Chapter Two
Taiki was beautiful. Setsuna couldn't help but notice. She moved with the unconscious grace of a warrior and spoke with the wisdom of a poet. She'd developed a passion for ancient Earth history and was always asking Setsuna questions, and sometimes Setsuna was loathe to reveal how much she actually knew of those ancient civilizations long turned to dust. Most of the time, she pretended to know less than she did, but sometimes she slipped up, mentioning with certainty the answer to some riddle historians and academics had been pondering for a thousand years. The precise location of mythological cities drowned beneath the sea, or where the bones of the dead lay buried on long forgotten battlefields.
Luckily Taiki wasn't yet familiar enough with Earth history to fully realise there was no way Setsuna could humanly know some of the things she did. Or perhaps it simply didn't disturb her the way it did so many others. Her desire was always to know more, and Setsuna soon discovered it wasn't just intellectual curiosity that drove Taiki's interest.
"The Sacred Crystal was taken from my world a long time ago, so long ago that no one knows or remembers when exactly. Perhaps it was hidden on your planet many, many years ago, and there's a clue somewhere in one of the ancient stories of your world."
"That's why you're studying Earth history and mythology?" Setsuna asked. "You're hoping it will somehow lead you to your Crystal?"
Taiki smiled wryly at the doubt in Setsuana's voice. "Seiya and Yaten think I'm daft too," she said.
"Hence why they didn't accompany us on this expedition?"
"They're checking out another lead today. We can cover more ground if we split up."
A ruined shrine in the snowy woods. According to Taiki, there was an old legend of a shining crystal that had once adorned this shrine, but if such a thing had ever existed Setsuna was sure it wasn't here now.
She didn't have the heart to say that to Taiki though, whose eyes had lit up with hope as soon as the shrine came into view.
Already nearly a week had passed since Usagi's party. A shocking amount of it Setsuna seemed to have spent in bed; afternoons, mornings, nights, it didn't seem to matter. And not always doing the obvious. A lot of the time, they just talked, hours slipping by without either of them realising. And even though Setsuna had inadvertently used…that dating word when she spoke to Haruka, she really wasn't entirely sure what was happening between her and Taiki, and she didn't know why Taiki had asked her to come today.
Setsuna wasn't used to not knowing things. It unnerved her and rather fascinated her at the same time.
Today, for example, she could be here as an expert, relatively speaking, on ancient Earth, in a supervisory capacity as an Outer Sailor Solider, or…or, she supposed, there was an outside possibility that it might in fact be some kind of date.
Haruka, who was being irritatingly nosy without Michiru to distract her, had said it was definitely a date. She'd gone so far as to claim that if there was such a thing as a senshi dating handbook, then inviting the soldier you're interested in on a deathly dangerous mission would definitely be listed as an official senshi courting technique.
But then, Haruka's own experiences had probably warped her judgement.
They searched for most of the short winter day. There was no Crystal.
"Damn it," Taiki cursed.
Her expression was tight with anxiety as she looked up towards the darkening sky (searching for home?), her breath blooming into gliding white ghosts.
Uncharacteristically moved, Setsuna sidled up beside her and placed her bare hand against the warmth of Taiki's back. "If this Crystal really is somewhere on Earth, we'll find it. Eventually. But this is a large, sprawling untidy planet. It might take a while."
"I don't know how much time we've got." Though she didn't shift her eyes from the sky, Taiki leaned into Setsuna's shoulder, wordlessly accepting the comfort offered.
"Why do you need this Crystal so badly?"
Taiki made a sound of amusement. "We never told you, did we? That was Yaten's idea. She's always suspicious like that."
"You can trust me, Taiki. As long as you're not planning to use the Crystal for something bad."
"Of course it's not for anything bad," said Taiki sharply, giving Setsuna an affronted look. Her voice softened, and her eyes were suddenly terrifyingly fragile. "We need it to save my world."
"Your world? Is this some kind of lingering effect from Galaxia?"
