A/N: Again, I would like to apologise to Sailor Temptress 2, Venus Smurf, Destinys*Kiss, sadie Joyce Myst Lady, the Prince of Crossovers, jade, and India Present for sending out an unsolicited story reminder, but after a month of not getting any reviews, I was getting desperate. I hope you will forgive me.
My thanks to Mieco who does her best to try to keep up with all of my stories - even if it's because she's in the other one! ;)
Prince of Crossovers - No, unfortunately, the Generals are not my idea. Although I don't think that it was mentioned in the anime, the manga does say that Jadeite, Zoisite, Nephrite, and Kunzite (Malachite in anime) were the Prince's Generals before Beryl brainwashed everybody to her way of thinking. It also makes the mention of Venus's crush on Kunzite when she goes to fetch the Princess.
goddess-lady-serenity - glad you found the time between your own stories to catch a bit of mine! Hope you catch up soon!
I'm doing my best to write between work shifts, so please bear with me!
Disclaimer: If you don't know by now then you aren't listening anyway. To make a long story short, I only own my stuff. 'Nuff said. (Thanks, Stan Lee, for that wonderful saying, which I use over and over!)
Chapter 8
Omoide, Majikku, & Kiseki
(Memories, Magic, & Miracles)
Sailor Pluto stood watch over the Gate known as the Cherry Way. She was lost in thought and did not hear the footsteps quickly approaching from off to the side.
"Why don't you go see her? She probably misses you too."
Pluto's head jerked up at the voice and she whirled, staff ready ... to find herself looking at a young girl with pink hair done up in rabbit ear buns with the excess falling to the sides like pony tails. A small grey cat with a golden moon on its forehead smiled at her from its place between the buns.
Sailor Mini Moon looked at Pluto with serious eyes, a small frown on her lips. "I shouldn't be able to sneak up on you like that, Pluto."
"Sailor Mini Moon ... I ... I'm sorry."
Mini Moon grinned. "Go see your friend that you are thinking about. You'll be a wreck until you get it out of your system."
"But ... the gate ..." Pluto protested weakly.
"Diana and I will play shuei (guard or doorman) for you until you get back. Mama is going to promote me to the full title of Sailor Moon soon, as she will never be Sailor Moon again. Guarding the Gate for you is a duty I am well capable of. And if things get tough, I know well enough to call for the Quartet to help."
Pluto smiled and touched the girl's .. no, the young lady's cheek. For Small Lady was turning into the beautiful lady that Pluto had always promised her she would be. "I've told you before that I like your honesty. You remind me of Yoake when she was your age."
"Perhaps that's why we get along so well."
"Perhaps." She leaned down and kissed the top of the pink head. "But I love you for being you, not for being somebody else, little Bunny. Never forget that." She smiled at the faintly blushing Sailor Mini Moon and walked into the Mist.
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As Pluto travelled through the corridors of Time, she felt a summons from her Princess. Making a small adjustment to her path, she arrived in the courtyard of the temple to find Princess Serenity and her Guardians waiting for her.
"You called, my Princess?" She bowed, waiting for a response.
Princess Serenity smiled, her blue eyes full of warmth. "Thank you for coming, Pluto. I wish to petition for your permission to view the past. The girls are willing to look past the pain and anger in their hearts and wish to make an informed decision in regards to the Generals' resurrection."
Pluto stood before her Princess. "Do you need me to take them to the past?"
Serenity shook her head. "No, Pluto, I wish to bring the past to them. I had planned on using the Silver Crystal to open their memories. Still, the Past is the Past ... and Time is your domain. I will not step there without your knowledge and permission."
Sailor Pluto stood straight and tall. A small smile played on her lips, pleased that her Princess had asked first instead of apologizing later. Still, it was a small thing she was asking. She nodded. "You have that permission, Highness. Do you wish me to stand over you while you are all in trance? It will take time for them to remember, and you will be tired. Too tired to defend yourself properly if something should happen."
Serenity hesitated. "I sensed that I had interrupted something when I called, Pluto. If you can put it off for a bit, then I should be most grateful to have you stand over me." She smiled at the Guardian of Time.
Pluto smiled back. "Of course, Highness. My other business can wait. It is always an honour to serve you.
Sailor Mars stepped forward and placed a hand on Serenity's shoulder. The concern in the eyes of the fiery Senshi of War was reflected in the other three senshi as well. "Are you sure using the Crystal is a good idea? Maybe you should let Pluto simply take us instead."
Serenity smiled and put a hand to Mars' cheek. "There is no need for worry, Mars. You need to experience the Memory, not merely be shown something you might be able to harden yourself against. I will use the Crystal. It will not take the abundance of power that I have used in the past. I will be fine."
