Usagi stares into her tea, the milk still making billowing clouds in the brown liquid. Ami could see that Usagi was trying to not be sullen, but she fails spectacularly with the slow stirring of the spoon as Makoto busied herself in the kitchen.
None of them were used to waiting. Though they were all different, every senshi didn't want to just stand by and wait for news to come in. Ami hears Makoto flick her communicator closed and sigh heavily. Usagi does the same not long after that.
"Usagi-chan..." Ami says quietly. "What's wrong?"
"It doesn't make sense… If we trust them, and I do want to trust them, then we have to accept that Queen Serenity abused her power and everything we've known for the last two years is tainted by it. If we don't trust them, then they're no better than Beryl or the Dark Moon Family, or even Chaos. I don't see a way to make them both meet in the middle," Usagi responds quietly. "And if we've been wrong? What does this mean for the future we've already seen?
Ami ponders the problem for a long, quiet moment, taking a thoughtful sip from her cup. "Usagi-chan… Those events will come to pass… It might not be the same way, but Chibi-Usa will be one of your descendants, and Crystal Tokyo will be ruled by Neo-Queen Serenity… Maybe that's not you without this spell, maybe it is… As for what to do about the information now," Ami pauses, taking another drink of tea, covering for some time. "I suppose we'll have to wait until the spell can be lifted to figure that out, no?"
"But what if I don't…" Usagi starts, but trails off, troubled.
"What if you don't love Mamoru then?" Makoto asks, taking a seat at the table. "I was engaged to the Sun Prince before… I'm not about to forsake Motoki just because of that. If the spell breaks and neither of you are in love with each other anymore, then you'll find someone you do love. It's not a terrible thing, Usagi-chan," Makoto concludes, hands wrapped protectively around the rose-printed tea cup.
"I wish there were some way to know for sure if it was all the spell…" Usagi murmurs. "I wish I could find out right now…" she continues, gaining volume and vehemence. Makoto and Ami exchange a worried glance.
"Usagi, we will find out… soon…" Makoto placates, sounding none too sure of herself.
"No!" Usagi exclaims, slamming her cup down on the table and rattling the rest of the china.
"Usagi!" Ami gasps as shimmering moonlight starts to emit from Usagi's broach, but Usagi rails on.
"I want to know what's going on right now!" she declares with a childish stamp of her foot, and the light becomes blinding, filling the room.
The silvery glow fades, and Usagi blinks several times, unable to believe that she no longer sat on Makoto's couch. The bench is one she remembers well from what few memories she had of her past life, but it had never been looking upon the pale ruins of the Moon Palace. She bites her lip, uncertain of why her desperate attempt to regain her memories had brought her here.
The soft rustling of silk beside her draws her attention and her jaw drops at the sight of Queen Serenity, looking as she ever did in her white gown and silvered hair, sitting next to her. "Hello again, my dear..." the queen says softly.
"I don't understand..." Usagi starts, trailing off. Queen Serenity smiles thinly.
"Don't worry, dear one. You were never meant to understand all of this," she responds. "When I discovered the Sun Kingdom's plans, I felt betrayed... By the Sun Kingdom, yes, but my husband as well. You know he was the Sun Queen's brother, yes?" She waits only a moment to see Usagi's nod of confirmation. "My marriage was nothing more than a fail-safe in their plan to unite the system... And a means to learn more about the Queens of the Moon. You, my beloved daughter, were a last resort. Do you understand why I was upset at that?"
Usagi nods after a long, thoughtful moment, her lower lip pulled pensively between her upper and lower teeth.
"I wasn't correct in my reaction though. In turning on the Sun as I did, I forced them to betray all of us. I violated the laws governing the Crystals and their power to influence Fate. There are many things that could've been done differently. Queen Dawn should have trusted me as her sister to help this plan come to fruition but I should not have violated the Treaty of the Silver Millennium, and interfered in the politics of the Sun and Golden Kingdoms."
