Anata Ga Ireba. (As long as you're by my side.)
Originally titled: Ai no Senshi.
Well, here's another fic. Anyways, feel free to comment, flame, whatever.
I'd really appreciate it!
E-mail at: tomoechan@hotmail.com
This fanfic was originally title Ai No Senshi, since I started with the
title then just started typing. But, as the pages and hours wore on, it became
evident, that, in fact, the fanfic was not based around Sailor Moon Eternal,
but around Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru. Since in ways they had been seperated
from each other, I decided to retitle it Anata Ga Ireba, as long as you're by
my side. Enjoy! Sailor Moon forever!
Anata Ga Ireva.
As Long As You're By My Side
*Born of Love for all...Eternal.*
Little Hotaru looked up at the cherry blossom tree and giggled. What a
happy dream! The soldier of destructions preminitions did her little good in
this form, but one day they would reveal truths to her that would change the
way she fought in battle. Eternal...Sailor Moon.
***
"Mercury...Mars....Jupiter....Venus..." Neo Queen lay on her death bed.
And no one knew why. Each of her guardian soldiers kelt down before her and
held her hand.
"Queen... you can get better, we know you can..."
"Mars... I can't. I feel so weak..." Mars stood up and shouted at one of
the doctors.
"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!" she grabbed one by the collor. Mercury stood
up, and out her hadn on Mars' shoulder. Mars sighed wearily and put the
attendnant down. "Gomen... I was just..."
"We all feel the same way, Mars."
"I know... I'm sorry..." Neo Queen glanced over.
"Perhaps.... the locket...."
"Neo Queen! Do you mean it...." Mercury closed her eyes in thought.
"It doesn't make sense. She still had the ginzhuishou. The Moon Eternal
locket was destroyed so long ago... I doubt it would have any effect..."
"The ginzhuishou keeps us alive. Why isn't it working on the Queen?"
"The Queen stayed younger than any of us... maybe she's right. Maybe it
wasn't the crystal... but still..."
***
"Hotaru!" Setsuna called up the stairs.
"Coming Setsuna-mama!" Hotaru raced down the stairs.
"It's so peaceful," Haruka said, "Ever since we defeated Galaxia..."
"Bored?" Michiru asked playfully.
"Depends. What are you doing later?" The two smiled. Setsuna almost
groaned, but resisted. It was good to see them alive again...
"Hotaru, I need to talk to you privately."
"Sure!"
***
"So, Setsuna. What are you doing home so soon?"
"I've risked a paradox.... I'm from furthur in the time line, Hotaru.
Usually it wouldn't matter, I could just wait... but time IS of the essence....
if Neo-Queen dies.... her starseed of the heart would shatter.... and so will
Crystal Tokyo, us along with it."
"You.. you're from the future? Aren't you comprimising it by telling me
this?"
"I'm afraid not, Hotaru."
"Why? Won't my actions change anything?"
"For the better, if you act now... but that won't change the fact that
you won't..."
"That I won't what?"
"You won't be there, in the future, Sailor Saturn." Hotaru let out a
small gasp.
"But... how's that possible? I should be reborn..."
"No. You're not dead, Hotaru. But if I tell you what happens, then yes, I
would comprimise the future."
"A...alright, Setsuna. What do you need from me?"
"Information."
***
"Serenity..." Endymion cried. His eyes had rings under them. Unlike the
other senshi, he had stayed in her room for the last three days, not sleeping
for more than an hour at a time. He didn't want to be awake when...when...
"Serenity... please get better..."
***
Outside the Crystal Palace in Crystal Tokyo, the earth began to shake.
The four guardian senshi ran outside and took their posts. Mercury had warned
them that the Queen's sickness would probably have a direct effect on the land.
Whatever was happening, it had begun.
***
"I need to know about why Neo Queen Serenity had become ill."
"I don't know, Setsuna. I can't see that far into the future."
"I know."
"I could try healing her, but..."
