Part III—Another Serenity?
Serena-chan gave a cry of pain and joy when she saw
Peruru in halls of the Palace. The pain
in his eyes told her he knew and that he shared her anguish. She threw herself into her old friend's
arms. She had missed him over the years
and had wondered to where he had vanished. But now it didn't seem important. He was there and she just wanted to hug him tightly and reminisce.
Elios watched Serena-chan hug the young faery man and wondered who he was. He slowly approached them as Serena-chan released him and turned to Elios. The tears in her eyes glistened as she introduced them.
"Elios, love, this is my old friend Peruru. He was a faery boy that helped us once defeat this evil sorceress that was kidnapping all the children."
"Peruru, this is Prince Elios of Elysia. He is my love and my fiancé."
Elios and Peruru smiled at each other and grasped each other's hands in greeting. Serena-chan smiled at them both and grabbed Peruru. "Come on now. We have so much to catch up on."
So the three went on their way.
By the end of the day, Peruru was in agony. He had seen the situation his old friend was in and her father was doing terrible. Her burden was so great. She was trying to take care of the King, who was just falling apart. He was still attempting to run the Crystal Tokyo and set up the engagement party for Elios and Serena-chan, but his heart was dead. He had no life, no will. It was suffering just to look at him.
The only joy Peruru had found today was Elios' little sister, Skylar. She had been introduced to him and when their eyes had met something had flashed between them. Her eyes filled with tears and she had thrown herself at him. Peruru had offered what little comfort he could. He even played his flute for Serena-chan, Elios and Skylar. It seemed to make them calm and bring them joy.
The appreciation in Skylar's eyes had warmed his soul.
But that calm moment had not lasted. The entire Palace reeked with grief and pain and there was nothing he could do about it. Nothing he could do to bring back Sailor Moon. To bring back Serena-chan's mother and make her happy again.
If only…
Peruru suddenly shot up, his eyes widening as an idea formed in his mind. If that could work... If it was possible to do that…then…
Peruru took off into the night, telling no one he left, only vanishing.
He wanted to perform his plan.
* * *
Serena ran for her life.
The monsters chased her at her heals as her long white-blonde hair billowed behind her in the long ponytail. Tears streamed out of the corners of her eyes as she relived in her mind the moment the monsters burst into their hidden headquarters. Lita and Haruka had tried desperately to stop the monsters to give Ami and herself time to escape. If they died…so would the Rebellion.
Serena's lungs and side burned in agony as she continued to run. Hell was on her heals and Ami had already collapsed from exhaustion. She had tried to carry her friend, but Ami had told Serena to run as fast as possible and leave her behind. If not they would take them both down and at least one of them had to survive.
Serena bit her lip with the agony as tears streamed behind her with the speed she was running at. Rei and Michiru had been the first ones of the leaders of the Rebellion to die. Their entire world had been take over by the Nega Verse and only Sailor V or Venus had been there to try and stop the evil Queen Beryl and her Generals. Serena's best friend Molly had converted to the evil side because she had fallen in love with one of the Generals and Darien had been killed fighting a general called Malachite. Hotaru and Setsuna were the next ones to be killed and now Lita and Haruka had probably been killed trying to buy Ami and her sometime.
She shook her head in agony. Now Ami was probably dead too and she was the only one left to offer up any kind of resistance! Didn't the world know she was a coward?! Didn't the world realize she could offer no fight against the demons of the Nega Verse?! She can't do this! She didn't have the power to defeat them alone!
Serena opened her eyes and then winced again in agony a splitting pain shot up her side. She sprawled onto the torn ground, the rocks tearing at her skin as she slowly got up. Her eyes widened as she heard the howl of the Shadow Warriors approaching. She winced as she stood again, her body refusing to move anymore. But she had to. She had to keep moving. She had to survive.
