by Sailor Lily
posted March 17, 2001
“Michiru...”-began Setsuna.
“I could feel your unrest about something. I knew you were coming, I could feel it, and see it in the unrest of my planets seas.”
“Pluto is being threatened, and we have come to warn your people in case they decide to send someone this way.”
“Who are they?”-asked Michiru confused.
“I don’t know who they are... but they want some crystal... I think he said the...Imperium Silver Crystal, whatever that is, we must go warn the Queen.”
“Yes, we must... I’ll go with you.”-said Michiru and turned to a door guard. “Go get the Queen, and tell her I await her at the entrance.”
They waited for several minutes for the arrival of Queen Neptune. They simply awaited holding hands truly worried, until a fine woman came down the stairs. Queen Neptune was the vivid picture of femininity herself. She was tall, slender, with ivory complexion against her dark, wavy blue hair. “Michiru, what’s wrong?”-Queen Neptune asked as she looked at the green haired girl. “This must be Setsuna, something has happened then.”
“Yes, mother something has happened. Pluto is been disturbed by an unknown enemy, and Setsuna has come to warn us in case they send someone this way. I must go with them to warn Queen Serenity.”
Queen Neptune smiled sadly just as Liba had done, and kissed her only daughter’s smooth forehead, where the blue sign of Neptune glowed for a few seconds. “Go my dear, always do as you must, and trust your heart. Remember that I always will love you until the end of my days, just as your father did... he would have been so proud to see how his little girl became so wonderful.” Michiru grinned, and hugged her mother whispering, “Thank you, mother. I love you, and father very much... even if he had been dead for so long. I love you, please take care until I come back.”
They released each other, and the Queen addressed Setsuna kindly. “Thank you for being her friend, and caring for her so much. I don’t know how to repay you, except to consider you as the other daughter that I never had.” The Queen kissed Setsuna gently on the cheek, and before any words could unfreeze form Setsuna’s throat, Queen Neptune said finally, “Go now my girls, hurry. And Michiru,... tell Haruka you’ve got my blessing.”
Next stop was Uranus, and Haruka was awaiting mysteriously enough at the entrance of her family’s palace. <I have a feeling all of the girls know, unless it is a hidden talent we Outers have. Maybe we are able to feel each other’s anxieties, sadness, happiness, or fears.>
“You’ve finally come, I’ve been waiting for a while. What’s going on?”-asked Haruka as impatient as always.
“There’s a mysterious enemy threatening Pluto, and Setsuna came to warn us. We’re on our way to inform Queen Serenity.”-answered Michiru while hugging Haruka tightly.
“We must hurry, we still have go to Saturn to get Hotaru.”
“Yes, I must inform my parents before going with you.”-agreed Haruka.
By the time Haruka finished her sentence, her parents were already behind her smiling sadly. Setsuna thought with sudden panic, <All of our parents have had that sad smile on their face, but why? Could it be they know who the enemy is, and expect something that we don’t? No... no it must be my imagination... I must be seeing things.>
"What must you tell us Haruka?”-asked King Uranus as he held his wife.
“Sir, Pluto is being threatened, and they have come to warn us in case they send someone this way. We must go inform Queen Serenity.”-answered Haruka avoiding her father’s eyes.
“I see.”-murmured King Uranus. He pulled his tall, golden child and kissed her forehead, as she stared in amazement. On her forehead the golden sign of Uranus glowed brightly, and then disappeared. “Go Haruka, you must warn the Queen,... we will take care of things here.”
Queen Uranus hugged her towering daughter saying, “Please take care, I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you. I’m very proud of you, and I love you so much... remember that my dear.”
Haruka blushed scarlet as she whispered, “I love you too, and I will miss you terribly when I get to the Moon Kingdom, mother.” She then turned to her father and said, “Will you ever...”
King Uranus didn’t give her time to finish and hugged her with his two huge arms. He then patted her back and whispered, “Go Haruka, take good care of yourself and Michiru; I have nothing to forgive. I’m proud of you and you will always be my wonderful, though daughter.”
“Thank you for understanding,”-answered Haruka with her tightened throat as she fought tears. “I will see you soon.”
The girls ran towards the ship, and it took off with great speed. When the ship disappeared out of the Uranian atmosphere King Uranus said out loud, “No my dear Haruka, this is farewell.”
