Mercurial > moonlitnights
comparison old/stories/cunpnk3.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights
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author | rlm |
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date | Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500 |
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1 Author's Notes: ^_^ | |
2 | |
3 There's nothing much to say here, really. Trust me, you're going | |
4 to start hating me around the middle of this part... But keep going | |
5 until the end! ^_^ | |
6 | |
7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
8 Chibiusa no PYUA na kokoro | |
9 (Chibiusa's Pure Heart) | |
10 Part 3 | |
11 By Andrea Doolan <andrea.doolan@utoronto.ca> | |
12 "Sailormoon no ichiban daifan" | |
13 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
14 | |
15 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
16 | |
17 The large, ornately decorated doors to the main Sailor Senshi | |
18 conference room shut with a bang. This particular room of the palace | |
19 was situated on one of the top levels of the grand structure. It | |
20 boasted a marble conference table, which seated 20 comfortably, and all | |
21 the architectural and design earmarks that made the Crystal Palace so | |
22 famous. It was an eclectic atmosphere combining ancient Greek and | |
23 traditional Japanese designs. | |
24 | |
25 Sailormars, the person who shut the doors, was the last of the | |
26 Senior Sailor Senshi to be gathered in the room. With their hectic | |
27 schedules, it was unusual to see all of them together, but this was a | |
28 special occasion. | |
29 | |
30 As Mars took her seat, Neo Queen Serenity spoke. "Minna, thank | |
31 you for coming here on such short notice. I apologise for the formal | |
32 atmosphere, because what will be said here today isn't meant for a | |
33 formal occasion. We're all friends here; friends sharing some great | |
34 news. I'll now pass things over to my daughter and Sailorsaturn." | |
35 | |
36 As the Queen sat back down, she passed Small Lady, and gave her a | |
37 small squeeze on her shoulder. It was enough for a smile to creep | |
38 across the younger woman's face. It was getting easier, she thought. | |
39 This would be the third time telling people, and it definitely felt | |
40 easier. Of course, maybe it was just because they were telling the | |
41 parents before, and now it was just friends. | |
42 | |
43 Small Lady and Saturn stood up at the head of the table. All eyes | |
44 were focused on them. Mercury, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter looked at them | |
45 inquisitively. Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto looked at them with love and | |
46 support. They were really only there for comfort and encouragement. | |
47 The Queen and King looked at them with smiles on their faces. Serenity | |
48 nodded her head for them to start. | |
49 | |
50 "Arigatou, minna. Some of you know what we're about to say, and | |
51 some of you don't. Before we start, we just want to say what good | |
52 friends you've all been to us. We cherish you all dearly." Small Lady | |
53 stopped and smiled at them. | |
54 | |
55 Saturn took Small Lady's hand, and continued. "Something special | |
56 has happened in our lives, and we think it's only fair to share it with | |
57 all of you. Small Lady and I have fallen in love. We care for each | |
58 other deeply. We...we want to spend the rest of our lives together. We | |
59 want to be together forever." | |
60 | |
61 Small Lady jumped in. "We know this may come as a shock to some | |
62 of you. I know it certainly did for us." She laughed a little at this. | |
63 "But we both hope you'll give us your blessing. It really means a lot | |
64 to us. We've already discussed this with our parents, and they've been | |
65 very supportive. But no pressure, of course." She gave them a little | |
66 wink. | |
67 | |
68 There was silence for several moments, but then Sailorjupiter was | |
69 the first to speak. "So, you left us until last, did you? Seems kind | |
70 of unfair to me." She stuck her tongue out a little to show she was | |
71 kidding. "Small Lady, Saturn, personally I think this is great. I wish | |
72 you all the best in the future." She had a very sincere smile on her | |
73 face. | |
74 | |
75 "I knew it!" cried Venus. "My predictions of love are never | |
76 wrong!" The rest of the group facefaulted. "Hehe, the goddess of love | |
77 and beauty, the reincarnation of Aphrodite herself gives you her full | |
78 blessing! You two make a cute couple." She flashed them a "V" sign. | |
79 | |
80 "I always said we didn't need boys to have fun." | |
81 | |
82 "Mars, are you feeling playful?" | |
83 | |
84 "We'll have to save it until later, Venus." | |
85 | |
86 "Ohhh..." | |
87 | |
88 "Anyway, the point I was trying to make was you two go really well | |
89 together. I can feel it from your spirits, it's coming through very | |
90 strongly. I think you two were made for each other." | |
91 | |
92 Small Lady and Saturn blushed a little at this. | |
93 | |
94 Sailormercury was sitting quietly at the end of the table. She | |
95 was just waiting patiently for her turn to speak. "I still find it hard | |
96 to believe in a red string of destiny, but after seeing so many real | |
97 life examples, I think I'll have to rewrite the laws of physics. You | |
98 two are a shinning example of proof that it does exist. Omedetou ne." | |
99 She gave a caring smile to them. | |
100 | |
101 "Minna..." said Small Lady, tears forming in her eyes. | |
102 | |
103 "Arigatou," said Saturn while she gave her lover a quick hug. | |
104 | |
105 Everyone got up from their seats and proceeded to give Small Lady | |
106 and Saturn hugs and words of congratulation. Indeed, it was a joyous | |
107 occasion. Saturn and Small Lady were so glad everyone had been very | |
108 accepting of their relationship; it really meant a lot to them. They | |
109 weren't really worried, though. They had both known everyone for so | |
110 long, and they were such close friends. But now, deep in their hearts, | |
111 there still laid a seed of worry. It was because of the upcoming | |
112 announcement to the kingdom which would follow in a few days. In some | |
113 respects, it was terrifying to them, but in others they wanted to share | |
114 the good news with all the people of the kingdom. They knew they might | |
115 not get the same reception that the Senshi had given them. They | |
116 accepted that fact, but any way they could, they were going to get | |
117 through it. Together. | |
118 | |
119 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
120 | |
121 "Mina-san, please be aware that an official announcement from | |
122 Crystal Palace will take place at 13:00 today, Japan Standard Time. | |
123 Please try to avoid crowding the streets around the palace, as public | |
124 safety in always a concern. The official Crystal Tokyo network, Terebi | |
125 Takeuchi, will be covering events, as will most of the other major | |
126 networks and satellite feeds to the planets. Arigatou gozaimasu." | |
127 | |
128 That was the official press release the palace had given at 9 | |
129 o'clock that Wednesday morning. It had thrown every single news agency | |
130 in the solar system into mass confusion. If it was an announcement from | |
131 the palace, it was big news. Everyone was rushing trying to get an | |
132 early scoop, but none of their sources seemed to know anything, and the | |
133 palace was being very tight-lipped. Really, the only thing they could do | |
134 was wait and see. That didn't stop the rumours, though. | |
135 | |
136 "I heard the king and queen were getting a divorce!" | |
137 | |
138 "What? Are you crazy? After being together for so long? It's | |
139 much more serious. I heard Nemesis was making a comeback." | |
140 | |
141 "Another war? That would be awful..." | |
142 | |
143 "But if it was a war, wouldn't a state of emergency be declared or | |
144 something?" | |
145 | |
146 "Only if the fighting had already broken out. They could just be | |
147 in negotiations." | |
148 | |
149 "No, no, you're all wrong! I hear Diana-sama is getting married!" | |
150 | |
151 "To that prince from Mau? I thought she hated him." | |
152 | |
153 "Maybe Luna-sama is pregnant again." | |
154 | |
155 "Could be... Hey, what if one of the Senshi were pregnant!" | |
156 | |
157 "Um, that would be kind of hard, wouldn't it? Considering who | |
158 their partners are... And those that don't have partners don't seem to be | |
159 attached to anyone." | |
160 | |
161 "Oh, right." | |
162 | |
163 It went on like this for the four hours between the press release | |
164 and the announcement. It seemed anybody and everybody had a theory as | |
165 to what the palace was about to announce. Though no one could have | |
166 guessed what was actually happening. | |
167 | |
168 12:56 JST | |
169 | |
170 "How are you doing?" | |
171 | |
172 "Okay. How about you?" | |
173 | |
174 "I'm a nervous wreck." | |
175 | |
176 "To tell you the truth, I am, too." | |
177 | |
178 Two lovers embraced and shared a long kiss. | |
