Konnichi wa, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the prologue! I'm skipping the review replies just for this chapter, but don't worry, they will be back! I'm hoping to answer all of your questions in the chapter! Thanks so much for reading! Next chapter I will restart review replies, so be sure to review and ask any questions you need answering! Arigatou!
rosa lunae
Kooin Ya no Gotoshi: The PlanLast time-
"Usagi has the time sickness," Setsuna whispered, plagued. The name fell from her lips like a death sentence.
-
There was a moment of shocked silence. The Queen of Mercury broke it. "What does that mean?" she asked, putting her computer reluctantly away. "My computer was completely overloaded when I scanned her."
Setsuna sank into a chair, fighting to maintain the poise so characteristic of her. Waves of guilt crashed into the shores of her heart, over and over again, and no one said anything as she tried to reign in her emotions, fighting to keep her face blank and failing. Even Hotaru seemed uncomfortable with the silence.
Finally, the Time Guardian spoke, her voice low and chilling and wreathed with shame. "At first, it was just one person, hooded. I commanded the stranger to leave. He said nothing. Just as I prepared to attack, an army of youma ran from the fog, surrounding me. I didn't feel any of the blows, only panic. Only the knowledge that I was outnumbered filled me. So, I put all of my power into one "Death Scream" attack and killed them all." Her voice became toneless and blank… as if she spoke of someone else's misfortune.
"I fell the ground and my eyes darkened, but before I passed out, I heard a voice—the first one to appear had not been killed by my attack. Through my blurry vision I could see emerald green gloves push a thorny rose into my palm, being sure to draw blood before he placed it back in his pocket. He whispered, 'You cannot save her now,'"
She locked eyes with Endymion. "His voice was disguised to sound like yours, my King, but I was not fooled. This man was shorter and smaller than you." She then locked eyes with each person in the room, before finishing her sentence.
"I realized when the masked man spoke that he intended to go through the Gate, through Time, in order to kill someone." Her voice broke, and she lowered her head in shame. Without looking, Pluto gestured to their fallen Queen, whose breathing was short and erratic. "Serenity."
Gasps filled the room. Endymion paled, then his face lit crimson with rage. He turned, and broke a chair over his knee without a wince. Then, failing to fight the tears, he sank into another chair, head falling weakly into his hands. He shoulders trembled with silent mourning for a moment, then his looked up, eyes afire.
"How do we save her, Setsuna?"
Setsuna continued, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the room. "The time sickness is what someone gets when they are killed in the past. Because of a delay in space-time continuum, it takes 48 hours for a change in the past to affect the present. Your computer," she said, speaking to Ami without looking at her, "cannot comprehend the mysteries of time. Even I do not understand some things. But one thing is certain. The time sickness is a state of being in between life and death. In two days' time, the Neo-Queen will die."
Grim silence encompassed the dining hall of the palace, but outside, the citizens continued their celebration, completely unaware.
-
Tears of anger and frustration fell from the King's eyes, landing on his clenched fists.
His wife lay in the silk sheets of their bed. She was no longer still. As Setsuna foretold, Serenity became agitated in her strange coma. She twitched occasionally, and her eyes were visibly clenched shut, as if she were in pain.
Mamoru knew the Senshi were waiting for him outside. Despite their efforts to be silent, his battle-trained ears easily picked up their every imperceptible movement. He'd moved his wife to their bedroom, and asked for a moment alone. He'd put Setsuna, Ami, and Zoisite to work on honing out a strategy.
Setsuna had commanded him to listen to anything she might say in her delirium, but as of yet, nothing. Nothing but haggard breaths.
A knock sounded on his door. "Leave me," he breathed, haggardly, eyes on his wife. The door opened anyway, and that told him that it was either Rei or Haruka and the click of stiletto heels told him it was none other than the Maiden of Anger.
"Leave me!" he commanded, stronger this time, burying his face in his wife's neck. Rei laughed derisively.
"Mamoru, get it together. We do no have time to grieve for a death we're going to stop. Besides, I must tell you about a vision I saw that may give us a clue to Usagi's death in the past."
Reluctantly, Mamoru lifted his head, kissing the Neo-Queen's neck once, tenderly, before straightening to face Rei. His whole countenance changed from mourning to authoritative and emotionless.
"Speak quickly, then."
Rei smiled wanly, then spilled her vision out to the king.
"I saw this as the Usagi in the past must have seen it. She is on her back and her eyes are closed, and suddenly, I can smell the scent of a rose being waved under her nose. The petals brush her skin. Usagi feels she is still dreaming and does not open her eyes. Then, suddenly, I can feel the thorns of a rose press into her palms, and then, she gasps, but before she can open her eyes, there is a loud noise, then silence."
