A.N.:
Thanks to all of you who took the time to review or e-mail me with comments… I wrote this for me but also for you!
Anyway, it took me ages to update but I have tons of believable excuses, really! Read with a dramatic tone – you see, my motivation and intelligence were kidnapped, and I didn't have a single euro to pay for the ransom… So I had to wait till Christmas, and write a letter to Santa, asking for a whole new pack! I've just received it; let's hope it's still in time for my exams in January… Honestly, I know it'll take more than a miracle for me to pass them, but hey I still believe in fairytales…
I also changed the summary, as I have now this story pretty shaped up, it deserved a proper summary.
To all of you not used to the Japanese names, they are Minako – Mina/Venus, Usagi – Serena/Moon, Chibi-Usa – Rini/mini-Moon, Rei – Raye/Mars, Makoto – Lita/Jupiter, Ami – Amy/Mercury (this one was easy), Michiru – Michelle/Neptune, Haruka – Omara/Uranus, Hotaru – Saturn (sorry, don't know the dubbed name), Setsuna – Pluto (same here), Mamoru – Darien/Earth.
A couple of translations:
senshi – sailors
fuku – uniform
genki-genki – very happy, cool
Well, hope you like it… I'm sorry if it picks up really slowly, but I needed to set the plot.
Kiwi: strangely enough, I do know the difference between an epilogue and a prologue, but hey it was 5 in the morning what can I say? J The more haste the less speed…Thanks!!
Disclaimer: check the prologue!
January 2003
Road to Utopia
Chapter 1 – the new dawn is coming?
"I had a dream last night."
Usagi's simple statement turned everybody's attention on; it weren't the words themselves, but the tone used by the Moon Princess that was so surprising. She actually sounded like… a Princess.
The nine Senshi, Inner and Outer, were together at Rei's temple. For the past two years it had become a habit to meet every weekend at the Hikawa Shrine, where all the Senshi would discuss ideas concerning the birth of Crystal Tokyo; even Pluto would leave the Gates of Time to work with all the planetary Princesses on their destiny. They would also, sometimes without even realising, gather their home planets' energies, an amount of power that was growing by day, waiting for the unleash that would mean the coming of the new Millennium.
But that sunny Sunday afternoon there was something lingering in the air, an ominous uncomfortable presence that kept the group of friends (soul bounded sisters, as they thought of themselves) in a tense mood. And it seemed Usagi was about to voice that presence.
"I was at Crystal Tokyo, as Queen… But I wasn't happy, I just felt like… suffocated inside the Palace, so I decided to go on a walk alone, by myself. It was so much fun!!" there was a sad smile on her lips "I felt like I hadn't had so much fun in years… I walked for miles, talked to the people, and they all seemed so happy! But then…"
"Someone came and talked to the Queen" Minako cut in.
Eight pairs of eyes flew in the golden girl's direction, and for once she didn't comfortable with the attention. She absently cast her eyes down, and said "I had the same dream".
Usagi's cerulean eyes grew larger, and she leaned forward. "Were you there? Did you hear him?"
"I was there, but almost as a spectator. I was just walking around, and then I saw you. You were looking different, but somehow I knew who you where and so I followed. I only remember seeing you by the harbour, with a shadow by your side. Everything was a bit hazy, and my sight started to blur, but I could still feel your pain" Minako finished.
"I don't understand" the fiery Shinto priest spoke "you mean you both had the same dream at the same time? I though I was the psychic here!"
"I don't understand either, if the Queen was in danger why wasn't the dream sent to all of us?!" if there was something Kino Makoto dreaded, was being impotent to help her friends.
"Minako is the leader of the Senshi, rightful holder of the Silver Crystal Sword. She's the main responsible for the Princess' safety." Haruka's commanding voice brought a shiver made of pure responsibility down Minako's spine.
The group started discussing randomly, until the surprisingly wise yet timid voice of Ami was heard "Who was it that talked to Serenity? What did he tell her?"
Usagi brought a hand to her temple in a very regal movement, and in a strange way the group of eight girls suddenly realised how much they had all changed lately… features had matured, raw power was growing, memories of thousands of years were being put into place… Time was certainly drawing near, and its weight fell on the Senshi's as a bomb.
"We shared some sort of a mental link" Usagi sighed "and he said into my mind that he was who I was looking for. I was confused but… somehow I knew he was right, I was looking for something only he could give me. And then he said," the words were now speeding off her mouth "almost as a curse, that we had built a Utopia, but perfection wasn't real, and sooner or later would crumble around us."
