By Meredith Bronwen Mallory
mallorys-girl@cinci.rr.com
Silence. All encompassing silence. It seemed to stretch towards eternity, broken only by the crash of thunder following Dia's words.
"I'm not Dia anymore... I'm Demando." It was said so simply, so matter of fact, as though the child was merely remarking on the weather. Mamoru felt something change, the balance of power shifted once more. He'd felt it shift before, with Dia's arrival, and now it shifted again. He wasn't sure if it was in his favor or not. The other senshi stared at the eight year-old girl laying on the cushion, her hair spread about her, white contrasting with red. She was a child, a mere *child*! How could she possibly be Demando?
"Go...Go on, tell us what you see," Rei said finally, adopting the soothing, gentle tone she'd used before. She was the first to regain her composure, the others staring on slack jawed. In a halting, calm tone, a childish voice with childish words that carried impossible maturity began to tell her story:
"I'm standing on a balcony, I'm young, only about sixteen. It's dark out and some one is crying. I'm crying. I know I shouldn't cry, it's weakness. If I want to be Prince, if I want to lead my people, I can not be weak, the Wise Man says so. It's thundering and raining ash in the distance, I'm really cold. I turn around and go back inside. There's a woman laying on the bed, she's weak and pale and has to struggle for each breath she takes. She's coughing up blood. That's Topaz and I love her and I wanted to marry her some day. But I'm not going to do that now because she is dying and probably won't live to see tomorrow. That's why I'm crying, because I don't want her to leave me alone. I go over and sit on the edge of the bed. She tries to smile at me, but she has to cough. I look away, I don't want her to see me cry.
"I hate the Terrians. I hate them so much I can't put it into words. They sent us here, to this hell. If they hadn't sent us here, Topaz wouldn't be sick from breathing in ash. If we were on Earth, she could breathe and be well again. If we were on Earth, I wouldn't have to be alone soon. Topaz puts her hand on mine. I love her so much. She says it's time for her to go, and for me not be sad because it's very nice where she's going and she'll see me again some day. I try and tell her not to go, but the words don't come out. She closes her eyes... she's dead. I hate her. She died.. she left me alone! She promised, promised she wouldn't leave me. She lied. I hate her, and I hate Earth and I hate myself. And I hate that I'm crying. I promise myself I will never cry again. I won't be weak, I'll lead my people and take back Earth, and I'll..." here Dia stopped. Her body was rigid and stiff, her face etched with sorrow, belaying her calm words. Mamoru felt something approaching compassion. He couldn't imagine going on without Usako. The light of his life, dead? Never! Unimaginable...
"She's seeing things through Demando's eyes, and she can feel what he's feeling, but she is holding onto her own personality," Rei explained in a hushed whisper. The others nodded, and Ami looked away, tears in her eyes. It was so easy to hate an enemy without intimate knowledge of their situation... so easy to hate some one you didn't know. None of them could find it in their hearts to hate Dia.
"It's all right," Rei assured the child, "Go on..."
"I see people screaming. I killed them. There are so, so many of them. Their hands are reaching out to me, begging me to help them. But I don't do anything..." Dia whimpered, slipping out of Demando's persona for a moment, "How could I be so cold? How... how?" her voice was full of self-loathing. The lines of pain on her face smoothed out, and she continued; "I don't care. All that matters is getting to Earth. But, I hear the people screaming in my head at night, I hear them yelling at me. 'You killed me', they say. Over and over and over again until I think I'll loose my mind. Maybe I've already lost it, and I just don't know it yet.
"I'm standing on the bridge of a ship, watching the fleet as they bomb Crystal Tokyo. I can almost hear the people screaming and crying, even through the heavy glass. I'll have to drink a lot tonight, to make the voices shut up. Sometimes I wonder what Topaz would think, if she could see me now. Would she be disgusted with me? Turn away and tell me I'm not the Demando she knew? Probably, I tell myself it doesn't matter. She betrayed me. She left me. I hate her. But there is someone I hate more. The King. Down there in the city is a man I hate. I hate him because he has something I don't..." Dia broke off suddenly, confusion marring her features.
"Is something the matter?" Rei asked worriedly. Mamoru closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. He tried to calm his shaking body, but he could not. 'There is someone I hate more. The King. Down there in the city is a man I hate.' Dia had said. All the looks of hatred the small girl had ever shot him flashed before Mamoru's eyes. It was beginning to make sense...
