"The man who had saved you was Hyperion, wasn't it?" Luna asked quietly.
"Yes," Serenity verified, her voice soft and reflective.
"Did he know about the baby?" Luna asked. Artemis deduced whom they were talking about at this question.
The corners of Serenity's mouth twitched up slightly as she responded. "The night before the battle was when I found out," she said, a true smile breaking out through the tears that streamed down her face as her voice trembled, "he was so excited!"
"I love you." Her head rested against his shoulder as they sat together in the crumbling halls of the palace. Even as soon as the admission left her lips another piece of rubble dislodged itself and fell with a resounding thunder somewhere in the halls beyond. Her hand gripped his tighter in response, wishing they were anywhere but here, where they were surrounded by ruin. His presence was the only thing that kept her from dissolving – he made her feel stronger than she thought herself to be, he reminded her why she was fighting and what awaited her once Necroma was destroyed.
He returned her squeeze, "I love you, too," he replied, "more than anything." They sat together in relative silence, each trying to forget the havoc and ruin that had momentarily stopped outside. The death toll was in the hundreds of thousands; they were losing, badly. "Serenity, please, let me come with you tomorrow."
"No!" She straightened, turning to stare pointedly, pleadingly into his dark blue eyes, so full of resolution that she was determined to undermine. "No, you can't. Hyperion, you can't –"
"You can't go alone! I won't let you," he responded heatedly, "Without Eos you'll be a sitting duck out there, a sheep waiting for the slaughter. Let me go with you, to protect you in whatever way I can!"
Her heart cried out at the mention of her late friend and ally, but this only strengthened her further against his plans. Putting a hand softly to his cheek, she said, "You can protect me best by keeping yourself safe. So long as I know you won't come to any harm I can fight my hardest to keep you that way; that desire will make me stronger - I might even be able to defeat him and spare the remaining lives here, on Okeanos. We can rebuild; we'll find all of the survivors and –"
He hugged her close, his hand pressed softly against the back of her head. She breathed him in, clutching the back of his shirt to keep him close as tears of anger, of helplessness, of despair and of pain overflowed. What was she talking about? Necroma had proven his powers to be far superior to her own. There was no chance that the battle would end in their favor – this was simply another display of his prowess, a final strike before calling 'checkmate' and completely decimating everything. What would he do with the planet? Its people? The creatures? Did he mean to destroy it all, to kill everyone? What was his purpose?
It was as if the only thing Necroma was after was death, but how did he prosper from it? Was it just a sick game, the slaughter of so many people? That thought had driven Eos almost mad in the end. It was why she ran out there alone and faced him so foolishly. Serenity held Hyperion tighter, willing the vision of Sailor Okeanos's death away, but it continued to play anyway. The sight of Okeanos being torn to shreds… to be reduced to nothing but dust…
She held back a sob. It had happened so suddenly. Just like that, Eos had died and the so-called weapon her mother had asked them to find was destroyed. Eos… and then came the challenge that all would hear – the battle for the fate of Okeanos. Had that only been scant hours ago? She felt like she had been living with this heavy burden for so long now; it was hard for her to believe it had only been two weeks since the terror had surfaced and declared war.
Eos… though she knew she was gone, it was as if her heart hadn't quite caught up yet. There was just a little hole, a touch of emptiness within her, when she knew that she should be screaming and aching. Part of her had just been stolen, her best friend of 18 years, and yet Serenity barely felt anything at all.
All she could think of right then, surrounded by Hyperion's arms, was that she didn't stand a chance against the nightmare of their world, and she didn't want Hyperion anywhere near should she be defeated. If only she could send him away, somewhere beyond Necroma's reach. If only they could just fly away together… but they couldn't. She wouldn't abandon her people to such a fate, nor could she let this menace survive to attack another world. They would defeat him; they would survive and live on.
"Please, Hyperion," she begged again, "Stay safe. If I lost you…"
"I know," he replied softly, breathing deeply and holding her even closer, but not as frantically as she had gripped him earlier. He was always calm in stressful situations, a source of peace and happiness; a pillar she could depend upon. He pulled away and she was taken aback to see unshed tears in his eyes. Her whole body reacted, her heart rising in her chest and her skin breaking out into goosebumps as her mind raced to figure out why he was crying. Seeing him upset broke her heart every time.
