The Return
Chapter 7: Stories
by Richan
Taiki watched Ami out of the corner of his eye. Both of them were a little embarrassed about what was happening, but neither knew what to say to each other. He could see Nephrite and Jadeite watching them with amused expressions and he glared at them. The two men stifled laughter and went to talk to Kunzite and Zoicite.
Ami knew that Taiki was looking at her. Keeping her eyes on the ground, she opened her mouth to say something, but for once couldn't think of anything intelligent. "Um..." she began and closed her mouth as Taiki started to talk.
Both glanced at each other as they realized they had spoken at the same time. They blushed and Taiki took a hold of Ami's right hand. Bringing it up, he placed a soft kiss on the back before putting it back down at her side.
Ami raised her hand and looked at it before looking Taiki again. A soft blush on her cheeks, she smiled at him. "Taiki-san," she said.
"Mizuno-san," he said.
"Um..." Ami began again. "For once I can't think of anything."
"Neither can I," Taiki agreed. Looking at each other, they burst out laughing at this situation they were in. "Maybe we can find somebody to talk for us," he said, indicating that they should join the others.
Ami nodded, happy that this small hurdle was over with. As they walked over to join Usagi and the others, she glanced up at Taiki and sighed. 'What is this feeling? Why am I feeling this way,' she wondered, touching her heart.
******
Eros sat next to his brother, who was brooding quietly. He had been here for ten minutes and Anteros had yet to say a word. Sighing, Eros began to brood as well. He didn't know what to say that would help Anteros, or himself for that matter. He looked over to where Minako was coming back to the group. His mother had given her power to that girl. Watching her and the boy, he saw their hands touch each other as they tried to be subtle. He snorted, trying to keep in his laughter when he felt more than saw Anteros' shoulders shake.
Looking at his brother, he saw that he was trying to contain his laughter as well. Anteros glanced up to find Eros looking as if he wanted to explode. Bursting out in laughter, Anteros said, "I see our mother's irrepressible spirit is hard at work."
Eros laughed. "As hard a work as she ever did."
Their laughter died slowly and Eros looked over at Kashikoi. "She wanted me to come over here and talk, and now I see why."
Anteros glanced at him. "What?"
"Together we form a whole, right?" Eros asked.
He nodded.
"And we were separated to make two people?"
Anteros nodded again. He didn't quite understand where Eros was going with this.
"We have two halves that at some point must become one," Eros said.
He looked at his brother in shock. "So we must become one? What will happen then?"
Eros sighed. "I don't know, brother. I don't know."
******
The old man had wandered for many years. He should have been dead long ago, but something was keeping him alive. He had searched all over the world looking for the person that held the crystal that guarded this planet. Gold in color, he knew that it was powerful in the right hands.
As he walked to the east, he had come upon a large body of water. The sea was rough, and he was wondering how he would be able to cross it. He had the feeling that what he was seeking lay across the water. Setting up for the night, he went in search of fuel. He found some brush that would last long enough to cook his dinner. As he made his way back to camp, he saw a young man off in the distance, watching him. He raised his hand and continued on to camp. As he cooked dinner, he felt like he was being watched. Looking up, he saw the same young man watching.
The old man motioned for him to come closer, and when he walked into the light of the fire, the old man saw that he was starving. Reaching into his sack, he pulled out the other bowl and filled it. Holding it out, he waited for the young man to take it. Hesitating, the young man grabbed it after a couple seconds of internal debate. Not bothering with the spoon, he shoveled the food in with his hands, trying to get all the food in him as quick as he could.
"Slow down, young man," the old man said. "You will make yourself sick if you eat that fast."
The young man looked at him, and tried to slow down. A couple of minutes passed and he handed the bowl back clean. The old man chuckled as he refilled it and handed it back.
"Hungry?"
The young man nodded as he ate. He cleaned the bowl once more and shook his head when the old man pointed at the food.
"Thank you, sir," he said in a quiet voice. "It has been many days since I've last eaten. How can I ever thank you."
The old man waved away the thanks. "The only thanks I'd like it to know how to cross that sea there."
"It's difficult," the young man said. "But I can get you over there."
"Then that will be fine. What's your name, young man?"
He laughed. "I haven't been called young man in a long time. My name is Hi[1], and yours is...?"
