Sorry again for being a day late. It has been a long weekend and things will only be getting busier for me. My brother is getting marry this coming weekend so I maybe able to post only one chapter next week. On a brighter note, thank you for all your reviews and hits.
Now, onward to the story.
Chapter 7: False Hope
Neo-Queen Serenity gave one last look over the planet as she prepared to board the spaceship. Even after all these weeks, she could never get to use to the bleak atmosphere of Nemesis. The coldness and lifelessness of the planet remained her too much of the Earth when it was frozen in ice. To think that people could live here for nearly a millennium was still beyond her.
She was once again filled with regret that these people were once her subjects. All the descendants of the Black Moon were once citizens of Crystal Tokyo. By one simple decision she had sentence generations of people into isolation on an all but dead world.
Serenity shook her head as she rid herself of her morbid thoughts. The past couldn't be redone. As bad as things were, she could still make it right again. There was still a chance that something good could come out of this mess.
"It saddens me to see you go, Serenity," Demande said in a soft voice. His eyes were misty from unfailing tears.
Serenity gave him a warm smile. Despite how cold and distance Demande was towards her when she first arrived on Nemesis, the white prince had really opened up to her in the last week. He had more than once called her an angel when he witness one of her miracles, despite her best efforts to tell him otherwise.
"As much as I would like to stay here and help your people, I must go," Serenity said as she gently took Demande's hand. "The people of Crystal Tokyo needs me and I have been gone for much too long already."
Demande's eyes narrows. "You can send your husband back. I'm certain even he could govern the Earth in your absent."
Serenity gave a force smile. Unlike her, Demande and Endymion had developed a very rough relationship, to say the least. The two of them had a mutual dislike for one another. She was certain that Demande flirting with her didn't helped, especially the presents that Demande was sending her over the last few days.
"Prince Demande, please understand that I have responsibilities on Earth too," Serenity said calmly. "We'll still be in contact. Sailor Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune will be on the planet helping your people and the communicator built by Mercury will give you easier access to Earth."
"It isn't enough," Demande whispered. "You have brought the sweetness of Earth with you. After having a taste of what that world is like, it is impossible for us to go back. To know that we are trap on this dead world, while your people continue to know such beauty such as yourself."
Serenity blushed at Demande's words. The man could be the charmer when he wanted to be. "We will return. In time, all the people of Nemesis will be able to return to Earth. That is a promise."
Demande stared at Serenity for a moment. "When my people were first brought to Nemesis there was a human among them that many considered a prophet. He had a tongue that spoke only the truth and a fire that was feared by the heavens. He single-handedly led my people from the caves of Nemesis and taught them how to survive on this world." He then paused for a moment. "That great man was my ancestor, the first king of Nemesis. Triten Saitama."
Serenity couldn't stop herself from gasping when she heard that name.
"You remember him?" Demande asked, greatly impressed.
"Triten…is a man that I could never forget," Serenity said slowly.
Demande chuckled. "I guess even a goddess like you were in awe of the great king. It was through his sacrifice and hard work that we, the Black Moon Clan, were born. He gave us our pride," He then gave Serenity an intense stare. "He also gave us his hatred of Earth, Crystal Tokyo, and you."
Demande paused for a moment to look at Serenity's reaction. Serenity, for her part, kept a neutral face, although Demande could tell by her eyes that she was distress by his words. Those eyes could never hide or lie to him.
"We were told and taught that you were a powerful and wicked goddess who ruled her people by ripping out their free will," Demande explained. "That the Earth had become a world of soulless beings who could not die and repeated the same meaningless task for all of eternity."
Serenity bit her lip before answering the white prince. "Despite our differences, I hold no grudge against Triten. He was a good man who only wanted to protect the Earth from a being he saw as a threat. He believed that I would one day abused my powers and create the world you just spoke about."
Demande suddenly put his hands on Serenity's shoulder. "I once believed everything Triten said to be true, but now I see that he was misinform. An angel such as you could never be the thing he talked about."
Serenity blushed again. "As I have said before, I am no angel. I'm just one woman who was blessed with great power. I only wish to use my gift to help others. I never wanted to rule, but I govern Crystal Tokyo because the people ask me to. If a time ever come where the people of Crystal Tokyo tells me to step aside, I will do so without any hesitation."
"They would be fools," Demande said bluntly.
"Perhaps, but I believe that the will of the people prevails over the powers of a single individual," Serenity said.
"What odd words you speak," Demande said. "What's the point of being a ruler if your people can bully you? Power demands respect and those who are powerful are the ones who should rule over the weak."
Serenity shook her head. "I never believed that and neither did Triten. Otherwise, your people would have never been banished." She then stared at Demande who said nothing.
