*Sailor Moon and associated characters are not my property. I am just
borrowing them.
Eternal by Lady Tiger Rated R
Chapter Seven
Slowly Endymion gets on his knees and bows his head and swears fealty to me, Queen of the Gods. Then he stands up and looks me straight in the eye. "My Queen," he says coldly, then he turns and walks away. Straight into Setsuna and the rest of the scouts standing directly behind him. "Where do you think you are going?" Setsuna demands. "I don't know, maybe to do some dishes to please my Queen," Endymion said bitterfly, throwing me a dark glance. "Do that again and I will slit your throat," Setsuna said calmly, as if she were telling him that he had lint on his shirt. "What?" he said. "Insult our Queen like that again and you will be killed. Is that simple enough or do you need it spelled out even more?" Haruka laughed. "I am your future King!" Endymion protested. "Really? Are you so sure?" Michiru asked. "Because the way you are acting right now, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Usagi were to pick another man for her king. She can just pick you as a stud for her child. You swore fealty to her, so she now has the right to do that." "Don't be so sure of your future, father, just because I am here, doesn't mean you are King in the future," Chibi-Usa said, a strange tone in her voice as she made her way closer to me. She casually leaned forward to kiss my cheek. *Mother, in my memory you two are happily married still. How are you two going to work this out? I know you do, eventually.* she sent to me on our private link. *I will worry about that later. He can not be so sure of his future that he thinks he can treat me like any other woman.* I send back. "Why are you all ganging up on me?" Endymion whined. "Listen to yourself Endymion. You sound like a child," Hotaru said, for once speaking loudly, "Stubbornly clinging to the idea that you have been somehow wronged by us and that we owe you. Well guess what? You have been wronged, but not by us! By the Locusts! And we do not owe you anything! It is the other way around, you owe us your very life! So stop acting like a child and move on! If you want vengence, get it, but make sure you attack the right people." "Wouldn't it be easier, and cheaper, to simply admit that what happened with the Locusts, did happen. Then you could get revenge on them, and maybe keep your future intact in the process," Ami said, "But don't assume that we will grovel at your feet just because you might be our king in the future. We owe no allegience to you, only to Usagi. And if you hurt her or attempt to hurt her, in any way, we will kill you." "The years have changed us Endymion. We are not the weak, flighty teenagers you remember. We are adults now. Don't get in our way and things will go much smoother," Makato informed him, "As it is, these little temper tantrums of yours are getting in our way. So stop it. Even Stacio is better behaved than you, don't you think that should tell you something?" For a while Endymion was quiet. No one said anything to him. He looked down at his feet like a scolded child. There was almost an audible click when he shook his shoulders and then looked up. "Who is this Stacio?" he asks slowly. This is the closest we are going to get to an apology, I think to myself. "That is a long story. If you would stop accusing us for a few hours, you might get to hear it," I say coldly. I have decided that his idea of an apology, is not good enough for me. Endymion looks at me and stares for a few moments. Then he looks down, and I am surprised to see his hands go up to his eyes. "Usako, I am sorry....it's just...everything is so confusing..." he whispers. I am shaking as I move closer to him. Everything is red, and I can feel myself slipping over the edge. Tears are falling to the ground, but I ignore them. Just as I reach him I fall over the edge. My hand goes up and my staff is suddenly in it. Endymion falls to the ground and lowers his head. I raise my staff and prepare to bring it down on him. My staff slams into Minako's staff. Shocked enough to slip off the killing edge I look up at her. "You two are acting like children. This must stop now," she says, and then her staff starts to glow. Before either Endymion or I can react she swings her staff to hit both of us. I fall to the ground and everything blacks out.
