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"SAILOR MOON ETERNAL'
The 6th Season of the Sailor Moon Saga
Chapter 45
"The Chance to Hope in Tomorrow"
"OUTER DOME WALL!" Eternal Sailor Saturn, with time on her side as Eternal Sailor Star Maker stands in his beloved Pluto's place beside her Outer Sailor partner, with Pluto's Garnet Rod mystically appearing in the hand Maker had arrogantly held out, just knowing that it would come to him at his beckon. With Susan sending her energies via her Time Lord husband's bond, Pluto and Saturn's new Eternal powered up combination with their talismans crossed, a defense shield phases around the vulnerable soldiers in a protective purple and violet haze dome.
Maker smiles encouragingly as he braces the small girl up for support, with just enough time to throw up this new, impressive force shield together.
King Pearlellion's attack could go no more perfectly than if it were aimed, as its energies, seeming to zero directly in on Eternal Sailor Saturn, bounces and absorbs into the domed wall she and Pluto had conjured.
The gleaming pearlized energy diverges all of its deadly streams of white light towards the rest of the team.
The Sailor Soldiers begin to come to, each scrambling to take their battle positions in the interim within Saturn's misty violet wall.
"Eek! Terry-papa! Susan-mama must have just fainted!" Sensing her fellow Sailor Soldier's weakening stamina as the purple mists of the magnificent dome begin to falter, Saturn shrieks in pain as she fervently holds her violet half of the sheltering wall up around the rest of the just awakening Sailor Scouts with great effort. Only because she had been so recently powered up with her Princess' Eternal energy was the young soldier able to fend off this fiercest of energy surges. But it was proving too much of a strain, as King Pearlellion's powerful energy focus was yet pressing in directly against her ever-weakening defensive shield.
The special soldier of death, little Tara Tomoe, was fighting with everything in her to keep her now lone wall up with all her might. But even the upgraded Eternal Sailor of Saturn begins to sink to her tall white booted knees…
"STAR CHRONOMETER STRIKE REWIND!"
In an unheard of daring, bold move—Terry was desperate to check on his overexerted precious bride but knew he could not abandon this vital battle for the sake of their teammates—Eternal Sailor Star Maker, with Garnet Rod he beckoned for in hand, aims the new version of his attack like an expert archer marksman upon Saturn's shrinking, nearly diminished violet force shield.
Star Maker then helps lift her weak-armed drooping glaive up high for her, as the powerful star wills some of his vast energized muscle to fragile, frail, petite bodied Eternal Sailor Saturn. In doing so, Maker lends Saturn his timely physical strength as well, all the while the Time Lord's 'Chronometer Strike' arrow continues its innovative count-up.
Showing his mettle as Time Lord, this clever genius, feels in his gut the surge of new eternal power shared by the Moon Princess to make impossible dreams plausible. This Eternal Sailor Star Maker brilliantly and concisely fashions his ticking down time's arrow to work in reverse, with the intent to recreate rather than corrupt, this time.
So instead of the intangible clock striking its deadly hands forward with the goal to ultimately deteriorate its target, they move in the opposite direction, backwards, to alternatively rebuild Saturn's 'Silent Wall' to be combined with Pluto's 'Dark Dome' again. And to this anxious Time Lord's relief, his adored Lady's thankfully restored vitality was able to contribute her energies once more to raise their 'OUTER DOME WALL!' to its original strength, and then some.
"Thank you, Terry-Papa." Finally able to breathe for a few seconds, reinvigorated Tara whispers up to her heroic Time Guardian with a smile, again able to proudly hold up her glaive high, by herself to keep up her end of the shared 'Outer Dome Wall' to defend the team.
"We'll see about that."
But that's when a dark opal energy orb adds fuel to the fire, so to speak, upon poor Saturn's now fully doused in dark energy Silent Wall.
And despite Eternal Sailor Star Maker's valiant attempt to stabilize it, Saturn was soon overwhelmed.
Both defending soldiers fall back when several more sets of nega-energy add to Pearlellion's already punishing blast, causing Saturn and Pluto's Outer Dome Wall to break apart. As Susan collapses in her Doorway, and Tara and Terry take the brunt as they are battered down to their knees by Opalson's expansion power.
"Saturn! Maker!" Eternal Sailor Moon shouts in horror as Lady Ruby, Lord Opalson and their son, Garnet, enter the fray with Swanette and Dracon bringing up the rear right behind them.
"Not able to handle these sorry weaklings on your own, brother? For shame." Lord Opalson comments sarcastically as he takes a defensive position next to his seemingly reluctant sibling. "We'll not let you off so easily this round, ladies." Opalson always believed that it was cowardice on Pearlellion's part that was stopping him from destroying these weak humans, nothing more.