"What's wrong?" she asked, her own face flushing with his pain. Was it Eos? He had known them both since childhood – was he feeling the loss she hadn't yet felt? Was it someone else? His parents were among the first to die in this; was it a memory of them that tore him apart now?
Instead of answering, Hyperion leaned his blonde head in and kissed her softly. Though shocked at first by its suddenness and unexpectedness, she soon returned the affection, closing her eyes to concentrate on him and block the rest of the world away.
Minutes passed, the two of them locked together in their own time. Their kiss was passionate, occasionally edging on desperate as stray thoughts of the state of their planet broke through, but with a slight touch the other was able to bring them back.
"Stay with me tonight," Hyperion's voice rumbled as they finally broke apart. She nodded – she wouldn't have it any other way. He stood and helped her to her feet. Hand in hand they picked their way through the disastrous hallway, walking in step with one another, still fighting to block out thoughts of the outside world.
It was when his quarters were in sight that Serenity felt it. It was as if a spark had gone off inside her, a small firework that sent a soft signal of warmth throughout the whole of her. She jolted and they stopped. Shakily she put her hand to where the shock had emanated from then quickly looked to Hyperion. His head was bent towards her, his eyes of concern, then a dawning realization as he saw where her hand was placed. "Hyperion?" her voice quivered.
"Serenity," his voice did not. "is it…?"
They said that a senshi could feel it, the moment of conception. It had something to do with their being in tune with their special star seed; a different but powerful way to read energy signals that let them realize when something so close to them just starts to develop. As far as the actual description, the writing the senshi a generation before them had simply stated that they would know it when and if it happened. Many senshi were sterile, their bodies created and honed to protect and do battle, and while they were the epitome of femininity and strength, oftentimes senshi were unable to reproduce themselves. But there were cases…
"I felt it," she replied in affirmation, "a new life…"
Hyperion reached out, planting his hands firmly on her hips and lifted her into the air, laughing and kissing her as he twirled them around. "Serenity! Serenity this is wonderful!" he laughed, setting her down. A smile had taken over his face, the first true, untroubled smile she had seen on him in days.
Luna left her hand on Serenity's as the silver-eyed young woman cried; while her thoughts were in a different time and place, the Mauan's thoughts were very much in the present. Staring at her silver head, Luna was amazed by the strength of this individual – this girl was barely a woman, and yet she had faced so much in her life already: the stress of being a senshi, the destiny of hundreds of thousands of people resting on her shoulders; the hopelessness of a one-sided fight, a fight that she could have easily fled from to save her own life; the crushing guilt at having failed to save even one person, let alone an entire planet. On top of that she had lost her partner to a death that Luna had problems even considering, and had watched as the man she loved died right in front of her…
Luna looked from the girl over to Artemis, her sky-blue eyes focusing on her most-important-person. If she lost him… her eyes filled at just the thought as her whole being rejected the very idea – it was almost like the ground was falling out from under her. A world without Artemis? How could that even be? Without his playful green eyes, his graceful movements, his teasing aggravations… her world wouldn't mean anything anymore. He sensed her staring and looked up at her, but she was able to look away just in time. Let him think the tears were for Serenity, not over a hypothetical situation.
Serenity had been through that and came out still functioning. Here she was, pregnant with the child of her dead lover, tens of light-years away from where she started, searching for a planet that might work as a shelter for her and her daughter, alone. Facing everything alone – how long would she have kept in her story if Artemis had not asked her to reveal it?
And still she managed to shine. Being around her was like standing in the glow of some friendly light – warm, welcoming, secure. Despite what she had been through, she was polite, honest, quick to smile and kind. Luna had come to both respect her regard her as a close friend; a friend she would not care to lose in three days.