*~*~*
Soft voices wake me. I am not alone. Quickly I jump into a standing position, my hand reaching for my staff. Except my staff is not needed. I look down at Endymion's sleeping figure as the voices that woke me gradually get louder. "When are they going to wake up Minako?" Rei snapped. "They have been sleeping for hours! Machino and Notaru will be here in a few minutes! What are we supposed to say? OH I'M SORRY, our rulers are sleeping now, come back in a few HOURS." "With the way you are shouting they will be awake any moment!" Minako said. "And I only meant for them to sleep for an hour or two. Long enough for them to get over their bitterness and not feel they have to save face. Because that is exactly what was tearing them apart. Endymion wouldn't back down and Serenity couldn't allow him to walk all over her." Mina and Rei continued to bicker while I changed into some of the new clothes that Rei left out for me. I smiled at them as I lifted the flap to my tent. Except for the background and a few physical changes, we might as well be 16 and at Rei's temple again. It is good to know that no matter how much we might have changed, some things will always be the same. "Is this what you do with yourselves when I am not around?" I ask quietly. Mina and Rei stop shouting in mid-sentence. Then I am surrounded by nine girls who pounce on me. After a few minutes of giggling, poking, and laughter Endymion pokes his head out of the tent. "Well, is this what you do with yourselves when I am not around?" he asks. Everyone stops and stares at him suspiciously. Then we all pounce on him and start tickeling him. After about ten minutes he starts to shout "I give up! I give up!" Then I feel the tingle that means someone is trying to contact me. My muscles freeze up and I give Notaru the OK to transport to our camp. Thirty seconds later Notaru and Machino appear, along with a dozen other people holding cameras and microphones and lighting equipment. They are greeted by the sight of Endymion and I sitting by the fire. Stacio is sitting on the ground in front of me, playing with a few fire balls he had constructed. He is now grown to his real age of seven and already getting himself into trouble. Chibi-Usa is laying down next to me with her head in my lap. My hand strokes her hair as I look up at Notaru and Machino. "Good morning Notaru, Machino," I say, "How are you doing?" "Fine thank you, where are the rest of you?" Notaru asks. "Right here," Haruka laughs. All the humans jump at the sound of Haruka's laughter. They turn around to find themselves surrounded by eight smiling Goddesses. Notaru and Machino smile and bow as the other humans hurry to get their equipment started. "Good morning your majesty, how is your son doing?" Notaru smiled at me. "He is doing fine, though he is already starting to disobey me," I frown down at Stacio. He looks up and giggles at me. I frown even further and with a motion of my hand the fire balls he was playing with fly into the campfire. "Stacio! I have told you not to play with fire. That is your second warning young man. The third time I catch you disobeying me you will get more than a warning! Do you understand me?" "Your Majesty! This is your son? Last time I saw him he was no more than an infant!" Machino exclaimed. "He is my firstborn Machino, and therefore he is special. Are your people ready? We will introduce ourselves and tell your people our intent of killing off the Locusts. A lot has happened since we last saw you, and we have little time left. After this broadcast we will transport your people home, and send you with Stacio to a private location. Then we will deal with the Locusts. Only one of you need go with my son, the other may stay and keep things under control with the humans," I explain as a hair brush materializes in my right hand and I proceed to brush Chibi-Usa's hair. "Which of you wishes to stay with the humans and which wishes to watch my son?" "Are you all ready?" Machino asks the crew he brought. They all nod and turn to stare at us. The cameras all turn to us also and all of a sudden lights and microphones are all around us. "I would prefer to be the one who stays to take care of things, majesty. Notaru is much better with children than I will ever be, and I feel she is better suited to watch your son. Though if he controls powers as you do, I don't know how she could control him." "His powers will temporarily be taken from him. It is a simple thing to do, and since he doesn't seem to be able to control his powers yet, it is safer. Shall we start?" Endymion grabs the back of Stacio's shirt as he starts to run after some invisible friend. He picks up Stacio and places him next to him on the log. The camera man nods to Machino that they are ready and taping. Machino and Notaru nod at eachother and