Weary from the night before, most of the guests in the palace slept in later than usual. Umi was the last person to crawl out of bed, get dressed and make her way downstairs at 10:30. It was a bit rainy outside, but not storming. She found Chiyo, Koushi and Mikomi sitting in Chiyo's room chatting, each wearing a simple satin gown of their favorite color. They informed Umi that Kei's mother had taken a sudden turn for the worst and that she had left for home early that morning.
"I feel so awful for Kei. She has no siblings and has been raised by her father nearly her entire life. That must have been so hard. . . how old was she when her mother got sick?" Umi plopped down on the floor, and started playing with Chiyo's hair, who was sitting next to her.
"Two years old," replied Mikomi, who was perched primly on Chiyo's vanity chair. "But she has never been completely healthy. She's really diabetic."
"It's amazing that Kei isn't diabetic, considering how badly her mother has it." Koushi thought aloud. "Do they even know what's wrong with her right now?"
Chiyo shook her head. "Everyone has their theories, but no one is for sure."
Mikomi looked at the carpet. She had asked Kei if she could go back to Mars with her, but Kei wouldn't let her. It had almost seemed like she was ashamed. She looked over at Umi, who was finishing braiding Chiyo's thick hair. "I wish there was something we could do to help her."
Koushi bit the end of a pencil and stared at the ceiling. "Maybe the senshi could heal her if we all got together and concentrated?"
The girls reflected on this for a moment. They exchanged thoughtful looks as the idea seemed better and better the more they considered it. Mikomi seemed inspired.
"That's a wonderful idea! It just might work!" She leapt to her feet and clasped her hands together in front of her chest. "We really could help her!"
"We should ask the Outers, I'm sure they'll be willing to help," Koushi agreed.
"And Kohana already has healing powers, so that will be even better!" Chiyo chimed joyously.
All four girls stood up excitedly and squeezed out the door at the same time. They were running, laughing through the halls of the solemn palace as rain made calm pattering sounds on the roof. Some of the older people walking by gave them disapproving looks, while others merely smiled and shook their head. At one point Umi tripped and nearly plowed into one of the attendants as she turned a corner with an armful of towels. The poor attendant shrieked and dropped her towels in surprise, but she giggled along with the princesses as they helped her pick them up. After that the girls resolved to walk quickly instead of run to avoid more accidents.
Chiyo stopped them when they reached the hall where the Outers were staying, and closed her eyes. After a couple of seconds she opened her eyes, went over to Yodume's room and knocked on the door.
"It's me," she called to them.
"Oh, come on in." they heard Yodume's voice reply. Sure enough, they opened the door and all four outers were there, along with Ken and- much to Chiyo's surprise- Tasuke. She suddenly felt thankful that Umi had braided her hair. When he smiled at her she went speechless for a couple of seconds, and she had to remind herself of why they had come. The Outer senshi were also wearing their satin day gowns in their color of choice.
The girls recited their idea in frenzy, finishing each other's sentences and tripping over words. The rest of them watched what seemed like confused awe. When the girls finally finished they had been hoping for an uproar of support for their idea; what they got was few uncomfortable looks. Sora and Ken studied the floor, Hakeru was giving them a look of sympathy, Tasuke held his hand on his chin thoughtfully, while Shina and Kohana looked at each other uneasily.
"That's so considerate of you girls to come up with that. I'm sure Kei would be grateful." Hakeru said softly.
"You don't want to do it?" Umi asked, disappointed. Ken rubbed the back of his neck uneasily and looked from the floor to the ceiling. Chiyo watched him suspiciously.
"It's best to leave matters of life and death to themselves," Kohana stated gently. She had a dark purple lily behind her right ear with white flecks on the petals and was still wearing her Saturn necklace.
"We can't just sit around and let her get more sick," Koushi began. "We have the power to help her heal now. Isn't it our duty to protect the people of our system, namely the royalty?"
"Our duty is to protect them, yes. Protect them from enemies that mean them harm. But to try and cure a mysterious illness that she has had for almost sixteen years? It's something else entirely." Shina explained calmly.
Sora nodded. "Even if we did try to help her fight off this illness, we can't say that that amount of energy coming from us wouldn't do her more harm than good. It could be to much for her body to handle."
