Author's Note:
This is a sequel to Angelic Embrace. I thought about doing it, but I didn't until someone told me they thought a sequel was possible. You will really want to read the first one to find out what's going on.
As we all know the names of the Senshi, there's no need to go there, except to say that I use the Japanese names.
For a review, I'll list the names of the Shitennou:
Keagan Kris MacNeal (Kunzite)
Nick Michael Canter (Nephrite)
Jace Daniel Taencer (Jadeite)
Zale James Indiano (Zoisite)
You can contact me at Guardian4@atlantic.net.
The Last Journey
Prologue
"What do you think about this one, Rei-chan?"
Minako watched as the black-haired woman turned to see the dress she was holding up. She spun a bit, clutching the dress to her form to show how it would fit. Rei sighed. "Not really."
"What exactly are you looking for, then, for the dress?" questioned Makoto, staring at the racks, a bit wide-eyed at the prices.
She knew that even after a year and a half she was still not comfortable with the amount spent on non-necessities, such as dresses instead of food. Her years of fighting hand to mouth during her street fighting career had implanted a strict regime of penny-pinching.
Rei, with a glance at the woman sitting down with a child in her arms, said, "I don't know. Something red, a symbol of Mars. But something that's really nice."
"So you're going to continue the tradition?"
The Soldier of War nodded absently.
The 'tradition' of the Senshi for Crystal Tokyo's royalty was odd, to say the least. Each had been married in the color of their choosing instead of the normal white. Makoto had been the first, married in forest green; Minako next, in pale gold; and Ami in deep sapphire. The colors of their planets, back when the Silver Millennium still existed.
The woman sitting down happened to be the Soldier of Wisdom, Sailor Mercury, holding Rei's eight month old son, Pyralis. He smiled happily and played with her bracelet, a gift from Serenity, with sapphires and diamonds all strung together in an arrangement of a flower.
A young lady behind the counter, who had green written all over her, stepped toward the nervously. "May I help you?"
They'd been in the store for the past hour and a half, and the girl had finally gotten up the courage to approach them. Her hazel darted around uncertainly and she fidgeted slightly.
"Do you have red wedding dresses?" asked Ami quietly.
"I don't know, madam. I will check in the back."
When she left, the women continued their rather fruitless search for a wedding dress for their friend.
It had taken awhile before Rei was ready to get married again, not after her last one. Minako had to give Jace credit; his patience, when it had come to his soulmate, had been endless. If she had ever been unsure toward anything, he would always wait until she was ready before doing something. That included marriage, though their child was born and growing fast.
The salesclerk return broke into the revere Minako had fallen into.
"I'm sorry, we don't. We do, however, have a few associates of different stores that might suit you. I can give you the names and addresses if you like."
Makoto nodded and followed the woman to get the list. Minako smiled suddenly, though she wasn't quite sure why. Ami stood up and handed Rei her son, who giggled happily at being with his mother again.
"So, Mrs. Indiano," Minako teased, watching Ami blush, "how're things at home?"
"Fine," she stuttered, turning redder.
"JUST fine or something better than fine?" commented Makoto, approaching her from behind. "I got the list."
"Good, let's go."
"Don't you think you can sidetrack the conversation," jumped in Rei.
"Well…I'm pregnant."
Minako squealed in excitement. "Really? That's great!"
"Aunty Rei!"
They turned as one to see a child with rose-pink hair running toward them, a huge smile plastered on her face. Small Lady Serenity was near a carbon copy of her mother, when it came to her sunny disposition.
"Aunty Rei, can I hold Pyr'lis?"
She still had trouble saying Pyralis, however.
Rei smiled, though, and knelt down. "Here. If you could go back to the palace and watch him for me, I'd give you a special treat when I got back."
Even without the incentive, the child would have done it anyway, attested by her huge grin. "Yeah!"
She took off down the street, even if it was slower now that she had a smaller child with her. Minako looked above the child and saw the spires of the Crystal Palace, a place that she called home now. It was a pale blue, almost looking transparent though it was solid and lucid.
They spotted many people they knew as they meandered down the sidewalk to the next bridal store. Many waved to them, eliciting smiles from the women. She was so happy and introspective she didn't notice someone sneaking up from behind her. Her surprised shriek was only seconds as she whirled around, ready to defend herself. She relaxed at who it was.
"Haruka! Don't do that!" Minako paused. "Hey, when did you get in?"
The Senshi of the Outer Solar System weren't often in Crystal Tokyo, as was their wish, and duty, to keep threats away from the Earth.
"Not long ago," answered her partner, and love, Michiru. "What are you doing?"
"Looking for a wedding dress," Rei answered. "I haven't found one that I like yet. And I would like it to be red."
"Of course," responded Haruka as Setsuna and Hotaru appeared at their side.
An idea nearly blindsided Minako. She smiled and sidled up to Setsuna, who looked suspicious at her angelic smile.
