Outer Senshi Trilogy
Aftermath {1/1}
A Sailor Moon story by Tim Nolan
e-mail: nomad@cyberverse.com
Please see comments following the story.
This is part of a trilogy of stories about
the Outer Senshi. The correct order they
should be read in is
1. Aftermath
2. Intermezzo
3. Advent
These are based on the manga and not the anime.
*************
Aftermath
part one of a trilogy of Outer Senshi stories
For a time, there was no sound.
Faint breezes that were slowly becoming colder
wafted through the ruins of the Silver Millennium,
stirring up slashed and tattered clothing in their
wake. Delicate wall hangings and decorations of silk
would sometimes ripple in a bright counterpoint to
the charred banners and battle flags of the invaders.
A booted foot completed a step that was started
worlds away. Fine, gray dirt tracked in by a squadron
of human pikemen crackled under the heels of the woman
as she looked about her at what she remembered as the
foyer to the throne room. A sad, mournful sigh escaped
her.
" It is over," Sailor Pluto whispered. In response
to her words, two blurs of light appeared and resolved
themselves into two women. Sailors Neptune and Uranus,
her partners. The two newcomers touched hands once, a
simple brushing together of fingertips. They needed no
other displays of affection.
" Why?" Sailor Uranus asked, looking around
them. She knew the answer. All three of them knew the
answer. Instead of hoping for a response that would
ease the pain, the tall woman stalked towards the entrance
to the palace. Neptune and Pluto followed a few moments
later at her low cry of outrage.
" Children," Sailor Neptune breathed as she saw the
figures on the stairs and began to weep. " Oh,
Serenity-sama. They're just children." The four Inner
Senshi lay near the foot of a set of stairs. Prince
Endymion was slumped against a pillar a few steps above
them, unseeing eyes staring at the sun. Princess Serenity
was sprawled out next to him, but her head was gently
cradled in his lap.
" Children or not, they gave a good accounting of
themselves," Uranus added as she briefly embraced Neptune.
She grimly made herself look at the bodies of the fallen,
and not just the Senshi. They might have been young, but
it looked like they had accounted for hundreds of Beryl's
troops. It was a futile, final stand that deserved the
attention of the finest bards; a saga that even the gods
could appreciate. Especially as it dealt with the
downfall of one.
It was a pity that it was due to that most ugly of
human emotions: greed.
" The queen knew what was going on," Pluto
declared. " Beryl was of the Silver Millennium as well,
so I can only guess that Serenity-sama considered it an
internal matter and refused to call us in."
" We know, Pluto," Neptune assured her and put a
hand on the older woman's arm. It was clear what Pluto
was thinking about. All three of them had been thinking
the same thing since they received word of the attack,
but not one message from the queen requesting their
assistance. " It wasn't our fault. We can only come
here at Serenity-sama's orders."
" And Serenity-sama would not have missed such
a build-up of armies on the Earth below her," Uranus
commented without a trace of sarcasm or irony in her
voice. They regarded the queen as a veritable equal to
the gods they had grown up worshipping in their distant
youths. Her sea-green eyes narrowed slightly as she
looked at their counterparts on the stairs, and their
princess and her love.
" I don't want to leave them like this," she
decided and walked into the palace. A few minutes later
she emerged carrying a stack of white linens. Pluto and
Neptune had already concurred and carried Mars and
Mercury to the top of the steps. If you ignored the
blood once you had laid them out, they looked like they
were asleep.
Uranus walked over to Venus. Something was missing,
she realized as she started to pull out the arrow that
protruded from underneath the bow on her chest. Barbed,
she noted, snapped it instead, and removed the shaft. A
short length of slender chain was still attached to the
girl's waist. Broken ends bore mute testimony to what had
happened.
Aha, she congratulated herself and walked a few paces
away to one of the Earthers. She pried the rest of the
chain from his stiff, unyielding fingers and draped it
back over the girl's waist before picking her up and
putting her with the others.
" A badge of office, perhaps?" Neptune slyly
observed, glancing at Pluto's similar chain with a
hint of mischief in her eyes.
" Perhaps," Pluto replied as red eyes met and
held ones of deep blue for a moment before Pluto walked
down to retrieve Jupiter. " I never met these girls,
either. I do not know if she attached any special
significance to it."
