Jin, Nobu, Zenitsu, Aizen and Kyouya. Five young men unified by a secret past, and a desire for more out of life. It is a desire shared by Benio, an archaeologist seeking a long lost kingdom at the very heart of D-Point within the Arctic circle. Manga canon. Written for the 30th Anniversary of the Dark Kingdom.
Rated: T - Spiritual/Supernatural - Words: 5,728 - Queen Beryl, Metalia/Negaforce, Kaitou Ace, Shitennou/Generals
A/N: I'd like to thank K8tj17 for betaing this fic for me and helping me work out crucial plot details and pushing me to make this story so much more than it was to begin with. Please check out her fabulous work on Ao3 and FFN under the same username.
/users/k8tj17/pseuds/k8tj17/works?fandom_id=2529660
u/14881957/K8tj17
I'd also like to thank Seren_Kat32 for helping out with the description of the Dark Kingdom's HQ.
She could hear nothing but the howl of the arctic wind. Nothing, save the call.
It had grown louder within her over the years, beginning as a mere whisper when she was just a little girl.
Even back then, amidst what should have been a carefree childhood, she had felt like something was missing. There was a hole in her heart, and a yearning for something beyond the mundanity of the life she lived, a desire to be greater.
Then she had read a library book about the excavation of an ancient Greek temple. That was when she had felt it. A siren song that drew her into the photographs, almost like she could walk amidst the monochrome pillars. From then on, she had been practically possessed, driven to study archaeology, to vociferously seek out relics and secrets of the most ancient of civilizations.
Her peers believed she was simply passionate about her profession. That wasn't untrue, but her passion was not for the love of the field itself. Every excavation had pointed her towards the next one. And with each dig, the call grew stronger, helping guide her work. What was once a whisper was now something stronger than instinct. It was an unshakable faith that the secrets of the past held the secrets of herself too. The secret of that missing piece in her heart.
Every dig brought her just a little closer, each one pointing her ever farther back into the past until her peers felt less alive to her than the phantoms who once lived in the ruins she unearthed. She didn't care though, they didn't matter. All that mattered was the call.
The call was more important than them. More important than her career. More important than the ice that chilled her body, the snow that flecked her long black hair. The call was…
She came to a sudden halt. Her breath caught as, through the dancing flakes in the air, she saw a cave opening. The call had guided her to many places over the years. But this was different. The call was not merely stronger here, not merely guiding her in this direction. The cave was nothing less than a mouth from which the call originated.
Trance-like she entered.. Despite the pitch darkness, she negotiated the rocks with ease, almost like they had been prepared for her. Deeper and deeper she plunged until, at what felt like the very bowels of the Earth itself, she found a cold, purple white light. And within that sinister illumination, nothing less than a monstrous palace.
Even in the dim light, she could tell the building was traditionally beautiful nor glamorous. It was rendered with stark lines that were as hard and unyielding as the surrounding stone cavern; and yet still somehow colder. It was a dreary, foreboding sight, and yet Benio marched up the stairs and through the intimidating arched entrance of the fortress.
Through pillared halls and winding corridors she ventured. From the architecture it looked beyond ancient. Nevertheless, Benio had never seen ruins in such pristine condition. Indeed, calling them ruin did them an enormous disservice.
Even now, standing amidst the archaeological discovery of the millennium, the call guided her, drawing her ever deeper into the fortresses' recesses. She'd ventured so deep underground that the air had grown stuffy and suffocating, reeking of an oppressive and remarkably foul stench, like decayed flesh.
Finally, she entered what seemed to be the very lowest level of the palace, devoid of anything of interest. Anything, save the massive set of metal doors.
Where the doors met, strange runes ran the length of them, and at the very centre was what looked like a spherical seal. The seal had similar engravings to the door, but none Benio recognized. The only exceptions were the markings that encircled the heart of the seal. Unless Benio was mistaken, they seemed to represent the phases of the Moon. Within these markings, at the very centre of the seal, was a crescent moon that lay on its side, almost like a smile. The sight of it made her feel somehow sickened.
Impossible as it was, something about this place stirred in her memories, like a half forgotten dream. Or perhaps a nightmare. Tentatively, Benio extended her hand to the door but withdrew it hastily. A tiny part of her felt suddenly frightened and oddly ashamed. It was a shame not born from any professional concerns. It went deeper than that. Instinctual. It was something like being a child and knowing you were about to break the rules. But then, an all too familiar whisper reminded her of that library book that had started her down this path; and how she had never given it back.