The old man shook his head. "I haven't one."
"Ah," Hi said. "You remind me of another who had no name, yet many names. But what can I call you, though."
"Well, just call me oji-san," the old man said. "That will work just as well as anything I give you."
"We'll leave at dawn tomorrow, if that's alright with you," Hi said.
The old man nodded. "Dawn."
******
Everybody had gathered around Usagi, who still held Shingo tightly. They had brought Setsuna over to the shelter that they had made and she lay over in a corner, Hotaru still clutching her hand. The others listened while Suru and Kashikoi explained the events that led up to the present.
"So," Haruka said. "If you had found the others, this would never have happened."
Suru shook his head. "That's not the way it works. We only awoke a couple of days before we found Motoki and Unazumi. The immense feeling of evil spreading over the planet was what triggered our memories of Olympus."
Kashikoi was nodding her head. "We didn't even realize what our true forms were. We had known each other before that, but neither of us had any idea of what was in store for us."
She muttered under her breath, "Still don't."
Seiya looked over at her, not noticing that Usagi and Mamoru were watching him. "We met up with the four of them on the moon, just as Beryl gained control, and by that time, it was too late to help until we woke up the guardians."
Yaten and Taiki nodded. "Princess Kakyuu sent us as soon as I felt something bad happen," Yaten said. He touched his heart with one hand. Minako grabbed the other and held it.
"She knew that something had happened," Taiki said. "When we left, she said that she would be alright, and Yaten said that she had new senshi to protect her as we flew through space."
Usagi was concerned for her new friends. She turned to Mamoru to see a thoughtful look on his face. "Mamo-chan?"
"I was thinking that we have to find Saturn, so that he can wake up Setsuna."
Suru nodded. "We have to find him soon. From what they found on Saturn, it can only mean its a matter of time before the daughters of the night show up. Beryl is not the one who is really in control."
The senshi and generals were shocked.
"How do you know this," Rei asked.
"Because," Kashikoi said, "Somebody has given her the power of a god."
There was a brief silence before everybody started talking. Each wondered why somebody had given this power to Beryl, essentially raising her from the dead.
Usagi looked at Shingo, remembering what the others had said about his ability to move metal. 'I wonder if he was meant to fight with us, but was too young,' she thought. Sighing, she looked over at Setsuna, and smiled tiredly at Hotaru. 'Hopefully things will look better in the morning.'
******
The old man and Hi battled the sea. They had left the shore at dawn in Hi's small boat, just large enough for the two of them. Tiring, they struggled on through the afternoon. As the sun set, they were exhausted. Almost asleep, Hi looked up at the horizon one last time, hoping that the horizon would show land.
Amazingly, there was land in the distance. He signaled to the old man, renewed by the sight.
Landing, they headed inland. Neither of them realized that they had been off-course, and had gone much farther north than they thought. The old man followed his intincts and headed off to his left. Hi went after him, making sure that the old man got to where he was going.
Both of them soon came upon a shelter in the middle of a valley. There was a stream nearby, and a young woman sitting with her feet in it. At the sounds of the old man and Hi coming towards her, she raised her head and "eeped." She stood up and went to them, holding out her hand to the old man.
"We have been waiting for you, ji-san," she said, tossing her braid behind her shoulder. She looked at the younger man, and gasped. "For you as well. What a package deal!"
The two men looked at each other confused as the young woman headed towards the shelter. "They're here," she shouted. "Suru, they're here!"
A young man with long black hair came out of the shelter, followed by a woman with long blond ponytails and a man with black hair tied at his nape.
"Kashikoi, who's here," the first asked.
Kashikoi bent over to catch her breath. "Saturn's here, and he brought somebody else." She looked over at the young man walking towards them with the older man. "Vulcan."
"Who? Who'd you say," he asked.
"Vulcan," Seiya said. "I see." He looked over at Usagi, who was watching the men approach. He glanced back into the shelter, trying to catch Mamoru's eye. Finally doing so, he motioned for him to come to the front.
Hi and the old man stopped in the front of the shelter. As they did so, Mamoru came to the front as well. The old man's eyes lit up when he saw the newcomer.
"I found you," he said with a sigh of relief.
The others looked at him as if he were crazy.
