When the solitary guardian reached up to brush the hair out of her eyes, a pair of intruders was revealed.
She narrowed her maroon eyes menacingly.
"Halt," she said, voice low but menacing. "Who's there?"
"It is us, Setsuna."
Sailorpluto relaxed her guard, the arm grasping her Time Staff slackening. Her eyes softened. "What are you two doing here?"
Sailoruranus came into view first, fully suited and wielding the Space Sword. "There is something we need to talk about."
"I felt a stir in the continuum," Sailorpluto conceded. "Is everything all right?"
"Look for yourself," Sailorneptune said, holding up her Aqua Mirror.
Pluto stepped closer and looked, horror spreading over her face.
Tamashiiro watched with a smirk as Aiyana crawled through a brier patch, cursing the prickly growth in a low voice. How intriguing she looks when she's annoyed.
Well, she was ridiculous. Did she honestly think she could escape the palace without being detected? No, she was smarter than that; and Tamashiiro did have to give her credit for her evasion tactics. She had hid in the palace's deep freezer for twenty minutes before she left to make her body temperature drop and jumped from a fourth floor window, nearly breaking a leg. She had been almost out of range before the infrared sensors identified her as a very cold human instead of some kind of lesser animal. She seemed to be warming up a bit now; she was moving a lot faster than she had been ten minutes ago.
Tamashiiro had been on the alert when she'd been detected, but he stopped the Psi from hunting her down and bringing her back. He was interested in where she might be going. She'd left the girl, and he thought that peculiar since she'd risked her life to save the princess, so she obviously was planning on coming back. Where was she going? To get help?
But who could help her? Being the new queen of the Earth, she'd have to be the most powerful human being on the planet right now.
Unless she had been lying when she said she had disposed of the monarchs...
Tamashiiro slowed. Aiyana had come to a clearing, and she cocked her head to the side. The road was not far away; the prince could hear cars whooshing down the freeway. They were in a fairly residential area, and she had obviously come close to her destination.
The prince smirked. So, there were definitely other people involved. Who?
Aiyana stood, turned and looked around. She paused for a moment, narrowing her eyes and swinging them right in Tamashiiro's direction.
For a moment Tamashiiro was afraid, and his heart pumped faster. Then the prince's scared expression softened into another smug smirk.
She wasn't sure.
She knew he was there; she was almost sure of it. Almost. But she was pressed for time, torn between getting the help she craved and searching for Tamashiiro.
She took a deep breath. "I know you're there, you bastard," she said quietly, threateningly, taking on a fighting stance. "Why not come out and fight me?"
Tamashiiro almost burst out laughing on the spot, and he had to clap his hands over his mouth to stifle his laughter. The weakened female? After twenty minutes in a deep freezer and a half-hour cross-country trek? And as nervous as she was?
She narrowed her eyes, and Tamashiiro buckled up quickly. Aiyana's hearing was sharp, and he didn't want her to know he was there just yet. He was enjoying the cat-and-mouse game, the look of nervousness in her eyes.
"I could beat you," she whispered. "I'll prove it to you some day."
She paused for several more moments, eyes darting back and forth. Then the wind blew; she shivered, remembering where she was. Not totally convinced she was alone, but not totally convinced she wasn't, she slunk in the direction of the lights, the houses, the warmth.
Tamashiiro held back for a few moments, then scuttled forward to peer around the side of a house.
She was walking down the street as if it were the light of day, as if she owned a house here. Tamashiiro followed her from behind the houses. Suddenly she stopped, looked down at her palm, looked up at a house, and walked towards it. Tamashiiro sped towards it, pulling himself in a half-standing position and running to the back of the house. There were plenty of trees flanking the house, and he could easily hide in one.
But he wanted to get up there before Aiyana got into the house. He had to hear this conversation from the beginning.
The prince took a flying leap towards a large oak tree with lush foliage and shimmied up the trunk of tree into the tangle of branches above. He was almost completely hidden in the green. Reaching into the pack he'd had strapped to his waist, Tamashiiro brought out a small digital screen with a wire attachment. He slipped some earphones over his ears; then unwrapped the wire, swung it above his head, and threw it against the side of the house.
It stuck.
With fingers the speed of a hummingbird's wing, Tamashiiro dialed a few buttons and smiled happily. The viewscreen showed a plain view of the living room of the household – all it's rooms and spaces.
And how full the house was. Upstairs, there were two little boys running around chasing each other in one room. Another room showed an attractive young dark-haired girl holding a smaller girl who looked much like herself; she seemed to be conversing with a blond-haired girl about her age.
