Rei and Phoenix had walked back up into her room. Rei had told her grandfather that Phoenix had offered to help out at the shrine in exchange for room and board. He said he didn't mind having a beautiful girl like her hanging around. Phoenix had been in Rei's room several times since she had been there. There was a large round table in the middle of the room. It still had the tea pot and cups on it. Phoenix helped her clear the table. Rei had given her one of the shrine red and white robes earlier, she had also offered her some of her old clothes she had in a trunk at the foot of her bed.
"Rei is it true that you are the priestess of this shrine?" asked Phoenix.
"Yes I am." she said brushing her hair. "Come over here and I will braid your hair for you." Phoenix walked over and sat on the floor in front of Rei.
"My mother does this for me every night. She always say that I should cut some of this, but I like it long." said Phoenix pushing it from her face.
"It is a lot of hair, but it is really pretty. I guess you get these streaks from your father, huh?"
"Yep, mother says it's the only part of me that looks like him." she giggled.
"I would ask what he is like, but I think I want to be surprised. I mean I know the out come so I want some of this relationship to be a surprise."
"I know what you mean. I kind of knew that something like this was going to happen to all of us. I had a feeling our mothers were up to something. Before mother, father and I left Mars I had done a fire reading to make sure it was going to be a safe trip I saw that the trip would be longer then they had originally told me."
"You read fires?" asked Rei, braiding Phoenix's hair.
"Yes, my mother taught me. She told me that I had the sight and that I was going to end up becoming a great seer. She said that it ran in our family. My great grandfather could read fires and so could my grandmother."
"Yeah they could. Grandpa doesn't really read them anymore. He finds looking at the girls that come in here more interesting." they both laughed. "But it gives me time to read them myself."
"Did you really have something going on with that man that works here?" asked Phoenix.
"Who? Yuuichiru?" she nodded. "No, him and I are just friends. Who told you that I had something going on with him?"
"Queen Minako and Neo-Queen Serenity talked about him like you had, had something going on with him at one point."
"Oh no, no him and I have been nothing more then just friends." said Rei. "All done." she had finished braiding Phoenix's hair.
"Can I braid yours?" she asked.
"Sure." they switched places and Phoenix began to braid Rei's long raven hair. "Anything else you want to ask me?"
"I have a rather stupid question." she said.
"There are no stupid question, only stupid answers." said Rei.
"How come you don't live with your father? I mean I know that he is alive still." she asked hesitating.
"Well, my father works in a different place and I kept getting in the way after my mother had died so he sent me to live with my grandfather. He thought it would be in my best interest if I didn't have to keep moving. But he paid for my schooling so it was ok. Why do you ask?"
"I thought that you lived with him before Neo-Queen and King's wedding, is all."
"Why would you think that?" asked Rei.
"Because you lived with him up until you got married to my father." said Phoenix.
"Did something happen to Grandpa?" asked Rei worried.
"Oh no nothing like that. No, mother had told me that after she had met my father, her father had come back and had asked her to move back in with him. He wanted to spend some time with her before she got married." said Phoenix.
"Why did he come back?" asked Rei.
"He had heard that you were with child, and wanted to make sure you had everything you needed. She said great-grandfather just didn't have the money to help her out. So she had told him."
"And he came to help?"
"Yep, said that was what her mother wanted him to do. All done." she said, letting the braid fall down Rei's back. Yuuichiru had brought a bed mat in for Phoenix to sleep on. He bided them good-night and left. Phoenix climbed onto the mat and pulled the covers over her. She patted she side for Dove to climb up. Rei got into her bed. She kept thinking of what Phoenix had said about her father. 'He would be there for me. Something he has never done.' They fell asleep.
Minako and Opal walked the four blocks to her house. She lived in a modest house. It looked much like Usagi's old one, but it was a light yellow color. Minako had asked if it would be alright for Opal and Isis to stay there until she had moved into her new place. Her mother took one look at Opal and just swept her up in her arms.