"Elios said that I would find you if I searched," he continued.
"Elios," Mamoru whispered, looking at the old man again.
Kashikoi went over and put her hand on the old man's arm. "You are Saturn, aren't you." She didn't ask, but stated it.
The old man looked at the young woman again. "I should have known. Only Minerva could see through my disguises."
Kashikoi beamed at the old man before turning to the young man. "Sheesh, Vulcan, don't look so shocked."
"Who are you talking to," Hi asked.
She just winked at him and turned to Saturn, holding on to his arm.
As she talked to the two men, Usagi leaned towards Suru. "How in the world could she tell who they were?"
"It's a knack she has. Even before we found out who we really were she was able to see past any disguise. She knew you were Sailor Moon, but she couldn't convince me," he said laughing.
The other three looked at Kashikoi as she chatted with Saturn. She walked him and Hi into the shelter, waiting for Seiya, Usagi, and Mamoru to follow. Once she was in the middle, she got everybody's attention. "Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, I would like to welcome the one, the only, the greatest god to ever play horsey--Saturn."
"Girl," the old man said. "You didn't have to say that."
Kashikoi just beamed back at him with no remorse. "It's true, so why shouldn't I say it?"
Saturn sighed and looked around the room. He stopped when he saw Setsuna in a corner, with Hotaru by her side. "First, there is somebody I must awaken, then I can tell you something." He went over to the senshi of time and touched her forehead lightly. The symbol of Pluto flashed once and disappeared.
Setsuna opened her eyes and found herself looking at Saturn. Blinking, she sat up and found everyone else staring at them, almost waiting for something to happen.
Saturn laughed. "Expected me to disappear, did you?"
Everyone heads, except Setsuna's and Kashikoi's, bobbed up and down a couple of times. Kashikoi shook her head and dragged him back into the middle, leaving Setsuna to get her bearings after being almost strangled by Hotaru's hug.
The others watched Kashikoi and Saturn chatting some more, oblivious to them. "How...?" Rei asked.
Suru shook his head. "Don't ask. Who knows how her brain works."
"I heard that." Everybody looked up to see Kashikoi breathing over Suru. "As my longest and best friend, I want you to take that back," she demanded.
Suru laughed nervously and put a hand behind his head. "Uh...sorry," he mumbled.
"Minerva," Saturn said softly.
She turned around sheepishly. "Yes?"
He sighed, and she came up to him and hugged him. "I'm sorry," she whispered in his ear.
By this time Setsuna had fully awakened. And, removing Hotaru forcefully from her, she walked to the center. "I believe that you have some answers to some questions that I have," she said to Saturn.
He nodded, looking over at Hi. "Young man, please sit next to this young man, but don't touch him. You have a right to know what will happen when it is time for you to do so."
Hi looked at him questioningly, but did as he was bade.
Saturn looked at Kashikoi and Setsuna, the two people he could never hide from, one because she was like a daughter, the other because she held his power. Smiling at them, he bade them sit as well with the others.
Seiya glanced at Kashikoi as she sat next to him with a smile on her face. "Care to explain," he asked.
She looked at him, realizing how goofy she had been acting. Blushing lightly, she said, "On Olympus, Saturn would take me out when I was younger. I wanted to adopt him as my father for real, but Jupiter wouldn't let me. I do wish he had been my father here on Earth," she said with a sigh.
Seiya patted her hand a couple of times. "If he is able to stay with us, he probably could be your father once more." She smiled up at him, happy that he understood. She held his hand tighter and looked toward Saturn.
Makoto looked across the circle at Seiya. She saw him talking softly with Kashikoi and sighed. Jadeite heard this and asked what the matter was. Shaking her head, she turned to watch Saturn. Jadeite looked at her thoughtfully before turning his attention to the god in the middle of the shelter.
"I had best begin with these two young men here," Saturn began, pointing at Hi and Shingo. "For these two boys are two halves of the same whole."
Hi looked as if he were a deer in the headlights, and Usagi gasped.
"What...?"
Saturn looked at Usagi. "My dear, don't worry. I have searched the planet for a thousand years for the man next to you," he said, nodding at Mamoru. "But in doing so, I have come upon the final piece of the puzzle to the oracle that was given so long ago."