"Not to mention that we don't know the nature of this illness. It could be parasitic to energy, and only grow stronger from our efforts to get rid of it," Tasuke added. Chiyo heard him speak, but was still watching Ken closely. He finally looked up and stared back at her.
"The best thing I think we can do is just let time take its course." Yodume concluded.
Mikomi looked hurt. "We can't just turn our backs on her. If you love someone, you should fight to keep him or her alive! Kei loves her mother and we want to make it easier for her."
"We understand that, Mikomi," said Hakeru, shifting in her seat on the bed. "What we're saying is so much has been done to help Queen Shoujiki already, that maybe." She seemed to struggle with her words for a moment. "Maybe she isn't meant to be healthy again."
Koushi, Umi and Mikomi seemed too shocked to speak. But Chiyo had been watching Ken closely, and she knew her brother's thoughts.
"So. . . tell us Hakeru. What was your prophecy about?" she said a little roughly.
Hakeru looked surprised for only a moment, then looked sideways at Ken. He was back to being fascinated by the floor. She let a sad smile come to her lips and looked directly at Chiyo.
"Just a moment. We have to wait for someone." She explained simply. Not five seconds later another person knocked at the door.
"Come in, Kei." Hakeru called easily. Mikomi turned with excitement but caught herself halfway, stopping herself from running eagerly to the door.
When Mikomi had seen her early that morning, Kei had been wearing her satin gown just like the others. She had also looked much less tired. Kei had since changed into a pair of wide black pants and a gold tank top. She walked smoothly into the room and came to a stop next to Mikomi. She looked around at the group and managed a smile.
"Having a party without me?"
Mikomi bowed her head a little, and Kei watched her out of the corner of her eye. "Are you okay?" Kei asked her. Mikomi nodded, but clenched her hands tightly.
"Kei," started Hakeru. "How is your mother?" The question seemed rude and out of place for some reason, and Umi's mouth even dropped open a little.
Kei kept smiling. "I think you already know the answer to that, Hakeru." For a moment it seemed like they were fighting about something. But then Hakeru got up from the bed and crossed the room. She stood directly in front of Kei and looked straight into her eyes (which wasn't very hard for Hakeru, who was fourth tallest of all the senshi). After a slight pause she wrapped her arms lovingly around Kei, resting her head on her friend's shoulder. Kei seemed taken back slightly.
"Kei. I'm so sorry. But we have to tell them now." Mikomi looked over at Hakeru and saw that her eyes seemed glossy. Suddenly she understood that Hakeru and Kei had known all along what Queen Shoujiki's ailment was.
Kei let out a small breath of air, and hugged Hakeru back very tightly. "Okay," she whispered almost inaudibly.
To make sure that they weren't overheard, they agreed to go into the Moon Shrine's Royal Chamber. Only King Atlas, Queen Imbriana, Ken and Chiyo could open the chamber, and only they could seal it behind them. The room was a major concentration of magical energy and had one special talent: the ability to create almost anything that one of the royal family should ask for. Once Chiyo and Ken were inside the candles magically lit themselves and the room came to life; the walls were silvery blue marbled and decorated with portraits of Chiyo's ancestors. There were no windows for security's sake, but the candles shone with unnatural brightness and made it feel like warm sunlight inside the room. In the very middle there was a round crystal table with ten seats, each with a different insignia on the chair.
Chiyo approached it slowly, and ran her hands along the crescent moon on her seat. "Mother told me that when I really became a Senshi I would finally be able to sit in the Circle of Soldiers. This table has been unused for so many years," she reminisced about one time when she was very young, and her mother and she were forced to take refuge in the Shrine. A group of rebels from a nearby star had launched an attack on the kingdoms on the Moon, Earth and Venus. When the enemies breached the closest line of defense to the palace, Queen Imbriana had grabbed her son and daughter and locked them and her inside the Shrine walls, barely escaping the rebels as they infiltrated the castle. The walls were thick and almost soundproof, but in her mind she heard and saw so many battles and deaths that it frightened her too much to sleep. She told her mother that she didn't think she was brave enough to be a Senshi.
"You're still a very little girl, Chiyo. Bravery will come to you as you grow up and grow strong. And one day, you will be able to sit in the Circle with your friends and help save the people who need you. But until then, you are still my little girl, and all you have to do is fall asleep here in my arms and dream. Your day will come."
