Refractions of Souls
By
Black Rose
Chapter Two: Mothers and Daughters
"I've been having these weird thoughts lately... Like, is any of this for real... or not?" –Kingdom Hearts
A song can reach others' souls at times, and can help one to understand many thoughts at times. As she sang her songs to her fans, it didn't sit well with her soul. She smiled and sang her heart out to them, but who was she singing for—herself, her fans, and the one she loves… or is it more than that? As the lights flashed different colors and the music played around her she couldn't understand why she felt uneasy.
The young new pop star waved to her fans as she left the stage. She stopped and talked to a fan who'd gotten a backstage pass. As she entered her dressing room, she sighed and closed the door behind her. She glanced around and saw her white cat, Artemis, sleeping on the love seat that was in there. The dressing room wasn't very big but it worked for her.
She slowly started to take her performance outfit off and put on her normal, everyday clothes. She glanced in the mirror at herself. Her long golden-blond hair fell down like water, being held up by her red bow.
She slowly moved her right hand over her shoulder and down her arm softly. As she glanced up and down at the image in the mirror, she could see the pain and longing in her own body.
"Artemis, you think we should take some time off?" she asked while putting on her shirt. She glanced over at her guardian, whose eyes slowly opened. He picked his head up and looked at his charge; he could tell something was very wrong.
"I don't see why not—it looks like you could use a small break," he stated with a little worry for her. He could tell that she hadn't been acting her normal self lately.
Minako then felt something wet slowly trickle down her face. She glanced in the mirror again and saw she was crying.
"Why am I crying?" she asked herself as she tried to wipe the tears away, but they kept coming. She glanced at her guardian with eyes full of sadness but also deep confusion.
Artemis got up and walked over to her. He knew something was very wrong and some part of him hoped it wasn't what he thought it was. He had an idea, if it was that, so he took a breath.
"Minako, why don't you call your Princess..." he suggested, knowing that talking to her princess always made her feel better.
Her eyes closed as more tears came. As soon as he had said the word "Princess" she felt a great pain run through her whole body. She hugged herself and fell to the floor, crying.
Artemis now knew what he thought was right. He then felt something he wished he didn't. His golden crescent flashed black and then back to its gold again. He gracefully walked up to his charge. He was about to say something when they both started to hear singing. They both turned to the door, then to each other, but before they could say anything about it they both passed out on the floor with a thud.
A gold light appeared in the room and disappeared just as fast. The person glanced down at the two and smiled somewhat lovingly but also with some sadness.
The person kneeled down next to the human young woman, and placed her hand on her head, stroking her blond hair with care. The person's hand started to glow a little.
The singing had stopped. Minako glanced around; it looked like she was in some kind of park. She walked a little ways and stopped near a nice-sized pool which had, in its center, a bronze statue of a female winged angel watching over the small children under her. Her wings folded around them, to keep them safe, but in the angel's right hand was a sword, and her face was glancing outward and not at the children, as if to tell anyone coming to harm them that they will die in the attempt.
"Where am I?" she asked herself.
There were lights in the water which made the reflection of the water's ripples flow onto the statue, almost making the angel's wings glow. Minako walked up to the pool and slowly ran her hand through the water. The cold water was softly spraying on her.
The only light that she had was from the fountain. She could see the walkway that went around it and two different paths they could go on without really going into the wild part of the park. It wasn't until she heard the singing again that she turned to see that someone else was with her. She couldn't see who it was through the water that flowed down into the pool.
She glanced around for her cat, but didn't see him anywhere. The voice that was singing the song was female; that was for sure. She walked around the pool and stopped when she saw the female that was sitting on the bench by herself. She had on a nice long golden-yellow skirt with a blouse of the same color with a simple black-as-night over jacket. Her golden blond hair just flowed around like the water in a calm river. Her eyes were closed as she sang:
Imagine the angels singing,
The voice of the wind passes, passes
The silver horizon.
Imagine the wind humming,
Think and then dream, dream.
And then remember.
Let yourself be rocked
By the vastness.
Fall asleep in the dreams,
Fly towards the sky,
Fall asleep in the dreams, dreams.
Look at the butterflies flying to the moon
In Arabesque whirls.
Let yourself be rocked
By the vastness.
Fall asleep in the dreams,
And
Remember that one loves life, life, life...
She smiled to herself as she pet the cat in her lap. She knew she needed to get back to see how her lover was holding up, but first she needed to take care of her own daughter. She slowly opened her dark eyes and turned to the young woman looking at her.
"Hello, Venus, it's lovely to see you again, my beloved daughter," she stated nicely, yet her voice had an edge to it.
