A/N: Okay, here's the next chapter! As usual, enjoy and review!
She was on his side, too? I didn't understand why no one could see my point of view. In our previous life, he had missed the birth of our child, only to return and kill me and the baby, and everyone is so willing to welcome him back with open arms? It disgusted me, coming from people I thought were my friends, but my mother was an entirely different situation. She would provide the most unbiased situation, assuming she had truly observed all the happenings of that night. It would be so easy to go back to Daniel once again.
But who would be angry over the child? Who would be left to avenge him?
"There you are!" Usagi shouted, Darien by her side with Chibiusa atop his other Senshi followed behind, closely huddled in friendship. I stood up from a bench in the park quickly and smoothed down my school uniform.
"Usagi." I greeted, clipped and informal, but of course, she didn't get the message. She ran up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck to pull me into an embrace.
"We've missed you!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah." Raye joined. "I haven't had my partner in crime in a while!" A tight smile crossed my face as I remembered how we would tease Usagi.
"Yeah, well I've been pretty preoccupied." I said, unwanted malice in my voice. I just wanted to be polite and end this as quickly as possible, but my anger at my best friend showed through my facade. No one dared say anything; my fears had been fulfilled and I had made the meeting awkward. I cleared my throat. "Where's Daniel?" I asked.
"Waiting for you to stop acting like a jerk so I can hear what Chibiusa has to say." Daniel's voice came from a tree which he was lazily leaning on.
"Yes. Of course." Darien began, taking Chibiusa from her perch and instead holding her hand. "What do you need to tell Arien?"
"Nothing." She replied, in a serious tone we were not used to.
"What?" I asked, scrunching my face up in confusion.
"I have something to show you. I want you to look into my thoughts, so you can show Oji afterwards." She clarified, gesturing to her uncle. I locked my eyes with his grass green ones, and he nodded, telling me to go ahead.
"Okay, if you're absolutely sure..." I had never looked into her mind; it seemed too much of a violation to look into an innocent child's thoughts, but I closed my eyes anyway and let the vision play in my head.
"You must behave and be a proper lady today, Small Lady." Mama told me kindly, holding my hand as we walked along the corridors of the Golden Palace. Papa, holding my other hand, nodded his head in agreement.
"Yes, it is incredibly important for you to be polite today. You will be meeting your cousins-." He began.
"-and soon, all of you will be responsible for the welfare of the Sun and Earth." Mama finished.
I was reluctant to meet them, because kids my age always made fun of me for being so small, but I wanted to make Mama and Papa happy.
"Yes, Mama. Yes, Papa." I replied to their request, and we entered the throne room.
We were met with Oji standing to the right of the throne, with a bright smile splayed across his face. A little girl my age hid behind his legs, clutching at the fabric.
"Brother!" He exclaimed enthusiastically, then brought Papa into a big bear hug. The girl was left to stare at me in curiosity, and I stared right back.
The girl had skin tanner than mine, covered by a floor-length yellow ruffled dress made of organza, with cap sleeves like mine. The girl's dark, naturally curly hair was pulled up into a messy updo, with strands of hair framing her round face and wide, golden eyes.
Oji moved onto my mother, kissing her hand. "How have you all been? It's feels like it's been decades!" He exclaimed. Papa nodded.
"That would be because it has been." Papa replied. They all laughed, then Oji turned to the girl.
"Bright Lady, come meet your Oji and Onee." He coaxed gently. Her gaze turned to Mama and Papa, then she scurried to hide behind her father again.
"Welcome to the New Star City. I am Bright Lady, daughter of the Solar King and Queen. I hope you enjoy your stay and am pleased to meet you." She introduced herself, as if it were all one word, in a small voice.
"Hello, Bright Lady." Mama said leaning down with her hand extended towards the girl. Bright Lady tentatively took Mama's hand, and let her shake it.
"It's very nice to meet you." Papa joined in, then turned to look at me, expectantly.
"I am Small Lady," I started, curtsying, "daughter of King Endymion and Neo-Queen Serenity. I am pleased to meet you, too."
She looked at me, confused, but took my hand and shook it as well.
"Stealing nicknames, Endyran?" Mama asked jokingly. Oji laughed.
"Well, we can't get her mixed up with the Solar Queen. And you haven't seen her smile, either." He replied, placing a hand on her head.
"Where is she, anyway?" Papa asked. His question was quickly answered.
Onee stood at the edge of the room in a strapless gold dress that shimmered down to the floor, where it pooled at her feet like liquid gold. Night black hair covered her dark shoulders, and elated hazel eyes looked at us.
"I apologize for being so late; I was in the middle of feeding." Onee explained, looking down at the bundle in her arms.
"Is that my new nephew?" Mama exclaimed, then ran over and hugged Onee. Onee laughed.
"Well, not so new, apparently. You haven't heard the entire story yet. Come, sit so you can be comfortable when I tell you." She replied with a smile on her face.
We followed her out of the throne room to a study, where we all sat down. Bright Lady sat down next to me.
"So, we never heard news of you expecting." Papa told Onee, and she smiled at him as she gave the bundle to Mama. I strained to look at the contents, but to no avail.
"No, you wouldn't have. Starlight Carina gave us all a surprise." Onee said.
"Well, what did she do?" Mama asked, eager to hear the story.
"You know what happened that night, when the Moon Kingdom was destroyed." Oji started, and Mama nodded gravely. "Well, unbeknownst to us, Carina began doing some time traveling during these past months, and she went back to that night, before I-you know." Oji glanced at me and Bright Lady uncomfortably, clearing his throat.
"Endyran, stop dragging it out, or I'll have to tell it!" Onee exclaimed, laying a hand on Oji's shoulder.
"Okay, Okay. Carina found me before I did anything, and she took the baby and brought him here."
Mama and Papa looked at each other, seeming to be battling inside.
"Isn't there some kind of rule against this kind of thing? Sailor Pluto has always been very strict about time travel." Papa asked. Onee's eyes steeled.
"You know how Carina must follow the rules to a T. And, in any case, if it means I get my son back, I will do anything to keep him. Endyran was wronged; I've accepted that and understood it for years. Lyra was the one to destroy our world, and I vowed that I would return our joy. And I have no doubt that you would do the same for Small Lady."
Mama and Papa nodded, affirming this as I once again tried to see into the bundle. Mama finally noticed, and watched as Papa set me on his lap so I could look closer at the baby inside.
"This is your cousin as well, Small Lady. His name is Endyran..." Mama explained.
The memory ended.
I quickly recalled the memory to Daniel, stunned. I couldn't even comprehend any of the new information I found.
"Well?" Usagi asked. "What was that?" I shook my head.
"Chibiusa, what was that?" I repeated Usagi's question.
"Now you know that your future self has forgiven Oji, so quit avoiding him already." She replied, red eyes boring into me.
"She's right." Daniel said, too serious of a moment to be smug. "There's no denying it. Everything that everyone has been telling you for the past two months is true."
I closed my eyes. As usual, going into someone's mind gave me a serious headache, so it was taking a while to comprehend anything. I had not one, but two kids with the man I swore never to forgive, and I even went as far to speak lightly of it. And then, Lyra ends up being involved in this somehow? I was worse than confused. I was defeated.
I sighed. "Fine. Tell me the story, then."
