Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or her characters, and have no right to it except as a long time fan.

Royalty In Hiding

Prologue: Shadows of Betrayal

A dark windowless room lit by green torches housed a peculiar display. At the center of the room was a small black cauldron sitting on top of a green flame, its contents boiling. Spaced evenly around the cauldron, yet leaving room to move around between them and the cauldron, were four lit black candles.

The sorceress walked sedately into the room, the door closing slowly behind her, holding a medium sized ornate bowl with items she deemed necessary for her task.

She placed the bowl down and knelt in front of the cauldron. She drew a dagger from the bowl and, holding her hand over the cauldron, she sliced her palm, allowing her blood to drip into the hot liquid so it was her soul that would be called on for use.

She easily healed her wound and placed the dagger aside. From the bowl she then pulled four different hairs. A short blue one, a long black one, a medium length brown one, and a very long golden blonde one.

She dropped them into the cauldron, adding them to the bubbling liquid, then stood and took a breath as she gazed into the cauldron. She held her arms wide in front of her, her eyes like lit embers, a power, a presence emanating from her. A drawing feeling began to seize her, a longing, a yearning that burned like fire to be wanted and taken with heated desire.

A spell began to form on the lips of the tall, dark, and beautifully slender sorceress. Energy spiraled from her fingertips as her hands swept resolutely upward toward the ceiling.

Dark to light, light to dark
I call to blood hot like the tide
Seek that which is dark holding
it still inside

Born of darkness, Ancient, old
I call thee forth unfurl unfold
Taint the pairings

I command you to spread
attaching to spirit and soul
seek out the Sailor Warriors
I command you to this deed
taint the soul wither the spirit

As the tall sorceress chanted the liquid in the cauldron began to bubble furiously, frothing and threatening to boil over the edge only to turn into a reddish gray fog that began to spread along the floor.

Your body I now claim and command
I see the sinew, blood and bone
From its core I hold and hone

I leave that which is dark to
lay fallow in darkness and shadow

Life to life, Soul to soul, Life to life
we are bound together as one with
blood thee I bind

The flames of the black candles flared unnaturally high as her last word echoed. The light from the flames throwing her figure into sharp relief, showing off her long wavy red locks and the purple gown that hugged her figure like a custom made glove.

Unseen four small pieces of black willowy shadows slithered from the sorceress' chest and began to move along her body, down to the floor and around her feet beneath the fog.

Suddenly the high flames changed colors. One turned green, the other red, another blue, and the last pink.

Queen Beryl smiled a wicked smile at the signal that her ritual was done and active, satisfied that she would be alerted when the Silver Crystal was found or close to being found, before all flames in the room went out, leaving still darkness.

If only she knew what her ritual would lead to. The dark Queen would have been pleased beyond measure.

~~RIH~~

Raye hummed softly to herself as she ran the soft sponge along her arm as the water from the shower-head rained down on her. As she continued to wash her body a small shadow slipped under the door to her bathroom and slithered across the floor.

It squeezed easily through the side of the closed glass sliding door. It moved undeterred by the water around its targets bare feet and raining down until it reached her a wet foot. It snaked up her leg and over her hip, across her stomach and over her chest, up her neck and slipped up her nose all unnoticed.

Raye frowned and paused in her movements. She thought she had sensed something, but the feeling had disappeared quickly. She shrugged and continued her shower. When she was done she dried off and dressed in her school uniform.

~~RIH~~

Amy sat in class taking meticulous notes, her thin glasses perched on her nose as her eyes shifted from the board at the front of the class to her notebook.

A small black shadow separated from a shadow at the back of the room and slithered unnoticed on the floor, between desks, and around feet as it headed for its target.

It circled her feet before moving on top of her shoe and gliding up and around her leg, crossing to the opposite leg and up her thigh. It slid under her blue school skirt and under her top. It slipped up her neck, and concealed by her hair, slithered into her ear and into her body before taking root.

Amy continued to write, never noticing a thing.

~~RIH~~

Lita stood in her kitchen in the evening baking as she listened to music, procrastinating instead of doing her homework. She danced around as she worked, the task so familiar to her that she didn't need to pay much attention to what she was doing or what was around her.

As she moved a small shadow slithered across the floor toward her feet, trying to get to her, but she kept moving around. Finally she paused to check on what was in the oven and it made it to her foot, working its way up her leg.

It slithered up her stomach, pass her chest and up her neck to slip over her chin and into her mouth pass her singing lips, unnoticed.

~~RIH~~

Serena sat on the floor in front of her balcony windows holding the star locket Tuxedo Mask had given her as she gazed up at the moon. She wanted to listen to it to help calm her since she had woken up with a bad feeling, but since Luna was asleep she couldn't risk it.

She didn't want Luna or the others to know about the locket and start asking questions. They might try to take it from her, and she would not allow that.

Suddenly a slightly transparent golden barrier sprang up around her, surrounding her in warmth. She gasped in surprise as she gazed at the barrier. She had no idea the locket could do such a thing. But as the barrier held she looked around warily as she wondered why it would have done such a thing in the first place, her bad feeling returning with a vengeance.

As Serena's eyes darted around her room a black shadow slithered along the ground around the golden barrier, trying to find an entrance before giving up and slithering toward the other occupant of the room.

It passed unnoticed through slivers of moon light on the floor and up the comforter on the bed and toward the sleeping black cat. It blended with her dark fur as it slithered its way up and into her ear, taking root inside her.

Luna continued to sleep undisturbed, just shifting in her sleep.

Author's Note:

For those having trouble with the English names of everyone because they're use to the Japanese names:

Serena/Usagi, Darien/Mamoru, Amy/Ami, Raye/Rei, Lita/Makoto, Mina/Minako, Michelle/Michiru , Amara/Haruka , Trista/Setsuna, Hotaru/Hotaru, Rini/Chibiusa