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Pluto had had the presence of mind to call the other Outers to help out with watching over the Inners and their Princess. For one thing, Uranus would kick her butt if something happened and then kick it again because she missed out on it. Pluto smiled at the exaggeration of her thoughts as Uranus, Neptune and Saturn came up the steps toward them. Serenity, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus had already formed a circle facing inwards. The Outers formed yet another circle around them, facing out - assuming their age old positions. The other reason Pluto had called for help was that another attack was past due. It had been way past the time when an attack should have happened. None of the Scouts wanted this to be the opening the enemy was waiting for.
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A shadowed figure watched Darien and Rory as they prepared to leave the apartment. Another shadowed figure joined it and the shadows seemed to meld in to a new figure with muted whispers.
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Darien put the case with the stones back in it's proper place and finished the glass of water that Rory had brought him. Rory put it back in the kitchen for him and they put their shoes on. Darien reached for the doorknob to leave when he suddenly stiffened.
"No."
"Darien? What's wrong?" Then Rory stiffened as she realized the feeling she was also sensing. She grabbed for Darien's arm, but he was already going through the door. She quickly locked it up and ran after him.
"Darien! Wait!"
Darien wasn't listening. Serena was using the Crystal. He couldn't seem to think past that one fact. Dread filled him. He'd never get there in time. He sped through the park towards the Temple. Suddenly a force hit him in the middle of his back and he fell forward to the ground.
"About time you stopped," Rory panted.
"Get off of me, Rory." Darien struggled beneath her weight.
"No. Stop and think, you idiot! Have you sensed trouble? Has anyone tried to call you on the communicator? No. If there was truly any trouble, somebody would have found the time to call. even if they thought you were already on the way."
Darien calmed down. He sighed and scrubbed his hand over his face, then he nodded. Rory carefully took her weight off him and sat beside him as he sat up. The urge to run to his Princess was still strong, but he resisted. Using his link with Serena, he carefully sensed what he needed. She was deep in thought, but not in any pain or danger. He relaxed. Taking a deep breath he stood up again then offered his hand to Rory to help her up as well.
"Okay, there's no danger at the present, but I'd still like to hurry a bit. Something is bound to be attracted to the power she's using - no matter how little it is."
Rory nodded and they began to run again, but this time at a more controlled pace.
The shadow that had followed them seemed to split in to two again. One sped off as the other followed Darien and Rory.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Darien and Rory transformed as they ran up the steps leading to the temple. And found the double circle of Scouts in the middle of the courtyard. Princess Serenity and the Inners glowed with Silver light, their eyes closed. Serenity had a small smile on her lips. Tuxedo Mask looked to the Outers. After a brief glance of identification, Uranus, Neptune and Saturn continued scanning for trouble. Pluto nodded to them both and smiled to show that all was well. Tuxedo Mask was tempted to transform into the Prince but he knew that if anything happened, he'd be better able to fight as Tuxedo Mask. He moved to take a position beside Saturn.
Eos moved to stand beside Pluto. Standing with the others made her wonder if she deserved to be a fuku (uniform) as they were, but came to the same conclusion that Tuxedo Mask had. She could fight better in this form. She kept an ear towards the inner circle while she watched.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The scene of the circled Senshi was mirrored in a pool of water before a cloaked figure.
'So much preparation. And all for me? Well. I'm touched. Guess I'd better send something so that they don't feel that they'd wasted their time.' A graceful white hand extended over the water and momentarily glowed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Eos' head snapped up. "Something's coming."
Neptune checked her mirror and gasped. She started running towards Saturn and Tuxedo Mask. "INCOMING!"
The western sky grew brighter.
"SILENCE WALL!!"
The glowing sphere of Power connected with Saturn's shield and flared, but didn't dissipate. Saturn found herself being pushed back in her tracks. She planted her staff in the ground and concentrated on more Power to her spell.
"DEAD SCREAM!!"
"Stop!" called Eos, "It's just sucking the power in! She watched as everyone rushed to help Saturn. "Stand your ground! Maintain your positions! This could be a distraction!" As Eos finished her sentence another glowing orb rushed to them from the East. She threw a pink rose towards the spot where Uranus had been standing as Uranus cursed aloud while scrambling to return to her spot.
"AURORA'S BOREALIS!!"
The pink rose shimmered and exploded in a fantastic display of dancing light, creating another shield similar to Saturn's, expect that upon impact, Eos's shield wrapped around the sphere and absorbed the power, then dissipated it. Eos expanded the shield around them all and did the same with the sphere Saturn was fighting with.