Minako eyes grew big. What was this woman talking about, "her daughter" and how did she know she was Sailor Venus? These questions ran through her head but something about this woman seemed very familiar to her but she couldn't place it.
"What do you mean, 'daughter'?" asked Minako looking for her henshin stick.
The next thing that happened made her stop, she couldn't find it.
"I'm not going to hurt you," stated the older woman with much sadness in her voice.
Minako just looked at her with a bit of worry, but something inside her knew this voice.
The older woman got up and slowly walked over to her daughter. The two looked at each other in the eyes. Both of their hair was shining with light from the pool. Then, for the first time, Minako saw that the other woman was holding something in their arms.
"Artemis?" she asked, as she saw him sleeping in the other woman's arms.
The other woman just smiled at her and handed over the sleeping cat to her. Minako slowly took her cat back and hugged him softly, and then something hit her: she had done this before, but someone else was with her.
"I see you are startled to understand who I am?" stated the other woman with a little hope in her voice and eyes.
Minako glanced away from her cat back to the other woman, trying to understand what was going on.
"Who are you and what do you want?" she asked nicely, not feeling anything bad from this person—if anything she felt loved and calmness.
"Venus, you remember only a part of your history—as do the other Sailor Senshi—so I'm not shocked that you don't remember me. I'm your mother, Aphrodite," the goddess of love told her with kindness.
The shocked look that came over her daughter's face made her giggle a little, but her smile was quickly replaced by a saddened look on her face.
"Venus, your Princess is dying and you and the other sailor senshi are doing it to her, for remember this if nothing else—there are different levels of love, and she needs all of them," she stated with sadness.
She then turned from her daughter and stated, "Venus, please return to your love, before she dies a death not fit for a queen."
The goddess then started to walk away from them. She had tears in her eyes, though she knew that she would see her again. Then, with a flash of golden fire, she dissipated, leaving her only daughter shocked where she stood.
Aphrodite slowly opened her eyes and smiled at her sleeping daughter, who was still on the floor. She then picked her up and softly laid her down on the love seat.
She kissed her daughter's forehead. As she moved away from her daughter, just as the door flew open and a young woman with long dark-green hair with a single odango stood in the doorway.
"Get away from her!" she yelled.
"Hello, Pluto, I see you still like to watch over my daughter," stated the goddess with a playful voice as she turned around.
Setsuna couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her eyes narrowed as she slowly went for her henshin stick, but, like Venus before her, she couldn't find it.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, getting right to the point.
Aphrodite just smiled and giggled at her.
"I must say, you haven't changed much Pluto, but as for why I'm here...well other than to see my daughter, but also to give her a chance to save her dying Princess," she told her with an edge to her voice that made Setsuna shiver all over—and not in a nice way, but in a way that she felt she was about to die, herself.
"Also, I have a message from your father; he wanted me to tell you that he is very unhappy with you and that until you and the other sailor senshi can undo what you have done, he will look over the Time gates," she told her as she started to walk out of the room, but stopped right next to her.
"Pluto, take my daughter and return to your Princess, for time is not on your side. For the Prince's love for her will only keep her alive for so long; she needs the others," the Goddess of Love stated and then walked out the door, leaving a very worried Senshi of Time behind her.
Setsuna closed her eyes because tears started to fall. She walked over to her senshi of love to wake her. She had an idea of what had happened, but wouldn't know for sure until she could see her Princess.
The soft rain fell as a woman with long hair that was black as night walked up the stairs to the shrine. She was wearing a sleeveless shirt with a matching long skirt that rose a little above the knees. She glanced up into the sky when she felt power very strongly. She saw the two moonbeams shoot into the sky. Her eyes took on a stone cold gaze.
As she walked, the windy breezes played with her hair. Her eyes shone with great power and wisdom, but also a great hurt and sadness that she hadn't felt in a very long time. As she got closer to shrine she could feel the holiness around the area. This put a small smile on her face.
"I see you keep your vow to your Princess, but I wonder if you even remember why you gave her that vow in the first place," she dark haired lady stated.
As she got to the top she glanced around and her eyes started to glow until she felt where her target was.
She sighed sadly at what she was about to do, but knew that her daughter would never listen to her own heart. She could tell that no one else was around, so no random people would get hurt. She raised her arms and with a black flame a bow and arrow appeared.
She got into place and aimed towards the area where her daughter was in the shrine building.
"Let's see how you handle your very own attack," she thought. The arrow started to become fire.
"Mars Flame Sn..." but before she could finish her attack, two crows flew right at her, cawing loudly. The two both flew to the ground and before they landed their forms changed in the two protectors of Mars: Phobos and Deimos.