179 | |
180 "Better?" | |
181 | |
182 "Hai." | |
183 | |
184 They walked hand in hand to the doors which led out to the | |
185 balcony. It was from there that they would make their announcement, and | |
186 the world would know the truth. | |
187 | |
188 "Small Lady?" | |
189 | |
190 The pink haired woman stopped and looked to her side. She saw | |
191 Diana and the Sailor Quartet standing there. After she had told the | |
192 Inner Senshi, her and Saturn talked to Luna, Artemis, Diana, and the | |
193 Quartet privately. After all, Diana was her closest friend next to | |
194 Saturn, and the Quartet were her personal protectors. They had all | |
195 taken the news with similar reactions to the Senior Senshi. | |
196 Sailorpallas said she knew all along, but Sailorjuno reminded her she | |
197 thought Saturn was falling for the king of Mermaid. Everyone laughed at | |
198 that, including Pallas herself. | |
199 | |
200 "Diana-tachi!" | |
201 | |
202 "We're coming out with you." | |
203 | |
204 "You don't have to..." | |
205 | |
206 "We're your friends! You're going to get all the support you | |
207 can!" | |
208 | |
209 "Princess, we are your protectors. It's our duty and wish to help | |
210 you," said Sailorceres with a smile. | |
211 | |
212 "Arigatou," said Saturn. "It means a lot to us." | |
213 | |
214 "Jikan da," said the King. "The crowds are even larger than I | |
215 expected." | |
216 | |
217 The doors to the balcony opened, and the crowd roared. Out | |
218 stepped Princess Serenity, looking regal as ever, holding hands with the | |
219 Princess of Saturn, who looked equally gorgeous in her purple gown. | |
220 They walked to the front of the balcony and waved at the spectators. | |
221 Directly behind them stood the princess' personal guard and Diana. Off | |
222 to the side the Senior Sailor Senshi stood, all of whom were wearing | |
223 their royal gowns. The king and queen stood in the doorway, watching | |
224 how everything progressed. | |
225 | |
226 Saturn held Small Lady's hand a little tighter, and whispered | |
227 something to her which was incomprehensible to everyone else. | |
228 | |
229 A few minutes later, after the announcement had been made, the crowd | |
230 cheered even louder, if that was possible. | |
231 | |
232 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
233 | |
234 The next few days were spent sorting through the public's reaction | |
235 to the announcement. Generally, it had been very positive, with the | |
236 palace receiving millions of cards, flowers, and gifts all meant to | |
237 congratulate the happy couple. Small Lady and Saturn had been fairly | |
238 surprised at the outpouring of support they had received. Headlines | |
239 like, "A Match Made in Heaven," "A Happy Day for the Kingdom of | |
240 Serenity," and "Light and Dark United by the Bonds of Love" boosted | |
241 their confidence even more. Though, while looking at the last one, | |
242 Saturn wondered why people always forgot she was the Senshi of death | |
243 *and* rebirth. Oh well, it made for a good headline at any rate. | |
244 | |
245 While most reactions had been positive, there had been some | |
246 negative ones as well. The religious right, even though their hold on | |
247 society had greatly decreased over the centuries, could still be very | |
248 vocal. They posted their opinions over the information network linking | |
249 the entire solar system, and wrote to news organisations. But their | |
250 reaction was expected; they had been saying the same things for years about | |
251 other prominent same-sex couples. No one paid much attention to them | |
252 anymore, including the level-headed religious organisations. | |
253 | |
254 The main cause for concern in the palace's eyes were several | |
255 editorials written for the news agencies' publications. While accepting | |
256 of the relationship, and pointing out how happy everyone was for them, | |
257 there was one common thread through them all. How would the line of the | |
258 moon kingdom continue? Through all of science's advances, it was still | |
259 impossible for two women to conceive. That left several options: | |
260 adoption - which wouldn't work, because they obviously needed someone | |
261 with royal blood; artificial insemination - which lead to the question, | |
262 who would donate the sperm?; and cloning - which meant their baby would | |
263 have the same genes as the princess, which really wouldn't be a bad | |
264 thing, except that in order for humanity as a whole and the royal | |
265 family specifically to advance, there had to be a mixing of the gene | |
266 pool. It was certainly a valid point to bring up, one Small Lady and | |
267 Saturn hadn't thought through completely. | |
268 | |
269 Some, more opinionated people, jumped on the chance, and called it | |
270 the end of the Moon Kingdom. Others were less extreme in their views, | |
271 but voiced concern about the inability to have a child. Gay couples | |
272 around the kingdom fought back, and pointed to their own families to | |
273 prove the princess and Saturn could bear children, even if Saturn's | |
274 genes weren't included. It wouldn't mean she would love the child any | |
275 less. It was good that same sex couples composed about 50% of the | |
276 population. Small Lady and Saturn needed all the support they could get | |
277 on this issue. | |
278 | |
279 The child-bearing issue, and the news of the partnership was hot | |
280 news over the next month. The press knew its boundaries, but still was | |
281 able to get pictures of the couple together at every opportunity. | |
282 Saturn and Small Lady played along very well. They didn't feel as if | |
283 the press was hounding them, plus they knew what good public relations | |
284 could mean for them. However, like all hot news, the fervour eventually | |
285 died down, and the couple was bumped down to monthly updates on the | |
286 news. | |
287 | |
288 Small Lady felt overjoyed with the amount of love and support her | |
289 subjects had given her. Their opinions and happiness really did mean a | |
290 great deal to her. She was a bit saddened with some of the objections | |
291 they had received, but it was expected, and with Saturn at her side they | |
292 were able to deal with it. Saturn...she had been such a pillar of love | |
293 for the pink haired woman. Even when things looked a bit rocky, she was | |
294 right there by her side. Small Lady brought her hands to her heart, and | |
295 sighed. She was the luckiest person alive. | |
296 | |
297 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
298 | |
299 The next five years seemed to pass quickly for everyone. They | |
300 were glorious years. The Moon Kingdom was at it's strongest, and | |
301 flourished under new treaties made with other kingdoms in other parts of | |
302 the galaxy. The physical destruction from the Black Moon attack had | |
303 been gone for decades. The emotional toll for the population who had | |
304 lost so many lives, was recovering, and moving on. They were certain | |
305 that nothing similar would ever happen again. | |
306 | |
307 For Small Lady's part, she grew into a lovely woman of 915 years, | |
308 who still had the appearance of a 22-year-old. Since her 910th birthday | |
309 she had been given ever increasing responsibilities by her mother. | |
310 Rumour had it Serenity was going to pass the throne down to her daughter | |
311 soon. When that was going to happen, no one was sure, but the people | |
312 knew it would be soon. | |
313 | |
314 At her side through all this stood Sailorsaturn. It was a very | |
315 happy time for the couple. Even when they had to be apart because of | |
316 official responsibilities, they were still together in spirit. The time | |
317 that they did have together was precious, and they used every second of | |
318 it to the fullest. They gave each other strength, and received lots of | |
319 love. They were truly two halves to one whole. | |
320 | |
321 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
322 | |
323 It was another beautiful day in Crystal Tokyo. The sun cascaded | |
324 off the crystal buildings, forming tiny rainbows all around town. The | |
325 sky was as blue as Sailormercury's fuku and the moon's outline could | |
326 faintly be seen in the skies above. Everyone seemed just a little | |
327 happier today. | |
328 | |
329 Unfortunately, things weren't like this for Small Lady. She was | |
330 in her worst mood in months, and was feeling very depressed. All | |
331 morning she moped around the palace trying to keep herself occupied. | |
332 The truth was, she only had one thing on her mind. Saturn. The Senshi | |
333 of Death and Rebirth was on another diplomatic mission. This time it | |
334 was to Kinmokusei to work out trade relations. Saturn would be gone for | |
335 six months, which was the longest they had ever spent apart after | |
336 becoming a couple. But it just couldn't be avoided; they both knew | |
337 that. | |
338 | |
339 So, Small Lady continued to mope around the palace looking for | |
