Chronicles of the Star Senshi 1: The Gathering

 

Title: Chronicles of the Star Senshi 1: The Gathering

Author: kazeko

Show: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon

Rating: M15

Series: Chronicles of the Star Senshi

Multipart: yes

Couples: Usagi/Mamoru, Haruka/Michiru, Minako/Rei, Makoto/Ami, Setsuna/Ailan

Time: Immediately after “Kazeko”, seven years after the end of Stars

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything related to Sailor Moon; Takeuchi Naoko does

Disclaimer 2: I own every Star Senshi except Ailan and all of the Cupids.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 1: Nagare Boshi

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Ailan smoothed her hand over her silvery white dress, feeling the expensive silk caress her fingers as Setsuna would at night.  She giggled at the thought of her green-haired lover.  They had both changed so much since the Silver Millennium, but their relationship had evolved into one as powerful and eternal as the one Haruka and Michiru shared.  And they shared a bond as close.

 

Ailan touched her flat belly, her senshi powers allowing her to sense the babe growing within.  Setsuna’s child.  Hundreds of years ago, after Serenity was born, the former queen had vowed to never again bring a child into the world, yet here she was, ecstatic to be the mother of Setsuna’s daughter.  Michiru and Haruka’s daughter Kazeko had given the senshi the power to combine their energies to create children.  Perhaps at will.  And now Ailan was pregnant with one of the ancient Star Senshi, soldiers not seen since the Sailor Wars.  The birth of Kazeko, Sailor Sol, indicated that soon all of the Star Senshi would be needed, and Ailan had no idea why.

 

She could sense her child reach out to comfort her, but there seemed to be something strange about the voice.  It seemed to be babbling, two strings of thought woven together by a single unifying force.  She concentrated, not quite finished dressing for her wedding, and tried to make contact with her daughter.  What she found made her collapse against the wall.

 

“What?  What is it?  Mother?”  Usagi, who had been preparing her soul mother’s jewelry for the wedding, dashed to the silver-haired woman’s side.

 

Ailan smiled at her daughter as she rose to her feet.  “Nothing, Usagi-chan.  I just felt a little faint.  It’s one of those wonders of pregnancy you will soon experience.”

 

Usagi blushed, shaking her head.  “Mamo-chan and I have decided to wait until Crystal Tokyo to worry about Chibiusa.”  Her blue eyes clouded, one hand straying to her belly.  “I miss her, though.  It’s hard to wait for your daughter to be born.”

 

“Or reborn,” Ailan added, smiling.  She caressed her daughter’s cheek and kissed her forehead, over the spot where her golden moon would appear.  “It was worth the wait, though, and you’ll understand that, too.  Come, now; I need to finish getting ready.  Setsuna has waited millennia to marry me for real, and I don’t want to keep her waiting.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Setsuna was incredibly nervous.  In all of her centuries as Sailor Pluto, for as long as she could remember, she had never been nervous, but the thought of marrying the woman she had loved for two lifetimes made her shiver in the light breeze.  Haruka, Makoto, and Mamoru stood beside her as her three “best men”, while Rei, Minako, and Ami stood as bridesmaids.  Usagi, as Ailan and Setsuna’s soul daughter, had been chosen as maid of honor once again, and Hotaru—though not a child—was flower girl.  She loved that duty.  She had told all of the expecting mothers that she didn’t mind, as a matter of fact, she was beginning to enjoy it.  Usagi and Mamoru, who had always seemed the most eager to marry, no longer spoke of the subject, holding each other silently while their friends planned their weddings.

 

Setsuna looked at the soldiers standing so formally behind her.  Mamoru wore black, Haruka wore dark navy blue, and Makoto wore deep emerald green while Setsuna’s dark red suit looked almost black.  They couldn’t all agree on one color, so they all wore their choice.  The women across from them wore the dresses Ailan’s Moonlight Fashions had designed for Haruka and Michiru’s wedding months earlier, though Michiru wore an elegant but far simpler sea gown.  She had elected not to participate in the wedding, instead sitting in the family row with her two-month-old golden-haired daughter in her arms.  Kazeko was asleep, but she could be quite active if she so chose.  Haruka’s eyes kept straying to her wife and daughter, remembering how they started everything with their wedding eleven months earlier.

 

Setsuna caught her breath as Ailan entered, walking with Usagi behind Hotaru.  Ailan was wearing the silver white dress Setsuna had given her in the Time Vortex, altered through her own design skills and covered in tiny silvery diamonds.  Her hair was down, held back by a silver net studded in every type of gem she could get her hands on, curling its happy way down her bare back.  She held white lilies, their pink centers adding color to her ensemble.  She stopped in front of Setsuna, handing her bouquet to Usagi before slipping her white-gloved hands into Setsuna’s.

 

Setsuna’s dark red eyes glowed softly, a light matched by the sparkle in Ailan’s purple ones.  “Aishiteru, Setsu-chan.”

 

“Stop that,” she whispered back, repeating the priest as the pair continued their mental conversation.  “And I love you, too, Ailan.”

 

“I now pronounce you bound for all eternity.”  The priest, the same one who had married Haruka and Michiru almost a year earlier, smiled at the pair as he touched Setsuna’s shoulder.  “You may kiss the bride.”

 

Setsuna leaned down and let her lips touch Ailan’s, feeling fire course through her frame as she wrapped her arms around the slender woman.  She could feel the tightness around Ailan’s middle, and she wondered that their daughter was already so large.  She pulled away amidst the cheers, raising an eyebrow at the joy and anticipation shining from her wife’s eyes.  “What?”

 

Ailan glanced at her daughter as she pulled Setsuna’s arms around her.  “Like the last senshi to answer to my stone, I carry twins.”

 

“Twins?”  The squeak in Setsuna’s voice caused Ailan to break into a fit of giggles.  Her wife, daughter of the gods, wasn’t ready to have two babies.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Three stars shot across the sky—one red, one blue, one yellow—heralding a new era and giving stargazing lovers a wish.

 

Makoto and Ami, sitting on the balcony of the large apartment they now shared, smiled at the three falling points of light.  “Make a wish, Ami.”

 

The blue-haired woman chuckled, pulling Makoto’s arms around her waist.  “I have everything I ever wanted, Mako-chan.  I don’t have anything to wish for.”

 

“There has to be something, Ami.”

 

The genius grinned.  “I hope our daughter looks like you.”

 

Makoto laughed and leaned back, letting her girlfriend get comfortable.  “Ready to marry me, Ami?”

 

“Mochiron.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Rei and Minako watched the stars shoot by, both lying on their backs outside of the shrine, trying to find the will to go back inside.  “Nagare boshi.  Utsukushii, ne?”

 

“Everything seems more beautiful now, Rei.  Maybe it’s one of those things that come with being pregnant.”

 

Rei laughed as she rolled onto her belly and leaned over her lover.  “No.  You throwing up every morning is because of our daughter.  Beauty comes with love.”  She leaned down and kissed the woman she loved so much, marveling again that they were lucky enough to meet after they were reborn.  “Everything looks better when you have someone to share it with.”

 

Minako slid her fingers through Rei’s raven black hair, smiling as it caressed her hand and passed over her golden diamond engagement ring.  She had no idea where Rei found the money to afford such a beautiful jewel, and she never asked.  “I hope we can be good mothers.  I mean, she’s a Star Senshi.  How are we going to deal with that?”

 

“We’re senshi,” Rei reminded her fiancée.  “We are the only people who could raise a Star Senshi.”  She stood up and lifted the Senshi of Venus, turning back to the shrine.  “Let’s go inside.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Usagi started at the knock on the door, looking past Mamoru’s shoulder as the sound was repeated.  “Go away,” she whispered, acutely aware of the placement of her boyfriend’s hands.  When the three stars shot through the sky, Usagi wished that she could spend the night with Mamoru, not just in his bed, and she did not want to be disturbed.  The knock sounded again, and Usagi jumped off the couch, straightening her shirt before stomping to the door.  Jerking it open, she found an empty hall.  When the knock was repeated, she realized that the visitors had to be at the balcony.  Her anger fading to curiousity, Usagi glanced at Mamoru and headed for the balcony, opening the door without bothering with the curtains.

 

Silence filled the balcony and room.  Usagi’s legs gave out, only her boyfriend’s arms around her waist preventing her from falling.  “Seiya,” she whispered.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 2: Orionis

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Three Senshi, dressed in human clothes, stood on the balcony, the black-haired leader smiling.  “Hello, Odango.  Had a good seven years?”

 

Mamoru cleared his throat and pulled Usagi back when it became apparent that she was incapable of independent motion at the moment.  “Please, come in.”

 

The three women exchanged cryptic glances, a move the princess recognized as the most obvious outward sign of a mental conversation.  All three stepped to the side, revealing their surprise.  Seven girls stood there, all the same age, which seemed to be six.  Two had black hair, two had brown, two pale white-blonde, and one red-gold.  The last child seemed to be the leader, and she gestured for her sisters to follow her into the apartment.  “We did not come for a social call, Odango,” Seiya smiled, following the children.  “We sensed the return and death of Sailor Moonlight, and we sensed the birth of Sailor Sol, as far away as we were.  Her power lit the heavens for a day and night.  Close on the heels of her birth came the evidence of the conception of four new Star Senshi, and we knew that the Gathering had begun anew.  There has not been one since the Sailor Wars.  So we brought the seven Orionis, the Star Senshi of the stars of the constellation you call Orion.  They are only children, but they will come into their power as they grow.”