" What about them?" Neptune asked, motioning towards
the princess and her prince as she covered each of the
Senshi with a sheet in the place of a proper burial
shroud. It would have to do.
" Leave them," Pluto answered and walked to the
couple. She gently closed his eyes and put one of the
princess' hands in his. " It is obvious that they cared
for each other a greatl deal. As long as they are together,
I don't think that they'd mind."
" You're right," Uranus sighed and ran hand through
her short, almost-white hair in an old, habitual gesture.
She took one of the sheets and draped it over the prone
body of the princess from the shoulders down. Before
Neptune could come any closer, she finished by covering
the prince's lower legs.
The daughter of a goddess should not have any
weaknesses, at least not ones that her worshippers should
see, Uranus reminded herself. Judging from the angle,
Princess Serenity's wound was self-inflicted, and she
didn't want Neptune to know that.
" Could we wait a little while before we summon
her?" Neptune asked suddenly, catching the others off
guard. Their steady gaze caused her to blush slightly,
and she swallowed nervously before speaking. " It has
changed so much since we were last here. I wanted to
look around so I can remember it."
" Yes," Pluto smiled and nodded in reply. She felt
the same way, as did Uranus. It had been many years since
they had last been summoned to the palace by the current
queen's great-grandmother, and those of the Silver
Millennium possessed long lives.
Shortly after they began to look around at the
remains of the place they drew their inspiration from, the
dream they had sworn to defend; they found their queen.
Serenity lay upon a broken slab of white marble that
matched her gown and her long hair. Her face was calm and
relaxed, and they could easily make themselves believe that
she was merely asleep. No marks were visible upon her body.
Pluto knelt by her for a moment, her eyes half-closed
in concentration and one hand slightly raised as if to
touch the queen. " Serenity-sama!" she choked back a sob,
but it was strange given the circumstances. It was not in
mourning that she began to cry. It was joy.
" Pluto?" Neptune softly asked and put a hand on
Pluto's shoulder. The older woman looked up at her and
smiled.
" When we heard the death-cries of the Silver
Millennium, I heard something else as well. A song of
hope. Serenity not only defeated and sealed away Beryl
and Metallia at the cost of her life. She sent the others
forward."
" You mean... " Uranus began to say, her voice
trailing off as she realized the implications of what
Pluto had said.
" The Silver Millennium will rise once more," Neptune
said in relief. " As shall we once we are needed."
" Of course. We will always be there," Uranus added
and paused a few moments before going on. " That certainly
makes our duty easier, though."
" Afraid of dying, Uranus?" Pluto gently asked. The
blonde shook her head.
" No. It was living that I feared. I was afraid that
we would survive what is to come," she said. " To live
forever, without hope... that would be tragic."
" It would be," Neptune agreed. " I'm tired,
Pluto. If it means fulfilling my duty, I would gladly
keep on living. If not... " she added, allowing her
voice to trail off.
" I know," Pluto smiled at her. " The first queen's
orders as part of our oath were very specific as to what
we must now do. Shall we begin?" The other two nodded and
together they walked towards the temple that was on the
opposite side of the spacious plaza in front of the palace
steps.
Uranus paused by a spire reaching up from the center
of the plaza. At the front of spire, which faced the
entrance to the plaza that led to the city beyond, the
hilt and part of a blade of a sword protruded upwards
from the marble. She reached for it out of curiosity,
having recognized the style of the workmanship as being
lunar.
The tall woman blinked rapidly a few times after
grasping the hilt and quickly knelt, murmuring an
apology. " That has to stay," she explained as she stood
and turned towards the temple. That was all she would say
about it, and then they reached the temple and, by a silent
consensus, the time for talk of anything else passed.
" It is strange to think that we are doing
this," Neptune said as she took out her Talisman, the
Deep Aqua Mirror. " Ironic, even. We did so much to make
sure that she would never wake up."
" Things are different now," Pluto replied and
took the Garnet Orb from the top of her staff. Uranus
nodded and produced the Space Sword. All three of the
Talismans seemed to shine a little brighter now that they
were united, but this was even greater than normal for the
rare times that they were together. They solemnly filed
into the temple itself and stood before the altar.