"No. Kinmoku was restored after Galaxia. This is a different problem. The natural climate of my planet is extremely hot and harsh. Too harsh to support life. But its environment was transformed many thousands of years ago by two magical crystals – the Sacred Crystal and the Healing Crystal. Working together, the two Crystals sustained our planet – until the Sacred Crystal disappeared. Then the Healing Crystal became solely responsible, and it's reached the point now where it's nearly depleted. We think it can be restored if it's reunited with the Sacred Crystal, but if not…The habitable parts of Kinmoku will shrink and shrink until there's nothing left. The planet will destabilise, and everyone will die."
"How long?" Setsuna asked.
"When we left, we were told two years at the most."
"Would an evacuation be possible, in the event you needed to?"
"There's nowhere to go. And even if there was, we'd never save everyone. Our Princess would die protecting those still left on the planet."
"If that's what you're facing, then why—"
"Why have I spent the last week with you? Why am I with you now? I don't know. It's not what I should be doing. Or maybe it is." Shifting so that they were facing each other, Taiki brushed a hand over Setsuna's cheek. Even in the dark, her eyes were shining with determination and intensity of feeling. "Being with you," she whispered, "makes me feel like I have something to fight for."
Setsuna could only stare at Taiki, with guilt stirring somewhere deep in her heart. She shouldn't be anyone's reason for fighting. She barely existed. Soon enough, she probably wouldn't exist at all.
"Fighting for your world isn't enough?" she asked, hearing a cold note of disapproval creeping into her voice.
Taiki dropped her hand and looked away with a sigh. "I love my world," she said quietly. "But sometimes…I'm glad when my missions take me far away."
There it was again, that sadness in her eyes. What had happened to make her look like that? Was it watching her friends and her princess die? Witnessing the destruction of her planet? Being forced to leave her comrades behind, twice now, on a crumbling world? Oh yes, there might be resurrections and restorations and rebirths galore, but those who saw the world end didn't forget. Setsuna knew that herself.
Around them, night had truly settled into the forest. There was almost complete silence except for the sound of over-laden branches dumping their snow onto the ground and the swoosh of an owl's wings overhead.
They should really be leaving this forgotten shrine to slumber through an age that no longer needed whatever gods had once been worshipped here; return to the city with its bustle of lights and life. Put back on the ill-fitting mantle of normalcy again, until the next time destiny called.
Taiki didn't seem particularly inclined to move. Neither was Setsuna.
"And why is it that you're glad when your missions take you far away?" Seemingly of their own accord their bodies had drifted closer again, cramped, stiff hands reaching out to find each other in the dark.
With a catch in her voice, Taiki replied, "too many memories, I suppose. Too many things I can no longer change. But none of that matters. It's the future I have to save, and I will save it."
Setsuna smiled. "I've no doubt of that," she said.
She kissed Taiki's lips, lightly, in case this wasn't, in fact, a date after all, but Taiki clasped her hands around Setsuna's waist and drew her in closer, mouth opening willingly.
"Take me back to your place," she said after a while, breathlessly, fingers delving beneath Setsuna's clothes to stroke her bare stomach.
"What about…Mmm…Seiya and Yaten?"
"They would have called me if they found anything. There's nothing else we can do for tonight, and at least when I'm with you…"
Her fingers snuck lower, making Setsuna gasp. She felt Taiki's nose against her neck, dragging an icy line over her skin, followed by a warm tongue swiping just behind her ear. With a groan, she tipped her head back, pleasure flaring low in her belly.
"At least when I'm with you," Taiki repeated, and there was a raw edge to her voice now that Setsuna would have preferred not to hear, "sometimes I can sleep."
A few backward steps through the powdery snow and Setsuna felt the rough bark of a tree trunk behind her. Taiki was pressing into her harder with her fingers, using her free hand to unbutton Setsuna's pants. Setsuna rolled her hips into her touch, placing her arms around Taiki's neck and smelling the sweet scent of osmanthus that always seemed to linger on her skin. The rhythm was fast and furious and Setsuna didn't last long, didn't really try, just let it take her away until she was coming with a cry, disturbing the owl perched in the branches above them who took off with an offended ruffle of feathers.
Taiki's cheeks and lips were scarlet in the night. "Your place?" she asked again, the condensation of her breath merging with Setsuna's own.
It took a moment for Setsuna to steady herself enough to reply. "My place. But don't expect to sleep for a while."
That was the first time she saw Taiki laugh.