 

Usagi slipped out of Mamoru’s arms and crouched down beside the girls.  “Whose children are they?”

 

“Ours,” Taiki answered as she and her sisters in the defense of Kinmokusei took seats on the couch.

 

“Your planet’s?  Kinmokusei’s?”

 

“No,” Seiya whispered.  “Ours.  After we returned to our planet, our princess told us that we had to provide seven children to become Star Senshi.  She saw the Gathering coming, I guess.  Meika and Amami are mine, Kira and Tara are Taiki’s, and Utako and Masako are Yaten’s.  Aiko our princess birthed, though we all provided power for all of the girls.”

 

Usagi looked up at the former idol, light blue eyes clouded.  “You’re giving us your daughters?  Seiya, Taiki-kun, Yaten-kun, I don’t know what to say.  I can’t imagine giving up my children.”

 

Seiya smiled as the ringleader, red-haired Aiko, took Usagi’s hand.  “Usagi-sama, we are ready to stay on Earth and live with you, growing and learning with the other Star Senshi.  We’ve been waiting for this day for years.”

 

“She’s one of your mothers now, Aiko my love.  Call her Usa-mama.”  Seiya only hid the tears in her voice with a lot of effort.  She had known since the girls were conceived that one day she would have to take them to Earth and give them away, but that didn’t make the parting any easier.  She could feel Taiki and Yaten trying to close themselves off, trying to let the girls go, but they weren’t having any more luck than their leader.

 

Usagi smiled at the girls, Aiko’s faint resemblance to Chibiusa not lost on the princess, and she nodded at Mamoru.  Her boyfriend led the girls into the kitchen to give them whatever treats he kept in his apartment for his eternally hungry princess, leaving the three Starlights and the Moon Princess alone.  “I can’t tell you guys how much your sacrifice means to me.  I couldn’t have given up my daughter for anything.  I could barely let her go back to the future.”

“You met your daughter?”

 

Usagi smiled.  “She came back in time so that I could save myself.  It was a very weird experience.  I understand what those girls mean to you.  Do you mind if I call the others and invite them over before you leave?  I’m sure they’d like to see you again.”

 

“Even after the trouble we caused last time?  Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto seemed quite determined to kill us.”

 

Usagi shrugged as she pulled out her communicator.  “Don’t worry, Taiki-kun.  They’re all happily married now.  Ohh.  Maybe I shouldn’t call Mother.”

 

“Your Mother?”

 

“Setsuna-san.  From the Silver Millennium.”  Never noticing the shocked stares the Starlight sent her, Usagi tapped a button on her communicator and whispered to the faces on the other side.  If she tried hard enough, she could communicate with them directly via the telepathic bond they were busy forging, but it always gave her a headache and the senshi weren’t quite comfortable with it yet.

 

“Who did Sailor Pluto marry?”

 

“My other mother, the former Queen of the Moon.  She was reborn, and we met her about a year ago at Haruka-san and Michiru-san’s wedding.”

 

Seiya snorted, amused at the thought.  “I always thought those two would go somewhere.  Haruka-san was always very protective of Michiru-san, especially when I was around.”

 

“It was very beautiful.”

 

“What about—”

 

Usagi waved her hands.  “Enough questions.  You’ll see when the girls get here.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Rei cursed as she sat up, pulling her shirt back on and jerking her communicator out of her pocket.  “What?”

 

“Hello, Rei-chan.  I’m sorry to interrupt you, but I was disturbed, too.  We have some allies here in Mamo-chan’s apartment that you guys might want to come see.”  The blonde smiled, and Rei realized that her princess knew how she felt.  What had Mamoru and Usagi been up to?

 

“We’ll be there in a sec,” the miko smiled.  The communicator blinked off.

 

Minako, reaching for her own clothes, sighed as she kissed her lover briefly.  “We can finish this later.”

 

“Should we go as Senshi or not?”

 

Minako grinned as she pulled out her henshin stick.  “It’s so much more fun to jump across rooftops.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Makoto rolled out of bed and pulled out her communicator, hoping to keep Ami from waking up.  “Yes?”

 

“Hi, Mako-chan.  Sorry to wake you up.  Can you and Ami-chan come to Mamo-chan’s apartment?  We have some new allies that want to see you.”

 

“I hate to wake her.  She doesn’t always sleep so well.”

 

“Michiru-san promised that it would get better.  It’s just one night and they really want to see you.  You really want to come.”

 

“Okay, we’ll be there.”

 

Ami whimpered as she rolled over, blue eyes clouded as she tried to sit up.  “Mako?”

 

“Time to get up.  Usagi-chan needs us.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Haruka ran her fingers through Michiru’s long aqua hair, smiling as her wife strained toward her, even fast asleep.  Kazeko, having finished her meal an hour earlier, stirred in her sleep, little golden head resting against her mother’s breast.

 

Michiru jerked as her communicator beeped, and Kazeko gurgled.  Haruka quickly took the watch-like device and flipped it open, sighing at the blonde who faced her.  “Yes, Usagi-chan?”

 

“Hey, Haruka-san.  I hate to wake you, especially with Kazeko there, but we have some friends here at Mamo-chan’s apartment who want to see you again.  I won’t be so rude as to interrupt my mothers on their wedding night, so I’ll let you decide if you want to bring them along.  Do bring Hotaru-chan, though.  I’ll be waiting.”

 

Michiru opened cloudy sapphire eyes and looked up at her wife.  “Ruka?  Was that the princess?”

 

“She says she needs us at Mamoru-kun’s apartment.  I’ll go get Hotaru, Ailan-san, and Setsuna-san.  You get yourself and Kazeko ready.  We might as well go as Senshi—it’s faster.”

 

Michiru nodded and Haruka left.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Setsuna ran her fingers through Ailan’s long silver hair, amazed at the length and beauty of the silver strands.  She had never been able to let herself relax when she and Serenity were married in the Silver Millennium, but now she didn’t have anything to worry about.  “It’s just like the night we first met,” she whispered, resting her head on Ailan’s bare shoulder.  She waved her hand and transformed their room into a reasonable replica of the bedroom of the Jupiter palace where they had spent their first night together so long ago.  The lavender dress young then-princess Serenity had worn hung on the closet door, tiny jeweled flowers sparkling in the moonlight.  Setsuna’s black dress hung beside it, shimmering garnet in the light.

 

Ailan looked up and raised an eyebrow, smiling when her lover let the image fade.  “No,” she whispered, “because we aren’t afraid anymore.  There is nothing standing between us and eternity.  Now we aren’t just lovers anymore.  You’re not my husband, hiding from the world behind a façade, you’re my wife, Meiou Setsuna.  And these two are our daughters, and nothing will keep us from raising them together.  I’ll never let you leave again.”

 

“And I would never go,” Setsuna purred.  “How are those twins doing, anyway?”

 

Ailan rested a hand on her flat belly and smiled.  “They’re just fine, and you already knew that.  We haven’t even begun to think of names for them yet.”

 

“We have seven months, love.  Give it time.”

 

Ailan shook her head, wiping the tears from her eyes.  “A year ago I knew for sure that I would never speak to you, never see you again.  I had promised myself when I saw you nine years ago that I would stay away from you.  All I ever did was cause you pain and leave you alone for centuries.”

 

“Ailan . . .”

 

“Shh, Setsu-chan.”  Ailan placed a finger on Setsuna’s lips, smiling.  “Let me finish.  For years all I wanted was to stay away so you could have the happy life you deserve.  And now I see that by denying my feelings, I was keeping you from really being happy.  We broke every rule in the Silver Millennium because we love each other so much that we can’t survive alone.  And it took Haruka and Michiru’s wedding to show me that, but I am so glad you happened to call Moonlight Fashions eleven months ago.  I don’t know where I’d be right now if it weren’t for you.”  She took Setsuna’s hand and placed it on her belly.  “How can I ever thank you for your love and for them?”

 

Setsuna grinned evilly as she leaned over her wife, dark green hair covering them both like a cloak.  “I have a few ideas.”

 

A knock on the door interrupted their kiss, and the red-eyed senshi groaned as she rolled out of bed and fumbled for her robe.  “Do you mind?  We’re busy in here.”

 

“Not too busy,” Haruka laughed from the other side of the door, “if you have the breath to answer me.  Usagi called and wants us to go to Mamoru-kun’s apartment and meet some new allies.”

 

“Are you kidding?  You have no idea how to get there.  The only time we’ve ever been to that part of town is as senshi.”

 

“And that’s how we’re going now.  Michiru is getting Kazeko ready and Hotaru’s all set.  You two should find some clothes and join us on the porch.  Besides, it’s not like Michiru and I had a normal wedding night, either.  Someone felt like she had to return all of our memories to us and ruin the beginning of our honeymoon.  Just call it payback.”

 

“Haruka-san, if I ever get my hands on you . . .”

 

Ailan placed a hand on her wife’s shoulder.  “Put some clothes on first,” she smiled, handing the taller woman a dress.  “Then we can go out there and kill that upstart princess.”  She smiled as she slipped into her own dress.  “It’s never a dull moment with you senshi, is it?”

 

Setsuna shrugged.  “It’s not exactly the kind of job that comes with vacation time.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 3: Final Evolution

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“I never thought we’d see you again,” Usagi admitted as she watched the seven girls eating, giggling once in a while.  Aiko was clearly the leader, seeming very comfortable in that position, very much like her birth mother.

 

“Our princess wanted to come, but after what happened last time we thought it best to leave her in the protection of out sister senshi on Kinmokusei.”  Seiya grabbed an apple out of the bowl of fruit Mamoru had provided the three women and tossed it to Yaten, adding three more as Taiki joined the juggling game.  The three merrily tossed the fruit around, halting their game when Usagi stood at a sound on the balcony.  She exited the room, and Seiya turned to Mamoru.  “So, when are you going to marry her?”

 

“We’ve decided to wait until she’s ready to be queen.  It would be better if Crystal Tokyo could be formed by the heir to the throne of the Moon Kingdom then expanded with the help of her husband.  That way humans won’t resent the Moon influence as they did in the Silver Millennium.”

 

“You know, the more I study that time period, the less I understand it.  Our princess’s mother was just a baby when the kingdom here fell, but you all were there.  It’s a little staggering, to be honest.  Is it confusing to remember two lives?”

 

Mamoru smiled, warming to the black-haired woman.  He could see why she and Usagi had become such good friends while he was dead seven years earlier.  “It was worse when I had no idea who I was or who I had been.  When Usako saved my life with that ginzuishou and I remembered being Prince Endymion, it was like the sun came out or something.  It’s really hard to describe, but once I finally remembered who I was, I knew that Usako was my destiny and that what I had always felt for her was love.  It is a little overwhelming at times, but I’m really glad that I’m the prince she loved a thousand years ago.”

 

“I’m glad you were dead while Galaxia was here.”  Seiya grinned, shaking her head.  “I don’t mean it like that.  I mean that I’m glad you didn’t abandon her and that your last thought was for her.  It broke her heart when she thought you’d left her for good.  When you two finally get married, I’d like to be there.”

 

“If you’re alive, then all three of you and your princess are invited.  I’m sure Usako wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 

“We are graced with long lives, like all Senshi.  We’d be honored to attend.”  Her sisters nodded, agreeing with Seiya’s sentiment.

 

“I don’t know,” Rei’s voice admitted from the balcony.  “We didn’t notice when we left Hikawa Jinja, but now that you mention it, something is very different.  We’ve never looked like this after transforming.”

 

“Come in and let Mamo-chan see.  Luna and Artemis are on the way and they might have an explanation of sorts.”

 

Usagi returned to the room as the three Starlights stood, the four Inner Senshi on her heels, the four Outers farther back with a woman the Starlights did not recognize.  When the nine Senshi entered the room just behind the princess, they stopped, staring at the visitors.  In Neptune’s arms, Kazeko squirmed in her blankets and turned to face the three newcomers.

 

The Starlights hit one knee, heads bowed, transforming instantly as Sailor Moonlight stepped into the light, silver boots ringing.  “The wielder of the Silver Moonlight Crystal, Sailor Moonlight,” Star Fighter whispered, unable to believe her eyes.  “But that is just impossible!  We sensed Sailor Sol’s birth and she and Moonlight cannot exist at the same time.  It’s in all of the ancient writings.”

 

“You know me?”

 

Fighter raised her head, glancing at her partners as all looked up to stare at the silver Senshi.  “Of course we know you, Sailor Moonlight.  All of the Kingdoms know you.  You were the first—well, Moonlight was the first—to ever be called into the service of a Crystal.  The Silver Moonlight Crystal, the Mother Pearl, needed someone to defend Order while her brother was busy creating Chaos.  Sailor Sol was second, then the rest of the Star Senshi, until even the Star Senshi were overwhelmed in the Chaos Wars between the Shadow Wars and the Sailor Wars and they needed more help.”

 

“They called the Planet Senshi,” Moonlight realized, glancing at her wife, then her daughter.  “The Mother Pearl told the Golden Baby Song Crystal that she was first, that she had to be first, and she called the ginzuishou.  Because the ginzuishou was a great deal like her mother, like this crystal, and the Mother Pearl watched silently.  Eventually, the other Planet Crystals followed, then other systems called Senshi, until the crystals from the stars realized that they weren’t needed all the time.  After the Chaos Wars, they just shut down.”

 

Sailor Star Maker nodded, confirming Moonlight’s words.  “That is what our most ancient texts claim.  The Mother Pearl did not want to interfere unless she was truly needed, so she set a standard.  When the carrier of her first daughter, when Sailor Sol was born, she would kill her Senshi, leave.  Because after that, she was no longer needed.  We have no idea that she could change her mind.”

 

“She didn’t change her mind,” Uranus whispered, catching herself against the wall.  “It was Urakaze.”

 

“Urakaze?  That Cupid from the forest?”

 

“Yes, Jupiter.  He’s not a Cupid anymore, so he had enough power to teach the crystal about love.  Ho didn’t want two soulmates separated, and he found a way to show her what she was doing to you and Setsuna-san.”

 

A low chuckle filled the room, sending the Star Lights to their feet, backing away from the center of the room as a single tall man appeared in a showy flash of gold and red, white wings folded along his spine, ice blue eyes glaring at Uranus.  “You figured me out, Haruka.  Aphrodite told me that someone would.  Your theory is correct.  You see, the Silver Moonlight Crystal has always been the true embodiment of Order and purity, and Love is a mixture between order and chaos, belonging to neither.  Chaos feels the wildest emotions, but Order has never tried.  The other Crystals love and care, so I though that she deserved to as well.  And I hate to see one of Asakaze’s charges die.”

 

“Asakaze,” Haruka and Michiru breathed, memories returning to the image of three Cupids standing in the middle of the apartment they owned when they returned from the Marine Cathedral so many years ago.  “And Rikuriko.  They were given Setsuna-san and Ailan-san?”

 

Pluto crossed her arms over her chest, staff in front of her, garnet eyes glowing.  “A 300 and 700 were Assigned to me?  I’m a god, for pity’s sake.”

 

“You knew about the Cupids, Setsuna-san?”  Usagi looked around, shaking her head.  “All of you knew, even Mamo-chan.  Why didn’t I ever meet them?”

 

“Because Galaxia didn’t kill you,” Mamoru answered gently, resting his hands on Usagi’s shoulders.  “We met them after our Star Seeds were stolen.”

 

“I knew them long before,” Pluto admitted with a nonchalant wave of her hand.  “Aphrodite’s son Eros and his wife Psyche had two children, a son and daughter, and the son became the first Cupid, 1 Alpha, named Kiyoshi.  He and another Cupid from the Silver Millennium, Yuriko, had a son.  Urakaze.  I know most of the Cupids by number if not name.  And I thought gods were only assigned to 200’s and up.”

 

“Well, you see . . .”

 

“I was lucky enough to be Assigned all of the Senshi,” Asakaze answered as she and Rikuriko appeared in the room, neither wearing the white Cupid robes anymore.  The blonde grinned as she bowed to the goddess and her wife, turning to the princess and each of her Senshi in turn, the Starlights last.  “Years ago, the day you, Usagi, first ran into Mamoru, I saw something.  I had no idea that you were soulmates then, but Luna told me that you were one of the legendary Sailor Senshi.”

 

“Yes, I remember you, Cupid.”  Luna and Artemis had appeared about the same time as Urakaze, sitting silently at their princess’s feet as they listened and watched.  Usagi reached down and picked up the cats, eyes never leaving the trio of winged godlings.

 

“I asked to be Assigned all of the Senshi.  They would never agree to that, of course, but they let me have you two.  After the Beryl episode was over, and after that whole Black Moon thing, they agreed to give me a chance at the Inners.  Ura-kun had already been given Haruka and Michiru, easily the toughest case among you.”

 

“Hey!”

 

“Sorry, Haruka, it’s true.  You met . . . what, nine or ten years ago?  You were in bed together by High School, but it took you more than eight years to propose!  However, Rei and Minako realized they were in love a year ago and are already married.  See?  Usagi and Mamoru were engaged not even two years after they first bumped into each other on that street!  It took me years to get results, and for that I was promoted.  Please, Asa-chan, do continue.”

 

Rikuriko grinned at the flustered pair of Outers as her wife continued the story.  “I knew that the Inners would take a while.  I had no idea who your soulmates were!  I got an inkling for Makoto and Ami at that dance, but both of you still dreamed about men.  Before that, when Urakaze was promoted, I went to the Council and demanded that Kuri be named my partner and that both of us should get all of the Senshi, even Haruka and Michiru, since their Cupid was gone.”

 

Rikuriko laughed at the memory of her fierce wife confronting the oldest and wisest Cupids.  “You should have seen it!  She demanded!  Cupids, especially not 300’s and 700’s, do not demand anything!  But she was persistent.  They were worried about the work load, but I assured them that she could handle it.  Realizing that the binding of souls between the Senshi would be long in coming, they agreed to everyone except Pluto and Saturn.  Saturn was a baby by then, her Senshi powers dormant once more, and they argued that she would never be a Senshi again so she didn’t count.  Asa’s once-a-Senshi, always-a-Senshi argument won Hotaru, but for Pluto they would not budge.  She was a god, had returned to Olympus by the time they concluded their deliberations, and would most likely never return to Earth.  So Asa tried a different tactic.”

 

“I agreed with them that gods and godlings do not fall under Cupid rule, but that Se had been a Senshi once, and until she passed on the Time Stop Crystal, would be one when she returned to Earth.  Besides, we knew who her soulmate was, and Serenity would never be reborn.  So I asked if I could take her on, keep her at least mildly happy, if she ever returned to the mortal plane.  Sometime before Pegasus returned to Elysion, they finally agreed to let me have Pluto.  Boy were they surprised when you returned as Sailor Pluto to help finish off Nehelenia and fight Galaxia.”

 

Pluto shook her head, lips curved upward in a smile.  “I’ll have to have a word with that Council the next time I stop by Olympus.  You did a good job, Asakaze, Rikuriko.  Are you the ones who found Ailan?”

 

“I did,” Rikuriko answered, raising her hand.  “We were almost stuffing for pillows after that one, believe me.  And Kazeko.  And getting the two of you together.  Hades and Persephone threatened us with Tantalus’s fate if you killed yourself.  But shooting the Crystal . . . we didn’t have the power.  Urakaze did it and blamed it on us.  We were promoted to the Council for that, and to Olympus for the conception of the next four Star Senshi.”

 

“I never thought so many years ago that you guys would get me godhood.”

 

Mercury stepped forward, tears in her sapphire eyes as she faced the three ex-Cupids.  “Thank you,” she whispered, one hand on her belly.  “Thank you for Makoto and this baby and my happiness.  I never even knew what I was missing until she burst into my room that day and told me that I didn’t have to be afraid to love her.”

 

Jupiter joined her wife, reaching out to shake the Cupids’ hands in a very western gesture.  “I know how stubborn I can be, and I know how much I had to fight with myself to go to Ami’s room that day, to tell her that I was in love with her.  I know that at least part of that was because of the two of you, and I really can’t thank you enough.”

 

Mars and Venus were next, arm-in-arm, tears even in the miko’s eyes.  Minako spoke first, sensing that Rei couldn’t find the words.  “When I was lonely in England and love affair after love affair fell through, I wondered why the Cupids would torture me so.  When I came here and met these women, I forgot about love for a while, but my powers are based on love.  Loneliness returned.  But then, one day, I really looked at Rei and saw the most perfect, most beautiful, most loving woman in the entire world.  And when she looked at me and said she wanted me, too, I almost died.  I may call myself the Goddess of Love, but I know who the true Goddess is, and I thank you and her for my current and future happiness and my little daughter.  I never even hoped to have a child and I never thought I would win Rei’s heart.  Thanks to you two, I have both.”

 

Mars wiped the tears out of her eyes.  “I can’t say it that well, I’m afraid.  All I know is that I spent the first fourteen years of my life without anyone, not knowing why I was alone.  Then I spent the next eight seeing my soulmate every day and never knowing she was there.  I was afraid of everything, especially love, until we got our memories back and I realized I was only afraid that she wasn’t my soulmate.  When you gave her to me, you changed me in a way even I don’t understand yet.  And this baby . . . it’s almost too much.  Thank you, for giving my life meaning.”

 

Uranus, Neptune, and their tiny daughter were next.  They encompassed all three Cupids in their gaze, the Senshi regretting that they never had a chance to thank the trio years earlier.  Uranus spoke for all three of them.  “I have always been a flirt, pretending to be a man so I could sleep with whatever women I wanted to.  When I met Michiru, all of that ended.  Suddenly.  I knew from the instant I saw her that we were destined, but I fought it.  I didn’t want to belong to anyone, even her.  Of course, you, Urakaze-kun, never gave us a moment’s rest.  I don’t know where I’d be now if it wasn’t for your help, if it wasn’t for her and Kazeko, but I think I might have gotten to know Hades personally.  For that, for her, and for our daughter, I thank you.”

 

Neptune smiled as Asakaze and Rikuriko tried to wipe the tears out of their eyes.  “My wife has said it all, I believe.  Thank you for teaching her to do the smart thing, and thank you for Kazeko, the child I can raise.”

 

Pluto and Moonlight were next, smiling at the Cupids.  “I’m shocked that my love life was put in the hands of two young Cupids, but you did a better job than I could ever have hoped for.  Thank you for finding Ailan, for making me choose her clothing company for Michiru and Haruka’s wedding, for somehow convincing me to fall in love with her again.  Hundreds of years ago, our love broke every rule, our marriage taboo, our daughter in danger.  Now, I have them both back, and twins on the way.  You two did pretty good for such young Cupids.”

 

Moonlight rolled her eyes as she leaned forward and embraced all three Cupids.  “First, thank you for watching after my daughter.  I’m glad she found her prince in a time and place where they could be together.  Second, thank you for shoving Haruka and Michiru together because they’re too damn stubborn for their own good.”  Ignoring Haruka’s muffled exclamation, Moonlight continued.  “Third, thank you for getting the Inners back together.  Fourth, thank you for Setsuna.  I never hoped to have her again.  And lastly, thank you for the twins.  Thank you for the happiness you have given all of us.”

 

“I guess that leaves us,” Usagi whispered, her childish nervousness coming to the surface as she and Mamoru joined the Cupids.  The other Senshi moved closer, eager to hear their princess.  She reached behind her back and unfastened the crescent moon necklace she had owned since she was fourteen, handing it to Asakaze.  “When I was fourteen, I ran into a man—actually, I bounced my test off his head and stuck my tongue out at him.  That was the moment that my life began to change.  At first, I thought that it was getting worse, what with the battles and the youma and all, but then I realized that I had been completely wrong.  Maybe I had to fight, but I had these wonderful friends and especially my boyfriend, my Mamo-chan.  I’m no poet, and I’m still a little clumsy physically and with my words, but thank you.  This necklace . . . Luna gave it to me, said that it had once belonged to the Queen of the Silver Millennium and that I would know when it was time to give it away.  Now it is.  It doesn’t have any powers except as an heirloom, but I hope you’ll accept it.”

 

Asakaze opened her mouth to speak, staring at the crescent moon necklace.  “I . . .”

 

“She’s a little overwhelmed,” Rikuriko whispered.  “Thank you, Princess.”

 

“Asakaze-san, as you can see, Usako is the most wonderful, most special person I have ever known, and I love her so much that sometimes I can’t see straight.  I remember that first meeting and I remember a strange feeling, like destiny.  It occurred so much that I began to fight it, to try to push her away, but it didn’t work.  I don’t know how much you helped us, but I fell in love with her, and my life hasn’t been dull or lonely since.  So I, too, thank you.”

 

Urakaze pulled Asakaze and Rikuriko back, smiling at each of the Senshi in turn.  “We Cupids never interact with mortals, never reveal ourselves or the work we do.  I broke that law when we showed ourselves to Haruka and Michiru, but we were forgiven because of the darts and their poison.  In the forest, we were forgiven because we saved the world.  But now . . . your words made all of this worth it.  We Cupids have never been thanked before, and I never thought that humans could be so grateful.  Now, if you don’t mind, I have a wife and two children at home who have to go with me to a banquet with my mother and father.  Thank you, all of you, for your words today.  And we Cupids do what we do because we love you, we love all of our charges.  Good-day.”

 

Mars stared at the empty spot in the room, glancing down at her altered fuku again.  “What about this?”

 

“Your final evolution,” Star Fighter answered.  “You are Planet Star Senshi now, Sailor Star Mars.  It’s because of your crystals.”

 

“Well, at least that question was answered.  Now.  Why are you three here?”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 4: Old Family

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Usagi was examining the drawings the seven girls had made for her on the colored paper Mamoru kept in his apartment, the pictures far more advanced than a normal seven-year-old could manage.  Aiko had used the red markers Usagi found in Mamoru’s desk to draw a tiny model of her solar system, while the other six had drawn animals and plants from their home.  The girls were all sleeping, curled up in the bed in the guest room Mamoru had furnished for Usagi.  Seiya smiled at the pictures.

 

“They can sing, too.”

 

The little blonde princess smiled.  “I wouldn’t expect anything else from your daughters, Seiya.  Mother says that there’s a great evil coming, something we can’t see yet, and that the Gathering is to call together Star Senshi who can fight this evil.  I can’t tell you what having your daughters here will do for our cause, though they won’t be old enough to fight for a while.”

 

“If I remember what your friends told me, you were only fifteen when you first became Sailor Moon, and you never had a break.”

 

“Haruka-san and Michiru-san were even younger,” Usagi whispered.  “But no one should have to fight so young.  I’ll protect them as long as possible.”

 

Seiya rested a hand on Usagi’s shoulder.  “I know you will.  Thank you.  That reminds me—I have a present for you, Usagi.”  Seiya reached into her jacket and pulled out a small silver box, the silvery symbol of the moon on top.  It was locked, and Usagi could sense that the lock was not merely physical.

 

“What is that?  It’s very old, Seiya . . . the ginzuishou is singing.”