Mamoru gripped the sheets covering his wife with white hands, but his face was flushed with ire. "How cowardly!" he spat furiously. "Our murderer kills my wife while she is unconscious… while she cannot fight back, and tries to make her believe on her death bed that I killed her! This monster will see my face in their dying eye!" he vowed, looking into his wife's pained face. She twitched, violently, murmuring something incomprehensible. Mamoru brushes her hair from her face whispering soothing words. When he looked up, his eyes were hard.
"Send in Hotaru. And when Setsuna has formed a plan, send her in immediately."
Rei nodded shortly, eyes bright. She grinned, glad to see their king acting more like the leader he must be to them in his wife's absence.
A moment later, Hotaru entered. Although she was the same age as his wife and his wife's other guardians, Endymion couldn't help but to treat Hotaru gentler, part out of respect for her abilities and part out of reflex, for she'd always been younger in the past. Hotaru understood and was aware, but did not mind.
"Hotaru, when you arrived here, you were troubled. Why?"
"I felt something slight… some small sense that something was not right. Neo-Queen Serenity noticed my struggle. But the feeling I had was so minute; I was struggling whether or not to ignore it. Now I see my error, my King," she said very softly, humbly. Ashamed.
"The fault is not yours, Hotaru. Nothing you could have done would have stopped this from happening. What exactly did you feel?"
Hotaru answered without pausing. "Envy," she said simply.
"Whose?"
She lowered her eyes. "That I could not tell you. But it was not someone's whose aura I could recognize. This person and I have never met."
Mamoru nodded thoughtfully. "Thank you, Hotaru. You may go. Tell the others I'll be out shortly."
"Yes, sire."
The others were giving all the palace servants the day off, and informing the guards to be on the lookout. They did not want word of the Queen's illness to start a panic, especially on the day of the Awakening!
Mamoru's thoughts were interrupted by a delirious cry from his wife. "Mamo-chan! No!" she cried softly. Mamoru gripped her hand, angry at the ideas planted in his wife's mind and furious at his helplessness.
"I did not kill you, Usako!" he whispered fiercely into her ear. "But by my sword, I will kill whoever did!"
Instead of calming the comatose Queen, this only agitated her more. Mamoru massaged his temples, smiling ruefully. She was still partly alive, he reassured himself, because Usako would always protest his temper, even now, when she was suspended between life and death.
Mamoru stood. He picked up his crown off of his bedside table, and fastened it on his head. He slung his scarlet cape over his shoulders and tied it securely. Then, he picked up his sword, the one he sometimes wore for show—the sword his wife had driver through her own heart thousands of years ago, and slid it deftly into its sheath.
Endymion bent slowly, and brushed the damp hair out of his wife's face. She winced, as if the gesture caused her pain. "Usako…" he whispered in her ear, holding her hand like a glass sculpture. "Hold on! I will save you, Usako! Just, by Selene, hold on. I love you, my dearest."
He kissed her cold, cold lips tenderly, then stood. After one final, lingering look at her, he slung open the door to his room, and walked regally out.
He joined the others in the main lounging room, where the Royal Family usually spent most of their free time. Setsuna, Ami, and Zoisite were absent. Haruka, still in her Sailor Fuku, was pacing the room like a caged lion. The rest of the Senshi and the Generals were sitting in chairs or sofas around the room, but not a single one of them looked relaxed. All stood as he entered the room, and sat when he took a seat across the table from Jadeite.
"Jade, Rei told me about the vision she had."
Jadeite nodded, thoughtfully. "She told me as well. I have also spoken with Hotaru."
"What do you make of it?"
Jadeite was silent for a long moment, but Endymion did not once press him to answer. Jadeite was The Seer, and spoke wisdom about spiritual things that stood on the same level as Rei's. Endymion held high respect for his brother in arms.
"Setsuna said that her attacker wore green gloves. And Hotaru spoke of envy. Obviously we are dealing with a killer who is dangerously jealous of you. Or the Queen. Or our system."
Endymion clenched his hand in frustration, but remained calm. "That could be anyone. There are hundreds of systems in the universe that are jealous of the Crystal System's prosperity. And there are threats against Serenity everyday."
"And yourself."
"Hai. This person disguises himself as me and kills Serenity. This is a disaster. Every moment is now precious. But how will we leave for two days in this time without anyone in the palace realizing we're gone?"
"A perceptive question, your highness," came a new, strained voice.
Setsuna entered the room, the Garnet Rod in her tight fists.
"I am going to stop time here."
Endymion blinked, stunned. "But it's forbidden."
Setsuna smiled humorlessly. "Are you not King?"