Bravely, Luna returned her eyes to Artemis, willing him to meet her gaze. She had brought it up two nights ago, when he had found Serenity's new system, and again last night after the first hints of Serenity's pain shone through with the mention of Hyperion. She wanted to go with her when she left – to be at her side in her search, to help her however she could in preparing her new home, and to live with this brave woman for the rest of their lives. But she would not go without Artemis.
Mau was her home, but she had always felt that her true purpose was much greater than serving as an analyst. Late night pillow-talk had revealed that Artemis felt the same, but they had both thought the feeling was natural… before this. Luna felt that this was the calling just as surely as Artemis could feel out the location of lost things. She felt like she was meant to go with Serenity, that this meeting was more than chance, but she couldn't bear the thought of leaving Artemis behind. In their discussions the previous nights, Artemis had hinted that he felt the same, but he was more cautious – he wanted to know exactly what was going on.
Perhaps now he was satisfied. She waited for his green eyes, transferring her thoughts as soon as she had them. We must go with her.
The weight on her chest lifted even more, and when the tears finally stopped Serenity felt freer. Wiping the moisture from her face, she took a deep breath and hope she didn't look too hideous as she turned to thank them for listening. She looked over to find Luna staring intently at Artemis, as if the two of them were holding a conversation with just their eyes. At her movement, Luna broke the stare and turned to her.
"Thank you for listening," Serenity said gratefully.
"Anytime, Serenity, now and always—" Luna answered, the last word interrupted by Artemis.
"Serenity, what are your plans? Why a system with so many uninhabited planets?"
She laughed. She had told them so much already, why not more? "So we can start from scratch, creating our own kingdom without treading on someone else's territory."
"But that's not the only reason, is it?" Artemis asked astutely.
Serenity considered; how much could she tell them? About the Galaxy Cauldron, her sailor crystal, her plan to awaken guardian senshi for her daughter's wellbeing? Would they think her shrewd, uncaring to awaken soldiers for the sole purpose of befriending and protecting Hyperion's precious child? She chose her words carefully, but with everything they had shared with her, their support and their care, she decided to tell them the truth. "After Okeanos was destroyed, I left in search of a place where our child would be safe. I worried consistently about how I could give her a secure future, but finally an idea came to me – if only she were a senshi, I kept telling myself, then maybe she could be safe. With a senshi's powers and the protection of a heavenly body, our child would have a fighting chance. The probability was minimal, however; but when I found myself suddenly at the gates of the Galaxy Cauldron, an idea struck me – perhaps I could give my daughter my own sailor crystal to protect and guide her. The Guardian of the Cauldron warned me against it, informing me of the consequences of such an action, but I just insisted and something wonderful happened." Serenity closed her eyes and sighed, remembering the feeling, "the Cauldron blessed me, and gave me the gift. I would be allowed to live with my daughter, and we would share the sailor crystal for as long as I lived, and then it would be passed on to her. The catch was that I had to find a planet without a senshi to call my new home; my crystal would absorb within itself the unawakened crystal of that celestial body and align itself with this new place, rather than with my star, Theia. The crystal would truly belong to our daughter, but I would be allowed to wield it."
"Wait," Luna cut in, her brows furrowing as she concentrated to put the quickly-told tale together, "so your sailor crystal – is that the spherical gem you've been carrying around? The one that adorns your staff when you transform?"
Serenity nodded, but Luna was not quite finished.
"You said it would absorb the sleeping sailor crystal within a planet – how does that work? And does that mean your crystal would be twice as powerful as other crystals, if it holds within it the power of two celestial bodies?"
Artemis looked impressed by Luna's questions and shot his attention from his love back to her as Serenity answered.
"Star seeds are the life force behind every living star – every human. They are created within the Cauldron, then leave the Cauldron to become the life force of an infant, joining with the fetus at some point during the pregnancy. When the person, or the shell, dies, the star seed leaves it and returns to the Galaxy Cauldron, melting down to become one again with the life force of the galaxy. At a later time, the seed reforms and becomes another being.