 

The call of the crystal roused the slumbering senshi.  Ami, deep in conversation with Taiki, glanced up as her lover stirred, the brunette using Ami’s lap as a pillow.  Minako, sleeping soundly in Rei’s strong arms as the miko and Yaten argued over some minor musical point, opened her blue eyes at the sound from the crystal, moving closer.  Mamoru jerked himself awake, trying to clear the sleep from his eyes as he tried to focus on the beautiful sound.  He had been leaning against the couch, and he turned to face Usagi.  Haruka, who had taken her sleeping wife and daughters into Mamoru’s other guest bedroom, glanced into the main room, unruly hair even worse than ever.  Michiru followed her out, unable to sleep through the crystal’s call, baby in her arms, sleepy Hotaru by her side.  Setsuna, brewing some tea in the kitchen, glanced into the main room as Ailan slowly awoke, curled up in a chair in the corner.

 

The sound of a crash filled the apartment, and all eyes turned to Setsuna as the Senshi of Time approached the tiny box, ignoring the shattered teacup.  Her wife stepped forward, purple eyes worried, as Setsuna touched the box.  “The necklace,” Setsuna whispered, red eyes glowing as her casual suit changed to an elegant black dress sparkling with gems in every color imaginable, Staff in hand, hair pulled back into an elaborate bun by jeweled silver chains, a crown on her head filled with black opals and garnets.  The Senshi all stood, transforming instantly, as Hades’s daughter stopped, staring at the box her daughter held.  Usagi, having resisted the transformation, let herself change into Eternal Sailor Moon as Sailor StarFighter handed her the box and stepped away.  Sailor Moonlight reached for Setsuna, hand mere inches from her wife, as Setsuna reached for the box.

 

“Wait,” Moonlight whispered, her crystal covering her in a soft silvery glow.  Sailor Moon stepped back, frightened, as Setsuna turned.  “Setsuna . . . Se, tell me.  What’s in the box?”

 

“It’s her necklace, Ailan.  I thought I lost it long ago.  Tranquility would never forgive me.  I promised her to keep it forever.”

 

“Her necklace?  Whose necklace, Se?  One of your friends?”

 

“She was more than that,” Se whispered, unable to look away from the box.  “The day I was born, Psyche gave birth to twins, Serenity and Tranquility, and the three of us were raised together.  We were inseparable, until the day Ren told me that she had to set her spirit free to protect a future even I could not see.  I . . . I didn’t want her to go.  She created the Holy Grail to call her spirit forth when her chosen vessel had been reborn, and the three of us hid it away, forging the three Talismans to keep it sealed away.  In time, I gave the other two Talismans to my chil—to the princesses of Neptune and Uranus.  As she died, she placed a seed of her soul into a necklace and told me that it would call her forth when she was needed, in conjunction with my soulmate, the Talismans, the Planet Crystals, the Grail, and the First Crystal.  Every time the Silver Moonlight Crystal came forth, I looked for her, but Serenity has never returned.  Sometime since the Silver Millennium, I lost her necklace, and I thought I had lost her forever.”

 

Ailan detransformed and swallowed, her fear evident in her eyes.  “You . . . you loved her, didn’t you?”  Se turned, garnet eyes wide, as Ailan wiped a tear off her cheek.  “She must have been the goddess Serenity my line was named for.  If she had never left, you would have married her, loved her, and never had to come looking for a replacement.”

 

Se shook her head, the necklace forgotten as she stepped forward and embraced her wife.  “No, Ailan, it’s not like that.  Yes, I loved her.  I also loved Tranquility, First of the Cupids.  We were closer than Usagi, Rei, Ami, Makoto, and Minako became over the years.  We shared everything, children of the gods, and we knew that we were special.  Different.  Doomed to live alone.  Tranquility could never find a partner among the gods because we were too involved with humans, too mortal, and none of our family could understand us.  He married a mortal woman, taking her to the Cupid Alliance when she died.  I waited for Serenity, prayed for her, wept for her, but I looked for my soulmate among those doomed to die.  I knew, all along, that she and I were never meant to be as long as we were pure gods, but it took me thousands of years to realize it.  I am not, any longer, thanks in part to the Pluto Powers, and at one time I wanted for her to be reborn as a mortal, a woman I could love.”

 

“And now?”

 

“I lost her necklace, Ailan, when I lost you.  I let it go.  When you died, when I watched everything I had built and fought for and defended for so long crumble around me, I knew that I never wanted to rejoin the gods.  I wanted to fix it, wait for the princesses of the Silver Millennium to be reborn and grow and love again.  And somewhere, deep down, I said goodbye to Serenity because I realized that I only wanted you.  She was just a dream, a sister from another life, a lover from the realm of the gods.  You were my soulmate, and you still are.  Yes, I love her, and if she had been reborn instead of you, I probably would be on Olympus with her now.  But I could never be as happy as I am in your arms.  You complete me, Ailan, in a way that she never could.  I love you in ways that I never loved her.”

 

Ailan stifled a sob as the other senshi wiped tears away, moved by Se’s heart moving admission of love.  The goddess kissed her wife, cradling her gently as if she might break.  Pulling away, Ailan smiled.  “That was beautiful.  I was so afraid that you might leave me one day to return to the gods.”

 

“I won’t go back without you,” Se whispered.

 

“What about the necklace, Mother?”

 

Se glanced at Usagi and turned back to her wife, smiling.  “Do you want it, Ailan?”

 

“Her necklace?”

 

“It’s very beautiful.  I wore it for thousands of years.  She was the mother of your line and you are, technically, her namesake.  I think it would be appropriate.  Come see it.”

 

Usagi, smiling kindly, handed Se the tiny box, glancing around at her Senshi, the trio from Kinmokusei, and Tuxedo Kamen.  Se tightened her fingers around her staff and watched as it shrunk, quickly reaching the size of a normal key.  “The Staff . . .”

 

“Yes, Rei-san.  The Garnet Orb is one of the Talismans, but the staff was the key to the box Serenity gave me to keep her necklace.  I use it to battle because it is strong and old, powered by our love and friendship, the three of us, inseparable.”  She slipped the key into the lock and turned it, opening the pearlescent box.  Inside was a delicate silver chain holding a beautiful silvery white opal, its flecks sparkling in every color of the rainbow.  Se carefully lifted it, placing the box down as her staff grew to normal proportions, and held the necklace up for all of the senshi to see.  Neptune sighed at its magnificence, and Uranus wrapped an arm around her wife and Saturn as they watched.  Se held the necklace out to Ailan, who smiled as she pulled her hair up.  Reaching forward, Setsuna clasped the silver chain.

 

Silver light exploded from the gem, an unearthly song filling the room as the ginzuishou began to glow, each of the Planet Crystals following its lead.  The three Talismans flew into a triangle around Sailor Moon, their power flying forth as it had that day so long ago in the Marine Cathedral, the Holy Grail once again appearing above the princess’s head.  She had not used it in so long that it had grown dormant, bonding with her Star Seed and lending her its power only when she was in the most need and could not fight on her own, but now it shone free, its glow lighting the room.  The Grail directed its power at Ailan, a single white beam penetrating the silver glow around her, and all sound ceased, the Grail vanishing once more, the Talismans returning to their owners, the Planet Crystals and ginzuishou silent.  The silver glow around Ailan faded.

 

She was dressed in silver, flowing silk pooling around her feet, her long silver hair freed from its braid and trapped by a web of gem-encrusted silver chains, flowing in a waterfall of loose curls down her back.  And she had wings.  That was the first thing her daughter noticed.  Ailan had a pair of silver-tinted white wings folded neatly along her spine, as if they had always been there.  She looked up slowly, grace and elegance marking every motion, raising each hand to her face, amazement in her purple-silver eyes.  She touched the smooth stone of her necklace, glancing up at Se.  “I . . . what happened?  Se, I don’t feel very good.”

 

“Serenity?”

 

“Of course.  What’s wrong with you, Se?”

 

Se stepped forward, unable to believe her eyes.  Usagi touched Setsuna’s arm and pulled her mother back.  “Is she . . . Setsuna-san . . .”

 

“Serenity, you died.  How did you . . .”

 

“Se?  I remember . . . I remember splitting my soul.  The Grail, the Talismans, and the necklace.  It could only be activated by the wielder of the Moonlight Crystal.  I can . . . I can hear . . . there’s someone here, a part of me.”

 

“Your descendant, former Queen of the Moon Serenity.  My soulmate and wife, Ailan.”

 

“Mother of your children,” Serenity whispered, one hand on her belly.  “Why am I here?  I must have a purpose in this body.”  She closed her eyes, the silver glow around her increasing as the Silver Moonlight Crystal emerged from its locket and flickered in a worried pattern.  Serenity nodded and opened her wings, her silver power dispersing.  A soft humming song filled the air as the Senshi moved closer to Setsuna and Serenity, absorbing the power vibe the goddesses gave off in exchange for protection from whatever was making that song.  A beautiful smile lit Serenity’s face as the song reached its crescendo.

 

A brilliant light filled the large apartment, fading to reveal a beautiful flower-filled field, gentle breeze caressing the Senshi who were no longer sure what was going on, and a group of strangers standing not far away.  They recognized Hades, the black robes he wore to impress humans gone, replaced by rusty red and festive gold, his wife wearing scarlet covered in golden chains of sparkling jewels.  The rest of the gods were similarly attired, silk and gems adding to the elegance of the natural world, and Se fit in perfectly.  She stepped forward, smiling, as her parents approached the group.

