Day Breaks Over the Galaxy

Author's Ramblings: This would be it. The last "official" first season
episode of Galactic Sailors. I will soon bring to haunt you a lovely
songfic, but first...
The frivolous "dedications" section:
To Christina and Ginnie.
To Andrea.
To Brian.
To Beth and Angela.
To Misty.
To Ruka/Shifter.
To Rob.
To Lacey.
To Mom and Dad.
To Kerry and Kyle.
To all those who have read this far--and to all those who will continue
to read.
To The Independent Staff.
To all my teachers.
To friendship.
To life.
To love that transcends death.
To voyages to places I've not yet been.
To hope, peace, and stories that live on forever--beyond my mind, beyond
my fingers, beyond my wildest dreams.
And to me.

--KB--
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Last time, on Galactic Sailors:

The dark clouds broke apart, and everything was restored to its
former glory and beauty.
Seventeen people stood prone, that day, looking out over Tokyo Bay
with private, understanding smiles upon their faces. A shorter aqua haired
woman rested contentedly in the arms of a tall blonde. A teenage girl in a
silver gown had one had clutched within that of a young man. And a six-
year-old in all gold was cradled, asleep, in her mother's arms.
"So... This is it..." Sailor Moon smoothed the blue skirt of her
fuku while sighing. "It's almost depressing..."
Sailor Pluto put an arm around the teen's shoulders. "It is,
really," she smiled. "But, Small Lady, you must grow to understand..."
The teen made a face. "Small Lady? I thought I grew out of that!"
A few individuals of the group laughed at the joke, but it was a
choked, nervous laugh. Because they all understood.
"But... Destiny like ours can't just END, can it?" questioned Sailor
Comet nervously, teal eyes staring at the Queen of the Earth.
Serenity smiled one of her private, mysterious smiles. "Just because
you've beat one evil," she responded, "doesn't mean you've beat them all."
"Soooo..." The blue-haired Sailor Scout raised an eyebrow. "What
you're saying is that there's more to come?"
The Queen shrugged and glanced over at the pregnant woman, who just
shook her head.
"I can't look into my own future," she divulged in a serious tone.
"And your future is my future..." She patted her belly and brushed her
green hair from her face. "OUR future..."
The raven-haired teen looked to her mother for a brief moment before
smiling sadly and watching the first wisps of sunlight flow over the
water. "It's never really over, is it?" she asked in an amazed tone. "No
matter how long we live, or what horrors we face, we'll always be the
Galactic Sailors."
"That you will," agreed the blonde Queen, smoothing her gown. "That
you will."
The group slowly broke up to go home, or to work, or to just take a
walk. Soon, only two forms, slightly shadowed, stood on the pier.
"Lyra... I..." Richard smiled gently at the short girl, whose brown
eyes were fixed on the tiny streams of sunlight that flowed over the
water.
She turned to glance at him, cocking her head to one side. "What,
Rich?" she questioned sweetly, smiling as she spoke. "Is something wrong?"
He shook his head. She had the most unbelievable power over him--the
power to render him absolutely speechless. "I've never met anyone like
you before, and..." He gulped. This was hard. "Lyra, I love you."
With a gasp, she threw herself into his arms. "I love you too!" she
announced, and he could hear that she was sobbing into his tuxedo shirt.
"Never before have I loved someone as much as much as I love you..."
He bent down just a bit, taking her chin in his hands. "And I always
will..." he whispered, drawing his lips to hers.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

And day... Day broke over the galaxy.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

