A Second Chance
By: Ryu Niiyama
I had to rebuild this chapter from mostly from scratch after losing it in a power outage some time ago. This is pretty much the "does no one date anymore?" chapter. I've got way too many people falling into bed here but it was always planned to happen that way and besides I figure with past lives, end of the world scenarios and what not, most of the senshi would get caught up in their emotions. I culled nearly ten thousand words from this and still still ended up being a long chapter. sigh.
No I don't own it, no I'm not dead and yes I still say Pluto is a planet damnit!
"We have to get out of here Kunzite. The stars…. They are screaming and yet the earth is silent. Something is wrong and the earth is at its apex." The silver haired shitenno pushed his injured partner gently, forcing him to lay prone against the makeshift pallet beneath him. Shaking his head in defiance of Nephrite's worried, feverish gaze, Kunzite gestured to the star reader's injuries. "Calm yourself Nephrite… you are injured. We must tend to your wounds first. Then we can figure out the rest of this disaster. At least we know who attacked Yuuchiro-san now we must prepare." What Kunzite wouldn't say aloud is that they must prepare to end the life of their charge. Their master had gone mad and he must be stopped before others are hurt.
Carefully, Kunzite opened Nephrite's shirt and he winced at the ragged gash that marred the star reader's once pristine flesh. This wound was beyond his limited medical expertise. 'What I wouldn't give to have Zoicite here right now….' Steeling his gaze, the leader of the Shitenno turned to his brother in arms. "I'll bind your wounds as best as I can, but we will need to return to Tokyo soon." Nephrite began to nod his understanding only to freeze with a strangled gasp as he looked over Kunzite's shoulder.
Standing in the entryway to their impromptu shelter, Endymion looked upon his escaped prey. Grinning gleefully, the dark haired man waved his finger at the two lords. "Honestly gentlemen. I would think that both of you know it is very rude to leave while your host is entertaining you. You've hurt my feelings." No sooner than the words had left his mouth Endymion charged forward, his weapons at the ready. Kunzite attempted to call his broadsword forth, yet before the blade could materialize, Endymion hurled his doru like a javelin and pierced his right arm at the elbow. Kunzite let out a howl of indescribable pain as flesh was torn and the joint shattered and he staggered backwards clutching at his injury.
"You were always too arrogant about your abilities Kunzite. You were never much more than speed and cheap sleight of hand. To think you were once valued enough to train him." Kunzite's brows furrowed at the dark prince's words but he had no time to puzzle through their meaning as Endymion surged towards him again. The dark haired prince delivered a brutal kick to Kunzite's chest forcing him to the ground. Endymion snagged the doru as he impacted the polar lord and Kunzite had to fight the urge to black out as the spear was ripped free.
"Don't worry Kunzite, I'll make this quick…"
"There you are."
She leaned back as she felt her beloved's arms wrap about her shoulders. She looks down into the training courtyard watching the two women in training with staves. Melinoe was a quick study and Helena was eager to praise the Plutonian princess for her precise movements. She felt her beloved's head move to track the same scene she was watching and she frowned as a soft sigh issued from her love.
"Fate wasn't kind to her as it was to us…"She grimaced at her beloved's whisper as she felt her lover's arms tightened just a fraction about her. Gently, she petted the closest forearm to her hands to soothe her beloved.
"Kythrin. Technically fate wasn't kind to us either. I doubt that Queen Serenity knew that when she forced our parents to betroth their seedborn to keep our respective planets from going to war again that we'd actually fall in love." Terris finally broke her silence as she watched Helena force her trainee back, keeping much of her power at bay. Kythrin chuckled softly before sighing contently as Terris ghosted a kiss against her scalp.
"Hmm. I wouldn't put it past the Queen actually. After all the fact that you nearly drowned yourself on your first trip to Neptune and that I saved you feels very much like fate to me."
Then be glad that the queen stipulated for seedborn. You could have had to choose from the Twins… or worse be shared between the two of them. Terris smiled into her lover's hair as she felt her beloved stiffen at the words.
"I love Hanka and Hanar but if I had to wed either of those lechers war between our homeworlds would have been imminent. I would have been the first to lead the charge." Kythrin shuddered briefly at the thought of even being touched by Terris' older sisters. The twins were known as much for their hedonism as their ruthlessness in battle. Their nature was a far cry from Terris' gentle righteousness. Grateful for her fate, the Neptunian heir focused her attention on the lithe arms that warmed her heart and body and burrowed deeper against the pert breasts at her back.
"But you don't mind me being a lecher?" Terris whispered, before pressing a teasing kiss to the crown of her lover's hair. The aqua haired senshi bit back a moan, her serenity briefly disrupted by desire.
"So long as I'm the only one that you covet, my dear." Kythrin tried to keep her voice even but she suspected that she failed once she heard her wind rider's soft gasp in response to her words.
"You think you are subtle Kythrin, but I know I'm to be wed to a shark."
The sea senshi smiled enigmatically as she reached back and carded her fingers through her beloved's shorn locks. "A very possessive shark, Terris. Keep that in mind when your eyes wander to the scullery maid's back side will you?"
"Ha! You know the only reason why I flirt is because you are very… demonstrative in your possession. Plus you'd bottle up your emotions otherwise… too much of a lady to show passion and all that." Kythrin paused in her ministrations at that, turning to give her lover her full attention. Terris was a sardonic woman but Kythrin knew that sometimes a well-placed barb covered true hurt. "Terris, if you wanted me to ravish you, you only need ask. There is no need for these games." Terris grinned and Kythrin let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding.
"True. Nonetheless you aren't out here looking so forlorn for no reason. What troubles you?"
Kythrin snorted indelicately. Leave it to her wind rider to use her intense affection and need to soothe any slight to her lover to take her mind off the plight of her friends below. "Ah… you are more subtle than I give you credit for. Your ploy has lightened my mood somewhat. However, my concern is for Melinoe."
Terris nodded and pulled the ocean caller into her embrace. "I heard she is to take the full mantle soon." She smiled grimly as she felt Kythrin settle her head into the crook of her neck and nod forlornly.
"You know what that means don't you? What she will lose for duty…"
Terris hated to hear her beloved sound so forlorn. Kythrin presented a cool demeanor but she loved deeply as the oceans of her mother planet. She could not bear to see her beloved friends in pain. "Yes, I do. I would never wish such a thing on either of them but our lives are not our own. For us that was a boon… but love can be so kind to some and so cruel to others. And duty doubly so. All we can do is be there for them both."
"As much as it pains me to say it, your wisdom has merit my love."
She decided to let humor be her shield, for both herself and her lover. "Humph... and here I only thought you wanted me for my body." They could not help their friend; they could no more change Melinoe's fate any more than they could their own. All they could do was help their friend pick up the pieces after duty shatters her heart.
"Haruka."
