Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, X-men Evolution or the X-Men movies. I do own the Twilight Key, Syra (Sailor Time) and the new attacks.
Author's Note: Wow, everyone wants more Usagi/Logan, eh? xD I aim to please, so the first part of the chapter is answering your wishes. For those of you who will wonder about the ending of the chapter, please remember that Setsuna hasn't seen Usagi yet. She doesn't know Usagi and Logan are getting together, nor does she understand that Usagi is totally okay with Setsuna and Mamoru being a couple. So keep that in mind when you're reading the chapter. It's a little bit shorter than what you've been getting, but I'm trying to update regularly, so maybe that makes up for it?
"So there you have it," Usagi concluded in a whisper many hours later. Her voice was hoarse with the effort of speaking for so long, and she turned away from him long enough to dip her hand into the fountain and sip from the cool, sweet water. The liquid soothed her throat and she coughed a little, riding herself of the scratchy feeling in her throat before she turned to look at him expectantly.
Logan was gazing down at the ground, mulling over everything she had told him. And she had told him everything, from Beryl to Galaxia, and all of the numerous things in between. It was a lot to take in all at once, but he was aware of Usagi's anxious gaze on his head, and he decided to file it all away where he could examine it later in detail while in private. For the most part, he could accept it, but there were just a few things that he was having trouble coming to terms with.
"You have a daughter," he said slowly, as if hearing the words for the first time.
"Two, actually," Usagi said, and giggled nervously. Then she hiccuped, and her hand flew to her mouth. "Chibi Chibi and Chibi-Usa."
It was a struggle to change the blank, incredulous look he was sure was plastered all over his face. "And you're something like... two thousand years old."
"I am not," she said defensively, and hiccuped for a second time. Annoyance flashed into her eyes and she took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds. When she didn't hiccup, she released it in a rush and blurted, "I'm only like a few years over a thousand."
"Only," he repeated, and she blushed, hiccuping for a third time.
"Yes, only," she replied, obviously trying to think quickly. "But... it's not like I look my age..."
Logan couldn't help himself. He laughed. Usagi huffed when he burst into laughter, but she smiled reluctantly at the same time, her silvery eyes wary. She looked away as he continued, and then down at the ground, and she reached down and picked up a few blades of grass. Placing them against her lips, she blew, producing a high-pitched whistling sound as his laughter slowed to a stop.
"I'm glad you think I'm funny," she said, and although her words were severe, her voice held an underlying tinge of amusement.
He smirked. "I think it's amusing that you look so innocent when you're really not," he replied, and she shot him a hot look. "I think it's interesting that you can live through so much and still get offended by laughter."
"I am still human, you know," she said, sticking her tongue out. She dumped the blades of grass into his lap and added more quietly, "Well, partly. I was born on the moon. I'll never be really human. I never was." Her eyes, filled with something that may have been fear, flickered up to his.
"I don't know how old I am, either," Logan said. Normally, this was information he didn't share with anyone, but considering the things Usagi had just spent the last several hours telling him, he figured it was justified. "I lost my memories some time ago, and my healing ability keeps me from growing old."
She thought about this for a few seconds, and then she smiled a little. "I could help you get your memory back, Logan," she said.
He glanced at her, surprised, and then wondered why he was surprised, considering the things he had just heard her say. "You could?" he asked, because that was the only thing he could think of to say.
Usagi's smile became a little brighter. "I can do anything," she said, and it wasn't boasting, because it was true, and he thought about that until she leaned over and kissed him. Then all thoughts fled from his mind, because kissing Usagi was like drinking from moonlight, and it was just easier to fall into the sensation. And then she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he tentatively placed his around her waist, and he discovered – shockingly – that somehow, she fit just right.
"Ew, they're making out," Chibi-Usa complained, peeking out the window. The rising sun made her eyes ache, and she shut the curtain. "Mama's going to take forever to get away from him," she said. "I'm going to do it instead, Hotaru."
When there came no response, the pink-haired girl turned around to see Hotaru stretched out on her body, her eyes closed in slumber. Chibi Chibi was curled up around Hotaru's midsection, one thumb tucked into her mouth and the other hand wrapped possessively around Hotaru's violet dress. Smiling in spite of herself at the cute scene, Chibi-Usa walked over to the bed and pulled the white covers up over her sister and best friend.
"Sweet dreams," she said softly, leaning down and kissing Hotaru on the cheek. She stroked Chibi Chibi's hair, then turned and left the room quietly, shutting the door behind her so that they wouldn't be disturbed.
She had the feeling that her mother would want to awaken the inner senshi, but Chibi-Usa wanted to be the one who awoke Setsuna. And, by extension, Mamoru, although that was a chore Chibi-Usa would have happily left to Usagi. It wasn't that she didn't like Mamoru – he was her father, of course she did. She loved him the way a daughter loves her father, for all his faults and weaknesses.