"I can see the girl," Dia said softly, speaking for her present self. Rei nodded with a knowing smile and the child continued, "She's a Queen... with blue eyes and a pretty smile, but I can't see anything else. It's all kind of blurry. But I know... I loved her."
"Don't worry about it," the Martian woman assured Dia, "I'm sure it doesn't really matter." With this she smiled a little at Mamoru and he understood. Some things just weren't meant to be remembered. "Go on..."
"I... the city is dead now. It's quite, the wind is cold. It used to be beautiful, but now it's just sad. I turn from the window and order the ship to leave. I keep feeling like someone is watching me from the palace... Never mind.
"I'm someplace else now. It's dark, like a cave, but not. I'm inside... HE'S THERE!!" Dia shouted suddenly, no longer just a calm spectator looking out through Demando's eyes. She was there, feeling, thinking, emotionally...there. Arms and legs flailing, Dia began to thrash, crying and shouting incoherently. Without thinking, Mamoru leaned forward and grabbed her hand. The thrashing stopped, and Dia gripped his hand so tightly her fingers dug into his skin. The others were all crying silently now, the full implications of the situation hitting them with an earth shattering force. All their lives, the senshi had felt as though they were waiting for something. Makoto and Rei had been impatient, trying to hurry the future so they could find what they needed to feel complete. Minako had barely noticed the feeling, and yet she had been the first senshi to awaken, while Ami, though feeling acutely misplaced, had waited patiently for the right time to arrive. All four of them had felt complete and fully immersed in the present the moment they met Usagi, knowing, without really understanding, that this was their princess. And here was Dia, who lived her life shifting back and forth between the little girl she was, and the dark prince she had been. Her memories, unlike the senshi's, had not been buried, but ironically accessible, she was barely in a trance, and yet she could reach out and pull Demando's demons into the light. How terrible for an eight-year old girl to know exactly what sins she had committed in the past!
"Who's there?" Rei asked at last, forcing her tears back. She was in charge here, she had to keep calm.
"*HIM*," Dia said softly, "The man who killed my Otouto-chan. Wiseman," she spat the name, voice filled with hatred. "The girl is there too. I've been talking to her, lying to her. She keeps telling me the truth, but I don't want to hear it. Until... I remember Otouto-chan. He kept telling me that the Wiseman wasn't on our side, that he never was. I didn't listen to him, and now he's dead. It's my fault he's dead. Was he telling the truth? The same truth the girl is telling me now? I only have to look outside to see they're both right. The Earth, the Earth I wanted so badly is turning black and gray, just like Nemesis.. this wasn't what I wanted! Otouto-chan was right, the girl is right. The Wiseman lied to me all along, killed everyone I loved... Topaz, Rubeus, Esmerude, Otouto-chan..."
"The Wiseman is here now. He's threatening the girl. He says he will kill her..." Dia stopped for a moment, dragging air into her lungs forcefully. Somehow, Mamoru felt he knew what was coming next. He remembered Dia's nightmares, her screams of 'DON'T KILL HER!' as she struggled for wakefulness "He says he will kill her," Dia repeated, "He shoots the energy at her, but it never hits her. I jump in front to save her. She and Otouto-chan were right all along! I won't let the Wiseman kill her, even if it means I die. The energy hits my back, it feels like ice but it burns so badly. I've fallen, the Wiseman is gone now, I think the girl destroyed him. It all hurts so much. She's holding my hand, telling me not to die. Why does she care, all I ever did was hurt her and lie to her," Silent tears streamed down Dia's face, "I want to ask her to forgive me, but I need to tell her something else. I need to tell her that I lied to her, I need to tell her it's all up to her now because I am going to die. I need to tell her she has to defeat the Wiseman. This is all my fault... I'll never be able to fix it!" the child cried out, her hold on Mamoru's hand becoming impossibly more tight than before.
"What's going on?" Rei asked, "Where are you now?"
"It's bright here, really bright. I can see anything but the light. It's warm and I don't hurt anymore. Some one else is here now. It's Saffir, my Otouto-chan! Only... there are other names for him too, and there are other names for me, and other names for Topaz, who is here too now. I understand now, they're explaining it to me. We've all been so many different people, and we keep living, trying to fix our mistakes. We've done this over and over again, and we'll keep doing it until we get it right. I..." she paused, frowning, "I'm Dia now." Slowly, the girl opened her violet eyes and looked at the others, her gaze pausing on each individually. Finally, her gaze rested on Mamoru, and the two sat there staring at each other for a long time. Everyone held their breath, wondering how the child would react, wondering what Mamoru would say. Finally, Dia broke the shroud of silence, her eyes shinning with tears.