Eventually, Taiki did fall asleep, brown hair fine as spider web silk clinging to the curves of her body, limbs free of all their tension.
Setsuna was just drifting off herself when she was jerked awake by a sudden spike in dark energy and a sick certainty in her gut that Uranus was in danger somewhere nearby.
She grabbed her transformation pen and let it take her where it would, ending up as Pluto in a dank, wet cave smelling strongly of salt. She could hear a muffled booming that she realised must be the ocean.
It was almost pitch black, the only light coming from the glimmer of the Space Sword, unfortunately lying out of Uranus's reach at the moment. Yet another of the egg-laying monsters they'd been dealing with for the last few weeks had Uranus in its grip, clawed hand round her neck, apparently doing its best to crush the life out of her while her arms flailed ineffectually against its thick, scaly hide.
A Dead Scream was enough to damage the monster and make it let Uranus go with an angry roar. It turned furiously towards its new attacker, large pale eyes glinting with malice, its previous victim momentarily forgotten. Not the wisest move on the monster's part, since Uranus had already rolled to her Sword and gotten it back in her grasp, and before Pluto could even gather another attack Uranus had felled the monster with a couple of mighty blows.
She grinned at her partner wolfishly in the near dark. "Thanks Pluto. Timely arrival."
"Anything else to take care of down here?" Pluto asked, more calmly than she felt.
"Just the one monster this time. I've already destroyed the eggs."
"You should have called me sooner."
"We take this passage to get out of here," Uranus said, pointing with her sword and ignoring Pluto's chastisement.
"Uranus!" said Pluto sharply.
"Look, I didn't want to disturb you, okay? I heard you sneaking back with your date. And I'm usually fine dealing with these creatures on my own. So are you. We've mostly been tracking them down solo anyway. Tonight I was just unlucky."
"There'll be no more of that," Pluto decided, following Uranus up the close passageway that smelled strongly of dead fish. "We need to start partnering up again. If anything happens to you while Neptune's away, she'll have my head."
Uranus gave a bark of laughter. "All about your own sense of self-preservation, I see."
Pluto gave Uranus a sly, sidelong glance. "Well of course, if you want to be the one to explain to Neptune when she gets back that you were always going out alone and putting yourself in more danger than necessary then you are very welcome to do so."
Dismay flickered across Uranus's features as she obviously imagined Neptune's reaction.
"Yeah okay," she said quickly. "We'll start partnering up."
Satisfied, Pluto relaxed her grip slightly on her Garnet Rod and addressed the rest of Uranus's comment. "Also, I was not 'sneaking back' with Taiki. We were just being quiet and considerate."
"Uh huh. Sure you were. We can climb out here."
The shimmer of Uranus's Sword revealed a tunnel going straight up with ancient rusted staples driven into the rock to form a rough ladder.
"We'll have to put our Talismans away but we can use these for light." Uranus handed Pluto a narrow torch that could be strapped to her wrist and attached one to herself. "Ready?"
"By all means," said Pluto.
The climb was long and slippery but uneventful. Haruka detransformed at the top and looked curiously at Pluto. "You're going to stay like that? It's a little conspicuous."
"Hmm, well, slight problem. I may have been somewhat unclothed when I left. And I know you have a reputation Haruka, but riding around with a naked woman on your motorbike might be a bit much."
Haruka's motorbike was in fact parked not three feet away; obviously the means of transportation by which she'd gotten here.
"Here. You can put on my jacket to hide your uniform in that case."
Pluto caught the bulky leather riding jacket Haruka threw her way.
"Thanks."
After slipping the jacket on, she mounted the bike behind Haruka and got a secure grip on her waist.
Over the roar of the motorbike starting up, she heard Haruka say, somewhat smugly, "so I was right about today being a date, wasn't I? And I'm guessing a rather successful one at that if you turned up here naked straight from bed."
"Perhaps," said Pluto, murmuring into Haruka's shoulder so that she couldn't actually hear properly, "it's becoming a little too successful."
"What?" Haruka shouted, voice competing with the noise of the engine and the wind streaming past as she took off down the dirt track that hopefully led to a proper road at some point.
"Nothing," Pluto said.
When they got home, Taiki was sitting up in the lounge room with a mug of tea that mostly looked like it hadn't been touched. She got to her feet with vague anxiety flickering through her eyes as Setsuna and Haruka entered, looking from one to the other and back again.
