The Return
Chapter 6: Reunited
by Richan
Venus, Minerva and Ceres stood before the mansion that stood on Uranus. Walking up to the door, they knocked and waited. After ten minutes and no answer, Minerva turned the knob, and the door opened.
"Should we go in?" Ceres asked.
"Sure," Venus said. "Besides, it was open, so they can't do anything, right?" As she said this, she went through the door and disappeared with a scream. Peering in, Minerva and Ceres started laughing, because Venus had been caught in a trap and now hung upside down. Her long hair brushed the ground as she screeched her anger at them and whoever had laid the trap.
An elderly voice called out. "Hello?"
"Hello," Minerva said. "We'd like to see Uranus, please. Would you be so kind as to let him know?"
"No need, child," the man said. As he came into the light, all three women saw that it was Uranus himself. He pressed a switch in the wall and Venus dropped onto the floor with a loud crash and a yelp.
"Itai!"
"Well, young lady," Uranus began. "It wouldn't have hurt if you hadn't walked in uninvited."
Ceres spoke up. "We knocked, but no one came."
"I'm sorry. I did hear you, but I was on the other side of this place and it took me all this time to get here."
"How," Minerva asked, "did you hear us if you where over there?"
"That's a secret," the man said slyly and winked.
She laughed, while the others looked at the two of them as if they had escaped from the zoo. "We would like for you to come with us," she began, "for there is trouble on Earth."
Uranus nodded. He turned his head and yelled, "Neptune! It's time for us to leave!"
Ceres snorted, and the others looked at her. "Inside joke," she said, refusing to say more.
Neptune walked up, an old man, yet younger than Uranus. "Ah, Uranus. I believe that this journey will be pleasureable with three such lovely companions," he began suavely. "Still, I have the feeling that what we arrive at will not be good."
Uranus nodded. "I have that same feeling as well, Neptune." Nodding at the three goddesses, he signaled to Neptune, and they were off.
******
Demeter, Vesta, Jupiter and Pluto headed towards Saturn. Arriving there, they found the remains of a building laying in a heap. There was an air of desertion about the place. Pluto shook his head. "I don't understand. We had a chess match not too long ago, and this place was standing."
Demeter went over to the rubble and looked at a couple of the pieces. She saw a fine dust on it and gasped. "Look at this dust," she called to the others. Gathering around her, Jupiter, Vesta, and Pluto saw the fine green dust on her fingertips.
Vesta drew in a sharp breath. "The dust of Alecto."
******
Arriving on Earth, Mars, Mercury, Mithra, Janus, Juno, and Anteros stood at the place where Tokyo had once stood. Ruins surrounded a huge castle that reached into the brown sky. There was no life around except for them[1]. There was movement behind them, and they turned, ready for a fight. All of them sighed in relief as they saw it was Eros.
"I heard you calling, brother," he said.
Anteros was confused. Eros never called him brother, preferring not to acknowledge him if he could. He shook it off as he lead the others down to where the boxes sat. He really didn't need to lead after awhile, since Mars could feel the senshi who wielded his power. He looked around to make sure that Beryl wasn't around before he lead them into the room.
Entering, all of them stopped, shocked. The three boxes were made of grey glass and clouded. Walking up to them however, they could see that there were people inside. Juno stopped in front of the smallest. "Usagi," she breathed. She put her hand on it, and jumped back in surprise when it cracked.
As she did this, Mithra had gone over to the next larger box. He could recognize Usagi and Minako's cats and Sailor Uranus, but didn't know who the five men were, though the one in the lavender armor looked familiar. He touched the glass lightly, not knowing how to break it, when it split open.
The smaller boxes fell apart, revealing their contents. Anteros and Eros stood behind Mithra and gasped. "The legend," Eros said softly. He looked at Mars, who stared at the largest box. As he watched, Mars put his hand up and touched the box, cracking it. Within, there was a bright glow and the box exploded into tiny pieces before dissolving into thin air.
Mithra and Juno gasped as they saw Rei standing, her forehead glowing with the symbol of Mars. They looked at each other before Mithra said, "I guess they are all special."
Rei started to slowly spin, wrapped in fire. The gods and Juno came over to watch as the wreath of fire cloaked her in her senshi fuku. As her feet touched the ground, her eyes opened.