A faint glow appeared around the Talismans as they
pointed them towards the altar, and the light flowed from
them to surround it. Moments later, an indistinct form
was visible. Over the next few heartbeats, it took on a
more definite shape and gained substance. It was a young
woman in an outfit similar to theirs, and she held in her
hand a tall polearm that was nearly twice her height.
" Sailor Saturn," Pluto acknowledged her and
cautiously nodded. The young woman looked around the
room, taking in the sights of the temple and the three
women with her sad, violet eyes.
" Pluto. Neptune. Uranus." she greeted them in cool,
formal tones before her voice warmed slightly. " Is this
the Silver Millennium that I beheld in my dreams?" she
asked, becoming almost reverential as she became aware
of where she was.
Inwardly, Pluto sighed. This poor child existed only
for one thing, it seemed. Every time she felt her resolve
falter, or to curse the fate that had made her a Senshi,
she had only to think of the example of Saturn to remind
her of how much worse it might have been.
" It is, Saturn," Neptune broke in. " We are so very
sorry that it must come to this, but we have called you to
fulfill your duty."
" The Silver Millennium has fallen," Uranus
explained. " In order for it to have the chance to rise
again, you must destroy what is left of it. The cycle of
death and rebirth must be completed."
" I feared that was the case," the newcomer
replied. " Will there ever be a time where I need not
be the God of Ruin? Is destruction to be my only destiny?"
" I cannot see the future," Pluto said. All three
of them felt a deep sense of pity for the younger
woman. " I do not know what will be, but I will pray that
such a time will come."
" As shall we, Saturn," Neptune added and wiped a
tear from her eye. Uranus caught the gaze of Saturn and
nodded once, slowly, indicating that she, too, felt the
same.
" Thank you," Saturn smiled softly and put her
other hand on her weapon. " It has been so long I can
scarce remember what it was like to be other than
what I am now."
Suddenly, all four of them were floating high above
the grounds of the castle. It was like a child's toy at
their feet. Saturn barely suppressed a giggle at the
difference in perspective and turned to the others. Her
face grew calm.
The Silence Glaive began to glow as she held it
vertically above her. First one, then another, and
suddenly dozens of ghostly, translucent ribbons appeared
behind her. The universe itself seemed to stop. To the
three women, it was like all of creation paused in honor
of what had passed this day. Not even the beating of
their hearts or the sound of their breath could be heard.
" It pains me enough to destroy the joy and
beauty I feel in this place," Saturn whispered as she
quickly glanced at each of the women in turn. They felt
something pulling at them, twisting. " I cannot bear to
destroy you with it. Farewell, those who are in spirit
my kin."
The Silence Glaive began to come down. The silence
was heavy and oppressive, and it hungered for life as it
rushed out into this world. They heard her say the three
words and nothing more as the twisting sensation increased
a thousandfold.
The next thing they knew they were in the monitor
room of Charon Castle, which was floating in orbit around
the cold and distant planet of Pluto. Uranus and Neptune
had never actually been there, but they had seen it from
their own castles when the three had need to converse.
They stood within a pattern on the floor in the same shape
as the sigil of Pluto, and it glowed faintly,
acknowledging their presence.
The monitors flickered to life, revealing the
damage done on the moon. Little remained of the Palaces
Major or Minor, the site of ceremonial functions and
the royal family's living quarters, respectively. A few
rocks might suggest that once a wall stood there, but that
was all. The temple had simply vanished, as had most of
the small city surrounding the palace grounds.
" Now, indeed, it is truly over," Pluto sighed. She
reached out and turned off the bank of monitors. The room
dimmed dramatically. " Do any of you have any idea of what
we should do next?" she asked.
" There is not much we can do," Uranus replied,
holding her hand out, palm upwards. Her eyes narrowed
slightly, the only sign of her concentration. Nothing
happened in response to her commands, which should have
resulted in a yellowish, ringed sphere of energy." I only
have castle access left, Pluto."
" The same here," Neptune confirmed a few moments
later. " I can probably manage a teleport right now, but
that is all."
The dark green haired woman sighed, reattached her
Talisman to the Garnet Rod, and leaned the staff against
the wall by an archway leading into the castle's
depths. " My words were more prophetic than I realized. You
are welcome to stay here, if you wish.