Benio plunged her hands into her satchel and a moment later had positioned a chisel at the very centre of the lunar 'smile'. Then, with an animalistic shriek, she brought down a hammer with all her might.
Something other than the sound of metal resounded throughout the chamber. A laugher more chilling than than all of D-Point. The hole in the archaeologist's heart was suddenly filled, just as the laughter now filled the entire chamber and castle.
Smiling was Benio's last act. In contrast, cackling with her mistress was Queen Beryl's first.
Jun huffed out an annoyed breath. In front of him two women shot him a disdainful side eye glance. They bowed twice, clapped twice, bowed once again and lingered for a moment in front of the bell. Though they spoke under their breath, Jun distinctly heard one of them mutter: "Please let me get that necklace."
Jewellery. They had actually come all the way to Sendaizaka to pray they'd get some sparkly trinket. He shook his head in disbelief, the bouncing blonde locks unwittingly making other nearby young women blush. When the women left he approached the bell himself and bowed twice himself. Two more claps and one more bow later, he headed for the steps leading out off the shrine grounds. As he neared the steps he spotted a girl with long black hair and an alarmingly serious expression glaring at a little old man.
"Grandpa, would you stop asking those girls to work here!"
Her shouts were eventually drowned out by the chugging of the bus engine as it pulled up to the curb. Jun boarded the bus and took a window seat facing away from the shrine. As they headed East, he found himself eavesdropping on two passengers behind him.
"Urgh, I can't believe I got cram school now after the day I've had."
"I've got it today, tomorrow and first thing on Monday too!"
Jun's face grew hot and his hands balled into fists. The more they prattled on about study books and exam worksheets, the more he fought back a violent scream that was caught in his throat. His annoyance was compounded by not knowing why it was needling him in the first place. After all, his own grades were pretty good and he could understand not enjoying the extra effort cram school demanded. So why were these two getting under his skin? It finally clicked for him when they departed the bus, their book bags jangling as they hopped onto the sidewalk.
For most of his life, things had been relatively simple: Go to school, study hard, get good grades, graduate. Well, graduation was looming now and he had no real idea of what to do next. There were any number of routes his life could take, which in a strange way made him feel directionless.
The most obvious thing would be to further his studies, perhaps by studying business. But the idea seemed somehow pointless, like it would merely occupy his time. He felt like there was something more important he could do in his life, something that could perhaps help the world. To that end he'd considered some kind of charity or relief work, but they stimulated him even less than business school, especially the prospect of working abroad. In mild desperation, he had on a whim gone to Sendaizaki and made that prayer.
Please, show me the way.
He hardly expected some kind of divine intervention, but what could it hurt?
His bus came to a stop and he hopped off himself, accidentally bumping shoulders with someone else getting on, a handsome dark haired man in an absurd cow print vest. The man didn't even slow down upon contact with Jun, apparently far too engrossed in a book about crystals. Jun felt a wave of envy within himself. If only he had something to be so focussed upon…
Just one more week. One more week and then he'd begin his "world tour." Canada, Guatemala, Puerto Rico and just about everywhere else in North America. High school was done, time to get out there and see the rest of the world! Time to find himself! Time to…
Nobu stopped dead. The sidewalk was almost deserted. It seemed to him there was no one around except him and his shadow.
He let out a sigh through his teeth. If he was being honest, he wasn't leaving Japan to find himself he was trying to find…
Automatically, for he had walked this route many times, his eye drifted to the right, falling upon a store window. Within the window were several mannequins adorned in tuxedos and fancy gowns, a few of them wearing or holding party masks. Nobu's gaze however was drawn to the lone mannequin at the centre decked out in a wedding dress.
He drew level with the window and looked into the face of the mannequin. His dark blue eyes were so focussed upon the bridal mannequin that he drew stares from people across the street. He noted one girl in particular linger for a little longer than the other pedestrians. She was tall, quite well built for her age, with long wavy hair not unlike his own, albeit hers was reddish-brown instead of maroon and kept in a ponytail rather than worn loose. She was rather pretty, thought Nobu. But then she walked off, her reflection vanishing off the edge of the window.
He closed his eyes and winced. It had been barely a fortnight since he received the letter and he was already looking at other girls.
Dear Nobu
When I studied in Tokyo I never expected to meet a guy as wonderful as you. When I moved back to Brooklyn I never expected this long distance thing to work out. The fact that it has proves you are a special man who I really believe will do great things.