She looked up in desperation and blinked in surprise. Up the small hill there was a glowing tear in the air. It crackled with power and the sparkle of it caught her eye as she made a slow step toward it. Could it be what could save her?
She heard the scream of battle from Nephrite, the general that had stolen Molly's heart, and her body trembled. She ignored the screams of her body and muscles as she raced up the hill toward the tear in the sky.
When she reached it, she could not stop her tremors. She slowly moved her hand toward it when she heard a crack of laughter. She turned and saw the Shadow Warriors practically upon her. Serena hesitated no more. She threw herself through the tear.
Only the Shadow Warriors and Nephrite saw her vanish into the glowing tear and saw it seal in an instant, almost as if it and the woman that had gone through it had never existed.
* * *
Setsuna raised her head in question, the strange energy
she had felt vibrating through her body and mind.
The other women looked up at Setsuna with raised brows. She had just been discussing with them what they would do with the ill health of the King when she had cut herself off and looked off into the distance.
Rei got up and waved a hand in Setsuna's face. The tall dark green-haired woman blinked and turned back to the group, which was watching her curiously.
"What happened to you, Setsuna?" Haruka asked curiously as Michiru took her hand. The same question was reflected in everyone's gaze.
Setsuna shook her head and smiled. "I'm not certain. I suddenly felt this strange power come from nowhere. It appeared and then vanished again, as if it had never existed."
Lita shrugged. "Then maybe it didn't?"
Setsuna shook her head. "Oh, no. It existed. I never make a mistake. It was a strange power I had never felt before, but it was strangely similar to the kind of power that makes up the Gates of Time. I'm not certain what it is, but now I wish to look into it further."
The group looked at each other and nodded. They stood up, and discussed who would leave with Setsuna and who would stay guarding the Palace. Within minutes it was agreed that Setsuna, Rei, Ami, and Hotaru would go to the location while everyone else stayed guarding the palace. But before they left, Serena-chan burst into the room.
"I want to go with the four of you. You could need my help and I'm curious to see what Pluto is talking about."
Hotaru smiled at her old friend. "But Serena-chan, what about your father?"
Serena-chan sighed. "Elios and Skylar will watch him for the moment. Plus, I want to see if we find Peruru along the way. He disappeared last night, and I think he just got lost. It would be great if we found him along the way, especially since Skylar was very worried about him."
The four agreed and left to the area Setsuna had mentioned. Rei and Setsuna were trying to sense anymore of the strange energy, while Ami was looking for it with her computer. Hotaru walked by Serena-chan ready to protect her, but also ready to use her healing powers to aid whoever or whatever they found.
What they did not expect to find, was Peruru hovering over a woman with masses of white-blonde hair that spilled about her. Peruru looked up when he heard them approach and let out a sigh of relief.
"Hurry! Sailor Saturn! Use your healing powers on her! She's in terrible shape!"
Ami and Rei went beside Serena-chan as Hotaru approached the young faery and knelt down beside to the woman that lay unconscious and injured. Hotaru didn't show her surprise as she put down her glaive moved her hands over the woman. The unconscious lady looked a lot like Queen Serenity. So much like her that it had startled Hotaru at first. But she shrugged it off. Just small similarities and she missed Serenity so much that she saw her in any woman who looked like her.
Hotaru's hands began to glow as her healing power expelled from her and into the woman before her. The scratches and bruises began to fade away and then the glow seeped into the skin to heal any internal injuries. By the time Hotaru was through she was exhausted. She sighed and leaned back on her legs as the woman slowly awoke.
Hotaru was expecting many things, but she did not expect what she was faced with. When the woman opened her eyes, a deep brilliant blue gazed back at her.
Serenity's blue eyes.
Hotaru gave a gasp of surprise and stood up, taking a step back. Setsuna blinked and looked to see what had startled Hotaru so badly.
Peruru was helping the woman up, who was blinking about her in confusion.
All the Guardians gasped in shock as they gazed at the woman.
It was Serenity.