"Of course you can stay!" she said squeezing Opal. "Its been such a long time since we had a youngster here. Oh, honey come and take a look at this darling child. You know Minako if I didn't know better I would say she was your child. She looks just like you." Opal bit her lip and looked at Minako who was doing the same thing. Her father walked into the room and did a double take.
"Holy Cow!" he said "Minako, where did you find this beautiful little girl. I could swear she was you. Though her hair is a different color but the resemblance is uncanny." then he looked at Isis. "What is this?" he picked her up. Isis licked his hand. She didn't want to scare him. She knew that people on this planet didn't see to many snow leopards around, let alone have one as a pet. "She is just darling. What is her name?"
"Isis, sir." said Opal. "She isn't any trouble. I promise you wont hear me. I'm very quiet."
"Well that would be a change." laughed Minako's mother. "Would you like something to eat? Or how about a drink?" Opal shook her head.
"Is it alright then?" asked Minako.
"Of course. Any friend of Minako is welcomed here." said her mother. She looked at Opal and noticed that she didn't have a bag or suitcase. "Dear where is your suitcase or duffle bag?" Then Opal remembered that they were sent to the past with nothing but the cloths on their backs.
"Um…" she started.
"It was stolen." said Minako quickly. "I told her she could use some of my old cloths until she can buy some of her own."
"Of course. I will get your old cloths boxes from out of the attic. Don't worry. Some people are just really rude." said her mother.
"I didn't catch it, but where are you from, Opal was it." asked Minako's father.
"England." she said, it was the only place she could think of. Her mother had told her about the time she had lived there as Sailor V.
"England? Good place. We use to live there ourselves." he said.
"I know." she said without thinking.
"You do?" asked Minako's mother.
"Yeah, mom. Opal is Katrina younger sister. She asked me if I would look after her while she is in Tokyo." said Minako.
"How is Katrina?" asked her father.
"She's good." said Opal quickly, she hoped they wouldn't ask her to many question about Katrina, her mother never really talked about her.
"Oh my, look at the time. You two get upstairs and get ready for bed. Minako let her stay in your room for the night." said her mother. Minako nodded and the two of them went upstairs.
Minako's room was full of boxes. There were sun stains on the walls where posters and pictures hung. She had large bags full of stuffed animals laying in the corner. Her bed had been taken off the frame and was laying on the floor. The frame was against the wall. Her closet doors were wide open, reviling it empty. Opal looked around the room. She saw an old stuffed black and white dog laying on the bed. She went over and picked it up.
"You like him?" asked Minako. "His name is Bo. My mother gave him to me when I was little…"
"And her mother had given it to her." said Opal finishing the sentence. "I know the story of Bo. My mother gave him to me when I was four years old. She told me the whole story. He looks better now then when I get him." She held him up to her nose and took a deep breath. It smelled just like her mother. She missed her.
"You ok?" asked Minako.
"Yeah, just a little home sick. Its kind of weird. I've always wanted to come to the past and meet you, but I never thought I would want to see my mom so much." she said. Minako handed her a night gown. She put it on.
"Well I can understand. I'm looking foreword to moving out, but I sometime think that I just want to stay here." said Minako climbing into the bed. She held out her hand to let Opal know that it was ok for her to share it. "Its better then the floor."
"Thanks." she got into the bed too. "Minako?"
"Hmm?"
"Were those people downstairs my grandparents?" she asked.
"I guess they are. Why?"
"Well, I never really saw them growing up. I saw them when I was very little, but once mother and father took me to Venus I almost never saw them again." she said. She was still holding Bo.
"How come you never saw them?" asked Minako rolling over on her side facing Opal.
"Mom told me that it was because the Silver Imperium Crystal had made us all immortal. Us being her, daddy and myself."
"You mean they died, before seeing you grow up?" asked Minako.