"But you'd have to go into the future. We can't do that." Hotaru sighed.
"Okay. You need to know why Serenity's ill... why do you expect me to
know, Pluto? Is there something you're not telling me?"
"I was hoping that you wouldn't require to much information... Eternal
Sailor Moon will be Usagi's last henshin before she becomes Neo-Queen. Even
when she became Neo-Queen, she kept the ginzhuishou in that locket. Years
later, it was stolen by a band of theives."
"Theives," Hotaru said, unbelieving.
"From the Black Moon. That's why Neo-Queen didn't fight in henshin."
"Ah."
"Anyways, Neo-Queen's locket is stolen. A few years later, she's dying.
No signs of illness. Just a... ceasing of existance, in a way."
"So... they stole the ginzhuishou, in the locket. That could explain
it..."
"No. Serenity was using the ginzhuishou when the locket was stolen."
"Tell me... what senshi are in the future?"
"I can't..."
"I'm not there. A problem... what about Haruka and Michiru?"
"They left along time ago for their planets. No one's heard from them
since."
"So... not everyone's there..."
***
"Born of Love for all.... Eternal."
***
Hotaru's eyes glazed over. Setsuna smiled slightly. The Orb had told her
the truth. Hotaru knew something about the illness!
"My dream..."
"What dream?"
"The Dream... of Sailor Moon.... Eternal..."
"Hotaru!!! What was important about Eternal Sailor Moon?!"
"Hotaru!"
"Hotaru!" Haruka and Michiru ran out of the house.
"Setsuna! Why didn't you call for us?! We shoudl get her inside!"
"Haruka, Michiru. We must let her speak, I'm afraid. I'm not able to
explain, but you should understand..."
"LISTEN!" Haruka screamed. Setsuna jolted, taken back. "This is our
DAUGHTER!!! We will NOT let you play your holier-than-thou act forever,
Setsuna. We know you know what you're doing... but not at the cost of Hotaru!"
Michiru touched Haruka's shoulder.
"A normal future, remember? Yaksuko. A promise."
"I remeber... but Michiru, that was long ago for me."
"That doesn't change anything."
"Perhaps not. But the future, it changes. If not the past, then the
future. I need Saturn's help. She was the first person to know about Moon's
Eternal henshin..." Setsuna realised she had said too much. "Forgive me..."
Holding Hotaru, paralyzed, in her arms, she shimmered in red and faded before
Haruka and Michiru's eyes.
"MATTE!" Haruka yelled as Setsuna began to dissapear, "MATTE!!!"
"Gomen, minna." Setsuna thought to herself as she and the still paralyzed
Hotaru appeared at the Gates of Time. Hotaru seemed better now.
"Eternal..."
"Yes, we got through that, Hotaru. Why is she ill?"
"B-Born of Love....For ALL...."
"Eternal."
***
"Minna..." Mercury walked forwards, crying. Venus ran forward and
clutched her shoulders.
"Mercury!" she said as she shook her, "Mercury!"
"Usagi-chan... she's faded even more."
"We'll get help. We've got to!" Mars cried.
"Rei-chan... she's going to die."
***
"For all.. Of Everyone's love!" Setsuna tried to fit the pieces together.
`All the powers of the Inner and Outer Senshi were combined in Sailor
Moon's locket, and, in a sense, Sailor Moon. If that locket were destroyed...'
`Or corrupted! Wiseman... the black crystal!'
`Without the power... wihtout everyone needing Sailor Moon, without the
love for all, of all....'
`Sailor Moon began to fade.'
`Just as we need her and her Star Seed to exist as we are...'
`So does she need us.'
***
"Haruka..." Neptune murmured quietly, lying beside her lover.
"Neptune, you haven't called me that in..." Neptune put her finger to
Haruka's lips.
"It doesn't matter." She got up and dressed, not bothering to make Haruka
leave the room.
"What do you want to do today?"
