Chapter 26: Mamo-chan

The clean up was something that was never pleasant. Even when it was a small battle zone, no one wanted to really do it.

Yet, as the days wore on, Darius and the others were volunteering to do what they could for their school and the people that were hurt and effected by the battle.

In a way, it was a welcoming distraction for Darius as no word came from the Elysion Shrine about his sister, Yuzuki and his father...

He survived at least, but had been severely weakened. Setsuna was not sure if he would live past that year. The only bright side of any of this was that the Shitennou and the Inner court would be returning to earth soon.

But it meant that the Starlights would have to return.

Currently, he was alone in the garden hiding among the flowers that were always in bloom working on a sketch. He wasn't quite sure what to do. In a way, he was glad that they get to return home, however...

"Hiding again?"

He turns his head seeing Agile, Jareth and Diana there. He could only shrug a bit, "Not hiding, per say, just thinking."

"Well, you think about hiding an awful lot then." Agile said moving over to see what he was doing, much like her brother was.

Jareth, always one to invade his space, leans over looking at the rough sketch, "Man, I hope you don't give up your day job."

"It's not done yet." He elbows him lightly in the ribs, "Besides, I don't know what it is."

"I'm sure it'll turn out beautifully, Darius." Diana told him, "We were coming to get you because it's nearly time for them to go."

"Yeah, Chryses and Bella are trying to calm Jimmu down, but you know how it is." Jareth shrugs a little, "He doesn't want to go back."

Darius nods a little thinking, "I'll talk to him. Maybe he'll understand then." He glances at them, "So what will you do with the music box now?"

The siblings exchanged looks between them before Agile answered, " We're going to take it to the Galaxy Cauldron first."

"Why?" He was restraining the urge to shake her, "You know it'll only come back!"

"That's how it is." Jareth answered, "Haven't you learned anything? Even if you just kill him, the Regent will simply be reborn anyway."

Darius looks away, "I wish there was a way to destroy his starseed then."

"Don't say that." Diana frowns a little, "It's not good to keep such feelings you know."

"I'm only human, Diana." He answers and sighs softly running his hand through his hair, "I'll feel like that regardless. "

Agile nods a bit, "Either way, it'll be a while before the world sees him again. Besides, it means that Verbena will be reborn eventually too."

Darius could see her face a bit too vividly thinking about her. 'Together forever'

"Promises promises. " He mutters before breathing out, "Well, lets help you get some things before you go back. You know Lady Yaten will have your head for not bringing something back."

Jareth laughs a bit before getting up and pulling the Earth Prince up, "Yeah, she's a real shrieker."

"Hey!" Agile glares at him, "That's my mom!"

"So? She's my aunt." He stuck his tongue at her. " Make me take it back. "

Agile lunges at him, " I will!"

"Nyah, too slow!" Jareth dances just out of her reach and runs ahead.

Diana and Darius only shook their heads watching them. as they walked behind them.

"Any news yet?" Diana asked looking at him.

"No. Hopefully there will be something soon." Darius glances away.

The door creeks open tot he inner sanctum and the priest stumbles out of it, looking almost as ill as his king was at the moment.

"High priest!" The Maidens rushed to his side helping him up,

"Are you alright?" The first one asked him helping him up. "Was it successful?"

He could only glance over his shoulder for a solid moment. Regret flashed through his eyes before he passed out.

"Guys!" Jun-jun was panting as she ran in, "Come on! The door to Elysion is back!"

"What?" Chibiusa scrambles to her feet with the others as they raced to the hallway, "when did it come back?"

"Just now! I was walking and there it was." The green haired girl replied, "See? There it is!"

"What's all this noise?" Serenity, dry-eyed and weary, walks out of a room to see what was going on, "You shouldn't run in the hallways, you know that."

"Mom! Look!"

Serenity turns to the door and gasps softly as the door opens and a figure steps out yawning sleepily.

"Yuu-chan.." Serenity whispers before running towards her youngest child. "Oh Yuzuki! You're alive!"

"Hm?" The midnight-black haired child could only blink in confusion. What were they talking about? She shrugs to herself and just hugs her Mommy back before saying, "Yuu's hungry."