"Do you forgive me?" she asked. Mamoru was stunned, but he nodded slowly, giving Dia's hand a supportive squeeze.
"Yes," he replied, "I forgive you." The child nodded slowly, before turning to Rei, who had laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Why did I do those things?" she asked.
"Dia, *you* didn't do those things, Demando did. There is a difference between you two. No one is blaming you for anything he did. All of those things are in the past where they belong," Rei paused, locking eyes with Dia, "Where he belongs. You are you now, and no one else." Slowly, the little girl nodded, reaching up to hug the priestess.
"Thank you," she whispered, before her body went limp. "Is she alright?" Makoto asked as she reached over to help Rei support the child's body.
"She's fine now, just sleeping," the Martian woman replied, laying Dia back on the cushions. The others nodded silently, letting out the breaths they'd been holding.
"I would never have imagined," Ami said softly, shaking her head.
"Neither did I, Ami-chan," Mamoru agreed
"I guess this is what they mean by 'you sow what you reap," Minako put in. The others shook they're heads.
"It's 'you reap what you sow,' Minako-chan, but I think you got it right this time," Rei said.
Just then, a crash of thunder shook the temple, and a frightened cry pierced the air. They rushed into the main room, to find a very wet, very frightened Usagi, leaning against the temple door, Chibi-Usa at her side.
"Usako?" Mamoru asked, moving towards her. She beat him to it, throwing herself into his arms as another flash of lightening ripped the sky.
"Oh, Mamo-chan! I was at home with Chibi-Usa and I just got this feeling... It was so strange, but I wanted to see you right away because it scared me so badly," Usagi said as she rested her head in the crook of Mamoru's shoulder, "Is everything all right?"
"Hai," Mamoru said with a smile, "Everything is fine now, Usako." He hugged her tightly, burying his face in her wet hair. Oblivious, but always loving, Usagi held her Mamo-chan back.
"Chibi-Usa!" a little voice cried. The pink haired girl looked up to see her sister standing in the doorway, waving happily. All eyes turned to Dia, who looked for all the world like nothing had happened. Her violet eyes were bright, her hair waving happily, her posture and stance carefree. Most of all, Mamoru noticed, the black moon bruise on her forehead had faded to almost nothing.
"Dia!" Chibi-Usa ran up to the other girl and gave her a very wet hug, "I hate the thunder!" As if to prove something, another crash rocked the temple, and Chibi-Usa hugged her sister more tightly.
"Don't worry, Chibi-chan," Dia said playfully, "I'll protect you!"
The rest of the afternoon passed leisurely, as if time had slowed for all of them, and not just the little white haired girl. Mamoru stood at the window, watching his two girls as they played in the puddles left by the rain. Dia splashed at Chibi-Usa playfully, who in turn, shoved some water in her sister's direction. They pranced about innocently, kicking up water and mud, occasionally running over to playfully tease Yuuichirou, who was trying to take down the laundry soaked by the rain. Mamoru chuckled as he watched the girls, particularly Dia. He had expected the other senshi, and himself, to be uncomfortable around her after the day's revelations, but surprisingly, they were not. They seemed to accept Rei's explanation that Dia had 'one foot in the past' and her guilt had been carried over from her past life. While she might share Demando's soul, Dia's own experiences and the way she was raised shaped who *she* was.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Usagi said as she came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"I was just thinking about forgiveness," he said as he turned in her embrace, resting his chin on her head.
"Forgiveness?" she echoed, laying her head on his chest.
"Hai, I think it's pretty important, don't you?"
"Mmm.. aside from love, the most important thing there is."
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"Usagi?" Dia asked from her place in the older girl's lap. The storm had returned with a vengeance, forcing the children inside. Now Usagi had Dia in her lap, taking a brush gently to the child's tangled white locks. In the other room, the senshi and Chibi-Usa were planning a game with beads, their laughter occasionally breaking the companionable silence. Neither girl noticed Mamoru, who stood watching them from the doorway, a gentle, friendly shadow.
"Hai, Dia?" Usagi replied.
