Rei waved her hand lazily, watching as the volcano she resided near sent smoke wafting into the sky. It would erupt soon, though it was too lazy and too old a girl to blow her top violently, and she wondered if there would be a Gathering to observe and bathe in the fresh lava. Probably. She groaned, knowing that her father would come. The less she saw of him, the happier she stayed. "Lover! What are you up to?" Rei stood as her Faeri lover appeared beside her, landing in the shade of the rocky caves the Flame Walker called home, safe from the scorching midday sun. "Minako," Rei purred. "Where have you been?" The petite Faeri laughed as she folded her butterfly-like wings and kissed the taller, red-headed woman. "Hey, Rei. Whatcha' doin'?" "Watching Ol' Remih. She's going to erupt soon, and there's sure to be Flame Dancing. It'll be nice to see other Flame Walkers again." "I wanna' come." "I want you to be there, my love, but Faeries can't walk on lava." "We're magical, lover. I can walk on lava if you can get me an invitation." Rei purred as she pulled Minako into her arms, the silk layers of her dress swirling around the pair and creating the illusion of a dust storm. "You are most definitely invited, Minako, but my father really isn't going to like it." "I thought he didn't pay attention to you." "Not usually, since I'm his youngest and least necessary daughter. But on Festival Days and Gatherings, he notices. He expects me to have a boyfriend by the next seasonal Grand Festival." "What, am I not good enough?" Rei pulled Minako down onto the sand and caressed the blonde's cheek. "You little imp," she whispered. "Let's make the most of this glorious day, shall we?" Minako laughed. *~*~*~*~*~*~* Haruka landed before a huge cave, its darkness and cold stone freezing her, the slight touch of claustrophobia all Winged Folk suffered from stopping her in her tracks. The wind screamed at her, begging her to be careful and leave the dangers of the underworld alone, return to the skies, but the princess felt a storm coming, and the mountains were higher even than the ones she came from. She had not been able to find a lower pass through which she could fly and there were no caves on the higher western slopes, so the underground caves were her only choice. She was more curious than afraid, and she hated being out in storms more than venturing into dark and damp caves buried miles under earth. She folded her golden wings, flexed her claws, and entered the cave, pupils widening to admit as much light as possible. She heard a whispering, a slithering, the instant she entered the cave. She could tell from the faint and distant echoes that the cave system was huge and extensive, hopefully ending on the eastern edge of the mountain range. She paused, the cold, sharp scent of fresh water reaching her nostrils, and she knelt down, fingers following the damp rock until they reached the underground river she had sensed. Grasping the edge of the stream with one clawed hand, she reached the other out and down, searching for the opposite bank and the bottom of the stream. Finding neither, she ceased her exploration and scooped a little water up, sniffing before tasting. It seemed perfectly clean. She drank a little more, ears twitching as the sound of thunder and heavy rain beat against the ground outside the cave she had entered. Her thirst quenched, Haruka reached into the sack she had tied to her belt and sighed. There was precious little left. Pulling out the fruited bread her people had once been famous for, before the Peoples of the World separated, she consumed one small piece, finding the last of the meat from the ptarmigan she had killed the day before. There was little to eat so early in the spring, and what she could find was often too small or too young. Finishing her meal, Haruka straightened and headed deeper into the caves, following the stream. She felt a cool breath chill her skin, and she spun, eyes and wings wide, desperate to find the source of her unease. But she couldn't see anything. "Hello?" Her tentative call silenced the slithers, and she took a deep breath, closing her wings and relaxing. Calm down, she ordered herself. It was probably nothing. "Misstabiss," a voice whispered, inches from Haruka's feet. "Tssirrassii," came from the other side. "Missiirr?" "Bisssssss." "Antzzess!" At the last cry, a fierce order, all of the slithering vanished, and a pale blue-purple light appeared before the winged woman. It brightened, revealing a small woman with purple eyes, short black hair, and glistening white skin. The light originated from luminescent cells on the tip of her long, thin tail, which she held closer to Haruka to examine the visitor more closely. The white-skinned woman wore a simple skin-tight purple skirt, having no need to hide her breasts in the dark underground environment. Her ears were pressed flat against her head, and her eyes possessed the inner eyelid common to flying or swimming species. Her nostrils were two slits, able to close completely and prevent water from entering, and bluish gill flaps on the sides of her neck fluttered in the dry air. "A Darkling," Haruka breathed, keeping her voice low. She knew from the ancient legends that the inhabitants of the