By Meredith Bronwen Mallory
mallorys-girl@cinci.rr.com
Hey Minna-chan! How are you? Here's the next part of this little fic, please let me know what you think! Hope you enjoy.
Meredith
Ps. thanks to Sakura Girl (my pre-reader) and Anon (my partner in obsession ;-)
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For the first time in nine months, birds sang in Crystal Tokyo. Sleepy citizens awoke from their long sleep and opened their windows, letting in the scent of roses, carried by the warm wind. Slowly, slowly, the bustling hub of a city returned to life, like the first flower poking it's petals out of the snow. In the crystal palace, the four inner senshi released each others hands and stepped away from the crystal, letting the shield fall. A little boy stirred in his sleep and awoke, rushing down the hall and into his mother's waiting arms. Makoto held her son tightly, crying tears of joy. Hotaru opened her eyes to find Haruka and Michiru smiling down on her. She threw her arms around each in turn, smiling as Haruka lifted her up onto her shoulders and, with Michiru on her arm, lead the small family out onto the balcony to gaze out on the day. Somewhere in the royal suite, a child opened her violet eyes and looked at the world.
Endymion watched as the quartz that encased his love broke apart, dissolving into nothing. Neo-Queen Serenity took a deep breath, pulling sweet air into her lungs. Slowly, she opened her blue eyes to find her husband smiling down at her, tears on his cheeks.
"Endy..." she whispered, smiling. He helped her to sit up, wrapping his arms around her small form and rocking her in his embrace.
"Kami-sama, I missed you so much, Sere," he whispered in her ear as he held her close. His Queen pulled back far enough brush her fingers lightly against his cheek, and the King felt the rage and loneliness that had encased his heart melt away as though it had never been.
"I love you," Serenity told him, her voice pure emotion.
"And I love you," Endymion brought his lips down on hers, relishing the touch. After nine months of sleepless nights, endless hours of worry, moments of terror followed by those filled with grief... at last the King felt whole again.
Neither of them saw the little figure hidden behind the purple draperies. Neither of them saw the hatred burning in the depths of her violet eyes as she looked on the king.
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If King Endymion had hoped that with the defeat of the Black Moon family, Dia might return to normal, he was sorely mistaken. Once again, the King found his heart filled with worry for his eldest daughter. It had been almost a year since the Black Moon crisis had ended, and life had returned to what passed for normal in the thirtieth century. Chibi-Usa had come and gone, now back in the past training to be a senshi. Kip, Makoto's son, had been sent off to a private academy, leaving Dia as the only child at the Crystal Palace. But that fact didn't seem to bother Endymion's eldest daughter, who took more delight in her own company, and that of her mother's, than anyone else these days.
The King sighed, looking away from the window to glance over at his wife, who was sitting at the table, in the middle of heated and playful discussion with Minako. Dia sat in her mother's lap, watching her father with narrowed eyes as she sucked on her thumb. The look she gave the older man was one of pure contempt, and Endymion turned away, pain in his heart. He was no stranger to these looks, they were common place now. The incidents occurred more frequently now, and with frightening clarity.
The first had been the night after Serenity had been revived. As the clock in the grand hall struck midnight, a piercing scream lanced through the air. It was Dia. Half dressed and even less awake, Serenity and Endymion had rushed to their daughter's bedchamber t find her thrashing wildly about, the sheets tangled around her small body. She was shouting in a language neither monarch knew, and crying in her sleep. The Queen had rushed to her daughter's side, rocking the little girl in her embrace until her cries ceased and she looked up at her mother with tired eyes. With relief, the couple had tucked their daughter in for the night, but their relief faded when Endymion caught sight of her back. One of the buttons on the back of Dia's nightgown had come undone, revealing something dark on the girl's back. Worried, he's unbuttoned the rest of the buttons, only to find that his daughter's entire back was charred and covered with large, black scars. Serenity had screamed, bombarding the little girl with a hundred questions. What had happened? Did it hurt? Why hadn't she told her parents about it? In a very serious voice, Dia informed them that, no, she didn't know what happened, and hadn't even known it was there until just now. Scooping his child up in his arms, Endymion had rushed towards the medical wing, waking the doctors at one in the morning to inspect Dia's wounds. Even Ami couldn't fathom what had happened. There was no physical cause for the blistering flesh, in fact, all the scans showed the skin to be perfectly healthy, when the naked eye attested otherwise. All medical knowledge failing, the worried parents sent for Rei, hoping that the medium could find an answer in the spiritual. But the senshi of Mars would have no part of it, and informed but monarchs quite bluntly, well aware that she was bordering on the edge of mutiny. Sometime around five in the morning, the very weary King and Queen of Earth sent their daughter back to bed, and retired to their own sleep with worry in their hearts.
The next morning, Dia awoke with yet another bruise, this time on her forehead. Only Endymion noticed that, if you looked at it in the right light, it was the exact shape of an upside down black moon.
Every night since then, Dia woke up screaming bloody murder. Most of the time she was too shaken to relate any of it, barely possessing enough energy to shove her thumb in her mouth and crawl wearily into her mother's lap. But, once, while Serenity was away in France, averting a diplomatic crisis, Endymion had been the only one to offer his daughter comfort. The child had looked at him with those unfamiliar eyes, suspicion in their depths, when he asked her to tell him what she dreamed about.