"But what about what Thuban and Alrai said about their Princess? Did Hotaru -" Usagi trails off, unwilling to voice the reprehensible thought.
The queen looks pained, but answers with a grimace, "Their accusation is true. I sent Princess Rhea to fulfill the order to ensure that you would be queen of both kingdoms... If I had not, perhaps the war could've been avoided. The Golden Kingdom knew, as I did not, that if Endymion did not marry the Sun Princess, then he would not be their king. I thought, without Persephone, the Earth would join the Moon Kingdom upon your marriage, and the Sun would not have a chance for at least two generations more to merge in, unless Queen Dawn named you her heir over her daughter. It was ambitious, but feasible... However, the death of Persephone started the revolt on earth, lead by Beryl, and Queen Dawn was quick to ally herself with the Dark Kingdom."
"So how do I fix it?" Usagi asks, her voice edged with demand.
"Why would you want to do that?" Serenity retorts, and Usagi's eyes narrow in suspicion. "You have a peaceful future before you, the world is safe, and you're set to rule the whole system with Endymion at your side… Why would you want to change that?" the queen asks coyly.
"Because it's wrong!" Usagi insists.
"Is it?" Serenity asks, her eyes gleaming shrewdly. "Even the Sun Princess would admit that she didn't know how Endymion felt. Wouldn't it be kinder to her to not get her hopes up? After all, all he has is a memory of an arranged engagement that didn't even come to fruition... You and he have had years together..."
"He should be free to make his own choice!" Usagi persists, much to Serenity's annoyance.
She waves her daughter's words away with a dismissive hand. "Even if you did focus long enough to master the Silver Crystal and break the spell, why wouldn't he chose you, my dear? It's your destiny."
Usagi's face hardens to an unforgiving mask. "A destiny you made, Mother," she snarls. "What if I choose someone else?"
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!"
"SUBMARINE VIOLON TIDE!"
"SPACE TURBULENCE!"
"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"
Venus grimaces as the last of the youma vanish into motes of darkness, and relaxes her posture somewhat. Uranus and Neptune turn quickly to Venus, concern written in bold on their faces.
"Where's the Princess?" Neptune asks, almost demanding.
"She's with Ami and Makoto," Venus responds and both outer senshi breathe an obviously relieved sigh.
"Was Rizad here?" Mars asks, scanning the area around Tōkyō Tower with eyes half focused.
Uranus nods grimly. "That's why we were worried about the Princess. He said his intended target had appeared before he ran off. He's after the Silver Crystal, isn't he?"
"He's after both crystals, I guess..." Venus says, looking around as well. "Do you know where he went?"
Both outer senshi shake their heads. "He just vanished after dropping the beads that made the youma more powerful," Neptune explains.
"We did hear a pretty large explosion in the direction of the Azabu post office, but that's it..." Uranus adds. Venus and Mars exchange a look.
"We're going to investigate the explosion," Mars states.
"If it'll make you feel better to check on Usagi, she's at Makoto's apartment. I'm sure she wouldn't mind more company right now," Venus suggests. Uranus and Neptune nod and the fuku disappears in a soft shimmering of gold and sea-green. Haruka gallantly offers Michiru her arm and they stroll leisurely away, as though they hadn't been soldiers mere moments before.
Venus and Mars take off running, heading directly west towards the Azabu plaza along the tops of buildings. Even from a distance, they could see the damage to the buildings around their destination in the shattered windows and rising smoke.
The Azabu post office plaza is a wreck of scorch marks and rubble, with shattered glass half melted to the pavement. The pair split up, investigating the two major destruction marks of the area; the crater of a large explosion, connected by a blackened trench leading to another point with scorch marks swirling around it.
"I've got two different trails from here..." Mars says, getting up from her investigation of the crater. She had started there because it looked like a larger version of what Usagi had done when she was being controlled by the Princess.