"Serenity, it's time to leave," Endymion said as he approached his wife. He gave Demande a cold look when he saw that he had his hand on Serenity's shoulder. The white prince responded by sneering at him.
Serenity nodded towards her husband as she stepped away from Demande. She gave him one last smile before she walked with her husband to the ship.
"You shouldn't encourage him," Endymion whispered bluntly.
"What do you mean?" Serenity asked.
"I know you can tell. Demande likes you," Endymion stated. "In fact, I'm certain that he has fallen in love."
"What, I was his mortal enemy before I came here. Did you forget that I was considered the witch queen?" Serenity said as she glanced back at Demande.
"There is a thin line between love and hate," Endymion said. "I have seen that look in too many men, Usako. That man has fallen for you."
Serenity thought about it for a moment. "Well, a harmless crush has never hurt anyone. I don't think Demande actually loves me considering his background."
"Nonetheless, I highly doubt this is just a harmless crush," Endymion said as he helped Serenity into the ship. Mercury and Mars were standing on their sides. "Demande is a man who is used to getting what he wants, which is partly why the alliance talks went nowhere."
"Endymion, you're being paranoid," Serenity said, although a voice in her head told her that her husband was right. Something about Demande kept provoking troublesome feelings. Then again, the entire Black Moon Clan had a similar effect on her.
"If it's only that, then I will be happy," Endymion said as he followed Serenity into the ship. Mars and Mercury followed shortly behind them.
The trip back to Earth was uneventful and the royal family were welcomed back to much fanfare by the people of Crystal Tokyo.
Instead of landing in the space deck inside the place, Serenity and Endymion chose to land the spacecraft within the public spaceport so they could personally greet the people. This was an extra treat for the citizens since Neo-Queen Serenity rarely left the palace outside of holidays and visits to the United Nation. Serenity even insisted to walking back to the palace instead of taking an air car.
Jupiter and Venus stood at the palace's gate and smiled when they saw their sovereigns.
"Welcome back!" Jupiter yelled with a bright smile.
Serenity broke into a short run and hugged her two guardians. "Oh, I miss you two."
Venus rubbed Serenity's back. "Yeah, we missed you too. The palace was way too quiet without you. Jupiter ended up making too many snacks because she forgot you weren't here."
Serenity chuckled. "Well, I'm here now and I won't mind eating those extra treats." Her mouth watered at the thought of eating Makoto's famous chocolate chip cookies.
"Don't spoil your appetite," Jupiter smiled. "I have a feast waiting for all of you."
"It will be good to have real food again," Mars said as she reached the group. "Nemesis didn't really have anything to eat. At least, nothing that I would call edible despite Mercury's assurance."
Serenity's face became forlorn. "We should send several food shipments to Nemesis. Even if they're not allied to us, we can still provide food aid."
"Agreed," Endymion said. "But let us relax for today. It has been a long month for all of us."
The months flew by and life within the Crystal Palace settled back into normalcy. At least as normal as it could get with a pregnant queen. As Serenity got further along her mood swings and temper got worst. She was also suffering from longer bouts of exhausting to the point that she was too weak to leave her room on some days.
In the queen's absents during those days Endymion took up the task of overlooking matters of both Crystal Tokyo and Nemesis. Food aid was given to the dark planet, as well as medical supplies, and fresh water. He even provided news of Serenity's pregnancy to the Dark Moon Clan.
He also got regular reports from the Outers who were still station on Nemesis. They provided information about the mood of the people, as well as the current politics.
"It seems our visit to Nemesis was largely a success," Ami said as she checked Serenity's blood pressure. It was another one of those hard days for Serenity and she was force to stay in bed for the day. Even in her sickly state, however, Serenity still wanted to be kept up-to-day on any changes in her kingdom. "The morale on Nemesis is much better and even violence has gone down according to Neptune."
Serenity smiled as she took in the news. She didn't bother to open her eyes since she had a pounding headache. "At the rate Nemesis is improving, we maybe able to commence with the purification sooner then we expected."
Ami frowned as she read the blood pressure readings. "You're high again."
"Is that bad?" Serenity asked.
"It's fairly common for pregnancy to cause high blood pressure, but we still need to get it under control," Ami said. "I was trying to avoid medication, but I may not have a choice."
Serenity sighed. "I didn't know being pregnant was going to be so rough. It feels like I had the flu for these last couple of weeks."
"Well look at it this way. In five months, you will have beautiful baby girl in your arms." Ami smiled.
Serenity returned the smile as she rubbed her stomach. "I can feel her growing within me. She's going to be something very special, I can feel it."
"If it's your child, I'm sure she will be," Ami answered.