Setsuna rose and crossed over to Saturn. "I believe it best if you told the oracle, Saturn."
He looked at her for a moment. "Ah yes, I do believe I should."
Saturn looked at the group before him, seeing familiar auras with new faces. All of them here were gods and goddesses either in the past or the present.
"The oracle began with a great fight between a young woman and man against a terrible evil. In fighting with it, the young couple and all their allies were put under eternal sleep..."
******
The oracle whispered the story to its listener.
"In such hard times as these,
Those in need are found helpless.
Those that seek the darkness,
Are powerful yet unable to control it.
Great warriors search for the keys
That unlock the door to peace.
In that time many years pass,
Leaving those left behind in misery.
Out of these few left,
One stands alone, helping others.
Crossing the stormy sea,
He comes across the golden one.
The hammer will reunite,
Revealing the strength that lives.
Awakening the power within,
The Earth shall be reborn.
The darkness shudders in the light,
And heaves towards the sun.
As it flies through space,
It is hit with a great force.
Wielding their many weapons of peace,
The great warriors battle.
The silver couple shall lead the way,
The faithful close behind.
New allies strengthen them,
Seeking for the end of evil.
The evil seethes in the darkness,
Waiting for its chance to strike.
Great guardians shall rise from sleep,
To sleep once more 'til the day arrives
In which their awesome power
Stands up to the great evil.
Awakening within, the power grows,
Building great force.
Hitting the evil, it is weakened,
But doesn't destroy.
Guided by the hand of Diana,
Guarded by the chariot of Apollo,
Only then can the warriors
Defeat this evil, creating peace.
The warriors must look to the sky,
The sea, the earth, the sun.
Creating harmony, the planet sings
Beginning again with great health.
Rejoicing, the warriors must part,
Some stay to continue the peace.
The others leave for places
That evil still presides over.
The oracle stopped, as its listener sighed. "Thank you for this guidance," the listener said. "I will heed this advice, searching for the answer to this."
******
Saturn looked over the group as he finished telling the oracle. His eyes moved over each person to see their reaction. His senshi looked thoughtful, but wasn't surprised by it. The one with the long blond pigtails, Usagi, was deep in thought, not really seeing the young man next to her. His pretend daughter was also in thought, but she certainly wasn't concentrating on the story. It looked like she was watching the young man next to her. 'Kashikoi,' he thought. 'We really need your mind on the matter at hand.'
She looked up at him and winked, indicating that she really was thinking about the oracle. He laughed silently for a second before moving his attention on. He soon came to Kunzite, who was staring up at him with intense eyes. Crooking his eyebrow, Saturn came over to him.
"Why do you look so?"
Kunzite shook his head. "That is so much like the story that I heard growing up. It was much embelleshed, but it followed the oracle very closely."
Next to him, Zoicite was nodding his head. "In our training, we were told the story so that we could memorize it, just in case Endymion would be the one in it." He looked across the room to where his prince sat. "And I believe that it is."
Saturn smiled slightly. "I believe that you two are smart young men. Keep your eyes open for more similarities and let the others know. There are a couple more of you that will do the same, and you will know." He turned to cross over to where Hi and Shingo were, leaving the two generals a little confused by this, until they saw Setsuna looking over at them. Going about the room, they saw Usagi watching them, worry written on her face as she glanced over at her brother.
Zoicite crooked his head at her. "She is worried about that young man."
Kunzite agreed. "Yes, but I believe that young man also holds great power like the rest of us."
Saturn crouched next to Hi. "So young man, did you understand what I told you?"
Hi shook his head. "Everything that you've said so far has gone over my head. I thought that you had no name?"
"I have no name yet many names," Saturn replied. "That is why I give no name."
"Then why did you ask me to call you oji-san?"
"Because," Setsuna came up to them saying, "Because he is the father of time itself. Therefore, he is the father of us, or at least the times we live in."
Saturn nodded. "Bluntly put, Setsuna, but it will do."
Usagi and Mamoru came over. "Saturn, please tell us what is going on with my brother and this man," she said. She looked down at Shingo with sad eyes, raising them to look at Saturn.
"When Shingo was born, his soul was kept whole. However, he must have used his powers to protect you. His powers not quite fully awakened, they split, and formed this young man."