Haruka paused in striking the punching bag before her… her chest heaving as she gulped down air. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear the last vestiges of the unbidden memory from her thoughts. She turned to see Michiru standing in the doorway of their gym, her eyes guarded as she looked the wind rider over. Haruka sighed in frustration. She adored Michiru, but sometimes she hated how the other woman could find her so easily. Sometimes she wanted to just stew in her pain. That was something that Michiru would never abide.
The violinist extended an elegant hand towards her beloved, beckoning her close. "Dance with me." Haruka removed the wraps from her hands and walked towards the ocean senshi stopping just out of Michiru's reach. "Michi…I'm covered in sweat from head to toe…I should at least go shower…"
"Haruka." Michiru paused and waited until she knew she had the ashen haired woman's full attention. "Come to me." Haruka moved forward, not entirely upon her own volition at the breathless plea. The moment her hand was within Michiru's grasp, the wind rider felt herself drawn into Michiru's unyieldingly gentle embrace. For a few long minutes, the women simply moved together Michiru leading them through a waltz of her heart. Haruka relaxed in her wife's embrace and Michiru drew the taller woman close enough to whisper in her ear. "What troubles you my love?" Haruka smiled bittersweetly, Michiru always knew her moods without effort. She exhaled her frustration away; she had a mate that loved her utterly and she had no right to be angry at Michiru for that love and concern. "Nothing , just a little keyed up." Michiru abruptly maneuvered her wife into a dip, and she leaned forward and nipped at the blonde's clavicle before moving into a different dance pattern. "Haruka, I do enjoy our games…but don't lie to me when you are hurting. I won't let you deny me so that you may suffer alone."
Haruka smiled a secret smile. This was the woman she had married and that her soul had mated itself to; most would be surprised to know the demure lady was in fact a fiercely loving and protective spirit. It was the one thing Michiru had always refused Haruka; she would never let the blonde feel she had to shoulder her pain alone. Even if it were nothing but silent support, but Michiru always made sure that Haruka knew that she would slay her demons if she'd let her. Haruka sighed as the weight of her earlier concerns settled upon her shoulders once again. "I know it is too much to ask. But I don't want to have to go to war again; I don't want the peace that we've earned to be shattered. I don't want the princess that we've sworn to protect to have to take up arms again because we are too weak to keep her enemies at bay. I don't want our daughter to have to use that Glaive again…"
Michiru reached up and touched her hand to her gentle wind rider's cheek; her thumb brushing away welling tears. "We senshi shall protect our princess, we shall protect our family…" Michiru drew Haruka's head down and kissed her gently, adoringly. "And I shall protect you…" Michiru kissed Haruka once more sealing her pledge, and then no other words were spoken between them.
The senshi of Time landed softly, with her precious bundle carried securely in her arms. Almost instinctively the verdant haired woman knew that the unconscious woman in her arms resided on the second floor of her manor. With a mighty leap, the senshi of time landed soundlessly upon the balcony of the master bedroom. Carefully, the crimson eyed woman walked to the double doors and gazed upon the lock. With a frown she realized that the lock had been set. Not wanting to vandalize her companion's home, the senshi instead concentrated her power upon the door. Slowly she warped time around the door, rewinding it to a point when the door was both unlocked and open. She knew that her fellow senshi would be shocked to see just how minutely she could control her element but she had no time to indulge in a flash of pride.
Almost reverently, Setsuna moved into Kaori's bedroom. With negligent ease, she restored time to its normal state around the door as it closed and locked in place. Satisfied that they were alone the senshi looked around the room they occupied. Organized chaos would be the best way to describe it. Nothing was out of place, but the room looked more like an office than a bedroom. Needlessly so, especially given the size of the manor, yet it would seem Kaori kept her pursuits close at hand. Bookshelves lined the walls and a desk cluttered with paper, more books and what looked to be a state of the art computer sat tucked away in a corner. Kaori had a brilliant, active mind and it warmed Setsuna's heart to see so many interests on display.
The senshi of time moved towards the bed and she nearly stumbled as she laid the inert woman upon the silken surface. Setsuna closed her eyes against a sudden stab of pain her hands burned with sensory memory that she should not possess. For a moment she felt not that she was laying an unconscious woman upon her bed, but instead that her fingers were caressing soft skin flushed with need.
The verdant haired senshi finished laying her burden down carefully and she staggered back as if she had been burned. She brought a hand to her face to cover her eyes, only to pause as she noticed something odd in the moonlight. Rose petals, the color of a midsummer's sky floated from her gloved hands to the floor. The senshi of time frowned; had they been there before? Either on Kaori's clothing or the bed itself? Confused, Super Sailor Pluto kneeled and picked up the petal so that she could examine it more closely. Upon her touch the petal crumbled into dust.
Time's guardian gasped as the dust was absorbed through her gloves and she cried out minutely as her mind and body were set aflame. Super Sailor Pluto didn't think it was possible for pain and pleasure to be so intermingled, but she felt as if she were both drowning in the touch of a thousand lovers and yet dying a thousand times over. Then as suddenly as the sensations consumed her, they faded just as readily. Super Pluto grimaced as the face and form of the one that inspired such terrible delight fading from her memories as if it had never been.
Touching her hand to her forehead in an attempt to regain her equilibrium, the crimson eyed woman staggered away from the bed. Panting harshly, she turned to Kaori, noting that the woman was still unconscious.
"What…what was that?"
Shaking her head, the senshi moved towards the balcony doors once again. She still owed Kaori, but she needed a moment to clear her head. Her blood was on fire, singing a siren's song that tugged her towards the unconscious woman. Shutting her eyes against the sensation, Setsuna rushed through the balcony doors, casting her power easily behind her to leave the doorway as if it had never been disturbed. Pausing once more on the balcony she stared at the moon overhead briefly before launching herself into the night.
Kaori suffered from nightmares. She had ever since she lost her parents… though even before that fateful day her dreams had always been intense. Her dreamscapes were vivid enough that sometimes upon waking she couldn't tell if they were dreams or some forgotten reality. This night was no different. In her dreams a figure cloaked in shadow reached out to her, but whenever she got close the person was barred from her by a great, ornate door. For some reason being denied this person filled her with such despair and rage that all she could do was scream out her longing. Kaori surged to wakefulness and she choked back the hysterical scream that clawed at her throat in reaction to the dream.
Panting heavily, the raven haired woman almost missed the quiet yet urgent knocking at her balcony window. Pale blue eyes narrowed in confusion as she turned towards the offending knocking. How…how had she even ended up here? She paused for a moment, mulling over the last things she could remember and she groaned both in loss and embarrassment. She had lost her most prized possession true, but she apparently had also lost her mind if one of the Sailors had to subdue her. Flinching again at the gentle knocking, the musician had a brief inkling of just who could visit her bedroom from the second floor balcony.