"If I did something bad, really bad, I mean, would you forgive me?" There was silence for a moment before Usagi replied.
"I think that almost anything can be forgiven. After all, we are all only human, and no one is perfect. I'd like to think that I could forgive anyone, but I know there have been a few I could not forgive."
"Like who?" Dia asked, holding her breath. Usagi didn't seem to notice that the girl's posture had stiffened.
"Only one, Dia," the other senshi said softly, "Just Beryl. She did something very mean to Mamoru and I." The child nodded slowly, a smile blooming on her face. Turning quickly, Dia gave Usagi a hug.
"I love you, Usagi-mama."
"I love you too, Dia-chan." A crash of thunder shattered the moment, making both girls start. It was followed almost immediately by another, more intense crash that shook the entire building. A flash of lightening illuminated the dim room, and Mamoru noticed that someone else had appeared. It was Pluto, in full senshi regalia, her time staff clasped in her hand.
"Pluto?" Makoto, who had come up behind Mamoru, along with the other senshi, asked.
"Hello, Minna-chan," Pluto smiled, red eyes bright.
"Puu!" Chibi-Usa cried, throwing herself at the older woman, who caught her easily.
"Hello, Chibi-Usa," the Guardian of Time laughed, hugging the child.
"Is it time for me to go, Pluto-chan?" Dia asked softly, crawling out of Usagi's lap to the stand before the senshi. Pluto let go of Chibi-Usa and nodded.
"Hai, it is Dia," she held out a white gloved hand.
"Can I say goodbye?"
"Of course."
"Bye Usagi-mama," Dia said as she gave the older girl a hug. Usagi hugged the little girl back tightly, a tears spilling from her eyes.
"I'll miss you, Dia," she said, "Come back and visit, okay?" Dia nodded, smiling, as Usagi let go.
"Hai, I'd like that!" she said, before turning to hug Chibi-Usa. Then she came to Mamoru, standing somewhat awkwardly before him. Mamoru stooped to eye level, wondering exactly what Dia wanted from him. He wished she might stay a little while longer, so he might get to know her, the *real* Dia he had only seen these last few hours. Quickly and unexpectedly, Dia threw her arms around the young man's neck and gave him a hug. Just before she pulled away, the child whispered something in his ear.
"Thank you," she said. Then she was taking Pluto's hand, and waving her good-bye's to the other senshi. Accompanied by another flash of lightening, the two disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. Sniffling loudly, Usagi gazed where they had once been wiping, her eyes. Mamoru came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her small frame. Slowly, the other senshi turned away, going back to their game.
"Usagi-chan?" Chibi-Usa asked, giving the older girl's skirt a gentle tug, "Come play with us, you can be on my team." Usagi looked at the pink-haired child with surprise, her eyes widening at Chibi-Usa's smile.
"Alright," she said, taking the little girl's hand.
"Just don't mess it up," Chibi-Usa said playfully as she and Usagi went into the other room.
"Oh, I won't," Usagi chuckled. Mamoru watched them go, shaking his head just a little before following.
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"Mama!" Dia flew down the marble hallway, a blur of light, and threw herself into her mother's arms.
"Oh, Dia , sweet-pie, I missed you!" Neo-Queen Serenity said as she hugged her daughter. King Endymion stood off the side, gazing down at the two. He met Dia's eyes over her mother's shoulder, a smile blooming on his face when he saw nothing but love and happiness in her violet gaze. Extracting herself from her mother's arms, the little girl came up to her father, who scooped her up happily.
"Did you have fun?" Serenity asked as she climbed to her feet.
"Oh, yes," Dia said with a smile, before she let her lips fall into a pout, "But I wish Chibi-chan would come and visit soon, I'll have no one to play with!"
"Oh, I don't know about that," the Queen said slyly, "If I'm not mistaken, I think a certain little boy came all the way from boarding school just to see you." Dia's eyes lit up, her smile bright as the sun.
"Really?" she asked with baited breath.
"Really," Serenity smiled, before calling out; "You can come out now!" In response, a handsome young boy, about ten, stepped out from behind one of the draperies that had served to hide his green-clad form.
"KIP!" Dia shouted, launching herself from her father's arms. The little boy caught onto her as they connected, both of them ending up on the marble floor. Serenity chuckled, elbowing her husband playfully.
"Kind of reminds me of when we were young," she smiled. Endymion wrapped an arm around her pulling her closer.
