Chapter Text
"The price of love is grief, and death and life are one in the same. Stars and planets die, nothing lasts forever."
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Shroud in the cover of a thick silvery fog, she ran…
With each step, the muscles in her legs screamed in protest. There was no time to worry about that. The only thing that mattered to her was getting away. Oh, but she was exhausted!
If only I could reach my broach…She felt the familiar weight of the object. But trying to reach out and touch it was as futile as attempting to grasp the fog she was shroud in; her hands just ran through it.
The wind behind her picked up, she felt it on the back of her neck. With it, came a voice that whispered, 'Why do you run? Do you flee because you are afraid? Yes,' it mused, 'you are afraid. I can sense your fear.'
Startled, she lost her footing and fell, scraping her knees on the way. Moments that seemed like hours passed with her just staring in shock confusion. The reality of the situation soon became clear. Frantically, she darted her head around in each direction in search of the voice.
There was no time.
Getting off the ground proved difficult. Her whole body ached. She would be sore come the dawn. Despite the pain, she laughed. There would be no morning. She was here for eternity. That was if she didn't get far, far away.
But what was the point? Her mind inquired. There was no hope for a doomed soul.
No. Not yet! There was always hope! Even in her worst times, she always had hope.
With a desperate haste she continued at the same pace before.
After being subjected to the torture she put them through, her legs finally gave up. They simply went limp, causing the woman to tumble down and lay sprawled on the ground.
She did not know whether to laugh or cry—she wanted to do both. The irony! She was going to die.
Not without a fight. Hope, she told herself, she had to hold on to the hope that she will live.
The voice was back, the whisper interrupting the stillness of her surroundings. 'I found you.'
So familiar. She knew if she listened closely, she would be able to remember.
Just listen…
All thoughts were shattered when unseen ice cold hands gripped around her throat as nails dug deep into her flesh. As tissue and muscle were torn, all she could do was scream. Her screaming only intensified when she felt the first warm trickle of blood on her throat.
"Be at ease,' the owner of the voice tried to sound soothing, but the woman was in no position to be comforted. 'I won't have to kill. I am here for what is rightfully mine."
"What do you want of me?" She heard the echo her voice cry out.
'The Crystal.' The voice breathed in reply.
In an instant, she was overwhelmed. Ghostly strings entwined her heart pulling her, calling her to obey. Tears streamed down her face as she felt her will fade away. Just a bit longer and she would give in to everything and anything that was asked of her...
Through all of this, she abruptly found another emotion: determination mixed with anger. She was no longer some girl to be chased, tortured, and manipulated. In the past, she may have lacked the strength and gave in. Not anymore. . The anger squeezed itself into a hard knot and she clung to it.
"No." Was all she said.
The grip around her neck tightened but for a moment, then released. The stench of decay lay thick around her. And then suddenly, the fog lifted and she was able to recognize her surroundings. It was the Moon. She was on the Moon.
Except she was not alone. Before her, stood a figure shroud in a cloak of shadows. Despite that, she could feel the figure's eyes on her. "That was a mistake." Was all the cloaked figure said before the world faded.
Neo-Queen Serenity's eyes shot open. Despite the warm late June breeze from the open window, she felt cold. "It was a dream." she murmured to assure herself. "Just a dream."
The queen sat up from her bed and tossed off the blanket she had covered herself with before her nap. With the trials of her youth and the memories of her past life, Serenity was no stranger to nightmares. She shrugged the dream off as she had shrugged off many things throughout her long reign.
Today was not about her or her strange dream. Today was her daughter's Coming of Age ceremony. Just like the dream, Serenity pushed aside the thought that it was also her forty-second birthday. Thinking of her own age and the fact her only daughter was finally an adult was not something she liked to dwell on for too long.
Serenity smoothed the blankets over the bed. In her youth, she detested the thought of making a bed. Servants would have to make the bed, so Serenity got in the habit of making their lives a little easier by at least attempting to be tidy. Or at least trying. Serenity still considered herself a work in progress.
The Neo-Queen shrugged off her bedclothes and hung them on the peg outside her bathroom where a bath was already drawn for her. The room was already filled with a thin layer of steam that caused the mirrors to fog up. Despite that, she caught a glimpse of her reflection. Her body aged slower, but she was beginning to detect certain aspects were not as firm as they used to be.
Dismaying over stretch marks and her breast's losing battle with gravity did not catch her attention. Walking to the mirror, Serenity used her hand to wipe part of the mirror clean and examined her neck. She felt no pain, but there were ten gashes on her neck, resembling fingernails.
