Chronicles of the Star Senshi 1: The Gathering
Title: Chronicles of the Star Senshi: The Gathering
Author: kazeko
Show: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
Rating: PG13
Chapters: 5
Finished: no
Series: Chronicles of the Star Senshi
Multipart: yes
Couples: Usagi/Mamoru, Haruka/Michiru, Minako/Rei, Makoto/Ami, Setsuna/Ailan
Timeline: "A Child of Darkness and Light", "The Last Sacrifice: The End of the Silver Millennium", "CAS 1: The Trouble with Love is the Lovers", "CAS 2: To Defy Destiny", "Every Cloud", "Crystal Shards", "CAS 3: Unwilling Accomplice", "Our Past 1: The Reason We Fight", "CAS 4: Princess of Light", "Our Past 2: The Reason We Still Fight", "Our Past 3: The Reason We Fought", "CAS 5: One Last Shining Star", "In the Darkest Forest", "Destiny or Duty", "Desperately Searching", "Kazeko", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi 1: The Gathering", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi 2: Castle in the Sky", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi 3: Queen of the Moon", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi 4: Separation Anxiety", "Crystals of Love: Forsaken", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi 5: Black Moon Family", "Horoscope"
Time: Immediately after "Kazeko", seven years after the end of Stars
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Sailor Moon; Takeuchi Naoko does
Disclaimer 2: I own every Star Senshi except Ailan and all of the Cupids.
Chapter 5: Pleiades
"Usa-mama?"
"Yes, Aiko-chan?"
"More Star Senshi are coming, Usa-mama. We conferred last night and we have agreed on that." Aiko glared at her rice ball, amused by the concept of sticky rice, pulling off the sesame seeds to look at them before she slowly put the rice in her mouth, chewing slowly. Her sisters were examining the other picnic food, memorizing each detail before eating. The senshi found the children mildly amusing.
"When will they be here, Aiko-chan?"
"Tonight."
Usagi nodded and glanced at her senshi, leaving the picnic blanket to join her fiancé by the nearby tree. Mamoru was leaning against the smooth bark, watching the families playing in the grass, eyes following Haruka and Michiru most of all. The blonde was sitting on a nearby bench, her blonde daughter in her arms, singing her to sleep, having exhausted the toddler by trying to teach her how to walk earlier. Michiru was sitting beside her wife, the baby stroller beside her, folding the blanket she used to protect Kazeko from the sun, watching the pair bond. Michiru put the blanket into the basket of the stroller and reached out, laying a hand on Haruka's arm, the flower diamond of her engagement ring winking in the sunlight. Haruka looked up from their future-Senshi daughter, emerald eyes sparkling with the purest joy the senshi had ever exhibited, and leaned over to kiss her wife.
"I envy them, you know."
"I know, Mamo-chan."
"All I can see when I watch them is Chibiusa. I miss her so much. How can I miss a child who has yet to be born, to be conceived?"
"It was unfair of her to come back in time," Usagi whispered, laying her blonde head on Mamoru's shoulder. "As much as I fought with her, as much as I resented her spending so much time with you . . . I loved her so much. And sometimes I find myself sitting at home, or doing some paperwork at the embassy, and I realize that I'm waiting for her to come in and break the monotony, annoy me, amuse me, keep me company. I miss her so much, Mamo-chan!" She reached up to wipe the tears from her cheeks, shocked to find Mamoru's hand there, already, dark blue eyes full of sympathy enveloping her.
"One day we'll have her again, Usako. One day we'll have our family."
"I can't wait, Mamo-chan." She smiled as her fiancé embraced her, sighing as she pulled back. "Mamo-chan, I have to cancel our date tonight and . . . the rest of the evening." Mamoru groaned, and Usagi nodded. "I know. But Aiko says that more Star Senshi are coming tonight, probably adults, and we have to be ready to meet them. Mother and Setsuna-san have to cancel their date, too, so don't feel so bad."
"I'll be there, Usako. You'll all be as Senshi, I assume?"
"It only seems right." Usagi sighed and closed her eyes, her mind returning to all of the dates she had missed lately. After Makoto and Ami' wedding, Usagi was sick with a stomach virus and had to cancel her date with Mamoru. On the night of Minako and Rei's wedding, Setsuna and Ailan had an emergency at their clothing store and Usagi had helped Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru take care of Kazeko and the seven Orionis girls. The interruptions were getting quite annoying, and she hoped that the next Star Senshi to come would be adults and could help watch the children so she could have some quality time with her lover.
Usagi squeezed Mamoru's arm and pointed at her mothers, sitting on the picnic blanket and watching the seven girls, lost in their own world. Setsuna was holding Ailan in her lap, hands drawing idle patterns on her round stomach, the silver-haired woman shaking her head and complaining about the frilly maternity clothes she had to wear. The green-haired goddess ignored her wife's complaints, kissing the back of her neck to stop her complaints. Ailan reached up and touched her necklace, her eyes flashing silver as she turned around and whispered a question, Setsuna pausing her hands. She smiled, caressing Ailan's smooth cheek, and three words floated along the breeze to reach their daughter's ears. "Aishiteru, Ailan. Aishiteru."