In their human forms now, they looked very worried but ready for anything.
"Please, Goddess, don't attack her, she is your only daughter," stated Phobos with a very upset voice.
The goddess just smiled at them; she should have known that the two maidens of Mars would try something like this.
"And why should I not? Do you know what your dear princess has done?" she asked, still holding her weapons to fire at any time.
The two maidens glanced at each other and with deep sadness nodded. They both turned back to the goddess.
"Yes, we do, but that is still no right to attack her," stated Deimos, trying not to cry.
The two maidens watched the Goddess look from them to the shrine where her daughter was. Then they saw her eyes glow with power. They glanced at one another hoping, for their Princess's sake, that she can undo what she has done.
While this was going on, Rei was sitting in front of the great fire, trying to get some answers. She'd been having this weird feeling lately and it wasn't sitting well with her. Her eyes were closed; she was trying to get her mind to be still, like water. She was hoping that the great fire would answer her. It was then that images started to be shown in her mind; images that scared her. She opened her eyes to the ashes of a dead fire.
"What is going on?" she asked herself, shakily. Her body was on fire, but it was a cool day. She tried to get up, but her body wouldn't do what she was thinking. She then fell over, out cold.
The next thing she knew, she was standing in the middle of a beautiful garden, full of different types of flowers. There was also a little path that flowed through it all. She glanced around, knowing that she was either dreaming or having a vision.
She then glanced down and saw that she was in her princess dress.
"Odd," she thought.
"I see that you still haven't figured out where you are, have you, Mars?" asked a calm and very deadly voice from behind her.
Slowly, Rei glanced over her shoulder and saw a woman who didn't look over thirty years old. She was wearing a darker blood-red dress.
Rei fully turned to face her. This woman wasn't evil, but seemed to have a very strong aura coming off her, very similar to her own.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Rei asked her, watching the other woman very closely, while slowly moving into a fighting stance.
The other woman just smiled at her, for she knew what she was doing.
"I'm not here to fight you, Mars. As for who I am, well..." she started but stopped, glancing around them, as if it held the answer to that question.
Rei glanced around as well. She felt that she knew this place, yet she couldn't remember how she would know this. Then, before either could say anything else, Rei saw flashes of two young women kissing in this garden. One was wearing a white dress while the other was wearing a red one. As the images became clear, Rei's head began to throb and her eyes dilated in pain.
"No..." Rei stated slowly, as if afraid that what she saw was true.
The other woman glanced over at her and smiled sadly at her.
"I see that your memories are slowly starting to return to you, my daughter," she told her.
"What? Daughter?" Rei asked, shaking her head to get the images out of the way, so she could think.
"Mars, I will state this so you can understand: your beloved Queen is dying and you and the other senshi have made this happen," she told her with no emotion in her voice.
"I... we would never do anything to harm our Queen!" yelled Rei with a little anger and fear in her voice.
"If that is true, then why haven't you been able to tell something was wrong with her? Haven't you been having this weird feeling for some time now?" stated the other dark haired woman with an edge in her voice.
Rei had known that something was wrong, but she had just pushed it aside, thinking that her beloved Queen was just missing her boyfriend.
The other woman's eyes narrowed when she had an idea of what her daughter was thinking.
"YOU'RE A FOOL! She needs more than just her Beloved Prince to live," she screamed at her.
Rei eyes widened in shock, and then her eyes narrowed.
"Who are you?" she asked with an edge to her own voice.
The other woman's eyes softened a little and she shook her head. She then took a deep breath to calm herself.
"I know you don't remember me, but I'm your mother, Athena," she stated with care.
The shocked look that came over Rei's face was one of doubt and confusion. Rei searched the other woman's eyes to see that she was telling the truth. Before Rei could say anything, the goddess continued, "Mars, you might not believe me; if you wish to know the truth, go to your Beloved Queen and see for yourself," she told her and turned around. She glanced back at her only daughter.
"Mars, I would thank your maidens, if it wasn't for them, you would be in a lot of pain right now for what you have done," she stated with caring while scolding at the same time.
The goddess then disappeared with a flash of black flames. Outside, Phobos and Deimos saw that the goddess's eyes stopped glowing. The goddess looked down at them and smiled sadly.
"Stay at her side—she is going to need all the help she can get," she stated with caring but also an order.
"We will, Goddess," they stated together.
Athena turned to leave when Deimos asked a question.
"Goddess, I can understand that you are unhappy with her, but why attack her?"