And this, my friends, is where the story lives on...
* * * * * * * * * * * *

The room was dark, lit only by a small glass lamp in one corner.
Nothing seemed to move as the young man paced across its length, his
grief outweighing his logic.
"Sit down, already," commanded a rather hoarse voice from the bed,
a pair of bloodshot eyes narrowing. "You worry too much..."
The young man snorted and turned to the blonde angel. She was seated
in the large, high-backed desk chair, idly stroking the soft fur of a
scrappy calico cat. Her brown eyes did not look up from the animal in her
lap but he knew--intuitively, perhaps--that she was crying. She had been
for quite a while, obviously. Still, he glanced at her and snorted once
again. "Don't you think I have bearing to be worried?"
She nodded weakly, still patting the cat.
He furrowed his red eyebrows. "Are you alright?" he questioned her
softly, worry betraying the stern look on his face.
Coughing, a soft smile crossed the lips of the woman in the double
bed. Slowly she sat up, and slowly she glanced at her son. "If you are
going to be worried about one of us, then worry," she demanded, voice
still weak but definitely playful. "If you are going to choose, then
choose."
"What is going on here?" questioned the girl, brown eyes looking at
the woman with concern. "I don't understand it..."
"Once again, the mistakes of my past plague me," the cat softly
said, sitting up on the teen's lap and gazing at the young redheaded man
with a small, timid smile upon her face. "I screwed up..."
He shook his head and turned to face the doorway, glancing at the
man who sat in the living room. "It's not your fault, Orion," he responded
in a stoic voice, hiding the tears that were about to fall as he watched
his father turn a page in his book. "It's really no one's fault..."
Molly sighed and laid slowly back down, blue eyes smiling even as
her mouth did not. "It's my fault," she admitted boldly. "I knew that this
would happen, and I let it happen..."
"Which is what?" Lyra stood, knocking the cat to the ground as she
began to pace, her sock-covered feet thumping as she clenched her fists
and walked back and forth across the room's length. "I don't get it!"
Richard sighed, still refusing to look at the trio inside the room.
"My mother is dying," he stated in a shaky voice. "Because she is neither
a Planet Mistress or the soul-mate of one, she cannot live forever..." His
voice caught, and he clenched his eyes shut as tightly as he could. "The
rule was that, once we found each other, then she and my father would
die..."
Chuckling to herself, Molly settled under the sheets, watching in
sick amusement as the Princess of the Stars stared blankly at her Prince.
"Come here," she requested in a serene tone of the young couple. Richard
wiped his eyes and obeyed, Lyra following in his footsteps. Hanging back a
bit was the calico guardian of the Silver Star, her green eyes worried as
she watched the almost sobbing young man kneel at his mother's bedside.
But the older woman smiled and beckoning to the cat. "You too, Orion."
The little animal jumped onto the bed's edge, gulping. "I guess that
I still have to obey you, Majesty," she choked nervously. "Silver
Millennium or not."
Molly smiled weakly and gripped her son's hand tightly in hers.
"Your father and I... Well, we made a promise long ago," she told the
group, her tone timeless. "We promised to unite the Prince and the
Princess of the Stars at all costs, no matter what." Her blue eyes gazed
at the young couple, a bit teary as she smiled and them and squeezed her
son's hand tighter. "And YOU did that. Not Melvin, nor I... You two did
that." She smiled at the calico. "Maybe with a slight bit of help..."
A weak sob cut her off. "Mom..." Richard's blue eyes filled quickly
with tears, and he wiped them away just as quickly.
She shook her head. "But, as with everything, we all change,
grow..." She sighed. "And we die, Richard. We die.
"I learned, long ago, to never fear death. Death was going to
happen as soon as I got my son--the Prince--together with his Princess."
She paused, winking at Lyra. "And I've done just that.
"Take good care off each other, you two. More trouble will someday
come. More lives will, someday, be put on the line. You have got to be
careful and hold your heads high, putting yourself first and the ones you
love second."
Pausing then, she sighed and chewed on her lower lip, staring up at
the white ceiling as she took a few labored breaths. "I gave you life,
Rich," she told her son with a weak smile. "And through my powers, I gave
your father more time to live on this planet than any average person would
ever have." Nodding slightly, she blinked away her tears and glanced at
her son. "I have no regrets. I've done everything I ever want to do..."
"But, Majesty!" protested Orion loudly, standing staring into the
blue eyes of the woman. "You cannot die! You are one of the few surviving
members of the Silver Star!"
Molly shook her head. "How easily you forget, Orion," she smiled,
voice becoming thin. "I am not God; I just have connections."
And she closed her eyes, and she let out her last breath.
And, that day, the second of the two rulers of the Silver Star
passed onto a better place.
Richard drew in one, then two sharp breaths, staring at the prone
form of his mother with tear-filled eyes. Nothing moved, in his mind, as
he gazed at her, his entire body shaking in grief.
Then, in a flash of silver light, the body was gone, leaving only a
single golden wedding ring--the symbol of her bond to her husband--behind
on the Earth. Richard felt his heart burst inside his chest, and he began
to feel himself fall into the depths of fear and depression.
Only the touch of a warm arm around his waist brought him back to
reality. "Shhh... Richard..." soothed his girlfriend softly, rubbing his
back. "Come here..."
He collapsed into her waiting, open arms, sobbing.
Rising and hopping off the bed, Orion sighed. They'd be alright. All
wounds would heal.
Walking out into the living room, she cocked her head to one side.
She could have sworn...
Her glowing green eyes trailed to the very seat that Melvin Umino,
the father of her prince, had been sitting in. Where had he gone?
She gasped as the sunlight sparkled off something gold.
All that was left of the happy-go-lucky brown-haired genius was a
wedding ring.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"I wonder what they want us here for," pondered the girl with the
wavy brown hair aloud, wrinkling her nose as she wandered around the room.
Irina grimaced in her direction. "Don't touch anything!" she hissed
as Johanna neared a large table filled with family snapshots.
The brunette laughed. "You worry too much!" she retorted casually,
plucking a picture of Michelle and Alex off the table. She smiled at it.
"Hmm...this one looks old..."
Kevin brushed off his orange shirt and leaned back into the chair.
"July 15, 1997," he quoted, blue eyes glancing at the photo for only a
brief moment. "The legendary 'last concert' that Michelle Kaioh performed
in before retiring to a more posh life as a violin teacher..." The others
stared at him, aghast, and he cleared his throat nervously. "Or, at least
that's what I've heard," he recovered quickly, blushing.
The blonde girl chuckled. "Well," smiled Katie, crossing her legs
and glancing up from her graphing calculator, "I would never guessed you
to be a fan of Michelle's music..."
He continued to pale.
Tossing a bit of her black hair over her shoulders, Irina smiled
evilly and leaned forward in her chair, staring directly at the young man
with her dark eyes. "Unless, of course," she suggested in a tone of mock
innocence, "that's not exactly what he's a fan of..."
With a gulp, Kevin turned bright red.
"Aw, leave him alone," commanded Johanna, still searching through
the pictures. "I think that it's really cute and, anyway..." She trailed
off, whistling a low note as her eyebrows flew into the air. "Oh my
god..." she whispered, chewing on her lower lip.
The others all glanced at her. "What?"
She plucked another photo off the table and held it before the eyes
of her friends. "Who does THAT look like?" Her finger pointed directly at
one of the girls in the picture.
In the photo were six girls, each of varying heights and hair
colors. There was a tall brunette, a short blonde with a huge red bow, a
young pink-haired child, a rather smart-looking girl with blue hair and
huge navy eyes, a raven-haired teen in Shinto priestess robes, and...
"The Queen?" choked Katie, not noticing as her calculator fell to
the floor and the batteries popped out. "It CAN'T be!"
The concertmistress glanced at the photo in doubt. It was old...
Older than the other, most likely. The last girl was rather short, with
long blonde pigtails that sparkled in the sun and big, smiling blue eyes
that had a uniquely royal quality. It HAD to be...
"Enjoying yourselves?" came a deep, amused voice, and four heads
turned to the doorway. Alex tossed her head a bit and strolled up to the
oak desk of the office, Michelle following closely behind. The students
rose quickly and bowed in respect, but there was a spark in their eyes
that told a story of mutual trust and--perhaps--friendship between
teachers and students.
Katie grinned. "Good afternoon, Mrs. and Mrs. Ten'ou," she greeted,
winking a blue eye.
The couple glanced at one another nervously.
Irina laughed aloud and sunk into one of the four chairs that had
been set out for the day. "Don't worry," she chortled, waving a hand as
she saw the apprehensive looks on both their faces. "We'd never call you
that in front of the orchestra..."
Michelle blinked in surprise, her mouth forming a perfect 'o'.
"How'd you know what we were thinking?"
"Your minds are pretty easy to read," responded Johanna with a shrug
as she put the picture back. "You guys are too obvious, sometimes."
Kevin nodded furiously. "Yeah!" he chimed in helpfully. "Didn't you
ever wonder how we figured out you two were gay?"
"KEVIN!" scolded the three girls in unison, blushing a bit on their
friend's behalf.
Flushing a little, Michelle cleared her throat and sat on the edge
of the desk, smoothing the fabric of her rose-print sundress. "Let's make
this easy on all of us," she suggested, crossing her legs and folding her
arms under her chest. "It's like this..."
Suddenly, the blonde boy dropped to his knees in tears, folding his
hands together as he did so. "I didn't MEAN to break the timpani!" he
announced, not daring to glance up at the two teachers. "It was an
accident! I swear it!"
With a snort, Alexandra smiled widely. "I told you it was him," she
told her wife, planting a kiss in Michelle's hair.
She pushed her partner away and shook her head in annoyance, gazing
down at the pleading boy. "Oh, get up," she sighed, rolling her blue eyes.
"That's not what I wanted."
He opened a single eye. "It's not?" he asked timidly. Seeing her
shake her head, he sprung back into his seat as though nothing had
happened.
Irina let out a chuckle and leaned back in her chair, pressing the
tips of her fingers slyly. "So, Mrs. and Mrs., what did you want to talk
to us about?"
Grimacing at the nickname that her four favorite students--UNOFFICAL
favorite students--had thought up for the two of them, the principal of
Crystal Music Academy smiled sweetly. "We have two daughters," she told
them as though it were earth-shattering news, "one of which is twenty..."
"Of thousands years old," put in the blonde woman softly, receiving
a stern glare from the musician. "But, for the sake of argument, she's
twenty."
Johanna nodded, wavy hair flying. "So, this has to do with the
Sailor Senshi thing?" she asked, a bit of confusion in her voice. The
adults stared blankly at her, and she put up her hands. "What?"
With a sigh, Katie cleared her throat. "What do you need that only
we could bail you out of?" she asked rather bluntly, raising a blonde
eyebrow. "We do have classes to attend..."
The young man made a face. "Can't we PLEASE incorporate my orange
shirt into the uniform?" he pleaded, batting his eyelashes.
Michelle held back a chuckle and folded her hands. "Hannah is around
twenty," she continued in a rather amused tone, "and, often when girls get
that age..."
"We'll play at her wedding," Irina nodded, standing and smoothing
the aqua fabric of her school uniform. "Anything else?"
The couple was aghast. "How... What..."
"I told you," Johanna reminded them sweetly, winking a brown eye.
"We can read you two like a book!"
The blonde teen nodded. "You ARE, after all," she chimed in, "our
Mrs. and Mrs. Ten'ou."
They were about to prance out the door and to class until Kevin,
face reflective, turned back to gaze at the duo, who were still both
perched on the desk's edge. With a slight smile, he sighed. "You're
lucky," he told them sweetly.
Alex took her wife's hand. "We know..." she responded, sending a
meaningful green-eyed glance toward the other woman.
He chuckled. "I don't mean THAT," he told them in an amused voice.
"I mean you're lucky because we each only charge seven dollars an hour."
As he jetted out of the office, Alex glanced at her companion.
"So..." she sighed, nodding her head a bit.
Michelle sighed in turn. "I don't believe that Hannah's getting
married, either," she responded, leaning her head on the blonde's
shoulder.
"What I meant, Michi," interjected the tall one with a half-smile,
"is that I can't believe we're going to have enough money to PAY for all
of this."
The aqua-haired woman laughed a little before shaking her head
sadly.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Countdown to doom, death, and destruction," whispered the teen
ominously, tiptoeing softly toward the door as she spoke. Her dress' hem
swished above the carpeting as she walked, expertly avoiding the
floorboards that she knew to be squeaky. She had a few seconds, and only
feet to go. She smiled. "In five...four...three..." She peeked her head
around the doorframe cautiously, her grin growing as she became aware that
the coast was clear. "Two..." Sliding around the corner and out of the
room, she exhaled and shrugged. "One!" she announced softly but
triumphantly, starting down the marble hall of Crystal Palace at a normal
place. "I've finally..."
"REENY!" screeched a familiar accented voice, and the Princess of
the Earth froze in her tracks. About ten feet in front of her was the one
thing she'd least wanted to see in all of the world.
Luna.
"Well, Lune, it's really simple," she chuckled, rubbing the back of
her neck as she glanced idly at the ground. Digging her white shoes into
the carpet, she stole a guilty look at the guardian. She was toast.
"I'm listening," the cat responded coolly, raising a black eyebrow.
"Explain why you were out of your classroom while your tutor went to the
bathroom."
The teen shrugged and adjusted her skirts. "Well, you see, I..."
She chewed on her lower lip. "I needed a drink?"
"No."
"Ambriel's in trouble?"
"I don't think so."
"Locket alert?"
"And I'm Queen Serenity, perhaps."
This exchange continued for a few minutes when, letting her head
hang at about chest level in defeat, the pink-haired teen started slowly
back toward her 'classroom', which was really just one of the Palace's
many libraries. "I don't see how this is fair," she grumbled to herself
with a loud sigh. "I have a dress fitting and I can't go and..."
"What's that?" called the cat after her, voice stern and grouchy.
Reeny grunted in annoyance. "I'm supposed to get my new dress
fitted," she announced loudly, more to create a large amount of noise than
to answer the question from the crabby cat, "because I have to stand up
in Hannah's wedding next week..."
Luna sighed, shaking her head as she began to turn around. Her
orange eyes focused on the hallway for a brief moment before she took a
deep breath and glanced over her shoulder at the girl. Nothing, right now,
meant more to the Princess than her friends. There was no more evil, no
more death... Just the happiness of six girls who were able to be friends
instead of warriors for the first time... It had been about seven months
since that first Meeting of the Mistresses when the six girls had all met.
And soon, the galaxy would once again realize how safe it had become...
"I'll tell your teacher there was an emergency," grumbled the animal
as she strolled down the hall in the opposite direction. "Just don't
expect me to continue being so damn soft..."
With a squeal and a smile, Reeny took off after the cat in a blind
rush. "Thank you, Luna!" she squeaked as she ran past the black Guardian
and toward the hall's end.
The cat smiled. "Well," she whispered to herself in a slightly sad
voice, "you deserve it."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Hold still!"
"I am, Miss Kino! I really, really am! But it tickles!" The child
giggled.
"I don't care if it tickles, you need to hold... OW! Damn it, those
pins are sharp!"
A congregation of thirteen people were gathered in the rather
cramped basement of the Ten'ou household, all trying to conduct proper
pre-wedding business. In one corner of the room were Haley and a boy her
own age with gold-brown hair, discussing the pertinence of contemporary
history to everyday life. Nearby stood a rather bored-looking Terrence,
and in front of him, whistling merrily while pacing, was a very chipper
Earth Princess. Seated on the large couch were Michelle, Brian's mother,
and Brian's father; Alex sat on the edge of the coffee table with both
partners of the young couple on the floor near said table. Susan was
stretched out on the couch, wiggling her toes and complaining about not
being able to see them; and--ever the diligent seamstress--Lita Kino was
measuring and fitting little Celeste Mokoti for her pale yellow flower
girl dress.
Delia Hartford--a golden-haired, slim woman who was obviously
Brian's mother--beamed proudly as she listened to the sounds of the
preparations echo through the room. "It was so nice of you Tenors to
invite us over," she grinned, nodding politely at both Alex and Michelle.
"Ten'ous," corrected the blonde woman, pursing her lips in
annoyance.
Brian's father, a broad-shouldered, massive, rather over-powering
individual with messy gray hair and piercing brown eyes, glanced
menacingly at the tall, slender woman perched on the coffee table. "That's
what my wife said," he growled in a low tone, eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Are you saying..."
"Dad..." warned Brian, nearly rising to his feet as he spoke. He
pushed his glasses up on his nose, glaring at his father. They were a
mismatched pair, father and son, but the older man seemed to relax
noticeably as his child spoke.
The air was tense. Very tense. The aqua-haired musician licked her
lips very nervously and rose slowly. "Would you like some tea?" she
offered politely to the Hartfords.
Mr. Hartford grimaced. "No thanks," he responded in his gruff
timbre. "I don't like..."
"Frank..." Delia shot him a 'look' before she stood and smoothed the
fabric of her blue dress. "We'd LOVE some, Frank."
He grunted and followed his blonde wife up the stairs as she and the
musician began to chatter about the wedding.
Alexandra laughed aloud as they left, receiving two wary looks from
the young couple. She shook her head at them. "Kids, they're just nervous
as Hell," she assured the young duo happily, straightening her tie as she
rose. "Don't worry about them, because they'll be fine..."
"We have no proof of that," mumbled Brian under his breath,
collapsing onto his back as he spoke. "My parents are nightmarish
hellions, aren't they?"
"I...I never said that!" shot Hannah defensively, crossing her arms.
Her mother glared accusingly in her direction. "You said they were
'nice'," she retorted.
The younger woman paled a little. "Well... Uhh... I've never been
good at phrasing things..." She blushed and gave up.
"Listen, kids... It's like this." Alexandra sat back down for a
minute and shot a meaningful glance at both the shorter blonde man and her
elder daughter. "The Hartfords don't understand. They don't understand the
way we Ten'ous--and Tomoes--and Meious--work. But, they'll learn." She
shrugged and once again got up. "Being the mother...erm, father...of the
bride is hard for me." Pausing, she let her intense green-eyed gaze wander
in the direction of the little blonde girl in the yellow, half-finished
gown. "But I think that I understand. They just don't yet..." She shrugged
once more and retreated up the stairs.
Sitting back up, Brian shook his head and rose to the couch. "I
still don't get it," he sighed, remorse in his voice. "There's nothing
wrong with you and your family, and it shouldn't drive my parents to be
ravenous vipers..."
"I'll tell you what IS wrong," Susan interjected, rubbing her huge
belly as she struggled to move into a normal sitting position. "It's the
fact that my ankles are swollen, my back is killing me beyond belief, and
I want to roll over and die..."
Snickering, the black-haired woman joined her fiancée on the couch
and snuggled into his embrace. "One thing's for sure," she commented in a
more relaxed tone than when Brian's parents had been in the room. "Haley
and Eric are hitting it off..."
The gold-brown haired boy turned at the mention of his name. He was
thin, and reasonably tall, but Brian's copper eyes accented his facial
features and drew any on-looker in... He was obviously the blonde man's
brother. "Someone want me?" he inquired, shifting the sleeves of his not-
quite-completed tuxedo shirt. "I heard my name..."
"Nothing!" called Brian, glancing at the duo in the corner a bit
suspiciously. "Just mentioning you in passing..."
"Yeah right!" called Haley with a giggle, teal eyes sparkling in
mirth. "Just don't lie like that to my sister, or the Glaive will get
you!"
With a snort, Reeny stopped her fevered pacing and plopped herself
down on the arm of the couch. "Well, I still CAN'T believe that good old
Hannah is getting married!" she announced, adjusting her not-yet-finished
pale yellow gown as she spoke. "I remember when you caught my hat..."
The purple-eyed woman smiled weakly in bittersweet remembrance. "I
remember..." she sighed, chewing on her lower lip as she glanced tearfully
at her childhood friend. "I remember it all. Every heartbeat we shared,
every time you managed to make me feel good about myself or tried to
comfort me..." She wiped away a tear and reached forward, finding and
holding tightly to one of the teen's hands. "Reeny... Thank you..." she
choked, laying a gentle kiss on the Princess' ring finger.
There was a bit of staggered applause from Terrence, Lita, Celeste,
Haley, and Eric. Brian took into his arms his shaking, weeping girlfriend.
There was a long pause.
And then, Susan burst into tears.
"That was so beautiful!" she cried, holding her head in her hands.
"So lovely! I don't know what to say..."
Her boyfriend came up behind her and patted her back, sending Hannah
a meaningful glance as he did so. "Is she always like this?" he asked the
young woman urgently, furrowing his brow.
"Only in the last few weeks," she responded casually, still trying
to overcome her tears. "Her hormones have basically taken control of her
body."
The brunette teen snickered and joined the rest of the group, her
newfound friend following close behind. "You should have seen her when we
watched 'Gone With the Wind' last weekend," Haley chortled, standing
behind the loveseat. A sardonic smile crossed her face. "Better yet...
Rent some sappy, sad movie and watch it and..."
"Okay, Haley," came Lita's very urgent voice as the blonde child
jumped off the makeshift platform they had built for measuring dresses.
"You're next..."
"Blech..." The teen made a face and stepped up onto the
conglomeration of plywood and two-by-fours. "I hate dresses..."
Eric smiled. "One week and counting, right?"
"One week," agreed his older brother.
Raising a single green eyebrow, the woman on the loveseat halted her
sobbing to look up at the group. "I thought the wedding was in two weeks,"
she whispered, half to herself. "It can't be in one week..."
"Why not, Auntie?" asked Hannah in a concerned voice, cocking her
head to one side.
Obviously flustered, the tall woman rose, all color draining from
her dark-skinned face. Her garnet eyes were bloodshot as she glanced
weakly at her pregnant belly. "N...Nothing..." she stammered shakily,
starting for the stairs in her strange waddle. "Absolutely nothing..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"One-two-three, two-two-three, three-two-three..." Rapping her
pencil on the music stand, Irina leaned back in the chair and smiled as
the other three instruments--bass, viola, and cello--finally played in
tune together. Her brown eyes closed slowly as she listened to the music,
flowing about her and engulfing her body in the most peaceful world...
And then, there was a crash.
Eyes snapped open as the high school senior glanced at the back of
the orchestra room. There, in a pair of too-big jeans and a baggy sweater,
stood a guilty looking blonde girl with strangely curly hair. "What are
YOU doing here?" she shot in relative annoyance, rising from her seat and
striding toward the door. "Mrs. Ten'ou said that we could rehearse
here..."
Johanna gritted her teeth. "Irina..."
The blonde girl smiled and proceeded to pick up the large case she
knocked over. "Mrs. Ten'ou herself?" she asked innocently, not at all
menaced by the tall, tough-looking young woman walking toward her.
"Yes. And your point?" Bristling further, she continued her pursuit.
Grinning like an idiot, the girl pushed the case against the wall.
"Which Mrs. Ten'ou?" she inquired sweetly, brown eyes sparkling knowingly.
Three bows clattered to the floor, as did a pencil. The quartet
gasped in unison and stared in doubt at the chipper blonde teen.
"Wha...what did you just say?" gulped Kevin, he too rising from his chair
as he gaped at the stranger.
Bowing deeply, the blonde extended a hand toward the
concertmistress. "I'm Lyra Mokoti," she introduced, shaking the young
woman's hand firmly before going back to the large case and further
adjusting it. "And I was looking for my tuba."
"You know the Ten'ous?" asked Katie, completely shocked. "You've got
to be kidding me..." She glanced at the others. "Us..."
"Nope!" Lyra walked over to a large wooden cabinet and threw it
open, standing on her tiptoes to see the top shelves. "A little help
here?"
Kevin stepped forward, pulling up a chair to aid in removing the
tuba from the cabinet. "But..." He furrowed his brow, pausing in his aid.
"We thought we were the only ones who knew about their sexuality..."
"KEVIN!" scolded the other three loudly, all paling as their friend
shrugged and began to pull out the large black case.
"What he means," supplied the wavy-haired Johanna in a reasonable
tone as she watched the blonde boy tug the instrument from the shelf, "is
that we didn't think there were many students of this school that knew
about either the wedding or the...Ten'ou family situation."
Cocking her head reflectively toward the brunette, Lyra smiled