"Perhaps the beach... home is so much nicer than Crystal Tokyo..." she
said, changing topics abruptly.
"Do you miss them?"
"Of course. Don't you?"
"Hai. But there was no danger, Michiru. They didn't need us. But I still
need you..."
"I think we're fine. We live in palaces, with each other. And we remain
Outer Guardians of the solar system."
"True." Haruka looked at the bedside table, which had a clustered
assortment of frames on it. Haruka picked up the group photo.
"It seems like it's been so long, doesn't it?" Michiru asked, drying her
face.
"Yes..." Haruka put her finger on each of her friends, thinking about
each one. She eneded up on Usagi. "Little Odango-chan. All grown up, but still
the same little Odango..." her finger scrolled over to Pluto, then pointed to
Michiru. "Where do you think Setsuna is these days?"
"I don't really know. It's been so long since she visited us."
"Hmm." Haruka's finger finally landed on Hotaru. She began to cry.
Michiru sat down beside her, indenting the bed.
"Haruka..."
"How could she..." she whispered hoarsly. Michiru took her hands into her
own.
"Hotaru couldn't live in Crystal Tokyo the same way we couldn't."
"She could have came and lived with us! She was like our daughter, and
she abandoned us..."
"Ara, Haruka. All children grow up and move away."
"I know..."
"Haruka, Saturn made her choice. She's returned to her sleep."
"Is it so much... to have wanted to spare her of her fate? That icy
stare..."
"Haruka..."
"I miss them all, Michiru. More than I thought she would." she suddenly
smiled and looked down at Michiru's hands. "You know, Michiru,"
"Hm?"
"I've always loved your hands, too."
***
"Born of love for all... when she lost her compact, she lost the powers
granted to her by the other senshi. But, perhaps it is not power. Love for
all... was there an arguement? Does Neo-Queen Serenity no longer love someone?
But, that is impossible. Neo-Queen has never had an arguement with the senshi.
I know that..."
"So why is this happening?"
***
Pluto appeared before Endymion.
"Endymion-sama,"
"Pluto."
"I need to see the Queen's Star Seed."
"Impossible. It could make her take a turn for the worse..."
"I'm afraid there really is not choice." Pluto lifted up the garnet orb
and drew the star seed out of the Queen, who quivered. The star seed shattered
before her.
"Serenity!" Endmyion shook her, then gave a look of confusion to Pluto.
"The ginzhuishou..."
"It's fine..." Indeed, the crystal was reforming.
"But something's wrong..." King Endymion pointed to four missing points
on the crystals.
"You're right..." One point began reappearing, and Pluto finally pieced
it together. She moved her finger to each of the missing points.
"Saturn..." the next points, "Uranus, Neptune..." the to the newly
appeared one, "Pluto." Endymion looked up at her.
"What does it mean?"
"It means we need the Moon Eternal Compact back, an object symbolising
the joined powers, or..."
"Or?"
"Or we bring Uranus, Neptune and Saturn back to the palace."
***
Setsuna sat out on the poarch of Haruka and Michiru's house. She had
returned Hotaru to them, but now was faced with the task of explaining herself,
and asking for a favour.
"Neo Queen is dying."
*nod*
"Hotaru was the first to know about the Moon Eternal compact, so you had
to come a kidnap her..."
*nod*
"And now you need us to?..."
"To fight against WiseMan." Michiru was the first to stand up.
"No way, Pluto. Even I can know the effect our interference will have..."
"Of course. I just felt the need to explain it, before..." Haruka and
Michiru sweatdropped.
"Before what?" Setsuna withdrew an envelope from her purse.
"Here. There's a date on it. You won't be able to open it until then..."
"But we'll still know about it, so..."
Setsuna henshined and raised her orb. Hotaru walked forward, now in her
own henshin, and placed her hands on it.
"No, you won't." Setsuna said sadly, as the garnet and purple waves
washed over Haruka and Michiru. The pair fell asleep in each other's arms on
the porch. "I'll get them inside in a minute." Setsuna looked down at Hotaru.