"Well, we had gone to Earth a few times when I was very little and because I grew so slowly they didn't understand. When mom heard that her mother had died she went crazy. She and daddy went to Earth to say their good-byes and left me on Venus. They stayed there for a year with her father. He died just before they left. He told her that he always understood why she had left and that he didn't hate her for it. He even told her that even though I was different from all the other children he loved me just the same. He said the times he had seen me made him the happiest." Minako had tears in her eyes. She never thought that her parents wouldn't always be there.
"They were happy, right?" she asked.
"Oh yes. Made a huge deal out of the fact that mom married a nice man. Said he was a real gentleman. Mom told me that when they saw me for the first time they said that my father and her made beautiful children just like they thought they would. She said that her mother always made a big deal about making baby cloths for me and always taking pictures of me with my grandpa and her. Want to see one?" she asked.
"Please." Opal pulled a folded piece of paper from her jeans from the floor and handed it to Minako.
"Wow, look at you. And that is my mom and dad. Is that Kunzite?" Opal nodded.
"Who is that?" asked Minako as she pointed to someone in the picture.
"That is King Nephrite. Him and Queen Makoto had visited that day. See the little brown head right there." she pointed at the bottom of the picture. Minako nodded. "That's the top of Bella's head. This was taken the day after I was born. Mom told me that she had never seen my grandma so happy."
"I can see. Look at the smile on my mom's face. Where am I when this was taken?" asked Minako.
"You were the one taking it. Queen Makoto had brought the camera in so that you could get as many pictures as you could before you had to start taking care of me yourself." she laughed. Minako looked into the picture. Her parents were sitting there with huge smiles on their faces and were holding her daughter, Opal. That night she fell asleep instead of holding Bo, she was holding the picture and Opal hand.
When Makoto had gotten home she offered Bella some tea. She told her to make herself at home, and walked into the kitchen. Bella walked around the living room. She looked at the flowers lining the windows and looked at the pictures on the fire mantel. Then she saw the picture of Makoto's parents. She gently picked it up, handling it like it was going to break. She ran her fingers over the faces looking back at her.
"You would have liked them." said Makoto softly. "They were very nice people."
"I'm sure I would have." she softly put the picture back on the mantel. She had seen that picture many times. It was in her mother's bed room. She wasn't allowed in there, but often snuck in there to look at that picture.
"Something wrong?" asked Makoto handing her a cup of tea.
"No, not really. What were they like?"
"Well, they were really nice people. Before they died they would do anything for me. My mother taught me how to cook. She liked spending time with me. My father worked during the day but at night he would come home with a new story book for him and I to read. They spent all their free time doing things with me. I remember once my dad told me that I was his little princess. In fact that is what he usually called me." she sighed.
"They sound wonderful." she looked back up at the picture. Makoto got up and got the picture and sat back down. She handed Bella the picture. She hesitated.
"Go ahead, you wont brake it. Trust me. That has fallen off the mantel so many times I've lost count. You act like its made of fire. Its not going to hurt you." Bella took the picture and caressed it again.
"Do you miss them?" she asked.
"Sometimes. Mostly when I am all alone at night, or when I see girls with there fathers. But I know they are in a better place." she smiled. "Why do you ask?"
"Well mum never talked about them while I was growing up. She kept this picture on her night stand in her room and I wasn't allowed to see it. She told me she didn't want me thinking something was going to happen to her because something happened to my grandparents." said Bella. Her eyes where watering.
"I guess I didn't want you to worry." Makoto was the only one that talked about her future self as if she had been there before. "Sometimes hearing about bad things happening to others make some people believe it will happen to them. I guess I thought too much about it."
"Dad always said you thought too much." said Bella snickering.
"He did, did he?" said Makoto raising and eye brow. "What is he like?" She reached out her hand and began to pet Thor.