underground not only had supersensitive eyes but extra keen hearing, and she didn't want her voice to hurt the girl. "Yes, Winged One." The Darkling's voice was barely a whisper. "There have been no visitors for a very long time, and never a Sky Person. Your people abandoned this coast long ago." "I just came in here because of the storm. I was headed east over the mountains when it hit, and my people don't like being out in storms. We can't fly and the senses we use for navigation are dulled." "I can't help you with the storm, but I can help you get to the eastern side of these mountains. I am Hotaru, High Princess of the Western Kingdom and Queen of the new united Kingdom Under the Mountains. Now that the two kingdoms are united through my marriage to the heir of the East, I can take you to someone in the center of the Range who does know about storms." She closed her huge eyes and let out a soft whistle, deep but light. "I do not know the exact way to Her place, since it is in the East, but my wife Shioko does. She comes." "Wife?" Hotaru nodded as a shadow slipped up beside her, red eyes glinting in the light. "Yes, of course. What did you expect? Oh, I forgot. You Surface-Dwellers have males as well as females. All Darklings are female." "Why?" The shadow beside Hotaru lit her own tail. "We have always had ten times as many females, dating back to when we lived part of the time on the surface. Through the year, we would mate each other, female to female, and birth daughters. As fall came and the food became less and less easy to find, mated pairs would stop breeding and some of our older females would spontaneously develop male genitalia, becoming males as winter set in. Each male would mate up to ten receptive females, impregnating them with daughters that would grow slowly through the winter and be born as spring returned. The males did not ever survive the winter as they were too small, too weak, and utterly worthless when spring would return. Slowly though, fewer and fewer females changed as we spent more and more time underground and no longer needed to have so many daughters to survive on the surface, no longer needed to slow our activities in the winter. Gestation time lengthened, and the females born were larger and healthier, more adapted to life in these caves. Then, one fall, no males came forth and we retreated into the caves for good. Ever since, we have lived here, sans males." Shioko flicked her tail closer to Haruka, examining her. Haruka reached out and touched the appendage, smiling as she flexed her claws for the Darkling to see. Shioko held out her webbed hands, tiny claws visible on the end. Her feet were also webbed, proving that they were an amphibious species, and she also did not bother to wear a shirt. Haruka realized that there was no need. "Shioko-san, Hotaru-san tells me that you know of a person who can help me get to the other side of the mountains." "The Queen of Darkness? I can take you to her, but she can be very temperamental. She will not see everyone." "Maybe she will see me, maybe she won't. It doesn't matter; I have to try." "Your determination amuses me, Skyling. Very well. The Queen is very old and very wise, though they say that she hasn't aged a day in millennia. She lives high in the last mountain, and she knows everything. Some say she even witnessed the birth of the Universe. We do not know if it is true, but she is wise. No one climbs the Endless Stair without reason, but she will be able to tell you how to get wherever you are going. She has many names among many races, including Queen of Darkness, Guardian of Time, Queen of Storms, and Messenger of Balance. And even if she won't talk to you, she has many Oracles who may. They are the Keepers of Light, and they are blinding to look upon. It's rumored that they can change shape even as the Dark Queen does, and that they were once members of other races, even Darklings. Would you like to visit her?" Haruka nodded, green eyes lighting with curiosity and excitement. She hadn't had such an adventure in a very long time. "I would love that. Please, lead on." *~*~*~*~*~*~* Haruka looked up at the stairs that spiraled away into the darkness, cat-like eyes wide. Her sense of adventure was piqued by the promise of an ancient queen at the top, but she did not relish the absolute darkness. "If it is the dark that gives you pause, do not worry. Our Dark Queen serves all races, so she had us include lights for species with weaker eyes." Hotaru placed her webbed hand over a red stone imbedded in the wall and it glowed, pale light shining through the semi-transparent webbing between her clawed fingers. The Darklings let the illumination on their tails fade as lights glowed from the stairs above, showing a hollowed mountain that didn't seem to end. "Good luck," Hotaru whispered, turning to leave. Shioko smiled as she and her wife slipped into the cold river flowing beside the stair, swimming back to their palace. Haruka took a deep breath and carefully opened her wings. When she had assured herself that she had enough room, Haruka jumped into the air and headed for the top of the Stair.
Back to Desperately Searching Index - Back to Sailor Moon Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction