Author's Notes: Wow, you people panicked a lot faster than I thought you would. Now, haven't I always asked you to trust me? Believe me when I say that Serenity not being reborn is actually a good thing, and you'll see why later this chapter. Now go read.
Quote of the Week: "You don't understand. She has just seen the person she loves most die. Any person will flee from that harsh reality…" Tomo of Fushigi Yuugi said this.
Peace and love to beta readers and reviewers. Don't we all love peace? Than REVIEW or the next chapter will not be posted for a while.
That's What It Takes - Chapter 3
By: Eternal Rose
"Remember what? I've never met them before in my life." Heero's words threw all of them for a loop. How could he not remember them? After everything they had been through, after all that had come to pass, after… Serenity. How could he have let all of that just slip away?
"Heero, could you come with me for a second? I could use your help repairing Heavyarms." Trowa asked. When he noticed the strength of Heero's ongoing glare, he added, "Don't worry, they won't do anything."
Heero grunted, then walked slowly back towards the garage. He tossed one more suspicious look over his shoulder before he disappeared out of sight. The others stared in wide-eyed disbelief after Heero, then turned their gazes to Trowa, who's face held the slightest hint of sadness and understanding.
"What's the matter with him?" Duo said, regaining his voice once again. "Why doesn't he remember them?"
"Do you think… do you think Renity used her crystal to take away his memories?" Minako asked quietly. Sadness filled her beautiful blue eyes, and Motoki wrapped an arm around her.
"Why would Usagi just take away his memories of her?" Rei asked, indignation in her voice. "Why wouldn't she take all of our memories?"
"She didn't take his memories." Trowa said. They all turned to stare at him, and the compassion in his eyes was unmistakable, though neither his face nor his voice hinted at it.
"Trowa?" Quatre asked, confusion filling his voice and mannerisms. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he stared at his friend. "You don't mean that…"
"Don't mean what?" Wufei quarried when Quatre didn't finish speaking. Ami, too, looked slightly frightened as what the two pilots were talking about came to her. Slowly, slowly, each of them came to the same realization, and none of them were any happier about it then the others. Finally, only Duo and Minako had not figured it out yet.
"Ok, so let me get this straight." Duo said. "Heero doesn't remember them, or any of our Silver Millennium past, and it has nothing to do with Serenity using her Silver Crystal. Are you sure about that? She was pretty liberal with that thing the last time I saw her, and I doubt she'd want to leave Heero pain. But no, I guess you're right cause she wouldn't have left any of us pain if she could avoid it - "
"Maxwell." Wufei interrupted him. "This is really fairly obvious. For someone who claims to be Shinigami, you really have no idea of how people react to death."
"So it does have something to do with Serenity!" Minako declared. Haruka and Michiru exchanged looks. "Now, Holmes, what else can we use to get these people to explain this to us?"
"Pssst… Haruka." Michiru whispered. Haruka turned and looked at her lover, curiosity becoming the reigning emotion. "Do you have any idea what she's talking about?" Haruka shook her head. "Me neither."
"You guys," Ami started. "Haven't you ever heard that stress can do strange things to people?"
They stared blankly at her. Ami rolled her eyes and continued. "You guys, Serenity didn't cause this directly, but rather it was the consequence of her actions. When Serenity died, Heero couldn't force himself to go on with the memories of what he had lost. So rather than fight his emotions to survive, he did what he has been taught his whole life to do - he blocked."
"So you're saying that Heero doesn't remember her cause he doesn't want to?" Duo asked. "But why wouldn't he want to know about his true love, his soulmate? Or heck, why wouldn't he just wanna know about Renity? She was the best."
"Duo!" Minako exclaimed, and she whapped him upside the head. "You really don't know much about love, do you? He has a soul bond, the rarest and deepest bond a person can have to another. When you have a soul bond, being away from the person on the other end of it is the hardest thing in the universe to do."
"Oh shit." Duo said, and he looked at the others, finally catching on. "Heero is refusing the accept the fact that she existed so he won't have to deal with pain, isn't he?"
Everyone nodded, or rolled his or her eyes. Wufei was heard to grumble, "Took you long enough…"
"That said, you guys," Motoki remarked, "What do we do now?"