"Well, dad is, well dad." said Bella. "He's really charming. He'd do anything for me, or even you. This one time, there was this huge fight on Jupiter because one of the farmers hit another's tractor. You went down to straighten things out and I went with you. Dad had been a few fields away and saw that one of them had accidentally pushed me down on the ground and he set off running at him. He knocked him to the ground and almost hit him. I was fine, but insisted that he carry me. You settled the fight and then we went home."
"He's got a temper just like me. This is going to be good." said Makoto.
"You have a temper?" asked Bella, looking at her oddly. "Not in the future. It takes a huge amount of problems before you lose it. I've only seen it once, and that was because some beings came to Jupiter and started pushing us around. You couldn't take that and just snapped. It was like all of the thunder and lightning on Jupiter had hit at the same moment. It was really cool."
"Wow, the girls wont believe that I don't have the temper I have now. I wonder what changed?"
"Me." said Bella. "Dad told me once you had me you mellowed out."
"I guess kids do change people."
"Did you really fight along side of the Starlights?" asked Bella.
"Some what. Usagi did most of the fighting. But I know them pretty well. Went to school with them for a while." said Makoto, filling her cup with more tea. "I had the biggest crush on them for a while."
"I heard that when they transform into the Sailor Starlights they become girls, is that right?" Makoto nodded.
"It helps make it so the bad guys can't figure out who they really are."
"How come we have to wear those mini-skirts?"
"You know what I really don't know. I guess it has to do with the fact you can move easier in short skirts then long ones." said Makoto giggling.
"Then why don't we wear pants or shorts?" Makoto just shrugged.
"Some times you just take what they give you. I mean the whole time I was in junior high with Usagi and Ami I had to wear my old school's uniform because their school's didn't fit me. Then I couldn't take an outfit that didn't fit. That is just how it works sometimes."
"I always wanted to know something?" said Bella.
"What's that?"
"How come when ever I talked to Queen Minako or Queen Rei they told me that you use to be 'boy crazy.' But when ever I asked you, you would only tell me that you only had eyes for my father?"
"Well, if what Chibiusa said about Nephrite and myself in the Silver Millennium, how we use to be in love then, then I guess how I use to say 'he looks like my old boyfriend' I guess I was talking about him. Now that I think about, when I first saw him, when he fought I couldn't take my eyes away from him. The way he moved was like an art. I guess like Usagi I kept some memories of the past. I wonder if it was the same for the rest of them?" she said. "I bet that doesn't make any sense to you."
"Not really but the way you talk about dad, you get the same look on your face as my mom did when ever she watched him train. Its kind of goofy." giggled Bella.
"Did I ever tell you how we met again?" asked Makoto.
"Oh yes, you use to tell me like a bed time story when I was younger. You told me that when you first saw him it was love at first site. It was like all of the terrible things he had done, wasn't even him. You told me how he swept you off his feet, how he knew he wanted to be with you forever. You told me about how he proposed to you and how your wedding was, with all the flowers and all the food. You had this look in your eyes like it was replaying in you mind when you spoke of it. I loved hearing you tell me about him." said Bella taking a sip of her tea.
"How long did we date before we got married?" asked Makoto.
"Not very long, now that I think about it I think you had only been together a few weeks before you got married, if that. I know that you had been married when I was conceived." said Bella, playing with the charm on Thor's collar, he had fallen asleep while Makoto was petting him.
"I guess I knew it was right, then and there." said Makoto. She looked at her watch. It was almost ten. "I think we should get to bed. I have a second room with a bed in it. You can sleep there. You don't have any other clothes with you do you?" Bella shook her head. "Well tomorrow I will take out some of my old stuff, you should fit in them, if not I can alter them." she smiled and showed Bella where she would sleep. She walked into her bed room and came back with a pair of pajama pants and a night shirt. "Here sleep in this. We can got and get the 'personal' stuff tomorrow." They said good-night and went to bed. Thor was still sleeping on the couch.
