Distant Sky King, Mature Sea King
By Seito no Senshi
The Kingdom of the Moon remembers many tales of their history. It is not certain whether any of these stories are true; if Saturn can truly snuff an entire planet out of existence, if Pluto indeed holds sway over time, if Neptune is truly as beautiful as the legends name her, or if Uranus can truly shake the ground just by speaking.
One such tale is a famous one; told so many times over the course of history so that there are more variations of this story then there are stars in the sky. This is no fantastic story, with a knight in shining armor and a beautiful damsel in distress; rather, a simple tale of two strong people finally meeting each other. This is the tale of the Sky King, and her Sea King.
On a lonely moon that orbited Neptune, one of the larger planets in our solar system, a woman named Sailor Neptune lived there. She was a very beautiful lady, as the legends all state. She had a beautiful face, high cheek bones, and smooth, creamy to pale skin and dark eyes and it was framed by her lovely, shoulder length teal hair. Her slim body with all its curves was emphasized only by the Sailor suit she wore.
Her home was the moon Triton, and she lived in the castle of the same name. It was a very lonely life, there. But what was there to expect? She alone held the true power of her guardian star Neptune, and she alone could wield that power. She was a Sailor Soldier, already a legend, and her duty was to guard our Solar System from any incoming invaders. It was her fate to stand guard forever on that moon, and guard. No matter what, she was not to leave her station. She accepted that now; it was her duty. She could not change that.
She knew there was another one, another Sailor Soldier out there, but she did not try to make contact. The only contact – if you could call it that – with any other living beings was through the power of her talisman. It was through this that she was able to watch the inhabitants of the moon kingdom, and in particular, the royal family, those she was destined to protect, in times of great loneliness and hopelessness. It was this contact that allowed her to remain human inside. And so, her days were spent monitoring the system through her Deep Aqua Mirror talisman, playing the violin, and painting.
It was one day, however, when the two planets Uranus and Neptune crossed paths again that Sailor Neptune sensed a power out there; a power quite similar to her own, yet quite different. She was not afraid; she knew the power signature of a Sailor Soldier when she felt it.
Taking out her talisman, she wandered outside, before sitting herself down on the ground. Concentrating, she focused on the energy then started looking in her mirror. It was hard, because she didn't know exactly who she was looking for. She only knew their energy, but she didn't know their face or their voice or…
There was no reflection, instead, only what appeared to be a mist swirling in the mirrors surface. It finally started to dissipate and as it cleared, Neptune's breath caught. The person in the mirror was beautiful.
Not beautiful in the way she was herself was but…
The woman was tall, about ahead taller then Neptune was. Her blonde hair was cropped, her eyes a hard blue. Her body was strong, her muscles taut, like a coiled spring. Dressed in the right clothes, she would've been mistaken for a slender youth.
She was beautiful.
**********
On a lonely moon that orbited Uranus, one of the larger planets in our solar system, a woman named Sailor Uranus lived there.
She was a masculine sort of woman, and it was very obvious that she was also very strong; physically as well as magically. She was gifted in the martial arts as well as having a talent with the sword. It suited her; after all, her talisman was the Space Sword.
Her home was Miranda Castle, on the moon Miranda.
It was a lonely life, but Sailor Uranus did not care. She couldn't. Her whole life was built around her destiny; the fate of a Sailor Soldier destined for a lonely life. She shared her duty with only one other, that of guarding their home solar system from intruders, and she took that duty seriously.
Originally she had not accepted it. She had fought against it. But finally, she gave up, and she shouted the words and donned the suit of the Sailor Soldier. She held the power of her guardian planet Uranus, and only she knew how to channel it.
There was one other soldier out there, but Uranus had no name for this being. She did not bother trying to make contact with this person; they could protect their home from their respective moons, thank you very much.
All was not lost though. Uranus was alive for a purpose. In times of hopelessness and desperation, she would call upon the name of Serenity, the reigning monarch, and she would see their faces in the sky for one, sweet moment; the faces of the royal family.
And so, her days were spent monitoring the system, running with the wind as was her passion, training, and when she felt like it, tinkering with the piano.
It was one day, however, when the two planets Uranus and Neptune crossed paths again that Sailor Uranus sensed a power out there; a power quite similar to her own, yet quite different. She was not afraid; she knew the power signature of a Sailor Soldier when she felt it.
But, Uranus ignored it. No doubt this was the second Sailor Soldier, she was certain. She sensed no evil in it, only a purpose much like her own. One to protect. Sailor Uranus was not sure why, but this time she let that being be. That person would cause no harm.
However, as time went on, she had the sudden feeling that she was being watched. The feeling occasionally went away, and then she would relax, but as she was training, or running, or playing music, the feeling came back.
A while passed with this, and Uranus had soon settled down with that feeling, though it still disturbed her greatly. She somehow let it go.
It was then, that one day, she heard violin music playing. It was very beautiful, though it had a very sad quality to it, as though the musician was very lonely and looking for company. Uranus listened to it, dismissing it after a while, but deep down, she sympathized with the player.
It was finally, after days and days of the music playing on and off that she went off to investigate. The sudden sense that the player was quite near her home had struck her while she had been resting, and the shock had been enough for her. How could she let this happen?! This was dangerous! She should've done something sooner!