 

“Se?  Why are you here?  And why did you bring the senshi?”

 

“I didn’t, Father.  Somebody else did.  Have you seen Tranquility lately?”

 

“Not in the last few millennia.  He vanished when the Silver Millennium fell, you know.  Psyche, Eros?  Do you know where your son is?”

 

The winged gods stepped forward, Psyche in blues and lavenders, Eros in his favorite gold and white, quiver and bow on his back as always.  “We don’t know where our son is, Hades,” Psyche admitted.  “He hasn’t spoken to us since the Silver Millennium.  He said he might return if Serenity ever turns up.  Se, I would think that he would contact you first, if anybody.  You three were the closest of friends.”

 

“Mother?”

 

The Senshi stepped back at the voice, revealing Serenity/Ailan to the gods.  Psyche stifled a sob as her only daughter jumped into her arms, wings curled open, tears on both women’s cheeks.  Eros embraced the pair as Hades stared at his daughter, amazement in his red eyes.  “Se?  You knew?  This is . . . this is Ailan, carrier of the Silver Moonlight Crystal.  She must have been chosen because of Serenity’s soul bound to hers.”

 

“The Royal Line had become too weak,” Se whispered, watching the family reunion as the other Gods moved forward to welcome their lost daughter back.  “Just like long ago, when the Crystals killed their carriers, before we infused the god blood in the Lines, there was no longer enough power in the sole Moon daughter, Usagi Serenity, to wield the crystal.  Serenity told me that she would wait for such a day to return to the world, though I didn’t remember until recently.  It was her soul that Eurynome called, and the Crystal bound to Ailan’s purity and innocence, letting Serenity control the power.  Neither of them could truly be Sailor Moonlight, but together they are and always can be.”

 

“They’re bonded?  Se, no god has ever bonded with a mortal.”

 

“Ailan’s not mortal, Father.  Besides, now I have my best friend and my soulmate in the same body.  I couldn’t be happier.”

 

Persephone nodded, kissing her daughter’s forehead, watching as Hades’s mark glowed garnet on the senshi’s smooth skin.  “I can see that.  If only Tranquility would return.  We can call the Cupids, though, to meet their princess.  They have waited for her birth as long as you.”

 

Se nodded and raised her hand, sending a Summons that no Lesser God could resist.  Dozens of red-gold clad godling Cupids appeared, followed by more of their rank and literally hundreds of white-clad Cupids, the sashes on their shoulders distinguishing them from one another.  Urakaze, Leader of the Greater Cupid Council, glanced at Aphrodite, then Se, eyes widening.  The daughter of Hades had not been seen on Olympus in a very long time.  Then he spotted the silver-winged woman standing with Psyche, and he hit one knee, tears in his eyes.  “Princess,” he whispered, his awed voice silencing the gods.  The Senshi stared on, unable to form a coherent thought as they waited for the next move.  “You have returned to us.”

 

“Cupids,” Serenity whispered, the silver in her eyes vanishing beneath the purple as her soul created a balance with Ailan’s.  “I remember you from the Silver Millennium.  The Flightless Cupids and the Cult of the Broken Wing.  You’re too young to have been a member of that group, though.  Certainly the Cult died when the Silver Millennium fell.”

 

“It did.  Cupids were later chosen by unconscious merit, not by worshipping the Princess to Come and following the Winged Prince Cupid number 1 Alpha.  I was born to be a Cupid, though the others were mostly simple humans.  There are no Cupids left from the Silver Millennium, and most of the godlings have vanished, not seen on any plane since the Great Tragedy.  Many of them went mad, as we expect the Winged Prince did.  There is one left, my father, who is a descendant of the Winged Prince.  Cupid number 79 Alpha can speak to you, Princess Serenity, if you wish.”

 

“I do.  Call him.”

 

Urakaze closed his eyes, Asakaze and Rikuriko echoing his actions as the three Godlings called the oldest serving Cupid, Cupid #79 Alpha, known to his wife and son as Kiyoshi.

 

Serenity looked up as the gray-haired, ragged-winged Cupid appeared, his blue eyes as sharp and young as always.  “Yes, Urakaze-kun?”

 

The Cupid stood and glanced at Serenity, a joy in his soft blue eyes that rarely shone through his calm exterior.  “Father, there’s someone here who wants to speak to you.”  He pointed, and Kiyoshi turned around.

 

The old Cupid fell to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks as he reached out and touched Serenity/Ailan’s skirt.  “Serenity,” he whispered, his body shimmering as his wings straightened and the feathers smoothed out, returning to their younger shape, a gold tint to his silky appendages.  His grey hair curled and lengthened, changing to pure gold as it fell in a waterfall down his back, his blue eyes changing to gold.  A gasp of purest shock filled the god crowd, the Senshi exchanging confused glances as Se also stepped forward.  Serenity smiled as the man pulled her into his arms, tears on both cheeks.  “I missed you, sister.”

 

“Tranquility,” Urakaze whispered.  “Cupid #1 Alpha, the Winged Prince.  Father?”

 

“I changed my name after the Silver Millennium fell,” Tranquility whispered, pulling away from his sister.  “I had to.  And I changed my appearance, as well.” He turned back to the silver woman, smiling.  “And now you are back, dear sister.  You, Se, and I will be the closest of friends, living here on Olympus as we were meant to when we were born so long ago.  Everything will be as it was back then.”

Usagi, finally able to grasp the situation, stepped forward, tears in her blue eyes.  “Se?  Mother?  Are you really going?”

 

Ailan/Serenity and Setsuna/Se looked at their daughter, the only bond they truly shared, and Ailan placed a hand on her belly.  “Tranquility, I can never return.  We can never return.”

 

“Ren?  Se?  You can’t be serious?!”

 

“We are, Tran,” Se whispered, letting her dress change into her Sailor fuku.  “I’m Sailor Pluto, Meiou Setsuna, wife of Hikarino Ailan, mother of Tsukino Usagi and soon two more beautiful daughters.  I was born a god, but I choose to live a mortal.  I love Earth and the people of it and I choose to return to them, to my daughter, to my life, and to who I am.”  She turned to Sailor Moon and smiled, embracing her daughter.  “I’ll visit again when my daughter becomes queen.”

 

Serenity took her brother’s hands in hers, smiling sadly.  “Tran, I love you so much, but I am not your sister anymore.  Well, I’m not just your sister.  I’m Ailan now.  She and I are one, and she loves her daughter and Setsuna very much.  I love Se, and she’s a very different person now than when I died.  Serenity, your Serenity, the one you loved, the one you worshiped for so long, the one you created a cult to call back to life, no longer exists.  I am not her, she cannot ever return.”

 

Tranquility shook his head, gold-tinged wings flaring.  “Serenity!  That can’t be true!  After all I did, all I sacrificed . . . the Silver Millennium . . . you can’t leave now!  I only just found you!”

 

“I have to go, Tran.  I love Setsuna, and she lives on Earth.  I’m going back.  That doesn’t mean that you can never visit or that I won’t come here once in a while, but Earth is my home, little brother.  And it always will be.”  She reached out and took Pluto’s hand, smiling at the other woman as Serenity let her wings fade, eyes returning to their former purple shade, dress changing back into her Sailor fuku, silver hair losing the gems and regaining the intricate braids.  Ailan smiled at her wife as they rejoined the senshi, bowing to the gods.  “Forgive us for disturbing your lives.  Tranquility, I love you, but I love Setsuna, too, and I want to be with her.  You feel the same way about Yuriko, I know you do.  Please live a happy life and I will see you again as soon as possible.”  The thirteen women and Tuxedo Kamen faded, and Tranquility turned to his parents.

 

“Why can’t she stay?”

 

“She has another life now,” Psyche whispered.  “I’m happy for her.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“We have presents for the rest of you, too,” Seiya announced, grinning at Ailan.  “We were getting ready to hand them out before our little trip to Olympus.  I had no idea that necklace had such power; I suppose that when it was let loose in the time stream it landed on Kinmokusei in the distant past and became sort of an heirloom for the queens.  I have no idea how she knew . . . but that is behind us.  The necklace is with its true owner now, and we are glad to have helped our friends.  When the Star Senshi are called, Princess, do not forget your allies on Kinmokusei.  This time, we will answer the same call and fight with you against the same enemy.”

 

“Thank you,” Usagi whispered.  “Your help is always appreciated.”

 

“Seiya!  Give them the papers already!”  Yaten rolled her eyes and glared at her black-haired sister as Taiki laughed.

 

Seiya pulled out a folder of papers and smiled as she bowed and handed it to Usagi.  “It’s the only present we ever really had to give, Princess.  We wrote a lot of songs when we were here seven years ago, though we only sang a few.  Some of them are just music with half-formed lyrics and some are just lyrics, ideas, without any music.  A lot of them are finished, and I thought that the bunch of you would get more enjoyment out of them than we do.  I know you can all sing beautifully, and some of the finished songs were written specifically for one or two of you.  We also have one . . .” Seiya reached out and turned to the back of the notebook “. . . that we heard Haruka-san playing on her piano one day.  I wrote it down, but I have no ideas what the words are.”