"We already discussed this. You too."
"Are you sure you won't need my help?" Setsuna took over her `mama' role.
"Yes, Hime, I'm sure. Now I have to get back to the future..."
"Okay."
Once again, the colours washed over the body of yet another senshi, and
Hotaru lay unconcious on the ground. Setsuna waved her staff and the three
disapeared inside. No one owould remeber this until the date on the envelope.
Until then, the three would go on leading their lives as they were destined to.
***
At the same moment, Uranus and Neptune froze. (Try to envision those
little `deja vu' lines that sometimes go behind the senshi when they `sense'
something!)
"Haruka..." the two stood up, and the envelope appeared before them.
"I think this took a little too much pre-meditated planning on Setsuna's
part..."
"Just open it." The letter, written in a dark red ink, ran over the page.
`Uranus and Neptune, the time has come for you to journey to Nemesis and
retrieve the Moon Eternal Compact. I thank you for your help, but it is of dire
importance. I'll teleport you there in a minute.'
"A minu-?!" Haruka managed to say, crunching the letter in her fist as
the two held hands and dissapeared.
***
Neptune shivered.
"Cold place, isn't it?" The dark plains of Nemisis loomed before them,
black lightning cracking on the horizon like a desert whip. Uranus surveyed the
area and nodded.
"We better get going."
"Why did Setsuna have to get US to do this?"
"What? Not in the mood for an adventure?"
"I was PLANNING on an adventure at the BEACH, not NEMISIS."
"We don't really have a choice. Odango-chan is ill..."
"Dying."
"I know. But we have to go on."
"Together."
***
The Death Phantom stared into his dark orb, watching as Uranus and
Neptune began heading towards the Dark Tower.
"Why are they here... Rubeus is in the past. I didn't expect any
interference from the Outer Senshi." Hmm. "ESMERAUDE!!!" WiseMan shouted. The
green haired woman appeared, and bowed.
"Yes, WiseMan?"
"Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune have appeared on Nemisis."
"And?"
"And I want you to destroy them."
"I don't take any orders from anyone except Prince Demando. You should
know that by now."
"If you destroy these senshi," WiseMan said, ignoring the insolent manner
in which Emeraude was standing, fanning herself with the pink fan she always
carried, "You will be the first member of the family to kill one of them off...
something which will... impress, Prince Demando."
"Very well, WiseMan. You'll not tell Demando of my mission until I
suceed?"
"No." Esmeraude dissapeared in green energy, laughing even as her form
faded from the room.
***
Uranus had her arms around Neptune, trying to help her partner keep warm.
But Neptune had been right, the temperature had been well below zero. Suddenly,
a laugh came from behind them.
"Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. What a pleasure it will be to kill
you," Uranus gasped and turned around.
"Who are you?"
"I am Esmeraude, of the Black Moon."
"Great to know that. WORLD SHAKING!!!" The yellow orb shot at Esmeraude,
but she dodged it, the heel of her shoes appearing again in a moment a few feet
up in the air as she jumped, and teleported.
"DEEP SUBMERGE!!!" Esmeraude dodged again, flinging herself on the
ground, before sending beams of black energy at Neptune, which reformed into
chains.
"NEPTUNE!"
"Uranus! Get back!"
Esmeraude's shadow loomed over them, and her laugh filled the darkness.
***
Esmeraude leaped forward, a huge orb of black energy appearing in her
outstretched hand. She prepared the final blow, aiming it at Uranus and
Neptune.
"SILENT WALL!"
***
"H..Hotaru?" Uranus gasped. Saturn had her back to her, but the fuku was
unmistakable.
"Are you going to help?" While Hotaru may have been her daughter...
Saturn was still the soldier of destruction. And Neptune was in danger.
