After the Eclipse
By Bashfulglowfly
Artemis dug his claws into the hard plastic of the carried and yowled his rage.
"Oh, my! Someone doesn't sound happy."
A laugh came from Artemis' captor. "No. He hates the carrier and he had to go to the vet today. But I'll make it up to him."
"You'll have to!"
The familiar ring of the crosswalk sounded, and the carrier began bouncing up and down as the cat-napper crossed the street. Artemis growled.
Then the carrier was lifted further into the air. "Stop that, Artemis!" Artemis felt his heart, briefly, stop with shock. "You sound like a dog, for Selene's sake!" Artemis fell his fur rise along his back and could tell that his tail probably looked like a bottle brush. The carrier lowered back down but his captor walked faster.
But Artemis didn't really notice as he was lost in his thoughts. This person knows me. Who? Who is it? It must be someone from the Moon Kingdom. But who would Queen Serenity have protected like she did Luna and me as well as the Senshi? Or is this someone Neo-Queen Serenity sent?
His thoughts raced in circles until he was distracted by the slamming of a door.
"Were you successful?" The second voice was much deeper than the first.
"Yes."
"Which one?" A third voice.
"Artemis. He was leaving the arcade."
"Good. He's a lot more sensible than Luna." A fourth voice…which sounded familiar.
All four voices sounded familiar, but it was as if they were voices from a hazy memory.
"He would have to be since he was Queen Serenity's military advisor." Said the second voice.
The carrier stopped moving and Artemis could see that it had been placed on a dining table. A hand came into view and pulled a chair back from the table and a man sat down.
"Kunzite!" Artemis couldn't help his shocked hiss.
"Artemis." Kunzite was calm as if the last time they'd seen each other hadn't been over Venus' cooling corpse. "I trust you weren't injured when Zoisite captured you."
"No. But I am expected to be somewhere soon."
Kunzite smiled. A small tilting of the lips which was as much as the man could smile. Now that Artemis thought about it, Venus was able to get him to truly smile. She even would get him to laugh. "Since you were walking away from the Crown Arcade, somehow I doubt that."
Artemis felt a chill go over his body. The Shitennou had been watching him. Possibly even all of them if they knew about the arcade. "What do you want, Kunzite?"
"Well, first. Would you like to get out of that carrier? And would you like water or milk?" One would have thought that they were at a diplomatic event from the tone of his voice.
"Yes. And water, please." A hand reached out and released the carrier door. Artemis exited and looked around. It was an average Tokyo apartment. Hardly enough room to swing a cat, so to speak, let alone fit three larger than average men and the wiry Zoisite. Jadeite quietly placed a bowl of water in front of Artemis who took his time drinking to try and understand what was going on.
The Shitennou waited patiently until Artemis was finished.
He carefully licked a paw then he looked Kunzite in the eye. "What do you want?"
"To stand at the side of our master."
Artemis' first instinct was to say 'No.' But there was something in Kunzite's eyes. In all their eyes. "How did you get here."
"In an airplane."
"Ha. Ha. Ha." Artemis' voice was dryer than the crap Minako was feeding him because she felt he was too fat.
Nephrite spoke. "We woke up in a cavern underneath the mountains that are currently called the Sierra Nevadas. Near the area called Yosemite."
"That's impossible. That area has been explored. It's impossible that you weren't found before now."
Nephrite pulled out a chair from the table and sat down. "Magic, Artemis. Old magic. From my people. It was sacred to the Shaman. No one else could go there without permission."
"So, how'd you, all of you, end up there?"
Nephrite shook his head. "I don't know. Other than having a dying wish that we could go somewhere safe, I have no idea how we got there." He smiled. "And, yes, I was…am…a Shaman so they would have had my permission to be there."
Artemis sighed. He really didn't know what to do. He remembered what the Shitennou meant to the girls. Luna didn't. He'd carefully interrogated her years earlier about what she remembered and the Senshi and Shitennou being lovers was not amongst the things she recalled. None of the other girls did either.
At least not consciously. Makoto's statements about being reminded of her 'old boyfriend.' Ami sometimes looking off into the distance and a tear rolling down her cheek. Rei would stare into the Sacred Fire and not remember why she was there.
And his Minako. His poor MInako would cry in her sleep for her lover. Her killer. Her greatest dream and her utmost nightmare.
And he was here. They were here. In Tokyo. And it was obvious they wanted him to do something.
"I hate you."
"I'm guessing you mean that on several different levels." Said Jadeite with a half-laugh.
"Yes." Artemis collapsed bonelessly onto the table and covered his eyes with his paws. "They don't remember. What you meant to each other back then. They just remember the bad. Not the good."
"Why not." Asked Zoisite.
Artemis snorted. "Damned if I know. It could be the fact that they've died more than once in this lifetime. It could have been something Queen Serenity did. Hell, Luna could have done something for all that I know."
"We need to be there. With them." Said Nephrite. "The stars have told me that something terrible is coming. A great disaster and if we aren't with them when it happens, the Earth will not survive."
Artemis stared at the Mystic. Nephrite was not lying. The last time Artemis had been around those who could foretell the future had been during the Silver Millennium, but he heard the Truth in Nephrite's voice the same he'd heard in the voices of those long dead men and women.
"Crap. Fine. I'll find some way to bring you to their attention. But if I get my tail cut off…"
"I'll reattach it." Promised Zoisite.
888888
An hour later, Artemis exited the apartment building. He had developed an idea of what to do but…
"Hello, Artemis." Said a quiet voice.
Startled, Artemis looked up at the last person he expected to see.
"Helios!"
"I think you need my help."
"Yes, yes I do."
The next day, things went as badly as Artemis thought they would.
"No."
"Minako…"
"NO!"
Helios reached out and took her hands in his. "Venus." Was all his gentle voice said.
MInako stared into his eyes. Her lips trembled then she burst into tears and flung herself across Helios' lap. Her face pressed against his stomach as the sobs tore her apart.
Helios ran his hand gently through her hair and a soft croon began emanating from his throat.
The priest knew that out of all the Senshi, Venus was the most damaged. But he also knew that he could heal most of her pain. Most of all their pain. And Kunzite and the Shitennou would be able to do the rest.
He kept up his croon and watched as all four the Senshi as well as the future King and Queen and their feline advisors fell deeper into his healing spell. Tears rolled down their faces, but he could feel their ancient and recent pain leave their bodies and their minds.
After almost an hour, he slowly tapered off his croon and allowed his patients to regain their senses.
Mamoru stared at his priest in awe. "What did you do?"
"What needed to be done." Came the calm reply. "For now and for the Future."
"Thank you." Said Usagi.
Helios smiled. "You're welcome. Are you ready to meet them?"
Minako looked into his face with blue eyes free of her untold and unrelenting pain.
"Yes."