Disclosure: I neither own Sailor Moon, nor have received any financial gain from this work of fiction.
Chapter 7: Resolution
The princesses of Jupiter and Mars returned to the Moon, and with barely pause enough for civility, hurried through gardens, ballrooms, staircases and hallways to the suite of Serenity.
"Are they back?" said Lita, as she closed the door.
"Look for yourselves," replied Mina.
"You're back! Are you both alright?" Lita said, hugging Ami and Mina in turn.
"You look none the worse for wear," said Rei.
"We were just about to let Mina finish telling us about Earth," said Serenity, hugging Rei and Lita in greeting. "Please sit down."
All five young women sat down, preparing to hear a long and detailed first-hand account of Earth. Mina described the horrors they witnessed, from seeing a man beaten, to their own personal harassment. Lita and Rei were outraged that anyone would have the gall to treat another living being in such a degrading manner. It was only Serenity's patience that held back their fiery and thunderous interruptions to a minimum.
"And then, there was Cleric," said Mina. "He was the first kind, reasonable person we met. He gave me hope that Earth may be redeemable."
"In fact," said Ami, speaking for the first time. "He's more than just a good person; he's obviously a person of power, because he could detect our own abilities. I would say that if we decide to open discourse with the people, he would be a good place to start."
"And he's well connected," continued Mina. "After our initial shock of meeting each other, he took pains to escort us around the countryside, showing the efforts of many to improve the lives of the poor and sick. There are truly people with honor on the Earth! If our only interaction with Terrans had been with that 'Ritter' person, I'd have recommended that we not only write-off Earth permanently, but that we enforce a permanent boycott!"
"So," said Rei, "what do we do?"
"Let me interject here," said Serenity. "I love you all, but I know you like the back of my hand. You Rei, will recommend that we exercise caution in all cases. And that perhaps by the time that I am queen, in another few centuries, I'd have the power and the right to work on relations with Earth."
Rei gaped. "That's exactly right, Serenity. I only wish…"
"For my best," interrupted Serenity. "Yes, I know, and I love you for that dear. However, I'm trying to speed things up here."
Lita and Mina giggled. They knew that Serenity had Rei pegged perfectly. Serenity turned her attention to them.
"And as for you two," she said, "I imagine that although you, Mina, had to hold back Ami from attacking that horrid man, that you'd love to go down to earth and completely clear out all of the evil, inconsiderate people. And I know that you'd have a willing partner in crime in Lita."
She shook her head affectionately at her two strongest guardians. "Although part of me approves, we all know that having five powerful women appear on Earth and destroy what we perceive as 'evil' wouldn't exactly be the best way of opening up peace talks."
Lita had the decency to look chagrinned, but Mina only smiled. Frankly, they would have been even less subtle than Serenity had suggested.
"And Ami…" Serenity paused. "Before you'd left Ami, I had almost been certain that regardless of what you'd seen or found on Earth, you would have warned that opening up relations would be unwise, in light of the current situation in the Silver Alliance."
Ami simply nodded.
"But now," she continued, "Now, I feel that something has changed. How do you feel about our further investigation of this matter?"
Ami pressed the tip of her forefinger to her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Although the people of Earth, in the small area we visited, were largely barbaric and uncivilized, there is something special. There is a greatness of spirit and a feeling of excitement there, Serenity. And… something else…"
Ami's voice drifted off. The other four knew better than to change the subject, prompt her, or interrupt. While Ami did not speak often, when she did speak, everyone knew to listen attentively.
"Potential."
"Potential? What do you mean by that?" asked Lita.
"There is the feeling that things are changing on Earth; that things are happening there. Just as it would be cruel to destroy a tiny plant before knowing what it would become, so Earth is just beginning. It is… growing."
Growth… Potential… Strong words with great depth of meaning. Although none of the girls would admit it to themselves, much less each other, as delightful as the Silver Millennium was, it had become stagnant. How interesting could life be, when it was just an endless round of parties and good times, without any challenges? Without words, each young woman had responded in a way to express her own sense of inner rebellion.
For Ami, it was books. She felt that the more she learned, knew, understood, and applied, the less empty her world would feel. And while she had in the process made some amazing friends and gained a lot of head-knowledge, it didn't give her fulfillment in life.
Lita used the peace of the times to hone her own abilities. She was an excellent hand-to-hand fighter, as well as cook, and gardener. By keeping herself extremely busy, she mimicked the feeling of real fulfillment.
Mina was the social butterfly of the solar system. If there was an event anywhere, she was bound to be there! She strove to make as many friends as possible, to be as glad and delightful as she could, because in bringing joy to others, she hoped to find happiness herself.