But I'm not the person you are looking for. We're both too young to get married, you especially. There is a whole world out there to see. I'm going to be some of it soon when I begin my new job in the D-Kingdom. I hope you get the chance to see more of it yourself. I wish you all the best for the future, but this is goodbye.
Love,
Molly
A lightning bolt would have been less shocking than the letter. But then, he reflected, it had been his own fault.
If he were being honest with himself, he had in a way been using Molly. At first she had been a distraction from the gnawing absence he'd felt throughout his life. Then, as things had snowballed, the idea of marriage had taken root in his mind; the fact that he didn't love her had seemed incidental at best. Something about the idea of giving himself over to another, of being part of something greater than himself, had resonated within him. But it hadn't been what he was looking for. She hadn't been what he had been seeking out. He wasn't sure what, or who, exactly he was after, but if he was determined to find it, he might as well search beyond Japan.
He let out a deep sigh, his eyes closing for just a second or two. Just long enough to miss a handsome youngster exit the store with a freshly purchased tuxedo.
Zenitsu let out a loud, bored sigh. Catching himself, he shot a glance at his supposed supervisor. He wondered why he had bothered. As expected she was glued to the mounted TV hanging from the ceiling. The TV was intended to play some of the latest Hollywood films they had in stock, but Sayuri had recently been using it to watch soaps, game shows and other mind-numbing content. Not that the films were much better, vacillating between loud action movies or sappy romance films.
He had suggested they play something more sophisticated once, something from the great British, German and Italian directors. Something that was no mere movie but true "Art." Sayuri had told him nobody would watch something with subtitles and then flicked over to the news in a vain attempt to pretend she was not entirely shallow.
It was a pretence most teens their age upheld, and Zenistu loathed it. He loathed it almost as much as working in the video rental store where people binged banal excuses for Cinema. But nothing compared to the sheer hatred he held for the ugly blue uniform he was forced to wear.
Not only did it look atrocious, but it was a constant, painful reminder of how far he'd fallen in life. Once he had been able to indulge in the Parisian fashions, but when his family's fortunes turned sour they'd had to sell his beautiful dresses to help move back to Tokyo. At least his shift was almost over, and it was before the rush hour too. Maybe he'd use his employee discount to rent something for himself. He'd been especially intrigued by that new Arthurian adaptation by a British filmmaker. Rather than the typical Hollywood 'Hero's Journey' about Arthur, it apparently explored the friendships between him and four particular Knights of the Round Table. What was it called again?
"The Four Knights of Heaven?"
Yes, that was it.
"Bro, I hear it has some pretty tubular fights in it."
Zenitisu gave a tiny shake of his head before scanning across the store floor and zeroing in on two teenage boys in the fantasy section.
"Cool! Oh, hey and it's the last copy too."
Zenitsu's heart sank, a feeling compounded by the sight of another customer approaching the counter. He was about in his 50s, greasy, and carried an odour that overpowered even the sickeningly sweet smell of popcorn in the store. The man plopped four videos down on the counter and presented his all too well-worn membership card.
Mechanically, Zenitsu began opening the boxes to check the tapes inside were correct before scanning them one-by-one. As if to add insult to injury, the first tape was the other last copy of the Four Knights of Heaven. The second tape was a gory horror movie about a haunted music box lamp. Zenitsu was only aware of the movie because Sayuri had once played it during a particularly dull graveyard shift. The sight of them reminded Zentisu that he was supposed to give out cheap promotional music box lamps along with the movie.
"Sir, would you like-"
"Absolutely not."
Zenitsu was taken aback, having barely gestured towards the music boxes.
"I'm renting the original version of the movie, not the remake that crap is promoting."
He shot a dirty look at the music boxes and Zenitsu got the impression that the man was personally offended by the sight of them. It took all his restraint to not roll his eyes at the customer. People who wallowed in their old, sentimental memories were pathetic. Repressing his disdain, Zenistu scanned the movie and put it aside.
He moved onto the final movie, opening up the box to check the tape inside. His eyes widened slightly as he was greeted by the silhouette of a woman in front of a piano.
"Mister Izono, you are a very talented pianist, but the Rain Tree restaurant simply cannot employ someone so young to play here."
"Hey, Zenitsu?"
"Huh?"
Coming back to the present, Zenitsu was hit by Sayuri's arched eyebrow and the disgruntled look upon the customer's face.
"Oh, um, sorry."
