Disclaimer: Once again, Sailormoon isn't mine, it's Takeuchi-sama's. However, all of the characters (except for the ones in the actual anime, manga and live-action series) belong to me. You steal them and I'll mess your hair up so bad your mother never recognize you! -StarUranus
My name is Meioh Fei-Lang (Fei for short), but this is just an alias. My real name is Charon, overseer of the Underworld. I am the one that brings the souls of the dead to their final resting place, be it the Elysian Fields or the dark depths of Tartarus. You may know my mother, Pluto, as the guardian of the Gates of Time-Space. My soul encompasses those of both a man and a woman, so that I, even as a man, can transform into the Sailor suited guardian, Sailorcharon, soldier of the dead. I am also capable of speaking over one million different languages, so that I may communicate with anyone who enters my realm. I have lived for thousands of years rowing my small boat through the River Styx. One day, however, one soul entered my boat who was not due to enter the depths of Hades for many years.
I watched from beneath my dark, hooded cloak as a young girl wearing a Sailor outfit approached. She looked extremely confused and deeply concerned, as did I.
"E-excuse me," she said in a soft, and strangely familiar, voice. "W-where am I? Why am I wearing this?"
My eyes widened immensely as I realized who she was. How could this be though? She was reborn, as were the other soldiers, but only to die so young? Especially before even discovering who she was and what her true purpose in life was? I felt an unfamiliar lump forming in my throat as memories of our past flooded back into my mind. My eyes...they were leaking...my dark cheeks became flushed and wet...was I...crying?? This can't be! For thousands of years, I have never once shed a tear for the dead, for they do not need my pity. I was taught that if I showed any sort of sympathy, that I would become soft and end up taking even the unworthy to the beautiful fields of Elysia. However, this...this was very different.
The girl looked up at me, obviously trying to see past my hood. "Are you all right?" she asked. I couldn't say anything in reply. We stood there for what seemed like hours as the memories continued ravaging my mind and spirit.
So long ago...this same girl was the head guardian of Neptune, princess of Kaiousei, and I the guardian of my mother, Pluto, princess of Meiousei. We had met completely by accident one day. Everyone from the three outermost planets, Meiousei, Kaiousei and Ten'ousei, had come together to celebrate the signing of a peace treaty between the three planets. There had been a great war that broke out between them because of different ideals. However, Lord Hades, my grandfather, Lord Poseidon of Kaiousei and Lady Gaia of Ten'ousei managed to come to an agreement and vowed never to fight again, to be allies for eternity. It was one of the most joyful days I had ever known, as the war had started when I was very young.
I smiled as I watched my mother sign the document, proud to know that I was son and heir to one of the most powerful thrones in the galaxy. I stepped back as she finished, only to knock over a petite and demure young princess. I turned around and saw her sprawled across the marble floor of Miranda Palace, punch for her Lady spilled all over her grey-blue dress. My dark skin flushed with embarrassment as I knelt down to help her.
"Are you all right?" I asked in a much softer tone than usual. My mother had told me before that my deep, booming voice can be a bit intimidating at times.
She looked at her dress, then at the empty goblet she held, and tears began flowing down her cheeks. "Oh Lady Neptune, please don't be angry with me," she cried.
At the sound of her name, Princess Neptune turned her gaze from the document she was signing, as did her father, Lord Poseidon, to see what had happened. "Triton!" Neptune cried. She bent down to help her guardian up. "Are you ok? What happened??" she asked.
I blushed furiously and said, "Forgive me, m'lady, but I stepped back, not realizing she was there, and knocked her over."
Lord Poseidon's sanguine face became even more jovial in nature and he laughed a bit, causing me to blush further in embarrassment. "These things happen, m'boy," he said as he held out a hand to help me up.
I watched as Neptune helped Triton up, comforted her a bit, then took her to clean her dress off. I felt so horrible about what had happened...how could I make it up to her? After a few minutes, princess and guardian returned. Triton's face was flushed and her eyes were a bit red, but other than that she looked fine. Princess Neptune had managed to get all of the punch out of Triton's beautiful dress. "Is everything all right?" I asked Triton as she and Princess Neptune walked towards me.
Triton nodded a bit and smiled. "Sorry for making such a fuss...it's been a long day," she said softly, then looked up at me and blushed.
"I understand, really. Is there...any way I can make it up to you?" I asked as I took her hand in mine and kissed it gently.
She blushed even more and smiled a bit as the musicians began to play an upbeat tune. "Well...you could dance with me..." she said in a meek tone, smiling a bit to herself.
I blushed and smiled back. "It would be my pleasure," I replied, then swept her onto the dancefloor.
I watched as that happy scene turned back to the dank, dark, cold Underworld we were standing in now. "Triton..." I said softly as the tears flowed freely from my eyes. "Is it really you?"
The girl looked a bit confused. "Triton? N-no, my name is Sky Rivers," she replied. She looked grim for a moment as she mouthed the word "Triton" to herself a few times, seeming as though she recognized it.