340 anything interesting to do. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw | |
341 Sailorpluto walking towards Serenity's chambers. | |
342 | |
343 "Puu!" | |
344 | |
345 "Ah, Small Lady," said Pluto has she turned around to see the pink | |
346 haired woman bound up behind her. | |
347 | |
348 "Are you going to talk to mama?" | |
349 | |
350 "Hai. We still have some things to discuss about today's royal | |
351 guest." | |
352 | |
353 "Royal guest?" Small Lady looked at her in a questioning way. | |
354 | |
355 "Did you forget already? We have a very prestigious guest coming | |
356 today all the was from Elysion." | |
357 | |
358 "Gomen, I guess I forgot." Small Lady smiled. | |
359 | |
360 Pluto coughed. "I think you've had other things on your mind." | |
361 She gave her friend a wink. | |
362 | |
363 Small Lady blushed. "Have you noticed, too? My mind hasn't been | |
364 where it should be lately. It's just...hard. I know I'll see Saturn | |
365 again, but waiting seems like an eternity." | |
366 | |
367 Pluto put her hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "Don't forget | |
368 that we're all here for you, Small Lady. You know you can come talk to | |
369 me whenever you want. It will be just like old times." | |
370 | |
371 "Arigatou, Puu." The princess hugged the taller woman. Pluto was | |
372 almost like a second mother to her. | |
373 | |
374 "Just don't forget about our guest. We will be meeting him at | |
375 15:00 in the throne room." | |
376 | |
377 "I won't forget. Mata ne, Puu!" Small Lady smiled and ran off. | |
378 It was really great to have such good friends. Her spirits were | |
379 definitely lifted now. | |
380 | |
381 Elysion, she thought. Where have I heard that name before? It | |
382 seems so familiar... I'll have to remember to look it up before I meet | |
383 our guest. It's always good manners to know something of a guest's | |
384 country. | |
385 | |
386 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
387 | |
388 14:54 | |
389 | |
390 I'm late. I'm late. I'm late. It was the only thing Small Lady | |
391 could think of as she ran down the hallway to the throne room. Oh kami, | |
392 how did I let this happen? How is it that I have all the time in the | |
393 world, and then suddenly it's gone! This is no way for the future queen | |
394 to act. Oh, what will mama say! It is incredibly rude to show up late | |
395 to greet a guest. Maybe I can still make it... | |
396 | |
397 14:58 | |
398 | |
399 Small Lady rounded a corner, but slowed down just before she got | |
400 to the doors of the throne room. She walked in calmly, almost as if she | |
401 hadn't been running at all. She got several stern looks from the | |
402 Quartet and one from her mother as she took her place beside her, but | |
403 other than that, no one seemed to notice. It looked like she got there | |
404 just in time. | |
405 | |
406 A loud voice rang out. "Now presenting our highly esteemed guest | |
407 of honour...." | |
408 | |
409 Ah! I completely forgot to look up Elysion, thought Small Lady. | |
410 | |
411 "...We are most glad he was able to take time from his busy | |
412 schedule to meet with us..." | |
413 | |
414 But it sounds so familiar... Elysion, Elysion, where have I heard | |
415 that before? | |
416 | |
417 "...His absence on Earth has been centuries, but his protection of | |
418 everyone's dreams has never been overlooked..." | |
419 | |
420 Dreams? Elysion? It's right on the tip of my tongue. Oh my god, | |
421 it's... | |
422 | |
423 "...The High Priest of Elysion, Elios-sama." | |
424 | |
425 Elios... | |
426 | |
427 Clapping could be heard all around the throne room as a man | |
428 dressed almost entirely in white stepped into the room. He had soft, | |
429 wavy white hair which flowed over the red jewel on his forehead. He | |
430 walked forward and kneeled in front of Neo Queen Serenity. | |
431 | |
432 "My Queen, it is so good to see you again. And the King also. I | |
433 trust you have both been well?" | |
434 | |
435 "Yes, thank you, Elios." Serenity bowed politely to him. "We are | |
436 so glad you could make it. It's really been too long." She gave him a | |
437 warm smile. | |
438 | |
439 Elios smiled back, and then looked over to the Queen's right where | |
440 a woman with pink hair stood. Her eyes seemed to be displaying shock | |
441 and happiness at the same time. | |
442 | |
443 "Chiisana otome yo." He looked at her again. "Iya, you're not | |
444 chiisana anymore. Just a beautiful otome." The image of the girl he | |
445 saw now overlapped the image he saw in his dreams so many years ago. | |
446 | |
447 "Elios..." Small Lady was a little more than shocked. She never | |
448 dreamed she'd be meeting him here today. | |
449 | |
450 "Otome, I sense your dream has changed, but you still carry the | |
451 most beautiful dream." | |
452 | |
453 The princess blushed. "Arigatou." She bowed to him in greeting. | |
454 | |
455 He then turned and proceeded to greet everyone there. The Senshi | |
456 who were present were excited to meet him again after all the time that | |
457 had passed. Those times seemed like a lifetime away. And indeed they | |
458 were. | |
459 | |
460 Small Lady continued to watch the events like she was in a dream | |
461 state. She didn't know what to make of this situation. Here was | |
462 someone who she had once had feelings for, even if she was in the body | |
463 of an eleven-year-old at the time. It had been less than 15 years since | |
464 she had last seen him, but for Elios it must have been centuries. | |
465 Though she wasn't exactly sure how time passed in Elysion. She thought | |
466 it amazing that he remembered her after all these years as if they had | |
467 parted yesterday. At that moment, she wished Saturn was with her more | |
468 than ever. She felt like holding her hand for support. | |
469 | |
470 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
471 | |
472 After the festivities that followed the official welcoming were | |
473 over, the excitement had died down somewhat. Now just some of the Senshi | |
474 were left to talk to Elios privately about old times. Small Lady had | |
475 been very proper during the festivities, and filled her role as princess | |
476 to a T. But now she just felt exhausted, and wanted some quiet time to | |
477 herself. She had barely talked to Elios at all. Was she trying to | |
478 avoid him on purpose? She didn't really know. It was such a strange | |
479 feeling for her to see him like this now. All she knew was a walk | |
480 through the palace gardens would do her good. | |
481 | |
482 She began by passing by some pink rose bushes. She stopped to | |
483 admire their beauty and scent. She held one gently in her hand and | |
484 lifted it to her nose. The fragrant aroma filled her senses and | |
485 alleviated a lot of the stress she was feeling, both from Saturn being | |
486 away and Elios' arrival. She was away in a world all her own now, so | |
487 much so that she didn't notice a form approaching her. She was so | |
488 startled when she heard a sound from behind that she forgot what she was | |
489 doing and accidentally pricked herself on one of the rose's thorns. | |
490 | |
491 "Gomen," said the figure as it stepped into the light. "I didn't | |
492 mean to startle you." | |
493 | |
494 "Oh, Elios. I didn't hear you come up." Small Lady said with a | |
495 smile. | |
496 | |
497 "You're injured," he said while pointing to her hand. | |
498 | |
499 "This? It's nothing. Just a little scratch." | |
500 | |
501 Then he did something very unexpected. He brought her hand up to | |
502 his mouth and kissed what little blood there was away. The princess was | |
503 shocked, and pulled her hand away. | |
504 | |
505 "I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" asked Elios. | |
506 | |
507 Small Lady looked ashamed. "No, I'm the one who should apologise. | |
508 I've done nothing but avoid you since you got here. I guess I thought | |
509 if I didn't see you, then I wouldn't have to deal with the past. The | |
510 truth is, I have something important to tell you." | |
511 | |
512 "Well, why don't we sit down over there on that bench? I have a | |
513 feeling we'll be here for awhile." | |
514 | |
515 Small Lady nodded her head in agreement, and followed him to the | |
516 bench. | |
517 | |
518 She began with a sigh. "All those years ago, I'm not sure what it | |
519 was we shared. Was it just a childhood infatuation, or something more? | |
520 I remember thinking about you for a very long time after you left. I | |
521 promised myself that I would see you again someday, though I had no idea | |
522 it would be like this." Elios just sat patiently listening. She | |
523 continued, "After a while, my memory of you started to fade, and my | |
524 feelings, however childish, were pushed to the back of my mind. In | |
525 time, I developed feelings for another person. In fact, I fell deeply | |
526 in love with them. So deeply in love that I have a great pain on my | |
527 heart every time we're apart even for a little while. Elios, I fell in | |
528 love with Sailorsaturn." | |
529 | |