step in front of the cameras. "Good morning people of Earth. We are coming to you live with information that will make all of you feel safe again. The saviors we have all prayed for have finally arrived. The Great Prophet said that the 'Silver-haired angel' would come, and he was right. She has arrived, and She is thirsty for the blood of the Locusts. No longer need we fear that our grandchildren will not know what freedom is, for She will wipe the Locusts from existance. Good people, I give you Serenity, Queen of the Gods, and Goddess of the Moon. She is our savior and She will eradicate the stain of the Locusts existance from our planet," Notaru began quietly but ended her speech with a shout. "No longer will you fear that your daughters will be taken or your sons killed! No longer need you fear that you will be taken and experimented on by the Locusts! No longer need you fear the Locusts! Our Silver-haired Angel has arrived! We are delivered! Good people rise and give your thanks to Her for breathing life into our revolution! Rise and fight with Her!" Machino shouted, his hands balled up into fists. "If you have suffered as we have, give thanks that She will avenge your loved ones! Every wrong they have visited upon us they will be repaid tenfold. They will regret ever laying eyes upon our planet. I give you our Queen, our Savior, our Angel, our Serenity." *Great Prophet? Silver-haired angel? What the fuck is this! They have deceived us Usagi!* Makato's threw her thoughts into my mind along with visions of fire. *This Great Prophet could have said other things that would help us! How dare they hide this from us?* *Silence Makato!* I lash out her with a mental slap. *We need to be calm now. Erupting in a temper tantrum in front of these humans will not help our cause. After this taping we will send them back and deal with Machino and Notaru.* The cameras moved from Machino and Notaru to settle on Serenity and Endymion. I am in my queen regalia, a silver dress that was sparkled with black. It is sleevless and clings to me like a second skin. My long legs are covered with sparkles and showed through slits on the sides of the dress. My arms are covered with silver gloves. My silver hair, which was far past my feet, was free of my pony tails and it blew in the wind, getting occasionally caught up in my white wings. My attention is not on the cameras however, as at that moment Stacio had wiggled away from Endymion and was playing in the middle of the camp fire. Endymion, in his black armor, is chasing Stacio, trying to get him out of the fire. Chibi- Usa is in her scout uniform and is laughing at the image of her father and brother. Notaru notices that Stacio is playing in the fire and almost faints from fear. "Stacio! Come out of there this instant! You are getting your new outfit dirty!" I stamp my foot and point to the ground in front of me. With a blast of white light I teleport him to the spot my finger is pointing at. Then I turn to Endymion. "Why are you chasing him in the fire Endymion? You are also getting your clothes dirty! I wanted us to look nice for our first appearance to the people of Earth! And Chibi-Usa get the grin off your face! You had a chance to stop Stacio from getting into the fire and you just laughed! Instead of sitting there laughing you should have stopped Stacio! He is only seven years old, he does not know how to control his powers yet! One second of distraction from the fire and he could have been seriously hurt!" All the scouts watch the exchange with grins on their faces. Rei and Minako laugh openly, and Ami starts to cough. Hotaru clears her throat. I look up at her and her eyes look past me. I turn to where her eyes are and for the first time realize that Notaru and Machino are done with their speeches. Fourteen human eyes and three cameras are staring at us. I realize for the first time that Stacio is pulling on my silver dress with his ash covered hands and crying. Endymion is standing in the middle of the fire with a sheepish grin on his face. Chibi-Usa is sitting upright looking at her feet. "Stacio, stop it. I am not mad at you, I was worried for your safety," I say absently as I bend down and wipe the tears off his face. Endymion walks casually out of the fire, and the humans stare as he emerges unhurt. He puts his hand on my elbow and pulls me up, with his other hand he pats Stacio on his head. At his touch all of the dirt on my dress disappears, and Stacio is cleaned and teleported onto Chibi-Usa's lap. *Make sure he doesn't get into the fire again Chibi-Usa!* Endymion sent the thought to his daughter. Machino and Notaru bowed and gave thanks to the Gods for coming to protect them. "Good morning Notaru, Machino. How are you doing?" I ask them. "We are doing wonderful, your majesty. How are You?" Notaru responds.