I took her hand and helped her into my tiny gondola, and as I rowed down the River Styx I began recounting the past to her, never missing one tiny detail about the glory days of the Silver Millenium and her people. I turned to look at her just as her eyes lit up and she remembered everything.
"Oh my god..." she said softly. "I am...Triton..." She looked up at me as I stopped the gondola and stepped off, then held out my hand for her. She paused, then took my hand and stepped out.
For several minutes we just stared at each other, then, to my surprise, she stood on her tiptoes, took my hood by the sides, and slowly lowered it so that she could see my face. She put her hand to her mouth in surprise as more memories returned to her. "Charon...my Charon!" she cried and threw her arms around me. Tears flooded down her semi-transparent cheeks as I held her, running my hand through her hair and whispering softly to her. "Oh gods...how can I complete my duty now?? How can I keep watch over my Princess??" she asked, looking up at me with a very worried expression.
I thought for a moment, looking a bit reluctant. After a moment, I looked into her eyes and smiled warmly. "There's a way..."
The two of us teleported to her home on Earth. She sighed softly when we appeared right before her body, taking a moment to stroke her own cheek gently. "I guess this is goodbye..." she said softly to her lifeless shell.
After a moment of reminiscing, she turned to me and asked softly, "Do you need to get it now?"
I nodded slowly and stepped up to her body. Then, placing my hands gently upon her body's chest, I began to extract her Sailor crystal. The process seemed to take forever, and was a great strain upon my body, but I finally removed it. We watched as her body slowly disappeared into nothingness, and I blushed a bit as the clothing her soul wore vanished as well, leaving only a small teardrop pendant and a glowing blue symbol, the symbol of Neptune, on her forehead. Sighing softly, Sky took my hand and led me to the room where her twin brother and the foreign exchange student were staying.
As we entered the room, it became bathed in a soft blue light, and I revealed ourselves only to the young boy who tossed and turned as he tried to sleep. Standing in the shadows, I watched as she recounted the events to him, and explained that she must meld her Sailor crystal with his in order to complete her mission. He accepted, and I stepped up slightly in order to meld the two together. I felt the same lump from earlier welling up inside of me as I watched my love's soul intertwine with her twin's, but then felt a sudden warmth and happiness as I realized that my love was still here beside me, living inside of this young boy.
"Finally, my love, you have returned," I said softly as I reached out and touched the boy's cheek gently.
"W-who are you?" he asked softly, obviously very unnerved that I was still here and calling him "my love."
I smiled a bit at him and removed my hood so that he could see my face clearly. "I am called Charon," I replied, then teleported back to my home in the Underworld.
I walked slowly to my bed and breathed heavily, feeling hot and weak. I watched as my skin became almost white, quite a change from my normally mocha-colored visage. "So this is my punishment...to die as the others did..." I said weakly to myself, then coughed up blood. I collapsed on my bed and lied there thinking as I died, smiling a bit to myself. "Perhaps I will be reborn as you were...perhaps we can finally be together forever...Triton..." I said softly as I closed my eyes and took in my very last breath.
Before I knew it, it was morning again. I yawned and stretched as I sat up in my bed, feeling quite refreshed after a good night's sleep. Somehow, though, I felt different, like there was a new strength and power within me that I had never noticed before. I stood up and threw my nightshirt back on (I was still wearing my pants, but I had apparently become hot last night and removed my shirt) and walked downstairs to see my mother and her partners, Haruka and Michiru, sitting at the table discussing when they were going to pick up Kasumi (Haruka and Michiru's daughter) from the airport. My mother smiled up at me, and her eyes widened as she noticed something on my face. I thought she might fall out of her chair (luckily she had put down her coffee mug) as she looked up at me, pointing to my forehead. "F-fei!" she cried. "Haruka, Michiru! Hora mite!" she cried out as she turned my face towards Haruka and Michiru, who gasped at the sight.
"Nan da kore wa???" I cried out angrily.
"Kagami wo miteru!!" Haruka instructed.
"Mou..." I sighed as I walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Staring back at me was the same face as always, but upon my forehead was a glowing green symbol. I ran my finger over it and my eyes widened as my memories returned to me from my other life. "Masaka...Puruuto no shirushi..." I said softly as I realized that I, Meioh Fei-Lang, was the reborn form of the soldier of the dead, Sailorcharon.
Translation of Japanese words and phrases:
Kaiousei, Ten'ousei and Meiousei are the Japanese names for the planets Neptune, Uranus and Pluto respectively. I prefer to use these names rather than the Roman/English names when referring to the planets so as not to get them confused with the Princesses.
"Hora mite!" is "Look look"
"Nan da kore wa???" is "What are you doing???" or, more literally, "What is this"
"Kagami wo miteru!!" is "Look in a mirror"
"Masaka...Puruuto no shirushi..." is "It can't be...Pluto's symbol..."