Maybe if she did the puppy dog eyes she could get some sweets too?

"It's good to see that your sister is alright." Jareth said. It was two days later, they had decided to hold off going back til now to celebrate this one happy news with a small party.

Right now, he and Darius were standing in the hallway before the docks as people rushed to stock the ship they were on and to harness the other ship so it could be towed.

"Thank you for helping and all." Darius looks at him with a bit of a smile, " You know we'll do what we can to help with Kinmoku."

Jareth shook his head, "You know it's no problem, Darius. Besides, you're one of my best friends, I don't think it's that much of a hardship. Besides, you guys saved us too."

"Without your help and Benny's we wouldn't be able to do anything." He turns slightly, "Guess this is it?"

"Yeah, Jimmu's on the ship sulking." Jareth told him. "He doesn't want to go back."

"I don't blame him. He doesn't have any family left now does he?" Darius sighs softly looking towards the docks.

Jareth puts a hand on his shoulder, "We're his family now. We'll take good care of him."

"I know." He looks at him for a moment, "Why didn't you hit on me at all? Usually you'd do that." He smiles a little, "Are you giving up?"

Jareth grins a little," Never. You're just too much fun to tease." He only moves closer and tilts Darius's chin up, "Besides it wouldn't be much fun if I stopped now would it?"

"You know I won't love you like that." Darius said in all seriousness, "That-"

"Yadda yadda." Jareth rolls his dark purple eyes, "You really need to lighten up sometimes, Dar. Til next time of course." He stole a quick kiss from the prince before turning to leave, "Hope your father will be alright."

"Yeah." Darius shook his head a bit. Jareth.. somethings really didn't change. Still he turns hearing the sounds of heels click and saw Diana dressed in her usual outfit, only green this time. "Coming to see them off?"

"Of course." She smiles and falls into step with him. "Darius, do you think the king will ever recover?"

"I hope so." He told her, "It's selfish, but I don't want to be on my own yet."

She nods slowly but stole a glance at him, " Who will you chose though? To..marry I mean?" She secretly hoped he wouldn't have to marry any of them. Those girls, in her opinion, were just not right for Darius.

Then again, her mind whispered, who is? You?

Her tail lashes a bit at the thought but looks ahead.

"I don't know. I don't think I'll chose. Not now at least, if ever." He answered, " Anyway, that's a long way's off. We have other things-better things to think about then relationships like that. Besides, what about you? Someone caught your eye yet?"

She blushes a bit, "Ah.. well.. sort of..."

"Great." He smiles at her, "Hope this guy will treat you well, then."

She pauses watching him go meet with the others to say good bye to the Starlights and sighs softly. "If he wasn't such a dunce to know I like him."

Life, like all things, continued when the Shitennou and the Inner court had arrived back home to Earth. The Shitennou and Ami, after having sufficient rest, went on to care after the king's failing health. It was a mystery as to why he was continuing to decline. Ami had theorized that whatever struck him had done some permanent damage to his internal organs. Something no one wanted to hear.

While Chibiusa and Yuzuki seemed to spend time with their father, Darius spent time away.

Part of it was he couldn't cope with the idea of his father being so weak. It was more than that, but now he hid often either in the gardens or in Elysion far away from others.

Yet, as usual, someone found him and usually by the orders of his mother.

"There you are." Kumara walks over to him, with Ren in tow, "You know everyone's looking for you again."

"You shouldn't waste people's time doing this." Ren grumbles, "It doesn't serve any useful purpose."

Darius could only look at Ren for a long moment before saying, "You must be enjoying this then."

Both men were caught off guard by the comment but Ren tried to gather himself again, "What does that mean?"

"Do you still blame us? Is this poetic justice now, Ren?" Darius asked, "I know you blamed us for your family's death, so now that my father's dying does it seem like justice to you?"

"Of course not!" Kumara said looking between them, "I don't know what this brought on, Prince, but that surely isn't how Ren is. Taking your pain out on others won't solve anything."

