(About a year later: Kinmokusei Palace)

Taiki held his son in his arms looking down at him with a surprised look on his face. The baby was making faces and weird noises that Taiki had never heard him make. Usually he handed the boy over to Setsuna when he got fussy but she was out running determined to loose the extra weight from the baby. He stood up and started walking him around figuring he was just getting fussy. The baby began to wail as Taiki walked around the patio.

"Hey, shh, what's wrong Shizuo?" he asked the baby and the child just began to scream louder. Taiki tried rocking him in his arms but the toddler whould not stop crying. He sat down and tried bouncing him on his knee, that didn't work either. He tried feeding but he wasn't hungry so he checked his diaper and it was clean.

"What's wrong with you? You're not hungry and your diaper isn't full. Why are you crying?" he asked the small boy who just rubbed his eyes and started bawling more. Giving up on possible physical problems, Taiki tried singing to the child. The baby screamed even louder as if someone was trying to harm him.

"Gods child! Teenage girls love my voice and you heckle it as if it where a cat yowling!" Taiki snapped. Which caused poor Chibi-Shizuo to start screaming so hard he was starting to go blue in the face. Taiki realized his error and started patting the child on his back in an attempt to calm him down.

"Taiki! What are you doing to him!" Setsuna said running in the room still wearing her exercise sweats. She plucked the child from Taiki's arms and cradled him on her hip quietly singing to him. Shizuo quieted right down and cooed in satisfaction resting his head on Setsuna's chest.

"I didn't do anything to him! He just started crying!" Taiki rebuked still having no idea what upset his son.

"I don't believe you! Babies don't cry like that from people doing 'nothing' to them." Setsuna said lightly stroking Shizuo's head.

"Setsuna, he just started crying. I tried feeding him, but he wasn't hungry. I checked his butt, and it was clean. I tried to sing to him and …" he never got to finish before Setsuna cut him off.

"You were singing to him? No wonder he got upset! You sound like a cat yowling when you're out of the group." Setsuna stated holding Shizuo out in front of her mouthing she was sorry for leaving him. He smiled at her and tried to talk back to her but it came out in gibberish. Setsuna giggled then held him close again kissing his forehead.

"How can you say that? You loved my singing when we were together!" Taiki said hurt by the mother of his child's statement.

"I was horny, I let a lot of stuff slide." She said flatly. She didn't really mean it like that but she was upset from Taiki upsetting Shizuo so much.

"Well that explains a lot." Taiki said a little stunned by the statement. But, he wasn't about to let Setsuna see weakness after her blunt confession. He went to pick up a cup off of the table to drink from it. But the cup stopped in midair and would not move. "I know you're pissed about me making Shi upset. But that's no reason to do something like this!" he said pointing at the cup that was just floating in mid air frozen in time. "Isn't there a taboo about this or something?"

"What are you talking about? I'm not doing it." Setsuna said thinking about the possible causes and then realized what it was.

"Really? You expect me to believe that? I …" Taiki watched the cup go over his head then dump its contents. Staining his white shirt and soaking his pants.

"Setsuna!" Taiki exclaimed. But then he heard Shizuo break out in a gut busting laughter. His little body shook and made Setsuna laugh too.

"I told you it wasn't me." Setsuna said in between laughs looking at Taiki and how silly he looked with liquid all over him. Taiki got up and walked over to Setsuna and looked straight at Shizuo who now had an innocent look on his face.

"You're just like your mother and the rest of those outer heathens!" he said remembering the encounter with Haruka and Michiru's two girls before during his most recent visit to earth. The Starlights had gone to a meeting at the home of the queen. Usagi had said she missed them and wanted to catch up. Haruka and Michiru had brought their children because no one was there to watch them with Setsuna away. The little Hotaru was an angel and had spent most of her time playing with the baby Chibi-usa. However, the other two were the problem.

One of them, the one with short aqua hair was dressed like a little boy, probably blondie's doing. And acted like a little beast, running around knocking things over and causing a mess everywhere she went. She just laughed at people when they told her no. And had a penchant for pulling Seiya's hair while he sat on the sofa and even bit him on his calf for calling her an 'evil little girl'. She was only a little over a year, but still understood insults. Haruka had only laughed and said he shouldn't have called her that.