Standing in the center of what appeared to have been a vortex of fire, Venus nods, her eyes closed. "I don't like this, Rei..." she admits quietly as the red senshi joins her. "We barely averted the end of the world when it was our own princess... How can we stop Aurora from doing the same?"
"You know it was her?" Mars asks, tilting her head to the side as though hoping to sense a confirmation from her surroundings.
"There's no one else it could've been," she replies in a matter-of-fact tone. "It couldn't have been Rizad or the senshi that attacked Usagi. Neither have the sort of power needed to cause this level of destruction. We know it's similar to what happened with Usagi, but it wasn't her either. The Sun Princess is the only other person who has such a powerful mystical item and could probably beat Usagi in sheer offensive power." Venus steps to one side, and gestures for Mars to take her place. "Stand there and tell me if you think I'm wrong..."
Mars waves the offer away, shaking her head. "I know that there were solar and terran senshi here. What I don't understand is that there's too much residual solar energy here to account for just Gemini and Sun. On top of that, there's different signatures beyond Gemini's light and Sun's crystal; fire, wood and healing... And there's a terran senshi we don't know about either. Usagi said Thuban used fire? Well she was here, and someone who uses water as well." She sighs, baffled. "The trails are solar and terran in one direction and entirely solar in another. Which do we want to follow?"
Venus considers a long moment, weighing the options carefully. "The terran senshi have no love of us, and if anyone knows how to cope with the Sun Princess, it's Gemini... Did the terrans go with Gemini and Sun?" she asks Mars, and Mars nods. "Then we should follow the other solar trail. They should be more Zodiac senshi. Worst case scenario, we find that they're as undeserving of being senshi as Kishi alluded to."
Mars agrees wordlessly, and starts leading the way along East Outer Garden Street. The trail takes them far from Tōkyō Tower, and almost to the edge of Minato district. Crossing Blue Mountain Street, a large park comes into view, and they espy four senshi making their way at a comparatively slow pace towards one of the many waterways. A shimmering of power tells the two lunar senshi that something is hidden along the shore of the waterway.
"There are four?" Venus asks Mars with a raised eyebrow.
Mars shrugs, as confused as her leader is. "I guess one of their signatures was masked somehow?" she suggests uncertainly.
As they near the retreating zodiacs, Mars and Venus note that white dominates the fuku of all the senshi. In the lead with a nacre shield across her back, is a white-haired senshi with light aqua green bows. Following behind her, slightly to one side and occasionally trying to push her way past the 'leader', is a red-haired girl with red bows, but the brunette girl with dark green bows in the rear keeps pulling her back into line. Staying close to the side of the redhead is a black-haired girl with grey bows.
Venus feels her blood rise in temperature as she watches the small group. A glance to her deputy shows that her feelings are echoed by Mars. These senshi had forsaken their duty, run away and left their Princess to the lone protection of Gemini, damning their Commander and Princess to death.
The lunar senshi draw closer to the zodiacs, and they begin to hear the zodiacs' raised voices.
"- me!" declares the redhead.
"Queen - told you - not hereditary..." responds the white-haired senshi calmly. "Gemini is the Commander and I'm her second again, Resa."
The black-haired girl and the redhead share a look that spoke volumes of what they thought of their so-called leader's statement. "You? Second in command?! HAH! Callisto could beat you in a second!" Resa, the redhead, scoffs.
Venus doesn't hear the rest of Resa's derisive comments, her vision tinting an angry red as she adds blatant insubordination to their list of offenses. Belatedly, she notices Mars' movement to approach them directly - her Mars Arrow glowing red and in hand - and Venus moves quickly to flank the group, drawing her Love Whip as she did.
"So what do you think, Venus?" Mars asks loudly as she takes up a position behind the group of zodiac senshi, flaming arrow nocked and ready to fire. "Think Gemini would be more, or less angry at us if we deliver her traitors to her doorstep?" Her question has the pleasing effect of silencing the four strangers. Eyes wide, they also stop in their tracks allowing Venus to step in front of them, her whip held at the ready with both hands.