But Usagi was her mother. Usagi was the one who had taken her in, cared for her, fed her, put up with all her crap when she was a sassy little pest of a kid. Mamoru had only ever cared for her on occasion, and that was usually either when Usagi was around or when the blonde twisted his arm into doing it for a few hours. And he was a natural at it, there was no doubt about that – Mamoru would make an excellent father someday – but he wasn't very good at it yet.
He didn't know what to do when she cried, or when she was bored, or when she was feeling sick. Usagi, despite her sense of irresponsibility and extreme laziness, was a mother through and through. And it was only with her that Chibi-Usa felt really, truly, safe. That was one of the reasons why Chibi-Usa was so reluctant to awaken him. Part of her was afraid that he would try to lay claim to her, although she didn't really think he would.
"All this thinking makes my head hurt," she grumbled, heading towards the stairs. She scrubbed her fingers through her pigtails, muffling a yawn. The last few nights had taken its toll on her, but she was reluctant to sleep for fear of missing something. As a senshi, she required less sleep than other people, but she didn't function very well without it. Later on, when everything had died down, she would have to crash for a few hours. But for right now...
With an impish grin, Chibi-Usa ran down the stairs and pulled the front door open. The sun hit her right in the eyes and she squinted, shielding her eyes with her hand. She could make out several of the institute's students sprawled out over the lawn, sound asleep. Most of them appeared to have simply fallen over when they were too exhausted to play anymore, and she bit back giggles as she tip-toed around their bodies.
Setsuna and Mamoru were both asleep on lawn chairs. Chibi-Usa approached the two and stood over them for a moment, looking at them with interest. She knew they had gotten together, and she could admit to being happy for them. In the future, Sailor Pluto had always had a somewhat unhealthy interest in Neo-King Endymion, and at least now she knew why. It saddened the child to think that her friend had lived such a lonely existence, but she was somewhat cheered by the knowledge that now Setsuna's future would be different. It would not be the solitary life that she had been condemned to before.
As she had before, Chibi-Usa held her hands out in front of her and closed her eyes. The mark of her birthright appeared on her forehead, right between her eyes. This time, the crescent mark was a very pale shade of pink that flickered with a black light and a dark red light. She could feel the slumbering powers of Setsuna and Mamoru stirring when they felt her power reaching out.
"Aha, there you are," she said, opening her eyes. "Crystal Clarion!" Wisps of bright pink power flared between her hands, and the familiar bell appeared. She closed her fingers around the handle, still holding it out on front of her. Her cry had awakened Setsuna, who sat up with a half-alseep expression.
"What are you doing?" she began, staring at the clarion with a startled expression. "Shouldn't you be – "
She never got the chance to finish her sentence, because Chibi-Usa smiled, her crimson eyes sparkling, and Setsuna fell silent, for there was something achingly familiar about that smile. Raising the clarion in the air, Chibi-Usa swung it back and forth. The sweet sound of the bell tolling burst forth, ringing through the air for their ears alone. Even when she stopped moving it, the bell continued to ring. It was to this music that Chibi-Usa looked straight into Setsuna's eyes and spoke.
"Remember, Puu," she said quietly, her voice barely audible over the bell. "Remember, Father. Awaken, and remember who you are. Candy..!"
Thin beams of light began to spray out of the jewel on the front of the clarion, shining in time with the ringing bell. The symbol of Pluto appeared on Setsuna's brow, and the symbol of Earth appeared on Mamoru's forehead, and the crescent mark on Chibi-Usa's head began to continually flash dark red and black. The pink beams from the clarion began to change color as well, until the beams were the same color as the crescent moon symbol.
"YELL!" Chibi-Usa finished loudly. In the time it took her to say the word, the beams vanished, her crescent mark turned back into a pale pink color, and Setsuna's head snapped back as if she'd been slapped. Mamoru's eyes shot open and he half sat up, gasping as if he'd been without air for a long time.
Chibi-Usa dropped the clarion, which disappeared before it hit the ground. She would do no more awakening with it right now, hopefully forever. Usagi would summon the memories back to Makoto, Ami, and Rei using the ginzuishou, and they were the last ones who needed to remember. It delighted the young girl to think that her family was very nearly complete once more.
"Puu?" she said cautiously, eyeing the two people in front of her. Neither of them had moved. "Mamoru?"
Setsuna blinked, as if coming back to herself quite suddenly, and looked straight at Chibi-Usa. "Small Lady," she said warmly, and there was no doubt or confusion in her voice. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Chibi-Usa said, and laughed, because there didn't seem to be anything else to do. She threw her arms around Setsuna's neck and hugged the older woman tightly. "I missed you so much!"
"I missed you, too," Setsuna murmured, returning the embrace. "Mamoru? Are you alright?"
The man was looking around as if he'd never seen the Institute before. There was a look of mild amusement on his face. "Somehow, I knew she'd draw you back," he said with a sigh. "Like moths to a flame."