"Everything all right?"
"My apologies," Haruka said, whose attitude towards Taiki seemed to have softened somewhat since that first morning. "I had to borrow Setsuna for a bit. But she's all yours for the rest of the night. Enjoy yourselves!"
She disappeared upstairs and a few moments later the sound of the shower started.
"An enemy incursion?" Taiki asked Setsuna, sliding her hands into her lover's long tangled green hair to try and sort out the mess caused by the motorbike ride.
"Just another of those egg-laying monsters. They seem to be never ending. Shall we?"
Despite Haruka's recommendation, Setsuna and Taiki almost immediately went back to sleep. It was strange, how quickly Setsuna had adjusted to having Taiki in her bed after years (and if she was honest, much longer than years) of sleeping alone.
They were near enough to the same height, and Taiki had a habit, sometimes before she went to sleep, sometimes after, of ending up wrapped around Setsuna, lips resting against the nape of her neck, her hold more tender and protective than it should have been.
Setsuna was beginning to wonder at her own motivations in continuing this. After all, it wasn't like she didn't know who Taiki was. With the exception of Sailor Moon, the Starlights had lasted longer against Galaxia than any Sailor Soldier of this world. They'd crossed uncounted galaxies last time to find their Princess, and they were no less determined about this Sacred Crystal. Taiki was part of a team who didn't give in and didn't give up.
And if she chose to apply that same determination here…
Well, that was why Setsuna didn't trust her own motivations. It was almost like some part of her wanted to be saved. She should be distancing herself from the world right now, not finding ways to draw herself further in. No matter what some small, secret part of her wanted, Setsuna knew her responsibility and there could only be one ending here.
Not the one Taiki wanted, and perhaps not the one she wanted either. But they were soldiers, which meant they couldn't always be mistresses of their own destinies. Setsuna's destiny didn't lie in Taiki's arms; it lay far away in the swirling mists at the Doors of Time, a never-ending duty that loomed inescapable in both her past and her future.
This was only an ephemeral present that Setsuna knew she'd one day come to doubt had ever even existed, when she'd been standing at the Doors for so long she'd become nothing more than a vessel for the dark powers of the underworld, so wild and savage she wouldn't even recognise her own future Princess and Queen in Sailor Moon.
That was what waited for her, and Setsuna had always tried to rationalise it as a necessary sacrifice to protect the lives of those she loved, shying away from examining too deeply what had bound her to that fate in the first place. But the inevitability of that future she'd already lived had maybe never hurt more than it did tonight, in the unexpected embrace of her alien lover's arms.
Michiru came home on Christmas Eve. Of course Haruka went to the airport to pick her up, her heart jolting like a skittish colt when she caught sight of the smile curling Michiru's lips as their eyes met across the several inconvenient feet and handful of disembarking passengers still separating them.
"Good trip?" she asked when Michiru was close enough, a hint of breathlessness betraying her feelings.
"Remarkably clear and calm. I heard there were high winds forecast around the airport tonight, but they seem to have mysteriously disappeared."
"Really," said Haruka innocently. "That's curious." She quickly appropriated Michiru's violin with one arm and Michiru herself with the other. "Let's go find your luggage."
"So Haruka." Michiru's eyes were dancing in amusement as she glanced at Haruka's reflection from where she sat in front of her vanity mirror brushing her hair. "There's a rumour going round that you cheated on me while I was away."
Not moving from where she was stretched out on the invitingly turned down bed, Haruka said casually, "oh yeah. I met this beautiful mysterious woman late one night…Did I forget to tell you that?"
There was a playful, flirtatious lift to Michiru's reply. "Really? I'm a little jealous."
For a few moments, Haruka watched the rhythmic glide of the brush through Michiru's hair and admired the arch of her body caused by her arms being raised. "It was all very clandestine. She had to smuggle me into her hotel room so that no one saw me. We nearly got caught a couple of times."
"Ah. And you made love to her?"
Haruka shot Michiru a look from beneath her lashes. "You know I did," she said in a low voice.
There was a pause and a warm smile cast Haruka's way from the glass of the mirror. "Your beautiful mysterious woman may have been lonely before you got there. She was glad you answered her."