" Actually," she hesitantly smiled. " I'd appreciate
it if you did. I'm not sure what we should do next, and
that makes me nervous for some reason."
" All right, Pluto," Neptune smiled at her and
hugged her briefly. " We'll stay the night, at least."
" But after that, I don't know," Uranus softly
added and put an arm around Neptune when she went back
to stand by the blonde. " I'm tired, too, Pluto. Not
just physically tired."
" I can't remember how long we've been on
duty," Neptune went on. " No matter what we do now or
what we wish for, when the Silver Millennium is restored,
we will be restored as well. I just want to sleep right
now, Pluto. Maybe even as long as it takes for us to be
needed again."
" I understand," the older woman replied and smiled
knowingly. She knew how the others felt. " We'll talk
about it more tomorrow." Neptune and Uranus allowed her
to show them to a suite of rooms to stay in for the time
being.
After that, she took the time to leisurely bathe and
fix a small, simple meal. The other two women were already
cleaned up and asleep by the time she took their food in to
them. She smiled slightly, seeing them together like
this. Neptune was curled up next to Uranus with her head
nestled into the crook of the blonde's arm. Both of
their faces showed the signs of fatigue and worry, but
they were peaceful as well.
This was probably the first time in a few centuries,
she realized, that these two
could be together like this. Her own duty guarding the
Gates of Time kept her from helping them out too
frequently. Whenever anything had arisen that demanded
more than just one Senshi, they would call on each other
first before asking her for help. While they rarely saw
each other, it still had been enough time for the two
women to have become close.
Pluto put down the tray on the table by the door. It
was some fruits and bread, along with a delicate white
wine and some cheeses. Nothing that wouldn't keep until
they woke up. After that, she took her portion of the food
with her to her rooms. Out of habit, she had put her
uniform back on after bathing, but she blushed when she
saw herself in a mirror.
What was the point anymore, she asked herself and
changed into a light silk gown in a purple color that
complimented her, and pulled on a white cotton robe over
that. She didn't have any real reasons to be modest here,
she could easily withstand the cold of space or that of
the castle's interior. Nor was it the company. She had
nothing to hide from the others.
This was how she had wanted to be able to pass the
time when she was younger, she remembered and stepped into
a pair of slippers. This was what she used to think that
ladies of wealth and position spent their time doing in
the evening when not entertaining guests. She had the
castle for some time now, but had always been on duty
until earlier in the day. Aside from trying the garments
on to make sure that they fit, it was the first time she
had worn anything in the closet.
Pausing only to select a book of poetry from the
oft-used library, she took her dinner and made her way up
the long, spiral stairs to the room at the top of the
central spire of her castle. It was cold up here, and
despite the cold not bothering her, it was still
noticeably cooler. The temperature was not just due
to that she was currently so far away from the sun
right now. The ornate, wooden doors behind her, a physical
manifestation of the Gates of Time, absorbed much of the
heat of the room.
As she ate, she spent some time trying to figure out
the specifics of what had happened on the moon earlier in
the day. She also had wanted to spend some time trying to
figure out what had happend to their powers, but soon her
hands fell still on the controls of her console.
Thoughts of the now uncertain future filled her
mind. Before, she had always assumed that this would be
her duty until she died. She knew that she would live a
long time, and she had, but she never had though about
surviving the fall of the Silver Millennium. Death in
battle was what she had always though would be the end
for her and her partners. Never in a million years
would she had considered that she would survive past
its' fall.
The unthinkable had happened, however. Now, the
question was what to do tomorrow, and not how to do your
duty tomorrow. The difference, after all this time, was
almost frightening. Neptune and Uranus had a valid
point. After all this time, there was little they
wanted to do now but rest. She didn't think that they
would do anything drastic, but it was possible that
soon they would simply go to sleep and not wake up
again.
That was something that she had the option of doing
as well, but the ramifications of that concerned her. The
prospect of death did not bother her, nor did the concept
of suicide. After as long as she had lived, nothing really
bothered her.
Her concern was for the future, however. The queen
had won the day, but she was able to feel the effects of
what Serenity had done. Their liege was truly like a
goddess when it came to power, but she would also have
been the first to admit that she had only a fraction of
the understanding of a divine being.