Sighing softly, the raven haired woman moved to plant her feet on the floor- instantly grateful that her shoes had been removed, and padded softly towards her balcony. As she neared the double doors she saw the strangely familiar silhouette of a woman and she felt her heart rate treble. For a moment her mind flashed in remembrance of verdant hair and playful yet stern crimson eyes. 'Helena…' She paused at the phantom whisper, scrubbing her hands against her face. "Ugh…she must have hit me harder than I thought."
Sighing one more time, just to get it out of her system, the musician unlocked and opened the double doors. Kaori briefly wondered how the woman on the other side of them managed to lock them back, but decided it was a question best mulled over later. Smiling softly, the raven haired woman nodded in greeting to one of the Sailor Senshi and moved to the side, allowing her guest admittance. Her eyebrows quirked as she noticed a bag slung over the heroine's shoulder but she decided not to comment. After all it wasn't every day that a national hero came to one's doorstep.
For a moment Setusna lost her thoughts. Her eyes took in Kaori, the woman's raven curls were seductively disheveled and her slightly stocky, muscular form moved fluidly as she turned to close the door. The time senshi blushed as she realized she was staring at the other woman's backside but when she turned around Setsuna couldn't fight the gasp that escaped. For one moment an image of a battle maiden superimposed itself upon her hostess's exquisite form. Setsuna grimaced as she felt the fire return to her veins and she struggled against the urge to take the younger woman into her arms.
"Please, have a seat. May I get you anything?" Kaori had etiquette and manners drilled into her as a child and was grateful for the automatic response as she still felt adrift from both the dream and her unexpected guest. The senshi shook her head softly, still standing and Kaori squinted briefly, annoyed at the magic that kept her savior's features obscured. Nonetheless, she was very observant and she knew she recognized the way the woman before her moved. She decided to hazard a guess; if she was wrong she could laugh it off and chalk it up to her aching head.
"Tell me Meioh-san, are you always this practical or does it have something to do with being a super hero?"
Startled, Setsuna turned back to the raven haired woman, mouth agape and her normal calm evaporated into the air like a fine mist. Kaori moved towards the seamstress quietly reaching out to take her bag and place it on a nearby table. Smiling softly, she reached out and took hands that were both delicate and powerful, hands that had the ability to change the fate of the world. She ran her fingers along them and turned them over gently as if she was looking for something, while Setsuna could do nothing but stand trapped.
"Fighting styles are like fingerprints. No matter if two people, identical twins even, train under the same master they will have unique nuances to their styles. That also translates to how you move, sit and stand. Combine that with your height and hair length and it is not hard to figure out who you are Sailor Senshi. Obviously I can't tell which one you are; something about looking at you all is like staring into a flood light. I can make out your frame but your features are obscured." Smiling softly, the musician released the gloved hands of her savior and stepped back allowing her space to refute her assertion.
"Sailor Pluto stands before you. But…you are not incorrect in your assessment Kaori-san." As soon as she finished speaking, Setsuna allowed her power to drift away and she stood before Kaori as Setsuna Meioh, published physicist and semi-famous seamstress. The raven haired woman gasped, still thrown even with her accurate suspicion and she slumped into a nearby chair rubbing her temples. Setsuna moved and knelt by her side, pressing a warm hand on top of her clothed knee and kneading her shoulder, somehow knowing her right one caused her pain.
"I should apologize, Meioh-san. For my behavior tonight…I never meant…I'm not…I didn't mean to lose control like that." Setsuna merely shushed her gently leaning forward to force their eyes to meet. The silver blue shade was lighter than Usagi or Minako's yet for some reason the shape of Kaori's warm, kind eyes reminded her of the Prince. The connection made her want to protect the woman before her even more and she moved closer, softly breathing in the rose petal scent that clung to Kaori's skin.
"Tell me about it." Setsuna/Pluto's words caressed Kaori's soul like silk and she found herself drowning in deep crimson. She understood why this woman held time in her hands. Her very eyes showed Kaori her past, present, and future with aching clarity. Grinning rakishly, the young musician started at the beginning, for some reason wanted Setsuna to understand why the guitar meant so much.
"Well as you've likely guessed I'm not fully Japanese. In fact my Mother isn't Japanese at all. My maternal Grandfather was an African-American professor of archeology and my maternal grandmother was a Greek-American Translator. Yiayia, translated Latin and Arabic, and by the way her Greek was terrible. My mother loved music, especially the shamisen, so she came to Tokyo to study more about the instrument's history and its music. She was attending Todai working on an acoustics degree and working as an apprentice to a shamisen maker when she met my father. He played the shamisen in addition to a few other instruments, though he was attending Todai as well for a mathematics degree. Though to be honest the degree was more of an indulgence on his parent's part; my father's last name was Matsumoto."
Knowing eyes watched Setsuna puzzle through the social implications involved. She nodded grimly when she saw that verdant haired woman recall the only Matsumoto family that mattered.
"They disowned him. After all, he married a commoner…and a foreigner." Kaori smiled a mirthless smile, though Setsuna could see the pride in her eyes. "So dad took mom's name and moved on, his breeding and education was more than enough for him to carve out his own little niche."
Setsuna's eyebrows quirked sardonically at Kaori's somewhat ridiculous understatement. Dayspring Holdings had investments in markets all over the world in addition to the company's software focus. Kaori was acting CEO of the company but she had not been officially instated to the position since she wanted to focus on school and her music. The heiress faltered slightly under Setsuna's burning gaze and she fought the blush she could feel creeping up her neck.
"Well, I…it's just that guitar was, well special…but I have no excuse for my actions. I was only trying to help you…not that you needed it." Setsuna grinned in amusement finding this nervous, rambling woman just as adorable as the normally confident musician she tended to be. Kaori seemed so preoccupied with blushing and trying to sink into the floor that she didn't notice her guest rise and remove something from her bag.
"I think this is yours."
"You…how…?" Kaori had no words as she took the restored guitar into trembling hands. Needing to confirm the cherished instrument's existence she began to play spontaneously, balancing the guitar on one knee while her fingers flowed over the fretboard like wildfire.
The raven haired woman looked up when she finished and she was startled to see tears streaming down Setsuna's face. Charmed and entranced by the temporal senshi's reaction, Kaori carefully hung the guitar on a nearby stand and then walked over to her savior twice over.
"It was something that was uniquely theirs…well aside from me anyway. My mother made that guitar because my father inspired her…my father loved that guitar. He taught me to play on that guitar. It…well I can't express what it means to me. Thank you."
Kaori smiled and for the first time in a long while, Setsuna felt her heart rate treble for another. Grateful that her complexion hid her burgeoning blush, the time senshi nodded and moved away, breaking the charged moment. "Yes, well you saved my life and it does mean that I could meet with you earlier for the fitting." Setsuna hoped she kept her tone light as she began to look through her bag for her supplies. Kaori chuckled softly at the comment and Setsuna found herself gripping her bag tighter as the sound coiled its way down her spine.