"Well perhaps I could persuade her to keep me company again tonight?" Haruka asked hopefully. "Her handsome lover has also been rather lonesome of late."
With a hint of laughter, Michru laid her brush down and went and joined Haruka on the bed. She took Haruka's hand and gave her lips a small, teasing kiss. "Thank you for staying here and taking care of the monsters so I could go on tour. Are we finally clear of them now?"
"I think so. No new attacks for three days. We might get a nice quiet Christmas."
"You do remember that we're going to Usagi's house tomorrow?"
Haruka sighed. "Yes, I remember. And she's even invited the Starlights. But regardless," Turning Michiru's hand over in her own she meditatively kissed her palm. "I'm glad your tour was a success. Not that it would be anything else, of course."
"Thank you. Let's hope inconvenient monsters don't interrupt our plans next time."
Drawing Michiru into her arms, Haruka brought their lips together again, tasting Michiru's mouth with her tongue, enjoying the glide of Michiru's body against hers, the weight of her, the severely missed warmth of her.
"It's Christmas Eve," Michiru mused quietly, her eyes unfocused and far away for a moment. She touched Haruka's face, voice fervent with something Haruka didn't quite get. "I'm glad I'm with you," she whispered.
"I'm glad to have you here," Haruka husked, nuzzling into the tempting pulse she could feel beating fast in Michiru's throat. "This bed felt too empty without you."
Michiru gave a soft whimper and shuddered above her.
Haruka still half wanted to ask about the meaning of that sad, fervent look, but pretty soon Michiru's mouth was engaged in a very thorough exploration of her and she forgot about anything except begging for the next kiss to fall.
"Is Setsuna really seeing Taiki?" Michiru asked later, being sure to keep her voice soft. "That wasn't a joke?"
"Not a joke," Haruka confirmed. "Like I told you on the phone, they hooked up at Usagi's party and seem to have hit it off since then."
"Setsuna has never dated anyone before, that we know of." Michiru's voice was thoughtful.
"I know. It's not like her. And I still think something is bothering her, but I've tried talking to her and she won't say anything. I don't know how this thing with Taiki fits in with that, or if it even does."
"What do Seiya and Yaten think of it?"
"I get the impression they don't much like it, but they're holding their tongues."
"Hmm." Michiru snuggled closer to Haruka. "I hope it works out. I'd like Setsuna to be happy with someone."
"Even if it's one of the Starlights?"
"You still think of them as intruders from outside the solar system? Not to be trusted?"
"Well, Seiya—"
"You and Seiya just don't like each other."
"With good reason. She did try to court our Princess when we were fighting Galaxia. And she flirted with you that one time."
"How many years ago was that now?"
Haruka mumbled something indistinct.
"I think you should give Setsuna and Taiki a chance. Who are we to say they shouldn't be together? Usagi and Mamoru were once forbidden lovers. You and I were not much better off. Pluto didn't object to us back then, even though I'm sure she could have. We owe her the same understanding."
"I know. I have been giving them a chance. I actually think Taiki is…Not bad. Setsuna seems happy when she's with her, but the rest of the time it's like she's even more sad than usual. I'm telling you Michiru, something is off."
Michiru sighed. "If you think that, you're probably right. I wish she'd tell us what's wrong. Surely she knows she can trust us by now."
"You'd think so." Shifting so that she could get a better look at Michiru's face in the dim room, Haruka added, "Hey, what was that thing before, about being glad to be with me on Christmas Eve?"
"Well, it's true Haruka."
"It was something more than that. This is only our second Christmas together since…the thing with Metalia. It was something to do with that, wasn't it? Something from when you were in Vienna?"
With a shake of her head, Michiru said, "it doesn't matter. I'm home now."
Something about Michiru's expression warned Haruka off further questions, and she knew what that most likely meant Michiru was thinking of.
And that wasn't where Haruka wanted Michiru's thoughts to be, tonight of all nights. She tangled a hand into Michiru's hair, claiming her, making the past give up its hold. Leaning in for another kiss, she vowed, "you are home, Michiru, and I am never letting you go again."
Haruka's mouth was sweet on hers, and her body was warm. It was all Michiru needed to wipe the memories away.