After that it didn't take long for Chiyo to fall asleep. They hid there for nearly three days until finally the King opened up the doors and told them that the enemies had retreated.
Chiyo sat down first, and motioned for the others to follow her. Each princess took her respective seat somewhat anxiously, unsure of what to expect from the mysterious table. The last one to sit down was Tasuke and as soon as he did the centerpiece of the table, a model of the solar system, lit up. A thin stream of golden light emerged from the top, spread out like a fan and revealed the image of a very beautiful woman in a white dress. She had raven black hair that fell all the way to her ankles and stunning aqua blue eyes. She had a very tall gold staff with what looked like a winged star on the top. She looked around the table at each senshi in turn (and also at Ken, who had pulled up a chair nearby). Luckily, the new senshi had been somewhat briefed about this woman before.
"Kinyume," whispered a wide-eyed Mikomi.
"How may I serve you?" asked the figure, almost robotically. When she said this, everyone looked at each other for the answer. Hakeru scratched her neck slowly.
"Well, I hadn't meant for this to happen, but what the hell. This could be our first mission as real senshi, we may as well use the resources, eh?" she asked. The question had been directed at everyone, but she looked at Kei when she said it. Kei nodded a little.
"Kinyume, tell us about Queen Ayeka Shoujiki of Mars." Kei said almost hesitantly.
"Shoujiki Ayeka. Born August eighteenth. Age is thirty-nine years. Star sign is Leo. Current height is five feet six inches. Current weight is one hundred forty pounds." Kinyume went on about the details of Kei's mother for a few more moments without really pausing, and of the senshi smiled. Hakeru stopped Kinyume in the middle of "Current body temperature is..."
"Kinyume, what can you tell us about the mysterious ailment currently plaguing Queen Shoujiki?"
There was a moment of silence. "This information is locked, responsibility of Sailors Neptune and Mars."
Chiyo was stunned. "You've visited Kinyume before?" she asked, but no one said anything.
"You may unlock it." Hakeru stated.
"Permission from Sailorneptune received. Permission from Sailormars still required." Kinyume replied mechanically.
"Permission granted." Said Kei softly. She bowed her head a little and closed her eyes for a moment. She could feel many of the others watching her curiously.
"Dual permission received to unlock data labeled 'Possession'. I will begin the data feed."
Another silent moment passed, and Kinyume began the very long explanation.
"I feel so awful for Kei. She has no siblings and has been raised by her father nearly her entire life. That must have been so hard. . . how old was she when her mother got sick?" Umi plopped down on the floor, and started playing with Chiyo's hair, who was sitting next to her.
"Two years old," replied Mikomi, who was perched primly on Chiyo's vanity chair. "But she has never been completely healthy. She's really diabetic."
"It's amazing that Kei isn't diabetic, considering how badly her mother has it." Koushi thought aloud. "Do they even know what's wrong with her right now?"
Chiyo shook her head. "Everyone has their theories, but no one is for sure."
Mikomi looked at the carpet. She had asked Kei if she could go back to Mars with her, but Kei wouldn't let her. It had almost seemed like she was ashamed. She looked over at Umi, who was finishing braiding Chiyo's thick hair. "I wish there was something we could do to help her."
Koushi bit the end of a pencil and stared at the ceiling. "Maybe the senshi could heal her if we all got together and concentrated?"
The girls reflected on this for a moment. They exchanged thoughtful looks as the idea seemed better and better the more they considered it. Mikomi seemed inspired.
"That's a wonderful idea! It just might work!" She leapt to her feet and clasped her hands together in front of her chest. "We really could help her!"
"We should ask the Outers, I'm sure they'll be willing to help," Koushi agreed.
"And Kohana already has healing powers, so that will be even better!" Chiyo chimed joyously.
All four girls stood up excitedly and squeezed out the door at the same time. They were running, laughing through the halls of the solemn palace as rain made calm pattering sounds on the roof. Some of the older people walking by gave them disapproving looks, while others merely smiled and shook their head. At one point Umi tripped and nearly plowed into one of the attendants as she turned a corner with an armful of towels. The poor attendant shrieked and dropped her towels in surprise, but she giggled along with the princesses as they helped her pick them up. After that the girls resolved to walk quickly instead of run to avoid more accidents.