The other one, the blonde one, seemed to be real mild mannered and shy. She was always hiding behind her mother or fathers leg or wanting to be held. There were a few times when her sister whould walk over and take cookies from people and then share them with her. They seemed to be twins in every sense of the word.

Even at one point the little blonde girl got scared by Seiya so her sister when over and bit him again, this time on the other leg. It had gotten so bad that Seiya left early because the young Haruko was tormenting him so much.

"That little demon has to be that cursed Haruka's! She hates me already and she's only one!" Seiya commented treating the bite wounds. Little Haruko had managed to draw blood with the few baby teeth she had.

Slipping back into the current, Taiki looked at the still laughing Shizuo and wondered if the child was more an outer then starlight. "Come on Taiki, it was funny. You should have seen your face." Setsuna said trying to stifle her laugh by covering her mouth with her free hand. Taiki stormed past Setsuna and walked out into the hall whispering to himself, "He's her son, that's for damn sure."

(Four years later: Charon Palace, Pluto)

Setsuna walked into the palace feeling somewhat nostalgic. It had been quite some time since she had been there last. Even tough she rarely visited; it still had a home like feel to her. The planet itself had a few scattered provinces on its surface but the planetary population never numbered over a few thousand. It was the farthest away from the sun and spent decades in darkness. Plutonians made their homes on the other planets and very few stayed on the homeworld.

However, there were still enough people on the planet to keep an active garrison of White Moon imperial army and space forces. But the planet was largely populated by soldiers stationed there. Pluto was the most outer you could get in the outer rim and was considered a punishment assignment to be stationed there.

The best assignment in the system was by far Uranus. Because the Uranians had a very proud warrior-like society, more so then their Martian cousins and had better attitudes as well. On Uranus it was considered an honor if a solider stayed with you. On Mars there were very strict guidelines on where stationed troops could go and where they couldn't.

Shaking her mind from the thought, Setsuna walked across the great seal of Pluto and looked down at it. The symbol was etched in the dark marble with silver grooves. The palace was made from the planet itself.

"Your Excellency, I received word that you were coming, had I known sooner I would have been able to prepare the palace for your homecoming." Said a younger looking woman walking up to Setsuna. She had wings on her back and wore a formal gown.

"That's alright Meika, and you didn't have to change into your other form just for me." Setsuna said holding a large object covered in a cloak. The fairies of Charon could change between a human like form and there normal form with made them no bigger then six inches.

"You rarely come home child, it's a special occasion!" Meika said. She had been the one who took on that daunting task of raising Setsuna epochs ago.

"Meika I'm hardily a child anymore." Setsuna said causing Meika to laugh and say that she would always be a child to her. "Well I wish I could just be here to celebrate but I brought someone." She said moving the cloak off of the mass and it was a child no older then four.

"Is this the young prince milady?" Meika said looking at the young boy. He looked a lot like Setsuna did when she was a child except his long green hair was in a ponytail and she didn't remember Setsuna's hair being that long at his age.

"Mama, who is that?" Shizuo said pointing at Meika. "Pretty lady" he said fidgeting. Setsuna put him down and he walked over to the lady and tugged on her gown.

"Shizuo!" Setsuna said sternly.

"I only wanted to touch the pretties!" He said starting to cry. Meika picked him up.

"You know, I knew your mama when she was little." Meika said.

"Really?" Shizuo asked reaching over hr shoulder to touch her wings stopping and looking at her for permission and she nodded.

"Uh-huh, Setsuna, have you explained to him yet?" She asked looking over to Setsuna.

"I've been trying to find the right time. But every time I look into his eyes he makes me melt and I can't tell him." Setsuna said looking at the floor.

"I haven't seen you this bothered about something in centuries. You're a good mother Setsuna; I can tell he loves you very much. What about his father?" Meika asked.

"His father is back on his homeworld. I wouldn't expect much from him but he knows that he's here, though I don't think he'll show up." Setsuna said.

"I see, well then why did you bring Shi here milady? Why don't you take him to earth with you?" The farie asked a little wondered why Setsuna would leave him here when she loved him so much.

"Because, he needs to be raised here. I have no idea what kind of powers he has." She said trying to convince herself as much as the fairy.