530 She looked at him waiting for his reaction. She felt like this | |
531 was harder than telling the entire kingdom. Somehow she still hadn't | |
532 gotten over that part of her life. | |
533 | |
534 He waited several moments, and then spoke with a smile. "Did you | |
535 think I didn't know?" | |
536 | |
537 Small Lady practically facefaulted. "Nani?" | |
538 | |
539 "Otome, I am the protector of everyone's dreams. Your one dream | |
540 for the past few years has been to spend the rest of your life with | |
541 Sailorsaturn. I realise that. I have special memories of the times we | |
542 spent together many years ago, but I am happy just to see you live out | |
543 your beautiful dream. I wish you all the luck in the world." | |
544 | |
545 The princess was shocked. "You knew all along? Then I was | |
546 worrying for nothing? I feel a little silly now." She looked at him. | |
547 "Thank you, Elios. Thank you for understanding." | |
548 | |
549 He smiled at her, and the two proceeded to talk long into the | |
550 night. | |
551 | |
552 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
553 | |
554 Somewhere, deep in the blackness of space, far away from Earth's | |
555 solar system, a scream of terror rang out. And then Silence. | |
556 | |
557 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
558 | |
559 Chinmoku. | |
560 | |
561 Small Lady woke up with a start. Sweat was pouring down her face. | |
562 "Yume...ka?" Chinmoku. She was breathing hard. Gasping for air. | |
563 Chinmoku. She grasped at a pain in her chest. Her eyes flung open in | |
564 realisation. "Sa..Sa..turn. SATURN!!!!!!!!!!" | |
565 | |
566 Chinmoku. | |
567 | |
568 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
569 | |
570 This rainy morning in Crystal Tokyo was greeted with a group of | |
571 solemn, tear streaked faces. They had all woken up very early in the | |
572 morning hours. | |
573 | |
574 "Ja...then it's true?" asked Sailormars. | |
575 | |
576 "The report from Kinmokusei doesn't look good," responded Mercury. | |
577 "Apparently there was a very sudden violent storm. The lightening | |
578 caused severe damage to a large part of Kakyuu-hime's palace, then an | |
579 explosion, and then..." She pressed a few more buttons on the pad she | |
580 was holding. "Saturn was in that part of the palace. Her Silence Wall | |
581 held up for a long time, and saved hundreds of lives. She could have | |
582 saved herself as well, but a few people were helplessly trapped, and I | |
583 guess she just wasn't going to leave them there. The storm got more | |
584 violent, and it became impossible for her to continue. The casualty | |
585 report lists five dead, including Sailorsaturn." Mercury couldn't | |
586 continue reading after that. She was sobbing too hard. | |
587 | |
588 After a period of silence, someone spoke. "Uso da. Uso da yo!! | |
589 Saturn can't be dead! She can't be! I can't believe we're not doing | |
590 anything. We have to help her! She's not dead! She's not!" Small | |
591 Lady was red with anger. Her night-gown was wet with tears. | |
592 | |
593 "Small Lady," Neo Queen Serenity put her hand on her child's | |
594 shoulder. "There's nothing more we can do. Her Sailor Crystal is gone. | |
595 I can no longer feel her at all. I'm so sorry, Small Lady. I'm sorry." | |
596 She went to hug her grown-up daughter, but was pushed away. | |
597 | |
598 "I don't believe you! Use the maboroshi no ginzuishou! Bring her | |
599 back to life! Mama...mama...you can do it! You can save her! Save her | |
600 like you've saved all of us before! SAVE HER!!!" | |
601 | |
602 This time Uranus spoke with anger. "Don't you understand?! She | |
603 can't!! Saturn ga... Saturn ga... Saturn is dead! Stop acting like | |
604 you're still that small child, and grow up! Stop being so selfish! | |
605 Don't you think we'd be doing something if we could? Don't you think | |
606 *I'd* go to Kinmokusei right now if it would mean anything? SHE'S | |
607 GONE!! She's...gone." Uranus' emotions got the better of her, and she | |
608 surrendered to the tears. Neptune softly stroked her lover's hair as | |
609 her own tears fell into it. | |
610 | |
611 Small Lady was on the floor shaking slightly. Her legs were too | |
612 weak to hold her weight. Through her river of tears, a small voice | |
613 could be heard. "Iya da. Iya da yo. Minna ga...kirai da. Daikirai." | |
614 | |
615 [translation of last line: "No. No. Everyone...I hate you. I really | |
616 hate you."] | |
617 | |
618 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
619 | |
620 There wasn't much happiness in Crystal Tokyo after the news was | |
621 released. It was known that Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto went to their | |
622 beach house to live for an undisclosed amount of time. The Inner Senshi | |
623 were generally unavailable to do anything outside their normal duties, | |
624 and even then a lot had been delegated to other staff members. Neo | |
625 Queen Serenity tried to put on a brave face for her people, but it was | |
626 well known the pain she felt. She could never hide it completely. She | |
627 was a strong woman, though, and never failed to please her public. The | |
628 princess was another story. She had taken the news hard. Everyone knew | |
629 that. She hadn't been seen for months, and it was generally thought | |
630 that she spent her days locked in her room. Though it's to be expected | |
631 when one loses half their soul. | |
632 | |
633 It was indeed a bleak time. Not only the Senshi suffered, but | |
634 the public as well. They had lost one of their most admired protectors, | |
635 and the mourning was well shown throughout the solar system. Purple | |
636 flowers and ribbons adorned the streets for quite some time, and there | |
637 was also a shrine around the large statue of Sailorsaturn that was | |
638 erected for the memorial. It wasn't clear how long it would take to | |
639 mend these deep wounds. Or if they ever would be. | |
640 | |
641 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
642 | |
643 <<jingle jingle>> <<hop>> <<jingle jingle>> | |
644 | |
645 "Small Lady. Small Lady! Me wo samashite. Small Lady!" | |
646 | |
647 "Uhh? Dare?" Small Lady slowly opened her eyes and looked beside | |
648 her on her bed. "Ara, Diana. What are you doing here?" | |
649 | |
650 "Small Lady, it's been seven weeks. You're going to have to come | |
651 out of your room at some point." | |
652 | |
653 "Why? What's the point of anything anymore? Do I have a reason | |
654 to live? Should I even go on at all? Do I exist for a purpose? Or | |
655 should I just...end it?" | |
656 | |
657 "Small Lady! Don't talk like that!" The poor grey cat was | |
658 starting to tear up. "Don't you realise we all love you? Please, don't | |
659 shut yourself off from us. We want to help you. We..." | |
660 | |
661 "Mou ii yo." She rolled over and faced the wall. "You don't have | |
662 to feel sorry for me. Just leave me alone and I'll be happy." | |
663 | |
664 By this time the tears were coming down Diana's face at a constant | |
665 rate. "Chikushou! Why won't you let us help you? We're all your | |
666 friends, right? I thought we were close friends. Perhaps I was | |
667 wrong..." The cat got up and started to leave. | |
668 | |
669 "Wait. Diana, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. Please, | |
670 don't go. I'm tired. I'm tired of crying. I'm tired of having this | |
671 pain in my heart. I'm tired of living. I don't think that feeling will | |
672 ever go away. I don't know if you can help." | |
673 | |
674 "Small Lady, I won't pretend to know how you're feeling. I've | |
675 never lost someone close to me like you have. I can only imagine what | |
676 it might feel like. Demo, we've been friends since the day you were | |
677 born. I'd like to think that I know you quite well. I do think I can | |
678 help. I'm not saying that I'll make the pain go away, but maybe I can | |
679 help you focus on some of the good things in your life. Please, let me | |
680 help you." | |
681 | |
682 "Diana," Small Lady brought her friend into a hug. "Arigatou. I | |
683 don't know if I can face going outside yet, but I won't shut you out | |
684 anymore. You're my very dear friend, and it's been good of you to put | |
685 up with me for these past weeks. I'm sorry, it wasn't fair of me." | |
686 | |
687 "That's okay. I hope you don't mind, but I brought some more | |
688 friends along." | |
689 | |
690 Her bedroom door opened revealing four women in sailor suits. | |
691 Sailorvesta, Juno, Ceres, and Pallas walked in slowly. | |
692 | |
693 "Minna!" | |
694 | |
695 "Princess," said Ceres, "I hope you know that we're here for you, | |
696 too. We really want to help." | |
697 | |
698 "Sailorpallas doesn't like to see you cry," said Pallas, in | |
699 typical third person speech. | |
700 | |
701 "Our whole existence revolves around protecting you. Lately I | |
702 don't think we've been doing a very good job," said Juno with her head | |
703 down. | |
704 | |
705 Sailorvesta was the last to speak. "Turn us away if you want to, | |
706 but I just wanted to be sure that you knew we were here for you. Seeing | |