"That reminds me. I should apologize for that too. While your designs are inspired, Meioh-san I had a bit of an ulterior motive for hiring you. But it's stupid to think you would remember me." The senshi turned and cocked her head to the side.
"High energy astrophysics. I was a TA, you sat in the second row with the most horribly thick glasses for the first two weeks. Although I almost confronted you for cheating since you slept through the class and when you were awake I couldn't grasp how you got anything done since you kept staring at my backside."
Silver blue eyes widened as the heiress gaped and then coughed self-consciously into her hand. "Well, uh I can explain most of that. I was working as a research assistant most nights which meant I was exhausted during class. Ginga-hakusei let me record the class and I would listen to it at night while I worked. I promise my work was my own though. As for the glasses I dropped and accidentally stepped on them before the term started and it took time for me to move my schedule to allow me to go get new frames. Um…you do have a really amazing ass Meioh-san."
Setsuna arched an eyebrow and although Kaori paled a bit, she held the time senshi's gaze. Abruptly Setsuna began to chuckle and then she let out a full bodied peal of laughter. "Um…not the reaction I was expecting but…but I will definitely take it." Considering she was expecting Setsuna to either deck her or quit…or both, so she was grateful that the older woman merely laughed at her expense. Kaori was polite, respectful and kind to a fault…but she did have eyes, horribly nearsighted ones…but eyes none the less. She bit her lip wondering why she did this to herself, first Meioh-san and just when she thought she was over her, she began to fall for Taiki. Still, she had to make this right, she owed the other woman too much not to.
"No…wait. Look Meioh-san..." The raven haired woman trailed off with a sigh before hardening her gaze and staring at the Time senshi head on. The raven haired woman reached out and clasped Setsuna's shoulder she frowned in confusion as her apology faded from her mind. Setsuna had to fight back a flash of heat as visions of the other woman flooded her mind and filled her soul with wonder.
A long curtain of hair spilled into her field of view before the most beautiful, upside down face she'd ever seen followed. "Are you trying to escape the adults and their negotiations too?" She put down the datapad that was nearly startled from her fingers at the girl's appearance down, reminding herself to do so with poise. She swallowed the sigh that threatened to escape as she watched the butterfly she was sketching decide to seek quieter surroundings. "No. I am…I cannot speak to you unless you are right side up…and stop making those dreadful faces!"
"Aww… okay, okay." The maiden reached up and in an impressive, but wholly unnecessary show of acrobatic prowess flipped from the tree branch she was hanging from to land quite gracefully at her feet. With a rakish grin and twinkling silver blue eyes, she touched her hand to her brow and extended partially towards her in what she knew was a customary Earth greeting. "Hi. I'm Helena, and you are?"
"I'm-"
She gasped as she was pulled under, confusion and arousal spiking in equal measure. Kaori's eyes had begun to shade to concern and she reached out her other hand to steady her. The simple contact sent her spiraling headlong into a past she couldn't recognize.
"Your move."
Ruby eyes watched as a delicate hand deftly moved the knight into the space occupied by her bishop. The knight was ignored as she took the more tempting prize of her opponent's queen.
"You always did over analyze yourself into a hole beloved." A grumpy pout pursed full lips briefly before she sent her rook charging across the board to place her opponent's king in check. A verdant eyebrow arched slowly and she wondered if sheer attrition was her lover's strategy. With a frown she moved her king from danger, realizing only too late that the trap had been sprung. She sighed as the previously dismissed knight was moved to place her into checkmate. Her friend had the strongest knight game she'd ever seen; but it wasn't surprising giving her affinity with protecting those she loved.
"I hate lose ends. How like you to hunt the queen when she was always yours. Another match, Papillion?" She tried not to let the gentle contralto and the innuendo of her words provoke her, but she still felt her heart hammering in response all the same.
They had been skirting about this for years, her fear of ascension making her hesitant to return the beautiful senshi's ardent, flirtatious yet steadfast affection. She stared at the piece that represented her not so secret love, finally accepting that she had nothing to fear.
"I prefer the knight myself. Winner sets the board."
Setsuna moaned as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to the woman before her. Rapture claimed her and she pulled the athletic woman into her embrace. Kaori's muscles rippled as she tried to pull away, but her sclera began to bleed to sky blue when the unyielding time senshi began to nibble at her jawline. With a sigh her body began to yield and she pulled closer the one she that set her alight.
"I hate him!"
"Helena…" She reached out and touched her beloved's shoulders, hoping to draw her into an embrace only to have her lover pull away from savagely. She swallowed down her hurt, knowing that her lover was licking terrible wounds even as she realized she had no frame of reference herself. After all she had only seen her mother once.
"No! That coward…that monster he killed my mother! I know he did! And he has the audacity to bring in a new Queen not even a fortnight after my mother joined her ancestors?!" She reached out again, but this time her gentle warrior yielded to her lover pulled her close, tempering her strength but clinging to her tightly. "Everyone I love. He takes. But I won't let him hurt you too, Papillion, I can't!"
Desire hammered at her relentlessly and she tugged at the well worn shirt that barred perfection from her touch. Invoking some of her power, the time senshi ripped the shirt down the front and pulled away briefly to view the form revealed. Kaori was beautiful, powerfully muscled yet her mixed heritage had lent sweet fullness to her breasts. Groaning almost painfully, Setsuna captured her lips again, carding one hand through raven locks even as the other teased a lush mound to eager attention.
"I'm a elder sister!" She had no time to react as her beloved picked her up and spun her around joyfully. She laughed at her beloved's infectious glee even as she playfully pounded on solid shoulders so that she would be returned to stable footing.
"This pleases you?" She suspected the answer, but she knew of the strife between father and daughter and wanted to be certain.
"He is a child my love, he won't be like Tinia. I won't let Tinia warp him. I'll protect him." She smiled at the fervent declaration pulling her lover close and kissing her forehead softly.
"There's my beloved, so kind, so fierce. You remind me of the lions you once showed me." Her lover laughed at the comparison, shaking her raven curls like a shaggy mane.
"Now my family has grown to two." She leaned in and pressed a reverent kiss to the palm of her right hand, a gesture of eternal love, before claiming her lover's lips.
She twined her tongue with her beloved's, not to dominate or to subdue, but because the joy of tasting and joining with this woman consumed her. Gentleness began to ease the vice grip of desire and she lightened her touches to caresses, designed to arouse the body and soothe the heart. She would not let this become some rushed torrid, affair. After all if anyone in the universe respected the power of taking one's time, it was Setsuna Meioh.