"So you don't want him to cause problems on earth then?" Meika asked.

"No, it's not like that I …" Setsuna didn't get to finish as Shizuo lost interest in the wings and listened.

"Where's mama going? Can I go too?" Shizuo asked.

"I think you should tell him?" Meika said handing him back to Setsuna and walking off so they could have some privacy.

"Shizuo, you know mama loves you right?" Setsuna said trying to find the way to tell the most important thing in her life that she was going to leave him.

"Yup! I know mama loves me. Mama, why do you look so sad?" He asked looking into her eyes as if he could almost sense what was going to happen. Setsuna could not fight the tears coming from her eyes and tried to wipe them away quickly before Shizuo noticed them.

"Well, love, sometimes people who love each other have to go different ways." She said trying to keep her composure which had never been more difficult in all her years of life.

"I know that, but, mama is going to stay with me forever." Shizuo said smiling. Setsuna felt her soul tearing apart, she couldn't tell him but she had to. She looked into his amethyst eyes and only felt worse.

"Shi, baby, I can't stay with you. That's why I brought you here. To live with Meika-sama." She said sobbing almost uncontrollably.

"No! I want to stay with mama! I'll be a good boy forever! I promise!" Shizuo said. His eyes were welling up and if only he could have understood how torn up his mother was over it.

Setsuna chuckled a little and then spoke. "It's not because you've been bad. And you can't stay with me. I'm sorry." She said and wrapped her arms around him crying.

"Mama, I don't want to stay here! I want to come with you!" he said getting angry. Setsuna realized that she'd better go.

"I'm sorry" she said putting him down. Shizuo kicked his mothers shin and then started throwing a tantrum which brought Meika back over to them.

"You're not my mama! My mama wouldn't leave me here. I hate you!" Shizuo said running into Meika arms.

"I really hope you know what you're doing. You'd better go before he gets more upset." Meika said stroking Shizuo's head and tried to clam him down. Setsuna looked at her and Shizuo. The tears streamed down her face and the pain was unbearable. She turned and began to walk away and didn't let herself look back because she knew she would stay if she did.

"I hate you!" Shizuo's words echoed in Setsuna's mind as she walked out of the palace and headed for earth.

(Outer Manor: four years later)

Haruka walked into the kitchen from the back of the house where the garage was. She had just gotten finished putting a supercharger on her latest acquisition. She didn't have to argue with Michiru over having another car when she already had a fleet of them. This one had actually been a present from her Michiru. It was a junker which was just fine with Haruka because she wanted to get her mechanic skills back in check raising twins turned out to be even more of a challenge then when Hotaru was child and she hadn't had as much time for her hobbies.

"Papa!" exclaimed an excited Haruko. The twins were not aloud near the garage because of the tools and the danger. Haruko ran up to her father and wanted to be picked up. Haruko had become accustomed to being swung around by Haruka regardless of how much Michiru yelled at both of them for it.

"Not now Ruko, I'm covered in grease and oil. I don't think that your mama whould like it much if I got your clothes dirty." Haruka said setting the toolbox on the table. She kept the toolbox with the really expensive tools in the house.

"Mama's a stick in the mud! She yelled at me for pulling Chiyo in the wagon!" The twins had a red wagon and Haruko was allways using it for something or other. Just last week she had dragged it to the top of the hill convinced Michiyo to get in started pushing it then jumped in. The ride had ended when the wagon crashed into the bushes at the bottom. Haruka was still amazed neither of the girls were hurt save for a few scratches

"Were you going too fast? You know your sister doesn't like to go fast." Haruka asked getting a cup from the cupboard and getting some water in the glass.

"Chiyo doesn't like to do anything fun! She just likes to sit there and watch the grass or the sea. She's boring!" Haruko replied annoyed.

"Haruko, not everybody likes to go fast. Just because you like to doesn't mean that Michiyo will." Haruka said kicking back the glass and setting it on the counter.

"That has to be the most sense I've heard you speak in a long time." Michiru said eyeing Haruka from the doorway. She noticed that Haruka had tied off her coveralls at her waist and had been wearing a wife beater underneath which was also stained with oil and grime.