widely. "You guys were the ones who played at the wedding!" she announced
triumphantly. She then paused, soaking in the brunette's words. "And I
don't go here, anyway."
Katie stared at her. "Then where..."
"Crossroads Junior High and High School." She smiled once again.
"You guys seem really nice, you know that?"
"Of course we are!" the young man announced, giving a mighty tug to
the case's handle and making a face when it refused to budge. "How..." He
pulled again. "Could you..." He grunted in effort. "Think otherwise..."
And he yanked with all his weight thrown into it...
There was a loud, frightening clatter as Kevin, the tuba in its
case, and the chair all went flying backwards, landing on the last of the
four tile risers.
"Oh my God!" screamed Irina, running down to where the young man and
tuba lay in a heap. "You almost smashed my violin!"
Holding back a snicker, Johanna smiled gently at Lyra while the
concertmistress chewed the dazed boy out. "You know the Ten'ous?"
The blonde nodded. "I'm friends with Haley." Pausing, she glanced at
the brunette and the other, cello-playing blonde. "What song are you
playing at the wedding?" she asked suddenly, as though some sort of
premonition came over her. The duo stared at her. "The Wedding March or
what?"
Now understanding, Katie shrugged. "We're not sure," she admitted a
bit guiltily. "We were thinking something by Pacabel..."
Shaking her head quickly, Lyra took a step toward them and folded
her hands. Her brown eyes sparkled with some sort of strange, knowing
power. "I've got a better idea," she confided in them. "Something that--
if I know the Ten'ous--will mean much more to them..."
Returning, beautiful red-brown instrument cradled in her arms,
Irina smiled. "And what would that be?" she inquired.
From his spot on the floor, Kevin groaned loudly. "Uhhhh... Help..."
The foursome pulled themselves into a tight huddle and began to
talk.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"I still don't get it!" Red eyes flared in anger as she paced up and
down the balcony. "She's this rude little ball of ugly fuzz... None of us
can stand her..." She paused. "Even MOM doesn't like her!"
Artemis laughed, staring out across the city of Tokyo. His blue eyes
were slightly amused, but also sad. It was April now. The month of spring.
New renewal. Hope.
The Galactic Sailors... They had won. They had done it. And his
daughter and son had helped to make it that much more possible. It was
finally--after far too long--a time for peace and redemption.
If, of course, Diana would allow it. He glanced at her once again.
"Diana, why don't YOU like Orion?" he asked in a somber tone. "I know why
your mother doesn't, but..."
"Which would be?" she prompted, interjecting her comment into his
sentence.
He shook his head. "You can ask her." The answer was stern. "But I
want YOUR reason."
She paused and sat on her haunches, furrowing her brow as she
brainstormed. "Well, she swears a lot." She glanced upward in thought.
"And she's very relaxed around the Scouts..."
The white cat smiled. "And?"
"And she got a whole lot of your guidance." Diana gasped at her
comment. "Am I just jealous?"
"Jealous," he agreed, "and under an undue influence."
Silence, heavy silence, fell over the area. Her red eyes trailed to
look at the sea. Only a month ago, they'd stood in the same place. And the
little calico had won the powers--and favors--of Artemis. HER father. But,
then, there was Luna...
"You really think that the only reason that I hate Orion is Mom?"
inquired the pink cat, a bit shocked. "I mean, I know I'm supposed to
listen to her and stuff, but I never thought..."
Artemis interrupted. "I don't think that," he told her. "I just
think that, all your life, we've been spoon-feeding you advice and trying
to assure ourselves that everything will be alright." He turned away and
sighed. "Sometimes, I think that that's what makes both Orb and Orion
really good Guardians--they don't have to live up to our expectations like
we've taught you to." Gulping, he allowed his blue eyes to catch with her
red ones. "I think that we've taught you too much. You've stopped
listening to your instincts and have starting paying a lot of attention to
what makes logical scene. Logic doesn't always have the answer," he
assured her gently. "Your heart does, however."
"I should go talk to Mom," his daughter told him in a weak voice. "I
think it's time I found out what Orion did."
"You're not going to like it," he warned her. "I promise you that.
But beyond all words there are expectations, hopes, and dreams. Those are
what you're to hold onto." He grinned. "Or else."
She purred slightly at his comment and walked through the cat door,
going back into the Kino apartment to most likely ask Alice to let her
out.
Artemis looked out over Tokyo. For hundreds of years, he'd helped
protect the great city. But now, the helpers were of a new, different
generation. His children's generation. And the white ex-guardian smiled.
Because he wouldn't have it any other way.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Well, I basically think that lavender would look very nice on you,"
put in Mrs. Hartford, sipping her green tea as she spoke to the aqua-
haired woman. "As the mother of the bride, you should look absolutely
gorgeous..."
Michelle shook her head a little. "But, in all honesty, I'd really
just to wear something in light blue..."
Lowering his eyes to a glare, Frank Hartford tightened his grip on
the tiny porcelain teacup. "My wife said lavender," he shot at the
musician. "Lavender, it will be."
"My wife," retorted the tall blonde woman, straightening her suit
coat as she poured herself a large mug of coffee, "looks good in
everything."
"Gray-blue or navy, perhaps," responded Delia, smiling at the
slightly blushing woman, "but I really think that light blue would not go
with that outrageous hair color..."
Growling, Alex tossed her full mug into the sink in frustration.
"Who's calling who outrageous?" she roared angrily. "You're a rude one,
Delia..."
Frank stood quickly, striding over to the blonde. "Who do you think
you are?"
"I know who you are!" shot the woman, narrowing her gray-green eyes.
"You're a rude meathead who expects me to let you into MY house and eat
MY food and have your son marry MY daughter..."
"Alex..." warned Michelle, standing slowly. "Don't start..."
"What's so great about your daughter anyway?" snapped Frank,
pounding one of his fists into the palm of his other hand. "Hannah is a
pristine goddess. Brian should marry a real girl!"
The musician turned on him. "Real girl?" she asked, shocked. "Whose
wife doesn't have a college degree?"
"I resent that!" protested Delia, tossing her bright hair over her
shoulders. "How DARE you talk about me like that?"
"STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"
The squabbling stopped. Four heads of four mad adults turned to
glance at a single young blonde man. He stood in the stairwell, glaring up
at them with angry copper eyes. Stepping forward and into the kitchen, he
cleared his throat. "What is going on here?" he asked.
The Hartfords both pointed their separate accusations at the two
Ten'ous, expressions of pure innocence replacing the angry glares. "They
were being rude," the burly man told his son, crossing his arms
itimadatingly. "Especially the blonde one."
"Who started it?" roared Alex angrily, attempting to charge forward.
Her wife grabbed her wrist, and she paused. Tossing her head of sandy
hair, she stalked into the living room and pounded up the stairs.
Brian glanced at Michelle. "Why don't you go and try to deal with
Alex?" he suggested in a cool tone. She nodded solemnly and strode quickly
out of the kitchen.
Delia tucked a strand of hair behind her left ear. "Now, Brian..."
"Sit." His tone was dry and livid. "Both of you sit. Right now."
His parents sat at the table, turning their chairs to face him as he
went to the sink and filled himself a glass of water. His normally cheery
grin had given way to a disastrous, angry, and very disdainful frown, and
his copper eyes were, behind his glasses, focused into a very upset glare.
Sipping the water calmly, he looked as though he were a dormant volcano--
ready to erupt.
He took a deep breath upon setting the cup down and broke the uneasy
silence. "I've had enough of this nonsense."
With a delighted smile, his father stood up. "Glad you agree, son!"
he returned, walking over to the young man. "We should forget this silly
business with Hannah and find you a high-class..."
"I meant, I've had enough with your arguing." He glanced at his big
father, and the man immediately sat back down. "I love Hannah. I mean, I
really truly love her." Licking his lips, he paced back and forth across
the kitchen, playing with his slightly un-sewn tuxedo's cummerbund as he
did so. "And I like her family. Haley, Alex and Michelle make me feel a
lot more at home than you guys do." He heard a gasp come from his mother.
"I want you guys to get along. Or else."
Delia chewed on her lower lip. "But... Brian..."
"Grow up!" he shot at her, interrupting what was about to be a very
long and emotional lecture. "I know you're nervous. And I know that, for
whatever reason, you dislike the Ten'ous. But I really don't care." He
glanced at the two of them. "If you don't stop fighting with them right
now, then..." He sighed. "Then you loose a son."
"You're irrational," his father pointed out in a logical tone.
"That's all..." Brian sent a stony glare his way and the man gave up.
"Fine. We agree with your terms." Frank gulped upon saying this. "And
you're right--we are scared."
Nodding, the woman crossed her legs. "We've never been the parents
of the groom before." She sniffled a little. "And it is very, very scary."
"Don't be scared," Brian told them reassuringly. "You're not losing
a son; you're gaining Hannah."
Frank cocked his head. "Don't you mean a daughter?" he asked,
confused.
"No." Brian smiled mysteriously. "I mean Hannah."
There was a pause before Mrs. Hartford, whether it in her slightly
deranged, upset state or out of good humor, began to laugh at her son's
comment. "Are the Tenlous really that different?" she inquired of her son
through giggles, botching the last name once again. "They seem like a nice
couple..."
He looked at her in slight doubt. "You really have no idea," he
commented with a slight smile. "No idea at all."
Just then, little Celeste stuck her head up the stairs and glanced
at the blonde man. "Brian?" she asked sweetly, pushing some golden hair
from her face. "Can you tell Alex that it's her turn?"
With a slight gasp, Frank raised an eyebrow and looked at Delia.
The woman shrugged, confused.
Walking to the other flight going upstairs, Brian cleared his
throat. "Miss Alex!" he called. "Your turn!"
Choking on his own breath, the older man gaped at his son. "MISS
Alex?" he questioned, aghast.
The tall blonde woman walked down the stairs, dressed in her
unfinished tuxedo. In her shirt--which did not yet have sleeves--and
without a suit coat, she looked a bit different than she had previously.
In fact, she looked very, very female.
She cocked her head at Frank. "Alexandra Ten'ou," she smiled
cockily, knowing what kind of shock he was going through. After all,
she'd seen it all before. "I thought you knew..."
"Alex!" called up Lita's voice rather harshly. "Get your butt down
here before you can't sit on it for a week!"
She obeyed, but not before sending one more amused, self-fulfilled
glance at the man.
Frank took a deep breath. "But...but..." he stammered, looking at
his wife. "I... How... He's a... She's a... Alex is Alexandra?" His voice
wavered as he placed a shaking hand on the table.
"I should have guessed," Delia chided herself, nodding as to affirm
her words. "I knew there was something very funny about that 'man'..."
Smiling to himself, Brian leaned against the kitchen counter. "You
don't know the half of it," he muttered to himself.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Phoebe cleared her throat. "Look around..." she sang, the low notes
reverberating through the auditorium as she did so. "So many things
aren't... My God!" She turned around and glared daggers at the seven
musicians before her. "It's an F-sharp!" She threw a pencil at the tall
clarinetist.
Deftly catching the projectile, Tara marked the sharps she'd missed.
"Stage hog," she mumbled to herself.
"We're out of tune," put in Lyra, adjusting the tuba's weight on her
leg. "Just a tad sharp..."
With a grimace, the concertmistress turned to face the blonde girl.
"YOU have perfect pitch?" she gasped, completely shocked out of her wits.
"I've worked for years to accomplish that..."
She shook her head and held a tiny black rectangle above her head.
"I have a tuner," she responded with a smile. "There is a difference."
Alice stuck out her tongue, tightening her bow. "Explain why I have
to play second violin again," she grumbled.
"Because I am the cello in this quartet!" bragged Katie, sticking
her chest out as she played a low, beautiful note. "You may have
technique, Kino, but you don't have tone."
"Eat my bow, Knisley," the auburn-haired teen shot back, raising the
instrument to her chin. "How easily you forget your place."
Rolling her brown eyes, Johanna plucked one of her viola strings.
"Let's just get this over with..."
Kevin grinned at the blue-haired teen in front of the group and
waved slightly. "You available tomorrow, Phoebe?" he asked sweetly.
"KEVIN!" hollered the entire mini-orchestra, including the blushing
vocalist. "SHUT UP!"
The singer cleared her throat. "Are we ready to start over?" she
asked in a rather dry tone, shooting a 'look' at the others as she spoke.
"Because I have dance practice in about an hour..."
"But I think that piano truly complements this piece," put in a
rather deep voice from the back of the room. Everyone turned to glance at
a reasonably tall young man with dark red hair and silver-rimmed glasses.
He smiled charmingly, depositing a few sheets of music on the piano at the
back of the stage. "What do you say?" Richard asked, staring at Phoebe
with his deep blue eyes. "Will you let me play?"
Irina stood slowly, smoothing her school uniform as she strode
slowly over to the young man. She looked rather seductive as she sashayed
to the piano. "Well, young man," she drawled, batting her eyelashes, "I
don't know..." Wordlessly, she grabbed onto the piano and began pulling it
on its dolly toward the group, her sexy smile replaced by a hardy grin.
"But let's see how you play!"
Lyra let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding in. The
rest of the group laughed, and her three friends--Tara, Alice, and
Phoebe--sent her meaningful, good-natured glances.
"Shall we try again?" inquired the blue-haired soprano as the
concertmistress sat down and as the pianist pulled the bench up to the
large grand piano. "I don't have all year. In fact, I have..."
"DANCE PRACTICE IN AN HOUR!" chorused all of the group members sans
Richard. "WE KNOW!"
Giggling, she turned around and closed her light blue eyes. The
pickups were played, soft and beautiful, and Phoebe smiled.
"Look around... So many things aren't clear... Don't worry,
though..."
And the beautiful tune filled the auditorium.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"None of your damn business," came her short responded the small
animal, extremely short with her daughter. "Leave me alone."
Diana walked after her mother, furrowing her brows as she followed
after her. "No." She jumped in front of the chubby black cat, her red eyes
penetrating into the orange ones of her mother. "I want to know what Orion
did to make her so absolutely evil."
The older cat was silent, but also motionless as she stared at her
daughter for a very long moment. She finally sighed and hung her head
gently. "Do you really want to here the whole, long story?" she asked,
annoyed.
"Yes," the pink animal nodded furiously. "I want to know why you've
tried to avoid her for the last months and why you got into that fight
with her."
Taking a breath, Luna sat down, only three or four inches from her
daughter. "When the Silver Star Kingdom was created," she began with a
sigh, "the Silver Millennium was already established and it was extremely
strong. Queen Serenity--the Neo-Queen's mother--was worried about the fate
of the new kingdom.
"Because of this, she asked the both of us--your father and I, I
mean--to help watch over the tiny Star Kingdom." She paused for a moment,
tears biting at her eyes in the painful memory. "Well, I refused. I was
scared. But your father agreed to help.
"The rulers of the Silver Star created this Guardian Spirit for
their world. It was a very strong being, so they decided that to set the
spirit in the form of a cat."
Diana gasped, a bit astonished. "Orion's a spirit?" she inquired.
The black animal nodded. "An extremely strong one at that. To this
day, I fear a run-in with that animal in her true form. It could be
frightening..." She shivered before continuing on.
"Artemis said that the only way for him to properly guide the
kingdom would be for him to develop a telepathic bond with the spirit. The
rulers agreed. Everything was fine.
"But Orion, as the Queens dubbed her, was very doubtful of her own
abilities. When it was decided for her to save the children and the
rulers, she needed too much help. Her second-guessing herself led to her
lack of time and your father--fearing her death and, therefore, inability
to complete the mission--told her to sleep."
Letting her mother's words sink in, the young cat blinked her large
eyes. Orion... Second-guessing herself? That just didn't sound right...
She raised a pink eyebrow in thought. That went completely against her
father's faith in the cat...
Luna continued. "I was unforgiving of the young Guardian, I admit.
But she single-handedly caused the downfall of an entire empire!" She
clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth. "It's a shame, too,
because she had a lot of potential..."
"It doesn't sound like her fault to me," spoke Diana aloud, looking
at her mother with doubtful magenta eyes. "It just seems like you needed a
scapegoat..."
The older Moon cat made a face. "Diana!" she scolded as her child
stood and starting running down the hallway. "Where are you going?" she
called after the pink animal.
Pausing, the young Guardian glanced at her stubborn old mother and
sighed. "I think I owe someone an apology," she responded in a casual
voice, running down the hall as quickly as she could.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Mommy!" called Ambriel in a loud voice as the Princess arrived in
her chambers, carrying a large, long garment bag. "Mommy's home!"
With a slight laugh, Lisa entered the room and brushed off her
apron. "Hello, Princess," she greeted the pink-haired teen with a slight
smile. "Did you have fun at the Ten'ous?"
Reeny shrugged and collapsed backwards onto the bed, closing her
large red eyes as she did so. "Getting ready for a wedding is SO
draining!" she groaned, letting out a long sigh. "And I'm not even the
bride!"
Trying to climb up onto the bed, the little red-haired toddler
tugged on her 'mommy's' skirts. "Package!" she told the tired teen.
"Package!"
"That's right!" exclaimed the blonde handmaiden, hitting herself in
the head as she spoke. "I totally forgot!" Picking a large box up off the
nearest pink couch, she placed it next to Reeny. "It passed through
security--twice, actually--and both Diana and Ambry here seemed totally
comfortable with it being in the room." She smiled, blue eyes glittering
as she ruffled the hair of the little redhead.
The Princess of the Earth glanced at it warily, one eye open and one
eye closed. "What is it?" she questioned nervously, sitting slowly up and
taking it onto her lap.
Ambriel grinned and motioned for Lisa to pick her up. Her gray eyes
once again had a mysterious knowing sparkle within them. "Present!" she
announced, clapping her chubby little hands. "Present!"
Furrowing her brow, Reeny shook it softly. The box was no bigger
than a breadbox, really, and a bell sounded as she shook it. But the
sound... It was so oddly familiar, and it sent shivers up and down her
spine. There was something odd about that sound.
Slowly, hands shaking, she tore of the nondescript brown paper
wrapping to reveal a silver-white box. She took a deep breath and pulled
off the top, gasping as she saw what was within.
"What in the world is that thing?" questioned the handmaiden,
blinking and shifting the weight of the little girl.
Tears welled in red eyes. Within the box, sitting in a large
quantity of tissue paper, was a small, heart-shaped loop of metal with a
tiny bell attached at the point. The heart-shaped portion of it was red,
with tiny, gold dimples in the cool metal. The bell itself was also
golden, and she felt her heart jump as she laid a single finger on it's
smooth, slightly warm surface. She'd not seen this in a long time...
Holding back her tears, Reeny glanced up at her friend. "It's a
relic from one time when I was back in the 20th century," she replied
shakily, allowing the bell to ring once, then twice, then three times...
"It was from when I met the Pegasus..."
"You miss him?" inquired Lisa, sitting on the bed beside her pink-
haired charge, allowing the toddler to reach forth and touch the artifact.
The Princess nodded weakly, letting the tears trail down her face. The
blonde wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulders. "I can understand
why..." She smiled hopefully, but it didn't raise the teen's spirits any;
the tears continued their flow.
Placing the bell on her lap, she wiped away the tears. "At
Christmastime, I had a dream with Helios in it," she told her handmaiden,
sniffling as she stared at the tiny gift. "He was telling me he would
return to me and then... Then..." She choked on her words. "There was a
rose on my pillow and everything!"
Ambriel patted one of her guardian's hands with her own. "No worry!"
she cooed sweetly. "All is okay!"
Lisa nodded, but something plagued her. Namely, something the Angel
of the Moon had said months ago when she'd made the handmaiden vow to help
raise the little Ambriel. What exactly had it been?
Oh. Yes. 'And Helios will make a great father to both this girl and
more children.' That's what she had said.
Did it mean that the silver-haired priest of Elysion was going to
return? And, if he did, what awaited them? What would happen to Ambriel
with the priest of Elysion so nearby? Nothing made sense...
"Lisa?" asked Reeny softly, putting a hand on the woman's shoulder.
The blonde snapped from her reverie and glanced at the Princess, smiling
sadly. The tears upon the pink-haired maiden's face were quickly drying,
and a slight smile touched her soft, pink lips. "You alright, Lisa?" she
asked delicately.
Nodding, the handmaiden stood quickly. "Yes, well, I'm fine," she
quickly answered, turning her back to the teen so that she would not have
to gaze into the worried, sweet red eyes. "Perfectly fine. Never been
better."
"Liar." Ambriel's voice carried through the room as she spoke.
"Lisa liar."
The blonde just ignored the child, scooping the garment bag off the
bed. "This dress will get very wrinkled if we don't hang it up," she
suddenly said in a resolved voice, smiling as realistically as she could.
"Let's put it in the closet, alright?"
Reeny picked up the little girl and followed her friend and adult
advisor into the large walk-in closet. "If you say so, Lisa," she
responded timidly. "But are you sure you're okay?"
"Fine, fine," the handmaiden retorted quickly, glancing back at the
concerned face of her Princess. "Swear it..."
But, perhaps... Lisa sighed. Perhaps she was wrong.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Orion walked slowly as she listened to the pink cat try to collect
her thoughts.
"Well... It's like this... Um..." Diana sighed and started again.
"What I mean is... Well, I was talking to my parents, and..."
It had been like that for the last five minutes. The calico Silver
Star guardian had been on her way to the Mokoti household when the pink
animal had come bounding into Richard's apartment, demanding to talk to
the other cat. Orion had conceded to listening to the whatever the Moon
cat had to say--on the way to the Mokoti's, of course. And Diana had
agreed happily.
And now... Now, the pink animal could not form a complete thought to
save her life.
"That's it," sighed the calico with an annoyed glance at Diana. She
stopped in mid-step, as did her companion. "You either start talking
instead of blathering or I will teleport to the Mokoti house and leave
you here."
"You can do that?" questioned the pink cat.
The calico paused, glancing up at the sky nervously. Most the time,
her 'teleportation' was just cheap parlor tricks that she'd picked up
back in the Silver Millennium. "Uh... I can try," she shot defensively, as
though that were a valid threat. "In fact, I can try really, really
hard..."
Rolling red eyes, Diana took a deep breath and muttered something
about bad attitudes under her breath. "I talked to my parents today," she
began, beginning to walk again with the ancient cat on her heels. "And my
mother told me about the whole Silver Star thing."
Orion paled noticeably. "And?" she inquired.
"And... I think that she's wrong." Diana turned around and began to
walk backwards down the nearly deserted sidewalk. She gulped and stared
into the bright green eyes of her fellow cat. "I mean, don't get me
wrong--you're a brat. A big brat. In fact, you make Orb look like a sweet
cat..."
About a block away, a skateboarder with headphones turned the corner
and began down the sidewalk toward the cats. "Diana..." warned the calico
cat in a low tone.
Her companion made a face. "See what I mean?" she asked cynically.
"You do little things like this all the time! And I think that's what my
mom hates so much about you." She paused, reflectively, not noticing the
faces that Orion was making as her forest-colored eyes followed the
skateboarder as he coasted toward them. "Well, whatever the case may be,
she resents you something awful. But I don't think..." She furrowed her
brow. "Are you listening?"
The skateboarder was scant feet away, now. The scrappy cat drew in a
sharp, almost painful breath and dove onto the Moon cat, knocking them
under a large blue mailbox and out of harm's way.
Gasping as she realized how close she had been to death, Diana
glanced at the skinny calico cat. Smiling gently, she felt a new
appreciation for the other guardian rise in her throat.
She shook it off.
"Don't think this means I like you," she shot, shaking the dirt
from her fur as she climbed out from under the mailbox. "Because I don't."
Chuckling, Orion followed her out and sighed. "Of course not, Di,"
she retorted jovially.
The pink cat made a face. "I don't!"
"No, really?"
"Orion, shut up!"
"I know you don't like me..."
"You sarcastic jerk! I really don't like you!"
"Never..."
"You're an idiot! My mother's right!"
"Really?"
Their bickering echoed down the block.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