"Oh, well I am fine now," I smile as I look over at my children, "Now that my children are behaving! Please accept my apologies, I can not believe Stacio did that! I told him to stay out of the fire! I swear, sometimes he acts like he is only a day old instead of seven years old. And Chibi-Usa- oh well I did not summon you hear to discuss the antics of my children. Forgive me, we will start now. Here, let me introduce everyone." I sweep my hands outward and suddenly I am alone. The humans give a start of surprise and fear. Smiling at them I turn to the right and motion towards Makato. She is in her scout uniform, and her long hair in its usual ponytail. She grins and flips her hair over her shoulder, it comes to rest just below her waist. "Sailor Jupiter, soldier born from thunder and lightening, Makato, Goddess of Jupiter," I say. I motion this time to my left and there is Minako. Also in her scout uniform, she smiles seductively and winks at the camera. Her hair is loose and flows around her body all the way to her ankles. "Sailor Venus, the soldier born from love and beauty, Minako, Goddess of Venus," I smile at her. Again I motion towards my right where Rei stands. Her hair is put up in two buns, like my hair. She puts her hand up to move away a few strays of hair. "Sailor Mars, the soldier born from fire, Rei, Goddess of Mars," I blow a kiss at her. Turning again I look at Ami. Her blue hair was loose and she was standing with one hand at her side and the other in her hair. "Sailor Mercury, the soldier born from water, Ami, Goddess of Mercury," I say. Haruka and Michiru stand to my right. Haruka has her arm around Michiru's waist and she is kissing her neck. Haruka's hair was loose and past the shoulder, Michiru's hair was long and pulled back in a tight ponytail. "Sailor Neptune, the soldier born from waves, Michiru, Goddess of Neptune," I say, barely managing to keep the laughter from my voice. Notaru and Machino are gaping at the blatent display of sexuality the goddesses are displaying. Michiru smiles and waves at the cameras after my introduction. "Sailor Uranus, the soldier born from wind, Haruka, Goddess of Uranus," I giggle as Haruka bites Michiru's neck. Michiru turns and swats Haruka's face. The Goddess of Uranus turns to the cameras and gives a lecherous grin. Turning to my left quickly I smile at Setsuna. Her long, gorgeous green hair was put up in a bun, with long wisps falling out occasionally. The white of her scout uniform only compliments her dark skin. "Sailor Pluto, the soldier born from time, Setsuna, Guardian of Time and Goddess of Pluto," I say. Setsuna simply stares at the camera before I turn to Hotaru. The years have changed her, but she is still very small. Her hair was in a braid that went to her waist. Her purple eyes stared at the camera. "Sailor Saturn, the soldier born from death, Hotaru, Bringer of Death and Goddess of Saturn," I whisper. Some how it seems wrong to be loud when talking of her powers. Turning left again I smile warmly at my daughter. She comes over to me and I put my arm around her. "Sailor Chibi-Moon, the soldier born to rule, Princess Serenity, heir to the future throne of Crystal Tokyo. She is also my beloved flower, my future daughter visiting from the future, to help us with the Locust problem," I say proudly. Chibi-Usa shifts and suddenly she is holding a squirming Stacio. I laugh and say, "And the bundle of joy she is holding is the son of my body. Stacio, soldier born from tears, God of Sorrow and Fear." Suddenly Endymion is at my side again. He puts his arm around my waist. Everyone breaths in at the sight of us, we must look picture perfect. "Endymion, soldier born of this world, Prince of Earth, and my fiancee," I smile up at him. With a flash they are gone and I am alone. I walk towards the fire. When I reach it I spread of my wings and the fire builds up. I put my back to the fire and look at the cameras, my eyes have gone red. "I am the soldier born from the love of all, I am the Goddess of the Moon, Ruler of the Crystal Universe, Queen of Crystal Tokyo, Queen of the Gods, I am Serenity!" I shout. I feel my family and friends melt out of nowhere to stand next to me. "People of Earth fear no longer! I have come and I will defeat the Locusts! They will no longer walk openly on our beloved Earth! When I am through with them not a single Locust will be left! Not a child, a mother, an elder, or a warrior! My daughter has come back to the past to warn me not to be lenient or they will come back to Earth! My heart tears that I must kill an entire race. But to protect my people, my universe, my loved ones, I will kill every last Locust and ensure the safety of this universe forever!" The fire dies down and with a wave of my hand towards the humans I say, "Be safe, and take this message to the people of Earth. We must leave now." Another wave and they are transported back to the tv set they were told to meet at. I turn to Notaru and Machino. Stacio is placed in Notaru's hand and a letter is placed in her pocket. "Give that letter to my cat friend. She will understand why we do this, but please send her our love also." I look at Machino and smile at his astonished face when Notaru vanishes. "Go to your people Machino. Calm them, for our work will cause great noise and lights and various other things. Tell them it is our work and we will try to keep the mortal's deaths at a minimum." I am alone with my family and friends. I turn to them, my eyes facing the fire. I narrow them and smile grimly. "Let's get to work." I say quietly.