He scanned the last movie and took the customer's payment.
"Have a nice-"
Without a word of thanks, the customer walked away.
"Zenitsu," began Sayuri condescendingly, "you realise I'm probably going to have to tell the higher ups about this."
At that moment, Zenitsu was all too tempted to storm off. He had barely got a grip on himself when there was a loud, low, rumble from above. A second later, the street outside was bombarded by rain.
Zenitsu glared out the window as pedestrians rushed for cover, shielding themselves with their newspapers, briefcases, coats and other belongings.
"Aw man, today was supposed to be sunshine and clear skies." bemoaned Sayuri.
Zenitsu let out a low groan and instinctively clutched at his light blonde ponytail. As he despaired for his poor hair, he enviously observed a blunette who'd clearly dismissed the morning's weather report and brought an umbrella. He wished he'd had her prescience today.
But then, if he did he'd no doubt see endless days stuck in this dead-end job, wasting his life away. It wasn't right. He wasn't meant for this. He was meant for something greater, something grander, something that would help make the world a more beautiful place.
The thought was so depressing that, even after his shift ended, Zenitsu took a few minutes to gather himself in the back room of the store. Of course, he had also been hoping the rain might have let up if he waited a little while, but he had no such luck. Head hung low, he marched towards the doors, dimly over hearing Sayuri handling another customer.
"Hi again! Let me guess, another Lupin film, right Mr. Chiba?"
Zenitsu didn't hear the customer's reply. His ears were consumed by the sound and sensation of heavy rainfall.
"Aizen. Hey Aizen!"
Aizen darted his head to the right of the bench then to the left, finding his fellow team mate scowling at him.
"What's up?" He said, trying to sound casual.
"I said I think they're going to substitute one of us on."
The soccer field was still for the moment as it was halftime. As such, Aizen had little trouble zeroing in on the captain and their manager, who were indeed shooting glances at the various players on the bench.
"What's with you man? You've hardly paid attention to the game, you've just been messing around with those playing cards."
Aizen automatically shuffled the cards without really thinking, nonchalantly spotting the Ace of Hearts.
"Just trying to predict the game is all," he lied. It wasn't the future he was interested in. On the contrary, it was the all too recent past.
"Look- Danburite is your stage name, right? Well, Danburite, you're photogenic, no denying that. That white hair, those grey eyes, the girls would be glued to you, and probably their mothers too. But Ace Talent Agency only takes the best of the best, and your acting is just… unconvincing. I got a friend who handled amateur models though, why don't you give her a call, after you lay off the candies and lose a few pounds of course."
Aizen had spent the rest of the day feeling numb, wandering about Jȗban like a phantom. Feeling had only returned the next day when he had remembered the local soccer game in the park, though he hadn't felt much like playing. He had instead spent most of the match ruminating on the talent agent's words; especially since he was amongst the tallest and slenderest players on the team. Now however, it seemed he had a shot at a different kind of spotlight.
"Aizen, you're up," barked the captain.
Abandoning his deck on the bench, Aizen warmed up and jogged onto the field, taking up his position on the far left of the pitch from the captain. They were the full-back and centre back defenders respectively, integral in the protection of the goalkeeper. It might not hold the same glamour or lustre as the keeper, let alone the striker but it was important nonetheless. And, if fate was kind to him, perhaps he'd get the chance to show off his skill and win some glory.
And it appeared the opportunity was already presenting itself. The other team's striker had crossed the midfield line. Aizen repositioned himself more to the right, preparing himself to intercept. He could do it! Any moment now and he could steal ball and—
An abrupt wolf-whistle broke through the air.
Not expecting the noise, Aizen reflexively glanced over his shoulder. A girl about three metres from the pitch lowered her hand from her mouth, her eye clearly not on him. Aizen was distracted for just a second, but it had been long enough for Captain Kyouya to seize the initiative and steal the ball, punting it to the other end of the pitch.
Jealously, Aizen glared at the silver haired captain, his locks bouncing on his shoulders as he jogged back into position. If the captain had noticed the girl whistling at him, he showed no signs of caring, his focus dedicated to the match at hand. Lacking such discipline, Aizen turned back to the girl but she had already begun to leave. Aizen watched her run over to her friend, volleyball in hand, her long blonde hair trailing behind her.
He gazed upon the tiara sitting atop the purple pillow. The label within the glass case said the pearls set in the tiara were known as the "Aphrodite Tears." Kyouya however was more drawn to the gold the tiara itself was fashioned from. Unless he was mistaken (and he was sure he wasn't) it was of Egyptian origin.