He furrowed his brow and looked at the assembly before him. "Are you
all sure that you can do this by yourselves?" he questioned nervously,
licking his parched lips as he spoke.
A young woman, her silvery sheet of hair flowing about her body and
accenting the bright blue of her dress, smiled gently. "Of course, sir,"
she told him, bowing as she spoke. "You can leave as soon as you wish."
Piercing blue eyes glanced out of the window and surveyed the
beautiful land--HIS land. The world was a swirl of greens, blues, pinks,
and purples. The air smelt of earth, water, sunshine, and flowers... It
was the perfect world.
But what was a world without her in it? He smiled, remembering the
gentle curves of her nearly adult body, the gentle and mysterious smile
that had caressed her skin, and the glowing sheen of silken hair. She spun
a strange, powerful web around him--a web of love. He took a deep breath
and smelled the air for what would probably be the last time in years.
"I leave tonight," he told the young woman, glancing toward her.
"Promise me that our land will be safe."
The woman bowed once again. "You are our Master," she told him in
her silky, sweet voice. "You are the only one we will ever truly obey."
Pausing, she smiled gently. "You do know that, Master?"
He smiled. "Yes. I do."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"All the dresses finished and ready for their debuts tomorrow?"
"Check!"
"All the tuxedos ready to be warn on either their handsome men or
sexy women?"
A giggle. "Check!"
"All guests completely RSVP-ed and ready to go?"
"Check!"
"All Hartfords given their appropriate rabies, tetanus, and
tranquilizer shots?"
"Mother!"
The Ten'ou household was a bustle of action and energy. Six days
had gone by since the fight with Delia and Frank and, in those days, all
wounds had healed. Nothing would go wrong, this time. Nothing. Everything
would be perfect.
Alexandra placed the clipboard on the coffee table and leaned back
into the couch, glancing out of the picture window in the living room as
she listened to Haley attempt to teach Eric "Heart and Soul" on the piano.
Faintly, she could hear someone--Michelle, most likely--typing on the
computer. The smells of Lita's marvelous cooking filled the household, and
the eternally young woman smiled to herself.
If she could freeze time for just one second in time--just one--she
would chose this one.
Purple eyes absolutely glowing, Hannah leaned forward in her chair
and glanced at her blonde parent. "Is that everything?" she asked gently,
pulling the woman from her daydreaming.
Nodding, the tomboy smiled at her eldest daughter. She could
remember the day they'd sworn to raise the black-haired babe as their own.
And they'd done a good job.
She was an adult now. A doctor in a few months. Married in less than
twenty-four hours. Leaving her whole family as she went on to bigger--and
better--things. It hurt, somehow.
"Where's Suse?" asked the aqua-haired musician, entering the room
carrying a sheet of paper. "I can't make heads-or-tails of my e-mail from
Amy."
"She took a nap," Haley responded, trying to guide her friend's
fingers over the white keys with little luck. "She said that she should
have abstained from the Mexican last night."
Alexandra pulled her wife onto her lap and held her close. "What
does it say?" she inquired, trying to get a glimpse of the paper. "What's
so hard to understand?"
Clearing her throat, Michelle glanced down at the paper. "It says:
'Tell Suse that I'll be in early tomorrow. She needs to stay off her feet
and avoid all draining activities. I don't want something happening before
I get into town, and there's a really good risk that it could.'" Michelle
scratched her forehead nervously. "See what I mean?" Her blue eyes flew to
the face of the blonde. "It's in code or something."
Hannah bit the tip of her tongue, thinking. "Well, Auntie has to be
due soon, right?" she asked thoughtfully, glancing at her parents as they
studied the message. "Maybe she's just saying that she could go into labor
early..."
"But Susan's a Mistress," put in Alexandra, her gray-green eyes
roaming over the sheet as she furrowed her brow. "Mistresses always are
right on time." She smiled gently. "Or so I've heard," she sighed, holding
her wife a little closer and planting a kiss on the other woman's nose.
The brunette teen made a face. "Get a room!" she commanded her
parents, sitting cross-legged on the bench while the boy continued to
attempt the song.
Smiling evilly, the blonde adult nuzzled her face into Michelle's
neck for a few seconds to annoy her daughter before responding. "This is a
room," she told the girl, pulling the beautiful aquatic woman as close to
her body as she could. Seeing the teal eyes of the brunette widen, the
blonde kissed her wife full on the lips, dipping her.
"Got it!" announced Eric suddenly, and a disgusted Haley Ten'ou
turned away, just in time to miss her parents pull away from each other,
sharing secret smiles.
Sighing wistfully, Hannah rested her chin in her hands. "Are Brian
and I going to end up like that?" she asked, smiling at her parents as
Alex tickled her wife's ribs before turning back to the bride-to-be. "Or
am I going to end up as part of a normal, boring couple?"
"Don't be to sure that my brother will be too romantic," warned Eric
knowingly, playing the bottom part of the piece without trouble now. "He's
not too good at stuff like that."
Haley made a face and wrinkled her nose. "There's no such thing as
true love," she sighed sadly. "All you ever get is hurt."
The golden-brown haired boy stopped playing and looked to his
friend. "I'm sure no one would ever hurt you on purpose," he told her,
cocking his head as the copper eyes bore into her soul. "I don't even see
why someone would want to..."
Alex laughed aloud. Michelle smiled knowingly at her child's turned
back. Hannah sniggered.
"I heard that," shot the brunette sharply before taking one of
Eric's hand and once again beginning the 'chore' of guiding his fingers
over the piano keys.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