"I'm more upset that she and Venus let this happen than anything else, those two—other than the Prince himself—were the closest to her; I'm not saying that the others were not as close, but their love for their Queen was at a different level than my daughter's and Venus'," Athena answered, but didn't turn to address them.
The two maidens bowed in understanding, and watched as the goddess disappeared in black flames while they turned back to their other forms and went to find their Princess, who was just getting off the floor.
In the stone white halls of Moon Kingdom, a young woman with long black hair done in four odango was walking down the hall with grace. You could see the reflection of her black and yellow dress move with her body within the clear stone. She couldn't believe that her old Queen was back, but then again, with what was going on with her charge she could understand.
Flashback
Luna couldn't believe what she was seeing. There, a couple of feet away from her was the late Queen of the Moon Kingdom, Queen Serenity. Her eyes held Luna's eyes with her own. Luna shivered, and it wasn't because she was wet; it was because of what she saw in the Queen's eyes and she felt very worried.
"Luna, take my daughter to her room in the moon palace," she ordered with a calm yet deadly voice.
Luna didn't question her but looked behind her at the other two, one still passed out, like her mother, and the other with stone cold, narrowed eyes.
"They will follow you shortly, now go," she stated nicely.
Luna nodded and closed her eyes. Her crescent flashed a bright light and they dissipated.
End Flashback
She slowly walked up to a room and quietly opened the door. She smiled at the sight. There, in a queen-size bed was her charge, sleeping calmly and peacefully. She had taken her charge's hair out of their two odango. Her golden blond hair flowed around her like waves in a stream.
The only thing that made her worry was the birthmark was still flashing black and gold. She closed the door slowly and then walked over to her and sat down.
"Serenity…" she said quietly. She moved her hand over the birthmark and then slowly caressed her princess/Queen's face lovingly.
It wasn't until she felt her charge move into her hand that she knew that she was coming to. The lovely eyes of her charge slowly opened. She glanced around her and smiled at her guardian.
"Luna..." she stated slowly and little out of breath.
"I'm here, my Queen," she told her with care and love in her voice, trying to keep the tears from coming.
Bunny smiled at her but then frowned and asked a question Luna wished she didn't ask.
"Luna, why can I only feel Saturn—where are my Senshi?" she asked with a little stronger voice but worry was coming out in waves.
She then felt something that she hadn't felt in a very long time. Her eyes glowed in to her guardian eyes and a shiver ran down Luna's back.
"Luna, where is my daughter? Is she alright?" she asked, sitting up quickly and moving her hand to her head to stop it from spinning. After she got her head to stop, somewhat, she turned back to her advisor. She didn't like what she saw in her eyes.
She waited for some answers, but none came. Luna was opening and closing her month but nothing was coming out.
Luna didn't know what to say because every answer would bring pain to her charge's heart. Bunny saw that her guardian was having a hard time and an odd feeling that she had seen this before. Then images flowed though her mind and she blushed, a little. She was remembering a time somewhat like this in the past and she had done something to get her guardian to tell her.
She glanced away, with the blush still on her face. It wasn't that what she saw was bad, just a little, well, cute, to say the least. It worked before; maybe it would work again. She turned back to Luna, who was watching her as if trying to figure out what was making her charge blush like that. Usagi moved a little closer to her, slowly moved her right hand to Luna's cheek and slowly caressed it and then held it there. Luna started to purr with the way her queen was touching her.
Bunny closed her eyes, then leaned in slowly and carefully brushed her lips with Luna's. She lightly put a little more pressure on her lips to tell her shocked guardian that it was alright. Luna's eyes widened and a shiver went down her back in a very good way.
What they didn't see was that Ginzuishou was washing its power over them. It was making them both calm and feel that everything was alright. Luna, after she got over the shock that her queen was kissing her, started to kiss back. Some part of her felt that she had done this before, but she was having a hard time thinking about when she had had soft lips on hers before. Bunny smiled a little in the kiss because Luna was purring and you could hear it.
The two kissed for some time, but before it could become even heated a soft voice called them out of it.
"I'm starting to see why she liked sleeping in your bed," stated a soft and playful voice.
The two slowly parted and glanced at the doorway. There, in the doorway, was Bunny's dead mother.
"Mother?" asked Bunny with a little worry in her voice.
Queen Serenity nodded and glanced at Luna, who was blushing.
"Luna, I knew you would like to stay at her side but would you mind going and checking on Saturn and my grand daughter," she asked nicely. Luna nodded and slowly got up. She was about to turn when someone caught her arm. She turned to see Bunny looking at her with worry even if she, too, was still blushing and little out of breath from their kiss.