Endymion mirrored her mirthless smile. "I guess so. But won't that keep Usagi alive anyway, since she has two days and if no time passes, what would we have to worry about?"
Setsuna shook her head, groping for the words to explain the unexplainable. "Time is like a river with many streams. I am only going to stop the flow of this stream. This will cause stress on the timeline as a whole, but it will keep flowing. Plus, the two days are two days of raw time. Time as it passes down the whole river, which is not exactly two days as we know it. The entire river, if you will, travels slower than small streams, so we have more than two of our days. Plus, Usagi will not be affected if I stop time. She is an entity that time rests upon, not dominates."
Endymion stared blankly, then shook his head, perplexed. "I'll take your word on that, Setsuna. It has never failed me before."
Setsuna smiled ruefully, silently accepting the valuable compliment. "You must ask someone trustworthy to come and watch over Usagi while Time is stopped here. Someone who can keep a secret and not start a panic, and I will allow them not to be affected by the Time Stop."
Endymion thought for a moment. "I know exactly who. I'll go get her myself."
In an instant, he vanished in a flash of roses.
-
FLASHBACK—52 years from yesterday.Before awakening the entire universe, Usagi paid a visit to one of her most dedicated friends.
Osaka Naru.
Dressed in her school uniform, Usagi—and Mamoru with her—went to meet Naru at the Crown Arcade. They greeted her warmly, then led her to the Control Room beneath the Arcade. She was shocked at the equipment stored there, millenniums before its time.
"Naru-chan, you have never failed me," Usagi began, her voice taking on a regal tone. "In the last life, you saved my life, and throughout this life, you have served as an anchor of normalcy in a world that was anything but normal for me."
Naru looked puzzled, but she did not laugh. "What are you talking about Usagi?"
"You first knew me as Rose," Usagi said softly, letting go of Mamoru's hand. She wrapped her arms around herself, then in a flash of gentle silver light, she appeared again, this time dressed as a peasant from the Golden Kingdom's ancient days. She wore a hood over her head, and a head band tied securely around her forehead, though a yellow light emitted softly from beneath it. Somehow, Naru knew her blonde hair was hidden under the hood, contained in a hand-sewn hairnet. Her dress was a plain, loose fitting garment made of coarse, faded magenta fabric, decorated only by an old violent sash and a white apron.
In her hands, was an ancient piece of material, over a thousand years old. It was yellowed and frayed with age. It was a scarf, and the pattern was of yellowed white roses, with stems of faded green, like grass in autumn's last breath before winter, and faded red roses with blossoms only as red as an infants cheek, just a little pink.
Naru stared at her friend, who had transformed into a constant image from her concurrent dream. Beside her, Mamoru had transformed into a regal prince, also a figure she often saw in her dreams.
Tears filled her eyes. "So, it is true!" she breathed, coming up to them. They smiled on her reassuringly. "All the legends—," she fingered Mamoru's cape, "all the myths—," then she touched the ancient scarf in her friends hands, "all the dreams…"
As she trailed off, she slowly untied Usagi's headband. "You are Rose!" she whispered, then, slowly pulling the bit of fabric away from Usagi's brow, she unveiled the shining Crescent Moon symbol there, the symbol of the royalty in her blood. "And you are Princess Serenity!"
She looked at Mamoru, who smiled kindly. "And you are Prince Endymion!"
Overwhelmed, Naru knelt before them, tears streaming down her face. "Hope is reborn!" she breathed as the memories from her past life began to overwhelm her through Usagi's subtle use of the Crystal.
Endymion and Serenity each took one of Naru's hands and lifted her back to her feet. This time, Serenity was in her real form. The flowing white dress only added to her ethereal glow.
"Yes, and you, my friend, are a citizen of the Silver Millennium and one of only a handful of people who remained loyal to my mother until the end. For that, we both must thank you."
The two royals bowed low to her, and she covered her mouth with her hand, tears blazing a trail down her face.
"You are not alone. My family, Motoki, and the girls are all citizens of the Silver Millennium as you are. And there are others. But let's get to the point. We have come to give you good news," Serenity said smiling, as she rose.
"We are also Tuxedo Kamen and Eternal Sailor Moon," Endymion said, as they both took on these forms, "and the girls are the Sailor Senshi. Their boyfriends are the four Generals of Earth. And we have just defeated our last enemy. And we have come to tell you that today is the Eve of the Awakening! Tomorrow, the Silver Millennium will be reborn as the Crystal Millennium, and the Golden and Silver Kingdoms will be joined forever through our marriage. And we have told you this because you are a citizen of the Silver Millennium and have the right to know these things. And because we trust you can keep a secret for a few hours," he added with a chuckle.