"You know, even with all the pain I have been going through these last few months I feel sad that I won't be able to have anymore kids," Serenity said as she opened her watery eyes. "It's so unfair that the line of Serenity can only bear one child."
"From what Luna said it is the price of having the blood of the Goddess Selena," Ami said as she rubbed Serenity's arm.
"Do you really think I actually have the blood of a goddess?" Serenity asked.
"Much about the royal family of the moon was lost when the Moon Kingdom fell. Although I am not a big believer in gods, I cannot deny that you could be related to a goddess," Ami said after some thought. "However, if there was a Goddess Selena, she was most likely a higher being with powers that were label as godlike. Much like how the people of Crystal Tokyo view you."
Serenity stopped rubbing her belly. "Still, goddess or not, it would be nice to have a big family." She then began to smile. "Then again, I do have all of you, so I guess that even things out."
Ami chuckled. "You're too sweet Serenity."
"It's true," Serenity said. "I view you all as my family. As well as the people of Crystal Tokyo and the Earth. I mean, I can feel the life force of all the people on the planet. If I focus hard enough, I can even feel their happiness, their sadness, their fears, and their hope." Her face began to fall. "I can even feel them when they die."
"Usagi-chan," Ami whispered.
"Even though my original soul was not born on this planet, I still feel connected to it," Serenity continued, lost in her thoughts. "I want to protect everyone, even the ones who hate me. That's why I want to help the people of Nemesis. Even though they grew up away from Earth, I can't help but see them as my children and as their mother it's my duty to bring them home."
Ami patted Serenity's hand. "I know you will, Usagi-chan, but for now think about the child growing within you. You cannot help anyone if you do not take care of your own health."
Serenity sighed as she relaxed in bed. "You're right Ami-chan. For now, I should worry about my own child. She is, after all, the future of our world."
Time flowed like a river as the people Crystal Tokyo prepared for the birth of their princess. Gifts were sent from across Crystal Tokyo and parts of the world, packing several rooms within the Crystal Palace.
Reports from Nemesis also continued to be positive to the point that talks resumed between Prince Demande and King Endymion. Those in Crystal Tokyo who knew of the mysterious planet became weary of those negotiations. Whispers and rumors spread throughout the city about the prison planet filled with those who wanted to destroy Crystal Tokyo all those centuries ago.
It had reached the point where Endymion had to directly address these rumors and told the public officially about Nemesis. He conveyed Serenity and his plan of welcoming Nemesis as an ally and eventually to bring the lost Earth children home.
Most in the kingdom were unsure about the exiles. Even though they committed no crime, they were still the descendants of murderers. Those people, however, trusted their rulers and knew that they would do nothing that would bring harm on Crystal Tokyo.
Others were indifference to the news. The suffering and struggles of Nemesis did not affect their lives. To them, the people of the Black Moon were aliens to them.
A vocal minority outright rejected the idea of having anything to do with Nemesis. They carried the bloodlines of those who rejected paradise and betrayed their queen. They didn't deserved to be welcome back and should be left to rot on that planet. They knew of the queen's teachings of forgiveness and obligation in helping others, but their hearts were hardened by old hatred and fear.
Like all societies, even a utopia, that vocal minority dominated all discussion and other reasonable voices were drowned out.
"The demonstrations are bigger tonight," Luna noted as she looked out the window. Outside the palace hundred of people were gathered. They were respectably quiet and did nothing to incite violence. Despite the peaceful protest, the signs that could be read from the crowd were anything but civil. Several of them read: 'No criminals allowed', 'Let them rot', 'Keep the filth off the Earth', and so on. Some of the signs were so offensive that they couldn't be read out loud.
Artemis shook his head as he read the signs. "Even after all this time, the pettiness of humanity still manages to survive in this era."
"Humans will be humans," Endymion said sadly as he looked at his fellowman. "Even with Serenity's guidance, the darkness in the human heart will not disappear in just a thousand years. Queen Serenity spent millenniums trying to guide humanity to a better existence and it was all undone in a span of a couple of years."
"Still...it's so tragic to look at," Artemis said. "It reminds me too much of the resentment we saw back during the Silver Millennium."
"History does have a tendency to repeat itself," Luna added somberly.
"It won't happen again," Endymion said firmly as his eyes narrowed. "I won't let the hatred that destroyed the Silver and Gold Kingdom consume us. We have the benefice of learning from history and I intend to use that knowledge to write a different ending." He then closed his eyes. "A different ending not just for Serenity and me, but for our daughter as well."
Before anyone knew it happened, the day for the princess' birthed had come. Coincidently, the birth of the new princess fell on the same day as the queen's birthday. Crowds gathered around the Crystal Palace in celebration instead of protest. They all held their breath as they awaited any news.