"Ruko, go play, nicely!" Haruka said. Haruko stomped and ran off obeying her father.

"That's two in a row, are you sure you're ok?" Michiru asked her wife. Haruka made her way over to Michiru and tried to embrace her from behind and was shrugged off. "Ruka, don't touch me. You smell and I just took a shower." Michiru said

"But it's the best kind of smell." Haruka said with a smirk.

"The reek of antifreeze may turn you on, but I get sick from the fumes." Michiru said trying to hack convincingly. Haruka walked up behind her and embraced her, this time successfully but not without protest.

"Now I'm dirty too." Michiru said pretending to pout.

"We could have a shower." Haruka said kissing Michiru's neck and holding her keeping her steady while she tried to break free.

"Ruka, the children are up." Her wife said.

"Hotaru is home isn't she? She can't watch them?" Haruka responded with the solution.

"Hotaru is studying for her final exams and doesn't need the twins running around her in circles" shot down. Michiru thought.

"How about grumpy?" Haruka asked referring to the house's other occupant.

"I don't want to bother Setsuna, she's been working her ass of and she seems really depressed." Michiru said

"What's wrong with her?" Haruka asked changing the subject realizing Michiru wasn't in the mood to play.

"I don't know, a courier from the palace came by today with a letter for her. It had the seal of Charon palace on it so I didn't question it. But, whatever it was upset Setsuna." Michiru said.

"A letter from Pluto and you don't bother to ask what it is." Haruka questioned.

"It wouldn't have helped me anyway, Setsuna doesn't say anything about her homeworld and I don't get in it." Michiru responded.

"Why not?" Haruka rebutted.

"Because it's none of my business!" Michiru said getting upset.

"I'm getting tired of all these smoke and mirrors. I'm going to go find out wants going on!" Haruka said storming upstairs.

"Haruka! What are you going to do?" Michiru yelled at her.

"I'm going to go find out what ol' cold skirt is keeping from us." Haruka said sprinting up the stairs.

Haruka had taken a shower before she went to invade Setsuna's room. She would have gone before hand but she knew that if Setsuna smelled the oil she would know right away that Haruka had been there. Haruka slid on a pair of racing gloves and started to pick the lock to the door.

It took her a few seconds to get it but she did only after two tries. She opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her. She looked around the room and it looked really simple. There was incense burning in the corner of the room and filled it with a jasmine and vanilla smell. It smelled good but Haruka couldn't see the sense in smelling it all the time. Michiru had tried doing the same thing in their room but gave up after weeks of arguing on which fragrance to use. To the right side of the bed that was on her right also. Haruka saw Setsuna's lavish desk and thought that the best place to start.

"Okay wise one, let's see what you're keeping from us." She said walking over to the desk noticing the letter right on top of the desk.

"Bingo" She said picking up the letter and examining it. She noticed it was open and very carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the letter inside. She had been foiled and cursed in Urainan.

"Of all the things to write in, Scionskrit!" Haruka grumbled. She remembered that Plutonians wrote into two different skrit. Moonskrit which was the basic syntax that was used allover the solar system. But Plutonians were also taught how to write in Scionskrit which was a symbol system unique to their words. Meaning not only did one have to translate the symbols into Moonskrit to be able to get the words but they had to speak plutonian too. Haruka knew enough of Plutonian to not insult anyone but she didn't know squat about Scionskrit.

"Okay, nothings ever that easy. Let's see if you have anything in something I can read." She whispered to herself. And continued to dig about. She found something else of interest. An important document embossed with the seal of the royal palace of Kinmokusei.

"What would Setsuna have to do with the starlights? And why didn't she tell us?" Haruka asked herself and looked over the document. It looked like a certificate of some kind. Luckily it was in a basic syntax that Haruka whould understand after she translated it.

"Now were getting somewhere. A document from Kinmokusei, Setsuna, what have you been up to?" she asked to herself. She began to scribble down the symbols on the document onto a notepad and didn't get finished with the first line."

"Haruka! What are you doing in my room, in my desk!" asked a stunned Setsuna.

"I can explain!" Haruka protested slipping the notepad into her shirt before she tuned to face Setsuna. She still held the certificate in her hand realizing it too late.