707 you suffer alone isn't fair. It's not just our "job" to help you, it's | |
708 our beautiful dream." | |
709 | |
710 "Minna..." Small Lady felt the tears glide down her face again. | |
711 "You're all my dear friends. I didn't mean to hurt anyone else. It was | |
712 the farthest thing from my mind. But it appears I did anyway. Oh, I | |
713 wish you wouldn't worry about me. You all care for me too much." Then | |
714 she smiled. A smile? How long had it been since she used those | |
715 muscles? It felt...nice. | |
716 | |
717 With everyone in tears, there was a big group hug. | |
718 | |
719 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
720 | |
721 A woman brought her hand in front of her eyes to shield them from | |
722 the midday sun. Her pupils were adjusting slowly, as she hadn't seen | |
723 natural light in over two months. Sounds started to become apparent to | |
724 her. Birds chirping. People talking. Transports gilding by. It was | |
725 almost like experiencing everything for the first time. She sighed. | |
726 Maybe life wasn't so bad after all. | |
727 | |
728 She began to walk away from the palace and into one of the many | |
729 parks in Crystal Tokyo. She looked around at all the children, friends, | |
730 and couples eating and playing. Everyone looked so happy. She | |
731 flashbacked to a time she used to come to this very park with her | |
732 parents to have lunch. Those were fun times. | |
733 | |
734 She continued walking until she came to an open clearing. There | |
735 weren't very many people in this part of the park, but it seemed like a | |
736 lot of people must have visited everyday for there were large amounts of | |
737 flower bouquets everywhere. Then the woman realised where she was. She | |
738 opened her eyes wide to the warm sunlight and looked up at a tall stone | |
739 statue. The figure had shoulder length hair and was carrying a long | |
740 staff with a sharp blade on the end. This was the first time Small | |
741 Lady had been to the park since the memorial service. It was a little | |
742 bit of a shock. | |
743 | |
744 She went to the base of the statue and read the inscription on the | |
745 plaque. "From the star of silence, being protected by the planet | |
746 Saturn, the Senshi of death and rebirth, Sailorsaturn. She was loved | |
747 and will be remembered by all." | |
748 | |
749 She studied the face of the frozen statue. It was serious and | |
750 determined, but there was also a kind and gentle quality. It was as if | |
751 the eyes of the statue were looking straight into Small Lady's heart. | |
752 It wasn't a scary experience; it made Small Lady feel warm inside. Was | |
753 this Saturn giving her strength? Strength to move on with her life? Or | |
754 had she simply been cooped up in her room too long and was beginning to | |
755 imagine things? It didn't matter to Small Lady. This was the first | |
756 time she had felt this good since Saturn had left for Kinmokusei. | |
757 | |
758 "Saturn.... Watashi no taisetsu na hito. You've left me all | |
759 alone. You promised we'd be together forever and now I have quite a | |
760 number of years ahead of me. Years I thought I'd be spending by your | |
761 side. Oh, I wish I could hold you right now. I wish I could feel the | |
762 softness of your touch, the gentleness of your kiss, the sweetness of | |
763 your voice. I've longed for that feeling. I miss you so much. So very | |
764 much. Please, I don't want you to think that I blame you. There were | |
765 times I did in the blackness of my room, but I've done quite a bit of | |
766 thinking and growing in the last little while. What you did was | |
767 incredible. To tell you the truth, I would have done the exact same | |
768 thing, which would have left you all alone. It was the right choice. | |
769 It's just..." A drop of wetness splashed on the plaque. "Tears? I | |
770 thought I was done crying. I didn't think I had any tears left. I'm | |
771 sorry, I told myself I wasn't going to cry anymore, but I can't help it. | |
772 It's just there's a giant hole in my heart and I don't know what to do. | |
773 I love you. I will always love you." More tears splashed on the | |
774 plaque. | |
775 | |
776 There was a gentle breeze, and someone laid a hand on her | |
777 shoulder. "Otome..." | |
778 | |
779 Small Lady turned around quickly in surprise. "Elios?" A look of | |
780 confusion crossed her face. | |
781 | |
782 "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. I just wanted to make | |
783 sure you were all right. I'll leave you now." He bowed and started to | |
784 walk away. | |
785 | |
786 "Matte! It's okay. You weren't disturbing me. What are you | |
787 still doing here, anyway? I would have thought you had long since | |
788 left." | |
789 | |
790 He shook his head. "It seems my visit coincided at a very | |
791 inopportune time. I thought I could be of some help counselling the | |
792 population, and Her Majesty granted me a longer stay." He laughed. | |
793 "Actually, she said I didn't need to ask and was welcome anytime. Plus | |
794 I wanted to make sure you were okay. You gave us all quite a scare, and | |
795 I was worried." | |
796 | |
797 "Arigatou, but I'm okay now. I'm sorry to have troubled you." | |
798 | |
799 "Try not to shut us out, Otome. We just want to help you. None | |
800 of us want to rush you or force you to do anything, but we're still | |
801 concerned." | |
802 | |
803 "I know, with the help of Diana-tachi I was able to finally get | |
804 out of bed. If it weren't for such caring friends, I don't think I'd be | |
805 standing here right now." She smiled at him. | |
806 | |
807 "Then let me ask you something. You can turn me down if you want | |
808 to, but I think you need to experience some happiness, if only for a | |
809 day. The last time you were in Elysion it wasn't exactly the best of | |
810 times. It's so beautiful there now, and I'd like to show you | |
811 everything. I can get my dear friend Pegasus to give us a tour. | |
812 Please, let me try to cheer you up." | |
813 | |
814 She thought for a while. She thought about her blackened room and | |
815 how lonely it had been without the brightness of the lamps. She thought | |
816 about how nice the sun had felt when she went out today. She thought | |
817 about not letting the hole in her heart consume her. Then she made up | |
818 her mind. "Okay. What time shall we meet at?" | |
819 | |
820 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
821 | |
822 The wind blew around Small Lady's casual floral print sun dress as | |
823 she waited near a fountain just outside the Crystal Palace. She could | |
824 hear the strong wind rustle through the trees as she watched a flock of | |
825 birds in formation high above her. The wind had picked up quite a bit | |
826 this day, but it was still sunny and warm. | |
827 | |
828 The thing that had probably changed the most about Small Lady over | |
829 that last two months would probably be her face. No longer were there | |
830 dark circles around her eyes, evidence of sleepless nights and constant | |
831 crying. She had also regained the pinkish colour in her cheeks. For a | |
832 while she almost looked like someone had sucked all the energy from her | |
833 body. She was slowly regaining her strength, and just looking at her | |
834 face proved that. | |
835 | |
836 Suddenly there was a bright flash in the sky, and a magnificent | |
837 winged horse came flying down, a man with white hair on his back. Small | |
838 Lady could only gasp at the beauty of the scene as leaves and flower | |
839 petals swirled around the horse and rider. The man held his hand out to | |
840 help her climb on. Once she was safely on the back of the steed, the | |
841 horse rose with a great flapping of his wings, and disappeared just as | |
842 quickly as he came. | |
843 | |
844 Small Lady had closed her eyes in fright, but slowly began to open | |
845 them. She looked in shock as the scenery around her had completely | |
846 changed, revealing a mystical world full of great forests, lakes, and | |
847 many animals. She could just make out a palace of sorts coming into | |
848 view over the horizon. As she got closer, she marveled at its Greek | |
849 style architecture, which consisted of a good many arches, stairways, | |
850 and pillars that formed a perfectly cylindrical structure. She also | |
851 noticed that it was in the middle of a lake, with no apparent ways of | |
852 getting to it, short of flying or teleporting. | |
853 | |
854 Two figures with long flowing white hair done up in odango style | |
855 smiled and waved at her. She waved back and smiled brightly at them. | |
856 Her memories were really starting to come back to her now. She | |
857 remembered this place. It was once the Kingdom of which her Father was | |
858 the Prince. He still was, really, but he trusted Elios to take care of | |
859 things while he helped rule the Kingdom of the Moon. | |
860 | |
861 "Mind if we go down for a bit?" her companion asked. | |
862 | |
863 Small Lady suddenly realised she hadn't talked this whole time. | |
