Act Twenty - Time To Say Goodbye
The day had finally come, the day for destiny to arrive. At twelve o'clock (more or less, considering the bride's tendency to be late for everything) in the afternoon, Chiba Mamoru and Tsukino Usagi, the reborn Prince Endymion of the Golden Kingdom and Princess Serenity of the Silver Millennium, would be joined in holy matrimony.
Things were understandably chaotic at the Tenoh/Kaioh/Meioh/Tomoe household as the Outers prepared for what Minako jokingly referred to as the "Wedding of the Millennium." The title wasn't too far from the truth, since Mamoru had finally loosened his purse strings and let Usagi plan her perfect dream wedding. It was definitely going to be one of most expensive weddings ever held in the history of Tokyo with a guest list rumored to number over a thousand of their dearest and closest friends, which somehow included Mr. and Mrs. Kaioh, much to a certain musician's irritation.
"I still can't believe Usagi-chan invited my parents," Michiru grumbled, slipping on her other Manilo Blanik stiletto. She and Hotaru were in the bedroom she shared with Haruka, waiting for the tomboy to finally come out of the bathroom. "They've never even met. What was she thinking?"
The raven-haired teen shrugged, looking up from the nail she was painting a rich velvety plum that matched her bridesmaid's dress. "Well, she did invite the others' families, so maybe she invited your and Haruka-papa's parents so you wouldn't feel left out."
That explanation didn't make Michiru feel any better. She would much rather feel left out than to spend the afternoon with her successful stockbroker father and high society mother, neither who approved of her unconventional lifestyle. "At least the Tenohs had the decency to decline the invitation to a stranger's wedding. I bet you the only reason they agreed to attend is because the wedding is going to be splashed across the society section in the paper. That sounds exactly like something my mother would do."
Hotaru just rolled her eyes and went back to painting her nails, not seeing what the big deal was. There were going to be so many people at the wedding, she doubt that Michiru would even get the chance to speak to her parents. "What will be, will be, Michiru-mama. There's no use worrying about it."
"I suppose you're right, Hotaru-chan," Michiru sighed, glancing over at the alarm clock on the nightstand. They were supposed to be at the church in less than an hour, but Haruka, for once, still wasn't ready. The musician slipped on a pair of earrings and walked over to the bathroom door, knocking lightly. "Haruka, hurry up. Hotaru and I are already dressed and ready to go."
From behind the closed door, they could hear the distinct rustling of fabric and the mumblings of a few choice swear words. "I'm not going and you can't make me," Haruka declared. "There is absolutely no way I'm going out in public dressed like this."
"I'm sure you look fine, Haruka. Besides, you promised Usagi-chan that you would be a bridesmaid. You can't just not go."
"That was before I saw the dress. I look like a giant blueberry."
There was laughter in Michiru's eyes as she tried to open the door, finding it locked. "You're the one who refused to help us pick out bridesmaid's dresses," she reminded her. "Now, open the door and let us see how gorgeous you look."
After a few more minutes of sputtering profanities, Haruka slowly opened the door and popped her head out, not looking too happy at all. "Okay, I'll come out, but you two have to promise not to laugh," Haruka said sulkily. "If I hear even one giggle, I'm going straight back into that bathroom and not coming out until the wedding's over."
"We promise. Now let's see how you look."
Reluctantly, the tomboy open the door all the way and stepped out, her face distorted into a horrible grimace as she modeled. The dress was indeed a very dark hue similar to that of a blueberry, although Michiru thought her lover looked very lovely. However, Hotaru immediately burst into a gale of laughter at the sight of her "father" in a dress.
"I thought you promised not to laugh," Haruka whined.
"Michiru did, I didn't," Hotaru retorted between giggles.