Hi stared blankly. "I'm part...part of him?"
Saturn shook his head. "That's only partly true. You are part of him, but he is part of you. None of you realize how much time has passed since this all started." He searched their faces looking for an indication. They all shook their heads and looked at him expectantly. "Almost a thousand years has passed since Beryl took over the Earth."
By this time the others had gathered around, and the gasp heard was near deafening. "How is this possible," Ami wanted to know. She was tempted to pull out the Mercury computer to see if he was right.
"It takes time to gather gods," Eros said quietly. He stood next to his brother off to the side. "Even at the fastest that we could travel, it takes a while to get through space."
Yaten nodded. "We traveled fast as the Starlights, but even we could not travel at the speeds we could as goddesses. We couldn't tell the passage of time at those speeds."
Saturn looked down at Hi and Shingo again. "Hi, by touching this boy, you will join into one body, with the knowledge of both. You have the same personality as he does. You share the same conciousness, so do not worry about being lost. You are just the part of yourself that has been awake these thousand years."
Hi felt a touch on his hand and looked up to see Usagi watching him with tears in her eyes. "Please," she said softly. "You must join together, for I have missed both of you." He looked at the others, who had encouraging expressions on their faces. Glancing at Shingo, he took a deep breath and reached out to touch him.
There was a bright glow around the two, spreading out to envelop everybody in the shelter. It built up speed as it raced across the land, golden in color. It left behind green grass and young trees, swaying in a gentle breeze. It stopped just before the gates to Beryl's castle, leaving a small strip of bare dirt around it.
Back at the shelter, the group was amazed at what had happened. There was another collective gasp when they saw Mamoru holding on to the golden crystal.
"That's supposed to protect Elysion," Minako gasped.
The other Inner senshi nodded their heads in agreement.
"It doesn't need it anymore," Mamoru said softly. Holding onto the crystal, he turned to look for Shingo, but only found Hi. Blinking, he saw that Hi had gotten younger and his face was Shingo's.
"Shingo," Usagi sobbed, and launched herself into his arms. The young man hesitated for a second before wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Ok, people," Unazumi said. "Nothing here to see. Back up! Move it!" She ruined it by starting to laugh.
Motoki reached over to pinch her. "Good one, sis."
Makoto joined Unazumi. "Yup, nothing to see." She laughed as well, moving her hands in front of her, trying to get everybody to move.
Nobody noticed Luna and Artemis weave through their feet to reach Usagi. Luna looked up at Mamoru to find him looking at the golden crystal in wonder and awe. Rubbing against his ankles to get his attention, Luna walked a little bit away from the crowd. She jumped up into his arms to talk to him. "Mamoru-san," she began. "Daijobu. The golden crystal is yours to protect this planet. If it is up here with you, that means that Elysion can sustain itself without it."
He nodded. Concentrating, he held it in his hands. There was a gentle shine coming from it and it brightened before disappearing. Mamoru turned his hand over, looking for it, when he noticed a ring on his hand. Looking closer at it, he saw that it held the crystal within, hiding it in a similar manner as Usagi's brooch. Glancing down at Luna, he nodded again. "Thank you, Luna."
Letting her down, he walked over to Usagi and Shingo. His close-to-brother-in-law was the same age as Usagi now, almost what had happened to Hotaru. There was a hand on his shoulders, and he found that it was Nephrite. Behind him stood the other generals, all of them smiling. "You are the rightful king of the Earth like your father before you," Nephrite said. He bowed towards his king, the others following suit.
Startled, Mamoru shushed them. "I don't need this," he said to them.
Kunzite shook his head. "Very well, my king."
A sweatdrop hung off Mamoru's head as he looked at his generals.
Usagi came up with Shingo. "Mamo-chan," she sang happily. She started to say something else when there was a loud crash outside of the shelter.
Racing outside, the group found Beryl with a large troop of soldiers waiting for them. "So, the princess of the moon has awakened as well as all her groupies."
Saturn stepped forward. "What groupies," he said. "Besides, weren't you awakened as well with a bunch of groupies?"
Beryl was taken aback, while in the background Kashikoi could be heard cheering the god of time on before her mouth was shut by Suru's hands.
"You will pay for this," Beryl said menacingly. "Attack!"
******