Usagi smiled and ducked her head, wondering why she had heard that. "Mamo-chan, the twins . . . if they're the daughters of Setsuna-san and Mother, are they my sisters?"
"I suppose."
"I always wanted a sister."
She had lived her life flitting from star to star, searching for a place, a home, somewhere to build a new life free from her wandered ways. She had found a partner in her search long before, a tall, beautiful, golden-haired woman who promised her heart and soul to the wanderer, her partner in all things. Seven young Star Senshi daughters later, the group sensed the call of Sailor Moonlight and Sailor Sol, greatest of the Star Senshi ever, indicators that a time of great strife was coming. They chose to travel to the tiny golden star far away and the planet the inhabitants called Earth.
She never expected a welcoming committee.
One tall man and a long line of women met them, seven girls lined up in front of them. The man was grounded, his power pulsing from the planet beneath her feet. The short, blonde-haired woman by his side glowed with an inner power, a strength amplified by the moon hanging high above their heads. The raven-haired woman next in line glared at the group with violet-gray eyes, instantly suspicious of the new Senshi, arm around the waist of a pregnant blonde woman with eyes the color of a blue-white super giant star. The next woman was far taller, a brunette with thunder in her emerald eyes, protecting a pregnant woman with short blue hair, trusting sapphire eyes watching the new arrivals, analyzing every move. The next pair belonged together. The way they stood, the way the tall, short-haired blonde held her aqua-haired partner showed that their love was old, and comfortable, and perfect. The shorter of the two held a golden-haired girl in her arms, a child of at least eight months. A shorter, black-haired purple-eyed girl was next, the youngest of the uniformed Senshi, a tall scythe in her white-gloved hand. The tall, green-haired, garnet-eyed Senshi beside her held a long key-shaped staff topped by a garnet orb, the air of absolute maturity proving that she was by far the oldest of the Senshi, and there was something about her eyes . . . something of the gods, perhaps. The woman by her side, the last of the suited Senshi, drew the attention of the new arrivals, her silver hair and silver fuku shining in the light from her ancient home. Her lavender eyes widened at the recognition she sensed in the visitors' stance, and she crystal on the top of her tall whit staff glowed.
"Sailor Moonlight," the visitor whispered as she, her beloved partner, and their seven daughters hit one knee, heads bowed in Moonlight's direction.
"I wish you guys would quit doing that," the woman sighed. "I didn't like it when Sailor StarFighter did it . . ."
"The Kinmokusei Senshi?"
Moonlight nodded as she gestured for the women to rise. "You've been to Kinmokusei?"
The new arrival laughed, pulling her partner to her feet as their Senshi daughters also rose. "There are few places I did not go while Galaxia was reigning terror on the galaxy. We his on Kinmokusei during the end of her reign, greeting Princess Kakyuu and her three favorite and oldest Senshi, the Starlights, when they finally returned and began to rebuild their home. We stayed long enough to help as well as we could, then we moved on. We heard your call, Sailor Moonlight, and we knew that we had to come. We have been expecting your birth for quite some time."
Sailor Moonlight pointed at the black-haired man and his golden-haired, winged lover at the other end of the line. "Allow me to introduce the leaders of this solar system, Eternal Sailor Moon, Princess Serenity of the old Moon Kingdom and my daughter, and Tuxedo Kamen, Prince Endymion of the old Earth Kingdom."
"You . . . you're Queen Serenity, last monarch of the Silver Millennium! We had heard that your daughter was reborn, but . . . we though you lost forever. I remember you! I was already a wandering princess after my kingdom was destroyed, and I landed here on that last tiny planet, Pluto. I met you in the first years of your reign, and you told me to go find my destiny, not to be afraid."
Ailan and Setsuna exchanged a confused glance as the red-haired woman stepped forward, hair barely brushing her shoulders, curled up at the ends, and the former queen remembered a skinny waif with tangled red curls, a friend she barely remembered. "And you did. I never thought I'd see you again, Rikuriko, named after the young princess of the Kingdom of Kasei, later a queen whose daughter is among us now."
Setsuna nodded. "Ah, now I remember. You were quite the popular playmate of the young princesses, and they missed you greatly when you left. You had enough power back then to stay on Pluto for a while before I noticed you."