Taiki walked from the nearby subway station towards the apartment of Ami Mizuno, her thoughts in turmoil. Yaten's accusations wounded her soul: Seiya had indeed been injured because of her lack of restraint. Still, as she thought of the sensation of Ami's supple form in her arms, or the sense of contentment she felt when she looked into her eyes… Surely Seiya of all people would understand. Taiki knew that she could no longer fight herself, but that did not mean that she's abandoned Seiya and Yaten. Now more than ever she needed clarity and vigilance for her family's sake. Her entire family: including her siblings and Ami.
Several blocks away, Ami pulled a book on the evolution of rotating stars, one of her personal favorites and sat down in her favorite arm chair to read. After she realized that she had read the same sentence three times in a row, she knew that she would not be able to distract herself. Closing the book with a decisive snap the medical student rose and returned the book to the nearby shelf. With a sigh the blue haired woman gripped the shelves, her head bowed and her shoulders trembling with soul shattering grief. "Tai-chan…" Ami whimpered, sadness and guilt choking her like a vice. She could see Brahma of Maker, her eyes growing dark as she slipped into death's embrace and Ami felt as if she were drowning. Drowning in a rage and loss that had no end to its depths and hatred, hatred for Brahma's killer… and hatred for herself for failing Brahma. Yet she felt a tsunami within her heart; she wanted nothing more than to pull Taiki into her embrace and never let the other woman go. 'Mine. My Sanirem.'
Were these her thoughts or were they Aerin's? Ami couldn't tell. She tried to think of Taiki and all she could feel was endless pain and anger. A rage that Ami had never associated with herself consumed her and she tried not to let its waves batter her under. Confused and heartsick, the senshi of water let out a scream of frustration. Consumed by her irrational anger, the medical student heaved the nearest bookshelf to the floor. The expensive oak splintered and cracked from both the weight it bore and the strength of Ami's push. Chest heaving, Ami looked down at the broken shelving yet all she could see was Taiki and Brahma. Dying always dying, and her inadequacy in protecting her two lifetimes over scalded her soul like boiling water.
A soft knock to her door startled the blue haired student from her thoughts. Scrubbing her face with her hands, Ami moved to the door and opened it slowly. Standing in the doorway was the source of all her turmoil and desire.
Taiki smiled a warm smile as she moved forward and kissed Ami's cheek softly and Ami noted how such a simple action highlighted the brunette's beauty. Had she always smiled like that? Her mind flashed briefly upon the night they'd shared, Taiki had looked down upon her, chestnut hair in sensual disarray and Ami had reached out and feathered her hair from her brow. She had smiled then, just as beatific then as she was now and Ami felt her heart shatter. Now, just as she had then, Taiki looked in a way that Ami was not used to seeing upon her: she looked like a maiden in love. Ami resisted the thought even as pride and contentment attempted to overcome her. Taiki's happiness was not worth more than her life, Aerin had made that mistake, but Ami would not follow her predecessor.
"Taiki-san, we need to talk…"
Setsuna panted heavily, pulling Kaori tighter against her as she gripped the younger woman's supple, muscular backside. She groaned at the play of muscle in her lover's posterior as they rocked in an ancient, primal rhythm intoxicated on the taste and the feel of the raven haired musician. A small part of her questioned how she could take Kaori to bed so soon; the ethics of sleeping with a client clamoring for attention yet paling against the klaxon of want and need. The younger woman trembled in her embrace as she reached another climax, her wide-open, blind eyes glowing the light blue of moonkissed roses. The time senshi moaned as her beloved pulled her into another kiss and once knowing fingers plunged again into aching heat she surrendered completely to her longing. Her mind no longer possessed room for thoughts of anything but her lover's complete and absolute surrender. She would have Kaori come undone within her arms and then, then she would give her everything that she was.
Elsewhere, a former youma watched as her unconscious patient broke into a fevered sweat, his chest glowing a burning, brilliant midnight blue. She could feel something familiar and beautiful underneath the weight of this power, but there was so much darkness and pain lacing it as well. She dutifully pressed a cool cloth to staunch some of the fever, lips moving wordlessly in prayer to the gods of the ancients. A reckoning was coming, and for the first time since her rebirth, she feared that Earth's guardians might not be able to face it unscathed.
Taiki tried again to reach for Ami. She couldn't, wouldn't let this woman that completed her go. Ami moved backwards, her motions stiff and lacking her usual fluidic grace. "I've said all I'm going to say Taiki-san. I want you to leave." Taiki paused and looked down, frustrated that all of her vast knowledge didn't give her an instinctive, perfect response to make Ami see reason. Yet she wouldn't push, not when Ami's past incarnation blessed their union herself. She would give the water senshi time to come to terms, because she could no longer imagine a future without the smaller woman in it. The only true recourse she possessed was time.
"Shutting me out won't make me love you any less Ami. I don't think it will absolve whatever guilt you feel you have to shoulder either. But it is guilt you don't have to shoulder alone. I…I'll leave." The starlight pulled out a business card and placed it on the nearby coffee table. The card was another form of stealth Kinmokuian technology and functioned much as the wrist communicators for the senshi. "This is a direct line to me. When you are ready, call me."
Nodding grimly at the mercurian senshi's lack of response, Taiki swiftly and resolutely walked out of the apartment, her heart splintering with every step. The necklace that was gifted to her pulsed in empathetic response and she nearly returned as she felt Ami's pain and remorse wash over her, but the water senshi had to choose for herself. She had to choose Taiki because she loved her enough to walk hand in hand into an uncertain future. Neither Aerin nor Brahma could sway her decision…and neither could Taiki for that matter. Love had to be enough.
Taiki gripped the Tear and sent soothing emotions hoping that it would bring her stubborn mate some comfort. And as she felt her soul briefly touch Ami's she promised herself…love would be enough.
"You shouldn't be here." The words are cold, but the only sign that they had been heard was a slight falter in otherwise steady footsteps. Her guest shouldn't be able to come here, but she had already shared her power with her, another foolish mistake she would have to atone for. She grips the Time key staff closer to her chest as she feels those steps come to a deafening halt behind her. Finally, her guest speaks. "Look at me." She keeps her back to her guest and keeps her eyes focused on the mists of time…the essence of the future the past the present… all of these things and yet none of these things.
"Look at me Papillion. Please."
She tries to fight against that pleading tone, tries to ignore it, but the distress that infuses those words batter her heart. Slowly she turns and her eyes lock with pained silver blue and she tries to fight the tears… tries to be strong enough to protect her heart. "The decision has been made. You must go." Her beloved's beautiful face grew fierce and determined and she staggered backwards as she found herself wrapped in a strong embrace. She attempted to resist at first, but the arms that held her so securely would not yield. With a despondent sigh she relaxed and placed her hands at the small of her beloved's back. She shivered, as she felt her lover's sweet lips ghost a kiss against her ear.