Blinking, Serenity examined the marks to make sure they were real. She stood in the bathroom for several moments, just staring at her refection in the mirror. Slowly, she withdrew from the mirror and moved towards the bath. She would speak to Endymion tomorrow about this. For now, she would cover the area with a jeweled choker. The pink one he had given her for their tenth anniversary, she decided. It was lovely and would cover the ugliness of her dream and the resulting injury.
By the time she bathed and dressed, Endymion had arrived and seated himself on the edge of their bed, dressed in his royal finery. Age had caught up to the king faster than the queen. He was no longer the boy she fell in love with during a masked ball many millennia and a lifetime ago, but Endymion looked more dignified than ever. Every time she looked at her husband, she felt the same as she had when she first met him.
"Your choker looks fine, Usako. Stop fiddling with it." He told her in a soft voice. "Next to our daughter, you'll be the most beautiful one there."
Serenity back to the mirror one last time to ensure the choker had not slipped out of place. She trusted her husband's words, but she needed to hide her expression. Serenity loved her daughter dearly, but over the years, they had grown apart. Her own husband calling her only second best hurt more than Serenity cared to let on.
Today is about Usa-chan, Serenity reminded herself. It is her day to be the best.
Her attention went to the door when she heard a faint knock. "Come in, Utsumi-san." Serenity called.
The door opened and emitted a tall woman with soft features. Her blue wavy hair was carefully placed in a bun. The young woman cast her dark watery blue eyes to the ground before deeply bowing before her sovereigns. "I am here to tell Your Royal Majesties that everything set up for Her Royal Highnesses' Coming of Age ceremony."
"Thank you, Utsumi-san." Serenity said. The young woman bowed once more before quietly exiting the room. Utsumi Ayumi was always as quiet as possible. Often, she was nearly silent. Serenity always found the servant's quietness disturbing while Endymion preferred it over the noisier and clumsier servants that Serenity favored.
Serenity cast one last glance in the mirror before exiting her apartments. Endymion was right behind her. Her daughter was already in the hallway. She wore a light pink and white furisode that had been embroidered with even lighter pink cherry blossoms. For the occasion, her hair was neatly wrapped in a tight bun. Her bangs were too short to slick back, so she just brushed them out as tidy as possible. A servant placed a hair accessory in the princesses pink tresses.
The decoration was a red flower that Serenity could not identify. She just caught sight of the beads attached to the hair accessory. It looked like they would slap the princess in the face every time she moved her head. Serenity knew that before the end of the night her daughter would rip the ornament out in frustration.
Even so, the princess looked every inch of the adult she was, but her outfit...
"I didn't know you were planning on wearing that." Endymion said. "I thought you were going to wear the royal regalia."
Small Lady Princess Serenity just fixed her father with a smile. "But Papa, I look better in pink! Besides, we're in Japan and celebrating a Japanese tradition! I felt it was important to be dressed traditionally." She paused a moment to reflect on her words. "Well, as traditionally as possible anyway. We're not exactly keeping with tradition, are we?"
Endymion looked over at Serenity. "There really is no time for her to change..."
"And it is her birthday." Serenity finished. "She can dress how she wants to." Even if it meant interfering with the ceremony, Serenity mentally added.
"Just like you, Mama since it’s your birthday as well." The princess said. "That choker definitely is not part of the royal regalia!"
Before Serenity had a chance to process what her daughter meant by that comment, Endymion spoke up. "All Usagi's friends are waiting as are yours and all the other guests. Shall we proceed to the ballroom, ladies?"
Ever since she entered high school, Chibiusa insisted being called by her real name or by Usa, Usa-chan, or any variant thereof. It took some adjusting, but after Usa threatened on being called Usako, Serenity relented. "We should not keep our guests waiting."
"Who goes first again?" Usa asked.
"You're the guest of honor, so we will walk behind you." Serenity said. While on the way to the ballroom, Serenity could not help but adjusting her choker one final time.
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"Their Royal Majesties, Neo-Queen Serenity King Endymion and Her Royal Highness Princess Serenity!" Usa heard a page call out as she swept into the grand ballroom. Usa stopped identifying the location of pages wherever she went. They were always just there, somewhere, waiting to announce her when she walked into formal events.
She also wanted to concentrate on not tripping over her own feet. Usa may have disliked the way the traditional royal regalia brought out the weird pink and yellow undertones of her skin, but it was much easier to walk in than her current outfit!
When her feet landed on the floor, Usa breathed a quick sigh of relief. She quickly scanned the crowd for signs of a familiar face. It may have been her party, but her father reminded her that she needed to uphold formalities. As far as she could recognize, the French President was in attendance along with the British Prime Minister. While she forgot what the new American general looked like, she spotted a few American flags on soldiers' dress uniforms and knew at least one high ranking American diplomat was in attendance as well. She would need to speak to all of them at least once tonight.