Chiyo stopped them when they reached the hall where the Outers were staying, and closed her eyes. After a couple of seconds she opened her eyes, went over to Yodume's room and knocked on the door.
"It's me," she called to them.
"Oh, come on in." they heard Yodume's voice reply. Sure enough, they opened the door and all four outers were there, along with Ken and- much to Chiyo's surprise- Tasuke. She suddenly felt thankful that Umi had braided her hair. When he smiled at her she went speechless for a couple of seconds, and she had to remind herself of why they had come. The Outer senshi were also wearing their satin day gowns in their color of choice.
The girls recited their idea in frenzy, finishing each other's sentences and tripping over words. The rest of them watched what seemed like confused awe. When the girls finally finished they had been hoping for an uproar of support for their idea; what they got was few uncomfortable looks. Sora and Ken studied the floor, Hakeru was giving them a look of sympathy, Tasuke held his hand on his chin thoughtfully, while Shina and Kohana looked at each other uneasily.
"That's so considerate of you girls to come up with that. I'm sure Kei would be grateful." Hakeru said softly.
"You don't want to do it?" Umi asked, disappointed. Ken rubbed the back of his neck uneasily and looked from the floor to the ceiling. Chiyo watched him suspiciously.
"It's best to leave matters of life and death to themselves," Kohana stated gently. She had a dark purple lily behind her right ear with white flecks on the petals and was still wearing her Saturn necklace.
"We can't just sit around and let her get more sick," Koushi began. "We have the power to help her heal now. Isn't it our duty to protect the people of our system, namely the royalty?"
"Our duty is to protect them, yes. Protect them from enemies that mean them harm. But to try and cure a mysterious illness that she has had for almost sixteen years? It's something else entirely." Shina explained calmly.
Sora nodded. "Even if we did try to help her fight off this illness, we can't say that that amount of energy coming from us wouldn't do her more harm than good. It could be to much for her body to handle."
"Not to mention that we don't know the nature of this illness. It could be parasitic to energy, and only grow stronger from our efforts to get rid of it," Tasuke added. Chiyo heard him speak, but was still watching Ken closely. He finally looked up and stared back at her.
"The best thing I think we can do is just let time take its course." Yodume concluded.
Mikomi looked hurt. "We can't just turn our backs on her. If you love someone, you should fight to keep him or her alive! Kei loves her mother and we want to make it easier for her."
"We understand that, Mikomi," said Hakeru, shifting in her seat on the bed. "What we're saying is so much has been done to help Queen Shoujiki already, that maybe." She seemed to struggle with her words for a moment. "Maybe she isn't meant to be healthy again."
Koushi, Umi and Mikomi seemed too shocked to speak. But Chiyo had been watching Ken closely, and she knew her brother's thoughts.
"So. . . tell us Hakeru. What was your prophecy about?" she said a little roughly.
Hakeru looked surprised for only a moment, then looked sideways at Ken. He was back to being fascinated by the floor. She let a sad smile come to her lips and looked directly at Chiyo.
"Just a moment. We have to wait for someone." She explained simply. Not five seconds later another person knocked at the door.
"Come in, Kei." Hakeru called easily. Mikomi turned with excitement but caught herself halfway, stopping herself from running eagerly to the door.
When Mikomi had seen her early that morning, Kei had been wearing her satin gown just like the others. She had also looked much less tired. Kei had since changed into a pair of wide black pants and a gold tank top. She walked smoothly into the room and came to a stop next to Mikomi. She looked around at the group and managed a smile.
"Having a party without me?"
Mikomi bowed her head a little, and Kei watched her out of the corner of her eye. "Are you okay?" Kei asked her. Mikomi nodded, but clenched her hands tightly.
"Kei," started Hakeru. "How is your mother?" The question seemed rude and out of place for some reason, and Umi's mouth even dropped open a little.
Kei kept smiling. "I think you already know the answer to that, Hakeru." For a moment it seemed like they were fighting about something. But then Hakeru got up from the bed and crossed the room. She stood directly in front of Kei and looked straight into her eyes (which wasn't very hard for Hakeru, who was fourth tallest of all the senshi). After a slight pause she wrapped her arms lovingly around Kei, resting her head on her friend's shoulder. Kei seemed taken back slightly.