"We will find a way. Our love is worthy of life Papillion. I will not let duty destroy it. My father only cares that I am Earth's sword. I shall be her shield instead. Father grooms Endymion to rule, and he will find no rival in me. We can be together. We promised to always find our way to one another." The words were said with so much love, so much conviction that they made her angry and ashamed. So she turned that anger unto her heart's desire. With agitated, jerky movements she pulled away from her beloved and glared, daring to meet her confused eyes.
"As what? My concubine? You may not wish to rule but there must be a seedborn in your line. No, now that the mantle has been placed upon my shoulders, do not return here. I don't want you here! Now go!" The Guardian of time roared as she called upon her power. Turning away with a dramatic flourish, Melinoe ejected her beloved from the Door of Time. Helena reached out, trying to fight the eldritch power, but she was no match for the newly appointed guardian. Reaching out a hand in vain, the princess of Earth cried out in bitter anguish.
"No! Nooooo, MELINOE!"
The Emperor lets out a groan of agony as the stone engulfs more flesh further up his arm. With disdain he allows his mask to drop and yanks at the sleeves of the customary tunic to see how much damage was done. Flesh caked and cracked into earthen clay and rosebuds began to sprout from open cracks even as sluggish mud wept from the wounds. The pain was almost a welcome counterpoint to the constant heartache that drove the protector. Sighing softly, the protector of Earth summons the spatha and deftly flips it so that it can be wielded in a reverse grip. The stone flesh is still somewhat malleable and the Emperor hauls the newly acquired and unconscious Balance by his throat. Nephrite managed to protect his leader but at the cost of allowing himself to be beaten and captured.
Tinia's child smiles grimly at the thought. With Nephrite secured only Kunzite would remain and once he was captured and the Core restored…the game would truly begin. With a grunt, the protector flung Nephrite to his place at the West and moved to dip the spatha in some of the sluggish blood that still leaked from his wounds. Reaching out to the Core, the protector broke off a branch and clenched the bark in between somewhat predatory teeth.
Inhaling deeply, the Emperor stabbed viciously at the cursed shoulder, sawing indelicately until the useless limb fell to the ground. Silver blue eyes watched dispassionately as the limb regressed into mud and a small rose bush began to sprout from the remains. Invoking the power of the Core and the three balancers tied to it, the protector waited until the limb regrew from the gaping wound, restored strong and whole. Time was truly running out, but the vessel had been found. Even now the vessel began to pave the way for love's true destiny. At this point Time was the only thing needed.
A jolt of awareness skittered up her spine as she realized someone had come to her. She contained the thrill at knowing she was becoming more accustomed to her new role. After what she'd done only one person would visit her here, now. She turned to the newcomer and bowed in greeting.
"Hello mother."
Slate grey eyes stared at the ornate doors of time, the newcomer divining not to speak and Pluto forced herself to remain still within the oppressive silence. After what seemed like an eternity, the woman turned to address her daughter. "Hello, child." A crooked smile briefly touched the woman's lips as she acknowledged that she was more mentor to the woman she had borne than true parent. "I came to congratulate you. You have been stricken from the annals and only the Keepers know of your existence now. You have now fully ascended. The line of Kronos remains unbroken." Pluto bowed again in response to her mother's words, not quite sure what response was expected of her. "I thank you Lady Alecto. I shall pledge the entirety of myself to the Door and to the Queen."
"Lady? You need not be so formal child. Just as you are, I am nothing more than a ghost. You must cast off the last vestiges of your former life. The Aiakos line bears a terrible and heavy burden, this door is our honor and it is our cage. Despite what the Venusians believe, there is no place for love amongst duty. Between lovers…between a mother and her daughter. I know how you must think of me, likely no different than how I thought of my own mother. When the royal family was murdered on a diplomatic mission, she bore me as a part of her duty." Alecto paused stared at the mists of time that surrounded them, getting lost in her own memories.
"She hated me. She never wanted a child, no seedborn of Pluto ever does. I was a burden and the harbinger of either her death or a princess that she would have no connection with. Yet, she was the longest serving member of our line, surely the mantle would pass me by, I'd believed. It may have doomed me to a marriage to a man I could not love, but that had to be more amiable than serving here. Due to that faint flicker of hope I did not shackle my own heart. I was a fool. Megaera Aiakos had been Sailor Pluto for almost sixteen generations before war engulfed our galaxy and those that neighbored us. When my mother returned the reality of the emptiness of this realm after both the horror of war and the joy of companionship amongst the other senshi was more than she could bear. She was distant before, but after she returned from service, she grew cruel, sadistic. Her mind had finally snapped under the strain. She eventually tried to kill me not far from where we are standing now.
Pluto gasped and turned to her mother, shock and a small amount of dread suffusing her. Alecto continued on as if the words she was saying were commonplace. "I killed her. Then I reported her to the Keepers. I ascended the next day. My dream of being a mere royal died with her. I never cared for the title, only for the freedom it granted me. Yet it some ways losing it was a boon. I had fallen in love, with one that was beyond my reach even if I had remained a mere princess of Pluto. When I watched her marry I embraced my duty with everything that I was."
Alecto's expression grew pensive for a moment, as if the woman was remembering the love she had lost, and Pluto was struck with an awkward need to comfort her mother. Alecto chuckled softly and shook her head as if to clear it from the mists of time. "Before a year of my duty had passed in the outside world I chose a consort and bore you. I would like to think that at least in this I did not fail you."
Pluto smiled as she thought of her father. Yven was a good man. Kind and jovial natured, he had been Melinoe's closest friend until she met Helena. He loved Alecto desperately, but he knew his place…just as Melinoe knew her own. Pluto's smile faded as her mother began to speak again.
"I thought I was able to deaden my heart. Then my beloved lost her husband not long after her children were born. I had to go to her…I had to let her know that she was not alone. She was devastated. She couldn't function, couldn't shoulder the weight of the crown, of motherhood, of all of the hopes and dreams of the people she protected and governed. So I offered her the only gift I could… time."
Pluto couldn't comprehend what her mother was saying…had she broken the Law and how?
"When she came to the gate I did not send her away. I allowed her to grieve and shielded her presence from all others. Time truly does heal all wounds, it is just some wounds often take longer than we have to live. Slowly she began to smile and to laugh again. We became as children reborn, our close friendship rekindled. Yet she had always been perceptive, she began to realize how I felt, how I'd always felt. I didn't expect it or ask for it, but in time she came to return my feelings."
Pluto staggered backwards in shock, there was only one woman that had the power though not the right to come to the Gates of Time. Still it was forbidden, no one could enter the Gates of time without judgment being passed. Pluto knew why her mother betrayed her duty but at what cost?