Ami and Lily had gotten a ride from Usagi and Mamoru to Ami's condo. She thanked them for the ride and then they went inside. Her mother was down in the lobby checking the mail. She saw them come in.
"Ami!" she yelled "Your getting home late. Who is your friend?"
"Hi mom. This is Lily, she is an exchange student. I offered to host her for the year. I'm sorry I didn't ask you first."
"Oh honey that is alright. I'm Dr. Mizuno. I work at Cross Roads Hospital. Its nice to meet you." she extended her hand to Lily, who shook it. "Where are you visiting us from?"
"Germany." she said. Her mother had told about the time she had almost gone there for early entrance into pre-med. "I'm learning about Tokyo in the 21st century."
"Well I'm sure Ami will help you with that. She knows a lot about what happens around here." Ami was surprised how smart Lily was.
"Any mail for me?" she asked.
"Just a letter from your father. Looks like he's in America right now. Tell him when you write him back that I hope he is safe." said Dr. Mizuno.
"I will. Well we are going to go upstairs now." said Ami. "See you up there."
"Alright."
They took the elevator up to the 16th floor. The door opened up into a huge room. It was Ami's foray. Ami showed Lily around the condo. She showed her the huge kitchen and the view the over looked all of Tokyo. Then Ami took her to her room. Ami's room was rather large. The walls were covered with book cases full of books and nick-knacks. The wall over Ami's desk had a cork board with pictures and paintings her father had sent her. Ami's room was very clean, not one thing was out of place. Lily walked along the book cases and took out a book: 'Theories of the Universe and the Planets Within It'.
"I haven't read this one. Do you mind if I do?" she asked.
"Not at all, but I don't know if you would understand it." said Ami "Its very advance."
"I'm sure I will, mummy has told me that I'm very smart for my age, considering I'm over 900 years old. The children of Crystal Tokyo mature very slowly, so most of us are just like sixteen year olds." explained Lily. "Mummy said that I'm much like she was at my age. Even though she told me not to study so much, I still did."
"Well she was right. I use to study all the time, but I missed out on a lot of really fun things. It wasn't until after we fought Galaxia that I stopped studying so much. I realized that all the studying in the world was nothing unless I had friends." said Ami.
"That is what mummy always told me. Daddy on the other had told me that knowledge would get me anywhere I wanted to go. So sometimes I got very confused." said Lily opening the book.
"What of your father?" asked Ami walking over to Lily.
"He's a nice man. Sometimes he goes away for a long time, but its only because Neo-King Endymion has them training. He doesn't want the same thing that happened in the Silver Millennium to happen in Crystal Tokyo. But he doesn't go away very often. When he does though he always comes back with a new book for me. When I was 896 years old him and mummy went to Crystal Tokyo to help fight the Dark Moon. They were gone for a very long time. I had found out that there had been trouble on Earth and begged to be able to go and help but the guards they had left me with wouldn't let me. But when they did come back daddy made sure to bring me back a new book, Understanding 21st Century Tokyo."
"Wow." was all Ami could say. "When I went to the future we never saw Zoisite. I wonder why. Neo-Queen Serenity never even mentioned him."
"You most likely didn't see him. Him and the other kings made it a point not to be seen by you guys. They remembered what they had done, and they remembered the fights between you." explained Lily. "Mummy told me when they got back that she had seen you. Daddy said that he would have liked to see you, but he understood why he couldn't."
"Would you like to change. I noticed that you don't have anything to wear. I'm sure you would fit into some of my old clothes." she went to her closet and pulled out a large hamper full of folded faded clothes. "I'm sorry some of them are kind of old, but they will cover you."
Lily went through the hamper. She found one of Ami's old school uniforms and some of her old mini-shirts. She pulled out a long t-shirt and said that it would work for a night shirt. She had laid out one of Ami's old blue jumpers and a white sleeveless shirt for her to wear for tomorrow. Ami had went to get the roll-a-way cot and pulled it into her room. She grabbed a blanket from the hall closet and a spare pillow off her bed.