 

“Let me see,” Michiru murmured, carefully handing her sleeping daughter to her wife.  Haruka grumbled as she held Kazeko, slyly smiling at the baby as Michiru showed her the sheet music.  “I think . . . let me think about this, Ruka.  It looks like that song you played for me so long ago.  What was it called?”

 

“Kaze ni Naritai,” Haruka whispered, her voice catching in her throat.  “That was the last song we played together before the Silver Millennium fell.  I was trying to write a second verse when you three were here last.  I never wrote any music for it . . .”

 

“There’s another song, Haruka-san; one we wrote with you and Michiru-san in mind.”

 

Haruka snorted at Seiya’s words.  “One you wrote,” she chuckled.  “Show me.”

 

Michiru took Kazeko as Haruka took the paper, watching as her wife’s emerald eyes widened.  “Do you like it?”

 

“It’s perfect,” she whispered, glancing at the title.  “See Me, Boku-tachi no Jidai.”  She folded the paper and slipped in her pocket.  “I’ve gotta take a look at this.”

 

Seiya smiled.  “I’m glad you like that one, Haruka-san.  However, Princess Kakyuu is expecting us soon, so we need to leave.  This visit has been wonderful and very odd, to say the least.  Princess, Senshi of this system, Prince, we must be on our way.”

 

Usagi placed the folder down and stepped forward, embracing each of the three women in turn.  “I would tell you to go say goodnight to your daughters, but they’re asleep already and I wouldn’t want to wake them.  We will take good care of them.”

 

“I know.”

 

Mamoru reached out and shook each of the women’s hands, smiling.  He hadn’t really known them as men, so he had no trouble adjusting to them as women.  “I’m glad you came back for a visit.  After we build Crystal Tokyo, all of you are invited to our wedding.  I hope you will all come.”

 

“Of course we will.  I can’t wait for Odango to get married.”  Usagi ignored Seiya’s last comment.

 

Ami reached out and took Taiki’s hand, shyly embracing the taller woman.  “I do miss having you to argue with, Taiki-san.  Feel free to visit whenever, and please feel free to bring any information from your homeworld.”  She touched the tiny chip in her pocket that Taiki had altered to interface with the Mercury computer, knowing that it contained star charts and information on planets that would take her months or years to fully decipher.  She couldn’t wait.

 

Makoto, not in a particularly feminine mood, reached out and patted Taiki on the back, following with Yaten and Seiya.  “You three might have been a pain in our collective Senshi asses when you were last here, but now that you come as friends, I’m glad to have you.”

 

“The same goes for me,” Rei added, stepped forward.  “And I never got a chance to thank you for sticking by our princess in the end so long ago.  I was afraid that I would never have the chance and now I’m glad that I do.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Seiya whispered.

 

Minako, no longer the squealing youth of old, smiled as Yaten hugged her, kissing her forehead.  “You’ve done well for yourself, Minako-san.  I think you’re happier now than you ever could have been as a simple idol.  If you ever give a concert, though, try not to forget me.  You have more talent than I do, Goddess of Love.”

 

Minako blushed.  “Thank you, Yaten-kun.”

 

Hotaru was already asleep, exhausted from the late evening and the trip to Olympus.  Setsuna has taken the youngest senshi to the bed Michiru and Kazeko had been using earlier.  The daughter of Hades herself and her wife were in the kitchen, talking and baking something for the children to eat as snacks.  They had already wished the three sisters good luck.  Michiru was next, smiling at Seiya as she bowed slightly.  “You three were always perfect gentlemen to me, except when you were Senshi.  Even then, you were loyal and true, protecting Usagi-chan when even we could not.  And for that I thank you.  And for the music, as well.  They ought to be fun to play.”

 

Haruka was last, reached out and shaking Seiya’s hand.  “You three were great friends during that short period of time when we weren’t fighting.  I am grateful to you for what you all did for our princess, and I would be glad to see you at her wedding in the future.  Just one thing, though.”

 

“What’s that, Haruka-san?”

 

“Keep your hands off my wife.”  There was a tense moment as the two senshi stared at each other, then Haruka’s glare melted into a smile and Seiya laughed.

 

“I’ll remember that, Haruka-san.  Promise.  I hope you’ll help raise our daughters.  They need a role model like you.”

 

Haruka grinned and bowed.  “Don’t be strangers.”

 

“Never.”  Seiya led her sisters to the balcony and all turned to bow.

 

“Thank you for having us,” they called, fading into three streaks of colored lights heading back to Kinmokusei.  Usagi smiled and glanced at her senshi.

 

“You might as well stay here tonight.  Let me go get the extra futons.  Mamo-chan, you and I will sleep with the girls, Setsuna-san and Ailan can sleep in the room with Haruka-tachi, and the rest of you can sleep two on the couch and two on a futon.  Let’s go to bed and worry about all of this in the morning.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 5: Pleiades

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“Usa-mama?”

 

“Yes, Aiko-chan?”

 

“More Star Senshi are coming, Usa-mama.  We conferred last night and we have agreed on that.”  Aiko glared at her rice ball, amused by the concept of sticky rice, pulling off the sesame seeds to look at them before she slowly put the rice in her mouth, chewing slowly.  Her sisters were examining the other picnic food, memorizing each detail before eating.  The senshi found the children mildly amusing.

 

“When will they be here, Aiko-chan?”

 

“Tonight.”

 

Usagi nodded and glanced at her senshi, leaving the picnic blanket to join her fiancé by the nearby tree.  Mamoru was leaning against the smooth bark, watching the families playing in the grass, eyes following Haruka and Michiru most of all.  The blonde was sitting on a nearby bench, her blonde daughter in her arms, singing her to sleep, having exhausted the toddler by trying to teach her how to walk earlier.  Michiru was sitting beside her wife, the baby stroller beside her, folding the blanket she used to protect Kazeko from the sun, watching the pair bond.  Michiru put the blanket into the basket of the stroller and reached out, laying a hand on Haruka’s arm, the flower diamond of her engagement ring winking in the sunlight.  Haruka looked up from their future-Senshi daughter, emerald eyes sparkling with the purest joy the senshi had ever exhibited, and leaned over to kiss her wife.

 

“I envy them, you know.”

 

“I know, Mamo-chan.”

 

“All I can see when I watch them is Chibiusa.  I miss her so much.  How can I miss a child who has yet to be born, to be conceived?”

 

“It was unfair of her to come back in time,” Usagi whispered, laying her blonde head on Mamoru’s shoulder.  “As much as I fought with her, as much as I resented her spending so much time with you . . . I loved her so much.  And sometimes I find myself sitting at home, or doing some paperwork at the embassy, and I realize that I’m waiting for her to come in and break the monotony, annoy me, amuse me, keep me company.  I miss her so much, Mamo-chan!”  She reached up to wipe the tears from her cheeks, shocked to find Mamoru’s hand there, already, dark blue eyes full of sympathy enveloping her.

 

“One day we’ll have her again, Usako.  One day we’ll have our family.”

 

“I can’t wait, Mamo-chan.”  She smiled as her fiancé embraced her, sighing as she pulled back.  “Mamo-chan, I have to cancel our date tonight and . . . the rest of the evening.”  Mamoru groaned, and Usagi nodded.  “I know.  But Aiko says that more Star Senshi are coming tonight, probably adults, and we have to be ready to meet them.  Mother and Setsuna-san have to cancel their date, too, so don’t feel so bad.”

 

“I’ll be there, Usako.  You’ll all be as Senshi, I assume?”

 

“It only seems right.”  Usagi sighed and closed her eyes, her mind returning to all of the dates she had missed lately.  After Makoto and Ami’ wedding, Usagi was sick with a stomach virus and had to cancel her date with Mamoru.  On the night of Minako and Rei’s wedding, Setsuna and Ailan had an emergency at their clothing store and Usagi had helped Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru take care of Kazeko and the seven Orionis girls.  The interruptions were getting quite annoying, and she hoped that the next Star Senshi to come would be adults and could help watch the children so she could have some quality time with her lover.

 

Usagi squeezed Mamoru’s arm and pointed at her mothers, sitting on the picnic blanket and watching the seven girls, lost in their own world.  Setsuna was holding Ailan in her lap, hands drawing idle patterns on her round stomach, the silver-haired woman shaking her head and complaining about the frilly maternity clothes she had to wear.  The green-haired goddess ignored her wife’s complaints, kissing the back of her neck to stop her complaints.  Ailan reached up and touched her necklace, her eyes flashing silver as she turned around and whispered a question, Setsuna pausing her hands.  She smiled, caressing Ailan’s smooth cheek, and three words floated along the breeze to reach their daughter’s ears.  “Aishiteru, Ailan.  Aishiteru.”

 

Usagi smiled and ducked her head, wondering why she had heard that.  “Mamo-chan, the twins . . . if they’re the daughters of Setsuna-san and Mother, are they my sisters?”

 

“I suppose.”