"WORLD SHAKING!" Esmeraude had been paying to much attention to Saturn,
and the yellow orb hit her square in the head, leaving a trail of blood from
her nose.
"I'll get you for that, you-"
"SUBMARINE..." Neptune called, the mirror appearing in her still chained
hands. She tilted it, until Esmeraude's reflection appeared. Esmeraude looked
in the mirror for a moment, fiddling with her hair. "RELECTION!!!"
***
Esmeraude froze as the blast hit her, and remained standing for a moment,
before falling into the snow.
"What do we do with her?" Neptune asked. Uranus turned from her partner
for a moment to look at the still green figure.
"Leave her." Saturn walked over and placed her hands on Emeraude's back,
and her hair flew up under the purple energies.
"She won't wake for another few hours." Saturn rolled Emeraude onto her
back to make it easier to breath. "That's how long we have.
"Did Pluto send you?"
"Pluto?" Saturn looked confused, "What does this have to do with Pluto?"
"Why are you here? Pluto sent us..."
"Why?" Neptune nodded sadly, and Saturn smiled back, "You mean you don't
know? I'll always be here, when you need me, Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama." Saturn
reached out with her hand and helped the pair up. Then the three shared a big
group hug.
"It's good to see you again, Hime."
"It's good to see you again, too."
***
"That's our destination," Uranus said, pointing to the looming black
palace on the horizon, the sky shaking every few seconds with dark lightning,
the thunder making Neptune cringe, "We have to get there, and find the Moon
Eternal compact. Pluto said that it was stolen by thieves; but there's no way
Prince Dimando would have let them keep it for long."
"Agreed. We can reach it in a few hours,"
"Or," Neptune said, calling on her mirror, "We could reach it in a few
minutes." The three touched hands over the mirror's shiny surface and
dissapeared in an oceanic wave of light.
***
WiseMan cringed. So, they had made it here after all... he couldn't deal
with them, but there was no one else. Sighing, WiseMan dissapeared. He would
greet the invanders when it was most...
Opportune.
***
"Where should we go?"
"The Eternal Locket should have power radiating from it... but my mirror
can't pick it up; there's too much Dark Power interferring."
"Saturn," Uranus said, turning, "Can you find it?"
"Maybe..." she lifted the Glaive. "No, I can't find it, but I can find...
the Black Crystal. That's what they're calling it. It's the centre of their
power. If we could destroy it... Anyways, with all the interferrence, that must
be where it's being kept."
"Okay. We split up and look?" Neptune nodded, and Saturn set off. Uranus
pointed to a corridor. "Be careful, love."
"Of course. I'm still waiting for that romantic evening on the beach..."
Uranus blushed, then coughed.
***
Saturn looked down the hall. Each door was locked, but she knew she
wasn't close enough to the Dark Power yet.
"Hold it!" A voice called. Saturn turned. A droid. She had been moving
slowly until then, and the new turn of events did not make her do otherwise. "I
am droid Crystalis, here to destroy you."
"SILENCE GLAIVE SUPRISE!" She called out, but only moved the Glaive a few
centimetres. The droid looked confused, then fluttered her wings and prepared a
hail of crystal shards to fly at the Sailor Senshi. Until the ground underneath
the youma began to shake. Crystalis stopped moving her arms for her attack, and
looked down. The youma sweatdropped. The explosion made no noise as it
destroyed it, letting Saturn continue on. Nothing hard yet...
***
"Soldier of the Skies, Sailor Uranus!" She said, finishing her speach.
The youma threw an orb of Silver at her. "What?" Uranus managed to yell as the
orb engulfed her.
This is different. Uranus put her hand to the side of the orb. She had
expected it to crush her, but instead had trapped her inside it, rainbow colour
swirling around the edges, dizzying her. A second later, the youma's face
appeared in the reflection, and black powers swirled, attacking her.
"A for effort..." She drew out her Talisman, and began to rip through the
side. "A failing grade for success." The hilt began to glow. "SPACE SWORD
BLASTER!!!!"