She had to get through the hard part first before she attempted to communicate in her horrendous English. On the other side of the ballroom, a small throne was set up. She made her way towards it while making eye contact with a guest here or there and giving a slight nod or smile. Or both. It really depending on what she felt like.
By the time she reached the throne, her facial muscles felt a little bit strained. By that time, the room was so quiet that Usa felt people towards the staircase heard her sit on the throne. As soon as she did so, she saw her parents by each side of the throne. Between the time she arrived in the ballroom and her moving to the throne, her mother was given a small purple pillow with a small silver tiara on the middle.
Her heart began to thump a little. So this is why they wanted me to wear the regalia! She only hoped her hair piece would not interfere with whatever her parents planned on doing. Her mother presented the tiara to the crowd. "I, Neo-Queen Serenity of the Moon and Earth." she intoned.
"And I King Endymion of Earth..." her father continued.
"Declare you of age." Serenity finished. UsUsaagi had no idea how her mother did it, but she placed the tiara on her head. By the smile her mother had on her face, she could tell that she did not look ridiculous with two head ornaments. Or her mother was secretly laughing at her. Usa wasn't really sure.
"By the light of the Silver Moon, I name you, Chiba Usagi, Princess Serenity a scion of the Silver Millennium." Serenity finished.
"By the grace of the Earth, I name you, Chiba Usagi Princess Serenity, the heir to Elysion and the Crystal Throne."
As a mercy, the tiara was taken off of her head and placed back on the pillow. She did not see where the tiara went because as soon as her mother departed, people came to speak to now declared heir of the Crystal Millennium. Many faces she did not recognize, but she spoke as candidly to the well-wishers as possible. Through the line, she spotted Hotaru. In spite of her older age, the young woman looked like she was still in her late teens. It was always nice speaking to her childhood friend, but the gaps in age made things awkward. She also spotted the Homura twins, the children of Rei. Not too far away, their mother was happily speaking to Makoto with the rest of the Ohayashi clan nearby.
Hotaru's presence was not unwelcomed. However, the older woman's facial expression was odd. She kept eyeballing the two women in front of her. As they got closer, Usagi was able to make out their appearance. The other woman once boasted the same raven black hair of her younger companion, but it was now streaked with white and grey. In spite of that, her face appeared fairly youthful. As much as she tried to pay attention to who she was speaking to, her gaze kept moving back to the duo that Usa decided had to be mother and daughter.
When it was their turn, she finally caught a glimpse of them. Both women had sparkling lavender eyes. The older woman looked much older close up while the younger had a youthful doll-like appearance. Upon reaching them, both women dropped in a deep curtsy. "Allow us to introduce ourselves." the older woman said. "I am Semele and this is my child, Thyone. We are of the oneiroi, the spirits of dreams and Maneads of Elysion sent on behalf of the High Priest Helios.”
At the mention of Helios, Usa felt her pulse begin to quicken. Helios had sent them…? But why didn’t he come himself? She immediately felt her father's hand rest protectively on her shoulder.
"Elysion has always been a friend to the Royal Family of Earth and is now a friend of the Line of the Moon.” Semele continued, nodding at Endymion. “Our High Priest deeply regrets not coming himself and hopes you understand.”
Thyone fixed Endymion with a cold state, her lavender eyes glinting like two chips of ice. “Do you not acknowledge us out of shame?”
Before anyone even had a chance to process what the younger woman said, her mother spoke up. "My daughter is young and has not learned to control her tongue." Semele quickly explained. “Us Maneads often forget how much time has truly passed between the fall of the Silver Millennium and now. Forgive any impetuous words. Our presence here is only to bestow blessings of happiness and perpetual peace for the Line of the Earth and Moon.”
“Thank you for your kind words.” Endymion said, speaking for his daughter. “You are both most welcome here.”
"Thank you, Semele said, "but my daughter and I have our place and it is not in Crystal Tokyo."
"Then please, stay as long as you need. If you ever need anything, never hesitate to ask." Serenity said, addressing the pair for the first time.
"We are appreciative towards your hospitality" Semele said before departing. Thyone lingered for a moment longer before bowing her head and following her mother.
"That was strange." Usa whispered to Hotaru as she approached.
Hotaru watched the pair depart for a moment longer before turning to her old friend to speak. "I only briefly heard what they had to say. They seem harmless enough, but it is odd, that’s all.”