~* Astral Realm *~
"No." The word fell as a death sentence from the elder Serenity's lips, and the princess crashed to her knees. Tears filled her cerulean eyes, and quickly began to overflow. The queen ran and held her daughter before speaking again. "Usagi, it isn't what you think."
"How is it not what I think, mother? If I can't be reborn, then I can never see my friends again!" The anguished teenager exclaimed. Her mother ran a soothing hand over her hair, and she easily relaxed into the comforting embrace.
"Darling, you presume things far too quickly." Queen Serenity said, a small smile on her face. "You won't be reborn, true, but there's a very good reason for that!"
"What very good reason could there possibly be to keep me away from my Heero?" Usagi yelled.
"Who said anything about keeping you from him?" The queen asked. "Serenity, you won't be reborn for one reason, and one reason only - you're not dead!"
"I'm… I'm not dead?" Serenity's voice faltered. Could it possibly be true? Could she really still be alive, still be able to go and be with her love, to heal his heart and bring him back to himself. For even now, she knew he was not all right. He was fine, but in the sense of the words a teacher once told her, not in the true meaning of the word.
"No, you're not. Don't you remember what I told you the first time we met in this realm?" Queen Serenity asked. At her daughter's inquisitive look, she continued. "You are the Goddess Diana / Artemis, a reincarnation of the Goddess Selene."
"That's right!" Serenity gasped. "And you are Phoebe, my mother. Father was Hyperion. The Titan of the sun and the Titaness of the Moon combining to create a Goddess of the Light. That's the old legend you always told me when I was younger, and wanted to know why you and father risked having extra children after Motoki was born. It was to pass on your powers, so that someone could take your places one day."
"Yes, my dear daughter." The elder Serenity responded before revealing her true self, the Titaness Phoebe. "The time has come for you to inherit your full powers, and relieve me completely of my obligations as Moon Guardian. There is also someone else here who has something to give you."
"Father?" Serenity whispered hopefully. She cast her eyes around the realm created as her haven, seeking a face she hadn't seen in over a millennium. Her eyes finally locked on the man who had helped create her. She ran to him, and locked her arms around him, crying out, "Father!"
"Sweet Serenity." Hyperion said, holding his beloved child as tightly as he could, as though he would never let her go. "Oh, I have missed your smiling face around Olympus."
"Hyperion, my wonderful husband," Phoebe interrupted, "I believe you are forgetting the reason we came here. The time has come to give our Guardian her powers."
"But Mother, doesn't Quatre inherit father's powers?" Serenity asked, confused.
"Oh, don't worry about Helios." Hyperion interrupted. "He will receive powers of his own in due time, but it is imperative that we take care of you now. Transform!"
"All right…" Serenity replied, slightly unsure still. She closed her eyes, and in a flash of radiant light* she appeared as the Goddess that she truly was, Artemis / Diana / Selene. She laughed softly. "It's funny, but with so many names, I don't really know what to be called in this form."
"Diana. You should definitely call yourself Diana." Hyperion told her quite seriously, before a mischievous smirk overcame his face. "After all, Diana is the only name you have that's associated with virginity."
"Hyperion!" Phoebe shrieked, slapping her husband's shoulder playfully. He smiled penitently, and the Titaness found that she couldn't stop herself from returning the smile. The two leaned in and claimed the other's lips. Phoebe sighed as she pulled back. "I have missed that, but right now we have to take care of something a little more important, don't we?"
The girl watched her parents, eyes wide. She laughed quietly, before speaking again. "Artemis. I want to call myself Artemis."
"Do you mind my asking why? Because, really, for my part, I find Diana to be quite a lovely name…" Hyperion's voice trailed off when he saw the mock - glare his wife was giving him.
"The other names are reminders of other things." At her parent's curious expressions, she continued. "Endymion told me a long time ago that Selene was associated with the name Endymion, so I won't go by that. Better to forget him. Diana was the name Heero knew me by the first time we met in what is for him this lifetime. It wouldn't be good to constantly remind him of the pain he suffered because of one of my deaths."
"You really are very wise, my daughter." Phoebe said. A playful smile teased her lips. "You must take after me. Now dear, it is time to begin the ceremony. First of all, you must call upon the Silver Crystal and give it to me. This is the last time I shall ever use its power."