The blonde gave her adopted daughter an evil glare before promptly turning back around to make good on her threat. Unfortunately, Michiru was already blocking the door with one of her famous "If you don't do what I say, you're going to be sleeping on the living room couch" looks on her face. "You are going to the wedding and you are going to have a nice time, Haruka," Michiru declared, arms crossed over her chest. "I'm sorry you don't like the dress I chose for you, but you have only yourself to blame. Besides, it'll only be for a couple of hours. After the wedding's over, you can change into whatever you want."
"Okay, okay, I'll wear the stupid dress, but it better be worth it."
The musician winked, seductively brushing her finger against the outline of Haruka's jawbone. "Oh, I'll make it very worthwhile…"
Hotaru pretended to gag, then stood up from the bed and walked toward the door. "I think I'll go tell Setsuna we're almost ready to go," she said as she left, although she doubt either of her parents were listening. They were too caught up in each other's eyes. "Thanks for letting me borrow your nail polish, Michiru-mama."
When she came to Setsuna's closed door, Hotaru was surprised to hear relative silence coming from the room. Usually Masago was crying at the top of her lungs at all hours of the day, wanting something to eat or her diaper changed or just to be held. The teen lightly knocked on the door, not wanting to disturb if by some miracle Setsuna had finally managed to put her "sister" to sleep. There was no answer
"Setsuna-mama…" she whispered, peeking her head inside.
The room was dimly lit, the only illumination coming from a beautiful Tiffany lamp she had given Setsuna for her birthday sitting on the desk. Most of the light fell on a head of hunter green tresses elegantly pulled up into a slight beehive. The owner's face was hidden behind her hands, but Hotaru had no doubt that she was crying.
The teen quietly walked over to where the woman sat and rested her hands on her mother's trembling shoulders. Setsuna jumped, startled by the touch. She hadn't heard anyone come in.
Quickly wiping away her tears, Setsuna turned around and found herself staring straight into Hotaru's worried violet eyes. "Hotaru-chan!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing in here?"
"I was coming to tell you that we're ready to go to the church," Hotaru answered. "But why were you crying?"
The guardian of time shook her head, wiping away some runny mascara with her handkerchief. "It was nothing. I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" she asked, not convinced. It wasn't the first time she'd caught Setsuna crying in her room during the past few months, although she usually just left her alone with her emotions. Michiru suspected she might be suffering from post-partum depression, but Hotaru often sensed it was more than that.
The garnet-eyed woman plastered a fake smile on her face as she stood up and took her daughter by the shoulders. "I'm fine, Hotaru," she repeated. "Really. Don't worry about me. You have such a bright and beautiful future ahead of you."
Hotaru knit her eyebrows in confusion, not understanding what Setsuna was talking about. She wasn't making any sense at all. "Setsuna-mama, what are you-"
But the guardian of time shook her head, refusing to answer the unanswered question. She reluctantly let go of her grip on the teen's shoulders and sat down at her vanity, touching up her ruined makeup. "You three can go ahead to the church without us," she said. "Masago and I will catch up with you later."
The younger girl opened her mouth briefly to protest, but seeing Setsuna's haunted reflection in the mirror, she simply nodded her agreement before noiselessly exiting room. Once she was sure that Hotaru had left, Setsuna then stood back up and walked over to the desk where her hourglass still sat, the top half almost empty. Soon, the last grain of sand would trickle through the tiny funnel and she would be gone.
"Destiny has arrived…" she whispered to herself, almost in a trance-like state which was interrupted by Masago's soft wails.
The mother walked over to the crib and took her precious daughter in her arms, smiling softly as Masago's cries lowered in the safety of her embrace. Setsuna then gently kissed the top of the child's head before grabbing her purse and heading to her car.
"Where is that girl?" Rei asked for about the fifteenth time in just as many minutes. She, along with most of the bridesmaids, were waiting in the makeshift dressing room inside the church, waiting for the blushing bride to arrive. "I always said that she would be late for her own wedding, but I never actually MEANT it."
"I'm sure Usagi-chan will be here any minute," Makoto assured the raven-haired priestess. "She probably just overslept."