"I dreamed about *before*," she said softly, almost to herself, "I dreamed about when I died and went up to the blue."
"You *what*?" Endymion said in shock. The little girl looked at the ground, hands folded in her lap.
"When I died," Dia said seriously, looking her father square in the eye, "The man that killed my brother, he comes and says he will kill her, and I jump in front to save her. Then I get hit and fall down and go up to the blue."
"You... you don't have a brother, Dia," was all the King could think to say. Dia looked sad as she replied.
"No, I don't." Then she laid down and closed her eyes.
It hadn't been the last Endymion had heard of Dia's mysterious 'brother'. Shortly after Chibi-Usa returned to the past for her training, Makoto and Kip left for a prolonged vacation on Jupiter. This left Dia with no one to play with, save Hotaru, who, truth be told, had never been as close with the princess as she was with Chibi-Usa. It was pure chance that while wandering in the rose garden, Endymion had overheard his daughter talking to herself. Or rather, that had been what he'd first thought. But, peering through the hedge, Endymion saw that this was not so. Dia stood by the orchids, having plucked one and raised it to her nose. She was addressing her otouto.
"Otouto-chan," she'd said softly, looking at the flower, "I have lots of pretty flowers. You would like them, there are so very many!" She then went on to talk about 'back before, when there weren't any flowers,' and how she wished he could see them now. The King's breath had caught in his throat, though he tried to rationalize that Dia was probably only playing a game, the tone she had used resonated in his mind. Ever since then, every once in a while, Endymion would catch her talking to Otouto-chan, mostly about flowers, and the happy times they'd has 'before'. But, occasionally, she would talk about how she missed him because he 'died and went up to the blue' and was 'someone else now.' Each time, Endymion felt a shiver go down his spine. He knew though it was his daughter's voice, Dia wasn't the one talking.
The King knew Dia was changing, and he didn't like what he was seeing. No longer was his daughter a happy, carefree child. Now she seemed sad, weighted by guilt and plagued by nightmares. She rarely smiled, and only did so when her mother was around. Indeed, she wanted nothing to do with her father, and shunned him at all costs. Often she seemed angry with him for no reason. Eventually, even the oblivious Serenity knew something was amiss, when Dia took down her odangos and refused to wear the hairstyle anymore, instead tying her hair back with a single piece of string. Only her parents refusal kept the child from chopping off her long white locks. Endymion shook his head from his musings. He had his suspicions... Kami-sama help them them all if he was right.
Later that evening, Serenity came out on the balcony and stood beside her husband. Knowing she needed comfort, he placed a possessive arm around her waist and held her close.
"Endy," Serenity said at last,her eyes fixed on the moon, which hung low in the sky, "Something... I'm worried about Dia. She's so sad all the time."
"I've noticed, but I don't know what to do," the King replied, hating the helplessness he felt. Serenity turned in his arms and tied her own loosely about his neck, resting her head against his chest.
"Maybe she's lonely?" Serenity suggested. Endymion said nothing. He still hadn't spoken to her about the incidents, and had no intention of doing so. Though he wanted to tell her badly, something always stopped him, as though this was something he and Dia had to solve. "I mean, she and Hotaru have never been good friends, and Kip is off at the academy... she really doesn't have anyone to play with or talk to, does she?"
"No," Endymion replied, his hands absently stroking his wife's golden locks. 'Accept otouto-chan' he added silently.
"Do you think Pluto would let us send her to the past? Maybe if she gets to spend sometime with Chibi-Usa, she'll feel a little better." Serenity suggested. Endymion hugged her tightly.
"Serenity, you're a genius!" he declared, spinning her around until she shrieked. Setting her back on her feet, he looked into her eyes and smiled. Though he doubted Chibi-Usa could solve Dia's problems, there was someone else in the past that might... Mamoru, his previous incarnation. Perhaps his past self could see something he himself couldn't. After all, Dia wasn't *his* daughter... yet anyway.
"Do you really think it will help?" his wife asked.
"I really do," the King replied. With a sigh of relief, Serenity hugged him tight.
The dawn of the next morning found Dia and her mother waiting outside the King's study while Endymion had a 'word' with Pluto. In truth he was relating to her all the incidents that had occurred in the past eight years, from the moment he frist held Dia, to her nightmares and conversations with 'otouto-chan' now. The green haired woman nodded slowly, curiosity in her crimson eyes. The King wanted her to be able to help should any problems arise in the past. At last the heavy marble doors opened, allowing Endymion and Pluto to enter the hall. Serenity stood beside Dia, who looked like she'd just finished throwing an unsuccessful tantrum. The child looked on her father with an expression thatt clearly said 'this is all your fault.'
Then Pluto offered her hand, which Dia took.
"Bye Mama," Dia waved with a hopeful smile. Serenity smiled back bent down to hug her daughter. As the Queen stepped away, the child's violet eyes focused on Endymion, "Papa," she said coolly.
"Come, Dia-chan, it's time to go," Sailor Pluto said, raising her time staff. The silver rod struck the floor, and in a flash of black smoke, both where gone.
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How will Usagi and Mamoru react knowing they have ANOTHER daughter?
What is this 'trouble' mentioned?
Just WHAT is wrong with Dia?
FIND OUT NEXT TIME!!!