The Crystal was called in a moment, and the royal symbols of those gathered blazed forth upon their foreheads. The two soon to be former rulers joined hands, and smiled at their daughter, motioning for her to kneel. She carefully went down upon her knees, and looked up at her parents expectantly.
"Daughter, you must keep your eyes focused on the Crystal." Phoebe said. "Stare deep into its recesses, and you will feel yourself be swept away on a wave of power. Let that power wash over you, and merge with what you already have."
Artemis nodded, and looked as far into the Crystal as her eyes could see. When they saw that she was totally focused, Phoebe and Hyperion began the ritual.
"In the beginning, when there were only the gods, a future was foretold." Phoebe intoned. "A legend, a prediction that one day, the Moon Titaness and the Sun Titan would join, and through their union, the heir of the universe would be born."
"She was not to be its ruler, but rather its protector." Hyperion continued. "Blessed with the power of the light, she was to drive the darkness from its hiding places. However, she was not expected to do so alone. In exchange for the life that she would be forced to give in servitude for others, she was to be granted a companion, who would be with her forever."
"Brother or lover, brother or lover, the prophecy declares. In time she will be forced to choose, for only one will be allowed to go with her." Phoebe recited. "For now, we must take the first step in helping her on her way to removing the darkness. We come here today to give the Guardian her powers."
"In the name of the Sun," Hyperion declared, pouring his powers into the Crystal.
"By the name of the Moon," Phoebe said, adding her own powers. Together they finished the declaration.
"We join our powers, those of light, and give them to its Guardian, the Goddess Selene. Through this transfer she will at last receive the powers which have always been intended for her. We ask now that the transfer occur, and forever install her as the Guardian of the Light."
A blinding flash of light filled the room.
~* End Chapter 3 *~
*It just so happens that I actually have an explanation for why I was so obsessed with those damn flashes of light. Yay!
CHALLENGE! - Anyone who can tell me what "Fine" stands for, tell me and I will give you your choice - more of this or more of "I Have a Headache" next? Warning - some of the language used to explain it isn't exactly kind.
I'll try to have more out over the weekend, but I'm not making any guarantees.
*hugs*
~Rose
Quote of the Week: "You don't understand. She has just seen the person she loves most die. Any person will flee from that harsh reality…" Tomo of Fushigi Yuugi said this.
Peace and love to beta readers and reviewers. Don't we all love peace? Than REVIEW or the next chapter will not be posted for a while.
That's What It Takes - Chapter 3
By: Eternal Rose
"Remember what? I've never met them before in my life." Heero's words threw all of them for a loop. How could he not remember them? After everything they had been through, after all that had come to pass, after… Serenity. How could he have let all of that just slip away?
"Heero, could you come with me for a second? I could use your help repairing Heavyarms." Trowa asked. When he noticed the strength of Heero's ongoing glare, he added, "Don't worry, they won't do anything."
Heero grunted, then walked slowly back towards the garage. He tossed one more suspicious look over his shoulder before he disappeared out of sight. The others stared in wide-eyed disbelief after Heero, then turned their gazes to Trowa, who's face held the slightest hint of sadness and understanding.
"What's the matter with him?" Duo said, regaining his voice once again. "Why doesn't he remember them?"
"Do you think… do you think Renity used her crystal to take away his memories?" Minako asked quietly. Sadness filled her beautiful blue eyes, and Motoki wrapped an arm around her.
"Why would Usagi just take away his memories of her?" Rei asked, indignation in her voice. "Why wouldn't she take all of our memories?"
"She didn't take his memories." Trowa said. They all turned to stare at him, and the compassion in his eyes was unmistakable, though neither his face nor his voice hinted at it.
"Trowa?" Quatre asked, confusion filling his voice and mannerisms. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he stared at his friend. "You don't mean that…"
"Don't mean what?" Wufei quarried when Quatre didn't finish speaking. Ami, too, looked slightly frightened as what the two pilots were talking about came to her. Slowly, slowly, each of them came to the same realization, and none of them were any happier about it then the others. Finally, only Duo and Minako had not figured it out yet.