864 She was just taken in by the beauty of it all. "No, not all." | |
865 | |
866 Pegasus circled the palatial structure once before coming in for a | |
867 landing. As Small Lady got off, she was greeted by the two miko. They | |
868 bowed to her and Elios, and she politely bowed in return. She looked | |
869 around her and became aware of many blossoming pink roses. Their scent | |
870 was very sweet, yet subtle at the same time. | |
871 | |
872 "It's so nice to see you again," she said to the miko. | |
873 "Everything is bright and beautiful, and everyone seems so happy here." | |
874 | |
875 "Well," said one of the miko, "this is the place where beautiful | |
876 dreams come true. It's only natural that the beauty of the place | |
877 reflects the beauty of the dreams." | |
878 | |
879 "And we have you to thank for that," said Elios. | |
880 | |
881 "Me? But it was Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion who sealed | |
882 off the power of Neherenia." She looked at her shoes. "I don't think I | |
883 did much." | |
884 | |
885 "On the contrary! It was your beautiful dream that lead me to you | |
886 in the first place. Without that, everything would still be as it was | |
887 after the Dead Moon Circus destroyed everything." | |
888 | |
889 Small Lady shuddered as she remembered how dark and full of | |
890 destruction this place had once been. "It's so good to know that | |
891 nothing like that will ever happen again. I swear it, as future Queen." | |
892 | |
893 Elios smiled at her, and began to show her around the palace. All | |
894 through the day Small Lady was laughing and smiling, and actually | |
895 enjoying her time there. She made good friends with the two miko, and | |
896 promised to come back and see them again. After a long and tiring day, | |
897 Small Lady returned to the palace happy and content. She had good | |
898 dreams that night. The first good dreams she had had in two months. | |
899 | |
900 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
901 | |
902 The next year passed quickly for everyone. Small Lady was dragged | |
903 slowly but surely out of her protective shell by her friends and family. | |
904 They were all healing, too, so it was hard, but no one had taken the | |
905 news of Saturn's death worse than Small Lady. Everyone was such a great | |
906 help to her, but she had one person in particular to thank for going | |
907 above and beyond the call of duty. Especially considering he hadn't | |
908 even known her for very long. Elios was such a great friend to her. He | |
909 really let her enjoy life again, and made a point of always trying to | |
910 get her to laugh or smile. He wanted her to feel happy, and like a | |
911 whole person again. Small Lady had responded well to his encouragement, | |
912 and after a few months, resumed her regular duties as Princess of the | |
913 Moon. | |
914 | |
915 She owed a great debt to Elios, and really considered him a true | |
916 friend. The hole in her heart was still there. She knew it would | |
917 always be there no matter what, but the severe pain and constant | |
918 loneliness she had felt before were greatly reduced. She enjoyed his | |
919 company and spent a lot of time with him, including having him go with | |
920 her to official royal functions. She had also spent her vacation in | |
921 Elysion this year, and came back from that feeling better than ever. | |
922 Yes, Small Lady was building her life back up, and although she would | |
923 never completely be healed, it was Elios who she had to thank for a | |
924 large part of it. | |
925 | |
926 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
927 | |
928 A pink haired women stared out a window, and looked at the many | |
929 evening lights shinning down on Crystal Tokyo harbour. Everything was | |
930 so calm and peaceful and beautiful. The scene held her gaze until a | |
931 voice brought her out of her reverie. | |
932 | |
933 "Otome... Otome..." | |
934 | |
935 "Huh?" Suddenly she snapped back into reality, and realised where | |
936 she was. They had gone to one of the fancier restaurants in Crystal | |
937 Tokyo that evening. The room was decorated in a 17th century France | |
938 design, with gold chandeliers hanging from high ceilings, ornate | |
939 carvings in the walls, many hanging tapestries, and blazing fireplaces | |
940 around the room. The restaurant was pretty full tonight, and many | |
941 couples were dancing to one of Mozart's symphonies being played by the | |
942 orchestra. | |
943 | |
944 "Are you all right? You looked a little dazed there for a few | |
945 moments." | |
946 | |
947 "Hai," she said smiling. "I was just admiring the beauty of this | |
948 city. I really love it here." | |
949 | |
950 "Well, we haven't gone anywhere really nice in a while, so I | |
951 thought it would be good to come here tonight." | |
952 | |
953 "Shitsurei shimasu," said the waiter as he cleared their dinner | |
954 plates. "Will you be having desert this evening?" | |
955 | |
956 A joyous gleam came into Small Lady's eyes as she ordered for both | |
957 her and Elios. | |
958 | |
959 "Would you like to dance for a while? I think this is one of your | |
960 favourites." | |
961 | |
962 "Sure," replied Small Lady as she got up and took his offered | |
963 hand. | |
964 | |
965 The two friends danced gracefully for the rest of the song. Some | |
966 of the other couples stared in awe as their Princess glided past them. | |
967 For most of them, this was the first time seeing her in person. Small | |
968 Lady realised her mother's genius in sending her to the past for her | |
969 formidable years. At least now she didn't have an inflated ego from all | |
970 this extra attention. | |
971 | |
972 After the song ended, the pair sat back down at their table. | |
973 Their deserts had arrived while they were dancing, and Small Lady didn't | |
974 want to waste any time. She began quickly, but daintily, eating her | |
975 tiramisu. Elios just sat and smiled as he watched her eat. | |
976 | |
977 Small Lady smiled happily as she finished off the last bite of her | |
978 desert and took a sip of wine. She looked across the table, and | |
979 realised she was being watched. A blush formed across her cheeks. | |
980 "Nani?" she asked hesitantly. | |
981 | |
982 Elios shook his head. "Nandemonai." Several moments of silence | |
983 passed between the two. "Jitsuwa... There was something I wanted to | |
984 talk to you about." | |
985 | |
986 "Okay, you know I'm always here to listen." | |
987 | |
988 "Otome," said Elios looking her sincerely in the eyes, "you have | |
989 the most beautiful spirit of anyone I've ever met. Truly, you fill me | |
990 with happiness every time I meet you. Our time together over this past | |
991 year has been truly wonderful. I hope I've always been there when you | |
992 needed me to be. You have a right to know that....I've fallen in love | |
993 with you." Visible signs of shock could be seen in Small Lady's eyes. | |
994 "I don't want this to ever end, so I would be honoured if you would take | |
995 my hand in marriage." At that he produced a box from his pocket, and | |
996 handed it to Small Lady. | |
997 | |
998 Small Lady stared at the box for several seconds before opening | |
999 it. Slowly she lifted the lid up, and revealed a single, brilliantly | |
1000 cut diamond in a setting on top of a gold ring. "Oh, Elios, I..." | |
1001 | |
1002 | |
1003 "Please, you don't have to give me your answer now. I can just | |
1004 imagine the million emotions that must be going through you right now. | |
1005 I just want to let you know that I didn't plan this all along. But it | |
1006 just came to the point several months ago where I couldn't ignore my | |
1007 feelings any longer. I love you and want to make you my wife. I don't | |
1008 want you to feel pressured at all. I want you to make a decision true | |
1009 to your heart, and I'm prepared to wait however long that takes. | |
1010 Please, just think about it." Elios smiled at her one last time, and | |
1011 then left Small Lady alone at the table. A single tear slowly fell down | |
1012 her face and onto the tablecloth. | |
1013 | |
1014 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
1015 | |
1016 Small Lady paced nervously as she waited for them to arrive. She | |
1017 was waiting in one of her private chambers off from her room. She | |
1018 especially liked this one to read in. Most of the decor was pure white, | |
1019 with a few arrangements of flowers from the royal garden. It was a cozy | |
1020 room, but big enough to fit a dozen people conformably. | |
1021 | |
1022 The door opened, and in stepped her closest friends. The Sailor | |
1023 Quartet, followed by Diana in human form, Sailorpluto, and her parents. | |
1024 It was the day after the proposal, and she needed advice. | |
1025 | |
1026 "Small Lady?" asked Diana. "What's wrong? You look as if | |
1027 something terrible has just happened." | |
1028 | |
1029 "Well, I didn't get much sleep last night," she explained. | |
1030 "Something *did* happen yesterday. That's why I've called all of you | |