Taking up her sword, she started running, running like the wind, following the source of the song. Running, and running for how long she could not tell, she finally stopped.
"World Shaking!" with a strong hand Uranus threw her attack straight at the intruder.
"Deep Submerge!" She dimly heard another woman's voice yell out, before their attacks met.
There was a loud explosion, and plenty of dust and flying rock. Uranus felt herself being gashed but she ignored them. When the dust finally cleared, Uranus gaped.
Maybe twenty meters from where she had stopped, there was a tall, attractive woman wearing a Sailor Suit quite similar to her own, except for the colors. She was quite unharmed from the techniques themselves, only the after effects. The woman lowered her bow, and suddenly smiled, quite shyly.
They stood, watching each other, the second soldier still with that smile and Uranus just staring coolly at her, for a few moments. She realized one thing. The… 'Deep Submerge' hadn't been very strong. Just enough to counterattack her own 'World Shaking'; to defend herself. Finally, the stranger spoke.
"Hello… I… I am… Sailor Neptune." She spoke with that of an aristocrats air, yet the way she said those few words suggested that she hadn't spoken to anybody else in a long time. Uranus nodded, taking in every detail about her; the way she stood, the mirror lying with in hand's reach, her violin, the soldier herself…
"I have been watching you." Uranus' eyes sharpened with anger. She lifted her sword quite quickly, resting the tip on Neptune's pretty neck. She saw the cut that she made, but Uranus did not move her sword, and Neptune did not make another sound.
"You?" they narrowed dangerously. "Why?" Neptune flushed, glancing away, and Uranus suddenly understood her nervousness. This lady had been an aristocrat, a princess, like herself, yet while Uranus had given up most if not all of the feminine ways, this lady hadn't. She remembered all her lessons, the way to act in front of strangers, the way to command. And yet, in front of Sailor Uranus, she was suddenly a shy girl. Uranus removed her sword.
"You've been watching for a long time," commented Uranus lightly. "How come?" Neptune managed to regain more of her composure. She straightened slightly, and her face seemed to close up.
"I am the Sailor Soldier of Neptune. I make it my business to know all around me." Uranus smirked at that answer, and at the slow flush from Neptune. She immediately sobered though.
"Why are you here? You should be…" Uranus gestured vaguely where she thought Neptune should have been. The soldier smiled at that, then waved at the mirror lying at her feet. The mirror leapt into her hand, and Uranus automatically took a fighter's stance at that unexpected movement.
Neptune laughed lightly.
"Don't worry," she said. "That's my talisman. The Deep Aqua Mirror. It allows me to view the events through out the solar system." She hesitated, before continuing. "If I focused hard enough, it might allow me to look beyond our system." Uranus nodded gravely; a useful tool. No doubt it channeled great energy as well.
"Is that how you…" Neptune nodded.
"Again I ask… how come? Why? I do not appreciate being watched like that!" her voice had become a low growl with out her noticing. Neptune's face hardened once, before softening again.
"I…"
"Why?? What the hell do you want?!" and it was true. Uranus was angry. She had been curious at the unseen eyes, and disturbed.
"I could kill you know, right now. Take off your head quite easily. Make the ground crack open where you stand…!"
"I…" Uranus started to circle Neptune, her thoughts becoming jumbled. Here was a person who had experienced loneliness just like her. Here was a person who was just as powerful as her, just as strong as she was. Here was a person who perhaps… who she…
"What is your business??"
"For the simplest reasons." Uranus stopped, and stared again. She noticed the way her teal hair fell around her soldiers. How graceful she was. How beautiful. How she would…
Her hand clenched around the handle of her sword.
Neptune gestured to the sky with her free hand.
"I lived on Triton, all alone. All those years by myself, because of the duty that one Queen Serenity entrusted me. In all that time, not once did I ever speak to anybody else. All I had was myself. Then one day, I felt it. A soul out there as strong as my own. As lonely as my own." Neptune rested her hand lightly on her chest, where her heart was.
"I recognized that power. Here was somebody who was as powerful, as strong as myself. Here was somebody who had nobody else, just like me. Here was somebody with the same fate as my own. Here was…" her eyes filled up, and she blinked slowly. "Here was somebody with beautiful blue eyes and… and…" Neptune took a slow breath.
"I wanted to play music with you, to paint you. I wanted to see you face to face, not through my mirror. I wanted to touch you, not the surface of my mirror. I wanted to hear you, but not through my mirror."
"Here was somebody who was as powerful, as strong as myself. Here was somebody who had nobody else, just like me."
Here is somebody I have to take before it is too late. Here is somebody I have to accept before empty space separates us again. Here is somebody who I must… who I… need…
**********
Her lips were so gentle and her hair, as she ran a hand through it, was like silk. She was aware only of how she felt against her, how her hands felt against her skin, and how lovely and mysterious her voice was.
She remembered the way she looked as she played a song by their bed, and her eyes as she smiled softly down at her.
She remembered the way she looked as they said goodbye, and how she held her hand until duty spirited her away, the wings weighing her down heavily.
She remembered the way Michiru spoke her name, and the words that were to last her for all the years to come.
"Aishiteru, Haruka."
I love you. My Distant, King of the Heavens.