"Ok, so let me get this straight." Duo said. "Heero doesn't remember them, or any of our Silver Millennium past, and it has nothing to do with Serenity using her Silver Crystal. Are you sure about that? She was pretty liberal with that thing the last time I saw her, and I doubt she'd want to leave Heero pain. But no, I guess you're right cause she wouldn't have left any of us pain if she could avoid it - "
"Maxwell." Wufei interrupted him. "This is really fairly obvious. For someone who claims to be Shinigami, you really have no idea of how people react to death."
"So it does have something to do with Serenity!" Minako declared. Haruka and Michiru exchanged looks. "Now, Holmes, what else can we use to get these people to explain this to us?"
"Pssst… Haruka." Michiru whispered. Haruka turned and looked at her lover, curiosity becoming the reigning emotion. "Do you have any idea what she's talking about?" Haruka shook her head. "Me neither."
"You guys," Ami started. "Haven't you ever heard that stress can do strange things to people?"
They stared blankly at her. Ami rolled her eyes and continued. "You guys, Serenity didn't cause this directly, but rather it was the consequence of her actions. When Serenity died, Heero couldn't force himself to go on with the memories of what he had lost. So rather than fight his emotions to survive, he did what he has been taught his whole life to do - he blocked."
"So you're saying that Heero doesn't remember her cause he doesn't want to?" Duo asked. "But why wouldn't he want to know about his true love, his soulmate? Or heck, why wouldn't he just wanna know about Renity? She was the best."
"Duo!" Minako exclaimed, and she whapped him upside the head. "You really don't know much about love, do you? He has a soul bond, the rarest and deepest bond a person can have to another. When you have a soul bond, being away from the person on the other end of it is the hardest thing in the universe to do."
"Oh shit." Duo said, and he looked at the others, finally catching on. "Heero is refusing the accept the fact that she existed so he won't have to deal with pain, isn't he?"
Everyone nodded, or rolled his or her eyes. Wufei was heard to grumble, "Took you long enough…"
"That said, you guys," Motoki remarked, "What do we do now?"
~* Astral Realm *~
"No." The word fell as a death sentence from the elder Serenity's lips, and the princess crashed to her knees. Tears filled her cerulean eyes, and quickly began to overflow. The queen ran and held her daughter before speaking again. "Usagi, it isn't what you think."
"How is it not what I think, mother? If I can't be reborn, then I can never see my friends again!" The anguished teenager exclaimed. Her mother ran a soothing hand over her hair, and she easily relaxed into the comforting embrace.
"Darling, you presume things far too quickly." Queen Serenity said, a small smile on her face. "You won't be reborn, true, but there's a very good reason for that!"
"What very good reason could there possibly be to keep me away from my Heero?" Usagi yelled.
"Who said anything about keeping you from him?" The queen asked. "Serenity, you won't be reborn for one reason, and one reason only - you're not dead!"
"I'm… I'm not dead?" Serenity's voice faltered. Could it possibly be true? Could she really still be alive, still be able to go and be with her love, to heal his heart and bring him back to himself. For even now, she knew he was not all right. He was fine, but in the sense of the words a teacher once told her, not in the true meaning of the word.
"No, you're not. Don't you remember what I told you the first time we met in this realm?" Queen Serenity asked. At her daughter's inquisitive look, she continued. "You are the Goddess Diana / Artemis, a reincarnation of the Goddess Selene."
"That's right!" Serenity gasped. "And you are Phoebe, my mother. Father was Hyperion. The Titan of the sun and the Titaness of the Moon combining to create a Goddess of the Light. That's the old legend you always told me when I was younger, and wanted to know why you and father risked having extra children after Motoki was born. It was to pass on your powers, so that someone could take your places one day."
"Yes, my dear daughter." The elder Serenity responded before revealing her true self, the Titaness Phoebe. "The time has come for you to inherit your full powers, and relieve me completely of my obligations as Moon Guardian. There is also someone else here who has something to give you."
"Father?" Serenity whispered hopefully. She cast her eyes around the realm created as her haven, seeking a face she hadn't seen in over a millennium. Her eyes finally locked on the man who had helped create her. She ran to him, and locked her arms around him, crying out, "Father!"