"Tough call... I'd say 'less', myself, but she's a hard one to gauge," the lunar commander replies.
The white-haired girl stomps quickly with a thigh-high white boot on the redhead's red booted toe before snapping into a military salute. "Captain Diane Kaniseishin, Sailorcancer of the Zodiac Guard... Gemini sent us back -"
"Or you're running away from her again..." Mars retorts, skeptical.
Cancer's eyes turn hard with remembered anguish. "I never ran away from Gemini, or my duty to Princess Aurora. I was ordered out of combat due to injury in the line of duty. I make no excuses for my fellows here."
"Endymion! You look like Hades itself!" Eve Kinsei couldn't help but exclaim upon seeing the Terran Prince debark from a battered shuttle.
"The Palace was attacked," he responded wearily. "My Generals ordered the guard to stand down against any intruders... The royal family and the nobles staying at court were slaughtered," he adds, staggering slightly as he reached a bench. Minerva Kasei was quick to catch him under a shoulder to ensure he didn't fall too hardly upon the seat.
"Why would the Shitenou turn on the Royalty?!" Minerva asked, aghast at the idea of any guardian forsaking their duty.
"I don't know!" he nearly cried in anguish, feeling the betrayal keenly. "If it hadn't been for that Zodiac," he spat the term, "Cancer protecting me on the Sun Princess' orders, I wouldn't have made it to the shuttle."
"Why would Cancer be protecting you on Princess Aurora's orders?" Venus asked quietly, mostly to herself. "The Sun Kingdom is allied with the Dark Kingdom and at war with you..."
"Princess Aurora is as crazy as her mother, sacrificing one of her own guardians to protect me."
"You're the one that got Endymion out of the Palace when it was attacked! How did you survive? He swore the Shitenou killed you!" Venus asks with sudden respect and surprise.
Cancer smiles grimly, sensing that she'd earned herself some credibility. "They nearly did, and would have, if Prince Orion hadn't recognized me in time. My princess ordered me to ensure his safety, so I did. Gemini ordered me away from the war to heal... By the time I regained consciousness, the Sun had fallen, and my princess and my commander were dead."
Both lunar senshi felt a sympathetic pang, as though they were able to feel exactly as Cancer had upon discovering that all she'd known was gone.
"My mission, Commander Venus, is to take my team back to the Zodiac Court, and then return with the entire guard for judgement. Gemini said it was up to Princess Aurora, and that she would only enforce the princess' decision."
Venus looks over the Zodiacs' shoulders to catch the eye of her lieutenant. After leveling a disdainful glare at the redhead, who was fighting against the brunette's restraints of wood and obviously trying to say something through the gag of leaves, Mars joins Venus.
"So…" Venus prompts quietly while barely moving her lips, turning her head but keeping an eye on the solar senshi.
Mars does the same, and replies, "Do you believe them? Cancer seems to be a cut above the others, but what if Gemini hasn't seen them yet?"
Venus muses on this problem before coming to a conclusion. "If she has, and we bring them back, then we'll have an even angrier Gemini on our hands. And if she hasn't… Well, then we don't have to tell her we saw them, do we? It's not like she'd believe us anyways." Mars nods in agreement, powering down as Venus puts away her whip.
"Okay… Get going, but if we find out Gemini hasn't issued those orders, your return trip will be greeted by Uranus and Neptune, clear?" Venus declares, much to Cancer's obvious relief, mirrored by the senshi in green bows.
Though the redhead fought valiantly against her bonds, and her companion in grey seemed apt to say something derisive and provoking, Cancer and her brunette ally nod. "Understood, Commander Venus, Captain Mars."
Venus and Mars watch them retreat with very different expressions. Mars notices her leader struggle to keep the crestfallen look off her face.
"What's wrong? We just learned more about the Sun Kingdom and the Zodiacs than we did before. Isn't this a good thing?" Mars asks, concerned.