It was late evening before someone ran out of the palace to greet the crowd.
"Neo-Queen Serenity has given birth to a girl!" the person exclaimed. "The princess, Usagi Small Lady Serenity, is born!"
Cheers exploded from the crowd when they heard the news. People wept and hugged each other as news of the princess' birth spread like wildfire. The moon itself seemed to glow brighter as it too welcome the birth of its child.
Celebrations erupted all over the kingdom and even those nations were not part of Crystal Tokyo celebrated. To the people of Earth, the day that Small Lady was born was marked as one of the happiest days in history. On a world far a way, however, this day became memorable for a much darker reason.
"What, when did this happened!?" Endymion exclaimed over the communicator.
"Last night," Uranus answered. Her voice sounded drained and tired. "The people of Nemesis just started to riot without reason. They began to tear their own planet apart along with all the supplies sent to them from Earth. They are all shouting for war with Crystal Tokyo."
Endymion ran his hand through his hair. "How did this happen?"
"Because of the rioting, we had to hastily leave the planet. However, Saturn believes that an adviser close to Demande has been inciting violence and hatred against the people of Earth," Uranus answered.
"An adviser?" Endymion questioned.
"Nothing is known about him," Uranus said. "We only have what we figure is a title or an alias. He is known as the Wise Man among the Black Moon Clan."
Endymion's heart stopped as flashes of memory ran passed his mind. As soon as it came, however, it was gone. He attempted to gasp the fleeting memory, but it was gone. That name, he knew that name.
"I don't remember hearing or seeing anyone named Wise Man when we were on Nemesis," Endymion said after a several second of silences.
"He isn't widely known. Outside the Black Moon Clan, no one on Nemesis even knows he exist," Uranus answered.
"Uranus...if the situation is getting too bad on Nemesis, you all should return to Earth," Endymion said.
"I'll have to reject your offer, Your Majesty," Uranus said neutrally. "We were given the mission to watch and, if needed, subdue Nemesis if it become a threat. We cannot abandon our mission just because it could be dangerous."
"Uranus, you don't have to do that," Endymion said. "If something happens to you..."
"I know Serenity would be broken up if we were to die," Uranus said bluntly. "But this is our duty and destiny. We protect this system from all outside threats. Even if Nemesis is technically part of our solar system, I still see it as an outside danger to you and Serenity. If we are to die here, we'll die doing our duty."
Endymion lowered his head. "You Outers never change." He then lifted up his head. "Then do what you must. However, if you die, I won't forgive any of you."
There was a silence on the other side of the line. "I understand. Give Serenity my regards and tell her congratulation on the baby. I look forward to seeing our new princess." The line then went dead.
Serenity lay peacefully in bed as she cuddled her new daughter. It was hard to believe that after nine months of waiting she was finally a mother. This child was hers to love and care for. She wished her mother and father was still alive. They would have loved seeing their grandchild, but she knew that they were watching from heaven. Just as her other mother was watching over her.
A flash of light got her attention and she looked up to see Sailor Pluto stranding before her.
"Pluto!" Serenity exclaimed in surprise. "We haven't seen you in years."
"Forgive me for not being around, my queen," Pluto said as she bowed humbly. "I did not mean to avoid you, but my duties at the Gate of Time take precedence over all."
"Yes, you're forbidden from leaving," Serenity said sadly. "But why did you come now?"
Pluto gave a rare smile. "I have come to pay homage to the new Moon Princess." She walked over to the queen's bed and knelt down by Serenity's side. She gently took Small Lady's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It has taken nearly two-thousand years, but the Kingdom of the Moon finally has its heir."
Serenity smiled proudly. "Do you wish to know her name? I mean, her full name."
Pluto's smile fell when she heard the question. "I already know her full name."
Serenity looked at Pluto in surprise. "You looked into the future."
"Yes and no," Pluto answered mysteriously.
"Pluto, you have been acting weird since we've all awaken," Serenity said. "Does it have something to do with the Gate of Time?"
Pluto was silent for a moment. "I wish to tell you. I wish to tell you everything, but I cannot at the moment. Until the time comes, I cannot afford to be around any of you."
"I won't asked," Serenity said as she turned her attention back towards Small Lady. "I trust you Pluto."
Pluto got up to leave. "I wonder if you will say that once you know everything," she whispered before she disappeared.
What does Pluto knows and who is this mysterious Wise Man?
Before I forget, for anyone who writes a review for me who is not signed in, I have you on moderate review. That means that I have to approve your review before they show up in public. This is so I can catch any flame or inappropriate reviews. I have yet to erase or not approve anyone's review, but I decided to side with caution since I know that there are some people who abuse the review button on this site.
With all that said, until next time.