"Do you think she might have gotten cold hands?" Minako asked to a round of groans at yet another mangling by the Queen of Misquotes.
Luna, who was leisurely laying on the windowsill, sat up and stretched before turning her attention to the parking lot outside, which was already almost completely filled. "I don't think so, Minako-chan," she replied as a familiar pink car pulled up in front of the church, parking in an empty handicap-only space. "Usagi-chan has waited too long for this day to come not to show up. Besides, I'm pretty sure I just saw her arrive."
Sure enough, the normally odango-haired blonde breezed into the room a short time later, dressed in jeans and a pink T-shirt and carrying a large garment bag in her arms. However, her long hair was piled on top of her head and her face was already perfectly made up. Her maid of honor, Naru, hurried in after her with the bride's shoes and veil.
"Sorry we're late," Usagi apologized as she immediately headed toward the curtain hung in the corner of the room to undress. "But for once, it wasn't my fault. The hairdresser had a hard time getting my hair to stay put and then my makeup artist arrived ten minutes late for our appointment. Not to mention that traffic was positively horrible this morning. Things were so hectic, I barely even had time to eat breakfast."
The raven-haired priestess rolled her eyes as she and Naru walked behind the curtain to help Usagi get dressed without ruining her hair and makeup. Excuses, excuses… "Well, at least you made it before the ceremony," Rei said, buttoning the back of the beautiful wedding gown. "And I suppose it was worth it because you look absolutely stunning, Usagi."
"Thanks, Rei-chan," the bride replied, blushing very prettily. She then grabbed her purse and pulled out a gorgeous golden star-shaped locket. "Will you help me put this on?"
Rei took the locket in her hand, admiring the way it shimmered in the light. It looked familiar, but it took her a few seconds to remember where she had seen it before. "Isn't this…?"
Usagi nodded before her bridesmaid even finished asking the question. It was indeed the locket she gave Prince Endymion to remember her by the night before the attack on Silver Millennium over a thousand years ago. She had found the long forgotten trinket in an old shoebox in her closet while she was packing up the things in her old apartment and decided it was only appropriate to wear it on her wedding day. "I think this locket definitely qualifies as 'something old', don't you think?" Usagi asked with a grin as Rei draped the necklace around her neck and fastened the clasp.
"Definitely."
After Naru finished carefully placing the veil in her hair, the three girls stepped out from behind the curtain to a chorus of "oohs" and "ahhs" by the rest of her wedding party. This was the first time most of them had seen Usagi in the dress Setsuna designed, and they had to admit that it suited her perfectly. It was fit for a princess.
Hotaru sighed dreamily at the sight. "Wow, you look gorgeous, Usagi-san! Setsuna-mama really outdid herself this time."
"Where is Setsuna-san anyway?" Ami asked, looking around the room and counting heads. Everybody was there and accounted for except for the guardian of time. "I haven't seen her all morning. It's not like her to be so late."
Pretty violet eyes darkened in worry. Where was Setsuna? That was what she would like to know…
Just outside the chapel where the wedding was set to begin in less than an hour, Mamoru paced across red carpet for about the hundredth time that morning, trying to work off the nervousness that was knotting up in the pit of his stomach. It was unlike him to be so jittery, but he told himself that it was perfectly normal for a man to feel this way right before marrying the love of his life and giving up bachelorhood. At least, that was what he was always lead to believe. But what if he was wrong? What if his body was trying to tell him something? What if…
A friendly hand clasped his shoulder, stopping the groom in his tracks. "Hey, man, you have got to relax," Motoki, who was serving as his best man, said, turning him around. "You look more wound than a ball of yarn. Did I act like this when I married Reika?"
"Actually, I think you were worse," Mamoru replied, letting out a small chuckle at the memory of Motoki's and Reika's wedding day almost three years ago. Motoki had been so hyper from all the coffee he drank that morning to get rid of his hangover from the bachelor party the night before that he actually ran down the aisle to the altar, much to the embarrassment of everybody inside the church. There was no way Mamoru was going to let himself make that mistake.