"It is... but the bad thing is what it means," Venus replies somberly. At Mars' prompting look, she sighs and continues, "Think about it, Rei... Aurora sent one of her personal guard into a war zone to ensure Endymion's safety, and that was the only thing she did after her engagement was broken."
She waits, watching Mars' face, hoping to see some sign of understanding, that Mars could see what she sees. As the confusion shows no sign of abating, Venus sighs in defeat before explaining. "It means that Aurora was in love with Endymion, and willing to sacrifice anything for his protection… While debilitated by depression, she ordered her equivalent of you to defend him at all costs. Now that Nichiko's here, now, with Aurora forcing her way to the surface, we know what she'd do to protect him from Rizad… Usagi may have destroyed the world, but Nichiko can and will get herself killed if it means Endymion's safety, and that'd be just as bad."
Finally, Venus sees the expression of horror on her face. "Because that'd leave the peace in Gemini's hands…"
Not for the first time, Mamoru wishes that he too had a communicator to call the senshi with. He paces around his bedroom, anxiously casting glances at his phone on the bedside table, hoping it would ring. He knows those earthquakes too well to doubt their origin, but he wonders at them.
'I thought Usa-ko had control over the Silver Crystal now... She has for these last two years, hasn't she?' he thinks to himself. The idea of Usagi reverting back to those hellish days disturbs and puzzles him. So lost in thought, Mamoru barely notices the soft flute music that floats to his ears from the other side of his apartment.
"Flute music?" he asks aloud, confused as the music gets loud enough for him to notice. Serenity played the lyre, and Zoisite plays the piano. Who played the flute that could get into his apartment? He grabs his cane from the closet and creeps slowly out to the living area.
He didn't know what he expected, but it certainly isn't what he sees. Sitting primly on his sofa, golden flute held delicately to her lips, is Sailorsun... Only terrifyingly different because she is also Princess Aurora. He finds himself wishing for the softer, sky blue and buttery yellow fuku which is presently blood red and gold, if only so that he did not feel so conflicted about their past. Nichiko always put him at ease, though that might be because she never talked about the arrangement between them. What would Princess Aurora have to say to him?
As though sensing his thoughts, she stops playing and her hands and flute come to rest in her lap, the golden instrument nearly vanishing against her like-colored skirt but for the ruby-like keys. Twilight blue eyes meet his, and he freezes in place. "Prince Endymion..." she says softly, with so many emotions that Mamoru couldn't hope to put names to them all.
"Princess Aurora," he responds, doing his best to maintain a neutral tone and hoping she would continue to remain calm. "What can I do for you, your Highness?" he asks, and the Princess smiles a sad, not bitter, smile.
"Ever courteous, even to intruders... Fret not, Prince, for I bear you no ill will. I did not come here to seek vengeance as a woman scorned," she states with quiet dignity. Even as his question forms on his lips, she stands, waving it away. "I have come here to offer my service as a guardian to you."
At first, Mamoru blinks, unsure of what the Princess could mean. Then, embarrassed, he says, "That's not necessary," thinking of the four stones presently residing in the room.
"The Shitenou are not here physically, Endymion. They cannot protect you from the threat that is upon us." Her calm words send a chill down his spine, unnerved. "Rizad intends to kill you, and I will not see that happen. He means to kill Princess Serenity as well, and I know you well enough to know that you would do everything to protect her. I cannot tell you to not do so, but she has her own guardians, and their first duty will be to protect her. You, my Prince, are a secondary concern to them."
"What about Gemini? Won't she be upset about you doing this?" he asks, hoping to dissuade her. While he may be confused as to Aurora's and Nichiko's feelings about him, he's completely clear on her sister's, and did not wish to antagonize the lone Zodiac Guardian.