*****************************************************************************
The ship landed on Saturnian soil while the brilliant rings reflected rainbow colors on the sky. Hotaru ran to greet the three Outers since she knew they where coming.
“What’s happening? I knew you would come, but not the reason behind it.”-Hotaru declared with clear uneasiness.
“My planet is been threatened by an unknown enemy, and we are here to warn your people to be prepared. We must hurry to inform Queen Serenity.”
Hotaru turned deadly white as a voice inside said, <The time has come, the time is here,... today! This sacrifice will be made today even if you’re scared.>
“I must warn my parents immediately,... but please, you must leave quickly!"-declared Hotaru feeling the time approaching.
“Hotaru, you must come with us, please! I feel uneasy about leaving you here...”-begged Setsuna but was interrupted by Hotaru’s voice.
“No, I can’t go. Where you are going... I can’t follow until I am sent for. Please,... ask no questions and leave quickly.”-urged Hotaru while holding Setsuna’s hand.
Haruka put her hand on Hotaru’s shoulder. “We will see each other again soon.”-she said while looking into the younger girl’s innocent purple eyes but not understanding the meaning of her own words.
“We love you, Hotaru.”-whispered Setsuna feeling tightness in her heart, and an uncontrollable urge to cry. “We will wait for you at the Moon Kingdom.”
“Remember that we’re a family.”-continued Michiru with her heart in turmoil, and fighting back tears that had no explanation for surfacing. “We Outers stick together,... remember that.”
“I’ll remember. I love all of you very much, but please go warn the Queen.”-ended Hotaru with a sad smile on her lips but looking up at them with great hopeful eyes.
The distance began to grow between the outer planets, and the ship that was taking them back to the Moon Kingdom. The gap widened between the people in the ship, and the beloved people they had left behind. Haruka sat with her arms around Michiru hoping for the best. Endymion held Setsuna’s hand as she sat absent-mindedly looking out the window.
<We should have brought Hotaru with us, I miss her already. She should be here with us,...where it’s safe. Where it’s safe?>- it was then that panic shot throughout Setsuna’s body with the realization that...
...She suddenly saw a bright light shining outside coming from behind the ship, and it was obvious that it came from a powerful source of energy, since it had illuminated this great distance in a short amount of time. Before she realized what she was doing, she was out of her seat, and running towards the window at the back of the ship. She stood in front of the mirror motionless as the bright blue light swallowed the outer planets. The brightness filled her vision, ate her innocent eyes, and went as far as wounding her heart so deeply within seconds.
There was a loud scream that broke the silence as Setsuna collapsed, and she realized that it had been her own voice that had filled her ears moments ago. She didn’t know when Michiru had collapsed next to her with uncontrollable crying. Setsuna turned dry-eyed to hug the younger girl through her own numb misery. She caressed her friend’s wavy ocean locks, and soothed her pain while in her mind she pictured a terrified little Hotaru crying in a corner of her room while awaiting the end. She though of Briga and Markus sitting together, completely peaceful when the light announcing the end came to them. Last, she thought of her parents standing at the entrance of luminous Charon Castle with arms around each other, hoping that their only child would make it to safety in time, and as their end approached they kissed each other for the last time.
Setsuna continued to concentrate on Michiru in order to keep her own feelings at bay. She then felt warmth coming from near, and she realized that Endymion was kneeling behind her and had his arms wrapped around her for comfort. She turned her head to find his head on her shoulder, and he kissed her nose as her eyes began to well with tears. She slowly turned away and saw Haruka’s face pale with grief, but most of all in shock. She reached for Haruka’s clenched fist, and held on to Michiru’s hand.
<We’re alone now,...we’re so... alone. We only have... each other for family since... we are... the only survivors. We’re the... only ones that remain; we are truly sisters now.> -thought Setsuna to herself but incredibly enough, Haruka and Michiru both heard every single part of it. They heard nothing else after that in their numb state, until Endymion shook Setsuna a little.
“Setsuna... Setsuna,”- he whispered as if trying not to startled her out of a nightmare. “we have arrived at the Moon Kingdom.”
“Well, we must inform the Queen.”- she said as she tried to gather all of her sanity, and transmit her strength to the others.