The door to the chapel swung open, and Usagi's father popped his head out, camera in hand. There were groans all around as the flash went off, nearly blinding Mamoru and Motoki in the eyes. Kenji, who worked as a professional photographer for a magazine, had taken it upon himself to get every single moment of his precious daughter's wedding on film, even though they had already hired another photographer so that he could relax and enjoy the wedding. Needless to say, practically all the groomsmen were becoming rather annoyed with the father of the bride.
"Enough with the pictures, tou-san," Shingo said from behind his father, shielding his eyes from another bombardment of flashes. "You're going to run out of film before the wedding even begins."
"Oh, I doubt that, Shingo," Kenji replied, patting his trusty camera bag that was swung over his shoulder. "I still have about thirty rolls of film left to use and I fully intend to fill them all. Now get over there with Mamoru-san and smile for the camera."
"Tou-san…" the teen whined, although he reluctantly did as he was told, posing for yet another picture with Mamoru and Motoki. However, if he had to take one more stupid photo, that camera was going to somehow "mysteriously" disappear into the bottom of the nearby lake.
After taking a couple of more pictures of some of the other groomsmen who had joined them, Kenji finally put his camera away and pulled Mamoru away from the others for the "talk", which he had been dreading ever since the day he and Usagi got engaged. The two men walked outside, the groom literally sweating bullets under his elegant tuxedo.
"Look, Tsukino-san, I know what you're going to say," Mamoru began, figuring he might as well cut to the chase. Otherwise, they might be out there for hours. Kenji's infamous "chats" were known to be rather long-winded. "You're probably worried that I'll hurt your daughter again, and I can't say that I blame you. Those few weeks after the engagement party were pure agony for her. They were hard on me, too, but I assure you that I love Usagi with all my heart and soul and I promise I will never intentionally cause her pain ever again, so you don't have to worry."
Kenji simply nodded his head, although there was a tug of a smile on his stern face. "That's all well and good, Mamoru-kun, but honestly, I just wanted to welcome you to the family, that's all," he replied, jovially slapping him on the back before his eyes suddenly narrowed. "However, since you mentioned it, if you do hurt my little girl again, remember that I still have my old hunting rifle in the back of my closet and I'm not afraid to use it. Do we understand each other?"
The groom gulped, suddenly feeling the urge to loosen his bowtie. Why did he have to open his big mouth? "Yes, Tsukino-san."
"No need to be so formal, my boy. We're family now. Feel free to call me Kenji-papa."
"Yes, Kenji-san."
Luckily, Ikuko called Usagi's father back into the church to take some more pictures before he could issue any more threats. Well, lucky for him at least. He couldn't speak for the poor guests who were probably all going blind at this very instant. The thought made Mamoru chuckle as he dug his hands into his pockets and leaned against the outside of the church. He closed his eyes, letting the soft late summer breeze ruffle his hair and enjoying the brief serenity he was able to find.
"Mamoru-san?"
Hearing the familiar voice, he slowly glanced up, his cobalt blue gaze meeting that of Burmese ruby. Setsuna stood less than ten feet away, but didn't dare come closer, seemingly frozen in place. In her arms, the baby cooed happily, oblivious to the strained tenseness between her parents. He moved toward them, but the guardian of time shook her head. "Don't make this any harder than it already is, Mamoru-san," she said softly.
Mamoru stopped in his tracks, surprised by the look of absolute sadness reflected in his former lover's eyes. "You're leaving," he stated matter-of-factly, remembering what she told him in the hospital on the day of Masago's birth.
"After the wedding, yes."
"Have you told the others?"
The green-haired woman slowly shook her head, clutching her child closer to her chest. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw the beginnings of a tear forming in the corner of her eye.
"It's better this way," she replied. "I don't want to say goodbye. It's better for me to just disappear and let everyone forget I was ever here in this time."