"Hai, Serenity," he whispered, "Hai." As couple followed the children down the hall and out onto the sunny veranda, Endymion couldn't help but wonder if this was really the end for Dia, if she was healed and could go on withbeing a little girl. He certainly hoped so, and yet... something felt undone.
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Epilogue
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Two days later, Endymion sat in his study in the wee hours of the morning. He gazed out the window as he sipped at his coffee, Crystal Tokyo in all it's still-night splendor laid before him. Life was good. His relationship with Dia was back to normal, and his little girl seemed for all the world like the happy child she had once been. Her back had healed, which took a load of worry off both himself and Serenity, even if Ami had yet been unable too explain it. Endymion didn't need an explanation, he knew that his little girl was healed, that she had come to terms with what she had been and recognized it for what it was; something of the past. But, a tiny bloom of worry entered the father's heart, it seemed as though she wasn't *quite* ready to let go, as though she was waiting for something...
"Papa?" Dia stood in the half open doorway of the study, clutching a small leather bag in her arms. Her violet eyes were tired and uncertain.
"Yes?" Endymion managed through the tension that had suddenly fallen over the room. Somehow he sensed the importance of this moment, and knew that this was what they had been waiting for, what Dia had been waiting for.
"There's something I need to do, will you come with me?" she asked. Endymion nodded, setting his cup down and pushing the papers aside. Work could wait, his daughter needed him now.
Climbing to his feet, the King followed his eldest child down the hall and out into the courtyard. The night guards quietly saluted the monarchs, assuming that the King and Princess were merely out for a early morning walk, and not a life changing catharsis.
Silently, Dia led her father down the path away from the palace and towards the city bellow. Their quite was thick, and yet companionable, as though they were sharing a moment of perfect, undeniable clarity. As they reached the end of the hill, Dia made sharp turn, and Endymion recognized the building rising before them. It was a memorial that had been set up just after the re-animation of Crystal Tokyo and the defeat of the Black Moon Family. Serenity had been adamant about it's creation, saying it would be a place for the people to remember their lost loved ones. The two guards standing at the doorway admitted the child and their King without question, stepping back into place as the doors closed. Inside, the place was cavernous, the walls filled with dedications to soldiers and citizens alike, those who had show uncommon valor. But it was the center piece that held the attention of Dia's violet gaze. In the middle of the room, a huge crystal pillar stood, reaching through the ceiling and toards the sky, flanked by two eternal flames. A thousand plus names had been carved into the pillar's surface by surviving family members who wanted the names of their loved ones remembered, and just in front was an alter, for those who did not have graves to visit.
Quietly, Dia made her way to the fore of the altar, her father standing just a ways away, giving her privacy and space. Reaching into the leather bag, the child removed four wreaths of flowers, that had obviously been labored over by her own small hands. She laid them on the altar, one by one, with purpose in her movements.
"For Rubues," she said as she placed the wreath of red carnations down, "For Emserude," the ivy wreath found it's place beside the one for the fallen general, "For Saffir, Otouto-chan," Dia sniffled a little, a tiny, crystalline tear landing on Saffir's wreath of orchids, "And..." she paused now, uncertain as she clutched the bundle of white roses, "For Demando," Endymion watched as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, laying the wreath with the others, "*I* forgive you." She said with certainly. Her face was upturned now, gazing at the ceiling with unseeing eyes as she prayed in a language Endymion knew not.
With a sudden burst of clarity, the King took the end of his staff, removing the small blade sheathed within it's length. He put a gentle hand on Dia's back, leading her towards the pillar. She looked up at him with confusion, but he gave her a reassuring smile as he knelt next to her and handed her the blade. Nodding, Dia cried silent tears, accepting his gesture of support. With skill belaying her mere eight years, she carved three names into an empty space at the base of the pillar. Rubues, Esmerude, Saffir. Slowly, Dia traced each one with her free hand, looking at Endymion with surprise when he took the small knife from her. Then the King did something he never thought he would. Gripping the knife in his hand, he carved another name next to the other three: Demando.
The sun rose over the city of Crystal Tokyo, shedding it's ethereal, rosy light on the guards who watched King Endymion and Princess Dia as they exited the memorial. Sakura, a young recruit, couldn't help but wonder at the tears on both their upturned faces. Surely neither of them had lost anyone in the Crisis? She merely shrugged and went back to her duty, walking the length of the memorial.