Catching himself, Kyouya moved away from the jewel and began another circuit through the store floor. He was probably the only security guard at Auric's who could identify where the metal in each item originated from. It was a skill accumulated from his family traversing the Middle East as part of their gold trading business. A business Kyouya had opted out of once he had graduated high school.
Of course, the irony of winding up as a security guard in a place called "Auric's" was not lost on him. He wasn't fussed about it. At the end of the day, his job here was just a means to an end. A stepping stone towards something greater. He just wished he knew what that something greater was.
He held no delusions of becoming a professional soccer player, his captaincy of the local team was just for fun, though he had to admit he had a knack for leadership. That train of thought led him back to his current occupation. If he kept his nose to the grindstone his security job could go places. Perhaps he might find himself guarding the Prime Minister, an embassy, or at least some kind of national landmark.
That notion in mind, his gaze drifted out the snow flecked window, up from the icy streets, through the dancing neon lights of the city, and finally to the very tip of the Tokyo Tower. Despite his obscured view, the sight of it still filled him with awe, just as it had that cold winter day he had moved to Japan. He'd spent most of his childhood in Turkey where snow and ice were far less common, so winter in Tokyo had struck him with a strange reverence. Even now, he still saw a kind of beauty in cold winter nights like this.
For a moment, Kyouya imagined himself atop the tower, its lone, ever vigil protector, unfazed by the evening chill. He let out a chuff and shook his head.
He liked his work, and (as with soccer) he had a natural aptitude for it. Although this direction in life felt more right than remaining with the family business, something was nevertheless off. In his soul he felt like he was meant for something greater than looking out for iconic buildings or glittering trink-
Darkness abruptly descended upon the whole store, followed by a shattering of glass and then a blaring alarm.
Kyouya raced across the store floor, making a beeline for Aphrodite's Tears. Through the near total blackness he saw a shape moving, heading for a window on the other side of the store. He leapt upon the would-be-thief, the pair grappling amidst the darkness.
Kyouya managed to gain the upper hand, gripping the thief's wrist and applying pressure. A moment later he heard something clatter to the floor, the sound distracting him just long enough for the criminal to free himself and make for the window.
Kyouya rushed after him and blindly thrust his arm out, hoping to grasp the crook's collar or shirt. He grabbed something alright, but the material didn't feel as he had expected it to. A split second later he heard a tearing noise and stumbled forwards slightly. In his mere moment of disorientation, the thief had leapt through the window and out of sight.
Panting, Kyouya took out his torch and began inspecting the store while awaiting the police to arrive. The searching beam cut through the blacked out store but found nothing out of place, exempting the tiara upon the floor. His composure beginning to return, Kyouya suddenly realised he was still gripping the fabric he'd torn off the criminal.
Illuminating it with his torch he observed it to be a thin piece of black cloth with a red inner lining. Almost like it had been part of a cape.
Her acolyte entered the dark throne room. For these last few days, their very beings had been connected in a way far deeper than her acolyte comprehended. The connection would not last of course, it was running off the residual energy unleashed upon her awakening. But for the moment, it was almost as if she were a spectre forever just over her acolyte's shoulder, able to order her to carry out her will, or subtly guide her towards the same ultimate end.
Through that same link, through her acolyte, she reached out. Four invisible threads of wicked energy arched across the planet. The threads took only a second to find the 'scent' left by her dark energy, no matter how faint it might have grown. The threads converged upon a city of ugly neon lights. Then she and her acolyte felt a 'tug' upon the threads; their prey had been hooked. Wordlessly, she urged her acolyte to cast the spell and reel them in.
In a flash, four young, somewhat disorientated, men appeared in the throne room, their bodies clad in pale open necked shirts. The spell would leave them slightly dazed at the best of times. But she had purposefully snatched them as they slept, throwing them further off guard.
The time was now.
Her acolyte spoke her mistresses' words.
"Welcome, noble warriors."
"Who are you?" It was Kunzite who had spoken up first. How very expected.
"I am Queen Beryl. Loyal servant of our Supreme Ruler."
"W-what is this awful place?" Shivered Zoisite.
"It is all that remains of a once majestic civilization that ruled this entire planet."
"How did you bring us here?"
"And what do you want with us!?"
She sensed Beryl's desire to strike out and reprimand Nephrite and Jadeite for their impudence, but quelled her acolyte's bloodthirst.