The prince of Earth stepped forward once again, ignoring Setsuna's silent pleas to say away, and cupped her chin in his hand. Tears were now streaming down her face in tiny rivers, ruining her mascara.
"How can you say that, Setsuna-san?" Mamoru asked. "No one will ever forget you. You've meant so much to us. Both of you." He gently brushed his hand over Masago's raven curls.
Setsuna looked away, focusing her attention on a single black crow dancing on the stairs to the church. Why did he have to make this so difficult? "Please, don't say that," she whispered. "You have a new life ahead of you, one that doesn't include me and Masako. You must forget. Just forget everything!"
"No, I won't forget," Mamoru said forcefully, grabbing her arm when she turned to enter the church. She stared up at him with her tear-filled eyes, stunned to see he was crying, too. "I loved you, Setsuna. We created a life together. How can I just throw those memories aside like yesterday's garbage? I don't want to forget!"
"You never loved me, Mamoru-san. It was all because of Jade's spell. To you, I was nothing more than a cheap slut who was in the right place, at the right time. I should have never invited you in for that cup of coffee that night, but I just couldn't…"
Her words trailed off as she burst into sobs. Not knowing what else to do, Mamoru pulled Setsuna toward him and let her cry on his shoulder, not caring if it ruined his tuxedo. It was more important to comfort a friend in need. Usagi would understand.
"You're wrong, Setsuna-san," he finally said in a faint whisper, kissing the top of her head. "I did love you."
The guardian of time abruptly pulled away from his embrace, taking a couple of steps backwards before turning around. "I have to go. Usagi-chan and the other girls are probably wondering where I am."
"Wait!" he called out, following her up the stairs. Setsuna paused before opening the door, looking down at him in question. "If you don't want me to say goodbye, that's fine. But can I at least hold my daughter in my arms one more time?"
Setsuna nodded, unable to deny him his one last request. She gently placed the gurgling baby in her father's arms, smiling sadly at the loving look on Mamoru's face. It broke her heart to think that Masago would never know how much her father truly loved her, but that was the way it had to be.
Minutes later, Hotaru and Shingo came out to inform them that the ceremony was set to begin in about fifteen minutes. The teen gave her adopted mother a worried look, but Setsuna ignored it as Mamoru reluctantly handed Masago back to her and they went back inside the church, leaving the groom by himself on the stairs for a few moments at his request.
"Sayonara, Setsuna and Masako," he finally said to nobody before entering the church once more.
Usagi took a deep breath to calm the butterflies in her stomach as her father stepped beside her and offered his arm. This was it. She was finally marrying the man she loved for over a thousand years. The bride looked up at Kenji, surprised to see tears in his eyes.
"Otou-san, are you crying?" she teased lightly. Her father was not normally an emotional man.
"Well, can you blame me?" he asked, wiping away a tear that rolled down his cheek with the sleeve of his jacket. "My little girl is all grown up and getting married. Where did all the time go? Wasn't it just yesterday that you snuck into your mother's cosmetics kit and used her favorite shade of lipstick to draw pink bunnies all over the bedroom walls?"
The bride giggled, kissing her father lightly on the cheek. "Silly, otou-chan! That was almost twenty years ago."
"Otou-chan… It's been so long since I last heard you call me that," Kenji said mournfully.
Sensing his sadness, Usagi smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "Don't worry. You'll always be my Otou-chan."
Ahead of them, the processional was already beginning, starting with her five-year-old twin cousins, Sakura and Takeshi, who were serving as the flower girl and ring bearer. Laughter filled the large chapel, which was more like a cathedral, as the little girl in pink decided to start chucking rose petals at her brother instead of on the silver carpet covering the aisle. Their mother immediately jumped up from her seat and grabbed the twins by their arms, dragging them the rest of the way to the beautifully decorated altar at the front of the church.