***
Neptune shivered. She wished Uranus was still here with her. A mirror
appeared before her. She leaned close to it, but, suddenyl suspicious, withdrew
the Awua Deep Mirror. She glanced in it for a moment, then flicked her hair
over her shoulder. The mirror sweatdropped. Neptune turned the mirror on the
one in front of her, and waited only a moment before calling,
"SUBMARINE REFLECTION!!!"
***
Uranus pushed open the door. The halls had seemed endless, but she had
ran ahead, knowing that time may be short for her little Odango-chan. The great
door had opened, then before, in a glass case, was the Moon Eternal Compact.
Too easy, she thought to herself, WAY too easy.
"Sailor Uranus." The voice had come from above her, and she looked up. A
flying purple cloak. Well, that's original... "I am the Death Phantom. In your
future, today... you will die!" Uranus withdrew her sword.
"That remains to be seen."
***
"DEEP SUBMERGE!!!" Neptune called as she appeared in the room. She and
Uranus stood side by side.
"We are the soldiers of the new Millenium, Sailor Uranus and Sailor
Neptune. On behalf of the Skies and the Seas, we will punish you!!!" Death
Phantom just let a dark blast fly, and the tow Outer Senshi lept away.
"Get the compact!!!" Neptune yelled to Uranus.
"What?"
"Get it!" Neptune pulled out her mirror. "Death Phantom, I can see your
dark power, spirit of Nemisis. You will not stop us." Another black blast.
Neptune raised the mirror, reflecting it back at him. She looked out from
behind the mirror to watch the blast, but no one was there. "Where did he-" A
blast hit her in the back, and she collapsed down to the ground.
"NEPTUNE!!!" Uranus screamed.
"Uranus!" Saturn called, standing besides the case, holding the Moon
Eternal Compact in her hand, the Silence Glaive in the other, "I've got the
compact! Save Neptune!" Uranus nodded, and lept at Death Phantom, sword first.
"Surrender, or..." Death Phantom waved his hands, and images of the
Nemisis armies sweeping into the past appeared. Uranus stopped.
"What is it?" Neptune cringed and looked over,
"They've used their powers to go through time... this whole palace is an
energy source! Made from the Dark Crystal! The power interferrence... it was
from the walls themselves! If those armies are here... the past wouldn't stand
a chance!"
"You have one second to surrender before the armies move back in time."
Uranus looked back at Saturn and hesitated. The father-daughter bond remained,
and Saturn knew what must be done.
"Though we care greatly for our Queen and our allies, we cannot let them
die in the past, since it would destroy the senshi of the present."
"You choose to stand down then," Saturn nodded `no,' and held the Glaive
out in front of her.
"But equally so, we cannot risk, even at the life of our Queen, the
chance of the destruction of the Past. Though we wish to save her, it was never
our duty. Our destiny is now to destroy you and this palace, Death Phantom."
His eyes opened, then Uranus and Neptune both gave a nod. Saturn nodded back,
and Silence filled the palace. Uranus touched Neptune's hand.
"I-"
"I will miss you too, my love." And Saturn bore no remorse as she rose
the Silence GLaive still higher in the air, before screaming,
"SILENCE GLAIVE SUPRISE!!!" White light filled the palace, erupting
through the walls and surrounding area, when with a low groan, the building
began to collapse.
"Good bye, Michiru, Hotaru."
"Good bye, my family."
"Good bye, Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama." And the three hugged as the world
caved in on them.
***
"GARNET BALL!!!"
***
Uranus looked around dazedly. She could deal with this. She had never
seen space before, at least not this up close...
"Neptune? Saturn?" She cried, finally remembering what had happened she
started to stand up, half crazed. "Neptune? Michiru?" Tell me, she thought to
herself, tell me that I'm not the only one left, not alone... Neptune was
behind her.
