Greetings, friends. It's been quite a long time, hasn't it? Almost 10 years since I last added to the Sailor Moon fandom. But the reawakening of the anime and republication of the manga inspired me.
When I finished my last Sailor Moon story, Kooin Ya No Gotoshi, back in 2005, I was... confession... seventeen years old! Now I'm 27. Years have passed- I graduated college, taught high school for a few years, then quit teaching to go back to graduate school. In grad school now, I study theology and intern as a hospital chaplain. In the past decade, I have learned, laughed, loved, and lost. I experienced the tragic death of a friend.I fell in love for the first time, then I married the guy. I like to think I can write better now that I've lived a little longer.
When I felt the gnawing urge to revisit the Sailor Moon universe, I wondered what I could contribute, where to even start! The new anime is paying close attention to the original manga, so I decided to as well. When rereading, I realized that the final battle concludes ambiguously with Usagi waking up from a dream the morning after Mamoru proposed, and then, the manga ends with Usagi and Mamoru's wedding.
Which got me thinking that theoretically, their final battle occurred when she was 16 and he was 19. Which made me think that some time probably passed before they actually had that wedding, so perhaps that "waking up" scene was actually a little bit further in the future and perhaps she really was waking up from a dream-remembering that battle.
So, we know that Usagi becomes Neo-Queen Serenity at age 22, after an undisclosed disaster in the 20th century prompts her to awaken the new Millenium. So, that leaves some time between defeating Galaxia and Chaos at 16, and then becoming queen and giving birth to Chibi-Usa at 22. At some point in there, she and Mamoru marry, as we see. I am intrigued with those years in between. Many other writers, greater writers like Meara, have pursued this successfully. Time will tell if I do any good. ;-)
So, let's explore the idea of twenty-something Senshi! University, sex, marriage, relationships, jobs, heartbreak, drinking... great things happen in the early twenties. BUT this will still be a magical story, with transformations and powers and attacks and general Sailor Soldier times. It will just be with older characters. I hope you enjoy the ride.
Prologue: Where Everyone is Now
Sailor Moon once told Guardian Cosmos that they'd like to "live as we are"... so after the final battle, they pursue their normal, civilian lives as much as possible. The Inner Senshi are 21, pursuing education and careers. Mamoru is 24, studying medicine. Haruka and Michiru are 23. Setsuna, arguably a timeless entity, exists as a 25 year old civilian since she was reincarnated after she stopped Time against the Black Moon Clan. Hotaru is 16, still living with Haruka and Michiru, primarily, and Setsuna when she's around. Chibi-Usa lives in her real time, in Crystal Tokyo, coming into her own as the new Sailor Soldier of the Moon.
Minako is a senior at Tokyo University. She received an athletic scholarship and competes on the school volleyball team in the fall and is known around the university karaoke bar circuit. She is majoring pursuing a Bachelor of Laws, studying international politics as well as criminal law. She chose this thinking of her previous role as the vigilante Sailor V and her future role leading the Inner Senshi and acting as an ambassador for Serenity. She enjoys what she learns, but depends upon Ami's influence to keep her diligent in her studies.
Ami graduated with her Bachelor of Medicine a year early. She is a first year med student in the Department of Surgical Sciences at Tokyo University's Medical School. She sometimes shadows a surgeon resident in the Emergency Department at Tokyo General. She often crosses paths with both Usagi and Minako on campus, and sees Mamoru on occasion at the hospital. She and Minako share a suite in the dormitory. Luna and Artemis stay with Minako and Ami if the wedded bliss of the Chiba residence gets too thick. Minako's cheerfulness and short-attention span balances well with Ami's timidity and focus.
Despite her sharp intellect and ambition, Rei elected never to go to college. She took over the Shrine after her grandfather died, and continues working as the head priestess. In presiding over the shrine and pursuing her spiritual and mystic sides, she finds her true calling. She continues her own independent study in ancient myth, holy writings, and meditative arts. She is a partner with Makoto, helping Makoto run her bakery. She and Makoto study martial arts together. Rei's non-interest in male company, despite Yuichirro's obvious crush, often amuses Makoto, who remains passionate about finding romantic love.