"We'll clean up for you, luv, so as not to disturb you or your 'sleeping beauty.'" Ridiculing her ailing sister-in-law in her detestable manner, Lady Ruby takes a step forward. "And we'll wipe their asses before that silly Sailor Moonie can do her hocus-pocus on us this time! MOVE IN and SHOW NO MERCY!" Smirking nastily, her trusty flame dagger may have lost its chaos edge in the last skirmish, but her vindictive anger made up for the power loss.
The venomous female propels herself forward, slashing fire right at Eternal Moon as her son, Garnet, was at the rear, with Swanette and Dracon backing her claim up at both her sides.
"RUBY DAGGER SLICE!"
Defending his Princess, faithful Eternal Tuxedo Mask's new Eternal rose bo-staff matches Ruby's violent dagger blow for blow. Its crystal petals were apparently as unbreakable as his true heart for his Moon Princess as the gentleman does his best to de-claw the supposed 'lady' with his new "TUXEDO ROSE REVERSE!" that blunts her sharp steel with his crystal rose's 'thorns.'
"TUXEDO DUEL CROSS!" Next, the long stemmed rose Tuxedo Mask pulls from his velvet jacket lapel morphs into a rapier that had a dogwood hilt in the shape of Christ's Crucifix for this Eternal Earth Prince to ably duel Ruby's dagger with the righteous virtue of a Christian soldier.
"FEATHER TIP CUT!" Swanette's wildly flying poison feathers versus the Eternal empowered "VENUS SULFUR SMOKE!" go up in puffs of well-lit smoke, though the burnt feathers still relentlessly try to get past. So leader Eternal Venus appends her attack with an add-on conjunctive, double power play "VENUS ROLLING HEART VIBRATION!" that comes in pretty handy to vaporize the pointed projectile weapons in an orange flash of light and hearts mid air.
"DARK THUNDERSTORM BREAK!" Dracon's lightning fast attack is trumped by Eternal charged up "JUPITER FLOWER HURRICANE!" which showers so much pollen at his thundercloud it was soon grounded. He and Jupiter face off in their shared element, as she throws in a binary "JUPITER COCONUTS CYCLONE!" into the electrified green fray to physically pummel her suave opponent to hide his comely face.
"GARNET MELTING FUSE!" Garnet rages a dark red electrified inferno towards Eternal powered "MARS BURNING MANDALA!" ring of fire around the fuse source in order to diffuse the bad boy's manic high voltage meltdowns. The rotten kid's nonstop firebug lighting of fuses was relentless, but so was Mars, her twofold new attack of crimson red dances around to fight fire with "MARS SNAKE FIRE!"
"OPAL GLASS BUBBLE SHATTER!" Lord Opalson made the unintelligent calculation to clash with Eternal upgraded dual powered "MERCURY HYPER SPATIAL!" and its twin "MERCURY SPHERE GENERATION!" Eternal Sailor Mercury's wunderkind mind that could compute split atoms goes up against the wicked man in an incredible cerebral chess match, doubly expanding mental sphere for icy blue sphere.
In a true one-on-one confrontation, the five evil Negaverse emissaries and the five Eternal Sailor Scouts stand each other off, energy matching energy in cacophony of colliding noise and bright light flashes.
But even though the Sailor Soldiers were giving everything they had and more, they were only able to keep the battle at a standoff due to Metallia's vast darkness here within this subterranean cavern lair which gave the underhanded villains an endless supply of evil to feed upon, whereas the celestial light was dimmed…
"Pearlellion, stop this! Please!" Eternal Sailor Moon pleads with the King as the tall, white-haired man who reminded her so much of Prince Diamond from long ago, gathers his energy ball anew, aiming it towards his own standoff opponent.
Namely Sailor Moon, as Serena's heart once again aches seeing the battle not going well for her fellow soldiers.
"Sailor Moon. You leave me no choice." With a concerned glance back to his wife, Pearlellion's cold eyes had something of sorrow in them for his actions as he lifts his sizzling energy pearl beacon above his head, high into the air—
And blasts it backwards at his own brother instead.
Opalson, Ruby, Garnet, Swanette and Dracon are unexpectedly rappelled away from the weakened Sailor Soldiers they were about to maliciously overpower with the intent to kill.
"Sailor Soldiers! Hurry! Flee now!" Pearlellion commands, his overwhelming love for his wife making the battle between good and evil within him sway towards the side of the just.
"PEARLELLION! BETRAYER!" Metallia's angry voice resounds loudly, as torrents of dark energy waves, cold and biting, encircle Pearlellion and pound into him, suffocating the poor man.
The King calls above the din to Sailor Moon who was selflessly trying to break through the dark aura to reach him.
"Sailor Moon! Take my wife away from here! Please!" Pearlellion's voice was no longer commanding, but pleaful instead as he made a heartfelt request to Serena while resisting Metallia's overwhelming forces as best he could.