She sat up in bed, wincing. Garnet eyes glanced at the digital
clock on her nightstand. Midnight.
Leaning back in the pillows, she shook her head and clutched her
bulging belly. It'd been since three in the afternoon, right? Yes.
Originally, the pain had only shot through her body once an hour... Then,
once every fifty minutes...
She took a deep breath. It was about once every forty minutes, now.
What was she going to do?
With a sigh, she pulled her ponytail band from her hair and let it
fall loosely around her shoulders. Her due date was that day. Hannah's
wedding day.
"I'm not stealing her thunder," mumbled the woman, licking her lips.
"Not today. This is her day..."
Susan picked up the half-filled glass of water beside her and sipped
it reflectively, eyes half-closed. At least she could go back to bed...
At least for about forty minutes...
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Smoothing the floor length red dress, the vocalist admired herself
in the mirror. "Does Hannah know we're doing this?" she asked the group,
not looking at them.
With a shrug, Katie adjusted her bow tie and tugged on her tuxedo
skirt. "I don't think she does," she responded, finger-combing her messy
blonde hair. "Do you think she would care?"
"Mm-hmm..."
The room was filled practically to capacity with people. Present
were the eight of the nine members of the mini-music group (Richard was
in the room with the men), the two bridesmaids (Reeny and Haley) and the
little flower girl. Also in attendance were two bickering, angry guardian
cats.
"Why'd you have to save my sister?" whined Orb at the calico, making
a face. "It would have been so much easier to have her be lunchmeat!"
Orion wrinkled her nose. "You're an ass!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Want to step up to this?"
"You couldn't take me!"
Phoebe turned to the two cats, who were sitting, practically nose-
to-nose, on a chair in the dressing room. "You two fight like an old
married couple," she stated with a slight smile.
The two animals glared at her. "WE DO NOT!" they chorused before
starting to argue again.
Celeste twirled around in her dress, looking up at the two
bridesmaids. "This is going to be so fun!" she announce giddily, a large
smile crossing her face. "Remember when I was the flower girl at Miss
Alex's and Miss Michelle's wedding?"
The Princess grumbled something about temper-tantrums under her
breath but said nothing directly to the child. Instead, she focused on
looping daisies around the two cone-shaped buns in her pink hair.
With a chuckle, Haley bent over and ruffled the girl's golden hair.
"Why don't you go find Michelle and have her put daisies in your hair,
too?" she suggested helpfully, adjusting the crown of white-and-yellow
flowers upon her own head. "I'm sure she'd be happy to make you pretty..."
"Okay!" announced the child happily, bounding off as she spoke, the
yellow dress' skirt flying out behind her as she skipped off.
"I don't believe any of this," commented Lyra, pulling up her too-
long skirt as she spoke. "Hannah's getting married, the evil of the
universe has been banished..."
Phoebe smiled and pulled the elastic bands from her hair, letting
the cascade of navy blue flow to her waist. "I finally understand my
mother better," she commented with a sigh.
Sighing in turn, the Princess of the Earth blinked her large wine-
colored eyes. "I finally became a good Scout with a Scout team of my own,"
she declared with resolve. "That was my one goal in life."
As Reeny spoke, Alice nodded in agreement. "And I think me and my
mom have finally..."
"This is all well and good," interjected Irina quickly, picking up
her violin. "But we have half an hour until show time and we've yet to
tune or anything."
"But Irina," protested Kevin, pulling his tuxedo shirt on over his
orange tee, "I like listening to the Sailor Scouts give little 'everything
is alright' statements."
The concertmistress rolled her brown eyes. "Later," she told him,
motioning to the others. "We have bigger fish to fry."
The teens, sans Reeny and Haley, filed out of the dressing room.
The two bridesmaids paused to grab their shoes before wandering off to
find where Hannah was. Which left...
"She should have just been left to get smashed!"
"You're a psychopath, Orb! She's your own SISTER! I don't believe
you could say such a thing!"
"Good-two-shoes!"
"Idiot!"
"I have half a mind to..."
And the arguing continued.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Back and forth. Forth and back. Up and down. Down and up.
"Stop pacing," whined Terrence, running a hand through his blonde-
highlighted brown hair. "You're worse than Alex was at her wedding."
The woman made a face. "I resent that!" she shot, adjusting her
tuxedo coat for about the fifth time in a minute. "I wasn't that bad!"
Laughing, the green-eyed prince shook his head. "Al, you got billed
for putting ruts in the cathedral carpet," he reminded her in a complacent
tone.
Brian sighed and stopped in mid-step. "I'm so very nervous," he
whined to them, clasping his hands together and then unclasping them
again. And again. And...
"Come on, Bri," his young brother encouraged him in a rather chipper
tone. "You'll be perfectly fine. Don't worry in the least."
The blonde man licked his lips and began pacing again. "Easy for
you to say," he told his brother. "You're just a groomsman."
Alex clapped her soon to be son-in-law on his back. "If you don't
stop pacing and start acting like a sane person," she warned him, voice
rather cold as her lips curved into a sardonic smile, "then I will no
longer allow you to marry my daughter."
With a chuckle, Richard Umino finished tying his bow tie. "Come now,
Mrs. Ten'ou," he addressed the woman as he leafed through a folder for his
piano music. "You're not that evil."
The Mistress of Uranus laughed at the Starlit Prince. "You have no
idea, Princey boy," she returned, sticking her hands in her pockets
calmly. "I could also talk your dear friend Mrs. Mokoti about your
girlfriend and..."
"You know what? I have to go!" The young redhead grabbed the whole
folder and rushed out of the room quickly, a fearful look plastered on his
face.
Eric laughed aloud, his copper eyes sparkling with mirth. "Is he
that afraid of his girlfriend's mother?" asked the young man, cocking his
head toward Alex.
Smirking, Alex glanced at the brunette boy. "I should ask you how
afraid you are of me then, shouldn't I?" she queried coyly.
Paling, the younger Hartford decided to focus on his shoes.
Terrence laughed a little and leaned against the wall, furrowing his
brow. "You know what I just realized?" he inquired of the others. "Sets
has been acting really weird this morning--avoiding me and the such."
Alexandra nodded, thinking to herself. "She slept almost all day
yesterday," she informed the young Chiba man. "She said it was the Mexican
we'd had for dinner, but..."
There was a knock at the door, and the voice of Frank Hartford
traveled through it. "The Priestess wants all the..." He paused, coughing
a bit. "...All the 'men' are supposed to be out there now."
Eyes widening, Brian wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. "I've
never been so scared in my entire life," he gulped, chewing on his lower
lip. "Never..."
"But even good things come from fear," the woman of the group
assured him. Pausing on her way out of the door, she made a face. "Blech.
I'm starting to sound like Tuxedo Mask..."
Terrence laughed aloud, as did Brian and Eric.
"Tuxedo Ten'ou," smiled the groom, brushing off his coattails as he
strolled out the door with his groomsmen. "Now THERE'S a mental picture
for you..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

