Chapter 1: The Prologue
Once upon another time, not as long ago as one might think, the people of earth lived in a relative, conscious, oblivion. Tune out of the ebb and flow of the planets, and the damage that was done, but tuned in to themselves and their greed.
The world turned, ever changed by the ripples in time, and never to be what it once was. Changes had occurred in the past, in the present, and in the future. Fate would never be allowed to play out as it once wanted to, and beyond the present was a mystery once more. Each step through time now presented new and exciting possibilities, but those who traveled in time and knew the events they had prevented, or put into motions, were now stuck with a lingering knowledge, and an uncertain future to move toward, because nothing could ever be what they had seen before they returned to their past.
The threats from space, and the farthest reaches of the galaxies, had been neutralized; for now. Mankind was left to its own selfish and destructive devices. The earth suffered under the greed and wastefulness of its people, but there was peace in the cosmos. The world turned, revolving around the sun in its seclusion. No one knew, not even the former heroes, what could be lurking in the darkness, and which would, one day, make its way back into their solar system.
As a result of the renewed peacefulness, the sailor soldiers were also left to their dreams and goals. One by one, as time passed and the need for their powers faded away, they grew up. They learned to enjoy their lives, and by the power of the silver crystal, they began to forget what had happened to them. The strength and magic of the crystal left them to find their new futures. The ripples had made space for new fates to be written and explored.
If ever the dark forces were to return, in this life time, the soldiers would re-awaken to their past, but for now, as time crawled forward and they went in search of knowledge and happiness, their powers fell dormant and the memories of the battles, the sorrows, and their past connections, melted away to make way for higher educations, careers, and life out of the lines of danger. It happened gradually, but as they aged and moved on, their powers were replaced with hopes and dreams, and even the idea of love.
The past was forgotten by everyone except for the Moon Princess, but even she got her wish. She became just another girl looking for love, friendship, and the permission to be herself. She had become free to live her life, but the past haunted her nightmares, and this new future placed a very different kind of loneliness in her path because she knew that her friends had forgotten her. It had been her wish, to place their memories in the safe keeping of the crystal, and give them back a life that had been snatched away from them by their re-awakening. Captivity by their memories was no better than the invading forces that had been trying to take away their free will and their planet, and so Serena gave them freedom over her own selfish desires to keep them.
Not long after the battle with Galaxia, her prince made his voyage to America to study medicine and their time apart caused even him to forget. While he was away, while he had chosen to go, she'd made a choice as well and sealed all the past into the protection of the crystal so that the future might change and be brighter.
The sailor soldiers carried on in school together until it was time to move on and with ambition and excitement of their own, spread out ahead of them, they slipped out of their sailor ways and into the world. As they transitioned into this new adventure, so too did their memories begin to slip away, until the princess was the only one left to carry the burden because the crystal would not work on the one commanding it.
Ami was the first to leave, graduating at the top of her class and gaining entrance to all of the school she applied to; to study medicine. She eventually left to study abroad but returned to her home to practice her craft when her studies were finished. She came back and found a roommate in Serena, who had moved out of her parents home to find her own way in a very confusing world. At first the prospect was frightening to Serena, but it wasn't long before she understood that Ami had no recollection of their violent past, and only remembered her as a very good school friend. They got on well together, but it was not like it had once been.
Lita was the next to leave, following Ami after graduation into a field she'd always dreamed of. She ended up in Paris where she attended the most prestigious culinary school in the world, and cooked to make other people happy. She opened several restaurants, all over the planet and advocated for farm fresh produce and healthy living, until she decided it was time to return home and open a restaurant for her own people. It was one of the biggest openings in a long time and it was nearly impossible to get into the restaurant to eat. Lita had moved on, and yet settled at home.
Rei, with her deeply rooted ties to her family temple, also left for short amounts of time, but always returned to be with her Grandfather and to make sure that the man she'd reluctantly fallen in love with could handle the old man, and all his hair-brained ideas. Rei left to find herself and the connections with the world around her that she had felt were lacking in her sheltered life. She skied in mountains around the world. She worshipped at temples spreading her message of peace, and with all different kinds of people, and found blessing abounded in the wonders that the world had to give. But the pull of her spirituality, and the ties to her temple, her home and the magic she'd always owned, brought her back to the sacred fire that had been her companion all her life. She returned to the love she had won without ever trying, and Chad remained to wait for her. Rei and Chad spent a lot of time writing music together and eventually Rei began writing songs for many famous artist, but she never went back to performing. She preferred the quiet life of her legacy, at the temple, and had gained a renewed hope in a bright and beautiful future.
Mina too found a way to regain her independence. She traveled the world, became a singer, an actor, and an athlete, but grew tired of the fast pace of fame very quickly. After having made her fortune she settled into the production of up and coming stars, like herself, and as she built her own record label she knew she'd found her calling. She mentored the young talent that she managed to bring into her world and carried on in that fashion, dipping into magazines, books, music, movies, and television. She settled far away in America where the business boomed and the block busters made billions. While Lita, Rei and Ami found their way back to the place of their birth, and rebirth, Mina made her mark elsewhere, and never looked back.
As for the other, life carried on. Amara and Michelle moved on to a place where they could live together without judgement. They married, bought a house and lived peacefully. Amara raced cars, Michelle played in an orchestra, and they lived a quiet, happy, life with one another. Europe had been good to them, and they were very comfortable now, with gardens abounding and the sweet melodies of the music the made together; close enough to the water but happily on dry land.
Hotaru was given her chance to live, grow up, go to school and make friends. She spent most of her young life with the three, but with the end battle and the gifts of the crystal, she'd returned to her former form and took on a young adult life with Trista. She carried on through middle school, junior high school, and high school, with the hopes of studying physics, but more specifically the bang that caused all of the chaos. She was well on her way, but dreamed of the worlds far beyond this one, and the forces at work that created it all.
Although Trista studied physics and excelled, she ended up settling near the rest of her friends, opening a clock shop and caring for Hotaru. She mentored her, watched her grow, and encouraged her to try everything. Motherhood suited her very well. Her life became about giving Hotaru life, and seeing that the young lady was happy. As the eldest of the group Trista settled easily into a more motherly role and continued to look out for all of the younger girls as she saw them, not quite knowing why she did it, and taking great pride in all of their achievements.
And so it was, each of the friends moved on and faded away, becoming greater in a different social light, but different from who they had been. Everything became normal, peaceful, and balanced as the world continued to turn, change and progress toward a future that had been forever changed by their actions. Nothing played out as it might have, and Serena was, for the most part, grateful.
Truth be told, it had been years since the five friends had spent any real time with one another, and even longer since Serena had had to rely on her powers or the outer sailors. So, she moved on with her life, always knowing that there would one day come a time when she would have to wake up and save the world. But for the time, this moment right now, she was enjoying her peace and pushed her loneliness to the very back of her mind. She made friends easily and had many of them, but none of them quite like the friends she'd known, and who had fought by her side in a time not so long ago.