But it was the downstairs that intrigued Tamashiiro. He pressed the large gathering room with the most people in it to get a better view.
Sitting in an overstuffed chair was an older white-haired man; there was a pair of crutches propped up near him. A blond-haired woman who looked about the same age was poring over him – an action that seemed to both exasperate and please the man. On the couch was a slightly younger man with strawberry blond hair; his face was buried in his hands. Seated on the loveseat was a handsome pair – a dark-haired man and the youngest woman in the room, possessed of glossy blond hair done in the weirdest hairstyle Tamashiiro had ever seen in his life. It was so familiar...
Tamashiiro's eyes brightened, and he smiled. Yes...that was a style similar to the little moon princess's. This was undoubtedly the Moon Queen...the little weasel had been bluffing. Damn, but her lying had improved.
But the Moon Queen wasn't even the most interesting member of the household. Who interested Tamashiiro was the man seated on the floor. He looked older than Tamashiiro himself, although certainly younger than the other's in the room. This young man had white-blond hair and tanned skin, and his face was bent down, peering at a bundle cradled in his hands.
Tamashiiro had an odd feeling about that bundle. It exerted some kind of power, some force on him.
He'd seen it before...
There was a sharp rap at the door. Every person in the living room jumped, then they all exchanged glances.
Chaos ensued.
Masaya sprang to his feet and ran towards the door, almost toppling Mikomi. He skidded to a stop when King Endymion stood in front of him, arms spread.
"Whoa, there," he said, smiling warmly at Masaya. "I know you're excited. But go back in the living room. You never know who's out there."
Endymion peered around Masaya to look at the rest of the living room's inhabitants – Serenity, Minako, Sadayoshi, and Sanetoki – who had all bounded to their feet and were ready to head to the door. "That goes for all of you, too. Be patient; she'll get in the door if that's her."
Everyone sank back into their respective positions.
Endymion strode to the door and peered through the peephole. Smiling, he unlocked the door and opened it, reached out, grabbed the first thing he could – an arm – and pulled the figure at the door in. He closed the door behind him, carefully bolting it.
Then he stood, studying his daughter.
"Finally," he sighed, falling into an embrace. Aiyana hugged him back.
Silently, the king pulled back and led her into the living room.
A commotion followed, but the king quieted it with a raising of his arms. Masaya, however, not being able to contain himself, flew into Aiyana's arms, sobbing quietly and squeezing Mikomi, who started shrieking.
"Are you all right? Are you really all right?"
"Yes, Masaya," Aiyana said, her eyes sparkling with happy tears. "I'm quite all right...you're going to hurt Mikomi..."
Serenity stepped forward and took Mikomi, and Masaya turned his squeezing towards Aiyana.
A black-suited woman stepped forward and took the squalling infant.
The man in the white lab coat turned toward the frail woman standing before him in a white hospital gown.
The black-suited men ripped him away violently.
They took hold of her, the frail woman in the white gown.
No...
Tamashiiro blinked.
He stared at the bundle.
"Let me go, Masaya...I have something important to tell you...Masaya, I can't breathe."
Masaya relented.
"All right, sorry, sorry. I'm sorry."
I'm sorry, I'm sorry...
Tamashiiro shook his head. "Why now?!"
Aiyana turned and smiled at Serenity. "Thank you, Queen Serenity," she said. "May I see my daughter now?"
"Of course," Serenity said, handing Aiyana her daughter. "How silly of you to ask me that. She's all yours..."
"She's been considerably quieter since you left," Masaya said. "She broods...either that, or she's silent in sadness."
"She responds well to Masaya," Serenity added.
"Well...she eats well from me," he said, laughing softly. "But she won't let anyone else near her. Not even to feed."
Aiyana just smiled down at her daughter, bringing a finger up to her face. Mikomi reached up and snatched the finger out of the air, waving it around, which made Aiyana laugh charmingly.
Tamashiiro's eyes burned.
"All mine..." She chuckled a little, smiling brighter. "She's definitely all mine...
No...
She's mine...
"She's mine, too," Tamashiiro whispered, eyes lacerating Dr. Koikokoro's back.
Masaya sidled up to Aiyana. "And you're all mine." He smiled and turned her body, bringing her lips towards his.
No! She's mine!
"No! She's mine!"
He punched the panic button.
Tamashiiro sprung out of the tree and zipped around the front of the house, blasting through the front door.