Pandora Arc
A single light shone through the dark of the apartment. It illuminated the remains of a pink frosted cake and a mess of unwanted, dirty dishes. A mere hour ago the apartment had been buzzing with music and laughter with the smell of wished upon smoke spreading throughout their cozy home. Left over napkins fluttered with a slight breeze, pushed over like the pages of an open book. The simple curtains that hugged the balcony's doors joined the slow dance, embracing the cool night air and gave fleeting glimpses at the vision beyond.
She ran a hand over her smooth skin. Pale and youthful, it gleamed in the light of the full moon. Outside upon their small space the city lights fought for dominance, but the moon was not to be out done this night.
"It shines so bright for you, you know…its princess." Warm arms encircled her shoulders, his calming scent filling her lungs. "It knows it's your special day."
"It is beautiful." The words came from in a bated whisper.
"You were beautiful tonight." He closed his eyes, remembering the way the candles cast her golden hair ablaze in the dim light. "Of course, you're always beautiful."
She giggled quietly. "Mamo-chan..."
"Did you get everything you wanted?"
"Yeah, although I don't think we needed another toaster," she said, crinkling up her noise like the animal she was named after.
"Well, your mom knows how you go through appliances. Or rather how you explode your way through them."
At his laughter, she huffed. "I've gotten a lot better!"
"I know and I'm proud of you. Happy birthday Usako," he whispered in her ear, reveling in the softness of her hair. The sounds of the concrete jungle below drifted up to them, filling the silence with the artificial life that had become so familiar. But something about the way she rested against him, stiff as the pavement below, immediately grabbed his attention. He watched her fiddle with her wedding ring, twirling it around her slim finger in slow rotations. "What's wrong? Birthday blues?"
"Everything's so perfect."
"And that's something to pout about?" he chuckled, trying to hide his uneasiness. He had a feeling, deep down, that he knew what plagued her thoughts, for it was the same thought echoing in his mind.
"Aren't you afraid, Mamo-chan? The others hid it well tonight, but I could see."
"Usa..."
"The time has come and something is going to happen." She looked up to the moon, the bright silver orb filling her cerulean eyes. "I can feel it."
His concerns from the night before flooded back into his mind, but he would never let her see. "And can you feel this?" His strong hand caressed her hair, his hands trailing over her smooth shoulders. His lips stopped whispering into her ear, slipping away to brush against her cheek, leaving a soft trail to the corner of her mouth. "And that?"
"Yeah." She shivered slightly and he smirked in success. Gently he slipped his hand into hers and pulled her into the apartment.
"I have something to show you."
"What, Mamo-chan?"
"It's a surprise." She laughed and he covered her eyes as he led her into the bedroom.
"Okay."
The newlywed couple had fought eagerly over their sleeping quarters. Mamoru mostly pleaded to keep the pink lampshades and bunny bed sheet out of their apartment. Somehow, the yin and yang couple managed to find a balance, settling on a colorful comforter and golden accessories with dark, masculine wood for his tastes. Pop star posters were replaced by family pictures and sprawling portraits of faraway places. However, something out of the ordinary had caught the breath in the young bride's throat when his hands fell away.
A swarm of red rose petals was strewn across the cozy room, littering the bed and floor like fallen leaves in autumn. Soft, golden candles were lit, bathing the room in a romantic glow. His charm would not stop there, however. He exhaled softly, but the effect was much different than a simple sigh. A gust of wind stormed through the room and the petals began to dance in the air, forming a delicate vortex before them. She gasped at this, reaching out a hand to have it attacked by soft kisses of silk.
Without fear she entered the swirling wonder, twirling around in her red cocktail dress. He watched her dance with a small smile, leaning against the threshold. The days had been long that had led them here. Tragic battles and evil plots, separation and heartbreak, blood, sweat and tears, all had left their mark on them. At moments like these however, as she stopped and gazed at him in the midst of the rouge wind, everything faded away, even the doubts fresh in his mind. Slowly he approached her and rested his hand against her cheek.
"I know you're afraid of what is to come. I am too. But we're in this together, always, just as it's always been. Whatever comes, you won't face it alone."
"You promise?"
He grinned as the child still lurking within her pouted, her bright eyes glossing over. "I promise. I love you, Usako."