Serena-chan moved the stiff Ami and Rei out of her way, so she could see Peruru and the woman he was helping. She opened her mouth in greeting and question, but the words died in her throat. The only thing that came out was a hoarse cry.
"Mama?"
The Guardians snapped out of their trance and were going to turn to Peruru to question and Serena-chan to calm when the young woman raced out from between them and threw herself into her mother's arms with a cry of joy.
"MAMA!!!"
Serena blinked in confusion as the pink haired girl grabbed onto her with all the strength inside of her. She shook her head in confusion. She was looking at dead friends before her, an elfin young man, and this young woman who was calling her mother with a relief from agony. Serena's eyes filled with tears. She had almost had a child once with Darien. He had kissed her good-bye before he went to fight with Malachite and the kiss had turned into one night of bliss. He had left the next day and had been killed. Later she had found out she was pregnant, but with the stress and desperation to survive and escape, she had had a miscarriage.
The child she would have had would have been the same age as this girl if it had survived that long.
Serena shook her head, banishing the memories. She had no idea where she was. Was she in Heaven? Her friends were there…was this the child she had lost and she had grown here in the Heavens? Was the faery by her side a messenger or an angel? What was going on?
Rei and Setsuna were the first to take in the confused expression of Serenity's face. She wasn't filled with joy at being alive…she wasn't hugging her daughter. Setsuna nodded at Rei and she nodded in return. Rei approached Serena-chan and pulled the weeping girl off the woman who was identical to Serenity in every way.
"What are you doing, Rei? Let me go! Mom's back! She's back! Please, Rei! Let me hug her until…"
Rei's heart clenched hearing the girl's pleas. The woman who looked like Serenity seemed affected too. She slowly stood up and reached for Serena-chan and the woman holding her.
"Rei? Hotaru? Setsuna? Ami?" her voice ended on a squeak of disbelief. She shook her head. "This can't be happening. Am I dead? Am I here? Or is this just an elaborate dream? Why are you all in such strange clothes? Who is this little faery? And who is the girl? She looks like me, she has Darien's eyes. Is she the child I lost so long ago? The one that Darien gave me that never had a chance to live? Am I in Heaven? Is everyone else here too? Everyone that died?"
The group looked at her as if she had lost her mind. Serena-chan had been stunned into silence. She could not believe what she was hearing. Only Peruru didn't seem confused. He tugged on the torn shirt of the woman and she turned to him, her loose hair glistening in the sunlight.
"You're not dead, Serena. They aren't dead. You're in a different world. With the use of my flute—and a little extra help—I opened a portal from your world to this one. In your world everyone is dead and the Nega Verse has taken over. You and Darien never officially got together and Serena-chan died in a miscarriage you had. Your life had been destroyed. You never knew of your power and neither did anyone else.
"In this world, you knew of your powers because Luna had awakened them for you. You all defeated the Nega Verse quite quickly and stopped hundreds of other horrors that threatened your world. You married Darien and had Serena-chan. You both became the King and Queen of the Earth and Moon and live in the Crystal Palace in Crystal Tokyo. You have complete control over the most powerful element in the universe, the Silver Moon Crystal and your life is happy! But in this world you just recently died. So I brought a you from one world that had nothing left to live for, to a world that needs you and you have everything to live for."
Everyone stared at Peruru in astonishment. Rei released Serena-chan numbly as the young woman approached Peruru. He stood still as Serena-chan stared into his eyes.
"Peruru? You did this so I could have my mother back, didn't you? So Daddy could be happy again and me too?"
Peruru slowly nodded. Serena-chan's eyes filled with tears. "Thank you, Peruru!" and she threw herself into his arms for a hug.
The Guardians looked at the amazed Serena. She seemed to be slowly digesting the entire situation. Setsuna on the other hand wasn't sure Peruru had done all of that on his own. The faery man didn't have enough power to manipulate the dimensions in such a fashion. She would get the truth from him when the reached the Palace.