Eternal by Lady Tiger Rated R
Chapter Seven
Slowly Endymion gets on his knees and bows his head and swears fealty to me, Queen of the Gods. Then he stands up and looks me straight in the eye. "My Queen," he says coldly, then he turns and walks away. Straight into Setsuna and the rest of the scouts standing directly behind him. "Where do you think you are going?" Setsuna demands. "I don't know, maybe to do some dishes to please my Queen," Endymion said bitterfly, throwing me a dark glance. "Do that again and I will slit your throat," Setsuna said calmly, as if she were telling him that he had lint on his shirt. "What?" he said. "Insult our Queen like that again and you will be killed. Is that simple enough or do you need it spelled out even more?" Haruka laughed. "I am your future King!" Endymion protested. "Really? Are you so sure?" Michiru asked. "Because the way you are acting right now, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Usagi were to pick another man for her king. She can just pick you as a stud for her child. You swore fealty to her, so she now has the right to do that." "Don't be so sure of your future, father, just because I am here, doesn't mean you are King in the future," Chibi-Usa said, a strange tone in her voice as she made her way closer to me. She casually leaned forward to kiss my cheek. *Mother, in my memory you two are happily married still. How are you two going to work this out? I know you do, eventually.* she sent to me on our private link. *I will worry about that later. He can not be so sure of his future that he thinks he can treat me like any other woman.* I send back. "Why are you all ganging up on me?" Endymion whined. "Listen to yourself Endymion. You sound like a child," Hotaru said, for once speaking loudly, "Stubbornly clinging to the idea that you have been somehow wronged by us and that we owe you. Well guess what? You have been wronged, but not by us! By the Locusts! And we do not owe you anything! It is the other way around, you owe us your very life! So stop acting like a child and move on! If you want vengence, get it, but make sure you attack the right people." "Wouldn't it be easier, and cheaper, to simply admit that what happened with the Locusts, did happen. Then you could get revenge on them, and maybe keep your future intact in the process," Ami said, "But don't assume that we will grovel at your feet just because you might be our king in the future. We owe no allegience to you, only to Usagi. And if you hurt her or attempt to hurt her, in any way, we will kill you." "The years have changed us Endymion. We are not the weak, flighty teenagers you remember. We are adults now. Don't get in our way and things will go much smoother," Makato informed him, "As it is, these little temper tantrums of yours are getting in our way. So stop it. Even Stacio is better behaved than you, don't you think that should tell you something?" For a while Endymion was quiet. No one said anything to him. He looked down at his feet like a scolded child. There was almost an audible click when he shook his shoulders and then looked up. "Who is this Stacio?" he asks slowly. This is the closest we are going to get to an apology, I think to myself. "That is a long story. If you would stop accusing us for a few hours, you might get to hear it," I say coldly. I have decided that his idea of an apology, is not good enough for me. Endymion looks at me and stares for a few moments. Then he looks down, and I am surprised to see his hands go up to his eyes. "Usako, I am sorry....it's just...everything is so confusing..." he whispers. I am shaking as I move closer to him. Everything is red, and I can feel myself slipping over the edge. Tears are falling to the ground, but I ignore them. Just as I reach him I fall over the edge. My hand goes up and my staff is suddenly in it. Endymion falls to the ground and lowers his head. I raise my staff and prepare to bring it down on him. My staff slams into Minako's staff. Shocked enough to slip off the killing edge I look up at her. "You two are acting like children. This must stop now," she says, and then her staff starts to glow. Before either Endymion or I can react she swings her staff to hit both of us. I fall to the ground and everything blacks out.