"Oh, this is a secret of secrets!" Naru cried joyfully, "but gladly I will keep it."
"There's one more thing," Sailor Moon added, eyes twinkling. "Because of your faithfulness to us, we are making you a Lady of the Court, just as Ami and Rei and the others are Ladies of the Court. You will be the official representative of Earth, if you so choose."
Naru was stunned speechless, but soon found her voice. Her delighted eyes gave her true feelings away, but she stammered a protest. "But I'm just an ordinary girl! I was a peasant during the Silver Millennium, and I'm nothing special in this life either! Surely there is someone more fit to represent Earth than me!"
The way Sailor Moon gazed into her eyes and smiled brightly and calmly told Naru that the future Queen knew her heart and had already closed the matter herself. She stepped forward, placed the worn scarf into Naru's hands, closed them over it, then clasped her friend's hands in her own.
"Yes, well, I made horrible marks in school, I'm a klutz, and I cry at the drop of a hat. If I can be a Queen, you can most certainly be an Ambassador and a Lady of the Court."
Tuxedo Kamen smiled and drew his fiancé closer to himself. Naru laughed for joy and hugged them both.
They spoke for a moment longer, simply as Mamoru, Usagi, and Naru, then the couple left.
"See you tomorrow!" Usagi had called with a wink.
-
King Endymion found his eyes misting at the memory as he floated through the void of teleportation. He closed his eyes and reached for Lady Naru with his senses and saw that she was alone in her living room, reading a book.
He knew that she had begged off from the luncheon today because all the girls and generals and everyone together in formal attire could be a bit intimidating, and she insisted that since she was not royal and there was no issue of Earth's well-being to discuss, that she should not attend, however invited she was.
Before he appeared in her living room, he sensed that Umino was close by. He smiled tightly. So that's why she was alone in her home on the biggest day of celebration in the year. Usagi always talked about how long it was taking those two to get hitched, but he always told her they had hundreds of years to get to know each other.
The thought of his wife sobered him.
This would have to be quick. With every moment that passed, Usako's life was more in danger.
He took a deep breath and ended the teleport.
Naru stood, smiling, when he appeared in the room, not surprised that one of the royal family would suddenly appear for a visit, but when she saw his white face and his formal garb, she knew instantly. Alarm flooded her face.
"What is wrong with the Queen?" she asked, distressed, in her high, lilting voice.
Endymion smiled tightly. "Always the perceptive one, Naru." He explained as best as he could and as quickly as he could.
Naru asked no questions, but instantly went into action. She remained very calm and deadly efficient. She packed a few necessities and was going to toss the bag over her shoulder, but Endymion took it for her.
"Umino is coming here. What should I do?"
"Leave him a note," the King replied tersely, "saying you'll call him later and you had to go out on an errand. Setsuna is going to stop time, so it won't matter anyway."
"Very well." She left the note on the door, where he would easily see it, but left no indication of where she was.
"Ok. Let's go." the King said shortly, and took her arm, gently despite his mood. Then, in an instant, they teleported back. Instead of directing them to the sitting room where the Senshi had last been, Endymion dropped the teleport in his wife's room.
Ami was there with her, and smiled with effort in greeting to Naru. Usagi was shivering violently and murmuring.
"Write down everything she says that may be useful," Ami instructed gently. "And just try to soothe her and keep her calm. Setsuna says that she should grow more and more agitated and then after the first day, become more and more… subdued… until the second day is over. But we won't let it get that far," the shy Senshi added vehemently. "I swear by Mercury."
It was a solemn oath. Naru lowered her head under the weight of it. With a final kiss on his wife's lips, Endymion left with Ami.
Naru spoke soothing words to her friend, then began to talk of their days in Sensei Haruna's class and how Usagi always fell asleep and forgot her lunch. The mundane things seemed to calm the young Queen, and as she spoke, Naru reached for the bag that Endymion dropped onto the floor beside the bed. From it, she very, very gently pulled out the old, worn scarf that Prince Endymion had bought from Rose so many years ago. They'd given it back to her.
The Queen was shivering. Very gently, Naru wrapped the scarf very loosely around the Queen's slender neck.
A moment later, her shivering subsided.
Naru stroked her friend's cold hand as she chattered on about mundane things, old times, and new joys. As she spoke, she listened to the celebration happening outside the palace.
A tremor went through the air, then the sounds of life utterly stopped. Nothing sounded outside the palace or within it. The Senshi and the others were apparently on a different floor.
The only sounds were Usagi's ragged breathing and Naru's own voice, which for some reason, she was compelled to lower to a whisper.
-
What do you think?
Be sure to tune in a week or two to find out where the Senshi are going now that Time has been stopped!
-rosa lunae