The powers within him were not only of the Queen of Evil, but his own will and soul as well. That is why the wicked Queen who had seen the potential then in the white-haired King chose him.
But that was also the reason she was having some trouble taking him down now.
In her great compassion, Eternal Sailor Moon was indomitably moving towards him, but the dark waves were too fierce for her to break through.
"White Moon Princess! Leave me be! It's too late for me! The die is cast! Just take care of Aquamarianna!" Pearlellion uses the remainder of his mental strength and energy reserve of willpower to send a protective shield up over his wife, giving his life's energy to keep her alive and safe lest Metallia's wrath was unleashed upon her, too.
"Take her out into that bright world she so loved again!" Pearlellion begs, using his vast powers to blast a monstrous hole in the cavern wall, exposing the catacomb that served as the teleportation room and its platforms which were connected immediately to the Earth aboveground.
"But King Pearlellion! What about you?!" Sailor Moon quickly urges her fallen companions to escape as the battle between the King and his minions still serving Metallia becomes so fierce, the underground cavern begins to tremble and shake. She was the last scout to leave, of course, with Tuxedo Mask and Venus leading the rest, two by two from the crumbling cave.
"Go! Sailor Moon, I've seen your abilities! You can heal my Marianna, please grant her thie one last request for me and take her away from this darkness she so despisef!" Pearlellion deftly dodges yet another volley of missiles from all his compatriots' powers combined together. But they were no match for his unchecked potential. "And Sailor Moon, please tell my wife—"
Serena skids back from where she was dashing out of the way of a falling stone corridor that crumbles above her head as she strains to hear the battling King's final words.
"—tell her that I have always loved her!" With this final call, Sailor Moon could neither see nor hear him any longer as the entire cavern wall breaks in thousands of pieces, cutting her off from the ensuing battle within.
Eternal Sailor Moon could no longer see the visage of King Pearlellion anymore as a strong. velvet gloved hand yanks her away from being crushed as well by the rocky columns tumbling over. A bloodied Eternal Tuxedo Mask was carrying the unconscious, but still miraculously breathing Queen Aquamarianna in his arms, as looks down at his meatball-headed wife in relief.
"Let's get out of here, Sailor Moon!" Darien protectively drapes his golden cape over Serena's head, she feeling so very safe and loved beneath her Tuxedo's caring folds, though at the same time she was sad for Aquamarianna losing her own husband's security.
Serena races alongside her guy, the two of them keeping just ahead of the crashing rocks and stalactite stones falling down from the tremulous cavern ceiling.
The three just make it to the teleportation platforms that intellectual and computer savvy Star Maker and Mercury conclude were the Negaverse transportation devices to the surface.
Jupiter and Mars bravely offer to go first on Amy's say-so as they are quickly teleported away, then Star Maker, carrying little Saturn in his strong arms, with so much anxiety to return home to see his Susan was unharmed, rapidly steps up to the platform with a nod, and the two of them are zapped away.
Venus waits in place on the empty transporter, for she and Tuxedo Mask were set to teleport away next.
Eternal Sailor Mercury prompts Tuxedo Mask to join an arm outstretched Sailor V to help pull he and Aquamariana up onto the shaking platform. Their resident computer genius had to quickly reconfigure the foreign matter displacement device to be able to handle not only three, but four people now, too.
For the baby within Aquamariana must be accounted for as a sentient, living human being with his or her own heartbeat, who deserved the chance to live, as well.
Holding the pregnant Queen gently in his grasp, Darien just manages to make it to the platform before the entire ceiling comes down in the cavern right behind him.
"Sailor Moon! Sailor Moon! Stop this thing, Mercury!" Tuxedo Mask cries out in terror at the frightening sight of the love of his life's perhaps final demise as his molecules were just starting to shift location.
"SERENA!" Darien's gut-wrenched cry wrings throughout the dark teleportation room until his prescient 'Tuxedo Mirage' eyes were able to glimpse, at the last possible second, that undeniable glow of moonlight shimmering back at him…
Cough! Cough! Cough!
But out of the ashes, Sailor Moon appears, soot and dust-covered, yet otherwise unscathed to rush in and give her worried, sighing-with-relief hubby a smiley, chokey thumbs-up before he totally disappears.
"Thank goodness, Serena!" A thankful Eternal Sailor Mercury lastly remained, her fast fingers hooking up the Negaverse teleporter to remotely work by her mini computer's command as she hugs the ditzy Moon Princess close to her.
Amy pulls her somewhat dazed friend on board, as Sailor Moon is the last to climb onto the teleportation apparatus before it was utterly destroyed.
The exploding catacomb below fades from Serena's stunned eyes, crumbling in ruins and smoke and total darkness, that soon turns into the wide open, last rays of sunlight…
After a moment of disorientation, Serena blinks her eyes against the bright sunset in the fresh air of the scenic shoreline overlooking the ocean which was proof enough that she and the rest of the Sailor Scouts were really back on terra firma.