The dark omen filled the silence, only cut by Hotaru's childish voice, "What's a Utopia, Michiru-mama?"
"Sweetie, Utopia means perfection, it's when you can create something where everything is… well, perfect." Michiru finished with an elegant shrug.
"What do you think this can mean?" the distress held in Usagi's voice reminded them of the old klutz and less of the Princess.
As if on cue, and for the first time in the whole afternoon, Setsuna stood. Surprisingly, the green haired beauty was clad in her Pluto fuku, even though no one had seen her transform. "You were all shown a future where Crystal Tokyo was created, and later destroyed by the Dark Moon. You eliminated that threat in the past, but remember, the future is never set in stone." Everyone was pending on the Guardian of Time's words "Copying on a test, stopping to pick up a flower, running to catch a bus, every small thing you do today can change your future tomorrow. And the truth is that, in every possible timeline there is, Crystal Tokyo is never a lasting reality."
"Then why was that future shown to us as our destiny?" Ami asked.
"Because we needed it to grow up" was Minako's surprising answer.
Setsuna narrowed her garnet eyes, seeming to ponder the leader's comment. 'You are now Venus, aren't you Minako? More than ever we need you back... You have all matured so much, but the real task is still to come' She could understand how confused the Senshi must have been; she too had been confused before she realised what all was leading to, and saw what had to be done.
"For a long time I wondered the same thing, Ami. I knew the future was in a constant whirl, and couldn't understand why the Gates were forcing me to disobey my duties, and reveal the forbidden – your future. But then I understood; without that knowledge you would never have been able to grow as Senshi, and Galaxia wouldn't have been defeated. She was the real darkness you had to fight in this lifetime, Chaos, and errors from the past could not be repeated."
Minako spoke again "We lost the Silver Millennium to Metallia because we were so immature warriors… We had all that planetary power and Light force, but not enough experience handling it. A while ago I understood that all the battles we've been enduring since we were 14 were meant for this, to prepare us for the new millennium, now that the time is right, and that we are ready."
"But ready for what?" Usagi was on the verge of crying "Ready to create a word destined to be destroyed? To bring more death and pain to Earth? I can't stand it anymore! I thought that now I could really bring happiness to people, but it's always useless!! Is that our destiny, to only watch people suffer??" She was now screaming, tears trailing down her cheeks. All of the senshi's eyes were also glistening with tears unshed, the same feeling of impotence.
"But there isn't a destiny, is there?" Hotaru's voice was sad.
"No, there isn't; there are different paths that can be walked in several distinct ways. Now it's up to us to walk it in a way that Crystal Tokyo will be real and able to stand on its own. Only then the Crystal Millennium will begin…" Setsuna sounded almost as a prophet, and the others immediately accepted the mission she was revealing "In your dream Usagi, you saw a future where the Utopia was falling not under an attack by evil forces, but simply because it lacked strength. The future of Earth can not be created by us, is has to come from the Earth's people beliefs and willpower. Can you see it now?"
"People will never fight for what they don't believe in. If we give them a future conceived by us they can't feel part of it, and won't be able to give their energy to it…" Rei was starting to understand how the future of a planet is so intimately connected to its inhabitant's life force.
Usagi had sat back again, and was now absorbing all of this. She had been feeling strange the whole day, as if a different person was growing inside her, and it had terrified her. She knew perfectly well it meant Neo-Queen Serenity was immerging, and she feared that her own personality, Usagi's, would melt away, but now… it was all very confusing, she was still Usagi but she could hear Queen Selenity's voice in her mind as if she was Princess Serenity, back in the Moon Palace.
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"A ruler's life is filled with indecisions, doubts, fears…" young Serenity sat on her mother's feet with wide open eyes "But everything should be all right, as long as you remember that all we do is for the people, and couldn't be achieved without them." the silver Queen leaned forward and caressed one of the smooth childish cheeks, a short giggle was heard "You see, how could a planet live without his people? They are its force and power…"
"But mama, what it is then that a Queen does? Why are we even needed?"
The Queen's violet eyes flashed with amusement at the small Princess' impatience. But it was so important that she understood this… "We, my love, are the personification of that power. When you invoke the Moon's power, you are actually summoning the Moon's people… because you are them, and they are you."