"Kei. I'm so sorry. But we have to tell them now." Mikomi looked over at Hakeru and saw that her eyes seemed glossy. Suddenly she understood that Hakeru and Kei had known all along what Queen Shoujiki's ailment was.
Kei let out a small breath of air, and hugged Hakeru back very tightly. "Okay," she whispered almost inaudibly.
To make sure that they weren't overheard, they agreed to go into the Moon Shrine's Royal Chamber. Only King Atlas, Queen Imbriana, Ken and Chiyo could open the chamber, and only they could seal it behind them. The room was a major concentration of magical energy and had one special talent: the ability to create almost anything that one of the royal family should ask for. Once Chiyo and Ken were inside the candles magically lit themselves and the room came to life; the walls were silvery blue marbled and decorated with portraits of Chiyo's ancestors. There were no windows for security's sake, but the candles shone with unnatural brightness and made it feel like warm sunlight inside the room. In the very middle there was a round crystal table with ten seats, each with a different insignia on the chair.
Chiyo approached it slowly, and ran her hands along the crescent moon on her seat. "Mother told me that when I really became a Senshi I would finally be able to sit in the Circle of Soldiers. This table has been unused for so many years," she reminisced about one time when she was very young, and her mother and she were forced to take refuge in the Shrine. A group of rebels from a nearby star had launched an attack on the kingdoms on the Moon, Earth and Venus. When the enemies breached the closest line of defense to the palace, Queen Imbriana had grabbed her son and daughter and locked them and her inside the Shrine walls, barely escaping the rebels as they infiltrated the castle. The walls were thick and almost soundproof, but in her mind she heard and saw so many battles and deaths that it frightened her too much to sleep. She told her mother that she didn't think she was brave enough to be a Senshi.
"You're still a very little girl, Chiyo. Bravery will come to you as you grow up and grow strong. And one day, you will be able to sit in the Circle with your friends and help save the people who need you. But until then, you are still my little girl, and all you have to do is fall asleep here in my arms and dream. Your day will come."
After that it didn't take long for Chiyo to fall asleep. They hid there for nearly three days until finally the King opened up the doors and told them that the enemies had retreated.
Chiyo sat down first, and motioned for the others to follow her. Each princess took her respective seat somewhat anxiously, unsure of what to expect from the mysterious table. The last one to sit down was Tasuke and as soon as he did the centerpiece of the table, a model of the solar system, lit up. A thin stream of golden light emerged from the top, spread out like a fan and revealed the image of a very beautiful woman in a white dress. She had raven black hair that fell all the way to her ankles and stunning aqua blue eyes. She had a very tall gold staff with what looked like a winged star on the top. She looked around the table at each senshi in turn (and also at Ken, who had pulled up a chair nearby). Luckily, the new senshi had been somewhat briefed about this woman before.
"Kinyume," whispered a wide-eyed Mikomi.
"How may I serve you?" asked the figure, almost robotically. When she said this, everyone looked at each other for the answer. Hakeru scratched her neck slowly.
"Well, I hadn't meant for this to happen, but what the hell. This could be our first mission as real senshi, we may as well use the resources, eh?" she asked. The question had been directed at everyone, but she looked at Kei when she said it. Kei nodded a little.
"Kinyume, tell us about Queen Ayeka Shoujiki of Mars." Kei said almost hesitantly.
"Shoujiki Ayeka. Born August eighteenth. Age is thirty-nine years. Star sign is Leo. Current height is five feet six inches. Current weight is one hundred forty pounds." Kinyume went on about the details of Kei's mother for a few more moments without really pausing, and of the senshi smiled. Hakeru stopped Kinyume in the middle of "Current body temperature is..."
"Kinyume, what can you tell us about the mysterious ailment currently plaguing Queen Shoujiki?"
There was a moment of silence. "This information is locked, responsibility of Sailors Neptune and Mars."
Chiyo was stunned. "You've visited Kinyume before?" she asked, but no one said anything.
"You may unlock it." Hakeru stated.
"Permission from Sailorneptune received. Permission from Sailormars still required." Kinyume replied mechanically.
"Permission granted." Said Kei softly. She bowed her head a little and closed her eyes for a moment. She could feel many of the others watching her curiously.
"Dual permission received to unlock data labeled 'Possession'. I will begin the data feed."
Another silent moment passed, and Kinyume began the very long explanation.