"Why where you going through my things?" Asked Setsuna snatching the document from Haruka's hand and noticing the letter was disturbed. Thank the gods Meika wrote in Scionskrit.

"Setsuna, you never tell us anything anymore. You come home from work and just come up her or your sewing room and hide out. You don't talk to us anymore!" Haruka stated.

"I'm very busy, and I don't need to talk to you every minute of the day. And you don't see me going through your stuff though gods know what I'd find!" Setsuna said remembering the time when Michiru was pregnant and she sent Setsuna up to her room to get something out of drawer and she found Haruka's porn stash, an assortment of toys and lubricants by accident.

"That's not the point! If you would just …" Haruka got cut off.

"If I would just what? Tell you everything I know? I can't do that Haruka! I can't go breaking taboos just to make you and your wife feel secure." She said lowering her voice. "I know that you and Michiru care about me, but I have to have my privacy too." She walked over to the desk putting the certificate back then closing the desk.

"Well, so long as you know." Haruka said remembering she got some of the document and tried to back out quietly. She made it out the door and then ran off to gather Michiru and go for a 'ride'. Setsuna opened the desk back up and put Shizuo's birth certificate back.

"Gods, that was too close! I don't know how much longer I can keep this from them." She said opening the letter back up and reading it:

My Queen,

I'm sorry to have taken so long to write back. Shizuo is a real handful, worse then you were when you were his age…

Setsuna chuckled and kept reading.

…anyway, he is doing well. He got your package last week and was very happy to hear from you. He often asks me "Does mama still love me Meika-mama?"…

Setsuna started crying but still kept reading.

…I tell him "Of corse she still loves you Shi. Someday you can go live with her." And he said "Really!"…

Setsuna smiled and was still crying but she kept reading.

…When are you coming to visit? Please let me know so I can prepare ahead of time. It would make Shi so happy if you did…

"I'm sorry, I can't Meika." She said barely able to speak.

…Well, that's all I have to say. Please write back soon. I've taught Shi how to read so he will enjoy your letters even more.

Respectfully

-Meika

Setsuna held the letter to her chest and started to cry uncontrollably. "I'm sorry it has to be this way Shi, my special little boy. But I have to keep you safe." She said kissing the letter and then putting it in her desk drawer. She went over to the door and locked it knowing the Haruka wouldn't repeat what she had just done. She then walked over to her bed and crashed on it curling into a fetal position and began crying even more.

(Somewhere in Tokyo: later that day)

Haruka flipped through the translation book franticly looking for the syntax she needed. She sat in the driver's seat and would take a drink of coffee every minute and a half. "What's gotten into you Ruka? I thought you brought me out her to make love to me like we used to." Michiru asked.

"I will love, but, I have to figure this out." Haruka said still searching intently. "Aha! Found it!" she said pulling the note pad out of her shirt and scribbling down the translations of the symbols on it.

"What is that? Haruka what did you find?" Michiru asked concerned about Haruka's sudden behavior. Haruka suddenly got quiet and went pale. "What is it Ruka?" Michi asked to which Haruka handed over the pad with the translations on it.

"My gods, so this is it." She said looking at the pad which said:

"Certificate of Bir—" The word wasn't finished but they both knew what it meant.

"Why would Setsuna have a birth certificate from Kinmokusei?" Michiru asked all she had gotten out of Haruka what this was written on some sort Kinmokuseian document.

"Well, either she was born there or …" Haruka trailed off.

"That's just impossible Ruka, Setsuna can't have children. She's been sleeping with Taiki for centuries; she would have had one way before now." Michiru stated.

"Michiru, do you know for certain that Setsuna can't have kids? Like is she barren or something?" Haruka asked.

"No, she still has periods, if she didn't then she wouldn't … It is possible." Michiru said.

"At any rate we can not let on that we know this. If she has had a kid she can't keep it from us forever. We just have to wait." Haruka said.

"I agree. We sould go back, we've been gone just as long as always." Michiru said eyeing her watch. "It's my night to cook and I haven't even got anything out." Michiru said wishing Haruka hadn't taken so long to translate the text. It had been quite some time since they had been intimate in one of the cars.

"You know we could always get some take out." Haruka said leaning across Michiru and flipping her seat down before kissing her.