"I love you too, Mamo-chan."
He kissed her softly and she sighed at this waking dream. Their hands danced about each other, taking in everything they could from the intimate contact. The petals circling around the room fell as they dropped to the comforting sheets, the world around them forgotten. With one final gust of wind, the candles snuffed out, and a muffled giggle echoed in the dark.
.
The sunrise brought nothing more than the start of a new day. Traffic merged as it always had, ushering the river of workers to their steady jobs. Children embraced the warm sunshine, taking advantage of their mother's patience, while teenagers found their ways to the parks and malls and those places where teenagers are not supposed to go.
Makoto ran through the early afternoon air, her pigtail flopping with every long stride she took. She had barely slept last night. After Usagi's party she had plopped down on the couch with a bag of chocolate chips and indulged herself in classic black and white movies. Now she had to laugh at herself. She thought the world was going to end last night, that today they would be fighting and raging against evil once more. She knew the others had been thinking the same way.
She stopped her jog nearby an abandoned bench and used it to stretch out her muscles. The senshi of lightning then noticed a woman resting against the trunk of the tree before her, her legs hidden beneath a blue skirt. A book was perched in her lap, but her eyes seemed to gaze through the words, lost deep in their meaning somewhere. Makoto smiled and silently walked towards her oblivious friend.
"Good afternoon."
Ami's eyes shot up and she let out a sigh of relief. "Mako-chan, you scared me."
"Sorry, Ami-chan. What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I just needed to get out of the house. Would you like to sit with me?"
"Sure thing."
They watched as the late morning welcomed more people into the park, their idle chatter swarming around them. They could hear the beginnings of a baseball game somewhere behind them as the sound of a metal bat echoed through the trees.
"I was expecting…well, I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't a normal day," Makoto said and hoped Ami agreed.
"I must admit, I was also expecting something to occur. We were told Usagi-chan would become queen and give birth to Chibiusa-chan after she ascends, but it might have been foolish on our part to assume it would all happen at midnight."
"Well, definitely the giving birth part may have been a little extreme," Makoto joked and they shared a laugh. "She must be born next year on their shared birthday then. Can I ask you a question, Ami-chan?"
"Of course."
"Do you ever think about what would've happened to us if we never became soldiers?"
The blue-haired maiden sighed. "I try not to."
"Why?"
"There is no point, really. We cannot change the past."
"Yes, we can." They fell silent, knowing it was true. The time gate that had shown them their alternate future swung both ways. People in the future had tried to change their past already. Why couldn't they do the same?
"If we went all the way back and stopped the Silver Millennium from falling, how do we know something worse wouldn't have happened? Or change anything from our past here, in this life? Maybe this is where we're supposed to be. And if that is the case, would you really want to go back, Mako-chan? Destroy everything we've worked so hard to achieve? Change what she's done for us? "
"No, I was always just running before I met her…always running away."
Ami took her hand and the two women smiled at each other. "We were given a chance to find each other again, to be happy. And even after all that's happened I am happy. I don't know if we can alter the future to come but at least we'll face it together, right?"
"Yes, no more running."
.
Minako fought to remain asleep, but the city's symphony spilled in through her window and she reluctantly opened her blue eyes. With an annoyed sigh, she flung the white satin sheet off and viewed the empty side of the bed. The bed was wrinkled where he had slept and his scent lingered upon the pillow. She smiled sadly, reaching out to caress the smooth fabric.
A sing song bell rang out and quickly she shot out of bed to answer. She grabbed the ivory sheet and it trailed behind her like a ballroom gown as she made her way to the door. As she opened it, bright blue met dark seas and Minako smiled.
"Good morning, Rei-chan."
The priestess scanned her friend's lack of attire and blushed. "Good afternoon, Minako-chan," she corrected. "He's still here?"
Minako waved her in. "Oh no, come on in. What's up?"
"Who was it?" Rei asked as they sat down.
"Oh, the guy from the tanning salon," was Minako's sly response as she fished through the fridge. She resurfaced with some juice and poured two glasses before heading toward the leather couches.
"When are you going to see him again?"
"Oh, I don't know," Minako shrugged, bringing her knees to her chest.
"But don't you like him?"