Eos dropped to her knees, panting with exertion, as did Saturn. Tuxedo Mask checked on Saturn, passing her some of his energy to help her get back on her feet. He glanced towards Eos and noticed that Pluto was already there. He helped Saturn back to her feet and they all resumed their positions.
Nothing happened for a few minutes when Tuxedo Mask turned and ran to the inner circle. He reached the Princess just as the glow faded and she wobbled in place. Supporting her while she placed the Crystal back in her locket, he glanced at the others. Each Scout looked subdued as they continued to examine the memories re-opened within them but they also looked ready to drop.
Tuxedo Mask looked at Neptune. "Do you think it's safe?"
Neptune looked deeply in to her mirror. "Yes. Yes, I think it's okay for now. Let's power down and get these girls some tea."
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Time for a break!!! I have to go to work! Again!! AUGH!!
time goes by ...
Back! Finally!! Now if I can avoid getting called in again maybe I'll get this to a point where I can post it!! I'm sure that somebody out there is waiting for it!!
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It was very quiet around the table in Raye's room as the girls all sipped tea. Amara and Darien were quietly discussing motorcycles in the corner as Serena has assured him that she was fine and he would know if anything was wrong. Didn't stop him from glancing at her once in while to make sure though. Michelle and Rory were playing Rock, Paper, Scissors on Raye's bed and Trista was doodling on a pad of paper. Rory thought she was designing more clothes and wondered who the lucky person was. She wished she'd had time to change into one of the outfits that Trista had made. Oh well, there was always tomorrow. Feeling restless, she rose and went to sit outside in the fresh air.
"You're thinking of him, aren't you?"
Rory glanced over her shoulder and saw Trista standing in the doorway. She turned her head away without comment and watched her feet swing back and forth.
"Why don't you go see him? I'm sure he needs to talk with you as much as I do."
Still no answer. Trista knelt behind Rory and put her arms around her shoulders, leaning her head against Rory's.
"I'm not going away. I never did before, and I'm not going to now. Talk to me, please."
"I can't go see him."
"Why not? You've never had trouble getting there before."
"It's not that. I just ... He's found a new love. You know that. You were there. He doesn't need me anymore."
Trista sat beside her friend and turned her head towards her. The tears welled in her own eyes as she watched one tear escape from Rory's. "Stop that. You know what will happen."
Rory gave a smile and a watery chuckle. "Yeah. I remember." She quickly wiped her eyes. "I'm better now. There's no time for self pity, is there?"
"I'm not going to be sidetracked into giving you a 'cheer up' speech or 'we all make sacrifices' speech. Go and see him. The least you could do is tell him what happened and ... why you didn't say goodbye."
Rory looked at Trista from the corner of her eye. "So you think he gets first dibs on my story, do you?"
Trista looked at Rory seriously. "No. But I don't think you need to tell it three times and I think you two should be alone when you do. I can wait until the girls are ready and we'll hear it as a group. But Helios was .. is ... your Love. He deserves the chance to hear in private."
Rory nodded. "Tell Darien that I'll be home later and not too worry about me."
Trista nodded and Rory walked into the courtyard. With a soft glow of pink, she disappeared.
Darien stepped out and stood behind Trista, looking at the spot where his sister had disappeared a moment before. Trista looked up at her friend and future King, but Darien didn't say anything.
"She'll be okay," she offered. "She won't be gone long, I'm sure."
Darien nodded and returned to the room.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Yoake stood in the Gardens and wondered if she really had the courage to do this. He had found new love and she didn't want to interrupt it with feelings that were from long ago. She gave a humourless chuckle. Nothing like a visit from the ex to ruin things. She plucked a yellow rose from a climbing vine and looked around at the gardens. Flowers everywhere. Mostly roses, but there were other flowers too. She admired them as she walked along a path that went around the lake. The temple lay on the other side. She felt that she needed the time to get her feelings under control. She touched petals of flowers and bent to sniff one now and then. Tiger lilies that came in almost as many shades as the roses. She bent to sniff the 'Stargazer', her favourite. Daisies, honeysuckle, forget-me-nots, sweet peas, day lilies, sea thrift, tulips, lily-of-the-valley and countless more grew among the roses and around the garden structures. She sat down on one of the benches and stared at her toes in silver sandals. She sighed. She wasn't getting anywhere like this, she thought and started to get up ... but froze when her eyes met Helios'.
"Yoake."
Yoake said nothing. She couldn't. Like a deer in headlights she couldn't move or look away. Gold stared at midnight blue as neither moved. Yoake slowly forced herself to stand, but still couldn't look away. A blush tinted her cheeks.
'I can't do this! I can't!'
Before she could think about running away, Helios did something that made everything easier for her. Clearing the space between them he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, enveloping her in his strong embrace. Yoake stood stiff in his arms but when he didn't let go, she slowly melted and put her head on his shoulder. Her arms crept up and she found herself clutching at him, weeping into his shirt.