When they arrived she realized they hadn't needed
to. Everyone at the Palace already knew
of this new Serenity's appearance because the "little extra help" Peruru had
spoken of had appeared.
His name was Daioshin Kamui and he was overwhelming.
The man was huge in height, perhaps a few inches taller than Darien, his short black as sin hair hung over his iridescent eyes that glistened with every color in existence. His black cloak swirled about his body, a warrior's body. He was clearly a warrior born and bred, like King Darien, as well as the other Generals. He smiled as the group came into his view and Peruru rushed up to him with Skylar at his side.
"I'm glad you came, Kamui-sama. You can explain better than I."
Kamui grinned down at Peruru. "Of course, Peruru. Especially since I know a few things that you still don't."
Peruru lifted an eyebrow, but Kamui waved for everyone to be seated. Serena gazed at Darien across the way and saw the hope leap into his eyes. Her only joy, yet agony, throughout the years in hell had been the memories of his touch. Whatever this Kamui person said, she hoped it would help them all.
Darien had to control himself from leaping from his seat and grabbing Serena into his arms. He had been so devastated by her death, he had never thought he would ever see her alive again. And to have her practically within his reach and tangible was driving him insane. He had to hold her again.
Serena-chan and Elios clutched at each other as they gazed at the man before them. They hoped he could help in some way. Elios had told her that he had heard of the Kamui, but hadn't thought he had actually existed. Serena-chan had asked him for more details but Elios told her he really didn't have any. All he knew was that he was probably the most powerful being in the entire universe and his power reached beyond power. That was all he had heard. Serena-chan was deflated, but she hoped that he could give her back her mother. She needed the gentle kiss and the warm hugs of her mother. And she needed to see her father happy again. She clutched onto Elios' hand and he squeezed back.
Setsuna felt something strange and powerful rush through her the moment her eyes met the eyes of the man called Daioshin Kamui. His iridescent gaze had burned a trail of fire up her spine, filling her with heat. She had never felt that way about any man or for any man, but him…and his eyes… She shook her head, her dark green hair shimmering catching his attention. She would ignore these feelings for the moment and then find out who he was. She sensed the same kind of distant knowledge and power in him as her own. An energy like that of Gates of Time. She needed to know who he was and she would find out.
Kamui lifted an eyebrow at the woman they had called Sailor Pluto. Pluto… wasn't she the one who once guarded the Gates of Time? He had never seen her before but he had heard of her. Her hair was a brilliant dark shining green and her eyes a glowing red. He smiled secretly to himself as everyone quieted. He could see the determination in her eyes. She had felt and recognized his power and now she wanted to know who he was. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to accommodate her. He himself wasn't even sure.
Kamui tore his gaze away from her and confronted the entire group, beginning his tale. He smiled. "As I had stated earlier, Peruru came to me asking me to help him bring a Serenity from another world whose life had none of you so he could open the portal of the dimensions to bring her from her world to this one. He and I have already explained what her world was like and I am sure Peruru has already told her some of what this world is like. It is up to all of you to fill her in on the details of this life. Of the battles she has fought, the lives she has saved, the reason she is queen, all of it.
"As for the question will she ever be the Serenity you all knew and loved, it all depends on the will of the gods. All I can say was that the soul of your Serenity was pleading with the gods of the dead to let her return to this realm, but they could not allow it for the simple reason that she had no body to inhabit. Now the situation has changed and who knows what the gods shall decide. The only other comfort I can give all of you is that in some way the Queen noticed my presence, smiled at me to my surprise and said, 'Tell them I will find a way to return'. That is all."
And with that Kamui turned and left the hall.
Everyone was stunned into speechlessness. But the silence did not last for long. There was a joyful uproar that resounded throughout the palace.
Serenity said she would find a way to return! And every one knew once Serenity set her mind on something nothing could deter her.