"Obviously," Minako said, shuffling her feet beneath the satin sheets. Rei's cheeks flamed again and she rolled bemused eyes at her flirty friend. Minako then became serious quickly, as she often did, and sipped her juice. "But it's never as simple as that, not since..."
"I'm sorry, don't think about him. I'm sure you had a better night than the rest of us at any rate." They giggled and for a few moments sat in silence sipping casually at their drinks. Rei was the only one, besides Artemis, that knew Minako's complete story about her time spent as Sailor V. The others knew the general information, but there was much more Minako had been so proud of pushing all behind her. But one night the secrets became too much and Rei had been the only one there. She would never forgive herself for her loose tongue, but secretly she was glad to get that burden off her chest, even if she wouldn't admit it to even herself.
"Can I ask you a question, Rei-chan?"
"Sure."
"Do you ever wonder what our lives would've been like if we had restored the Silver Millennium?"
"Of course."
"Do you ever wonder what we were like? What we did? If we have always been the same as we are now?"
Rei shook her head. "One life is enough to deal with."
"I know." Minako sighed. "I just-I don't remember everything, but I remember enough to make me wonder and sometimes wish that we could remember it all. I don't know if I could've made the decision."
"She made the choice for us, and we must believe it was the right one," Rei said and then added with a smirk, "even if it is Usagi."
.
Mamoru walked the busy streets of Tokyo as the sun shone down unabated by any lingering clouds. The beautiful day had drawn many workers from their buildings to sit and eat outside. He found the selection in the vending machine less than tempting himself and quickly switched out of his scrubs.
He found an open table outside and ordered a quick sandwich. He needed some time to think, some time to breathe away from his duties. All of them. With a cool glass in hand he absentmindedly watched the crowds, getting lost in the sea of endless faces. Soon they would look to him and his powerful queen, soon they would be led into a new world. But how soon, and to what extent? Unexpectedly, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd and felt the urge not to be alone anymore.
"Hey, Setsuna-san!" The crimson eyes flashed in his direction and her high-heeled feet stopped in mid-step. She stared at her future king with a hesitant expression until he smiled and waved her over. "Hello, Setsuna-san."
"Good afternoon, Mamoru-san."
"Where are you off to?"
"Just back home. I had a short day in the lab."
"Care to join me for a little bit then?"
"Join you, well I-All right." Setsuna looked flustered before leveling her face once more with a placid smile. She sat down like at any moment this might be a ruse and Mamoru watched as the wind from passing cars played with her long hair. It wasn't like her to be so ruffled or surprised – Mamoru didn't think she could ever be surprised.
"How are you today?" he asked.
"I am well, thank you for asking. We had a wonderful time at Usagi's party."
"Yes, it was good to see everyone," Mamoru responded and fretted as they lapsed into a silence. He was normally very good at small talk, considering his employment, but it was different talking to a complete stranger than someone you barely knew, but had known for centuries. Yet there was something he had wanted to discuss the guardian of time and hadn't found the courage.
"Can I ask you a question?" Mamoru blurted out.
"Of course, but if it's about the imminent or far flung future I would rather you didn't," she replied pleasantly enough, but Mamoru could hear a hint of irritation in her voice.
Mamoru had the courtesy to look chagrined for his thoughts were indeed travelling the line to the future. "Did you just read my mind?"
She looked at him strangely after that comment, as if she wanted to admit something but couldn't decide where to start. Instead, she only gave him a small grin.
"I'm sorry. I'm sure you've been bombarded with questions," Mamoru apologized. "It has nothing to do with the timeline, but it's more of a personal nature."
"Well, that's something new. Ask your question then," she acquiesced.
"We are friends, right? In the future? I don't really have a close relationship with any of the Senshi, but the way King Endymion and the future Sailor Pluto spoke to each other and about each other made me think…"
Her eyes shifted away and peered at the unfocused silhouettes of cars flashing by. He watched her absentmindedly tap long fingers against the checkered table cloth. Setsuna was always so quiet and reserved, so much more mature than any of the Senshi. She wasn't known for nervous habits, which made him wonder what she was thinking at this moment.
"Yes, we are friends in the future," Setsuna admitted.
"I couldn't understand it back then, when we first went through time. I didn't understand how we would come to be close, but now I do."