"Though none could ever acknowledge it, she became my wife. For centuries we were together. Yet it was not perfect. To be with me she had to abandon her people and her children. In the end she couldn't bear it…yet she didn't want to hurt me. I remembered my duty to her…and to Time so I cast her from this place. Returning her to the point in time in which she came to me. Yet with memories intact she had the strength to move on."
Alecto grit her teeth and pounded a fist against the armrest of the chair that confined her. Turning weary slate eyes upon her daughter, the former Senshi of Time pressed further ahead.
"In the end what have I gained? A wife who can never acknowledge me, and a daughter who is a stranger. I can never claim her children as my own…I shall never be more than a specter. Our world... our duty is isolated and bereft of compassion. Even still, I want to help you Melinoe; I want to give you the only thing that I can. The strength to endure. You must stand alone. No weakness, no fear. Time heals all wounds…even love."
Before Pluto could say or do anything she watched in horror as her mother pulled a dagger from her wheelchair and with no hesitation plunged it into her breast. Time worked against the Plutonian outcast instantly, her body rapidly decaying to its true age and turning to dust. In stricken dismay Melinoe sunk to her knees and let out an anguished cry. Not for the woman that had ended her life, but instead for the woman that duty would not allow Alecto Aiakos to become. The loving wife and mother that she had the potential and desire to become and yet was cruelly denied merely because of the blood in her veins.
"This has to stop! Now." The king stormed into the courtyard watching as his counterpart moved agilely with weapons he couldn't remember learning to use. He frowned as the Emperor ignored him, completing a complicated kata before turning in his direction.
"What are you whining about exactly? I warned you. I TOLD you that sacrifices would have to be made to get what you wanted. Did you think things would just fall into place? Have you forgotten your loss so quickly?"
The king flinched and hugged his arms about himself as his doubts riddled his resolve with holes. "Of course not! I just…What is the point of this if it must be done with such cruelty? Has the attainment of my goal left you devoid of love?"
The Emperor snarled and the King quailed at how inhuman the sound was. "Love? LOVE?! Listen to me King Endymion. Love is the greatest cruelty of all. You should know that better than anyone. Love is a harsh and unforgiving mistress and you must be willing to do anything, ANYTHING to curry her favor. Now if my methods so bother you, we can undo everything. I'll put you back where I found you…WHEN I found you. Is that what you want?"
"No! Please, No. Very well. What do you want?" He hated what he had become but the alternative was worse. He couldn't bear to see her in such pain…not again. He could fix this; he could give them both a beautiful future…together.
"Get me the. Last. Piece."
"And what of the prince? I know what you did to him." The king was angry about the way he'd found his past self. The boy would have died at the resort if he hadn't intervened. He knew the Emperor was desperate for results but if the prince died then it wouldn't matter because neither of them would have a future. He tried not to flinch at the absolutely lack of concern on the Emperor's face.
"Do you think for one moment that he would agree to any of this? No I subdued him to keep him from trying to stop us… however good natured he may be. It's your move King. Press forward and gain the future you desired or stop now and everything that we have worked for will fall apart. There can be no loose ends. None."
"I understand."
"Then go."
The Emperor waited until the king's power could no longer be felt and he shook his head in judgment.
"Idiot."
The Emperor appeared in the bedroom of the unexpected lovers in a muted verdant flash of light. Silver blue eyes gazed upon the sleeping pair, the sight of them gloriously tangled as they slept on bringing a rare smile to his angular face. Walking towards the occupied bed the child of Tinia's hated mask began to slip away, leaving the room as a silent witness to the Emperor's true form. A delicate hand reached out and caressed lush verdant hair back and exposing the glowing sigil of Pluto. Hesitant eyes glanced over at the senshi's companion but the vessel slept on, the power of the Emperor that infused her sapping her of all strength. The rose that bound them would only allow them a brief respite before it tugged at both of their souls again. It didn't matter, a few moments were all that the Emperor needed.
In honesty the Emperor hadn't wanted it to happen this way. Even as broken as they were, the vessel and the senshi of Pluto were tied to each other. In a perfect world they would have courted and loved as they had in the past, as was their right, but the King's insistence on circumventing destiny ruined any chance of that. The vessel wrongly began to admire one of the wandering stars and that couldn't be allowed to usurp a bond millennia old. That was where the Emperor's greatest pawn had failed. He wanted something that was never his, something he was not worthy of, but he too would fall to destiny's call.
Once more the Emperor entered the mind of Setsuna Meioh and was pleased with how thoroughly the vessel had primed her. She was ready to take her rightful place. However, she needed a reason to challenge her own fate. The Emperor could only hope the woman in her arms was enough. With one final injection of power, Setsuna began to twitch in her sleep as the warm haze of contented dreams gave place to the fever of a memory not entirely her own. A lingering caress stroked the now agitated senshi's cheek before the interloper began to fade away.
"Your move, Papillion."
Troy had been one of the last major space ports allowed to Earth and it had long been the pride of Shepard Paris for many years. Its massive walls and bustling lively castle town made it a jewel in King Tinia's crown. Helena loved it because of its beauty and here she felt closest to the people she was sworn to protect. She tugged her beloved through the busy streets, chattering animatedly even as she pointed out landmarks and some of her favorite haunts.
She delighted in the laughter of her beloved, wishing she had the power to make time stand still so that they could always be together like this, happy and in love. The warm afternoon sun found her feeding fresh dolmades to her love and making a silly grandiose attempt to read her palm and divine their future.
The concerned trail off of her lover's laughter was the first alert that they were not alone and the boorish clearing of a throat led her to sighing in resignation. Even away from her father's watchful eye, she still could not just be a maiden in love. Looking up to face the interloper but not relinquishing the sweet warmth of her beloved's hand silver blue eyes looked up to meet the hard green of the Shepard of the city, Paris.
The Shepard rudely glared at her love as if she were some silly fop that had overstayed her welcome, and she bristled at the man's audacity. Even if her beloved wasn't the heir to Pluto's ruling family, she wouldn't abide this peasant looking at her so rudely.
"What brings you Paris? There is nothing that you can say to me Keeper that cannot be said in front of my betrothed." She intended to intimidate the man, so that he would understand that he could not terrorize her or her beloved, but she didn't expect his fair skin to become ruddy with anger.
"Betrothed?" The man spat out the word like it offended him and for one brief moment she wondered what would happen if she just decked him. Likely father would send her to perform labors…again. Little Endymion truly was the only reason she tolerated the despot she shared blood with.
"Yes, is there something you wanted Shepard?" Her tone was bored but she was watching him carefully, wary now that she knew his pride was likely involved.
"You, your father stated that you were unbound." Gods, surely the punishment wouldn't be too severe if she broke his nose would it? Still there was her love to consider, she never wanted to give Melinoe the impression that she used solely her power to resolve her conflicts.
