Toyota Slipstreams: black, silver and my favorite, a hot bubblegum pink baby, she and the other vehicles floating upon a cushion of anti-grav were so beautiful to look at.

Soon, we'd be taking one of these for a spin around Crystal Tokyo and venturing out along the coast in the summer.

Oh, it would be so much fun as the autopilot feature could be pre-programmed and insure we got to and from our appointed destination intact.

The skies were almost clear but for some lazy fluffy banks of powdery white caressing the horizon, the cherry Blossom trees moving imperceptibly as they swayed in tandem with the Neko Palms, so-named as these had fronds that looked more like cat's ears than the classic palm.

I was researching for my history assignment and hadn't realized what I had let myself in for; wow, it was one crazy period in our pre-icy past.

I was almost swelling with data from my Crystal Pod Cradle and why I preferred to study out on the patio to keep me grounded given the material I was reading, watching and writing about on my virtual screen pad.

I shivered to think what kind of world it might have become if not for the Sailor Senshi and their efforts to fight for love and justice, and yeah even the Big Freeze helped.

"Sweetheart, here's your drink, now take a break, drink and these…, your favorite!"

"Arigatou Mom," I said with enthusiasm.

I reached for the choc-chip cookies, sticking one in my mouth and resisted stuffing another in my gob. We giggled.

I know; I eat like a food processor. I still do that when nobody is looking or at home, stuff to cookies into my mouth and my cheeks bulge like twin caldera volcanoes about to explode.

I swallowed.

"Thanks mom, this stuff is pretty full-on, but I am enjoying it though," I said, picking up the cool moist glass of juice while admiring my cars hovering under a translucent white synthoplex cover suspended over my babies protecting them against the elements, rain was expected tonight.

Later, I would start working on them before Aiko rocked up.

"Okay, if you need anything else, I will be in my study. Dad's coming home after sunset and we're eating out so you've got that to look forward to dear."

I smiled up at my raven-haired mother's kind and pretty face, her youthful sundress a little shorter than my own, she had a good figure and was a health freak like me. She took my hands, squeezed them, kissed the top of my head and left me to my work.

"Thank you mom," I called after her retreating form, still youthful as she returned my smile.

"All part of the service dear."

---

I soon lost myself in the information that flowed off the virtual screen like an ocean at high tide. You see, much of the food we grow today in Neo Japan had originated from vast storage domes all over the country. I was aware of similar stores stashed away from the hungry eyes of the global food and water resource management Enforcers and their insane protocols. Before their demise, this global agency born out of North America operated with impunity generating fear and suspicion across most of the planet with the exception of most of Asia, Switzerland, Greenland, Iceland, most of Latin America and some island states.

Reconstituted from genetic samples, or modified with the greatest care by Alliance scientists the new kingdom had restored and rebuilt the biosphere under the Neo Queen's guidance.

Back when the glacial onslaught hit, the world was on the brink of all-out war but the ice put pay to all that.

The fear, the migrations from the effected regions I watched unfolding on the virtual screen, the animation and CGI so real and fast moving I shuddered as I watched the images produced by the historical archive come to life before me. As the cold seized Tokyo of the 21st century, Sailor Moon and her companions fell into a deep sleep, frozen in crystal cocoons for the duration.

The ice melted, the Crystal Kingdom born a thousand years on, but not without its teething problems as it continued to grow and blossom. several new enemies including the Doom Phantom, Prince Diamond and much later, the Shachihoko, a deadly cult and criminal organization versed in dark magic having survived in subterranean ghettos under Japan's major capitals attempted a new rebellion that was put down by senshi and Shitennou forces in short order but not without loss of life and much suffering first.

Reading of their exploits was freaky.

The rise of the Crown Princess lightened the mood as my research took a more positive turn, a new beginning and the first Dynastic age announced by the Neo-Queen on her 75th year of her reign where she handed over to her daughter, Serenity Dawn once known as Small Lady.

---

Closing my eyes, leaning back, taking a deep breath as I stretched I opened my eyes, stared into the gossamer cloud formations, picturing all I had learned about our ancient planet, boy it was a lot to take in.

I then heard the cheerful voice of my friend Aiko, greeting mom as her clicking heels echoed on the flagstone as she slid the beaded curtain aside to join me.

She patted my shoulder and gazed upon the garden as I took in a deep breath.

"Hi Bunny!"

"Hi," I said, handing her a cookie that she thanked me for and began to eat, rather than stuff down her throat unlike me.

The butterflies and other insects were beautiful, the flowers fragrant and the breeze laced with the promise of a late afternoon shower brought with it a sweet backdrop to the garden paradise that was my home as my best friend and I watched the setting entranced.

"There's more to you than just a penchant for attracting all New Juuban's bunnies, Bunny," Aiko giggled, and we both cracked up.

"Oh, Aiko, you up to sky-skating tomorrow night?" I asked her, arching an eyebrow, handing her a soda as a little grey bunny, with white ears got up on its hind legs to sniff at the top of the soft drink bottle. I poured some into a bowl, and the bunny drank with relish.

"You just try keeping me away."

I nodded while typing away on my virtual keypad floating like a colorful honeyeater in front of my face in-between giving my attention to my friend and the bunnies gathering around my feet as I worked.

"Roger that." I giggled, picking up my drink now half-full.

"Those schematics, they're awfully pretty you know," Aiko said, mesmerized by the floating console.

"Yeah, sure are, hmmm…, by the way, Aiko, make-sure that you bring that sexy brother of yours along tomorrow, too. He can't wimp out this time around, and besides, he has to shout us pizza, it's his turn!"

"I don't think you'll have any problems there, he is coming, but sexy, my brother? I always thought the two of you hated each other, but…"

I stood up and stretched my arms over my head.

"I adore him, I mean, teasing and bating him that is, and…he is kind of cute you know." I threw her a cheeky grin.

Aiko winked at my reddened face and I began shuffling my feet and coughed. I stifled a giggle.

"Oh Mariko, whatever, so, we're meeting the girls at the plaza at 8 PM. I'll see you there… Got to rush, mom is expecting me to cook dinner for her and her latest boyfriend. He's nice, but a bit old for me."

We laughed.

The guy was actually pitching to be our agent for the following year's international tour. I had just re-signed with Crystal Tower Music. We would be recording a new album in six weeks, a single would be released first but. Sorry, I neglected to mention that I headed up a cool girl-band that toured the world at least once a year since my fourteenth birthday two and a bit years back now.

The single we'd recorded was a cover of Momoiro Clover Z's Orange Note very popular when we performed it at the Starlight Dome. The girls and I were looking forward to it.

The new songs I'd written were the best I'd ever done, and the girls were adding their own talent to the songwriting frenzy, we had enough for a double album, two music pods with near fifty tracks.

"Okay, catch you then, I'll bring my Bunny-mobile. See you later woman!" I called out, catching her wave as she plunged back into the house.

I finished my homework, and turned on the music using the veranda as an audio-visual holo-conductive sound bank and let my hair down, and I had a lot of it actually to untie and dance on the patio as mom and my siblings clapped and joined the fun.