"Sweet Serenity." Hyperion said, holding his beloved child as tightly as he could, as though he would never let her go. "Oh, I have missed your smiling face around Olympus."
"Hyperion, my wonderful husband," Phoebe interrupted, "I believe you are forgetting the reason we came here. The time has come to give our Guardian her powers."
"But Mother, doesn't Quatre inherit father's powers?" Serenity asked, confused.
"Oh, don't worry about Helios." Hyperion interrupted. "He will receive powers of his own in due time, but it is imperative that we take care of you now. Transform!"
"All right…" Serenity replied, slightly unsure still. She closed her eyes, and in a flash of radiant light* she appeared as the Goddess that she truly was, Artemis / Diana / Selene. She laughed softly. "It's funny, but with so many names, I don't really know what to be called in this form."
"Diana. You should definitely call yourself Diana." Hyperion told her quite seriously, before a mischievous smirk overcame his face. "After all, Diana is the only name you have that's associated with virginity."
"Hyperion!" Phoebe shrieked, slapping her husband's shoulder playfully. He smiled penitently, and the Titaness found that she couldn't stop herself from returning the smile. The two leaned in and claimed the other's lips. Phoebe sighed as she pulled back. "I have missed that, but right now we have to take care of something a little more important, don't we?"
The girl watched her parents, eyes wide. She laughed quietly, before speaking again. "Artemis. I want to call myself Artemis."
"Do you mind my asking why? Because, really, for my part, I find Diana to be quite a lovely name…" Hyperion's voice trailed off when he saw the mock - glare his wife was giving him.
"The other names are reminders of other things." At her parent's curious expressions, she continued. "Endymion told me a long time ago that Selene was associated with the name Endymion, so I won't go by that. Better to forget him. Diana was the name Heero knew me by the first time we met in what is for him this lifetime. It wouldn't be good to constantly remind him of the pain he suffered because of one of my deaths."
"You really are very wise, my daughter." Phoebe said. A playful smile teased her lips. "You must take after me. Now dear, it is time to begin the ceremony. First of all, you must call upon the Silver Crystal and give it to me. This is the last time I shall ever use its power."
The Crystal was called in a moment, and the royal symbols of those gathered blazed forth upon their foreheads. The two soon to be former rulers joined hands, and smiled at their daughter, motioning for her to kneel. She carefully went down upon her knees, and looked up at her parents expectantly.
"Daughter, you must keep your eyes focused on the Crystal." Phoebe said. "Stare deep into its recesses, and you will feel yourself be swept away on a wave of power. Let that power wash over you, and merge with what you already have."
Artemis nodded, and looked as far into the Crystal as her eyes could see. When they saw that she was totally focused, Phoebe and Hyperion began the ritual.
"In the beginning, when there were only the gods, a future was foretold." Phoebe intoned. "A legend, a prediction that one day, the Moon Titaness and the Sun Titan would join, and through their union, the heir of the universe would be born."
"She was not to be its ruler, but rather its protector." Hyperion continued. "Blessed with the power of the light, she was to drive the darkness from its hiding places. However, she was not expected to do so alone. In exchange for the life that she would be forced to give in servitude for others, she was to be granted a companion, who would be with her forever."
"Brother or lover, brother or lover, the prophecy declares. In time she will be forced to choose, for only one will be allowed to go with her." Phoebe recited. "For now, we must take the first step in helping her on her way to removing the darkness. We come here today to give the Guardian her powers."
"In the name of the Sun," Hyperion declared, pouring his powers into the Crystal.
"By the name of the Moon," Phoebe said, adding her own powers. Together they finished the declaration.
"We join our powers, those of light, and give them to its Guardian, the Goddess Selene. Through this transfer she will at last receive the powers which have always been intended for her. We ask now that the transfer occur, and forever install her as the Guardian of the Light."
A blinding flash of light filled the room.
~* End Chapter 3 *~
*It just so happens that I actually have an explanation for why I was so obsessed with those damn flashes of light. Yay!
CHALLENGE! - Anyone who can tell me what "Fine" stands for, tell me and I will give you your choice - more of this or more of "I Have a Headache" next? Warning - some of the language used to explain it isn't exactly kind.
I'll try to have more out over the weekend, but I'm not making any guarantees.
*hugs*
~Rose