"What?" she began to ask when she saw Usagi laying on the floor. "Princess?!"
Mars went forward and touched her arm. Sailor Mars whirled around in surprise, ready to yell at the offender, but stopped when she felt the aura surrounding him.
"Sailor Mars," he began. "I come to give you your final transformation. With this, you will be able to call upon the power of fire to destroy your enemies. Keep in mind that with this destruction there is a heavy price to pay, so use it wisely."
The others watched in horror as they saw Mars essence dwindle, before disappearing. They stepped back as Sailor Mars glowed a bright red, and they realized what had happened. Mars had literally given this sailor senshi his power, what made him exist. When they could see her again, Sailor Mars' fuku had changed. Her skirt was now white with red and purple ribbons twisting along the hem, and she now wore white knee boots with red trim at the top. Her tiara was replaced with the symbol of Mars, and she had soft wings on her back, not unlike Eternal Sailor Moon's.
As she stopped glowing, Ami stood up, eyes open, and forehead glowing with the symbol of Mercury. He went over and touched her, leaning over to whisper in her ear. The others couldn't hear what he was saying, but whatever it was, it surprised her. Ami's eyes opened wide and she nodded with a slight jerk, blushing. Mercury put his hand upon her cheek before dropping it too his side. "I thank you, Mizuno Ami, for protecting this planet on behalf of myself. Now I give to you my power, to continue protecting this planet. With your wisdom and my strength, guide this planet back to beauty. This is your final transformation, Sailor Mercury." So saying this, Mercury gave up his 'mortal' body and became his essence, floating over to join Ami as she transformed into Sailor Mercury. Her body glowed as water swirled around her, leaving her in a modified fuku, similar to Sailor Mars'. The symbol of Mercury glowed brightly for a couple seconds more before it too stopped glowing and turned pale blue. The only change that was different in her fuku compared to Sailor Mars was that she had small wings at the ankles of her boots, and her skirt was trimmed in pale and dark blue ribbons.
Mithra stepped towards the two, who were looking at each other in wonder. "Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury, you have awakened from your slumber." He walked over to Sailor Mercury and held out his hand to the others behind him. "We have come to raise you from your slumber, and..." he stopped when a hand smacked him in the back of the head. Juno was on his right, putting her hand down.
"Don't be so pompus, brother. Since when did you ever speak like that?"
"Since," he began and paused. "Since...never," he finished sheepishly.
Sailors Mars and Mercury looked at each other again, and laughed.
Janus came over. "So, you big flirt," he said to Mithra. "Do you know these ladies? Introduce me."
Juno smacked him one as well. "And you aren't a big flirt as well, Janus?"
"Janus?" Sailor Mercury asked. "As in the god Janus?"
He nodded. "It's not like you aren't gods, well, goddesses. Don't be overwhelmed."
"Goddesses," Sailor Mars asked.
Eros came up to them and took both of their hands. "Try not to get stuck on that. The gods that look over the planets you protect have given you their power, their essence, thus making you one of the gods. I warn you now, that sometimes even the protection of a god will not keep you from harm."
Anteros went to stand by his brother. "Even we have all fallen at one point or another into harm's way."
Eros poked him in the ribs with his elbow. "Especially this rogue here."
"What about the others?" Sailor Mercury looked at the others who were laying there in eternal sleep.
"We can awaken them, but we cannot give them our protection. Only their guardian can do that," Mithra explained. He walked over to where Endymion lay and looked at the two Sailor Senshi. "This is Mamoru, isn't he?"
Both of them gasped when they saw the change in his armor. "It is, though now he is Endymion," Sailor Mars said.
Sailor Mercury nodded. "He is also Tuxedo Mask."
Anteros went over to Endymion and touched him. "Eros, please touch the one who lays by herself." Eros went and did so, knowing that the two were two parts of a whole, like his brother and himself.
The others watched in wonder as the two men closed their eyes. Soon, they were enveloped in a soft glow that spread to those they were touching. When the glow faded, the two gods sat down on the floor, exhausted. It had worked, however, and Usagi woke up, soon followed by Endymion, who changed back into Mamoru. Each looked at the room, and when they saw each other, Usagi got up and stumbled across the room. "Mamo-chan!"