Setsuna turned back, uncertainty in her garnet glance. "How so?"
"We are both of solitude. Before all this, I only had one friend in the whole world. I kept everything inside and I thought that being alone was the only way. But the truth is we're not alone and we never really wanted to be in the first place. We were only waiting for someone to reach out to us. Usagi rescued us."
"It was not only Usagi who rescued me," Setsuna whispered to herself.
"What?"
"Can I ask you something now, Mamoru-san?"
"Sure, I think that's fair. And please, it's just Mamoru."
"Would you do anything to ensure that the princess was happy?"
"Yes," he answered without thinking.
"Even, if for a moment in time, it made her unhappy?"
"If, in the long run I could make her life better, then yes. What is this about?"
The mysterious Senshi sighed, making the gesture both elegant and melancholy. "Just remember, Mamoru-san, the future is not stagnant. It is why I cannot completely answer any of yours, or the Senshi's, questions about what will come. It may happen differently this time and I would only confuse the timeline. Time flows and ebbs like the rivers. The end might be the same in some way, but the paths we take can change."
Mamoru wanted to ask her what she meant, but knew it would be pointless and neglect her previous wishes. The way she looked at him now, however, made him want to console her as well as shake her for answers.
"I…I want her to be happy too, Mamoru-san. I truly do," she revealed with eyes filled with more emotion than she had ever shown him. Without thinking, Mamoru reached across the table and took one of her manicured hands, startling a gasp from her prim lips.
He grinned at her, open to the friendship he already felt growing within them. "I trust you, Setsuna."
She returned his expression with a smile rarely seen, but one that made her as beautiful as Usagi. He had only ever seen her look so happy with Chibi-Usa before. "I hope I continue to earn that trust."
.
The door to the two-bedroom apartment swung open to usher in the man of the house. Habit led him to toss his jingling keys on the table and remove his shoes, and experience led him to brace himself for the oncoming attack. Usagi usually appeared to bombard him or her robust voice echoed his name through the small apartment excitedly. The world was still today, however.
"Usako?" he called with confusion, noticing her purse on the couch. His feet padded quietly across the floor, his eyes scanning first the kitchen and then the bathroom. The door to the guest room was left open and dark. He came to a stop and gazed at the last closed door before him. "Usagi?"
Mamoru opened the door to their bedroom and found the object of his affections cross-legged upon the bed. A multitude of picture-laden books placed around her, spread open to reveal happy sunny days caught forever in a moment and pictures of family and friends. She viewed them with an enraptured expression and looked like she had never gotten out of bed. Her hair was undone, falling about the bed in sinuous rivers and his dress shirt draped over her delicate frame.
"Didn't you hear me call you?"
"All these memories..."
"Usako?" Reaching out he grasped her chin, pulling her eyes to his. He had seen this look before on the families of his patients as they waited for news. It was a sad, reflective expression as they prayed for things to be all right and reminisced about those times past when they were fine. "What's wrong?" He watched as her eyes became glossy and felt the jerk as she moved out of his reach.
"Everything is going to change and this," she motioned to the photo albums, "this will be a fantasy. At least being Sailor Moon I could disappear back into my normal life, but now…now I will be her all the time, and there's no dark alley I can de-transform in anymore. Oh Mamo-chan!"
In an instant, she buried her face into his chest and he unconsciously wrapped his arms around her. He closed his eyes to collect himself and pressed his face into her silken hair as he fought to find comforting words. But what could he say to this, the same question that resounded through his own mind? In the end, he allowed his embrace to suffice.
"I don't want to let them down either. If I quit now, does that mean everything we went through was pointless? I want to protect everyone but I, I just want to be myself too. I don't know if I can make this decision," she revealed.
"It wouldn't be pointless and you could never let us down, Usa. It's not possible. When the time comes to make a decision, you will be ready."
"But I'm not ready! I'm not sure I'm ready to let go of our life, Mamo-chan. I'm so happy now and so is everyone else. I'm definitely not ready to be a ruler. I don't know the difference between a republic and a democracy. I'm not even really sure what we are anyways."
"It took some time for you to grow as Sailor Moon and I seriously doubt you would learn to become a queen overnight. But the future is proof that you will excel at it. And we're a constitutional monarchy."