"When I heard that the Silver Millennium was obliterated, I came back. I tried to find you, but all that was left was ruins. I could sense that Sailor Pluto had escaped into the Time Vortex after everyone died, so I returned to the Galactic Council and told them that your solar system was weakened by an evil from within and the queen had been forced to sacrifice everything to save the earth in the hopes that the people there would one day be strong enough to fight the evil by themselves. I wanted them to protect this planet until those with senshi power rose from the leftovers of the great kingdom. They sent some powerful children, in my care, back here, and I gave them Senshi powers derived from the rocky planetoids orbiting between the fourth and fifth satellites of this star—Kasei and Mokusei, if my old memory serves me well—and set them to guard Earth. They all fought in the Chaos Wars and died saving this planet from that evil, though I had wished that they, also, would be reborn. That was before the Planet Senshi here were reborn . . . but it has been so long and the Galactic Council is long dead. I don't know if any of the other Star Senshi will know to come here when they feel your call."
"Asteroid Senshi?"
"Hai, Serenity-hime. But everyone from the Age of Light between the Sailor Wars and the Chaos Wars is gone, except for me, Sailor Pluto, and you, Queen Serenity. These others were children, only remembering the very end, as it began to collapse."
"True," Ailan whispered. "But they are strong and powerful now and they are ready for the next Wars. Rikuriko-san, when you left, you were not a Star Senshi."
"True. I used to follow the power of my planet before it was destroyed, but I had enough left to flee Galaxia and wander this galaxy with my wife and daughters. The Star Senshi were not reawakened until the Moonlight Crystal realized that her Senshi had been born at last. For three Wars, Galaxia has been the only Star Senshi, last of the old, but when the Moonlight Crystal reentered this world, those of us who had the strength to be Star Senshi and were not bound to a Planet responded to her call. I and my partner decided to trust this path, and our daughters have taken up the mantle of Star Senshi, as well. Before I introduce my family, please introduce your Senshi, Serenity-hime."
"Hai. This is Aino Minako, Sailor Star Venus of Kinsei, daughter of Asakaze." Rikuriko's wife gasped at the name and Rikuriko nodded, gesturing for Eternal Sailor Moon to finish before she explained. "This is Hino Rei, Sailor Star Mars of Kasei, daughter of the Queen Rikuriko whose name you share. This is Kino Makoto, Sailor Star Jupiter of Mokusei, daughter of Meika, and Mizuno Ami, Sailor Star Mercury of Suisei, daughter of Amami. Next is Ten'ou Haruka, Sailor Star Uranus of Ten'ousei, daughter of Kazeko and mother of Kazeko, Sailor Sol; Kaiou Michiru, Sailor Star Neptune of Kaiousei, daughter of Shousha; and Sailor Star Saturn, Tomoe Hotaru, who was almost awakened before the end of the Silver Millennium. Please introduce yourself and your family." All eyes turned to the red-haired, ice-blue-eyed princess of a dead kingdom as the Star Senshi bowed and began.
"Certainly. I am Sorano Rikuriko, Sailor Atlas of the star system you call the Pleiades. This is my wife, Sorano Asakaze, who I found on a dying planet and nursed back to health. She had no memory, though her blood was royal, and she had no family left after the Chaos Wars, so I named her after the princess of Kinsei. She is Senshi of the Star called Pleione." The golden-haired woman by Rikuriko's side bowed, ice green eyes glowing in the faint moonlight. The first of their daughters, a girl with emerald eyes and red-gold hair, stepped forward, her fourteen-year old form proud in her Sailor fuku. She reminded Usagi of her senshi when they were much younger, and the princess fought the urge to wipe a tear from her eye. "This is Sailor Alcyone, our first daughter Shioko." The next child, pale blonde thirteen-year-old Mameko, was the ice-blue-eyed Sailor of Electra. Natsuko, named for her strange orange-gold eyes and shimmering chestnut hair, served Maia at twelve years of age. She was small, but strong, imbued with a spirit that reminded the senshi of Makoto, and seemed to know how to use her powers. Fuyuko, a mere year younger, had colorless white eyes, shocking to the Earth-born Senshi, and pale blue hair that she kept cut short, the fine, curly strands framing her slender face. She served the Star Merope, and her small frame promised an elfin appearance when she reached adulthood. The next pair were identical twins, nine years old, with pale pink hair shades lighter than Chibiusa's and pale green eyes. Haruko served Calaeno and Hasuko served the Star Taygete. The youngest child, fragile-looking in her fuku, served Asterope, her eyes pink and her hair red. The seven-year-old was named Yuriko.
Usagi smiled as she and her senshi detransformed, pointing toward the Outers' mansion. "Haruka-san and Michiru-san have offered rooms here until we find you somewhere to live permanently. They are currently in the process of expanding their house, so there will be enough room for you for a while. Please come inside and rest after your long journey. Aiko-chan, you and your sisters get to stay at Mamo-chan's apartment with me tonight, ok?" The child squealed, clinging to Usa-mama's leg, as the princess led her visitors into the mansion. Haruka and Michiru waited until last, following Ailan and Setsuna into their growing home.
TBC