Helios sank down to the bench, bringing Yoake with him. Tears flowed from his own eyes as he rubbed her back and rocked her gently. Her crying soon quieted except for the odd sniffle. Placing his hands on her shoulders he pushed her away just enough to look into her eyes. A small smile sat on his lips. Her eyes were reddened and a bit puffy, but the red simply made the blue of her eyes all the more intense. He rested his forehead against hers.
"I've missed you so, itoshii." (darling) He closed his eyes, but didn't stop smiling. "I almost fell over when I heard Saturn demand to know where you have been all this time." He sat up, running his hands down her arms to hold hers. He opened his eyes and looked at Yoake. "Please. Tell me."
Yoake looked at the lover she had left behind so long ago. She reached up and brushed a lock of hair back in to place, trailing her fingers down his cheek. Taking a deep breath she began at the beginning.
"We thought that things were finally starting to ease up among the Earth people. No new rumours had popped up in a while. Queen Serenity thought that things were settling down and sent me away on a mission to speak with Apollo. It was while I was away that Queen Serenity called to me with my true mission. The Silver Millennium died that night."
Flashback
She left her link open with her ward ever since the Queen had contacted her. The wave of emotions that washed over her physically rocked her, even at the distance she was at. Worry, fear, regret, shock, pain, and sadness. Overwhelming sadness. Then nothing.
Princess Yoake, Guardian Eos, fell to her knees and sobbed. Her arms wrapped around herself, tilted her tear-streaked face up to the stars and wailed. Under orders she might have been, but that didn't help her sense of loss. Her sense of failure. Little Princess Serenity was gone. Her little brother was gone. She'd lost the link with her lover when her brother had died, dealing a double blow to her senses. She wasn't even allowed to return home to grieve with her parents. She couldn't even tell them she was alive. Her family, her friends - everything she cared about - all gone. She was alone!
Her scream shook the Heavens and the planets trembled. Eos collapsed and continued to sob her grief. Gentle arms gathered her up and held her close. Eos looked up to see Ceres, tears falling from her own eyes, holding her close. three more sets of arms soon followed. Juno, Vesta, Pallas. Eos trembled. She was not alone.
The girls held her for a bit and then took her to Apollo. The Sun Monarch grieved with her over the loss of the Silver Millennium and appointed the four asteroid senshi to be her meiyo no gadoman (honour guard - and I hope I got it right) until the time came for them to be reborn.
And so the waiting game began. She trained, studied and Watched. She saw Endymion be reborn and silently rejoiced. Then the Millennium Senshi and Serenity were all reborn. She sat and patiently waited for the time when she could return to them. The waiting wasn't so lonely anymore, but it was a little more difficult. She wanted to much to step in at times. Especially when her brother's new family died. All she could do then was send him a whisper of his name. A feeling. His name was Darien Chiba, but his nature was mamoru. (protector). At least it was until he met a certain bunny blonde.
Eos continued to Watch. She watched them die and be reborn, only to die again and she feared each time that she had lost them for good. After the last time, when each was killed until only Eternal Sailor Moon, the new found Sailor Starlights, and a curious little girl named Chibi Chibi remained, she almost died.
'Never again,' she decided. 'I will no longer sit and Watch. If anything comes and disrupts them again, I'm going to help!'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Rory sat in silence, lost in thought as the girls and Darien mulled over what she had been through. Rory thought back to Helios' reaction and how he too had reacted to the demise of the Silver Millennium. It had been such a shock to his system that he had faded from consciousness for a time. Thinking her dead, he hadn't attempted to find the link again.
A pair of slim arms wrapped around her, shocking her back to the present. Those arms were followed by a pair of strong ones. Eight hands came and held her hands, touched her arms, her face. Rory looked around and saw that there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Even Luna and Artemis looked teary.
Raye couldn't handle the emotional overload anymore. She scrubbed her eyes and put forth a smile. "Well! Enough of the droopy stuff! Let's get started on the good times!" She grabbed Rory's hand. "Let's create a miracle together! Let's bring back the Generals and finish the cycle!"
The others looked a little surprised by her outburst. Then Mina jumped up, a determined look on her face.
"Yeah! 'Cause there's no time like now for presents!"
Serena buried her face in Rory's neck and Darien held then both closer, hiding his own smile. The rest of the girls just laughed and cheered.
'Leave it to Mina,' thought Serena, as she looked up at her friends proudly, 'to say the right thing.'
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Well, I think that's a good stopping point. At least for now. I have things that need to be done today so I better get going and do them!
Please don't forget to review! I like to know what you think!