"It's alright, my dear Queen, look deep within yourself and you will know that she is your mother, and I will be just across the hall, so if you call I will be able to hear you," she told her with a calm and understanding voice and kissed her on the forehead. The next thing they heard made all of them turns towards the door.
"SATURN!" yelled a very happy Small Lady from across the hall.
Queen Serenity giggled and shook her head.
"Well, I can say that my daughter and granddaughter are very much alike," she told them with an amused voice.
Bunny just glanced away. She knew that Small Lady and herself sometime acted liked more like sisters than mother and daughter, but it was nice to know that Saturn and her daughter were alright.
"I'll go and see that they're alright," Luna stated with a small bow to the two royalties and left.
Once Luna left the room and closed the door behind her, the mother and daughter just looked at each other. Queen Serenity smiled at Bunny and slowly walked over to the bed and sat down in the chair that Luna was once sitting in.
After some time of neither of them saying anything, Usagi finally needed to know.
"Are you real, and not in my head?" she asked with hope and worry in her voice.
Instead of answering the queen stood and then sat back down on the bed and hugged her daughter for what seemed to be for the longest time.
"Yes, my dearest daughter, I'm real," she stated simply and calmly to her.
It didn't take long before Bunny couldn't take it anymore and she started to cry.
"M-mommy...Mommy" she said, crying.
"It's alright, little one. You and your daughter will get through this all, just like you have gotten through everything else," she told her. She knew deep down she couldn't do very much to help her daughter in this case, but she could be there for her, if she needed advice or needed someone to hear her out, even if that was what Luna was there for.
At the same time that all this was going on, Saturn was sitting on a chair, holding her best friend's hand as she slept. She didn't like what was going on.
Flashback
As Luna and Bunny dissipated, Queen Serenity walked very slowly up to the second most powerful senshi that her daughter had. This one she knew would take a lot more to get to listen if she was anything like her mother—which she was, even if she didn't know it yet.
"You're dead, I made sure of it. What are you doing alive?" asked a cold, deadly voice.
The Queen stopped and smiled a little at the young senshi.
"Saturn, I'm very well aware that I shouldn't be here, but your fellow senshi have done the most forbidden and you, her only daughter, and her beloved prince are the only things keeping her from joining me in the afterlife," she stated calmly, even if she wasn't the happiness person on earth at the moment.
Saturn locked eyes with her former Queen and knew she wasn't lying to her. Saturn's eyes started to glow and her aura was flaring.
"I'll kill them," she stated coldly and without any emotion.
"Saturn, if you do that your Queen will surely die, along with the one you love," stated just as coldly but with understanding in her voice.
Saturn glanced down at Small Lady and knew that she needed to get her to some place warmer. Her eyes softened greatly and Queen Serenity sighed a little.
"Saturn take her to your room at the Moon Palace," she stated nicely. Then with a white flash they all disappeared.
End Flashback
She was knocked out of her thoughts by movement from the bed. She glanced up at the face of a now-awake Small Lady. Her blood red eyes glanced around until they fell onto Saturn's deep violet ones. The two gazed into each other's eyes, trying to read the other's feelings. They both had a mix of happiness, sadness, and worry in them.
"Saturn?" Small Lady asked, sitting up and turning fully to her.
Saturn couldn't help but blush at what she saw. Here was her best friend in a very nice outfit and she was trying very hard to not have her eyes roam.
"Yes, it's me," she stated with what she hoped was a calming voice.
"Saturn?" she asked again and in return Hotaru just nodded.
The next thing that happened took Hotaru to the floor with a very happy, yet crying, pink-haired young woman. Small Lady threw herself at Saturn, yelling her alter-ego's name and took them both to the floor with a thud. Hotaru didn't have time to think of the little pain because her pink haired best friend was talking very fast.
"I have missed you! Where have you been? Mother said you were alright, but… but… please don't go away, please..." the young princess stated with sadness, crying as she hugged her tightly.
Saturn was shocked and glanced at the crying Princess; she smiled a little and hugged her back with everything she had. As she held her, she had only one thought.
"I will never leave you, MY beloved Princess."
What they didn't see was the Luna was in the door away watching them. She smiled at them, she knew that that things were different now, memories and feelings were returning to her and she couldn't believe that she had kissed her Queen liked that, but some part of her knew that she had done that before and that it was alright, even if this confused her greatly. She slowly and quietly closed the door to Saturn's room and walked back to her Queen's room hoping that the Late Queen can help them understand what was going on, even if she had some what of idea what happen and if they did do what she think that they did, she was going to give them hell.
A/N: I thought I'd let everyone know that all the information that I use is from both the anime and manga, Also the song is from Odin Sphere theme song- thanks for reading. –Black Rose