"I thought you might like to sleep in here for the night." she said. Flora jumped onto the cot, walked in a few circles and laid down.
"Princess you will like it. It is very soft." she said.
"Thank you Ami. You are very kind." said Lily, sitting on the end of the cot. "You are just like mummy. But then again you are her so I guess that would make sense."
"Lily, tell me something." she nodded "How is it I meet Zoisite again?"
"I don't really know. Mummy never really told me. I guess its because I never asked. I do remember that last year on their anniversary daddy had taken mummy to one of the oceans on Mercury and they had gone swimming. He said that was what they did on their first date." said Lily laying down opening the book again, then closed it again. "Do you think you can take me to the ocean? I've never seen the Earth's ocean up close."
"Sure, we can go do that tomorrow." said Ami. She pulled a book from one of the shelves and laid on her bed and began to read. They didn't talk much more the rest of the night. They fell asleep reading.
Setsuna, Michiru, Hotaru, Taiki, Yaten, Hades, Chronos, Titan, Hera, Helena and Ariel had ridden back to Michiru's place in Setsuna's car. Haruka, Seiya, Kakyuu, Ouranos and Apollo had gone back in Haruka's car. Setsuna had set up the living room with blankets and pillows for the kids. She hadn't expected more company. When they had walked in, they had sent the kids to bed, it had been a long day. The rest of them went into the kitchen for some coffee.
"What did Motoki say about you being pregnant?" asked Hotaru, who hadn't been at the reception and didn't see his reaction.
"You missed it, he was dragging her all over the room, telling anyone who would listen. It was a riot." said Haruka.
"Did you see the look on Minako's face when you told her Ouranos was your son, Seiya." asked Yaten.
"It was priceless." said Michiru.
"That was nothing, I thought Ami was going to faint." said Taiki. "It was like she couldn't think or anything."
"Are you sure your ok with this?" asked Seiya to Kakyuu.
"I'm perfectly fine with it. I just need an escort back home." said Kakyuu. "And as the protectors of our planet you have to bring me home."
"We understand." said Taiki and Yaten at the same time.
"How long will you be gone?" asked Haruka.
"A few days tops." said Seiya taking her hand. "I promise we will come back."
"You had better." she said.
"What's going to happen when you do get home?" asked Hotaru.
"Well I will explain that Seiya, Taiki and Yaten have found life partners outside of our planet and that they will be living with them, but if there was any problems they would be reachable at a moment's notice." said Kakyuu softly. "Don't worry, I will make sure they come back to you."
Outside of the door they kids were listing. A lot of what was talked about they didn't understand, but they figured they weren't suppose to.
"It must be really cool to know that your father is one of the Starlights." said Hades. "I mean how many people can say their parents are super heroes?"
"Um… all of us." said Titan. "What about our mothers? They saved the universe so many times."
"Yeah I know, but look at who your fathers are." he said.
"What about your father? I mean he is a good man too. I mean you also have the same blood flowing through you that Neo-King does. Now that is cool." said Ouranos. "Besides, you have known your father your whole life. Granted we have known of them, but we never knew they were our fathers."
"Good point." said Hades.
"You know you all should be asleep, right?" asked Apollo. "I'm sure your future parents wont be to happy to know that you are listening to them."
"Its alright, Apollo. They aren't hurting anyone." said Helena.
"Besides, I want to know what they are talking about in there." said Hera.
"Apollo is right it is time for all of you to get to bed." said Ariel. "Come one get under your covers. I'll yell and then you will all get into trouble." With that they got under their covers and fell asleep.
The sleeping arrangements had changed a little. Setsuna had asked Ouranos to sleep on the floor so that she could use the couch. Seiya and Haruka shared her bed, Hotaru and Yaten shared hers, and Michiru and Taiki shared hers. Kakyuu had taken Setsuna's bed. It had been a very long night for all of them.