"Sailor crystals are different. Sailor crystals take a long time to develop within the cauldron, and when they leave they do not immediately inhabit a developing child. Instead, they become one with a planet or star, aligning their powers together and joining them in purpose. The planet grants the sailor crystal powers, and the sailor crystal will allow its bearer to use those powers to protect the planet and the life forms living there. Only once the crystal has been completely attuned will it be born into a developing child. When the child is maturing, she will awaken as a Sailor Senshi, or he will partially awaken as a planetary guardian.
"Dead planets do not have senshi, as the planet has nothing it needs to protect. Therefore, I need to find a dead planet, one that still possesses its sailor crystal that my crystal might absorb it. When I bless the planet with Theia's power and the dormant crystal is absorbed, it will have the power of two celestial bodies and more. For, you see, while at the Galaxy Cauldron, the guardian informed me that the crystal had also absorbed some powers from the Cauldron itself. It was this information that led me to my current plan…" she looked at them, still wondering what their reactions would be at her intention to awaken senshi for such selfish reasons…
"Which is?" Artemis prompted.
"I plan to use the power of my sailor crystal to awaken other dormant sailor crystals. The circumstances surrounding their awakening will instill within them a duty beyond that of protecting life – it will instill them with a need to protect and love the possessor of the power that awakened them. … My daughter. In this fashion, she will not only have a powerful crystal to protect her, but also friends that will act as her guardians." She lapsed into silence, her face directed to the comforter a foot in front of her as she awaited their reactions, preparing herself both to defend her point and to leave, if they felt so uncomfortable around her.
"Brilliant." Serenity straightened, turning to a bright-eyed Luna who looked at her appreciatively. "I think it's an excellent idea."
"You don't think it's completely selfish, borderline obsessive?"
Luna laughed, "Not at all. You are giving the planetary powers a purpose – to protect a life. Without your help, the sailor crystals would remain dormant forever; they wouldn't be able to fulfill their potential to the slightest. Not only that, but you would also be granting mothers the exact gift you wish to give your own daughter – protection. You had said you wanted a system with at least one habitable planet – you are giving all of its citizens a great gift – the gift of senshi. With the power of your daughter's crystal and her guardians looking after it, that planet would be safe for ages to come!"
"But it also makes the planet a potential target – light attracts darkness, and with all of those senshi in one place it would be like a buffet to a starving man; too sweet to resist."
Luna looked over at Artemis as did Serenity – she had not considered that.
"But that would take years – centauries, even!" Luna protested, "it would be only for so long as they all lived that the planet would be a target, and even then, it would take a long time for evil to find it. The senshi you awaken – they would only have one life to live, is that right?"
Serenity considered. After the senshi she awakens die, long after she herself has been dead, their sailor crystals would return to the Cauldron. They would reform and return to their planets – unless life had sprung up within the timespan, there would be no reason for the sailor crystal to reawaken itself. They would only have one life to live, a life spent in bliss and tranquility with her daughter. She nodded, a smile sneaking across her face as she thought of such a scene. Friends for life, on a remote system during a peaceful time – it sounded wonderful.
"One lifetime of – oh, a thousand years, maybe? I'm only guessing, but you had said before that your people could live for centuries and given the strength of your crystal, I'm betting they would live longer. A thousand years is a blink of an eye in space-time; and even if evil were to find out where they were, their combined strength should defeat any evil that comes across them." Luna turned back to Serenity, Artemis's expression a little more open after Luna's heated debate. "I still think it's a great idea, Serenity."
Artemis nodded his head slightly, his voice a lot less serious than it had been since she had woken them up earlier, "it has merits. In any case, it sounds like it would be more than enough to ensure Luna's protection," he shrugged, "as well as my own."
Serenity cocked her head in confusion. What was he talking about? She furrowed her brows at him, a silent request to clarify himself, but he just smiled and winked at her. Luna stood, her sudden movement grabbing Serenity's attention as she walked smoothly around the bed to stand behind Artemis, her slight hands on his shoulders and a smile across her cute face.
"Serenity," she said, excitement bubbling through her attempt at a serious tone, "we would like to accompany you. Wherever you're going, for however long it takes, we want to go with you and help you in whatever way we can. Please, let us come with you!"