Their struggles as yet were still mixed up and undecided—and now they had yet another victim—or two—f Metallia's wrath with them.
Sailor Moon flies to where Tuxedo Mask was kneeling with Aquamarianna, tending to the unconscious woman, who was blessedly still breathing, but she was quickly fading, now that Metallia's sustaining energy had been withdrawn.
"The baby's heart is still beating, for now." Amy's medical background which possessed a caring heart was reassured her quick calculations had been correct to accommodate the failing health of the pregnant woman and the delicate unborn child within her womb, too.
"Thank God." Serena is tightly embraced by an emotional Darien, who was shockingly almost in tears behind his mask at the thought of losing her light in his life, as sympathetically she kneels down to see how Aquamarianna was doing.
The Sailor Guardians gather around them, none of them quite sure what to make of what had just occurred before their eyes, when suddenly the sea roils. In the center of the ocean skyline, a mile or two off the coast, an explosion from within the ocean implodes like a huge watery fist rising in an angry torrent. It smashes down in a shockwave crash that sends the calm tide askew, the entire sea seeming to be at war with itself as the waves smash violently to and fro.
Pearlellion… Sailor Moon wonders exactly what happened to the original Black Moon King who had stared down Metallia herself for them—but moreover, for his wife—as Serena's gaze returns to Aquamarianna's lovely face which was quietly unaware of the chaos surrounding her, that had threatened to swallow her and her baby up as well.
"Sailor Moon. You need to do this now." Tuxedo Mask, always giving his girl the imperative, looks his wife in the eye, sensing Aquamarianna's imminently fading life. The tears behind his mask checked, Darien had long ago taken on the role of mentor to the shining young girl to help accomplish what she knew she must do.
No matter how weak this woman was, there was evil still inside of her, trying to destroy her from the inside out, eating away at her soul. It had to be dealt with before the consequences were irreversible.
That was what Pearlellion had given his life for, to bring Aquamarianna up into the light from Metallia's evil darkness.
For you, Pearlellion, I will try so very hard to do this! I must succeed! Serena closes her eyes, gathering her strength to silently accomplish this risky moon healing of a fragile person, with a child inside her no less, before she re-establishes what she had started that was the catalyst for the Queen's reformation.
"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!" Eternal Sailor Moon says a silent prayer that everything would be all right before she circles her hopeful healing lunar energies in a large spiral of light over Aquamarianna's dying form.
An evil shadow flees with an unearthly scream from her pale bluish-green body as the aqua jewel encrusted on her head disappears and the beautiful woman was left lying on pale sands of the beachfront.
Good had triumphed in this battle within Aquamarianna as her shallow breathing becomes regular and her tightly closed eyes were at peace again.
"All right! Sailor Moon! You did it!" Sailor Jupiter pats her friend on the back, everyone glad to have reached out an olive branch to save the soul of another.
But at what a cost.
Serena could not help but feel melancholy for the altruistic husband whose ultimate sacrifice may have indeed paid that high price. She and many of the others all wished that somehow Pearlellion had defeated Metallia in that underground lair, had somehow sent her back to the imprisonment deep in the earth, and would come back to his true love, Aquamarianna again.
But hope and reality were often two very different things as the Sailor Soldiers of love and justice in this world were coming to know all too well.
Quietly now, December rolls in, the snowy peaks of the north mountains spreading a white layer of snow and frost down to the mid and lower regions of the country. The ice and cold sock in, just in time to create a perfect setting for the upcoming joyful Christmas holidays.
But 'joyful' Christmases were few and far between for the beleaguered city of Tokyo.
The usual bustling shopping centers and malls around this time of year were nearly empty. For in this victimized city, where not one household was left unaffected by Metallia's energy draining, there seemed very little to celebrate.
The hospitals were still jam packed with patients, though they were being treated with countless methods of the best doctors from far-off countries consulting together, with still no positive results.
And this had hit home for many of the Sailor Scouts as well, as their friends and teachers and even family—Serena's own Dad and Sammy were alive but unconscious to her Mom's vigilant consternation—leaving them all with this depression hanging over them.
And the uncertain status of their recent battle with the Queen of Evil, Metallia herself, had made celebrating this season a hard commodity.
Taking Aquamarianna to live at home with them, Serena and Darien watched the woman slowly recover, she regaining consciousness nearly a week after her husband had left her in their care.
"Pearlellion…?" Aquamariana softly whispered as she awakened, her eyes opening, scanning the room for her beloved husband. But he was not there. Serena had felt elated to have been able to heal her, yet horrible at the same time that her husband's condition was unknown if he was even still alive.
It was on Serena's watch (the girls and Darien had been taking turns coming over and staying up 'round the clock, caring for the comatose woman) that Queen Aquamarianna had awakened.