*~*~*
Soft voices wake me. I am not alone. Quickly I jump into a standing position, my hand reaching for my staff. Except my staff is not needed. I look down at Endymion's sleeping figure as the voices that woke me gradually get louder. "When are they going to wake up Minako?" Rei snapped. "They have been sleeping for hours! Machino and Notaru will be here in a few minutes! What are we supposed to say? OH I'M SORRY, our rulers are sleeping now, come back in a few HOURS." "With the way you are shouting they will be awake any moment!" Minako said. "And I only meant for them to sleep for an hour or two. Long enough for them to get over their bitterness and not feel they have to save face. Because that is exactly what was tearing them apart. Endymion wouldn't back down and Serenity couldn't allow him to walk all over her." Mina and Rei continued to bicker while I changed into some of the new clothes that Rei left out for me. I smiled at them as I lifted the flap to my tent. Except for the background and a few physical changes, we might as well be 16 and at Rei's temple again. It is good to know that no matter how much we might have changed, some things will always be the same. "Is this what you do with yourselves when I am not around?" I ask quietly. Mina and Rei stop shouting in mid-sentence. Then I am surrounded by nine girls who pounce on me. After a few minutes of giggling, poking, and laughter Endymion pokes his head out of the tent. "Well, is this what you do with yourselves when I am not around?" he asks. Everyone stops and stares at him suspiciously. Then we all pounce on him and start tickeling him. After about ten minutes he starts to shout "I give up! I give up!" Then I feel the tingle that means someone is trying to contact me. My muscles freeze up and I give Notaru the OK to transport to our camp. Thirty seconds later Notaru and Machino appear, along with a dozen other people holding cameras and microphones and lighting equipment. They are greeted by the sight of Endymion and I sitting by the fire. Stacio is sitting on the ground in front of me, playing with a few fire balls he had constructed. He is now grown to his real age of seven and already getting himself into trouble. Chibi-Usa is laying down next to me with her head in my lap. My hand strokes her hair as I look up at Notaru and Machino. "Good morning Notaru, Machino," I say, "How are you doing?" "Fine thank you, where are the rest of you?" Notaru asks. "Right here," Haruka laughs. All the humans jump at the sound of Haruka's laughter. They turn around to find themselves surrounded by eight smiling Goddesses. Notaru and Machino smile and bow as the other humans hurry to get their equipment started. "Good morning your majesty, how is your son doing?" Notaru smiled at me. "He is doing fine, though he is already starting to disobey me," I frown down at Stacio. He looks up and giggles at me. I frown even further and with a motion of my hand the fire balls he was playing with fly into the campfire. "Stacio! I have told you not to play with fire. That is your second warning young man. The third time I catch you disobeying me you will get more than a warning! Do you understand me?" "Your Majesty! This is your son? Last time I saw him he was no more than an infant!" Machino exclaimed. "He is my firstborn Machino, and therefore he is special. Are your people ready? We will introduce ourselves and tell your people our intent of killing off the Locusts. A lot has happened since we last saw you, and we have little time left. After this broadcast we will transport your people home, and send you with Stacio to a private location. Then we will deal with the Locusts. Only one of you need go with my son, the other may stay and keep things under control with the humans," I explain as a hair brush materializes in my right hand and I proceed to brush Chibi-Usa's hair. "Which of you wishes to stay with the humans and which wishes to watch my son?" "Are you all ready?" Machino asks the crew he brought. They all nod and turn to stare at us. The cameras all turn to us also and all of a sudden lights and microphones are all around us. "I would prefer to be the one who stays to take care of things, majesty. Notaru is much better with children than I will ever be, and I feel she is better suited to watch your son. Though if he controls powers as you do, I don't know how she could control him." "His powers will temporarily be taken from him. It is a simple thing to do, and since he doesn't seem to be able to control his powers yet, it is safer. Shall we start?" Endymion grabs the back of Stacio's shirt as he starts to run after some invisible friend. He picks up Stacio and places him next to him on the log. The camera man nods to Machino that they are ready and taping. Machino and Notaru nod at eachother and