He looked around the room. It was exactly how he'd remembered. There
were three different couches, several tables of either pure white marble
or mahogany, a small desk covered with unread schoolbooks and battered
comics, and a large silver-sheeted canopy bed.
Sitting down on the edge of said bed, he sighed and glanced at the
only thing he had brought--his single picture of her. She'd been seven,
maybe eight, at the time, her beautiful pink hair had been an absolute
mess--blowing in the wind as she stood, staring at the camera. Her sweet
smile was more mysterious than it usually was; it was as though the girl
knew a forbidden secret that she wouldn't share. And she wore her school
uniform, the bright blues of it really accenting the red of her eyes.
She was a goddess.
So wrapped up in his thoughts, was he, that he didn't notice as the
blonde woman walked into the room. He didn't notice as she set a large
pile of clothing down on one of the couches and picked up a full laundry
basket.
But he did notice when she turned full toward him and, gasping,
dropped the basket to the floor. "It's... It's... It's YOU!" she s
tammered, blue eyes flying wide as she stared at the young man. "I knew
that the package came from you!"
He smiled slightly at her and stood. "Who are you to know so much,
Miss?" he inquired softly, taking her hand and laying a gentle kiss in
its palm.
"Lisa," she returned quickly, yanking her hand away and picking up
the basket once again. "She... Well, she misses you."
"That's why I'm here," he told Lisa, glancing out at the city of
Crystal Tokyo with sadness in his mysterious, stormy eyes. "That's exactly
why I'm here."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"And a-one, and a-two, and a..."
"This is a wedding!" hissed Phoebe at the concertmistress, not
turning around as the doors to the sanctuary slowly opened before their
eyes. "Not some jazz performance!"
Irina rolled her brown eyes and let Phoebe signal their downbeat.
The rolling, beautiful introductory chords of the song echoed through the
room as the first of the wedding party entered.
"Look around; so many things aren't clear."
The first person was Celeste. Her golden hair was back behind her
head in a beautiful French braid, with tiny curled strands rimming her
face. She smiled as she walked, tossing daisy petals about as she did so.
"Don't worry, though; you know that I'll be there."
Next were Haley and Eric, arm in arm. For the tomboy she was, the
brunette teen looked absolutely gorgeous, the yellow of her long, low-cut
dress bringing out the blue in her teal eyes. Her companion, Eric
Hartford, looked no less charming in his tuxedo, and his copper eyes were
smiling down at his friend.
"A lot of things are so uncertain and the future's on its way."
Reeny followed alone, her pink buns rimmed by daisies as she smiled
and walked down the aisle as the maid of honor. Something about her just
shone as she grinned at the congregation, her red eyes brimming with tears
of excitement and joy as she took her place with the others.
"But look into my crying eyes... Don't take your love away!"
The entirety of the guest rose as the bride and her 'father' started
down the aisle.
"Sometimes, the road looks long; and, sometimes, the world seems
wrong... But I know, I know--all you need is love..."
Hannah's blackish purple hair cascaded around her face and down to
her shoulders, greatly contrasting the white of her long, silk gown. The
skirts of the dress swished like a bell as she strode toward the altar,
on the arm of the blonde mother she loved so much.
"And sometimes, you feel weak; and, sometimes, the future looks
bleak... But I know, I know--all you need is love."
Upon seeing his bride, Brian gasped and choked back tears. He
looked quickly to his best man, Terrence. The older man just patted the
blonde's shoulder discretely. Eric smiled softly at his brother. And
Alex...
From her spot beside the bride, Alexandra Ten'ou winked at them.
"I know... I know... All you need is love..."
Michelle burst out in tears and buried her head in her blue
handkerchief. With a slight smile, Delia Hartford clutched the hand of her
husband, trying not to cry. Susan choked back tears of joy, resting her
folded hands on her belly.
"I know... I know... All you need...is...love..."
The Shinto High Priestess cleared her throat and smiled at Hannah
and her mother. "Who gives this woman away?"
Alex pulled her arm away from Hannah's grasp. "I do," she announced
loudly, booming voice echoing through the room. Laying a chaste kiss on
her daughter's cheek, she went to join her wife.
Brian walked up next to his bride and wiped his sweaty palms on his
pants before taking one of her soft, delicate hands.
"Dearly beloved..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

