"A baby! How wonderful!" Chibiusa squealed in delight, along with Jewel, Gracie, Crystal, Alexis, Star, Ivy, and Dawn.
"Looks like we're going to have to add another Princess to the mix," Christen noticed what she said might have been taken the wrong way by the looks everyone was giving her, "...not that I'm complaining. An alien baby Princess will be interesting!"
"Any baby is a pure and innocent thing. Best not to stress out the parents." Ariel told Christen, who looked like she did not need to be taught that.
"I'm fine. We're getting used to Christen's attitude." Ann sighed, deciding to ignore Christen when she was being rude, as everyone else seemed to do.
"Don't bother. We're still not quite used to it, and we grew up with her." Holly commented in a bit of a snarky way.
Emily put her head down to hide her giggle. Then, Trisha decided to speak up to help take attention away from Emily's laugh, "Let us not surround ourselves with negativity, especially on such a momentous occasion!"
"Can't wait to see how cool and beautiful your baby will look," Shadow spoke politely.
Comet, Asteroid, and Diana congratulated the couple.
"We're pleased you are all so excited." Alan smiled.
"When is the baby due?" Gracie asked.
"Well...she's already here, but Gardian birth works differently than human birth." Ann's smile wilted a little as she tried to think of how to explain Gardian's birth to the group.
"When a Gardian couple is ready to start having a baby, we pray to the Tree of Life. It's a ritual involving music. Our energy combined produces a seed, which must be promptly placed in a pod for the baby to grow. It takes one season, approximately three months, for the full cycle to complete, and the baby will be born." Alan explained.
"Also, we Gardains have a birthday ceremony called Hana no Tanjo," Ann added.
"So...you don't get to experience any fun stuff? Mood swings, irritability, fatigue, hunger, back pain, morning sickness, or difficulty in everything?" Christen joked, but Ariel had it and shocked Christen with her 2nd most powerful electrical attack: Electric Thunderclap.
Plunging the electrical disk into Christen's torso shocked the living daylights out of the distasteful young woman! As Alan and Ann watched Christen collapse to the floor, twitching, they were even more impressed at how powerful the daughters of the Senshi were and how they could use their abilities in civilian form.
"Well...when do we get to see the baby?!" Crystal chirped, smiling brightly as though nothing had just happened.
"Ann has been pregnant for..." Alan looked to his wife, who held up two fingers. "2 months. In that case, you should be able to see her now, but let's wait for that until morning."
Everyone groaned in annoyance but respected the couple's wishes as it was late, and they were pretty tired. Ariel and Holly grabbed Christen to haul her back to bed. Only Trisha hung back as a question had formed in her head, "Excuse me, your majesties. I don't mean to keep you from your slumber for too long, but if I may, your permission to speak: I recall Ash mentioning he is to be betrothed to the Princess, but he appears to be already a bit too old. Is there some information we are unaware of?"
"My, you are quite the polite, eloquent, well-mannered young woman. There is something we wanted to ask of Small Lady." Alan spoke, forcing Chibiusa to freeze in her tracks and turn.
"What do you wish of me?" Chibiusa questioned, a bit of an uneasy squeak in her voice.
"We know you have your own version of the Silver Crystal, as you deserve. We were wondering if you wouldn't mind using it to halt Ash's age to give our Sage a chance to grow up?" Ann clasped her hands in a prayer-like fashion.
"Uh..." While Chibiusa was sure she and her Crystal could do this, should she?
Thankfully, Jewel, Crystal, Emily, Alexis, Trisha, Star, Ivy, Dawn, and Shadow were still in the room and spoke in defense of the Moon Princess!
"What you are asking might affect more than just Ash." Jewel began to explain.
"When Sailor Moon used the Silver Crystal like that, it gave everyone on Earth the same lifespan as those on the Moon had in the Moon Kingdom!" Crystal continued with growing concern.
"If Chibiusa's crystal does the same, are you willing to go against the Tree of Life's way to live longer?" Star concluded, pleading with the royals to think more thoroughly about this.