"Then my father lied to you Shepard, if that is all…"
The Shepard bristled, absolutely enraged that he was being so easily dismissed. "I won't stand for this! Why do you think I allowed you entrance to Troy?"
That finally tweaked her temper. She may live on a world that didn't respect the power of a sailor senshi, but she was still Earth's guardian and its rightful heir. "Allowed me? You forget that Troy is still within the realm of my father. Do not over estimate your worth Shepard. Come, my love." Sparing Paris no more consideration aside from annoyance that he had ruined their trip, she took her beloved's hand and began to lead her to their dock.
"I won't forget this Helena! You were promised to ME!"
Helena had thought that Paris's wounded ego would result in nothing but foolhardy petitions for recompense, but the Shepard took his claim seriously. Tensions soon emerged and all-out war began. Helena tried to talk her father down, not wanting the citizens to suffer and also because she knew that the rest of the Sol system viewed them as barbarians already. Yet it was to no avail, General Menalaus was adamant on dragging the war out for as long as he could and Tinia was all too happy to send his seedborn to the front lines.
Helena went to battle with a heavy heart, devastated that she would be pulled from Melinoe's side but two years into the needless, gruesome war Lady Aiakos was crippled in battle elsewhere and a new Pluto was needed. Of course Helena was only one of a few who knew that Melinoe would replace her mother because the newly ascended princess had told her as she attempted to tearfully end their betrothal. Helena had fought her lover's rejection and succeeded in keeping them together, only to have Melinoe abandon her six months later via letter. Distraught, the senshi of Earth deserted the battlefield and went to her lover to once again broker a renewal of their bond, only to be rejected forcefully by a woman much colder than her gentle Papillion had ever been.
Heartache sent her back to war but it was betrayal once again that sealed her fate. General Menalaus had sent her regiment into a trap, knowing that the youma would make short work of the mortal men and would weaken Sailor Earth just enough to give him an opening. He succeeded in his assigned task, but not before Helena tore him apart with her power. Panting softly, as she looked at the mass of rose vines and meat, the ageis senshi slumped to her knees and clutched at the locket that held images of the two she loved most in the universe.
"…Melinoe…Endymion…forgive me…"
Within eternity the senshi of Time tended to her protectorate with a heavy heart. She was still learning how to read the flow of time properly but she prayed in her heart that her mother would be proud, and that she was at peace. Her solitary training helped to ease her broken heart, but there was not a day that she didn't think of the woman she loved and rejected out of duty. The mists of time responded to their Guardian's melancholy and showed her an image of the one her heart yearned for, and what she saw made her drop the Time Key Staff in shock.
"…no…"
Princess Helena lay in a pool of her own blood, her starseed floating above her hand as she forced it to bend to her will. She didn't have much time, Menalaus' final strike had cost him his life, but the wound in her side was fatal she knew. Her only regret was that she wouldn't be able to fix things with Melinoe. If only there had been more time, she smiles grimly at the unintended irony as she finishes the extraction. She could only hope it would be enough. Endymion would grow stronger and he would take her place…it was what King Tinia wanted anyway. The man had seduced and married her mother for the power of being wed to Sailor Earth, but when Leda had been unable to carry a second, male child to term the King had her killed. Helena couldn't prove it, but any man that could remarry the day after the mourning period for his wife ended couldn't be an innocent.
So focused on her task, she almost didn't hear the pounding footsteps or the frantic calls of her name. Fisting a hand in her wound to draw fresh blood, she finished her work set her starseed free. It wouldn't be long now, but what she wouldn't give to see her beloved one last time.
"…Helena! Where are you! Answer me! Helena!"
She smiled grateful that the gods saw fit to give her a hallucination before she faded from existence and she struggled to sit up, not caring about the pain the action caused. With a pained cry Sailor Pluto found her at last, and with as much care as her hysteria would allow she dropped to her knees and cradled her dying lover in her arms.
"Helena! No! Who did this? Hold on, I will help heal you!" The verdant haired senshi began to infuse her power only to gasp at the hollow echo. "What…what have you done?" Helena smiled at the apparition, even frantic she was so very, very beautiful, and she reached out a hand to cup the strangely solid cheek.
"The gods have blessed me to see you again, Papillion. I'm so sorry…I ended up hurting you after all. But I will protect my family. I know…I know you don't love me anymore and this will make it so we aren't bound any longer. I…damnit…I just wanted to be your wife…"
Pluto clutched her beloved closer still trying to force her power into her empty, dying body. "Then call it back…undo this…you're right, we can find a way…just don't…Helena? Gods, no, Helena?!" She pushed harder, demanding that the Earth senshi yield to her power but even her body was now beyond her influence.
The howl of anguish that rose from the battlefield caused the nearby battle to pause momentarily as the human soldiers wondered if a death god had come for them.
Setsuna jerked awake, the horror of her dream juxtapositioning itself painfully against the sated pleasure of her pleasantly sore body. She stared down at the woman in her arms, confirming that she was real and safe, before her stomach rebelled and she stumbled to the adjoining bathroom. She heaved and cried until her body had no more to give as her body tortured her with the strangely two sided dreamscape. There were parts where she felt like she was Helena and others where she was Melinoe. Gritting her teeth against the terror that clogged her throat at the thought of Kaori or Helena or Sailor Earth, bleeding out in her arms she forced herself to shaky legs. Calling forth her power with muted emotions, she summoned the time key staff and pounded it against the floor. The Garnet orb flashed in counterpoint to her quiet demeanor and then she let it take her to the only place that she could find answers.
Pluto ran towards the gate her thoughts frantic and confused. With a shove she forced the doors open and stepped into the realm of Kronos. It didn't take long for her to find the one she sought
"Melinoe!"
Super Sailor Pluto waited until the woman who had raised her, and had trained her, and had hammered her role into her very bones turned to look at her. For a moment they stood in silence, their identically hued eyes coolly assessing their twin. And then Setsuna remembered the joy of holding Kaori in her arms and the anguish of watching Helena die in them and bared her teeth in soul-deep fury.
"We need to talk."
One note on the Emperor's weapons. While I described the emperor as carrying a Doru/Dory I have a Hasta in mind but I wanted to use the greek pseudo equivalent. One last note. I am a greek mythology buff and yes I'm well aware I'm twisting the daylights out of a number of myths but I hate (and love) the fact that we know so very, very little about the silver millennium and I did pick two kids (technically three) that were fathered by Zeus. Also this incarnation of Melinoe is not sired by Zeus (Tinia) because I don't do incest. Way too squicky for me. When I first started this story…back in 1998 (this fic is like a zombie I swear) I didn't put quite as much weight on the names but I somewhat require it for the sake of the background story of a few players when I started reworking it around 2003. So yeah. Believe it or not I have the entire story sketched out to its conclusion which is why I keep pecking away at it over the years.
I like the name Helena better than Helen.
Ryu Niiyama
8/2016