If she had sent her daughter forward in time, it
meant that Queen Serenity had not been able to defeat
the demon outright. It also meant that the seal upon
Metallia was not perfect. At some point in the distant
future, Metallia's evil would come forth again to plague
the world. Obviously, Serenity meant for her daughter to
combat Metallia at that time. If she chose to sleep until
then, like Uranus and Neptune were considering, that would
leave nobody to guard against anything Serenity may have
missed.
The seal's imperfections meant that Serenity had
not been perfect, and that meant that her visions of the
possible futures may not have been perfect. She herself
knew that all too well thanks to her studies of her
realm. Sailor Pluto commanded a fraction of the power
that was summoned by the rightful queen of the Silver
Millennium with the backing of the Silver Crystal.
She was, however, far more experienced than the
queen could ever be at the manipulation and understanding
of time. She had already determined that she could not
change what had happened that day. The queen had seen to
that. If not, the Silver Millennium would have been
restored already. Her own life would have been a small
price to pay for its' return.
Her decision was quite easy to reach. Somebody
would have to stand guard in order to assure that the
future would be safe. She could not ask that of Uranus
and Neptune. She would let them have the rest they
deserved. The facade would be easy to present to her
partners, and as for the time involved.... well, what
were a few more millennia to her, anyway?
" Good evening," a rich, low voice spoke from
behind her. At first, she thought it might have been
Uranus until she heard the doors behind her close, and
her blood ran chill as fear gripped her heart. Her staff
appeared at her summons, as did her uniform, and she
gathered her power as she spun around ready for anything.
Anything, perhaps, except the ghost who stood in
front of her.
" You're... " she protested, unable to understand
why he was here. The man was no ghost, she could now
tell. He was too solid for that. She had seen his dead
body earlier, and had helped summon Saturn to destroy
his remains.
" Dead?" Endymion offered and stepped forward a few
paces and into the light that illuminated her work. Now
that he had done so, she could see some differences. His
hair had a more purple tone to it, as did the ornate
clothes he wore. There were a few faint lines on his
face, minute hints that, along with his wise eyes, made
her realize the truth. This was not the same man she
had seen earlier in the day. He had a confidence and
bearing that bespoke power and a familiarity with
carrying the weight of years.
" Who are you?" she demanded. " What are
you? Nothing can go through those doors without my
express permission!"
He help up his hands slightly, making sure that he
made no sudden moves that might alarm her. " If you would
allow me a moment, perhaps I can establish my credentials
to your satisfaction."
At her nod, he reached into the vest pocket of his
suit, and came out with a small key that made her gasp and
look down at the chain around her waist. All of her keys
were there...
" I sent you?" she whispered the question, becoming
more and more confused by the moment. He nodded and took
a seat at the table across from where she had been
sitting. Numbly, she joined him. He handed her the key
to look at, which she did, recognizing how it was the
twin of one of the keys on her belt, but it was also
subtly different.
It showed the slight signs of aging and usage that
hers lacked. The key also felt different to her senses, a
reminder that it was not quite entirely her who created
it. What was unmistakable, however, was that he was not
from this time. He and the key were from the future.
" Do you remember the restrictions that are upon
your power, Pluto?" he asked when she was done and had
handed him the key. He waited for her to nod before he
went on. " You must not leave your post. You must not
stop time.
" And, finally, you must not cross time itself. That
is why I am here, Pluto. I am a messenger."
" A messenger?" she echoed. " What could concern the
me in the future enough to break all the rules about time
and paradoxes and do something stupid like this?" she
challenged him. He coolly held her gaze for several
moments, but then she began to see a look of pity come
into his eyes.
" What am I about to do wrong, then?" she asked him.
" Your counterpart in the future is not hampered like
you are, Pluto. She may not cross time, but the past she
can examine is the future you cannot see. She, like you,
would not have lightly breached the barriers of time."
" What is it, then?" she repeated her question, her
mind racing as she considered all of her recent actions for
anything that could have been done wrong. He gently smiled
at her, his eyes warm and compassionate. With a barely
concealed start, she suddenly realized that her future
self must love him. She could see herself doing so.
" She is worried about you, Pluto. The decision
you make this night is not the correct one," Endymion
explained.