So it was up to Serena for her to tell that her husband had not been seen or heard of since the team of Sailor Soldiers had even attempted to return to the underground base.
They found it totally vacated and nearly decimated from the destructive battle, with not a sign nor clue of who was victim or victor, or where any of those involved had disappeared to.
And it was up to emotional Serena the tell Aquamarianna all this.
"He's not here, Aquamarianna." Serena explains slowly, gently touching the older woman's arm. "Please don't worry, you're with friends. It's okay, it's me, Serena." She gives her sweetest smile, which could always warm the coolest heart with her sincerity.
Although feeling certainly safe with this young girl, Aquamarianna begins to have the sense of panic setting in for her absent mate.
"What happened? Please tell me. I—I thought I… Didn't I die?" Aquamarianna sits up sharply, holding her head at the dizziness which had set in both within her head and her spinning thoughts. "The last thing I remember is… Sailor Neptune. She was in danger. I… I stopped Pearlellion—I think…I was hit…" In confusion, Aquamarianna suddenly touches her stomach, feeling extremely ill as she tries to shake the feeling off.
"Where's Pearlellion? I wish to see him now." Totally unaware of the past events since her unconsciousness had set in, Aquamarianna wonders and worries again at Serena's silent nail biting frightened expression.
"He asked us to bring you here, to heal you from Metallia's evil." Serena began slowly, biting her lip, already seeing that change in this now sweetly soft-spoken woman she never would have suspected was the haughty Black Moon Queen before.
"Yes, yes. I feel myself again. Thank you, so much." Aquamarianna gives her first hazy smile, and Serena sees the beauty that the woman once used for many other less than honest purposes. "But tell me—"
"Aquamarianna." Serena takes the elegant womanly hands in hers. "Pearlellion fought Metallia to free us—for you—from her grasp. We've gone back there and looked hard—we really have! But we haven't seen any of them since we escaped. I'm so sorry to have to be the one to tell you this!" Serena feels her own tears biting at her eyes suddenly springing but withheld still by the strong-willed lady in the bed before her.
"I see." Aquamarianna whispers, her emotions going blank.
"I promise you! We will continue to look for him everywhere, for as long as we have to! You've made it back to this bight, beautiful world. Everything will be happy again, you'll see!" Serena surely felt sorry, remembering how lonely she had felt without Darien when he went missing and in danger, trying to instill the hope she herself was lacking as of late.
"I trust you, somehow, Serena. Do you know that?" Aquamarianna smiles softly to the young woman sitting at the edge of the bed as she sits up. "But…how can we ever be happy again? I almost can't remember the last time we truly were…" Her own regret setting in on her, Aquamarianna tries hard to remember the good times with her husband.
There were good times…Long ago…There were…I remember those days so vividly, Pearlellion.
She smiles to herself sadly at her reflection in the vanity mirror, where memories of a youthful Pearlellion wooing her flicker by, before there were thoughts of money, wealth or power, before the selfishness and endless lies that allowed this all to happen…
Seeing the tears behind Aquamarianna's eyes about to let the floodgates go, Serena jumps to her feet. Her own hopes were in need of some boosting today, mainly because she remembered there was Another greater than all, Who could overcome anything at this blessed time of year.
"We'll be happy again, you'll see, if we just believe!" Serena states with determination anew in her stunning blue eyes. "Starting today! Let's go Christmas shopping. You and I and some of my good friends! How does that sound?" The meatball-headed girl defiantly dares depression to keep her down as she stands straight, pointing a finger up in the air. Then she claps her hands before sneaking them into Darien's wallet from his pants' pocket as he sleeps in the other room.
Making comical shushing faces of secrecy, Serena causes Aquamarianna to laugh a little for once as they clasp one another's hands.
"All right." The older woman wobbly stands to her feet as Serena helps her get clothed and ready to go holiday shopping.
Now that was something that could make any shaky female heart stout again.
I'll be strong and make myself beautiful because I know we'll be together again, Pearlellion. I promise you. She gazes into Serena's determined eyes and sees a reflection of what believing in true love meant, shining in her own as well.
Lita was surprised when Serena, out of the blue, had announced that she was off to go Christmas shopping, considering the serious nature of their strategic planning and intense meetings these past few weeks.
After all, they had just gotten back from their daily scuba diving scavenging through the underground ruins for clues, that was taking up nearly every spare second of their time lately.
It left every Sailor Soldier tired and weary and irritable—Rei especially cornered that particular market, with Luna at a close second—and very little time for thoughts of the usually happy Christmas season.
Sigh.
More than a little fatigued, Lita was still quick to head out her lonely door to see what Serena was up to.