"We'll have to discuss the issue with Willow." Alan sighed a bit in disappointment as he sat down in a chair.
"If Willow agrees, I'll do it right away," Chibiusa promised, smiling softly.
"Thank you, Small Lady..." Alan smiled back, sighing wearily.
"Let's all get some sleep; it's been a long evening," Ann advised, and everyone agreed.
However, bright and early, with Alan and Ann in the lead, the girls and kittens headed to a secret entrance to Hana No Shinden, where the Tree Of Life resides. Only they knew this entrance existed. If anyone were suspected of being liable for telling someone else about this entrance without permission, a plant-based gas would be used on them to make them forget.
Of course, the gas would wear off, but the person's memory would be too damaged to remember anyway, and no one wants that. Now, Christen was considered liable, but Willow persuaded the guards to let her in, and with that, the fire Princess vowed to keep this location a secret.
Was Christen being...tolerable? When conversing with Willow, Christen seemed much better behaved. Everyone wondered why? No matter the reason, it was nice to have Christen act considerate for a bit. One-by-one, each girl and kitten peeked into the pod.
"Why is it so hazy?" Chibiusa tried to get a better look, but it did not clear up any.
"Love energy, nutrients, and warmth is needed to keep the baby alive. Sorry if it's hard to see." Alan apologized.
"That makes sense." Jewel agreed.
Through the hazy mist inside, a teenie, tiny, alien baby with pale green skin, pointy ears, and wisps of lavender hair lay, seemingly asleep. Ann placed her hand on the pod, and the newborn awoke, staring straight at Chibiusa! Her pink eyes filled with wonder as she smiled at the Moon Princess!
"Hi, Sage. You and I are going to be great friends." Chibiusa greeted softly as Alan and Ann told them the name planned for their baby.
"She's beautiful." Gracie cooed when she got her turn to look.
"As a Princess, she should be pretty. Also, look at how attractive her parents are." Christen emphasized.
Ann blushed.
"Thank you for the kind compliment, Christen." Alan smiled, blushing a bit too.
Christen nodded. Most girls commented on Sage's beauty, too, even Comet. However, Willow noticed Christen seemed on edge.
"What's got you so uptight?" Willow walked over to stand next to Christen.
"When we first came here, I felt like we were being monitored, but now I'm sure of it, and I don't like the idea it might be an enemy," Christen spoke in a low voice as she still did not want to stress the others on this significant occasion.
"Child, you should let the others know if you feel threatened," Willow warned urgently.
"I will, just...not now. I don't want to ruin this happy moment." Christen said, a little heated.
"Willow, we need your advice on a particular subject," Alan called over.
With Christen following, Willow walked up to the king and queen, "What do you need my advice on?"
"As you know, we want Ash to marry our daughter. So, we asked if Small Lady could use her Crystal to halt Ash's aging to give Sage a chance to grow up. Do you think that's wise?" Alan asked.
"A bold request, I will admit, though not for selfish gain. While I understand your point of view, and she does not need to decide, I must insist the choice lies ultimately with Small Lady." Willow turned to look at the ruby-eyed girl.
"I...I can't make that choice right now." Chibiusa said in a saddened tone.
"That is Small Lady's decision," Willow concluded with a sense of finality.
Leaving the temple, through the front archway this time, Christen spotted a glint in the sky but chose to ignore it as the girls were discussing how big of a dilemma it was for Chibiusa to make such a choice, which alters life itself!
"Did we not have this issue with Emily already? She hasn't killed everything yet. I'm sure Chibiusa will make the right decision when the time comes." Though Christen's tone and the comment are a bit rude, she had a point.
"I'm never going to kill anyone! I believe in Chibiusa and will support her in whatever option she chooses." Emily vowed more so to herself than anyone else.
"What do you girls think I should do?" Chibiusa hoped her friends had some insight on this.
Ivy spoke up after everyone had been quiet for a while, "Moon Princess, we can't make this decision for you. We know there's A LOT to consider, but you'll know what to do when the time comes."
"I hope so..." Chibiusa whined in frustration.