" Am I such an idiot in the future?" she snapped.
" Is it not a measure of how important it is to her
that I am even here?" he quickly countered, making her go
quiet as she recognized the truth in his words. He could
not have come here on his own. He had to have the full
co-operation of her counterpart in the future to have
made the journey.
" Why is my welfare so important to the me in the
future?" she asked and suddenly realized why his gaze
had been filled with pity for her. " She's worried
because I am not in the future," she said and began
to shiver. The implications staggered her.
Mortality.
" Her message is this, Pluto," he finally said a
few minutes later after she looked up at him
again. " 'Take the time to enjoy what is to come.' I
assume that it applies to Neptune and Uranus as well."
He reached out and placed one of his hands over
hers as she sat and considered the message. " I think
that she was afraid that you would spend all your time
up here and be alone, Pluto. She now understands that
being alone all the time is not a good thing, and I think
that she wishes to spare you the pain of finding that out
on your own."
" That would mean, then, that I am to be
reincarnated like the others," she wondered aloud. He
shrugged in response.
" I don't know, Pluto. Her message said nothing
about any particulars, and she has told me nothing of
the past. I died a few hours ago, remember? I do not
know if you are the same one who is my friend in the
future.
" I always enjoyed debating the possible problems
of time travel with her, however, and this has two
possible outcomes for you to consider. In one case,
you are the Pluto in the future, and in the other, you
are not. Nothing has happened between us that would
have changed that."
" And the most probable outcomes are that I am
either happier than before or still sad, based on how I
react," she replied and laughed, feeling some of her
sorrows lifting away from her as she did so. " The Pluto
from your future is wise, indeed, Endymion. I will
consider what she says."
" Thank you," he said, stood, and bowed to
her. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell her just how
long it had taken his Pluto to learn the lesson of
the importance of personal happiness, and at what
cost. " That is all I could ask for, I believe, and I
think that she would say the same."
Pluto rose as well and walked over to him. A
moment later, she impulsively hugged him and gave him
a kiss on the cheek. " That is for you as well as my
counterpart," she laughed, barely able to keep it from
being a giggle. " My response, if you will, to my
message."
" I will tell her, then," he blushed slightly
and smiled. " And with that, I must be going. It would
be unwise to stay too long."
" I know," she agreed as he walked back to the
Gates and opened the door. Their eyes met for another
moment before he stepped away and ahead, and was lost
to her forever.
She went over to her console and shut it down
after turning off the lights and closing the the shields
over the windows. Sure-footed in the darkness, she
picked up the book and her tray, and walked to the
stairs to begin her descent.
Endymion had not known about the other message
her probable reincarnate had sent. She knew with a
great deal of certainty that she was not the one who
existed in the future. The key was proof of that. There
should not have been as many differences between hers
and the one he bore if she was alive in the future.
At the foot of the stairs, she laughed
softly. Whether it was her in the future or not, the
Pluto of that time was indeed wiser than her. The earth
represented a whole planet that she had only seen, and
never visited. That would change tomorrow, she knew. It
was time for all three of them to see first-hand what
they had spent so long protecting. It was time to make
some happier memories than just the lonely nights that
were part of their long and lonely vigil.
The End.
************************************************************
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Please send comments, etc. to the above e-mail address.
Special thanks to the following...
Naoko Takeuchi, of course.
incredible characters, and artwork that can
give rise to so many ideas from a few little
drawings.
Luna and Artemis for kind words, support, and being
good friends for so long. Through good times and
bad, they have been there.
check out their page at
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9897/
for the best Sailor Moon fan-fiction collection.
Greenbeans for being herself. all I need to say,
really.
check out her page at
http://www.kfalls.net/~gbeans
Jackie Chiang, sage advice, good fics and general
silliness that lightens the spirit.
check out her page at
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/3741/
Alex Glover for his wonderful work on the manga
of Naoko Takeuchi. check out his page at
http://www.nwlink.com/~kurozuki/manga.htm
my wonderful betas, the real heroes
Erica
Shelley
Helen Szeto aka lennie
Pandora Diane Waldron
Nikki Purvis aka JetWolf
Aftermath {1/1}
(
geocities.com/tokyo/ginza) (
geocities.com/tokyo)