Serenity seemed confused, but before she could voice all her doubts Selenity wrapped her hands around the small young face, and looking right into her daughter's eyes whispered "My daughter, these are the two secrets that rule a Queen's life, and you can never ever forget them! First, remember that only a generous heart can understand his people, and put them in touch with their inner beings… and secondly, bear in mind that magic can only exist while it's believed in…"
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Usagi woke up from her trance, and stood up regally, the commanding attitude hushing all the crossed conversations. "Planetary Princesses" she voiced in a tone that brought back memories, and in a flash of glittering speckles of light in nine different colours, ice blue, gold, silver, dark red, deep green, purple, dark blue, teal green and black, the Solar System planetary Princesses stood in all their magnificence; strangely, none of them seemed surprised by the transformation, and Serenity continued "It is time to bring magic life back to this Solar System. Only when the equilibrium is settled once again in all of the planets, will the new Millennium begin… It is now that our mission begins, and each one of us will have a task to fulfil."
Since the departure of the Starlights and their Princess, the Senshi had been living in a sort of limbo, a frame of mind where they all knew something would begin soon, and that they would be a vital part of it, but also where none of them knew exactly how to begin, when or how to behave… But now it was like someone had pushed a button and everything had begun… their inner transformations were done and there was no turning back. Each feared clash of personalities between their Princess form (and soon to be Queen) and human identity was a personal mission that each Senshi would have to overcome. Now was time to grow up and act.
"Princess Ami of Mercury" Ami stepped forward to her Queen's biding and held her hand "Your mission will be to prepare the scientific and political grounds of the new world; your diplomatic abilities will be essential for the establishment of the new millennium. May you be wise and brave, for this is not a small task."
"Princess Rei of Mars" Rei's eyes betrayed that she already knew her mission "When the Silver Alliance was destroyed, Queen Serenity sent all her people to the future, and inhabitants from the nine planets were reborn here on Earth. Tell me, what do you see?"
"I can see nine different auras here… each one with a distinct glimmer and energy."
"Now that you've fully became Princess of Mars, you are again the most powerful psychic in the System. Your mission is to find the descendants of each planet by sensing the different auras, for only with their help can all of you regain the full power over your reigns."
"Princess Makoto of Jupiter" Mako came forward, her hair shining with new highlights of a light greenish "You are internally in tune with the Nature. Earth will undergo deep and traumatic changes, and it is your mission to direct the planet in all its modifications. Be brave, for you will need to strongly bond yourself to Nature."
"Princess Michiru of Neptune" the Princess had all of Michi's natural grace "The oceans and seas are one of Earth's strongest sources of energy, but thousands of years of constant abuses have had their cost. It is your mission to work on a magical cleansing of the waters, bonding yourself to them, feeding the seas with the energy you both share."
"Princess Hotaru from Saturn" the deceivingly looking fragile Princess walked decidedly forward "You hold great powers of destruction, but as you taught me, with death comes rebirth; that power will be vital for the birth we are preparing. It is also your mission, as the strongest of healers, to watch over the Senshi in all the troubled times that surely will come."
"Princess Haruka of Uranus" the tomboy made princess walked gracefully "The winds will be troubled in the upcoming times, and it will be your mission to still them, by forging a bond between you both. Together, you, Neptune and Jupiter will be guides of a planet that is entering a new era. Be generous, for this is a link that will demand great effort from you."
"Princess Setsuna of Pluto" the oldest guardian kneeled before her Queen, as she had done so many times in the future in spite of Serenity's constant complaint "What else can I ask from you, if you have given your life to stand at the Gates of Time and zeal over History? Your mission is, as in the past, present and future, to guide us with your timeless wisdom."
Without being called, Venus walked to Serenity holding a long and shining crystal sword, in a striking contrast with her royal attire. The two child-women brought their right hand up and entwined firmly the slender fingers, creating once again the bond between the Moon Princess and the leader of the Senshi. Brow furrowed and eyes closed in deep concentration, they both started glimmering with lights of silver and gold that kept flickering to ice blue, dark red, deep green, purple, dark blue, teal green and black. Suddenly the light show was over, their work complete: the mind link between the Princess and her Senshi was back.
Serenity and Minako opened their eyes, hands still grasped. The two women bared a resemblance that used to lead many into confusion, but now differences were perceptible; Minako's hair was even richer than before in shades of gold, while Serenity's had turned definitely silver, but the most striking change were the eyes… both pairs had regain their birth-right colour, a silverish blue for the Moon, and a dark solid gold for Venus.