step in front of the cameras. "Good morning people of Earth. We are coming to you live with information that will make all of you feel safe again. The saviors we have all prayed for have finally arrived. The Great Prophet said that the 'Silver-haired angel' would come, and he was right. She has arrived, and She is thirsty for the blood of the Locusts. No longer need we fear that our grandchildren will not know what freedom is, for She will wipe the Locusts from existance. Good people, I give you Serenity, Queen of the Gods, and Goddess of the Moon. She is our savior and She will eradicate the stain of the Locusts existance from our planet," Notaru began quietly but ended her speech with a shout. "No longer will you fear that your daughters will be taken or your sons killed! No longer need you fear that you will be taken and experimented on by the Locusts! No longer need you fear the Locusts! Our Silver-haired Angel has arrived! We are delivered! Good people rise and give your thanks to Her for breathing life into our revolution! Rise and fight with Her!" Machino shouted, his hands balled up into fists. "If you have suffered as we have, give thanks that She will avenge your loved ones! Every wrong they have visited upon us they will be repaid tenfold. They will regret ever laying eyes upon our planet. I give you our Queen, our Savior, our Angel, our Serenity." *Great Prophet? Silver-haired angel? What the fuck is this! They have deceived us Usagi!* Makato's threw her thoughts into my mind along with visions of fire. *This Great Prophet could have said other things that would help us! How dare they hide this from us?* *Silence Makato!* I lash out her with a mental slap. *We need to be calm now. Erupting in a temper tantrum in front of these humans will not help our cause. After this taping we will send them back and deal with Machino and Notaru.* The cameras moved from Machino and Notaru to settle on Serenity and Endymion. I am in my queen regalia, a silver dress that was sparkled with black. It is sleevless and clings to me like a second skin. My long legs are covered with sparkles and showed through slits on the sides of the dress. My arms are covered with silver gloves. My silver hair, which was far past my feet, was free of my pony tails and it blew in the wind, getting occasionally caught up in my white wings. My attention is not on the cameras however, as at that moment Stacio had wiggled away from Endymion and was playing in the middle of the camp fire. Endymion, in his black armor, is chasing Stacio, trying to get him out of the fire. Chibi- Usa is in her scout uniform and is laughing at the image of her father and brother. Notaru notices that Stacio is playing in the fire and almost faints from fear. "Stacio! Come out of there this instant! You are getting your new outfit dirty!" I stamp my foot and point to the ground in front of me. With a blast of white light I teleport him to the spot my finger is pointing at. Then I turn to Endymion. "Why are you chasing him in the fire Endymion? You are also getting your clothes dirty! I wanted us to look nice for our first appearance to the people of Earth! And Chibi-Usa get the grin off your face! You had a chance to stop Stacio from getting into the fire and you just laughed! Instead of sitting there laughing you should have stopped Stacio! He is only seven years old, he does not know how to control his powers yet! One second of distraction from the fire and he could have been seriously hurt!" All the scouts watch the exchange with grins on their faces. Rei and Minako laugh openly, and Ami starts to cough. Hotaru clears her throat. I look up at her and her eyes look past me. I turn to where her eyes are and for the first time realize that Notaru and Machino are done with their speeches. Fourteen human eyes and three cameras are staring at us. I realize for the first time that Stacio is pulling on my silver dress with his ash covered hands and crying. Endymion is standing in the middle of the fire with a sheepish grin on his face. Chibi-Usa is sitting upright looking at her feet. "Stacio, stop it. I am not mad at you, I was worried for your safety," I say absently as I bend down and wipe the tears off his face. Endymion walks casually out of the fire, and the humans stare as he emerges unhurt. He puts his hand on my elbow and pulls me up, with his other hand he pats Stacio on his head. At his touch all of the dirt on my dress disappears, and Stacio is cleaned and teleported onto Chibi-Usa's lap. *Make sure he doesn't get into the fire again Chibi-Usa!* Endymion sent the thought to his daughter. Machino and Notaru bowed and gave thanks to the Gods for coming to protect them. "Good morning Notaru, Machino. How are you doing?" I ask them. "We are doing wonderful, your majesty. How are You?" Notaru responds.