 

“I always wanted a sister.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

She had lived her life flitting from star to star, searching for a place, a home, somewhere to build a new life free from her wandered ways.  She had found a partner in her search long before, a tall, beautiful, golden-haired woman who promised her heart and soul to the wanderer, her partner in all things.  Seven young Star Senshi daughters later, the group sensed the call of Sailor Moonlight and Sailor Sol, greatest of the Star Senshi ever, indicators that a time of great strife was coming.  They chose to travel to the tiny golden star far away and the planet the inhabitants called Earth.

 

She never expected a welcoming committee.

 

One tall man and a long line of women met them, seven girls lined up in front of them.  The man was grounded, his power pulsing from the planet beneath her feet.  The short, blonde-haired woman by his side glowed with an inner power, a strength amplified by the moon hanging high above their heads.  The raven-haired woman next in line glared at the group with violet-gray eyes, instantly suspicious of the new Senshi, arm around the waist of a pregnant blonde woman with eyes the color of a blue-white super giant star.  The next woman was far taller, a brunette with thunder in her emerald eyes, protecting a pregnant woman with short blue hair, trusting sapphire eyes watching the new arrivals, analyzing every move.  The next pair belonged together.  The way they stood, the way the tall, short-haired blonde held her aqua-haired partner showed that their love was old, and comfortable, and perfect.  The shorter of the two held a golden-haired girl in her arms, a child of at least eight months.  A shorter, black-haired purple-eyed girl was next, the youngest of the uniformed Senshi, a tall scythe in her white-gloved hand.  The tall, green-haired, garnet-eyed Senshi beside her held a long key-shaped staff topped by a garnet orb, the air of absolute maturity proving that she was by far the oldest of the Senshi, and there was something about her eyes . . . something of the gods, perhaps.  The woman by her side, the last of the suited Senshi, drew the attention of the new arrivals, her silver hair and silver fuku shining in the light from her ancient home.  Her lavender eyes widened at the recognition she sensed in the visitors’ stance, and she crystal on the top of her tall whit staff glowed.

 

“Sailor Moonlight,” the visitor whispered as she, her beloved partner, and their seven daughters hit one knee, heads bowed in Moonlight’s direction.

 

“I wish you guys would quit doing that,” the woman sighed.  “I didn’t like it when Sailor StarFighter did it . . .”

 

“The Kinmokusei Senshi?”

 

Moonlight nodded as she gestured for the women to rise.  “You’ve been to Kinmokusei?”

 

The new arrival laughed, pulling her partner to her feet as their Senshi daughters also rose.  “There are few places I did not go while Galaxia was reigning terror on the galaxy.  We his on Kinmokusei during the end of her reign, greeting Princess Kakyuu and her three favorite and oldest Senshi, the Starlights, when they finally returned and began to rebuild their home.  We stayed long enough to help as well as we could, then we moved on.  We heard your call, Sailor Moonlight, and we knew that we had to come.  We have been expecting your birth for quite some time.”

 

Sailor Moonlight pointed at the black-haired man and his golden-haired, winged lover at the other end of the line.  “Allow me to introduce the leaders of this solar system, Eternal Sailor Moon, Princess Serenity of the old Moon Kingdom and my daughter, and Tuxedo Kamen, Prince Endymion of the old Earth Kingdom.”

 

“You . . . you’re Queen Serenity, last monarch of the Silver Millennium!  We had heard that your daughter was reborn, but . . . we though you lost forever.  I remember you!  I was already a wandering princess after my kingdom was destroyed, and I landed here on that last tiny planet, Pluto.  I met you in the first years of your reign, and you told me to go find my destiny, not to be afraid.”

 

Ailan and Setsuna exchanged a confused glance as the red-haired woman stepped forward, hair barely brushing her shoulders, curled up at the ends, and the former queen remembered a skinny waif with tangled red curls, a friend she barely remembered.  “And you did.  I never thought I’d see you again, Rikuriko, named after the young princess of the Kingdom of Kasei, later a queen whose daughter is among us now.”

 

Setsuna nodded.  “Ah, now I remember.  You were quite the popular playmate of the young princesses, and they missed you greatly when you left.  You had enough power back then to stay on Pluto for a while before I noticed you.”

 

“When I heard that the Silver Millennium was obliterated, I came back.  I tried to find you, but all that was left was ruins.  I could sense that Sailor Pluto had escaped into the Time Vortex after everyone died, so I returned to the Galactic Council and told them that your solar system was weakened by an evil from within and the queen had been forced to sacrifice everything to save the earth in the hopes that the people there would one day be strong enough to fight the evil by themselves.  I wanted them to protect this planet until those with senshi power rose from the leftovers of the great kingdom.  They sent some powerful children, in my care, back here, and I gave them Senshi powers derived from the rocky planetoids orbiting between the fourth and fifth satellites of this star—Kasei and Mokusei, if my old memory serves me well—and set them to guard Earth.  They all fought in the Chaos Wars and died saving this planet from that evil, though I had wished that they, also, would be reborn.  That was before the Planet Senshi here were reborn . . . but it has been so long and the Galactic Council is long dead.  I don’t know if any of the other Star Senshi will know to come here when they feel your call.”

 

“Asteroid Senshi?”

 

“Hai, Serenity-hime.  But everyone from the Age of Light between the Sailor Wars and the Chaos Wars is gone, except for me, Sailor Pluto, and you, Queen Serenity.  These others were children, only remembering the very end, as it began to collapse.”

 

“True,” Ailan whispered.  “But they are strong and powerful now and they are ready for the next Wars.  Rikuriko-san, when you left, you were not a Star Senshi.”

 

“True.  I used to follow the power of my planet before it was destroyed, but I had enough left to flee Galaxia and wander this galaxy with my wife and daughters.  The Star Senshi were not reawakened until the Moonlight Crystal realized that her Senshi had been born at last.  For three Wars, Galaxia has been the only Star Senshi, last of the old, but when the Moonlight Crystal reentered this world, those of us who had the strength to be Star Senshi and were not bound to a Planet responded to her call.  I and my partner decided to trust this path, and our daughters have taken up the mantle of Star Senshi, as well.  Before I introduce my family, please introduce your Senshi, Serenity-hime.”

 

“Hai.  This is Aino Minako, Sailor Star Venus of Kinsei, daughter of Asakaze.”  Rikuriko’s wife gasped at the name and Rikuriko nodded, gesturing for Eternal Sailor Moon to finish before she explained.  “This is Hino Rei, Sailor Star Mars of Kasei, daughter of the Queen Rikuriko whose name you share.  This is Kino Makoto, Sailor Star Jupiter of Mokusei, daughter of Meika, and Mizuno Ami, Sailor Star Mercury of Suisei, daughter of Amami.  Next is Ten’ou Haruka, Sailor Star Uranus of Ten’ousei, daughter of Kazeko and mother of Kazeko, Sailor Sol; Kaiou Michiru, Sailor Star Neptune of Kaiousei, daughter of Shousha; and Sailor Star Saturn, Tomoe Hotaru, who was almost awakened before the end of the Silver Millennium.  Please introduce yourself and your family.”  All eyes turned to the red-haired, ice-blue-eyed princess of a dead kingdom as the Star Senshi bowed and began.

 

“Certainly.  I am Sorano Rikuriko, Sailor Atlas of the star system you call the Pleiades.  This is my wife, Sorano Asakaze, who I found on a dying planet and nursed back to health.  She had no memory, though her blood was royal, and she had no family left after the Chaos Wars, so I named her after the princess of Kinsei.  She is Senshi of the Star called Pleione.”  The golden-haired woman by Rikuriko’s side bowed, ice green eyes glowing in the faint moonlight.  The first of their daughters, a girl with emerald eyes and red-gold hair, stepped forward, her fourteen-year old form proud in her Sailor fuku.  She reminded Usagi of her senshi when they were much younger, and the princess fought the urge to wipe a tear from her eye.  “This is Sailor Alcyone, our first daughter Shioko.”  The next child, pale blonde thirteen-year-old Mameko, was the ice-blue-eyed Sailor of Electra.  Natsuko, named for her strange orange-gold eyes and shimmering chestnut hair, served Maia at twelve years of age.  She was small, but strong, imbued with a spirit that reminded the senshi of Makoto, and seemed to know how to use her powers.  Fuyuko, a mere year younger, had colorless white eyes, shocking to the Earth-born Senshi, and pale blue hair that she kept cut short, the fine, curly strands framing her slender face.  She served the Star Merope, and her small frame promised an elfin appearance when she reached adulthood.  The next pair were identical twins, nine years old, with pale pink hair shades lighter than Chibiusa’s and pale green eyes.  Haruko served Calaeno and Hasuko served the Star Taygete.  The youngest child, fragile-looking in her fuku, served Asterope, her eyes pink and her hair red.  The seven-year-old was named Yuriko.

 

Usagi smiled as she and her senshi detransformed, pointing toward the Outers’ mansion.  “Haruka-san and Michiru-san have offered rooms here until we find you somewhere to live permanently.  They are currently in the process of expanding their house, so there will be enough room for you for a while.  Please come inside and rest after your long journey.  Aiko-chan, you and your sisters get to stay at Mamo-chan’s apartment with me tonight, ok?”  The child squealed, clinging to Usa-mama’s leg, as the princess led her visitors into the mansion.  Haruka and Michiru waited until last, following Ailan and Setsuna into their growing home.

 

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

To be continued

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