"Sets, you like to design stuff right?"
"I know exactly where this is going and the answer is no."
Her face fell. "Why not?"
"Because as soon as I design the thing, you'll want me to make the dress too. I DON'T sew."
"I don't suppose anyone sews in this group?" Ami wistfully asked.
"Well," answered Hotaru hesitantly, "I don't sew, but I know someone who does. He might help us."
"He?"
"He's gay."
Hotaru's voice was soft and hesitant, simply because she didn't talk a lot. Minako figured that she didn't have much to say most of the time, or that if it wasn't pertinent to something she kept quiet. Either way, she spoke so softly most of the time that it was hard to hear her.
"Is he any good?" Rei asked after a moment.
"Yes, actually. I've seen a number of his gowns and they're quite good. Do you remember that dress that I gave to Serenity on her 25th birthday? That was his work."
"Really? I love that dress," the black-haired woman said, near-jealously at the thought of the pale cream dress hanging in the Queen's closet.
"As long as I don't have to make the dress, I'd gladly design it," Setsuna put in.
"Well, Rei? What do you want to do?" prompted Haruka.
She nodded decisively. "I would love to do that. It gets me out of shopping for the rest of my life."
"Have you set a date yet?" questioned Michiru as they set off toward the palace.
"In five months, July 20."
"Where?"
"Back at my Shrine," she answered, "when the cherry blossoms fall."
As Sailor Mars, Rei didn't have much time to tend to her beloved temple, Hikawa Shrine, but she had found a few priests of the same order willing to do it for her while she guarded the Queen and King, as long as she checked in every once and a while.
The normal guards opened the door for them as they approached, talking amongst themselves. No sooner did they enter, however, did a figure hurtle toward them. Haruka barely managed to brace herself as the Queen bear-hugged her hard. "I'm so happy you're back," was what Minako thought she said, though it came out muffled, sounding like, "I's happ'you ba'."
"I'm glad to see you too, Your Majesty," Haruka said, smiling.
Minako stared at her then glanced around, seeing the number of stares of the maids and such. It suddenly clicked why the honorific: only when they were alone did they ever drop it, when they weren't monarchs only people.
"Let's let them settle in," Ami suggested as the Queen bear-hugged each of the four Soldiers newly returned.
A guard slowly approached and respectfully bowed. "Your Majesty Serenity? His Majesty Endymion requests to tell you to please come back to the Throne Room."
"You didn't just leave the diplomats and all, did you Majesty?" asked Ami, appalled. "You can't do that!"
Serenity pouted a bit. "Fine, I'll go back. By the way, have you seen Small Lady?"
"She ran into us when we were out in Crystal Tokyo. I asked her to watch Pyralis for me while we were gone."
The Queen nodded at Rei, suddenly regal as a monarch of old and not the young woman she had been moments before. Even after a year and a half, Minako still found her ability to change like that stunning, if not shocking.
Her walk changed to a graceful waltz as she passed the guard to head back to the Throne Room. On her regally tilted head, sat a silver and amber crown twinkling in the light. Around her neck was a star-shaped pendant, a small rosebud blooming in the center, a gift given to her by her husband, Endymion.
"I'll never get used to that," Rei commented as the Outer Senshi left them to go to their rooms.
"Her seeming so childish one minute then regal the next?" supplied Makoto. "Yeah, I know. Can you remember back in the Silver Millennium? Her as a princess? She didn't even come close to her now…when she's regal that is."
They laughed at the memories, though some were quite a bit fuzzy. Then again, Minako didn't like dwelling on the past any more than she had to. Even the recent past she hated, hated with a passion.
Her failure to protect Usagi when she was truly in need, when Daray took her, beat against every instinct she had. While they had gotten her back, it still hurt to know that they had lost her in the first place. Makoto had told them what Nick had said, back before the final battle with Daray:
'Nick sat down next to her stomach and ran his hand through her hair, staring into space. "You will survive this battle, Mako-chan. I shall make sure of that. You shall see your princess. In that way I guess we Shitennou were blessed over the Senshi."
Makoto sat up and took out the band in her hair. "What do you mean?"
He looked at her. "Well, we knew Mamoru, could talk to him, protect him. Even when he fell when the princess was taken, we had had the chance to see him and know him. You never had that feeling, never even saw your princess in this life."'
Yes, she had to agree that they were blessed over the Senshi. The chance to know, to grow up, to live, with their liege and friend…it was a gift, a blessing over that of anything else that she'd ever conceive of in her life…
"…ko? Minako?"
"Huh?" she started as she heard Makoto's voice.
"I was just asking, since Ami has admitted that she's pregnant, I was wondering. Are you going to have a child with Keagan?"
Minako's thoughts grew grim. "I don't think I can have children."
End Prologue.
Thank you for reading this far. This is a bit of a taste of what this story is about. For those of you who liked my battles and all, never fear, those will be here in this too, though it won't be a heavily focused point.