1031 here. Please, sit down. I've made tea." | |
1032 | |
1033 "Small Lady," said her mother sensing something different about | |
1034 her daughter, "what's the matter? You know we'll all help you with any | |
1035 problem you have." | |
1036 | |
1037 Small Lady began to cry. "Elios...yesterday at dinner...he...he | |
1038 asked me to marry him." | |
1039 | |
1040 Looks of shock were displayed around the room. Sailorceres looked | |
1041 crestfallen. | |
1042 | |
1043 "And how did you respond?" asked Diana carefully. | |
1044 | |
1045 "I haven't yet. He told me to think about it. Minna, doushiyou?" | |
1046 She ran up to Sailorpluto. "What should I tell him? You have to tell | |
1047 me, please?" She buried herself into Pluto's lap. | |
1048 | |
1049 "Small Lady," said Pluto as she stroked her hair, "we can't tell | |
1050 you what the right answer is. Only you know that." | |
1051 | |
1052 "Demo, demo, I don't know what to say," she said between sniffles. | |
1053 | |
1054 "Do you love him?" asked her father. | |
1055 | |
1056 "Love? I never even thought about it before with Elios. I've | |
1057 always enjoyed his company, and I'm very grateful to him for helping me | |
1058 get my life back together. But do I love him? Not in the same way that | |
1059 I love Saturn." | |
1060 | |
1061 "Do you feel like you would betray Saturn if you said yes?" asked | |
1062 Diana. | |
1063 | |
1064 That stopped Small Lady almost cold. That was the key to | |
1065 everything, she realised. That was why she was so upset in the first | |
1066 place. She didn't want to betray Saturn's trust. She didn't want to | |
1067 just throw away the love they shared. "How can I betray Saturn like | |
1068 this?" she asked with her tear-streaked face. "I can't! I just can't!" | |
1069 | |
1070 "Gomen, Small Lady," said Sailorvesta, "but wouldn't Sailorsaturn | |
1071 want you to be happy? I know she loved you so much that she cared about | |
1072 your happiness above all else. A life with Elios, depending on how you | |
1073 truly feel about him, could bring you much happiness. Living the rest | |
1074 of your life alone simply because of guilt could lead you into | |
1075 depression again." | |
1076 | |
1077 "We're not going to push you either way," said the Queen. "We | |
1078 want you to make the decision that's right for you. If you feel | |
1079 strongly that Saturn wouldn't approve of the relationship, then you have | |
1080 every right to say no. But if you come to the conclusion that you do | |
1081 love Elios, and think you would be happy sharing your life with him, | |
1082 then we would equally support you if you said yes. I've been told that | |
1083 you never feel the same type of love twice, so it's probably natural | |
1084 that you feel differently about Elios than you did about Saturn." | |
1085 | |
1086 Small Lady stood up and nodded. "Arigatou, minna. You've all | |
1087 given me a lot to think about. Now I know that no one can make this | |
1088 decision for me. I have to do that for myself. It may take some soul | |
1089 searching, but I'm sure I can make the right decision." | |
1090 | |
1091 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
1092 | |
1093 "Yoshi!" said Small Lady as she finished packing a picnic lunch | |
1094 for herself. She loved how cute the bentou boxes looked tied up in | |
1095 handkerchiefs. As she left the palace, she said, "itte kimasu" to no | |
1096 one in particular, and made her way to a near-by park. | |
1097 | |
1098 It was a bit overcastted in Crystal Tokyo this day, but there were | |
1099 still plenty of people out and about having fun. Small Lady followed | |
1100 the now familiar path to a certain part of the park. When she got | |
1101 there, she was relieved to find that no one else was around. She went | |
1102 over to the base of the statue, and polished up the plaque. She | |
1103 breathed in a deep breath. This wasn't going to be easy. | |
1104 | |
1105 "So, you probably already know why I'm here." She appeared to be | |
1106 talking to herself, but she was really talking to the statue. Or | |
1107 rather, the spirit she believed resided in the statue. "I've come here | |
1108 to think out some confusing emotions. I love you. I always will love | |
1109 you. Nothing will *ever* change that. You're my taisetsu na hito. I | |
1110 don't want to betray you. That's my biggest fear. If I thought you | |
1111 would be against this, I would say no to Elios right this second. But | |
1112 I'm not sure you would be. I do remember that conversation we had | |
1113 several years ago. I think it ended in me getting very upset, and | |
1114 saying that neither of us would ever die, and that we'd be together | |
1115 forever. Shows how wrong I was, eh? I remember you telling me to be | |
1116 happy no matter what. And I've done a lot of thinking, and I think I | |
1117 can be happy with Elios. He was such a great friend to me after you | |
1118 died, and we became very close. Though I must admit that romantic | |
1119 thoughts about him never even popped into my mind until he proposed. I | |
1120 guess it was at that point where I realised that I really did care for | |
1121 him. Kami, that thought scared me out of my skin. After all, how could | |
1122 I care about anyone but you? In my long hours of thinking, I've come to | |
1123 the conclusion that I do love him, but in a very different way than I | |
1124 love you. He will never overshadow you in my heart. So, I guess I've | |
1125 made my decision. It was a very difficult one, but I think I've looked | |
1126 at all the issues and done what my heart has told me. Above all else, I | |
1127 hope I've done what you would have wanted me to do. Aishiteru eien ni." | |
1128 | |
1129 At those last words, Small Lady picked up her finished bentou | |
1130 boxes, and headed back to the palace. | |
1131 | |
1132 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
1133 | |
1134 Elios stared out his window at the rain pelting down this dreary | |
1135 night. He ran a hand through his while hair and sighed. It had been a | |
1136 week since he had proposed to Small Lady. What her answer would be, he | |
1137 really wasn't quite sure. He knew they had grown close over the past | |
1138 year, but he could never quite tell what she was thinking. He hoped he | |
1139 hadn't ruined their friendship by proposing. But as the days dragged | |
1140 on, it seemed to him like he did just that, because he hadn't seen Small | |
1141 Lady at all since that night. He knew he must be patient, but this | |
1142 waiting was killing him. | |
1143 | |
1144 A soft knock at the door sounded. | |
1145 | |
1146 "Hai!" he said, getting up in the process. He walked over to the | |
1147 door, and said a silent prayer that it would be who he hoped. He opened | |
1148 the door. | |
1149 | |
1150 It was. | |
1151 | |
1152 "Yes." | |
1153 | |
1154 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
1155 | |
1156 The wedding was one of the most extravagant events the Kingdom had | |
1157 seen in a few hundred years. People from all over the kingdom came to | |
1158 the event as well as some citizens of allied kingdoms. Billions of | |
1159 people lined up along the streets of Crystal Tokyo hoping to catch a | |
1160 glimpse of the happy couple, while billions more watched at home. The | |
1161 day was declared a kingdom wide holiday. After all, getting to work was | |
1162 quite impossible, and no one was going to do any business that day | |
1163 anyway. | |
1164 | |
1165 Flowers were absolutely everywhere. Pictures of the couple | |
1166 adorned billboards, video screens, newspapers, and countless other | |
1167 places. It got so bad that one couldn't turn around without seeing at | |
1168 least one picture of the couple. Of course, it was like this at every | |
1169 royal wedding. | |
1170 | |
1171 The ceremony was grand, and was performed by Neo Queen Serenity | |
1172 herself. It was held inside, but in one of the palace's large gardens. | |
1173 Aspects of a traditional Shintou wedding were still there, but wedding | |
1174 ceremonies had evolved from religion over the century, and were quite | |
1175 secular in nature. | |
1176 | |
1177 The bride wore a stunning white dress trimmed in lace and lilacs. | |
1178 It was off the shoulder and had a long veil and train. Her hair was out | |
1179 of its usual odango, and was allowed to hang long. It was done in | |
1180 flowing waves with lilacs interlaced in certain places to match her | |
1181 dress. | |
1182 | |
1183 The groom had on a dark blue tuxedo with tails. His vest and bow | |
1184 tie were both black. In his lapel there was a single pink rose. | |
1185 | |
1186 The maid of honour and the bride's maids had on matching light | |
1187 blue dresses. They were strapless flowing gowns that were also | |
1188 accentuated with lilacs. Diana, in her human form, looked stunning as | |
1189 the maid of honour, and the Quartet looked equally good as her bride's | |
1190 maids. | |
1191 | |
1192 The other Senshi wore their formal gowns to the occasion, and | |
1193 stood just off to the side. Behind them in rows of chairs sat one | |