Setsuna smacked him on the arm, and Chibi-Usa bounded into his lap, flinging her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug. "Mamoru!" she squealed happily. "Mama will be happy you remember. I just couldn't wait for her to bring your memories back."
If he was shocked that Chibi-Usa had referred to Usagi as "mama", Mamoru did a terrific job of hiding it, for he merely grinned. "I'm sure she won't protest too much," he said, tickling the girl in the ribs. She shrieked and tried unsuccessfully to fend him off.
"Ah," Setsuna said to herself while the other two were distracted, and she smiled ruefully and with a great deal of sadness. Even without her memories, the Time Gates were a constant presence in the back of her mind. At least now she knew why she had the persistent feeling that she had forgotten something, and she rose gracefully from her chair, prompting startled looks from the two beside her.
"I have to go visit the Gates of Time," she said, and there was a hint of something unidentifiable in her voice.
"That's alright," Mamoru said, and he, too, stood, and kissed her gently on the mouth before taking Chibi-Usa by the hand. "You go, I'll be waiting when you return."
"Me, too," Chibi-Usa said, smiling brightly.
She looked at them and smiled tremulously, for they were the perfect image of a happy family, and she mourned the fact that they couldn't be hers. Chibi-Usa was like the daughter she would never have, and Mamoru would never – could never – be hers. It shamed Setsuna to think that she had even consorted with him behind her Queen's back while their memories were gone.
"Okay," she said, and she turned on her heel, envoking her transformation without speaking the familiar phrase. The portal to the gates appeared in front of her with only the barest hint of a twitch of her staff, shimmering and glowing around the edges. She strode through without a second glance behind into the misty lands beyond.
"Halt, intruder," a voice commanded as she entered. Sailor Pluto stopped in her place and looked around, but her eyes had become un-used to the mists, and ached when she strained to see who might be around.
"It is I, Sailor Pluto, protector of these Gates," she stated, holding her staff at the ready. "It is you who is intruding upon my territory."
There was a pause, and then a shocked, "Sailor Pluto?" and two small, slender forms slipped through the darkness. Two cats, one white and one black, each with a gold crescent mark on their forehead, appeared in front of her, scrutinizing her with one blue and one red gaze.
"Luna, Artemis," she greeted, feeling relief slip around her shoulders like a warm shroud. She knelt down, giving each cat a scratch around the ears. "Greetings to you both. I have returned."
"What are you doing here, sister?" a third voice questioned.
Pluto turned in surprise to see her younger sister standing a short distance away, recognizing the pale hair and eyes immediately, even though she had not seen them in a very longer time. "Sailor Time?" she said, unable to hide the shock in her voice, and unwittingly repeated the same question. "What are you doing here?"
The girl smiled. "I came to guard the gates while you were... away," she said delicately. "I didn't think you'd be back for some time?"
"Sooner than was expected," Pluto stated simply. "You can return to your home on Earth now. I will take over watching the Time Gates once more."
Sailor Time looked at her steadily, and there was some emotion in those deep ruby eyes that made Pluto feel almost sick. She looked away from the penetrating gaze, and straightened. "You can return Luna and Artemis to Usagi and Minako while you're at it," she said, trying to inject as much coldness into her voice as possible.
"I'll do that," Sailor Time murmured, and she beckoned the two cats with one finger, stopping their protests. "We'll have to speak to the princess," she whispered, drawing them away with a flash of gray light.
Pluto pretended not to hear this and looked around the solitary gates. They were exactly the same as she remembered. It was where she belonged. As the oldest daughter of a king that had committed unspeakable crimes, this was her punishment. To forever atone for what her father had done. It had been her choice as to whether she wanted to take all the punishment on her shoulders, or spread it out over the other family members so that each one took a little bit. She had chosen to take it all, and so, she had been sentenced to watch over the gates for eternity.
"It's where I belong," she whispered to herself, and felt a single tear slip down her cheek. The loneliness had not bothered her until she had a taste of what it was like to live. Now, that taste would forever torment her. She recalled the warmth of Mamoru's embrace and sobbed once, her shoulders crumbling.
"It's what I deserve," she said, louder, recalling the way they had moved together during their intimate moments. She shook her head hard, struggling to dispose of those images. It wasn't right, that she should act that way towards her king. He belonged to the queen, and only the queen, and she thought quite bitterly that it would be only her queen's gentle nature that allowed her to avoid more punishment.
The gates glowed, and a dull bell tolled in the distance, signifying that someone was approaching the gates. She pulled her glove off and wiped the tears from her cheeks, then drew her glove back on and stood up, ready to face an eternity of being alone, ready to face an endless future of solitude, ready to face the world as the one and only sailor senshi of the Gates of Time, Sailor Pluto.
Whew, that was depressing, wasn't it? Review quickly to find out what happens to her! Ciao!