Makoto went to culinary school and then opened her own business, which she called Sugar and Spice Catering. In the early stages, Mako mainly whips up special occasion cakes for friends, does personal cheffing, and sells sweets in the store front. She lives in the apartment above the bakery; Rei assists her, sometimes working shifts at the counter and keeping the books to earn extra money and give Mako time to focus on cooking.
Usagi and Mamoru married after Usagi completed her first year of University, proving to her parents that she had matured enough to pursue a career. Usagi chose to major in psychology, focusing her studies on behavioral health and counseling. Usagi has a pure belief in the goodness of people and a deep desire to understand individuals. While in University, she took a part time job at the Crown as a server. Motoki became manager, so she not only had a relaxed supervisor, but she could keep an eye on the secret control room Luna and Artemis still maintained in the basement.
She and Mamoru live together in an apartment down the street from the Crown, a short subway ride from Tokyo University. Mamoru encourages her and helps her with her studies when he can. Mamoru uses the annuity from his parents' life insurance to support them while they study. He is in his third year of medical school, doing his rotations in various wards of Tokyo General. At the start of our story, Mamoru is doing his pediatric rotation, but leaning towards specializing in neurology, particularly brain injury and memory loss. Mamoru never tried a second time to pursue his education in America- he couldn't bear to leave Usagi's side again.
The Outer Senshi traveled extensively for several years following the last battle, following Haruka's racing career and Michiru's concerts. With the combined performances, the two amassed a surprising and sudden fortune. Setsuna and Hotaru moved with them. Setsuna acted as Hotaru's home school tutor and quietly sold some of her own designs to fashion outlets and bought some oddly successful stocks. After three years on the road, the three young adults had accumulated enough wealth to move back to Tokyo to settle down. The three of them then home-schooled Hotaru together, and pursued their own interests casually now that finances were not a concern.
Hotaru remained a little frail, painfully shy and wise beyond her years. She preferred the company of her three guardians to teens her own age, but at their insistence, she took a part-time job at a local veterinarian's office. Her guardians were pleased at the opportunities it gave her to interact with other people, and her employer found that Hotaru had a sixth sense regarding animals and served as a calming presence to them. The vet also noticed that some of her sickest animals made surprising recoveries when Hotaru was around, but Dr. Hikaru was a spiritual woman and decided not to ask too many questions and just be grateful instead.
The two circles of Senshi remained fairly separate most of the time, but there was a mutual respect and, finally, affection between them. Michiru encourages Minako's side musical pursuits, finds solace at Rei's temple. Haruka continues to flirt with Minako, and bargains for sweets from Mako in exchange for fighting lessons. Setsuna encourages Ami's academic pursuits and in turn, Ami encourages Hotaru's work with the vet. All share a fierce loyalty to and long-standing fondness for Usagi and Mamoru. Though Haruka and Michiru loathe to admit it, they missed being near Usagi, Mamoru, and the other girls. Returning to Tokyo meant returning to them which meant coming home.
As they matured, each of the Senshi began to sense shifts in elements close their heart. Rei's visions in the Great Fire grew sharper. Ami began feel chills or see reflections in ice. Mako could sense unrest in storms. Minako's eye caught changes in light. Mamoru could put his hand to the earth and listen, and as always, Usagi watched the moon and dreamt.
Setsuna watched their maturation with both pride and trepidation. She had been reincarnated after stopping time to prevent Demando from touching the two Silver Crystals- some of her memories of ages past and ages to come were compromised. But she could sense it, just as they could. Michiru watched her mirror and the sea with an anxiety she could not explain, and she often caught her lover with her face to the breeze, trying to sense the shifts in the wind. All three women kept a close eye on their surrogate daughter; Hotaru, though a sweet and shy teenage girl just shy of becoming a woman, was also the harbinger of revolution. Setsuna watched her foster daughter closely, and she watched the calendar as well, for she knew that in the future she once saw, that Usagi became queen at 22 and bore Chibi-Usa on her own birthday at that age. Whether Chibi Usa's birth would precede the coming Kingdom or follow it, Setsuna did not remember. She did not know if the future she saw would come to pass for the future is always changing. So she watched.