Juno sniffed. "Beautiful." Janus patted her on the back, comforting her.
"As the goddess of marriage, I can see why you would think this beautiful," he said, before dropping down to a whisper, "but you are the most beautiful thing in this universe."
Juno blushed, and Mithra started to walk over to them, determined to pull those two apart. He stopped when he felt a tug behind him. He looked around, but saw no one there. Glancing back even further, he saw the four men and the two cats past Mamoru and Usagi. He walked up to the one with white hair, and reached down to touch him. When he did, he felt a shock run through him and he noticed that he began to glow.
Juno stepped forward, trying to reach Mithra when she saw him start to glow. She was almost there when the glowing stopped and he collapsed, revealing his human form. "Motoki-ni-chan!" She dropped to her knees and touched him. As she did, she started to glow as well.
Janus raced forward and knelt down beside the two, wondering what to do. He thought that he should touch him, but so far, anybody who had glowed had problems. Taking a deep breath, he reached out to touch Juno, who was fading fast.
As the glow surrounding the three faded, another started behind the group. The group that had just left Uranus had landed, with Venus and Minerva arguing. Their argument halted when they saw the human forms of Mithra, Juno, and Janus in a heap next to four men and two cats.
"Janus," yelled Minerva. She rushed over and stood next to them. "Suru." She touched her hand to his cheek and was enveloped as well in a soft glow.
Sailors Mars and Mercury were in a state of confusion. They could feel tremendous power from these people, but they were giving it to their companions. Sailor Mars had started to freak when she saw the four generals next to Endymion, but after Mamoru had been awakened, she had settled down, seeing that he was more concerned for Usagi that the four behind him. She had also noticed that Sailor Uranus was with them, and Luna and Artemis were draped over Nephrite and Jadeite. She looked over to see Sailor Mercury had gotten out her computer and was entering something in. She looked over at the guardians and went into shock. "Mercury," she hissed, pulling her attention from her computer.
Motoki, Unazumi, and two strangers were laying in a heap next to the generals, who were sitting up, and the two cats who were stretching. Nephrite stood up woozily and put his head up to his head. "Did somebody get the number of that truck?"
Jadeite looked around, trying to get his bearings. He looked down at the people at his feet in wonder. He didn't recognize them, but they felt familiar to him. He looked over and saw Kunzite and Zoicite standing up and looking over at a bunch of people across the room. As he searched, he saw Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars looking back at him. He jumped up and hurried over to them, kneeling in front of Sailor Mars. "Please forgive me, Sailor Senshi," he said softly.
The two sailors looked bewildered, and Venus went over to them. "Rise, brave warrior. They are your equals, so stand tall before them," she said. She put her hand under his chin to look into his eyes and smiled down at him. He returned her smile as he stood.
"Is he a god as well?" Sailor Mercury looked at Venus, who was startled.
"A god? You mean..." she broke off and looked over those that had yet to awaken. As she saw Minako laying there, she sighed. "I knew that this day would come, but I didn't think that I would be so unprepared."
She walked over to Minako and bent down, touching one finger to her forehead. The symbol of Venus glowed softly, and the goddess sighed. She looked up and saw her sons looking at her. She smiled sadly, then looked down at her champion.
Eros and Anteros tried to stand and get to their mother when they saw that smile. They realized that she was going to give her power to this young woman. "No," they shouted, almost in unison. "Mother!"
As those who were awaked watched, Venus woke up the senshi that held her power. Closing her eyes, she let herself free from the body that she had created and drifted over and into Minako. Minako glowed softly in a pale orange light, when there was a sudden burst of energy about her, and she was cloaked in her new fuku, the skirt trimmed in yellow and orange.
She stepped forward to reach Sailor Mercury, and there was a bright blast of light.
"We're here," Jupiter boasted.
******
Demeter looked over and saw Ceres standing by herself, staring at something across the room. Looking over at the same place, she saw four men in varying uniforms standing behind Mamoru and Usagi, with four people in a heap in front of them. Mamoru and Usagi were looking at the four in the heap as well.
"Where's Saturn," asked Uranus, as he searched for his senshi.