Andrew was constantly busy now, being an intern at the local hospital and working on tests and studies on the overflow amount of patients day and night. That gave him only a little time to say short 'hellos and goodbyes' to his fiancée, who totally understood because she was every bit as busy with the Sailors on their mission.
Amy also was pretty shocked to hear Serena propose shopping of all things when the computer expert was calculating around-the-clock to try to find their enemies. Sleep was a very sparse thing lately, as Amy's computer scans continued to turn up empty on their enemy's new base or next plan of attack.
The strategizing girl just happened to be, at this moment, feeling her frustrated head about to split.
Maybe Serena's right. Maybe we should take some time off. Just a little shopping sounds nice. Studious Amy closes her laptop and puts on a coat to leave her apartment for the meeting.
"What do you mean you're going shopping, Serena?! You are the most sieve-headed, irresponsible—" It was obvious Rei was not open-minded for her fellow Guardian taking some time off for fun. Everyone was working their buns off for over a week hunting down any signs of Metallia and her henchmen.
Rei's own part in the search was through her mind pounding headache plagued psi-scans and fire readings, which were strangely—and maddeningly—turning up absolutely nothing.
"Wait, Rei! Serena might be giving us a secret message! Maybe she can't talk out loud! We really should go—just in case she's in trouble." Mina just happened to be at Rei's, after a long day of planning with Artemis.
He just claimed a few minutes ago to have to meet with Luna about some important battle details. Yeah, right, Artemis! More like important fishtails! You're just going to chow down a romantic meal by candlelight with your pretty kitty wife and leave me here to stew with grumpy Rei!
"Sure, Mina! Don't think I don't know what the second-most-sieve-headed-blonde in our team is plotting about the dumb idea of some serious mall trolling!" Rei retorts. Serena was not the only one to get the sharp side of her tongue via their phone conversation.
"Be quiet, Rei! I am the leader of this Sailor Unit! And we are going shopping!" Mina loudly announces, grabbing Rei's arm and the cell phone Serena was at the other end of.
"We'll meet you there, Serena! Don't you worry, your girls will be there to back you up for a Christmas shopping attack!" Mina giggles, the thought of new clothes and hair ribbons filling her overworked and underpaid model's soul with glee.
"I can see right through you two ditzes—Hey!" Rei complains, the very idea of spending her evening out frivolous shopping with Serena and Mina was even worse than another five hours straight of fire reading at the temple without a break.
But maybe some shopping might loosen up my mental stress…
Before Rei even finishes her thought, she is dragged out the door by a crazed Mina wrapping a scarf around her mouth to muffle the complaints and scolding.
Then the dizzy blonde leader of the Sailor Scouts leaves a short scribbled note for Artemis on the table.
'Hope you saved me some of that tuna for when we get back. – Mina P ^_~'
The unhappy storekeepers—hey, not only were their families and friends hopelessly energy drained and lethargic, so were their slumping sales—were a little rewarded by the Christmas-ing girls going on a shopping splurge tonight.
Maybe Lita and Mina were broke as usual, Rei a spendthrift, and Amy choosing her intelligent personal gifts wisely, but Serena did not disappoint. After all, she had Darien's full wallet in her greedy little hands which were very generous to the feeling low shopkeepers indeed.
Each girl, even Rei, though she would never admit it, was surprised to find herself enjoying normal life again and even laughing a little. Mostly due to Serena and Mina, as the two of them actually came to blows over some Christmas gift ideas stolen off one another.
Caught up in the Christmastime spirit the sprightly quintet brought, Aquamarianna slowly warmed to the strange young women. During their noisy shopping, the Sailors bigheartedly shared their zest for life, and normalized the Queen to come out of her own doldrums and smile every now and then with them as well.
Serena, over the next week or so, would continue to spread the holiday cheer, instilling its precious gift within her weary Sailor Guardians, her dear friends, in unspoken ways. They all slowly were coming to appreciate her uplifting of their spirits.
And life, all of a sudden, though difficult and hard when it came to making the tough choices, didn't seem half as rough whenever she was around.
Happiness was discovered to be something that you give to others, share the light of with others—and not something you'll just find in dark corners. Serena was a master of giving, and the girls now gathered for Scout meetings at their beloved Princess' apartment, where the tree was small but cheery, and there was warmth everywhere.
Serena made extra sure of that, maybe not being the best hostess in the world, but at least being the brightest light in the room made up for it.
Aquamarianna found out from this young girl what the true joys of life were all about—that love and friendship and faith above all were the most important things, something that Aquamarianna's selfish existence had not experienced in a long while.
So now, when sites were staked out, Sailor plans and strategies were being set into place and data-collecting computer scans and maps were made, instead of the sad, depressed mood which had frustrated even the most positive minded of souls, Serena had proven herself a beacon of light.
She had proven herself to be their leader, their friend, their inspiration, their Princess once again. Sailor Moon's endless friendship and eternal dreams gave them all back what this holiday season had been all about since the beginning, when a Star in the eastern sky sparkled true.