"I was once like each of you. I drifted through life with a hole in my heart that I could not explain."
She saw the change in their eyes, the intrigue.
"I sought to find the truth behind that void within myself and it led me here, to D-Point, amidst the heart of the frozen arctic."
Zoisite recoiled slightly, though Kunzite placed a reassuring hand upon his shoulder.
"Here I found answers, here I finally understood who I was, and what my destiny was to be. And now, I wish to help you do the same."
Through the threads, she felt the desperate, delicious hunger stir within their souls.
"Once upon a time my friends, the Earth was a place of beauty and magic. Magic the likes of which I used to bring you all here tonight. Our Supreme Ruler presided over a new age of prosperity for the entire planet. But peace could never truly reign until we had overthrown our oppressors."
"Who… Who were these oppressors?" Asked Nephrite.
"They were hateful monarchy not native to our world, nor indeed our solar system. From the Moon they spied upon us, watching our every move, forcing us to abide by their laws. Many were fooled by them, believing them to be unto angels sent from above to bring us salvation, but-"
"But Lucifer was an angel too, wasn't he?"
Beryl was not angered by Jadeite's impertinence this time. She simply smiled and gave a tiny nod of encouragement, pleased at how easy this was proving to be.
"The four of you were once grand generals under my command. Together, we formed the vanguard of the rebellion against our oppressors."
A glimmer of recognition flashed behind Kunzite's grey eyes.
"We were winning, when the evil Queen unleashed a great power that undid our army and sealed our poor ruler away beneath the snow and ice. But our ruler's power was too great to vanish completely. With the last of her strength, she ensured that we were all reborn into this age."
The four of them had grouped closer together now. Beryl extended her left hand out to them.
"Swear your fealty to our Supreme Ruler, permit me to work my magic upon your flesh, and you will remember who you all were, the great purpose you were meant for. You will once again know who you were born to serve and protect."
For an instant they hesitated. Then, through the link they still shared, she felt realisation dawn within each of them.
This is where I am supposed to go.
This is who I am supposed to give myself to.
This is how I make the world more beautiful.
This is what I am supposed to protect.
As one, they reached out and took Beryl's hand.
It was done.
Their precious prince, and his Golden Kingdom, had been usurped within their souls. Souls that now belonged to her.
Her maw cracked into a terrible grin as she channelled her malefic energy through Beryl and into the quartet. The effort however burned up whatever residual energy she had left from her awakening and her mind withdrew to the unsealed chamber deep within the stronghold. She was positively ravenous for human energy, she would have to make that her next order for Beryl. But for now she would rest.
Rest, and ruminate upon all she had accomplished this wonderful day. She had not regained all that had been hers, but she had made a fine start. Her acolyte was the foundation and the kings the four pillars upon which she, Queen Metalia, could now begin.
Begin to rebuild her Dark Kingdom!
A/N: This fic was a STRUGGLE to write let me tell you.
Originally that was going to be the manga Beryl fic altogether before I changed my mind and did something different for that. Anyway, that fic evolved into being about Beryl AND the Shittenou. Initially she was going to recruit them one by one. Then it evolved into vignettes about each of them but Beryl's was the penultimate one and she was merely planning to go to D-Point, the final scene being Metalia anticipating her arrival.
I did the vignettes because I could not figure out how or why the Shitennou would all be in the same place at the same time given their different ages and interests. I could have just said they were friends already but that raises the question of why they wouldn't have met Endymion yet if destiny wanted the 4 of them to be friends. And, why didn't the same thing happen with the Inner Senshi and Usagi? So it made sense to me that they'd be living mostly separate lives (though you could always headcanon that 2 of them went to Mamo's school like Mako and Ami I guess).
Anyway, the key to unlocking this story unironically was the Sen/Shi dynamic. When I thought up the idea of them each missing their Senshi counterpart it all started to click together and I began reverse engineering them from the various plots they did in the manga.
Finally, thanks to the wonderful K8tj17, this fic was pushed into being something much better by placing Beryl first and wholesale rewriting her and Metalia's scenes along with fleshing out everyone else's bits.
Also just to let you know I am involved in a discord called 'Moonlight Legends' which is dedicated to sharing all sorts of Sailor Moon fanworks, including other fanfics. If you would like to join so you can share your own work, get help with your current projects or just connect to other fan creators shoot me a PM and I'll send you an invite. All are welcome!