"I... I'm here, Haruka." The two held hands. Saturn smiled. The two
lovers embraced under the stars. Saturn put her hand to a red glowing wall
around them. Transparent, letting them see to the outside, giving them
atmosphere and a groudn of sorts to stand on.
"Pluto saved us,"
"Yes, I guess so..." Michiru began to cry. Uranus looked anxiously at her
and pulled her face close to her own. "Michiru? What's wrong?"
"The compact... we lost it. All this, all the battles, and we have
failed." The word echoed coldly in the vastness of space.
"Failed."
***
The Outer Senshi were finally let to the ground at the front of the
Crystal Palace. Uranus and Neptune bowed there heads in pain, but Saturn looked
steadily on. The idea of death was not so new to her.
"Come. We must go and speak to the Queen of our failure."
"I think," Neptune said sadly, "It may have been easier, just to have
died there." Uranus immediately graped her hands and looked strongly in her
eyes.
"No. We can do anything, live as long as we must, anata ga ireba."
"As long as you're by my side."
***
"Haruka-san!!! Michiru-san!!! Hotaru-san!!!" Serenity ran up to Uranus,
hugging her around the chest like she had in the final battles with 90. Uranus
was stunned. Neptune was stunned. Even Saturn had a raised eyebrow. As the
three embraced, Saturn turned to see Setsuna standing in the doorway.
"You've done it again, haven't you." She asked, melotone.
"Done what?"
"Gone and made sure everything turned out alright." The soldier of time
just smiled, and Hotaru shook her head, then turned back to Haruka, Michiru and
Serenity.
"But.. how?!" Uranus asked, finally breakeing herself apart, crying.
"The moment you came, I got better!" Serenity grinned. "All three of
you."
"All... three of us?"
"Ai no senshi..."
"Born of love for all."
"And now, there is a suprise!" Small Lady Serenity said, walking in with
Diana perched on her head.
"A... suprise?" Neptune shouldered the stunned Uranus, who was still
trying to understand what was happening. She blinked. She was going to
understand this...She gave up, then pointed ferociously at Setsuna.
"You have A LOT of explaining to do!!!" And with the anger on Haruka's
face, Setsuna could not help herself, and for the first time in nearly a
century, she laughed.
***
The festivites in the main hall had brought people from the corners of
the Earth to celebrate the health of their Queen and the long dissapearence of
the four soldiers of the Outer Solar System. It was a reunion of friends,
sisters, and perhaps even lost loves, but the group had never felt so fufilled.
Setsuna was attacked by the questions of her friends, but in the end, she
managed to explain that the Queen needed only the souls of her friends by her
to keep her alive, or the energy sustained by them. Meaning, the locket, or the
senshi themselves.
"Did you know that this would be the way it would turn out?" Haruka had
asked when the party had finally worn down, her head resting on Michiru's lap
as they gazed up at the stars.
"Of course not," Setsuna winked. The Inner senshi had long since gone to
bed, leaving the four out on their own.
"It's good, to be back together," Michiru reflected. The others nodded.
"Perhaps," Hotaru said, "We should stay this way."
"I think perhaps I agree," Haruka said in the same manner.
"Well," Michiru said, "I couldn't leave Haruka no baka on her own, so..."
"Setsuna?" Haruka said as she turned. The old senshi drew in a breath.
"I think," she said slowly, "That that may be a most excellent idea."
Michiru reached into her dress' folds and pulled out her mirror. Holding it out
in front of her, each senshi touched their fingers to the edge. With a dazzling
burst of bright light, the four rings appeared, weightless, above the mirror.
The four took their own and slipped them on their fingers. Hotaru and Setsuna
stood.
"We will return soon," they each promised, "And maybe that old house is
still standing..." Hotaru gave a final wink and the two dissapeared. Haruka
fingered her ring and turned her head up to Michiru.
"This will be a new start, Michiru," she smiled. Michiru returned the
smile, leaned down and whispered in her lover's ear,
"As long as you're by my side."
***
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