"Oh, well I am fine now," I smile as I look over at my children, "Now that my children are behaving! Please accept my apologies, I can not believe Stacio did that! I told him to stay out of the fire! I swear, sometimes he acts like he is only a day old instead of seven years old. And Chibi-Usa- oh well I did not summon you hear to discuss the antics of my children. Forgive me, we will start now. Here, let me introduce everyone." I sweep my hands outward and suddenly I am alone. The humans give a start of surprise and fear. Smiling at them I turn to the right and motion towards Makato. She is in her scout uniform, and her long hair in its usual ponytail. She grins and flips her hair over her shoulder, it comes to rest just below her waist. "Sailor Jupiter, soldier born from thunder and lightening, Makato, Goddess of Jupiter," I say. I motion this time to my left and there is Minako. Also in her scout uniform, she smiles seductively and winks at the camera. Her hair is loose and flows around her body all the way to her ankles. "Sailor Venus, the soldier born from love and beauty, Minako, Goddess of Venus," I smile at her. Again I motion towards my right where Rei stands. Her hair is put up in two buns, like my hair. She puts her hand up to move away a few strays of hair. "Sailor Mars, the soldier born from fire, Rei, Goddess of Mars," I blow a kiss at her. Turning again I look at Ami. Her blue hair was loose and she was standing with one hand at her side and the other in her hair. "Sailor Mercury, the soldier born from water, Ami, Goddess of Mercury," I say. Haruka and Michiru stand to my right. Haruka has her arm around Michiru's waist and she is kissing her neck. Haruka's hair was loose and past the shoulder, Michiru's hair was long and pulled back in a tight ponytail. "Sailor Neptune, the soldier born from waves, Michiru, Goddess of Neptune," I say, barely managing to keep the laughter from my voice. Notaru and Machino are gaping at the blatent display of sexuality the goddesses are displaying. Michiru smiles and waves at the cameras after my introduction. "Sailor Uranus, the soldier born from wind, Haruka, Goddess of Uranus," I giggle as Haruka bites Michiru's neck. Michiru turns and swats Haruka's face. The Goddess of Uranus turns to the cameras and gives a lecherous grin. Turning to my left quickly I smile at Setsuna. Her long, gorgeous green hair was put up in a bun, with long wisps falling out occasionally. The white of her scout uniform only compliments her dark skin. "Sailor Pluto, the soldier born from time, Setsuna, Guardian of Time and Goddess of Pluto," I say. Setsuna simply stares at the camera before I turn to Hotaru. The years have changed her, but she is still very small. Her hair was in a braid that went to her waist. Her purple eyes stared at the camera. "Sailor Saturn, the soldier born from death, Hotaru, Bringer of Death and Goddess of Saturn," I whisper. Some how it seems wrong to be loud when talking of her powers. Turning left again I smile warmly at my daughter. She comes over to me and I put my arm around her. "Sailor Chibi-Moon, the soldier born to rule, Princess Serenity, heir to the future throne of Crystal Tokyo. She is also my beloved flower, my future daughter visiting from the future, to help us with the Locust problem," I say proudly. Chibi-Usa shifts and suddenly she is holding a squirming Stacio. I laugh and say, "And the bundle of joy she is holding is the son of my body. Stacio, soldier born from tears, God of Sorrow and Fear." Suddenly Endymion is at my side again. He puts his arm around my waist. Everyone breaths in at the sight of us, we must look picture perfect. "Endymion, soldier born of this world, Prince of Earth, and my fiancee," I smile up at him. With a flash they are gone and I am alone. I walk towards the fire. When I reach it I spread of my wings and the fire builds up. I put my back to the fire and look at the cameras, my eyes have gone red. "I am the soldier born from the love of all, I am the Goddess of the Moon, Ruler of the Crystal Universe, Queen of Crystal Tokyo, Queen of the Gods, I am Serenity!" I shout. I feel my family and friends melt out of nowhere to stand next to me. "People of Earth fear no longer! I have come and I will defeat the Locusts! They will no longer walk openly on our beloved Earth! When I am through with them not a single Locust will be left! Not a child, a mother, an elder, or a warrior! My daughter has come back to the past to warn me not to be lenient or they will come back to Earth! My heart tears that I must kill an entire race. But to protect my people, my universe, my loved ones, I will kill every last Locust and ensure the safety of this universe forever!" The fire dies down and with a wave of my hand towards the humans I say, "Be safe, and take this message to the people of Earth. We must leave now." Another wave and they are transported back to the tv set they were told to meet at. I turn to Notaru and Machino. Stacio is placed in Notaru's hand and a letter is placed in her pocket. "Give that letter to my cat friend. She will understand why we do this, but please send her our love also." I look at Machino and smile at his astonished face when Notaru vanishes. "Go to your people Machino. Calm them, for our work will cause great noise and lights and various other things. Tell them it is our work and we will try to keep the mortal's deaths at a minimum." I am alone with my family and friends. I turn to them, my eyes facing the fire. I narrow them and smile grimly. "Let's get to work." I say quietly.