She smiles, gently waving the concern away with a gloved hand. Mamoru notices that no matter what is said, her smile never matches with the vague image he had in his mind of her past life, smiling at him. It's always too sad. "My sister is my own concern, and you should consider it a benefit to my offer, your Highness. Presently guarding me are two faithful friends and my sister, all of whom I happily trust with my life... I plan on having them join in my protection of you in my last act as reigning princess."
This time, Mamoru can't remain quiet. "What?! What do you mean 'your last act as reigning princess'?!" he exclaims, shocked. "You can't just give up your crown for my protection! You were born to be Queen Aurora the First of the Sun Kingdom!"
"Endymion..." she says softly, tears shining in her eyes. He feels a stab of guilt as the look she levels on him reminds him of when he proclaimed his love of Serenity to her. "I was born to be Queen Aurora the First of the Golden Sun Kingdom. My court but one has abandoned me. I am weak. I have no right to be a queen."
Mamoru's mind reels with her declarations and he wishes he had more memories to work with than he does... but Ami's voice comes to him instead.
'Queen Dawn conceived an heir only after she had secured the King of Earth's agreement to a marriage alliance.'
Ami had read those journals and talked of her former mother's thoughts with him at lunch today until Rei and Minako had called for a meeting to discuss what they'd learned from Nichiko's brother. The offhanded comment had not really registered as significant at the time, but now, on top of Aurora's current statements, it makes him uncomfortably aware that if he didn't do something, the young woman before him would throw everything away in his name.
Without really thinking, he drops his cane and crosses the short distance between them, arms open to pull her into a tight hug. "Princess Aurora Helios... I will not stop you from doing what you feel is necessary, but I will not let you give up your crown. You are no less worthy of being queen than I am of being a king. You are not weak. We will defeat Rizad. You don't need to sacrifice yourself to do so."
As he finishes speaking, he has to close his eyes against a blinding golden glow emanating from the Princess. When the light fades, the satin collar that had been under his chin is a soft woolen jacket, and she sags in his arms. Mamoru quickly catches Nichiko before she can fall, and sets her on the couch he had found her on.
Sighing, he sits in the chair adjacent to the couch, and leans his elbows heavily on his knees. How could things have come to this? Here and now, staring ahead at the wall across the room, he entertains the first doubts about his feelings for Serenity, and hence Usagi. Was it really all because of a spell?
"I can't say for certain if it was a spell or not, but your eye certainly turned to Serenity very quickly after she was involved in the wedding planning."
Mamoru catches himself before he jumps at the sound of his old friend's voice. "Kunzite! Just who I wanted to talk to," he says with genuine relief. Even though Kunzite couldn't manifest on a whim, Mamoru is grateful that his confidant and advisor could appear before him now. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that one day, you're tripping over yourself because Aurora's due to arrive like normal, and the next all your attention was on the Moon Princess," the general responds bluntly.
"I tripped over myself for Aurora?" Mamoru asks, confused.
"Sweet Green Mother," Kunzite exclaims, "you could barely sleep the night before she was scheduled to arrive! When she was back at the Corona Palace, you were counting the days, and probably the hours and minutes, until she came back. Before the engagement was announced, you spent every moment possible with her. You and she were constantly in the wilds around the capitol, crawling over ruins, or taking tours of other parts of the kingdom! Afterwards, you couldn't focus until she had a free moment from the wedding plans for a walk in the gardens! Everyone was sure that the escape clause wouldn't be necessary! I tell you, if your love for the Moon Princess wasn't solely the work of a spell, then the spell certainly turned your head faster than you ever would have without it."
Mamoru's gaze drifts from his friend to the unconscious Nichiko. Her face is softened, but still there's an air of sadness to it, as though even her dreams would cause her to cry as well. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" he asks, his eyes still fixed on Nichiko.
Kunzite chuckles dryly. "Well first there was Beryl to contend with, and though I was the least affected by her, I had my own reasons for being very angry at you. Such emotions are hardly conducive to being honest. After we were reborn though, we fell under the Silver Crystal's spell and forgot about the Sun Kingdom and your sister, Persephone."