"See! I'm hopeless!" Usagi wailed. "And she, she was perfect. I felt her during the Black Moon crisis. It was me, but it wasn't me."
"Of course it was you, Usako. You're unique penmanship showed that," he laughed, trying to free her smile once more.
"No, Mamo-chan." She looked directly into his eyes, a dark light in them he was not used to seeing. "There was something else. She was something more. You felt it too, didn't you? With him?"
The earnestness in her eyes caught him off guard and he stumbled upon an answer. "Well, I..."
She returned to her pictures, running a hand over them with reverence. "How can we become who we were meant to be if we cannot remember who we were, either?"
"I don't understand?"
"I remember bits and pieces from then. Sometimes, if I concentrate real hard, I can remember whole conversations and places. But our pasts remain locked away somewhere. Princess Serenity is a mystery to me too. But they, she, him, all of them, they are us! Don't you ever wonder how we first met, Mamo-chan? For the very, very first time? Don't you wonder what it was like?"
With a sigh, he finally sat down on the bed, picking up a few scattered photographs. "Of course I do. I think about what my parents were like and I have thought about what the Shitennou were like before everything changed. There's enough there to remember who they were, but it's like looking at one part of a picture. But Usako, we don't need them anymore. We have now, and all these memories that I know we will never forget."
"So, even if you could, you would never want to remember our past?"
"I don't know. I worry how it will change us. Besides, what has the past to do with the present, or our future anymore? All this jumping around in time is crazy, Usako, you need to calm down."
"I know, I'm just-"
He smiled reassuringly, reaching out to catch her hand. "I know. We will be with you Usako, and I will be beside you, all the way."
Usagi beamed up at him with her usual watts of energy and he inwardly sighed in relief. She grabbed him around the neck, squeezing with enthusiasm. "Oh Mamo-chan, I know we'll always be together. And soon, it won't just be us! When do you think we'll know?"
Mamoru had thought of their daughter every day since he watched her return to the future years ago. The idea of Chibi-Usa being in their present life always seemed like a distant dream, but the year of her birth was finally here. Sometimes he worried that something would go wrong, that somehow the timeline had been disrupted, but mostly excitement for her birth took hold within his heart.
"I'm thinking nine months until your birthday next year. That's how it usually works. Unless former Moon princesses have some really weird birthing process."
She stuck her tongue out at him, a retort ready to barrel its way to the surface. Mamoru brought her down into the covers before she could retaliate, cuddling close and happy to have his wife back to her bubbly self.
.
The pages of the book began to blur. The day had been long and his strength was beginning to wane. With a sigh, he closed the book and placed his glasses upon it. He focused upon the sweet head crowned in a corona of gold in his lap. Blonde hair pooled over the couch and his dark slacks, shining in the light of the television. Usagi had fallen asleep watching it and his leg had fallen asleep long ago as well. Mamoru gazed at her parted lips and felt every breath that passed through them.
His thoughts traveled back to his mysterious conversation with Setsuna and the things Usagi had revealed to him a few hours ago. What could have Setsuna been talking about, he wondered? Usagi's concerns tonight furthered his theories about the timekeeper's cryptic words. Perhaps Crystal Tokyo was not going to happen in this time frame and perhaps Usagi's true wishes finally honored. It would make sense, as Setsuna had said something about Usagi being happy. That was what his wife wished for the most. Happy and normal.
"Breaking news just in." The dramatic music and enthusiasm in the newscaster's voice brought his eyes to the television screen. "History has been made in only the last few hours. Scientists at the U.S. National Observatory at Kitt Peak have stumbled upon the greatest astronomical find for this system in a decade."
As the blurry image flashed upon the screen every part of him tensed as the blood began to rush to his head. Images from the past, present, and future stormed across his memory, every sensation burning within. His theories engulfed in flames, disintegrating like ash before him.
"Scientists were surprised by its sudden appearance and think it may have an irregular and large orbit that finally let it pass into our view this month. They are not sure what to make of it yet and have not released an official name, but all that they know will be revealed during the press conference tomorrow. Even though Pluto has been demoted to a dwarf planet, scientists are calling this new discovery the tenth planet. How exciting for astronomers, professional and amateur, everywhere."
The name escaped his mouth like a curse. "Nemesis."