Rei was the introspective one. Of all of them, she was the one who recognized and understood her own unhappiness, her dissatisfaction with life the best. A lifetime that could potentially last a thousand years, but one that would be alone didn't appeal to her own sense of duty and accomplishment. But, the inability to find a cause to devote herself, heart and soul, had led to a woman who was quiet and withdrawn, although fiercely loyal to her friends.
In a way, Serenity had it the hardest and the easiest. As the heir to the throne of the Moon Kingdom, Serenity was absolutely consumed by endless hours of protocol, assemblies and audiences. While it meant that her time was far more structured than the others, she was also fully aware at the futility of her actions. What was the use of being a princess and future queen when ruling was so bogged down by people who had lived for centuries and were perfectly happy to allow life to continue in the same old routine, ad infinitum?
"It's set then," said Serenity. "You've all given your arguments, and I think it is obvious that the people of Earth deserve some further investigation. Was Cleric forthcoming with any assistance, Mina?"
"Mmm… Cleric…" purred Mina. "Yes, as a matter of fact he did. He said that if we were interested in joining forces to benefit all of the people of Earth, to meet him at a certain place three days from now."
"Oh really? Where?" said Rei.
"A place called Elysion," said Ami.
"Where's that?" asked Serenity. "I've never heard of it before!"
Ami typed some data into her omnipresent computer. "I'm not sure. I don't have any data on a place by that name!" She furrowed her brow in thought. "The good news is that by focusing our powers given to us as guardians of our planets, we can amplify the energy of the key and transport all together."
"That is good news, Ami!" said Lita. "I was afraid that if we had to do several transportations, that we would be vulnerable to a trap. After hearing about how some Terrans can be so brutal, I'd hate to have that happen."
"Ditto," said Rei.
Each young woman grew silent as she reflected on what visiting the earth would mean for her, personally. Would it open new doors, bring purpose and meaning, or would it garner danger and reprisals?
"So…" said Lita, breaking the silence. "What's Cleric like? Is he cute?" She winked at Mina mischievously.
"Cute?" Mina sputtered. "He is so beyond cute! If he's cute, then Ami's math level is remedial!" She waved her hands about expressively, trying to describe just how attractive Cleric was. "He's… he's…."
"Beautiful."
"Ami?!" All four women gasped in the same breath."
She blushed a deep, painful pink. "Well, I mean from a strictly artistic and aesthetic viewpoint, of course. His features exhibited remarkable symmetry, and in general beauty is outlined by mathematic symmetry and pattern. But beyond that, and more importantly, he was kind and thoughtful and, and…"
"Sure, Ami," nudged Mina. "We know one person who's going to be looking forward to going back to Earth."
Ami gathered what little dignity remained to her, picking up the pillow she'd been leaning against. She moved gracefully, silently, but not hurriedly out of the room. As she reached the door she turned to face the grinning faces behind her. "I believe it is necessary for me to do more research on Elysion now. I will see you again on the appointed day, if not before."
At that, Serenity, Rei, Mina and Lita exploded into deep, hearty laughter. After all, this was the first time that Ami had expressed any real interest in anyone other than for their book-smarts. It was hard not to laugh, not just because of the situation, but because of the stress of their decision.
"Fine," Ami sputtered. "He was exceptionally good-looking. I admit it. I doubt however, that the inside of his head is as attractively put together as the outside, and that's what really matters."
This only resulted in still more laughter, as Mina was now rolling on the floor, and Lita had tears streaming down her face, while Serenity was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe, and Rei was trying to help her.
Ami sighed. They were good friends, but so girly. And sometimes, it was so hard to be a girl. A girly-girl. A delightfully feminine, attractive, intelligent, slightly-flirty girl. And sometimes, sometimes, laughter really is the best medicine. She put her computer down on a convenient table and strode back to the others.
"Well," she said with an entirely un-Ami-like smirk, "I can dream, can't I?"
With that, she took her pillow and smacked Mina on the bottom, resulting in another all out pillow fight, for the third time in the week. As the sides finally retired, agreeing to a temporary détente, Serenity withdrew to her window. She was glad that they had the opportunity to work off their nerves in such a non-destructive manner, and in the privacy of her rooms. Still… the mystery, and yes, the romance of Earth, glorious, forbidden Earth, would haunt her dreams. She knew it. And that mysterious place…
"Elysion."
AN: Thank you to both sailorashes and Melinda Sandy Halliwell for their reviews and support. Hopefully, the story is moving along a bit more now, and I plan to have Serenity and Endymion meet in two chapters. Your input would be gladly appreciated. Do they like each other, despise each other, or feel ambivalently? We'll see how the story works itself out in my mind. Thank you again!