Mamoru glances to Kunzite only briefly before his eyes are drawn back to his slumbering guest. "Why do you remember now and I don't?"
"We were freed by Princess Aurora's use of the Star Crystal here. Unfortunately, the Star Crystal can only break the residual spell that we fell under upon rebirth, not the full spell that you and the Lunar Court are under. You'll need Serenity able to fully control the Moon Crystal to get completely free of it. For now, though, I'd use the Star Crystal's presence to recall your time with her... It should be easy to do right now with the flares of power from her Highness."
"But what about the Earth Crystal?" Mamoru asks, but Kunzite vanishes then, fading into the shadows of the dimly lit living room. Despite knowing that such consults had a time limit, Mamoru wishes that his guard could've stayed a little while longer, if only to answer his last question. His eyes catch on a glimmer of gold at her collar, and despite himself, he approaches Nichiko, drawn to the small sparkle. With a nervous hand, he brushes a lock of her hair back to reveal a small gold star pendant with a ruby set into the center.
It doesn't look like much, almost delicate really on a fine matching chain, but he can sense the power radiating off of the jewel. Like in intensity, that is where the similarities between Usagi's crystal and Nichiko's end. Usagi's felt more like a healing balm; gauze bandages, soothing lotions, cleansing water. Nichiko's reminds him of a fire; warm like a ray of sunshine in a grassy field, patient like the flames of a forge, and deadly like raging inferno. It holds life, creation, and destruction in its depths.
Fascinated, he reaches out -
"What are we looking for, Endymion?" asked the young, pink-haired girl on his arm. He knew her, and loved her... but knew that the intimacy was more from familial affection than anything romantic.
"We'll know it if we see it, Persephone... It has to be perfect for her," he responded, eyes wandering from window to window in the crafters district of the Capitol.
"Didn't you say the same thing about the engagement ring?" Persephone, his sister, retorted with a teasing grin. He waved the comment away, a little irritably.
"That was mandatory..." He trailed off, eyes catching on a small jeweler's shop. Without a word spoken more, the guards around them shift. Kunzite stayed in front, while Asteria moved from her position beside Kunzite to behind the royal siblings and Zoisite and Themis peeled off from behind them to enter the shop. Enyo and Nephrite appeared from their hidden vantages, barely visible at the mouth of nearby alleys. It was a well-coordinated and rehearsed maneuver, and he and his sister hardly needed to wait before Zoisite gave the all clear.
He caught Persephone shooting him a sidelong knowing look. "So this is supposed to be your own choice then?" she suggested, her tone equal parts amused and happy.
"I suppose it is..." he admitted under his breath. His sister gave no indication of hearing his quiet confession as they enter the shop, and she peeled away from him to go look at some pretty boxes on display.
"Your Royal Highnesses!" the shopkeeper exclaimed, leaping to help the prince in his search. If something could indeed give the little man more pleasure than having his shop patronized by the crown prince and princess, then it was hearing that the object of their search was a gift for the Sun Princess.
"Her Royal Highness will surely be a most beautiful and gracious queen!" the man proclaimed, gesturing for his royal guest to precede him to the more expensive merchandise. "Is it true that she wants to rebuild the old power stations?" he asked the prince, hopeful.
"Princess Aurora has many plans to help restore our kingdom to its former glory, Master Artisan," he replied proudly with a smile, his eyes roaming over the pretty jeweled trinkets but none called to him. None announced that it went with silk the color of the autumn sky, eyes like twilight and glowing red hair.
"Brother! Over here!" Persephone called, and, glad to have an excuse to leave the artisan, he answered his sister's summons. He came to stand beside her, staring down into a case of antique musical charms. The object of Persephone's gleeful cry of success is in the back, strung on a delicate gold chain and looking half-forgotten.