Next came the bridesmaids, eight of them in all, each holding onto the arm of their respective lovers, except for of course, Setsuna. She was paired with Mamoru's friend Asanuma Itto. Usagi thought the two of them looked rather cute together, in a strange sort of way, and decided that at the reception, she would try to play matchmaker.
Michiru and Haruka were the last in line, coming out together. There were some murmurs from the other guests at the sight of the two women holding onto each other like lovers, but, for the most part, they ignored them. However, Usagi could have sworn she saw the normally elegant Michiru stick her tongue out at an expensively dressed couple she didn't recognize. They must have been the parents the aqua-haired beauty begged her not to invite to the wedding.
Naru handed Usagi her a beautiful bouquet of roses and whispered a final "Good luck" before walking down the aisle after the rest, taking her spot beside the altar as the music changed to the familiar "Wedding March". The guests then stood up and turned toward the aisle, gasping as the beautiful bride and her father stepped through the door. Usagi tightened her grip on her father's arm, thinking she was about to faint from happiness, before they began the slow walk down the aisle toward Mamoru, her waiting prince.
This was it.
Setsuna watched her beloved princess walk down the aisle on the arm of her father, trying her hardest not to cry. Usagi looked so happy, and why shouldn't she be? All her dreams were about to come true.
And his dreams, too. Garnet eyes tore away from the blushing bride and focused on the handsome groom, waiting at the altar with his best man and an Elysionian priest, garbed in ceremonial robes of silver and gold. If Mamoru sensed her eyes on him, he didn't show it. Instead, he looked straight ahead, locking eyes with those of his soulmate and lover. The love he had for Usagi was painfully obvious by the look on his face.
When the bride and her father finally reached the altar, Kenji gave Usagi's hand to Mamoru and took a seat beside Ikuko, who began quietly sobbing on her husband's shoulder immediately after he sat down. The priest then stepped forward and placed his hands over the lovers' grasp.
"As many of you may know, this ceremony is indeed a special occasion, for today we will finally join these two destined lovers in holy matrimony," Helios began, his gentle voice filling the cathedral. "Millenniums ago, their love was forbidden simply because he was of the Earth and she was of the Moon, but through a queen's final sacrifice, they were given another chance to live and love again. It is truly a testament to the strength of their love that they were able to find each other once again, and it is that love we celebrate today. May I please have the rings?"
Takeshi stepped forward with a little push from his mother, holding the silver pillow high above his head. Helios, along with most of the guests and wedding party, chuckled as he took the simple gold and silver bands from the cute little boy and blessed them with holy water. Then he handed one of the rings to Mamoru and told him to place it on Usagi's hand as the prince repeated after him.
"With this ring, I take you as my partner in life and vow to love you completely, with all my mind, body, and soul, until the day I take my last breath upon this soil."
The groom slipped the band on her left hand as Usagi fought to hold back her tears of happiness. The priest handed the other ring to her and asked her to place it on Mamoru's hand while repeating the same simple vow. Her voice quivered with emotion as she swore herself to the man she loved more than anything in the world. The same emotion was reflected in the tears in Mamoru's sapphire eyes.
After exchanging the rings, the two lovers then each lit a flame, which they used to light a pure white candle as a symbol of the promise they made together. "May the Lord keep this flame burning eternally in the hearts of these two lovers," Helios said. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Endymiom-sama, you may kiss the bride."
Mamoru gently cupped his new wife's chin in his hand and brought her lips to his own, causing the locket around Usagi's neck to open and to play its enchanting lovers' melody.
The time guardian quickly looked down at the baby in her arms, tears in her eyes.
It was time.
In a darkened room, the final grain of sand passed through the funnel of an old-fashioned hourglass.
Once the lovers parted, two crystals appeared before their respective owners, one silver and one gold. The magic of the crystals glowed brightly, almost blinding, and suddenly the cathedral was filled with an ethereal white light.
When the light disappeared, the guardian of time and her daughter were gone.