"Princess Minako of Venus" Serenity sounded strangely reluctant to speak "You are the leader of the Senshi, and thus to you goes the most delicate of the missions…" they left each other's hands and Serenity started speaking to the whole group "Mother once told me that everything we did was for our people, and for that a generous heart was the key. I have no doubt about your hearts, as you have all willingly given your life before for others when needed, but Mother also told me that the source of each of our planets' magic are the beliefs and hopes of its people. Have you taken a look around lately? People laugh at the word 'magic', they don't accept anything beyond their understanding, if it can't be explained than it isn't real. The Crystal Alliance will be a realm of magic, but how can it have strength if its core – the people, don't believe in it enough? We can't build Crystal Tokyo in such weak grounds, it has no place in a world that doesn't believe in magic. I believe that this is what I saw in my dream, everything looked perfect, peaceful, and so happy, but now I understand it was only superficial, like a spell. The world had been cleansed by the Silver Crystal, but if people didn't truly accept its power, then they couldn't completely embrace the magic given to them… Perfection does not exist, because there's that little piece of chaos in each one's heart…" the girls smiled lightly, remembering what they had learnt when fighting Galaxia "And trying to mask it under a Utopia will only turn the future we fought so much for into something destined to fall!"
It all made sense now in their minds, all the struggles and doubts they had been through. The group had sacrificed everything for that future, where no more evil and fights would have a place, and they were determined to turn the creation of the Crystal Alliance into their last and most important battle. Maybe it was naïve to believe in a future for Senshi without battles, but they were surely going to try.
Serenity turned once more to Venus, "What is for you the most powerful magic?"
"Love… No crystal, as powerful as it may be, can match the power born from true love. The source of your own power Serenity, is your love for Mamoru… You remember when Neherenia took the Silver Crystal from you?" they all remembered too well how they had though Usagi would die, stripped from her life force; but then Mamoru had given her his own force, his purest love, and she had evolved to Sailor Moon's strongest form, Eternal "If we could gather all the love existent in the Galaxy, there'd be no rival."
Serenity smile understandingly; she knew how Venus drew her power from Love, and how sometimes she drained herself at battles because there wasn't enough love around… The other Senshi had real elements to back on, like Water, or Fire, but Venus was the planet of Light and Love, abstract elements that couldn't easily be grasped. She could see beyond Minako's 'genki-genki' attitude, only masking her loneliness, and feel all her doubt and insecurities about being the leader. Sailor Venus had said once that she didn't understand how could she be the leader if she wasn't the strongest, and everybody told her it wasn't only a matter of power, but Serenity knew more; if love was once again the most abundant feeling on Earth, Venus would become incredibly strong, even more than Sailor Moon who couldn't access her whole power in Senshi form.
"You are right, and because Venus is Love, you are the only one who can fulfil this task." Serenity straightened "Sailor Venus, your mission is to make people believe in magic and love again. You will need to leave Tokyo to spread around your message, and believe me, I'm the first one to regret it. Be strong, for this is a lonely and heavy burden for your shoulders. Keep a close link with Mars; she will identify Venusians with you, as they are the ones who can help you to… make people fall in love, for life, for friends, flowers, cats, for the stars… Show them all how a world of love can be."
"As for me" Serenity continued once again to the whole group "I will prepare myself with you, learning as much as I can from each of your missions. I still have a long way too go before becoming a rightful Queen… Princesses, we have now chosen our path, and we all now it's full of thorns, but it's a path that we are walking together, and together we are strong."
Serenity stopped talking, but for a few minutes not a single sound was heard. As if agreed without words, they all detransformed back to their normal identities, but still no one moved. It wasn't that they didn't accept their missions, far from it, but there was something untouchable lingering in the air: a goodbye, a terrible goodbye. Deep inside, they realised that a long time would go by before they'd be reunited like that day, and it was so very hard to part from their soul sisters…
Minako was the first to stand up, and with an insight she didn't show often smiled and said "It's not a goodbye, girls… It's just a see you later!" And with that Minako ran out the door, treacherous tears welling up in her eyes.
Quietly, each girl got up, said a shaken 'See you later' and left, probably to cry out of sight, leaving a heartbroken Usagi who only let her tears out when Rei hugged her tenderly.