“I guess,” Usa agreed. “I had hoped Helios would have come. I haven’t seen him since I was sent back to the past…”
"Well, congratulations, Princess." Hotaru said, suddenly looking uncomfortable. Usa wished she hadn't made that comment about Helios. "I should go. Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa would be disappointed if they could not get a chance to speak to you. And I know I spotted Aino-san in the crowd. I forget her married name, but I know she came all the way from England to see you."
"Well, okay, I'll talk to you later!" Usa said with all the enthusiasm she could muster.
Her back was beginning to ache from sitting upright. In an attempt to ease her comfort, she sat back into the throne while attempting to still sit upright. Just as she did that, she heard a loud crash towards the back of the ballroom. Initially, Usa thought nothing of it until she heard several more that was accompanied by panicked shouts.
Usa immediately stood up and climbed on the seat of the throne in order to get a better look. The crowd was starting to part, but she could see two figures clad in a metallic outfits that looked like a hybrid between the bodysuit of a sailor uniform and armor. They were both attacking the crowd. The first woman dressed in lavender with gold accents had copper skin that deeply contrasted her pale lavender hair and sharp gold eyes. The second woman wore light blue with darker blue accents. Her pale blue hair cascaded down her back in soft waves and watery deep blue eyes were scanning the crowd.
"Mama, that's Utsumi-san in the crowd!" Usa cried. She immediately looked over at her mother who was clutching her broach. "You need to transform!"
Now that she thought about it, none of the other Sailor Guardians were fighting despite the fact they were in the crowd. Her own broach appeared in her hands. "Moon Crisis MAKE UP!" she called.
Furrowing her eyebrows together, Usa remembered she could only transform to Super Sailor Moon in the presence of Sailor Moon. Still...she had to do something.
Holding her broach up one more time, she called out, "Moon Prism Power MAKE UP!"
Once more, nothing.
"Just like you can’t become sailor Chibi Moon, I can't transform to become Sailor Moon anymore..." Serenity said softly. She unfolded her fingers from around her broach and held out her hand to Usa. "Not anymore. But think you can."
With her free hand, Usa grabbed her mother's. As soon as she did do, her own broach shattered and disappeared. She opened her mother's broach and touched stone inside of it. The moment she did so, the broach transformed from a winged golden heart to a gilded silver heart with a crescent moon etched in its center. Usa lifted the broach out and called out, "Moon Celestial Power! Make Up!"
She did not have time to look down at her new uniform before Neo Sailor Moon jumped into action. Several people lay on the ground, clearly injured. Neo Sailor Moon tried not to stare at the blood.
Her transformation got the attention of the assailants. "Oh look, Quintessence." Ayumi said nonchalantly. "The little princess is now Sailor Moon. Not for long though."
Neo Moon immediately raised her new pink and silver scepter, the Celestial Scepter. Before she could say any words of power, she felt herself being pushed to the ground. The world became a blur as she heard even more panicked cries from the crowd.
That is when she registered a weight bearing down on her. Moon's head whipped around to see one of the American soldiers on top of her. It only took a second for her to register the blood that was pouring from the young woman's back and out of her mouth. The other assailant, Quintessence was standing above her.
"Kami-sama…" Neo Moon breathed. She would have been attacked if it was not for that soldier.
"SILENCE WALL!" Neo Moon heard another voice cry out. She immediately knew who it was. While it was a relief to know Sailor Saturn was fighting, it also sent a shiver up her spine.
A faint purple haze surrounded both Neo Sailor Moon and the solider. That gave Sailor Moon enough time to move the soldier in a more comfortable position. "Thank you," she whispered to the woman as she gently placed her on the grand before standing upright.
Neo Sailor Saturn had her gaze transfixed on Quintessence, so Neo Sailor Moon turned to Ayumi. She raised her scepter. "Silver Moon Scant—"
Before she could finish her attack, Ayumi disappeared in a flash of blue light. Neo Sailor Moon lowered her scepter and turned to see that Quintessence had disappeared as well.
"Their method of attack seems strange." Neo Saturn observed.
"What do you mean?" Moon asked.
"It's like they were deliberately targeting certain people. They expected you, but disappeared once I transformed." Saturn moved to the injured solider. She reached and touched the neck. Sailor Moon only assumed she was looking for a pulse.
"She's still alive." Saturn said. "I can do what I can to heal her. Look to see who else is hurt. I’ll heal as many as I can."
By now, nearly the entire grand ballroom was nearly empty. All around her, people were sprawled out either injured, dead, or dying. Sailor Moon's stomach churned and she had to fight the urge not to get sick. Witnessing this was not part of the training she received in the twenty-first century.