There was no answer to his question and he looked over at Jupiter and Pluto. They were shaking their heads.
"His castle was in ruins," Jupiter began. "It was covered in the dust of Alectos."
Neptune gasped. "What?!"
"This is bad," Uranus said. Finally spotting his senshi in the back of the room, he went forward. Before reaching her, however, he stopped before the four still laying in a heap. As he bent down, Neptune came over to him and both looked at the group.
"They'll wake up soon," Neptune said. He then went over to where Michiru lay in the middle of the senshi. He lifted her out of the group without physically touching her, sheathing her in a circle of water. As she transformed into her fuku, she opened her eyes. Knowing that it was the guardian of the same planet that she protected, she looked down. He smiled up at her and brought her down before him.
He looked back at Uranus, who had lifted Sailor Uranus up and held her in his arms. Turning back to Sailor Neptune he spoke just soft enough so only she could hear. "My dear, I give to you my power. With this power, I send to you my love as well, for I know that you will protect it well." He took her hand and led her over to Uranus and linked her hand with Sailor Uranus'. Both of the gods linked their hands as well. "Uranus and Neptune have been linked throughout history, and will continue to do so. Sailor Uranus, guard the sky against evils that threaten it. Sailor Neptune, guide the sea through the storms that may arise. Together, the sky and sea form a whole, like the two of you do, and the two of us. Protect each other, and peace will reign." As they finished speaking, the two gods disapaited into thin air. The two senshi glowed, and their fukus changed into those not unlike Sailors Mars, Mercury, and Venus.
Sailor Neptune held a long staff in her right hand with three tines on top. She searched for her mirror, but couldn't find it. "My mirror," she cried.
"You don't need it anymore," Pluto said, walking over to the two. "The mirror really belongs to Venus, and she has joined with her champion." He nodded towards Sailor Venus, who was looking a little bewildered at everything. In her hand was a golden mirror formed in the symbol of Venus[1]. He glanced down at the group still locked in eternal sleep. "My time has come," he said softly. He looked up at Jupiter as he came over. "Well, old friend, I guess we'll have to play that game later."
Jupiter nodded. He walked over to Makoto and touched her forehead, lighting up his symbol. "My child," he whispered. "It is time to awaken as the protector of Jupiter."
Makoto looked up into sad green eyes, so similar to hers. A tear formed in her eyes as she realized who was before her. "Jupiter," she breathed.
He shook his head. "Don't worry, my child. I have come to give to you your final transformation. With this goes my hope for all of humanity. May you use this power well, for with it goes the power to destroy. Guide humanity towards peace and may you live well." He kissed her forehead and they were engulfed in lightening.
The lightening faded, revealing Sailor Jupiter in her new fuku, holding onto a staff in the shape of lightening. "Jupiter," she said in a sad, soft voice, looking at the ground. Raising her head, she saw the other Sailor Senshi starting to gather around Usagi and Mamoru, who had been silently watching the recent events. She went forward and joined the group, standing next to Nephrite, who smiled shyly at her.
All of them looked at Pluto, who stood still. He was looking at the three who were still in eternal sleep. 'This beautiful child,' he thought sadly. 'This beautiful child is my champion, and I must give her the power to destroy the universe. Such a one should reign over life, not death as I have since the beginning of Olympus. Hades is not a place for her.' Knowing he couldn't change this, he bent down and patted Hotaru on the cheek, surprising the others.
Demeter, Vesta, and Ceres stood in their corner, wondering what to do. When they saw Pluto reach for Hotaru, they knew what was going on. Looking up, they saw the confusion on the others' faces, for they couldn't know that Pluto was actually the god of death, not Saturn. Somehow the senshi for the two planets had been mixed up when the great guardians had laid to rest.
Demeter walked over to Sailor Mercury, who had her computer out, but wasn't doing anything with it. "Mercury," she said. "Is this a puzzle to you?"
A nod was her reply.
"Pluto is the god of death," Vesta said, coming over to the group. "It is he that rules death, and that is Sailor Saturn's power, is it not?"
Usagi nodded her head slightly, still a little confused by these new people. "Who are you," she asked a little timidly.