1194 hundred invited guests. So, in a way, this was a very private ceremony, | |
1195 while at the same time being a very public one. Small Lady and Elios | |
1196 wrote their own vows, which also gave the ceremony a very personal | |
1197 touch. | |
1198 | |
1199 It was rumoured that the honeymoon was going to be on the | |
1200 continent of Europe, but some people said it might be Australia, India, | |
1201 or even the moon. The palace wanted to keep the location a secret to | |
1202 let the couple have a little time to themselves. | |
1203 | |
1204 The wedding presents the couple had received had been plentiful. | |
1205 >From cards and drawings sent in by the kingdom's populace to very | |
1206 personalised gifts given to them by the Senshi. The biggest surprise, | |
1207 though, had to be the gift the Queen and King gave their daughter and | |
1208 new husband. Before the ceremony was completed, the Queen proclaimed | |
1209 that she had one more announcement to make the wedding complete. She | |
1210 passed down the title of Queen of the Moon Kingdom to her daughter, and | |
1211 officially crowned her Queen Usagi Small Lady Serenity, Neo Queen | |
1212 Serenity II. | |
1213 | |
1214 Neo Queen Serenity, looking regal as ever, said to her daughter, | |
1215 "You have demonstrated unconditionally that you are ready to receive | |
1216 such a burden. You are full of love, life, compassion, understanding, | |
1217 and trust. You will make a wonderful queen. I'm so proud of you, my | |
1218 daughter." | |
1219 | |
1220 "Arigatou, mama," said the younger woman as tears of joy shed from | |
1221 her eyes as she wrapped her arms around her mother. Her youth was now | |
1222 officially over. Not only was she married, but she was the leader of | |
1223 her people, ruler of her kingdom, and the most powerful person in the | |
1224 galaxy. | |
1225 | |
1226 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
1227 | |
1228 (Small Lady will now be referred to as Serenity.) | |
1229 | |
1230 The next year was a very interesting one. Not only did Serenity | |
1231 have to adapt to married life, but she also had to adapt to ruling a | |
1232 kingdom. She had watched her mother do it for centuries, of course, and | |
1233 she had been skilfully schooled on the subject, but she had also hit her | |
1234 share of rough spots. She often sought reassurance from the Quartet, | |
1235 Pluto, or her husband. She didn't want to bother her mother and father, | |
1236 now in retirement, with such things. Although, to her amazement, | |
1237 everything seemed to be going just fine. Trade was up with neighbouring | |
1238 kingdoms, and she had even negotiated an agreement of allegiance with | |
1239 the Torag people, a kingdom notorious for rejecting any sort of ties | |
1240 with the Moon Kingdom. | |
1241 | |
1242 Yes, things seemed to be going quite well for her. Except for | |
1243 that day in early September when she got unbelievably ill and had to | |
1244 stay in for most of the day. The royal team of doctors, headed by | |
1245 Sailormercury, examined her and told her the good news. She was | |
1246 pregnant. | |
1247 | |
1248 Joy absolutely filled the kingdom at this news. After all, it had | |
1249 been nearly 918 years since the last successor to the Moon Kingdom was | |
1250 born. Serenity was excited, but very apprehensive at the same time. | |
1251 What did she know about raising children? The thought crossed her mind | |
1252 to send her daughter (she knew it was going to be a daughter; it had to | |
1253 be a daughter) back to the past to be raised by her formal self or even | |
1254 farther into the past to have it raised by Tsukino Usagi, but that | |
1255 thought was brief, and she knew it would be impossible. Well, she | |
1256 thought, all new mothers must think the same thing. I'm just lucky to | |
1257 have such a supportive group of people around me to help out. | |
1258 | |
1259 Nine months later on June 30, 2919 a scream rang out in the halls | |
1260 of Crystal Palace. Another miracle had occurred. A chubby miracle | |
1261 weighing 3.2 kg, with pinkish skin, and silver hair. | |
1262 | |
1263 Princess Usagi Hotaru Serenity was born. No one minded that | |
1264 Hotaru, and ancient and almost forgotten name, was used as one of the | |
1265 Princess' middle names. It was seen as a dedication to one of the | |
1266 kingdom's most powerful and valiant warriors. Serenity was content. | |
1267 Now the memory wouldn't die away. | |
1268 | |
1269 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
1270 | |
1271 "Mezame yo! Your time is now. Hametsu to tanjou no Senshi!" | |
1272 | |
1273 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
1274 | |
1275 A figure slowly started to open her eyes. She realised she was | |
1276 lying down in a patch of grass and that it was night-time around her. | |
1277 The stars twinkled around her and the moon shone ever so brightly in the | |
1278 sky. She blinked a few times, stood up, and started walking in the | |
1279 general direction she thought would lead her where she wanted to go. | |
1280 | |
1281 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
1282 | |
1283 It had only been a week since Serenity gave birth to Princess | |
1284 Usagi. She was *not* used to these midnight feedings yet. The amount | |
1285 of sleep she had lost had been astounding. Elios was great, but he | |
1286 couldn't get up all the time. | |
1287 | |
1288 "There there, Usagi-chan," she said soothingly. She began to sing | |
1289 softly. "GOMEN ne sunao ja nakute, yume no naka nara ieru, shikou kairu | |
1290 wa SHOOTO sunzen, ima sugu aitai yo..." The baby stopped her soft | |
1291 crying and went back to her restful slumber. "Yokkata na. Yoshi | |
1292 yoshi." She laid her daughter back into her crib. She turned around to | |
1293 go back to the near-by bed when she sensed something wasn't right. | |
1294 | |
1295 The overwhelming feeling brought her down the corridor adjoining | |
1296 her room, through the palace's many hallways, and out of the palace | |
1297 completely and into the cool night air. She sensed someone was close. | |
1298 Someone familiar. | |
1299 | |
1300 "Dare yo!" she almost demanded. | |
1301 | |
1302 A figure stepped out from behind some bushes with a very weary | |
1303 look on her face. She was faintly glowing purple. | |
1304 | |
1305 "Small Lady..." | |
1306 | |
1307 Serenity brought a hand to her mouth and went white as a ghost. | |
1308 "Uso. Saturn..." | |
1309 | |
1310 ~*~*~*~*~ | |
1311 | |
1312 How's that for an evil cliff-hanger, eh? ^_- Part 4 ni tsuzuku! | |
1313 | |
1314 Wow, so, um, this was a long time coming. Sorry about that. I | |
1315 started writing it in August (of '98) and continued to write bits and | |
1316 pieces throughout the year. Today, though, I gathered up my resolve and | |
1317 attacked the rest of it. I wrote about 1/3 today in about seven hours. | |
1318 | |
1319 Some of you are going to wonder, so I might as well say it right | |
1320 now. Yes, in Mars & Venus and Jupiter & Mercury are lovers. Takeuchi- | |
1321 sensei actually gives a lot more evidence for these pairings than she | |
1322 does for Chibiusa and Hotaru, and I like them, so I included them. ^_^ | |
1323 | |
1324 Some more of you might be thinking, "why did she go to all that | |
1325 trouble to put Hotaru and Chibiusa together and then have Chibiusa marry | |
1326 Elios anyway?!?" Well, you'd have a point, but this was the way I had | |
1327 pictured the story, so this is the way I wrote it. And I may not like | |
1328 this fact anymore than you do, but a story has to have conflict, right? | |
1329 ^_^;; | |
1330 | |
1331 Oh, just a note about Neo Queen Serenity handing down the throne | |
1332 to Princess Serenity. She didn't do this just because the princess was | |
1333 getting married. I, as a feminist, find that prospect abhorrent. She | |
1334 did it at the wedding because it was convenient, and also because she | |
1335 thought it would make a good wedding gift. She would have handed down | |
1336 the throne regardless of whether the princess got married. | |
1337 | |
1338 Well, I hope you liked this chapter of the fanfic. You may have | |
1339 started to hate me as soon as I killed off Saturn (gya, that sounds | |
1340 really bad...), but I hope the story remained interesting. All I have | |
1341 to say is that you'll probably like the next and final chapter a whole | |
1342 lot better. Yakusoku yo! | |
1343 | |
1344 Special thanks to the Amazoness Duo (er, Quartet?) for keeping me | |
1345 motivated while writing this. I know you disagree with certain plot | |
1346 points, but I hope you liked the story anyway. ^^;; For good Hotaru and | |
1347 Chibiusa fanfiction, check them out at A Sailor Moon Romance (sure, | |
1348 they're lemons, but they're happy lemons ^^). ^_^ | |
1349 | |
1350 Contact information: andrea.doolan@utoronto.ca | |
1351 | |
1352 Music I was listening to while writing this: a whole bunch of | |
1353 stuff. For the last seven hours, though, I've been listening to Shoujo | |
1354 Kakumei Utena OST 2. | |
1355 | |
1356 Completed: June 25, 1999. | |
1357 |