Sailor Stardust—Chapter 6
The visit with her mother had been short, and not enough was said before Pluto had to take Stardust back to Earth.
"Will I see you again?" Stardust asked Sailor Generation, her mother.
"Of course," Generation smiled.
Generation handed Stardust a gold chain with an hourglass pendant. Stardust looked at it a moment, confused.
"Turn it over," Generation explained, "and I will appear to you. But I will only be able to speak with you as long as the sand is running. Once the sand runs out, our time together will be gone."
"But then I could simply turn it back over again."
Generation shook her head. "It may only be used once a day. I advise you not to use it unless you feel the need. The more you use it, the less time I may spend on my duties here. With Sailor Pluto assisting the other Scouts on Earth, it is necessary that I not fall behind."
"Thank you," Stardust slipped the chain around her neck. "I promise to use it sparingly."
And then Pluto had laid her hand on Stardust's shoulder, transporting them back to Earth. Ren felt rather than saw her eyesight slip away again, and a small ray of hope in her died. She had thought that she would maintain at least some of her sight from the other plane…but the time in transit had sapped that away.
"We saw Mamoru-san while you were away," Michiru told them.
"He was probably on his way to Tsukino-san's house," Setsuna observed.
"I think we'd better go there," Haruka advised, slipping her arm around Ren's.
Ren felt the jacket sleeve of Haruka's school uniform. They said good-bye to Michiru and Setsuna and then set off in the direction that Ren hoped was Tsukino's house. It was the middle of a beautiful—at least the rays of sun Ren felt on her skin made it seem beautiful—Saturday afternoon. Ren assumed that Haruka had had an exam earlier that morning; otherwise she wouldn't be wearing the school uniform.
"Haruka-san?" Ren asked.
"Yes?"
"Do you think…. Do you think I'm an awful person?"
"Why would I think that?" Haruka looked down at the top of Ren's head. Although she wasn't exceptionally tall for her age, Haruka still stood a full head higher than Ren.
"I let Beryl past my defense of the Moon Kingdom—I'm the reason it fell to the power of the Negaverse."
"No, you're not," Haruka sighed. "Look, if I've learned anything from working with the Inner Senshi, it's that they value teamwork. They want everyone to work with them because it will help everyone become stronger. I know you think that Galaxia gave you your duty to do alone…"
"She did," Ren did not waver in her response. "I'm not meant to have help—she made that perfectly clear the last time."
"But perhaps a little help wouldn't hurt. You do know that all of us are a team, right?"
"But the Inner and Outer Senshi—"
"Work together, no matter what our initial inclinations were," Haruka stopped. They were at Tsukino's house. "Just, think about it, okay? You don't have to be alone in this."
"Who told you that?" Ren asked, not feeling very confident in that promise.
"Tsukino did."
Ren heard Haruka's retreating footsteps, and then she was alone. She heard muffled voices—a man and a woman—coming from the upper floor of the house. Ren made her way to the front door carefully and then tentatively knocked.
"Hello?" a woman, Tsukino's mother, answered the door.
"Good afternoon, Tsukino-sama," Ren bowed respectfully to the older woman. "I have come to visit Usagi-san. Is she at home?"
"Are you a friend of Usagi's?" Tsukino asked.
"We know each other through mutual friends."
"Then please, do come in—oh!" Upon moving aside to let Ren into the house, the older woman realized that Ren could not see. "Are you all right?"
"I am fine," Ren assured. "My vision is experiencing a minor setback. If you would be so kind as to help me into your home?"
"Of course!" Tsukino's mother led Ren into the house, where the younger woman took off her shoes, and then was led to the base of the stairs. "Usagi's is the only room with noise coming from it."
"Thank you, Tsukino-sama."
Ren walked up the stairs slowly, and then tracked the wall with her hand as she made her way down the hall closer to the voices. They were more distinctive now, and Ren could make out the voice of Usagi and an older man—Mamoru? He sounded very familiar…
She knocked quietly on the door and the talking cut off abruptly. The door opened, and Ren could feel the presence of a tall person in front of her.
"Yes?" the man spoke.
"Um…I—" Ren began.
"Hoshino-san!" Tsukino Usagi came to stand next to the man. "What are you doing here?"
"I…came to apologize," Ren said, still unsettled by Mamoru's greeting. "May I come in?"
Tsukino took her hand and led her to the table in her room. She sat down, presumably next to the man, and Ren sat at the other end.
"Hoshino-san, I know I shouldn't have gotten mad at you, and it is I who should apologize."
Ren shook her head with a light smile. "That is kind of you."
"It is my wish that we all work together, as a team."
You don't have to be alone in this.
"Thank you, Tsukino-san." She listened silently for the man to speak, but he did not. "Excuse me, sir, but you seem very familiar."
"Oh! How rude of me!" Tsukino laughed. "This is Mamoru Chiba. Mamo-chan, this is Hoshino Ren. She is Sailor Stardust. Hoshino-san, Mamo is—"
"You are Prince Endymion," Ren said confidently. "Your presence is unmistakable."
Mamoru's energy faltered in his confusion—Ren was picking up on people's energies as her eyesight stayed dormant for longer periods. Perhaps it was a small gift from Galaxia? Or maybe her own powers growing all the more…?
"Hoshino-san is from my mother's time," Tsukino explained to him. "She guarded the spaces between the planets."
"As is my duty given to me by Sailor Galaxia," Ren nodded.
Ren did not realize that she was holding her breath until she released it slowly after Tsukino did not rush to tell Mamoru about her part in the fall of the Moon Kingdom.
Tsukino got up to go and get them some drinks, leaving Mamoru sitting at the table with Ren.
"Hoshino-san," he said after Tsukino had closed the door.
"Yes?" Ren's heart picked up the pace. Surely he wouldn't get mad at her for what she had done?
He did not. Instead, he said: "I want to let you know that neither of us blames you for what happened to the Moon Kingdom."
A weight lifted off of Ren's chest. "Thank you, Mamoru-san that is very generous of you."
She felt the prick of tears behind her eyes. What was it with her and the tears lately? None of this used to happen when it was just her and her dad. Maybe being with the other Scouts—and not just hearing about them from Galaxia—brought about other emotions inside of her?
"Erm…Mamoru-san?"
"Yes?" Mamoru's voice contained no doubt as to her innocence in this matter, and Ren felt her breath slow in relief.
"I'm sorry that Beryl destroyed the Moon Kingdom."
"Like I said," he assured her, "neither Usa-ko nor I blame you for what happened. From what she's told me, you couldn't have kept them at bay for long anyway."
"I have a special power—"
"You mean like Hotaru?" Mamoru's voice switched to that of concern. "You wouldn't have been able to keep them off of the Moon Kingdom, Hoshino-san, you have to believe that."
"I will never know, now will I?" Ren was getting angry now. "I wasn't paying attention and I let her slip inside of the defenses!"
"But no one Scout's power is that strong!" Mamoru countered. "Galaxia was wrong—is wrong—to have you patrol the spaces alone!"
Ren wanted to counter his argument… But he had a point. She had never wanted to fight alone, out in the spaces. It wasn't fair, but she had never verbally complained to anyone—especially not Galaxia. But she couldn't very well accept the help of the other Scouts either. It had only been a little while ago that Galaxia had taken away Ren's sight for having Sailor Moon with her on patrol. In her attempt to make a new friend, Ren had endangered Usagi. They had been lucky that Galaxia had spared the Moon princess.
But they might not be so lucky next time. So there wouldn't be a next time.
"I am forced to work alone," Ren said this so quietly, Mamoru could barely hear her. "I don't want anyone else getting hurt."