Disclaimer: My sincere gratitude to Takeuchi-sensei who created this wonderful world for us to dream in. respectful bow in the general direction of Japan As we all know, all rights belong to her. I hope you enjoy my portrayal of her creations.
I do not write for reviews, but I sure enjoy compliments, constructive criticism, and grammatical corrections. So if you feel like it, please press that little review button, and let me know what you think. - Raya
The Sleeper
Chapter 17 – Returning Home
Lady sighed as she looked around the bedroom that had been hers for almost four months. She stuffed a few more presents into the bunny backpack that she had brought out of Hotaru's room in the maze, then zipped it closed. Leaving it on the bed, she left the room and walked quietly down the stairs.
A smile blossomed on her face as she remembered her mother's parting words. "Happy Birthday..," she had whispered telepathically to Lady and Usagi. And it had been the perfect birthday present. Because of the enormous storm the future senshi's visit had created on top of the chaos already created by Lady and Diana, an immediate return home through time had been impossible. When Super Sailor Pluto informed them of this, Usagi and Lady had exchanged glances, each suddenly realizing exactly what the queen had really meant.
Lady and her friends had made the most of a very fun summer with trips to the beach, shopping, picnics in the park, and singing karaoke in Crown's new karaoke bar. Sometimes they went with her friends from the 20th century, and other times they went alone. These activities and others gave her more happy memories of the 20th century to share with her mother. But now, the chaos in the Mists of Time had finally died down, and it was time to return home.
She entered the kitchen where Ikuko was preparing a special "Farewell" meal, and her smile grew. Ikuko turned, caught her eye, and smiled in return. "Finished packing?"
"Mm-hmm," Lady replied, eyeing the homemade pudding cooking on the stove as she sat down at the table. "And yes, I packed that video we made of you and Kenji-papa and Shingo-onii-chan."
Ikuko smiled and laughed. "Oh good. I'd hate for that to go to waste. Dinner will be ready shortly. Why don't you go see where your friends are." Lady smiled and shook her head. "I'm sure they'll be here soon. I'd rather just sit here and watch you." Ikuko gave her a look of surprise, but shrugged and smiled.
After a few minutes of companionable silence and some small talk, Lady took a deep breath. "Ikuko-mama?" she said tentatively. "Yes, dear?" "Um, I just wanted to say... Thank you."
Ikuko looked at her in surprise again. "Thank you?"
Lady nodded. "Yes, thank you. Thank you for always being so nice to me. Thank you for trying to help me understand Usagi. Thank you for all the good food," she said with a grin, making Ikuko laugh. Her face became serious once more. "And most of all, thank you for loving me for who I am," she said softly.
Ikuko blinked back sudden tears, put her spoon down on the stove, walked to the table, and gave Lady a hug. Lady's eyes, also full of tears, widened as her grandmother spoke. "You really are so much like Usagi. Do you know? She said the exact same thing to me just before she left to marry Mamoru-kun. And I'll tell you the same thing I told her: 'You are very easy to love. Don't ever change that.'"
The doorbell interrupted the tender moment, making them both jump and laugh. "I'll go get that," Lady said brushing her hand over her cheeks to erase any possible tear tracks.
A short while later, the entire group sat down for dinner in the Tsukino's largest room: the living room. Makoto, Ami, and Rei had brought some additional dishes over to help feed the small army. Usagi and Minako had contributed the flowers which graced the tables that Mamoru had rented and put up. The Quartet had contributed their part by setting out the dishes, serving ware, and chairs.
Dinner was a loud, fun affair, over much to soon in everyone's opinion. After they had helped to clean up, Lady went upstairs and grabbed her backpack. With one final look around the room, she turned off the light and shut the door.
Once again, she said goodbye to Kenji and Shingo. As she looked around for her grandmother, Ikuko came running into the room with a large string bag. Everyone's eyes widened in surprise as she handed the bag to Lady, then gave her a hug. "One more thing for your mother," she said softly. "Goodbye! Come and visit again soon!"
Once they reached the park, Lady opened the bag and looked in. Her eyes widened at the sight of the photo albums, videos, and small boxes. She quickly shut the bag as Usagi came over and tried to peek in.
"What's in it?" the blonde girl asked with a pout. With a mischievous look on her face, Lady replied. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough. Mama..." She dodged, laughing, as Usagi swatted at her and tried to take the bag.
"Usa, enough," Mamoru said, catching his wife and giving her a look. She sighed, then turned to face the girls once more. "Goodbye," she said softly. "I'm glad you were able to come and visit again." Tears flowed slowly down her cheeks, and she held tight to her husband's hand.
"Goodbye," Lady and her friends said, bowing slightly. "Thank you for all of your help. And for giving us a place to stay," Celeste said softly. "Please tell Haruka-san and Michiru-san that we said goodbye," Pallas put in quickly. "And Hotaru-san and Setsuna-san, too," June added, while Bessa glowered a little at Haruka's name. Everyone laughed. "Sure. We'll pass the messages on," Minako replied.
The girls stared at each other a moment longer, then Lady pulled out the Time Key and raised it high. "Let the Doors of Time be open for me. I call you by your true name, the all-knowing God of Time, the Father of the Guardian. Chronos! Lead us! Protect us! Send us the Cherry Way!"
As the pink light split the sky and lifted the girls up and out, Pallas gulped visibly. "Lady-chan? You and Diana aren't going to be... playing again, are you?" she asked. The last thing Usagi and her friends heard was the girls' laughter and Diana's assurance that this time the walk would be quite smooth.
Doors of Time, Crystal Palace, Crystal Tokyo
After an uneventful journey, the Doors appeared before them once more. Super Sailor Pluto smiled a greeting to her young princess and her friends, and accepted the Time Key that Lady handed to her. She placed it in its rightful place on her belt, then opened the Doors.
As the girls stepped into the hall, they saw their friends and family gathered to greet them. "I'm home!" Lady cried, and stepped through the Doors with a smile on her face. "Welcome home, darling!" her mother cried in return.