The chance to hope in tomorrow.
Meanwhile, at the Starr household, much of the same festive spirit was all around already. The largest tree to be found was up and overflowing with decorations. Though many replacements had to be bought after all the ones JunJun and PallaPalla had broken along the way when they had gotten into the holiday spirit.
The entire house smelled of cinnamon sweet baking, Christmas cookie cutouts with sprinkles, creamy eggnog, and roasting chestnuts were always set out with the holiday music playing nearly nonstop.
It filled this home with such joyful strains, for Terry desperately wanted this time of year to be just like the last one he had spent on this world—just as happy as that first Christmas he had enjoyed with Susan.
He would do anything to make her happy, with Susan having a penchant to fall into melancholy moods of late. Though she tried to hide her sad or fearful emotions behind secret doors, her devoted husband could sense them coming.
To dispel those moments, Terry tried especially hard to bring the joy of the Christmas season Susan first gave to him.
With no sign of Metallia or further incursions since the underground catacomb battle a few weeks back, perhaps there truly would be peace on earth this Christmas. After all, Terry often consulted with Amy and the rest of the Sailor Scouts on the latest findings which told him there was nothing further upsetting to be found.
Perhaps Metallia was defeated that easily. Perhaps none of them need worry of darkness ascending to the planet's surface anymore.
But despite Terry Starr's attempts to look on things with a rosy attitude, his logical mind knew in his heart that all was not right with the world.
The innocents of the city were still under some powerful form of unquenched energy drain, King Pearlellion was still missing with a shadow of Negaverse revenge hovering over the Sailor Soldiers, and Evil Queen Metallia was surely still plotting her ultimate scheme of darkness that would not be defeated, just because she could simply no longer be found.
And on top of everything after all of that, something was not right with his own family.
Things would never be right without Robin there to celebrate the Christmas season with them.
I doubt Michelle will ever be the same without him. And if Michelle isn't right…then Alex isn't right…and if Alex isn't right, then Sayer…
In his clinical mind, when he considered the sad domino effect of their complex relationships, Terry, too, at times, could sink to low spirits. His family, at one time, consisted of only his Princess and the two other people in the universe who meant anything to him. But the close-knit brothers who relied on him and whom he could rely on—were no longer the same since Robin had gone. Terry had not seen Sayer since he had that not so little spat with that beyond difficult woman.
The intelligent man could sometimes feel their absence in his soul acutely.
It was at times like this that his Susan somehow knew, and she comforted him in small wifely ways, speaking to Terry softly, clinging to him unquestioningly. Hers was a love that proved to the dispirited man that there was always hope, and that he could go on for her and find that hope no matter what.
She and Tara, and now these four little girls as well, showed him that he had an extended family now. Though no one could ever replace what he and Sayer and Robin had, they could add to it, give their affection, a connection of family he needed to face each new day with a smile.
And it was his smile his Susan reveled in. Through her nearly nine months of pregnancy, her husband had stood beside her, held her up, pampered and spoiled her, given her his strength, his attention, his devotion—and most of all, his love.
Thinking of these things as she slowly rises from her midday nap, Susan could smell the sweet scent of sugar greeting her.
The girls must be cooking sweets. She smiles to herself, putting her wrap on and gazing at her reflection in the mirror to adjust her hair.
"Oh my gracious, just look at this stomach!" The womanly vanity in Susan was displeased to see her reflection so… large… Though she was still terribly thin everywhere else, her mid-section was rather bulbous.
But the woman who thought her life would be spent in solitary confinement forever was pleased to note that inside of that big pregnant tummy was the special 'angel' that her wonderful Terry's love had placed there. Her eyebrows raise and she laughs at herself.
She was glad for this moment of peace at last, after all the months of combat, that she could even think of such normal things. Though the days had been uncertain in the past, Susan knew that her due date was drawing ever so near and her and Terry's baby must be born on a peaceful world.
She must be! Susan thinks as she touches her stomach lightly with her hand to feel the child kicking not too far beneath anymore. That's when another's curious fingers from out of nowhere seem to easily wrap around hers, entwining his long fingers within.
"My lord." Susan smiles, leaning back to her husband's strong chest, his scent wafting over her mingling with the sweet sugar in the air.
"Awake already, my love?" Terry kisses his wife's ear, then her forehead, then her jawline, and finally a rewarding kiss right on her rosy lips. "If you're still tired, maybe you should lie down some more—" He whispers in between frequent kisses, his gentle arms wrapped around her.
"No, I want to—smooch—spend some time with the children—smooch—for a while." She smiles up into his beautiful orchid eyes between kisses.
"Yes, I brought home some cookie mixes and other Christmas treats for them to have fun making while I was out." Terry answers her softly, cradling her in his arms as he hums the haunting holiday tune of 'What Child is This?' which his artistic lady had been learning to play upon her lovely harp.