And the pains were as close as ten minutes apart...
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Now, Brian, will you please take the rings and..."
The blonde man's worried frown had long ago been replaced by a
smile. Everything had gone beautifully. It seemed as though nothing could
possibly go wrong. His bride looked like a goddess, her violet eyes
shining as she gazed adoringly at him. Nothing had gone wrong.
Yet.
Brian turned to Terrence and held out a hand, waiting for the rings.
The older man pursed his lips, sticking one of his hands in his coat
pocket. "Rings..." he muttered to himself, patting his pants pockets after
his first search failed. "Rings..." He opened his coat and looked through
his two inner pockets for the elusive jewelry. "I know I had them
somewhere..." His voice was becoming increasingly louder as he paused to
scratch his head nervously. Green eyes glanced at the nearly fuming blonde
as he smiled triumphantly and slipped off one of his shoes. "The rings!"
he announced, pulling a tiny red silk pouch from his shoe. "I put them in
my shoe so I wouldn't lose them!"
There was good-natured laughter throughout the room as the groom
snatched away the pouch. Susan, on the other hand, just shook her head.
"I don't believe I'm dating that..." she mumbled.
Trying earnestly not to laugh aloud, Raye cleared her throat. "Now,
slip the ring over her finger and say 'with this ring, I thee wed'."
He followed the directions, copper-eyed gaze never looking away from
her beautiful face. "With this ring," he whispered to her, "I thee wed."
Hannah took his ring in her hand and smiled at the priestess.
Smiling back gently, Raye winked a purple eye knowingly. "Now, Hannah,
slip the ring over Brian's finger and repeat the same words."
The bride clutched his hand and put the beautiful golden ring upon
his finger, voice hardly audible. "With this ring, I thee wed."
Closing the book before her, Raye glanced up from the pulpit. "I now
pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Brian wrapped his arms around Hannah and they kissed. Michelle's
sobs went from racking to deafening. Susan burst into her own tears. Haley
cheered for her sister.
"I now present Mr. and Mrs. Brian Hartford!"
And all the world seemed peaceful as the couple walked down the
aisle as the orchestra played a cheery tune.
And all the world was.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Care to dance, Princess?"
"Eeouch! Mom, why didn't you warn me it was hot?"
"Eric, if you call me that one more time..."
"You should be more careful, Alice..."
"Has anyone seen Puu?"
"What do mean, Haley? Do you mean 'Princess'?"
"No... Why?"
"Shut up, you brat!"
"YOU should have told me it was hot!"
"I've got a funny feeling..."
The large ballroom of Crystal Palace was filled with the shouts and
laughter of the wedding reception. Music boomed out of the large speakers,
filling the room with strange echoes. (Hey, it's a marble room okay? What
do you expect?) And the party itself, more than anything else, was
booming.
Tossing his shaggy gold-brown hair, Eric tugged harder on the
brunette's arm. "Please?" he whined at Haley, eyes begging her to dance.
She snubbed him. "Do you know how annoying you are?" she questioned
him, not daring to fall into the pleading copper-eyed gaze. "Get yourself
a different dance partner!"
Bending down to look her in the eye, he brought her hand to his lips
and laid a gentle kiss in its palm. "Come on, Haley," he beseeched her,
his breath on her hand sending shivers up and down her spine. She just
nodded weakly, melting.
And Tara laughed. "Strange girl," she commented to Alice, lugging a
large pot onto the buffet table. "You'd think she was trying to fend off
the guy."
The auburn-headed teen stared wistfully at the couple, clutching an
icepack to a swelling burn on the back of her left hand. Shaking her head,
as though to clear it, she glanced up at the taller Scout. "Yeah, well, I
think that she likes him," she put in quickly, refilling one of the
breadbaskets with her functional hand. "But what good are guys?"
"Plenty of good." Reeny joined the duo, winking a red eye as she did
so in Alice's direction. "So, have you guys seen Puu?"
"WHO?" asked the two in unison, staring blankly at the Princess.
She rolled her eyes. "You know... Tall, very pregnant, Guardian of
Time..." The others both shook their heads in response to her previous
question, and she let out a slow sigh. "Well, then, I don't get it," she
said solemnly, chewing her bottom lip. "She's disappeared off the face of
the Earth and I have this funny feeling that I just can't put my finger
on..." She let out another long sigh.
Alice sniggered. "You too?" she asked the Princess, sending a glance
in Tara's direction. "I thought only a Shinto could feel funny things like
that, and..." Ending the thought with a chuckle, she started for the
kitchen area of the ballroom to further help her mother.
With a shake of her head, the younger teen looked at her Princess.
"One of these days," she mumbled, following the other Scout.
On the other end of the ballroom, Alexandra stood leaning against
the wall, trying to console a still-crying Michelle. "It will be fine,"
she cooed sweetly, rubbing the other woman's back softly. "Hannah's not
moving to the other end of the galaxy or anything..."
"But she's moving out!" sobbed Michelle, burying her head in her
soaking handkerchief. "My little girl's growing up..."
Suddenly, a hand reached out and clutched the blonde's wrist,
dragging her onto the dance floor against her will. She gasped, unsure
what to expect, and tried to weasel free of the grasp without avail. "What
the Hell are you doing?" she hissed at her assailant as she narrowed her
stormy eyes. "And do you know how dumb you look?"
Terrence grinned evilly and twirled her under his arm. "I remember
the last time we were in this very ballroom together," he told the woman
with a green-eyed wink. "You left me on the floor..."
"Yeah, well..." She paled noticeably, still struggling. "I wasn't
wearing a tuxedo then, anyway," she pointed out, glancing around only to
find that she was trapped. "You look exceptionally gay..."
"Have you seen Sets?" he asked her, pulling her close and looking
into the gray-green eyes. Alex's breath was ragged from her attempt to
fight him off. "She's all but disappeared..."
Now serious, the blonde woman shook her head and pulled away from
him as hard as she could, nearly knocking herself over when he let her
wrists go. "No, I haven't," she shot at him in a dry tone. "Is something
wrong?"
He nodded solemnly. "I think so," he told her in a soft voice.
"She's been acting really odd today, and I fear for her..."
Alex gulped, a sudden pang of emotion clutching her heart. Could
something be wrong? It was possible. With a pregnant Susan roaming the
world, all things were possible. "I'll keep my eyes open," she vowed,
starting to walk away. "Maybe you should have a girl who looks like a girl
check the bathroom..."
"Yeah." Terrence smiled slightly at her. Maybe she did have a heart
after all. She was already striding away, no doubt muttering disparaging
comments about his parentage under her breath, but he did catch her
attention with his words.
"Thank you, Alexandra."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"No... Not now!" She pounded the bathroom countertop with her fist.
"This is not the time!"
Laughter shook her body suddenly as she realized that she was
helpless. She was Sailor Pluto! She was NEVER helpless! There had to be
some sort of rule against that! Her laughter turned to tears. She was
helpless.
"I'm going insane," she mumbled to herself. "Completely insane..."
And she left to find her boyfriend.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"So, this is it..." Phoebe leaned back in the chair and looked at
her companions--a young, adorable couple, a rather concerned-looking
Princess with a redheaded toddler in her arms, and a cute little girl.
"It's all over."
Reeny shook her head a little and kissed the top of her foundling's
tiny ponytail. "I don't think it is," she smiled at her friends, watching
Haley dance with the young man who was undoubtedly gone on her. "Even if
our fighting is over, our legacy lives on."
Eyes reflective, Richard put his arm protectively around his
girlfriend's shoulders, smiling a bit as he patted her upper arm. "It
lives on in the others," he stated, glancing at Celeste. "And in all of
us."
"And it lives on in the other destined ones..." Green eyes turned
toward a rather sick-looking Susan as she waddled out of the bathroom.
"The ones who are yet to come..."
The Princess glanced at the green-haired adult as well, furrowing
her brows as she did so. "Is that foreshadowing?" inquired she, turning
her gaze to the six-year-old as she spoke.
Celeste just smiled. "It just may be..." she hinted coyly. Her eyes
flickered from the Princess, to her sister, to her sister's destined, and
to the blue-haired actress. "You tell me..."
Jumping to her feet, the dramatist wagged a finger at the girl. "I
think that means we should keep a closer eye on Susan!" she hissed,
glancing quickly at the woman in question with a look of slight fear in
her ice-colored eyes. "She could be in danger! Her life could depend on
us!"
"I doubt it's THAT bad," mumbled Richard calmly, though his eyes
refused to trail from Susan.
"It's usually not life-threatening when one's water breaks," the
six-year-old said with a certain prophetic ring in her high voice. "I
wouldn't freak out if I were you..."
Ten eyes all stared blankly at the girl. Gray ones sparkled as
Ambriel clapped her hands together in excitement and delight. But, as for
the other four shocked individuals...
"SUSAN!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Your who did what?" His green eyes narrowed as he pushed the
glasses up on his nose and gazed blankly at her.
She didn't look like she was feeling well, he observed to himself as
he smiled slightly at her. The normally silken green-black hair was
disheveled and matted to her face by what appeared to be sweat as she
stood. Her face was drained of all color, her sweet red eyes were
bloodshot, and she seemed to be wobbly on her feet. As she looked into
his eyes, one of her hands on his shoulder to balance herself, he melted
inwardly. He loved her. And always would. Through thick and thin, he would
be there. He WANTED to be.
Susan glared daggers at a strange, chesty blonde woman who stood,
arms crossed, behind Terrence, no doubt craving to be back in the arms of
the tuxedoed man who would be her dance partner. Leaning forward a bit,
the tall woman grimaced as she felt another pain well within her and
clenched her eyes shut. "My water broke," she whispered in a very weak
voice, her grip on his shoulder tightening as the pain hit her harder.
"SUSAN!" chorused several young voices, one of which Terrence
recognized as Reeny's. At the other end of the room, a group of young
destined heroes rushed toward the couple, obviously concerned.
The man gulped, afraid. "You sure?" he questioned of the woman.
She nodded weakly, biting her lower lip as tear welled in her eyes.
"It hurts," she whispered as strongly as she could. "A lot..."
"Is she okay?" Reeny ran up beside the couple and glanced nervously
at her friend.
"We came as soon as Celeste warned us," put in the curly-haired Star
Princess.
Her boyfriend nodded quickly. "Sometimes her strange powers come in
handy," he put in, staring at the Guardian of Time.
Phoebe adjusted Ambriel's position on her shoulders and smiled
sweetly. "So, what can we do?" she asked in her normal, happy-go-lucky
voice, trying to hide her growing apprehension. "After all, we're the
Sailors and we have to do something!" She winked. "I mean, without us the
Scouts, you Mistresses would have been nice and toasted a couple of times
and we all know that you would have hated it... Being dead, I--MMPH!"
Cupping her hand over the blue-haired girl's mouth, Lyra let out a
quick sigh. "Get her to the hospital," she commanded of the King's young
brother. "We'll take care of the rest."
"You sure?" inquired the wary Susan, teary eyes glancing at the
girl. Seeing the teen nod, a slight smile spread across her face. "Thank
you..."
As the couple started slowly toward the room's doorway, a call went
out through the ballroom.
"Miss Michelle! Miss Alex!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"It's been an hour and a half," grumbled the brunette teen,
smoothing the folds of her yellow dress as she glanced up from her can of
diet cola. "How long does it take to have a baby?"
With a roll of his eyes, Eric patted her on the head. "Haley, behave
yourself," he chided her in a light voice. "It's not every day your aunt
has a set of twins..."
She made a face and said nothing.
"So, we were told that..." Hannah glanced at the ceiling as she laid
back into the hospital couch, listening to her mother's footfalls on the
tile floor. From across the waiting room, she could hear her sister's
giggles and soft murmurs from Eric's direction. She smiled timidly.
The aqua-haired woman glanced at her daughter. "Are you going to
tell us this 'news' or what?" she demanded in a testy voice, glaring down
at her watch every few seconds as she spoke.
Pausing to roll up her tuxedo shirt's sleeves, Alexandra looked
down at her daughter and son-and-law, hands on her hips. "Ever since we
got here, all you can talk about is this 'great news' that's 'so
wonderful'..." She made a face. "What the heck is it?"
Brian sat up in his seat. "Well, we were going to wait to tell you
until after the babies, but..."
"It's about me moving out," put in his new wife, clutching her
skirts as she spoke.
Bursting out into tears, Michelle buried her head in her hands. Alex
rolled her green eyes and muttered unkind comments about the overall
effect of weddings on her wife. A small soft hand reached across the gap
between the couch and the large chair that the musician sat on, and the
black-haired bride smiled gently at her beautiful mother. "Brian has a
very rich uncle," she told the woman.
The blonde man nodded quickly. "He owns a bunch of really ritzy
model homes on the outskirts of town." Michelle turned to him with teary
blue eyes. "You know the ones, right? They've all got dozens of rooms and
huge dining areas and they're really, really expensive..."
Alex's stomach lurched. She felt her eyes water. She knew what was
coming...
"Well, there's this one house in particular that he has," Brian
continued in a soft voice, smiling. "It's way to big for him, but when he
heard about our 'family situation'..."
"He invited us to move into this enormous house," Hannah finished,
her voice a bit amused as she watched her more masculine parent
frantically bunch the edge of her shirt in her hands. "Provided you two,
Haley, and Susan's whole family moves in with us."
Michelle's elated gasp echoed through the waiting room as she dove
forward and pulled her daughter into a tight hug. Brian smiled, and then
he glanced at his other mother-in-law...
More specifically, he glanced at his sobbing, frantic
mother-in-law...
"Miss Alex?"
Purple eyes and blue eyes looked up at the young woman as she
sniffled and ran the edge of her index finger underneath her nose. "I
don't understand," commented her wife, wrinkling her nose. "You didn't
shed a tear throughout the entire wedding, or during the course of my
emotional whirlwind, but now..." Michelle trailed off and stared blankly
at the blonde. "Why in the world are you crying?"
"Because," sobbed Alex loudly, "it's so SAD!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"You just wait!" screamed the woman, digging her nails as far into
her boyfriend's skin as humanly possible. "If I live through this, I'm
going to take a knife and..."
"Susan..." The doctor's voice was tense as she glanced up at the
ranting female. Her navy eyes narrowed in a bit of annoyance. "I don't
want you saying things that you'll regret."
Grimacing, Terrence shifted his weight from foot to foot and flailed
his free arm randomly. "Make her stop!" he yelped, trying to pry her
crimson-colored nails from his lower arm. "She's practically killing me!"
The room fell, for the most part, silent. Only the sounds of the
Time Guardian's panted breaths and the mechanical chirping of various
monitors filled the air as Amy stared at her patient. Beads of sweat
covered the woman's face as she finished going through a particularly
harsh contraction. Her eyes were bloodshot, tears streamed from them, and
she was gasping for breath. And beside her, as anyone would expect, was
Terry, his green eyes full of concern as he gazed at the woman with the
messy forest-colored hair and the reddened cheeks.
And Amy smiled privately.
"How much longer will this go on?" mumbled Susan, eyes half closed.
"It hurts like Hell." She paused as her doctor and all the other nurses
and attendants chuckled. "I swear, I am never having..."
"Okay, enough of that," interrupted her boyfriend, laying a kiss on
her hand. "Everything will be fine, and in a few days..."
A nurse put up a hand. "Another contraction's coming any second."
Pulling up her facemask, Amy smiled at her friend. "Ready to push
some more?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"No."
"Then I guess I am."
As his girlfriend began to scream and make various other, less
pleasant noises, Terrence felt his head start to swim. A certain, strong
feeling flowed through his stomach as he looked down at her. Her face was
scrunched up, jaw set in an awful grimace, but she was beautiful. And
powerful. And...
He gulped. And wonderful.
As her fingers groped for and found his forearm and her nails broke
his skin, her realized he wasn't really feeling any pain. What was this?
What was this?
"I see a head!" announced the blue-headed woman triumphantly as the
contraction ended and her patient leaned back into the bed, panting
loudly. "Only a few more pushes and you'll have yourself a brand new
baby..."
A sardonic smile crossed the woman's face as she glanced at the
other Mistress. "And then I have to do all this again..."
"But I'll be there." Terrence touched one of his hands to her cheek.
"I'll be there for you, forever, no matter what happens."
She glanced up at him, nearly helpless, tears streaming down her
cheeks as she let a soft smile cross her face. "Terry..."
"Sets, I never want to be without you," he breathed, laying a finger
across her lips to silence her. "No matter what happens throughout my
life, I never want to be a day without you. I love you. I think that we
were destined to be together. Just as Serenity was for Endymion. Just as
Michelle was for Alex and Hannah was for Brian..." He smiled and pushed
his glasses up on his nose. "You seem to know a lot about soul-mates. I
dare you to tell me you're not mine..."
A nurse glanced at a monitor. "Contraction coming in a few
seconds..."
Sinking to one knee, Terrence Chiba took one of the green-haired
woman's hands and kissed it tenderly. "Will you marry me?"
"Susan, you need to push..."
She smiled, her mouth halfway open, and then...
She began screaming bloody murder as the contraction hit her.
Climbing to his feet, Terrence grimaced. "I'll take that as a
yes..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"I don't believe that Susan is having her babies," she smiled softly
to herself, smoothing the red hair of the little girl in her arms. "She'll
be so changed..." She laid a kiss on the child's cheek. "I know I was
when I first laid my eyes on you, little one..."
Pulling open the doors to her chambers, the Princess of the Earth
breathed in, sniffing the air. It smelt of fresh-cut roses and of green,
wind-ruffled grass...
Within the room, all curtains were pulled shut. She furrowed her
brow. No lights were on, and--when she attempted to switch them on--she
found that the lamps had somehow been disabled.
"I have been waiting for you for a very, very long time," breathed
a deep, mysterious voice.
A cool breeze encircled her, somehow closing the marble doors behind
her. She stumbled forward, nearly dropping the sleeping toddler. "Who...
Who's there?"
Nothing moved. Not even Ambriel stirred. The room was silent.
"How easily you forget..." A sparkling of white light came from a
large chair with its back to her. She could see silver-white hair from her
vintage point, but not much else. "I made a vow to the woman I love to
return. To become all of her. To love her." The strange form shook with
laughter as it rose. "And I have come."
Red eyes grew wide as the form neared her. It was a very familiar
young man. He raised a hand to brush silken pink tresses from her face,
and he then kissed her lightly on the lips, his breath tickling her face.
"Maiden," smiled Helios, running his hand down her cheek. "Maiden,
I have come for you..."
Reeny held back tears long enough to lay the sleeping Ambriel onto
her bed. Her whole body shook as she neared the young man once again. "I
don't..." She let a stream of crystal water flow down her cheek. "Is it
really you?" she asked, almost afraid of the answer.
"It 'tis," he responded, resting his hands on her hips. "I am here
for you, Princess Serenity..."
And she fell into his arms, sobbing tears of joy.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