"Friends," answered Ceres. He joined the group and turned back to Pluto and Hotaru as darkness flowed around them. Out of the darkness there was a brilliant flash of purple light, breaking up the darkness. Left behind was Sailor Saturn in her final transformation. Her glaive was a little different from before, for now it had a circle in the handle, just below the blade at eye level. They noticed that she had grown as well, to the age of the others.
Walking over to her princess, she bowed slightly. "We must leave this place, Princess. There are enemies approaching."
There was a moan from the pile in front of them. Motoki sat up, clutching his head. "Remind me not to do that again."
The other three started to move, pushing Motoki back down on the ground.
"Itai!"
"Sheesh, Suru, you didn't have to push him that hard to stand up," yelled Unazumi, glaring at the man with long black hair.
The woman with the braid stood up, and held out a hand for Motoki. Helping him up, she turned to the others who were looking at them with surprise. "We have to get out of here, now." So saying, there was a bright light and she was gone, along with Setsuna and Shingo.
This woke up Demeter, Vesta, and Ceres, and they were gone as well, taking the generals, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Venus. Luna and Artemis blinked, and jumped up onto Sailor Jupiter's and Sailor Mars' shoulders. They were there for a couple of seconds before all four had disappeared with the strange young man.
Unazumi smiled. She went over to Usagi, who was looking frightened at her friends who had disappeared, and Mamoru, who was trying to comfort her. "Don't worry, Usagi-chan," she said. There was a flash of light and they were gone.
Motoki looked at Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune and sighed. "Ladies," he began. "I believe that I am your ride." The two looked surprised and they felt an arm wrap around their waists and there was a blinding flash. Eros and Anteros looked at each other, and then Sailor Saturn. Staring at each other, Eros won the contest and grabbed Saturn, leaving Anteros to look about the empty room before he left as well.
There was an echo as the door opened and Beryl walked into the room. She had her head turned to face the person she was talking to, and didn't notice that her 'art' had vanished. She turned to look at her collection, and was stunned to find it missing.
"NNNNNOOOOOOO!"
******
Sailor Saturn woke up to find herself in a stranger's arms. She glanced up at the stranger's face and found him smiling. His face looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. She felt as if she had stepped into a movie in the middle of the plot.
"Don't worry, Saturn," he said. "We are almost there." As he said this, they landed softly next to the others.
Demeter looked over to find Mercury typing on her computer. "You don't need this right now," she said as she reached over to shut the computer off. Mercury looked up at her, finding the goddess smiling at her. Blushing, Mercury looked over at Nephrite and Jadeite. Sliding her eyes from them, she saw her princess on the ground.
Uranus and Neptune woke up in Mithra's arms and hurried over to their princess, who held Shingo's head on her lap. Jupiter and Mars were a little dazed as they let the cats down on to the ground. Venus stood next to Vesta, Kunzite, and Zoicite, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Shingo," she sobbed quietly. Mamoru sat beside her holding one of her hands in both of his.
Ceres came up to the three and said something that Uranus and Neptune couldn't hear. Usagi and Mamoru looked up at her with puzzled expressions on their faces for a second, before it was replaced by joy on Usagi's and calm on Mamoru's.
Ceres straightened and went over to Demeter and Vesta as the senshi gathered around Usagi, Mamoru, and Shingo. "It's time." She then went over to Minerva, who still looked a little shaky from earlier. "Don't use more energy than you need to, Minerva," she said softly.
Minerva looked up into the bold, blue eyes and relaxed. "I will if you will," she countered. Nodding her head, Ceres looked over at Usagi, who nodded her head.
The senshi watched in amazement as the ThreeLights, Motoki, Unazumi, and the man and woman from before stood in front of them.
"Seiya!" yelled Sailor Jupiter.
"Taiki," Sailor Mercury said shyly, while Mars shouted his name.
"Yaten!" Sailor Venus smiled broadly, before glomping onto him. She detransformed happily, and held on for all she was worth.
"Aino-san," he yelled at her. "Get off of me!"
She shook her head vigorously as she pulled him off to the side. Looking around to see none of the others had followed them, she put on a serious face. "Yaten," she said. "What's happening? I don't understand all of this. Why weren't you in your Sailor Starlight fuku?"
Yaten looked down at the ground. "Because I'm not a Starlight anymore."