Hand in hand, Endymion and Dia walked up the hill, headed back to the palace, where Serenity would be waiting for them.
It was most definitely a bright, new day.
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15 years later
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Dia Chiba Kino, Queen of Crystal Tokyo, stood leaning against the marble railing of her third story balcony, gazing out at the glittering lights of the city below. Had her father been present, he might have been quite startled, for the first time in years the resemblance between the young Queen and her past reincarnation were quite obvious. Brushing a lock of white hair away from her face, Dia took a small sip of her wine and went back to swirling it idly in the glass. Her violet eyes glittered curiously as she surveyed her kingdom. She was an excellent Queen, loved by the people, her rule bringing the same prosperity and peace as her mother before her.
Mother. Dia smiled at the thought, her gaze shifting to the brilliant moon, hanging low in the horizon. Her mother's kingdom was there now, on the newly colonized moon where she ruled alongside Endymion. The young woman had always taken great comfort in the moon, it had been one of the many constants in her life, always shining down on her, even when Chibi-Usa went to the past, even when Galaxia's activities made her own existence uncertain, even when she grew too old to sit in her mother's lap. Even when... even when she was uneasy.
Such was the case with the Queen now. It had been a great many years since Dia had been this unsettled, indeed, a great many years since she had paid any mind to Demando at all. Now he seemed all too close.
'He doesn't exist,' Dia told herself, 'Mars said so. The only thing left of him is me.' Is that what frightened her so? No, it couldn't be. She'd made her peace with Demando ages ago. She had no problem accepting what she had been, once she fully understood it. In fact, there were times when she supposed her experiences as Demando aided her as Queen (though she would never tell her father that). She knew what mistakes not to repeat, and she was determined to make sure the past stayed where it belonged.
The past. Again, her gaze shifted in the sky, and fell upon the shadowy light of a distant, distant star. A shiver ran down Dia's spine, turning it to cold ice, her violet eyes narrowing dangerously. It was a trait she shared with Demando, her eyes spoke volumes. They spoke of fear now, as they rested on the black light of Nemesis, glittering in the sky. More than a decade had passed since the Black Moon Crisis, and yet no one had ever ventured to wonder if anything was left of Demando's stronghold. 'That's it!' Dia realized with a start. Something, something still lay on that miserable excuse for a planet, watching, waiting, gathering. How long until it decided to make it's presence known? The Queen's eyes narrowed further, her hand clutching the wine glass in a death grip. No one would threaten her planet, her home, her peace. No one would threaten the child that grew within her.
"Darling, what are you doing out here in the cold?" a warm male voice asked as strong arms encircled her waist. Dia turned in her husband's embrace, plastering a smile on her face.
"Nothing, Kip, just thinking," she replied, giving him a quick kiss, before laying her head on his shoulder. She attempted to draw strength and comfort from the man she loved, and was not disappointed Kip; playmate, best friend, genius, idiot, love of her life. He was all this and more, Dia adored him for it.
"Come back to bed, darling," he advised, whispering the words in her ear, "You'll catch your death." Nodding, Dia allowed the King of Earth and Jupiter to lead her back into the bedroom, snuggling up beside him, waiting for his breathing to slow in the restfulness of sleep. As soon as she knew he was dreaming, Dia abandoned the bed in favor of the window seat, curling her fingers one more around the wine glass as she gazed out at the night. There were far too many things on her mind to sleep tonight. For a long, long time, Dia, once Princess, now Queen of Crystal Tokyo, once called Demando, White Prince of Nemesis, stared out at the black star that had once been her home. Something WAS different, she could feel it in her bones... in HIS bones. Slowly, Dia's eyes focused on her reflection in the clear window pane. It was her own, to be sure, long, waist length white hair, brilliant violet eyes, delicate feminine features. But flanking it, where there should only have been empty space, or perhaps the light from the hallway, was something else entirely. He complimented her nicely, a head or so taller than she, his white hair framing his handsome face, violet lined cape contrasting with the white of his suit. They could have been brother and sister, but they were much closer. Raising her glass in a small, mock salute of acknowledgement, Dia smiled. Demando smiled back.
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And that, Minna-chan, marks the end of my little saga. PLEASE, let me know what you think! Good? Bad? Way too out there? LET ME KNOW!! EMAIL EMAIL EMAIL ME!!