"And some surprise gifts, too, I'm sure?" Susan teases, knowing her generous husband's proclivity to spoil females, which she found too adorable in him. "Darling, you spoil them." She smiles tenderly, happy he to know he would be such a good 'papa.' And this was good practice because he would truly be one very soon.
If all goes well… Susan couldn't help but be jittery of her first, only-dreamed-of-for-a-thousand-years, opportunity to be a mother. That's when her worried eyes are sparkled by a stream of amethysts snaking around which Terry encircles the clasp around her thin wrist.
"My lord, you spoil me, too!" Susan felt so indulged, especially at Christmas time, with Terry bringing an expensive gift home every day since the beginning of the festive month. Susan knew this bracelet must've cost a pretty penny. "You make Christmas so special, my love. I have nothing to give you!" Susan admires her bejeweled wrist then lands a thankful kiss to her fine husband's cheek.
"You are my gift every day, my own darling." Terry caresses Susan's neck, the couple going in for yet another tender kiss when a loud clanging of pans and dishes and the chaos of screaming ensues from downstairs somewhere in the vicinity of the kitchen.
Terry and Susan pause, giving each other quizzical looks at the cacophony going on down there. But with a mutual shrug and smile, they relentlessly go for each other's lips again—
But the overwhelming scent of sweet sugar turns into an overpowering stench of burnt sugar, and the arguing becomes louder and more intense as many youthful voices scream back-and-forth at one another.
"Who set the stupid timer for the stupid cookies on this stupid %# !#%! thing?!" One angry cursing voice demands in so many saucy words.
"It was supposed to be taken out of the oven ten minutes ago. I'm afraid they're all inedible and ruined." A snooty one comments unnecessarily.
"I thought you said 'ten minutes more'!?" Another girlish voice defends their non-culinary skills.
"Oh, never mind that all! We should pick that pan up from the floor before it burns a deeper hole!" Another yells in warning.
"Arghhh! Our yummy cookies! PallaPalla doesn't like burnt cookies." The unmistakable childlike voice of PallaPalla whines.
"Shut up or I'll burn your Santa muffins, too!" JunJun obviously retorts.
"That's not very much in the Christmas spirit, JunJun! We shouldn't get ourselves in a pickle just because someone doesn't know how to set a timer properly." CereCere rebukes another of the friends.
"Then you can just figure out how to make them by yourself next time!" Throwing down the bowl she was rinsing, VesVes gets all stuck up at her snobbish pink companion.
"My cookies..." PallaPalla was kneeling on the floor weeping over the charred remains.
"Everyone! Please calm down! We have another batch of cookie dough, so we can get another pan and make up some more…" Tara's calming voice was trying to be peacemaker in the midst of the raucous kitchen.
"Be quiet when we're arguing!" The quartet of voices silences Tara's singular quiet one.
"I think we'd better go down and smooth the situation out for poor Tara." Susan whispers motherly, giggling at the high strung group downstairs.
"Yes. And it seems I'll have to see about fixing that burned spot on the kitchen floor before we entertain again." He smiles teasingly, taking her in his arms again, pulling her close. 'But after one more indulgent moment for me, my Christmas lady?" Trying to forget his problems and live in the moment, Terry and Susan share the endless gift of their love. The married lovers enjoy a very passionate kiss, despite the pans and dishes clattering downstairs, amid the smell of burning sugar.
And the Christmas countdown begins.
Konban wa, Greetings! Fellow Sailor Moonies! :)
'MOON PRISM POWER!'
Thanks for reading this installment of our everlasting 'Sailor Moon Eternal' saga full of Sailor Scout power-ups and battle excitement for Eternal Sailor Moon, the Inners and Tux, too! Did you enjoy it as much as I did? (HarukaKou secretly thrives on battle scenes ;)
As promised, I finished typing out another chapter of my beloved 25 year old tale up and complete for my birthday August month!
I hope you enjoyed the tense battle and fun downtime sprinkled with romance and excitement galore that is our beloved Sailor Moon!
Just a few more thrilling chapters left to publish 'til the end of this 1000 page plus, sequel novel I wrote ages ago on paper! But this year I am determined to finish typing it up! I promised to Setsuna that working together we could accomplish the conclusion of this never dull, action-packed love story in the magically exhilarating world of Sailor Moon after all these decades since I completed it!
'Never give up, ganbaru wa!'
I'd love to hear your kind reviews as the climactic battle is building for the ageless Sailor Scouts and those they love in the city of Tokyo!
Sailor Moon is eternal love, Tomodachi!
God bless you!
Your forever Fanfiction friend,
HarukaKou
'STARLIGHT HONEYMOON THERAPY KISS!' ^0^
12 days to my birthday! ^0^