Minako shouted loudly before Yaten put his hand over her mouth. Both looked at the others, who were staring, before walking further away.
"Minako, sometimes something happens for a reason," he began. He went on to tell her about what had happened up until the point that Venus had given her her power.
"So, I really am the Ai no Megami," she wanted to know. "And you are a goddess as well?"
He nodded.
"So how come you still have the body of Yaten?"
He shrugged. "I really don't know."
"Well," she said. "I guess that it makes it easier to do this." Yaten looked bewildered for a second as he felt lips press against his in a soft kiss. He stepped back as Minako pulled away.
She put a hand to her lips and started to blush. She looked at Yaten, ready to apologize when he gave her a kiss in return. "I'm sorry," he said when he pulled away. "I'm sorry for not believing in you before. When I saw you die for me battling Galaxia, I realized that we should have fought together..."
He stopped as she put a finger to his lips. "Shh," she gently said. "It's all in the past, and it will stay there, for as long as there is an ai no megami, there is always forgiveness." She said the last shouting and pointed her hand up to the sky.
Yaten sighed and put a hand to his head. 'I knew it wouldn't be too long before she did this.'
******
Seiya looked over at the woman beside him. She looked different from before, her golden eyes a little softer. "What is your human name," he asked softly.
"Itsumono Kashikoi," she shyly said, refusing to meet his eyes. She could see in her memories almost kissing him as Ceres. He was handsome, and her brain couldn't get past the difference between him and Ceres, who was beautiful in her own right.
"Kashikoi," he said, putting his hand underneath her chin. "Don't be so embarrassed. It was not your fault at what almost happened." He stopped as Jupiter and Mars came over. He walked forward as the two changed back into Makoto and Rei, but he could have sworn he heard Kashikoi speak softly, "I wish it had happened, Ceres."
Seiya shook his head. 'Wishful thinking,' he thought as he greeted to two in front of him. The three walked back towards Usagi and Mamoru. He saw Mamoru watching him with a careful expression on his face, which relaxed when Usagi put her hand on his arm. Sighing mentally, Seiya looked over his shoulder to see Kashikoi standing where he had left her, staring at the ground.
Rei and Makoto were oblivious to his mental wandering and hurried over to Usagi, pulling Seiya between them. Rei knelt down in front of Usagi and touched her hand to Shingo's forehead. "Daijobu, Usagi. I'm sure he'll be all right."
Makoto pulled Seiya down next to Rei. "So, what have you been up to?"
Usagi laid a hand on Makoto, stopping her in her tracks. "Mako-chan, don't ask so many questions. I believe there are others that must help tell the story." She looked around to see the others roaming around. As she watched, she saw Minako and Yaten walk back close to each other, the hands touching slightly.
Saturn and Eros were sitting next to Setsuna when Kashikoi came over. "Eros," she said gently. "You should go talk to Anteros." He looked up at her before nodding and heading over to his brother who stood separate from the others.
Kashikoi looked down at Saturn before sitting next to her. "I believe that it's safe now, Saturn," she said. She took her hand and put it on top of Saturn's and Setsuna's in a comforting way.
Saturn nodded and changed back into Hotaru. "Will Setsuna-mama wake up?"
Kashikoi nodded. "She will. She'll wake up when the time is right."
Hotaru laughed lightly trying to hold back tears. "You sound just like her."
"She gives good lessons on being mysterious," she whispered. "My name is Kashikoi, by the way."
"Nice to meet you," Hotaru said, before looking at Setsuna again. She raised her head and glanced at Usagi and Shingo. "Shingo will be okay, right?"
Kashikoi put her hand on Hotaru's shoulder. "Yes, he will. One day that young man will surprise us all."
She looked across the group and saw Suru talking with Unazumi. Next to them Motoki fumed silently. Laughing, she pointed this out to Hotaru. Both giggled as they turned their attention to the group, keeping their hands together with Setsuna's. "Let's people watch," Kashikoi whispered. Hotaru agreed with a nod.
******
[1] The symbol of Venus is actually that of a hand mirror itself. I know that this was a little redundant, but I needed to emphasize it a little. For more information on the symbols, please see the page I put up on it. It's a collection of history that I learned in Latin class.