December 4, 3010
She had done it. She had lived the past
thousand years of her life in the name of love and in the name of justice. Over
the years there had been joy and there had been pain. So much pain. The pain of
losing her best friends. The pain of losing her love. But greater than all of
those was the loss of her only child. For she had been able to bring her best
friends back to life as she had been able to bring back the man she had been
promised to for over a millennia before they had actually been brought together
in marriage. But she couldn't bring back her daughter.
It had been several hundred years since she
had watched, helpless, as the young scout had disappeared from her arms, turning
to sparkles in the wind. She couldn't undo that which was never done. For Rini
had disappeared not because of death, but lack of life. Her conception had never
taken place because of circumstances that she had simply not been strong enough
to control. Darien couldn't remember her now, couldn't remember since his
revival from death. No one could remember. But she wouldn't, couldn't
forget. Ever.
She continued to fight. Differently then she
had as Sailor Moon, Super Sailor Moon, or Eternal Sailor Moon. She was the
strongest she had ever been, but she was no longer on the front line. She was
Queen of Crystal Tokyo, Neo-Queen Serenity.
Yes, Crystal Tokyo had come. It had its cost,
of course. A very high price she'd been forced to pay, but pay she had. And
now, it was paying off. Not just for her, but for the world as a whole.
That wasn't to say that her life hadn't
turned out amazingly. She and Darien had married and she was expecting. Though
as much as her heart wanted to believe that she could be carrying Rini within
her body, her head knew better. Knew that she was due in two weeks, on December
the eighteenth, but she could clearly remember Rini's birthday falling in the
spring – June thirtieth, to be exact.
She let a single tear make its course down her
cheek, then brushed it away absently with the pad of her thumb. She missed her
little girl, it was true, but she knew that no matter what, she would love the
child growing within her womb with all her heart – did love the child. She
rubbed her belly affectionately with her right hand.
"I'm waiting for you, little one,"
she whispered before her eyes gently closed and she fell into sleep.
* * * * *
December 18th, 3010
The Neo-Queen gasped as a pain unlike any she
had ever known tore through her body. It wasn't the worst pain she'd
experienced by far, but she still clutched her husband's hand tight enough to
cut off his circulation. He managed to keep up his brave front, nevertheless,
and smiled painfully as he began to lose the feeling in his paw.
"It's going to be okay, Serena,"
Mina murmured comfortingly as she stroked the back of her Queen's other hand.
Seven of the eight Sailor Scouts were gathered
around Neo-Queen Serenity and her King, offering various words of comfort and
assurances – even Raye. Aside from her husband and the pair of guardian cats,
the Scouts were the only members of the privileged few with permission to call
the Queen so informally.
Amy was in another, separate room, preparing
to deliver the royal baby. She entered the room wearing her doctor's coat and
a tiny mask over her mouth and nose. She didn't do much medical work, despite
being one of the very best, if not the best doctor in all of Crystal
Tokyo. For Amy was known to most as Sailor Mercury and, as a Sailor Scout, she
was most often occupied with far more important tasks.
A royal birth was incredibly high on that
list, however, and as the official doctor of the royal family, it was her duty
to deliver Serenity's baby. She motioned to the other Scouts to back up a
little and allow some space so that she could go about the delivery, which they
did, albeit grudgingly.
Sometime later, with little screaming on
Serenity's part thanks to the strength she'd acquired in her lengthy
lifetime, Amy placed the wide-eyed baby girl wrapped in a soft pink blanket in
the tired Queen's arms.
Serenity urged her weary eyes open, wanting
nothing more than to see the wonder she had brought into the world. She was
quite amazed to see that the curious eyes that met hers were cinnamon-coloured
and the thin tuft of hair that sat on her newborn daughter's head was pink.
Cotton candy pink. Her lips parted and a sigh escaped them in her shock.
"What is it? Worried I've figured out
you're cheating on me because of her colouring?" Endymion asked, his
voice held a teasing tone.
She laughed softly and shook her head.
"No, I'm just…in awe," she told
him. Rini had come back to her…
He lifted a tentative hand, touching it to the
newborn's face and cupped it softly.
"I know the feeling," he whispered.
"She's beautiful…just like her mother." A faint blush tinted
Serenity's cheeks. "Let's name her after you."
"Me?" The Queen echoed. "Name
her Serenity?"
He nodded, "We can call her Rini for
short, to avoid confusion. What do you think?"
"I'd love that." She smiled,
placing her hand on top of her husband's.
* * * * *
December 19th, 3010
Not very surprisingly, for those that knew her
well anyway, Neo-Queen Serenity was up and about the day immediately following
the labour, a pink bundle in her arms. She slipped down the halls of the crystal
palace quietly, her feet making but the barest of hint of a sound on the
corridor floors.
She stopped when she reached a door marked by
an odd backward-shaped nine. The symbol of Pluto. She entered the room swiftly
and was not at all shocked to see Trista waiting for her. She knelt and bowed
her head, murmuring, "Your majesty."
"Do drop the formalities," Serenity
said tiredly. Of all the Scouts, the timekeeper was the most formal, despite her
many requests that she be treated as a friend before a queen.
Trista nodded and stood. "I knew you
would come."
"I knew that you knew," she
responded. "But I'll state my purpose despite that. Why was I lead to
believe that Rini was taken from me permanently? Why can the others not
remember? Please answer me, Pluto."
"Time is a fragile thing, Serenity,"
Trista sighed. "When Rini was sent back in time, many paradoxes were
created and you, the King, and the Scouts knew too much of the future. The
entire world was in jeopardy, highness, so the future had to be 're-set', so
to speak. As you know, I have already locked the gates of time to prevent any
further damage. It was the first thing I did when I returned. Subsequently, I
removed memories of Rini from everyone's minds – with the exception of ours.
My memory must stay intact, as it is my destiny to know all of time and to
protect it. Yours…well, under normal circumstances I suspect it would have
been, but you and the neo-princess share an amazing bond. I trust that you will
cherish it."
"You know I will," she murmured. She
gazed down at her daughter's innocent face and felt her mouth twist upwards in
a loving smile. She dipped her head to place a light kiss on Rini's forehead,
then held her close to her body once more. She turned her attention back to
Trista. "What did happen to her then? Why did she cease to exist?
This is so confusing…"
She smiled warmly. "She didn't cease to
exist. She was sent back to the future, where she belonged, without any
recollection of that event. She simply assumed that it had been time for her to
return."
"But why is this different?"
"Time is liquid, still not set. There are
millions of possible timelines and she came from but one. I told you that time
is fragile, but it is also amazingly complicated."
"I understand," Neo-Queen Serenity
nodded absent-mindedly. "Thank you, Trista."
"My life is to serve you," she
responded greatly, then watched as Serenity left the chamber without another
word. "The princess is born, time has set its course. Her guardian will
arrive shortly and fate can direct the passage."
Serenity could remember what she had been told
in her precious time with Rini and her few short visits to the future, but this
was a new future – the true future. Amazing things awaited the royal family
and all of Crystal Tokyo. It would never be easy and it had just begun, leaving
one question.
"Is she ready?" Trista wondered
aloud, before leaving the room, much the way her Queen had.
The End