He watched her touch the babe's head, nearly afraid to move. Her
gentle fingers smoothed the fuzzy green-black hair as the woman's large
eyes filled with tears. "Hello, little one," she choked, her voice
strangled as she held back tears of joy. "Welcome to the world..."
The little child didn't cry or fuss, but two enormous eyes--eyes
which seemed to be of all colors and none--stared up at the woman. And a
slight smile crossed the woman's lips.
"I see it already," sighed the young doctor, placing her stethoscope
back around her neck as she spoke. Her navy eyes glanced down at the other
child, the one that laid in the bassinet before her. "That trip to the
Time Gates was not wise."
"What's wrong?" The man's green eyes enlarged as he stared at the
blue-haired woman in fear. "Are they alright?"
Amy smiled and picked up the second child, smiling as the little one
opened his eyes and took his first long gander at the world. "They'll go
through advanced aging," she told the couple matter-of-factly, holding out
the child toward his father. "Do you want to hold him?"
He shied away from the baby, and then actually looked at his son.
Tears suddenly glistened in his green eyes as he took the baby in his arms
and allowed a few tears to escape his eyes. "He's...beautiful..." Terrence
walked slowly over to his girlfriend's bed and laid a kiss on her
forehead. "You're beautiful... And the twins are just..."
"Do they have names?" insisted a loud, teenage voice. The two heads
turned to the doorway, wanting to see what--or, more appropriately, who--
was standing in the front of the room.
Winking a teal eyes, Haley walked up to the bed's edge, sitting on
it cautiously. "We couldn't help but notice the fact that all those
annoying nurses had bustled out and such."
The two young men in tuxedoes, the woman in the wedding gown, and
the two women who were arm in arm all nodded in chipper agreement and
grinned. "So, do the babies have names?" inquired Eric, quick to take up
the tiny amount of space between his brother and the brunette girl.
Susan smiled weakly and closed her eyes. "Well, this is Aeris
Lynne." She gestured to the tiny baby girl with the colorful eyes, who had
fallen asleep in her arms. "And Terry has..."
"Peter Skye," broke in the proud father, cradling his baby son
lovingly.
"She got her way with the names, I see," chuckled Alexandra, tossing
her blonde hair haughtily and smirking at her friends. The green-haired
woman's eyes flew open just long enough to catch her boyfriend's green
ones in a meaningful glance. He nodded, and she nodded, and both smiled.
Alex furrowed her brow. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Brian laid an arm around Hannah's shoulders. Michelle wrapped her
arms around her wife's waist. Eric even had the guts to take Haley's hand
in his. They all looked at the couple.
The young man coughed, blushed, and promptly studied the floor.
"Uhhh... What does WHAT mean?" he asked, pretending that the meaningful
smile that the twosome had shared had not occurred. "I don't know what
you're..."
Putting up a hand, Hannah Tomoe-Hartford stepped forward and looked
her aunt straight in the eyes. Terrence froze. All the others froze. Even
Amy, who was busily filling out all sorts of charts and papers, froze.
And the young bride grinned. "We mean," she supplied with a wicked
gleam in her purple eyes, "to ask you a question."
"Which is?" He was naïve as ever. Susan grimaced and clenched her
eyes tight shut, not daring to see what colors her boyfriend's face was
going to turn in a few seconds.
And the voices of Alexandra, Michelle, Hannah, Brian, Haley, and
Eric all united for one brief second in time.
"When's the wedding?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *

There are some stories that go on forever.

Things happen. Bad things, good things, and they effect more lives
than can be counted. They effect more people than words can describe. And
these things live inside each one of us.

Evil is real. But the world... The world is protected. Not by some
unreachable ideal, but by people.

People. There are so many of them, aren't there?

Evil is real. It lives in every one of us. Within our dreams and
our nightmares, there is evil. We've lived it, breathed it, and it has
haunted us in our hearts and mind.

But the world... The world is protected. Not by what, buy by WHO.
By eight people. Eight warriors.

The Galactic Sailors and the Starlit Prince.

They're there. In everyone's hearts.

Right now, maybe the world is doing fine. And day has broken over
the galaxy. True. But evil is real. And it will return. And it will be
stronger and more terrifying than anything tangible.

But they will be there. Eight warriors.

And they will save the galaxy.

There are some stories...

There are some stories that live on forever.

--KB--
as written on 3.10.00
* * * * * * * * * * * *