"That? Oh dear! Forgive me, Highnesses! That shouldn't even be out. It needs a new music box. It won't play for anyone," the artisan stated fretfully. He waved the shop owner's concern away dismissively, keeping his eyes on the pendant as though it might vanish if he looked away.
"I'd like to see it all the same, Master Artisan," he responded evenly. With great trepidation, the craftsman unlocked the case, retrieved the piece and handed it to the prince. He idly caressed the smooth metal, his thumb brushing against the lid. It flicked open without his actually intending it to, and the soft chiming of the Hellenic Waltz started to play.
"It's perfect."
"Perfect..." Mamoru murmurs, his fingers still lightly upon the star pendant which held the Star Crystal.
"Step away from my sister!"
His hand jerks, pulling abruptly away from the jewel. He could've cursed himself for forgetting that where Nichiko went, her sister would be able to find in short order. A sharp blade presses harder into his throat, though not quite enough to draw blood, and he belatedly realizes that Gemini has found the sword within his cane. He carefully stands, and the young woman - so like and unlike her sister still sleeping on his couch - keeps the sword positioned. "Polaris!" she beckons over her shoulder to the door, and a white-haired girl in a black fuku with a white collar and grey skirt comes in. Briefly, he wonders how they were able to get in, but discards the thought quickly. If the Sun Princess could get in without his knowing, then her guardians certainly could.
"I remember you..." he says, squinting at the new girl who was arranging Nichiko to be carried. "Asteria," he adds and Polaris stares at him in shock before shaking herself and picking up Nichiko. "You were my sister's guardian... Head of the Princess' guard, in fact... You were close with Kunzite..." he continues, rambling in hopes of someone filling in the blanks, but Polaris' gray eyes stay fixed on Nichiko as she slowly turns and walks for the door. "Please! Wait... I'm trying to remember!" he pleads, taking a step to go around Gemini after her, but finds his way blocked and the sword back at his throat, hate burning brightly in Gemini's eyes.
"Then remember this, Endymion... You broke my sister's heart, and you break it again every time she sees you. Your alliance with the Moon Kingdom lead to the assassination of your sister, your faithful generals ordering the palace guard to stand down the night of the Tourmaline Palace Massacre, my best friend's near-death in your defense, and my brother's broken spirit," Gemini snaps with obvious loathing, backing away from him to follow Polaris out the door.
Mamoru desperately wants to ask questions about her accusations, but she leaves him no time in her verbal assault. "I don't care how many times my sister countermands this order, so until she does? Stay. Away." Then Gemini tosses the sword down the hall to his room and darts through the door, closing it and apparently locking it without a key.
Mamoru stares at the door for a long moment before his eyes trail along Polaris' path back to the couch. He reaches out and feels that the cushions are still warm. As he sits down on the couch, trying to absorb what little of her presence was left, his heart aches for blue silk, dusk blue eyes, and red hair.
Disclaimer: I do not, as I've long maintained, own Sailormoon, nor the premis for any of the characters you recognize from Takeuchi-sama's wonderful story. I do own Queen Dawn Helios, King Solaris Suisei-Helios, King Twilight Helios-Tsukiou, Princess Aurora Helios/Nichiko "Nikko" Seino/Sailorsun, Princess Estella Helios/Hikari Seino/Sailorgemini, Prince Orion Helios/Kishi Seino, all Zodiac senshi that appear here (though no claims upon anyone else's interpretations), the premise of the Sun Kingdom and why everythign went to the proverbial shitter at the end of the Silver Millennium (which I also do not own). Credit for Princess Persephone and her guardians (Kinji Yuki/Sailorpolaris), Arakaki Nana/Sailorthuban, and Sato Chou/Sailoralrai) goes to Sake1, my brother gets the nod for San Feng/Knight of Polaris, Sake1's lovely wife owns the concept of Sailortauceti, and my dear friend Mulberry gets credit for Princess Cadence of Charon/Sailorcharon.
Read, Review and Enjoy the story!
~Glimmer