Ren only shook his head, "I'm not taking any sort of pleasure out of seeing other suffer! I.. I'm not evil, if that's what you think of me." His expression softens a little, "I know how hard it is, but you have to see your father sometime. I - we both never got to see our parents. You have the chance to spend time with yours."

Darius breathes out but says softly, "Maybe he'll get better."

The two guardians looked between each other before Kumara nods and helps him up, "Maybe. But you won't know until you see him."

"Alright..."

"Sorry to cut this short Mom." Jareth was saying to the com link, "But we're here."

"Very well, be safe. All of you. We'll see back home." Seiya said smiling, "and we're all proud of every single one of you."

"Thanks." Jareth smiles but turns the com link off before turning to leave the ship.

He had never seen the Galaxy Cauldron before so it had taken more time then he thought to get there. Once he stepped out of the ship with the others, he felt an enormous surge of energy that even vibrated through the air.

"Gods." Chryses says looking around in amazement, "It's...beautiful."

"I know." Deirdre said looking as well. "The power here is...it's amazing. I've never felt anything like it."

"Lets go." Agile said walking towards the steps that lead to the cauldron itself.

"It's so loud!" Jimmu shots covering his ears at the deafening roar of the Cauldron, "And hot!"

"It's suppose to be." Bellatrix's ears flipped back as she looks around, "It is a cauldron, dear."

"There's someone there." Jareth looks ahead at a strangely dressed woman standing there. She white all over and was smiling at them. "Who are you?"

"I am Guardian Cosmos." the white woman said looking at them with gentle smile, "Have you come to throw your life away and start a new one?"

"No, " Jareth said as they stopped at the end of the pier. She was much tinier then he or the other expected. "We're here to give two of them the chance for that."

"I see." Cosmos looks at the box, "Then, throw it into the cauldron and they will have this new life."

Chryses's brows rose, "That's it?"

"That is all."

"Alright then.." Agile walks to the end and tosses it in. "Well.. I guess we better go now."

"Do come back whenever you wish." Guardian Cosmos said smiling. "All Stars are welcomed here."

As they left, she looks up for a moment and smiles a little seeing more return. "Welcome back."

"So, " Jareth sat down with Agile for the moment looking at her curiously, "Care to explain any of what happened?"

"Yeah." Chryses was moving around making some tea, offering some to Deirdre and the others, "How did you know that Chibiusa and Darius were the keys?"

Agile frowns a little thinking before saying, "I didn't realize it until she said something. It makes more sense now. Before she killed herself, she found the key. I think that's what really got her in trouble. Not just figuring out where the location was but also finding the key itself. Since no one really wants Regent to come back, she broke the key and hide one in Darius and the other in the music box."

"And you didn't think of this before?" Deirdre's brows rose.

"Well they're not my memories." Agile frowns looking away.

Jareth shook his head, "So why didn't anyone else absorb the key themselves if they were hanging around the music box so much?

"I don't know." Agile said and sighs, "I simply don't know."

A year passed then two and it almost seemed as if the king's health had improved enough that he could walk around for only a short time.

Serenity knew it was selfish, but she didn't want to be alone. She dreaded the day she would wake up beside him and he would not be breathing, but as the first then the second year rolled by, she relaxed and tried to find herself for now.

It was only now, with her son and daughter off to school and Yuzuki being tutored by Helios at the moment, did she find time to think about the priest's words. Was it true? Did she lose all faith in herself and others?

When did such a thing happen?

She wasn't sure when she had done so. Was it when Hyacinth and Black Lady were...? Or maybe a little before that? When? When did this happen?

"I need..to figure this out." She said to herself before getting up.."First I need to meet with Mamo-chan."

She smiles thinking of that. His birthday would be soon and she had to figure out the best thing to give him. But what?

Humming to herself, she walks down the hallway towards his study. He was suppose to be talking to Kunzite about some of the operations they had started up on the other castles. While staying unpopulated for now there were plans to make the worlds liveable again.

Just as she turns the corner, her eyes grew wide seeing her husband pitch forward and fell to the floor.

"No.." Her heart sped up as fear and worry over came her and she rushes forward to his said, "Mamo-chan? Mamo-chan?" She knelt by his side as his body convulsed, "Mamo-chan!"