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Princess Kakyuu smiled sadly down at her dear friends as they stood at the foot of her throne.
She loved them dearly, but she knew it was time. "Fighter... Maker... Healer."
Each soldier raised her head as her name was called. They looked at Kakyuu with such adoration. She could feel her heart breaking. It was because she loved them that she could no longer pretend she did not see their suffering.
Standing beside her, her lover laced their fingers together in support. With the gentle reassurance, Kakyuu steeled herself for what was to come. She had to do this for them.
Too many nights, Kakyuu had caught Fighter staring at their whitest moon with distant, dead eyes and dried tears. The ever-present grin that Fighter had once worn was now as rare as an eclipse, and equally brief.
Too many nights had Kakyuu found Maker asleep, curled around a book of Earth fables with the margins full of notes from Mercury. The blue pen marks were surrounded by the gentle warping of dried tears.
Too many nights had she passed by Healer's door and heard her faint songs that called out for the goddess of love. The green eyes that had once been so full of fire were now extinguished, and the lips that always had something to add had been painfully sealed since their return.
"My dearest Starlights," she started, trying to hold herself together for them, "you have been the best guardians I could have ever asked for. But more than that, you were the best friends I could have asked for." She could feel tears forming already, and concern flashed on their faces.
"Princess?" Healer asked, worry creasing her brow.
Kakyuu held up her free hand. "You three mean so much to me, and without you, Kinmoku would have fallen permanently during the war. These past few years, you three have been crucial to rebuilding, but I think I have held you back long enough."
"Princess?!" The three of them rose, shock written on their faces.
"What are you talking about!" Fighter cried in disbelief. Her dark blue eyes flashing with deep pain, a look that Kakyuu had seen too many times since they had left Earth.
"Fighter," Kakyuu took a deep breath as her lead senshi huffed in shock, "you still love her."
Fighter's face went slack, and she took a step back as if she'd been slapped. Weakly, she murmured, "Princess, I-"
"Fighter, please understand that you do not need to be ashamed of it. I never wanted you to hide it from me." Kakyuu gave her friend a sad smile. "I know your heart belongs to the moon princess. I cannot fault you for it." Kakyuu wiped away her tears before continuing. "She is warm, embracing, and radiant. She saved us all," here Kakyuu squeezed her lover's hand for support. "It is quite difficult not to love her."
She turned to her other senshi. "I know you two left your hearts behind on Earth too. Venus and Mercury are remarkable women in their own rights."
Maker and Healer tried to protest, but Kakyuu raised her hand once more, and they fell silent.
"When I died, I thought that it was the end. It broke my heart to see Ginga's face behind the killing blow, and so in my last moments, I gave you to Sailor Moon."
"What do you mean by that, Princess?" Maker asked, her voice shaking almost imperceptibly.
"When I died, I transferred your guardianship to Princess Serenity. Your powers became tied to hers. It was meant to aid her in battle, and it proved to do so. However, because the three of you also gave her your allegiance freely, her power became a source of strength for you as well, forming a two-way bond."
"And what happened to this bond when you returned?" Maker questioned, her voice indicating that she had made the right assumption.
"I did not break it. I couldn't bear to when I saw the way you looked at her."
Healer frowned, her bright green eyes now bright with tears. "So, where does that leave us?" Her face was torn between sadness and hope.
"You still belong with her. With Serenity. That is why your powers have been diminishing slowly since your return," Kakyuu explained softly. "You cannot stand to be so far from your charge."
"What about you!?" Healer shrieked. "It- it was our duty to serve you. You are our princess! This is our home!"
"I was your princess, Healer, but I am no longer. You three served me so well," Kakyuu choked on the tears that started to fall. Ginga placed her other hand on the princess's shoulder, rubbing gently in reassurance. "You served me until death, might I remind you. Please, do not make this harder for me."
Healer started crying even more, still distressed, but she kept silent.
Kakyuu tried to remain steady as she continued, "I know that Kinmoku was always your home, and you will always be welcome here, but I do not think that it has been your home these last few years since you returned from Earth."
Fighter bit her lip, unable to deny the emptiness that had been haunting her. She could hardly see through the tears that had formed in her eyes. This was and was not what she wanted.
"Darling Starlights, I formally release you from your duties to Kinmoku. It is time that you returned to Earth." Kakyuu looked up into the ruby eyes of her beloved. "I know how it hurts to be away from those you love. Now that reconstruction is on track, and now that I have Ginga back by my side, I can no longer justify keeping you from the women you love."
"But who will protect you?" Fighter tried to dispute.
Ginga stepped forward, her long hair shimmering like fire in the red sunlight. "Young Starlight, please remember that I love Kakyuu the same way you love Serenity. If there comes a time when she or this planet are threatened, I will gladly don the mantle of Sailor Galaxia once more."
Fighter found herself locked in a staring contest with the powerful queen, but ultimately she sighed in defeat and bowed her head in respect.
Kakyuu rose to her feet, walking past her lover until she reached the base of the dais for her throne. "You have been away from them too long, my friends. It is time for you to go home." With tears rolling freely from her crimson eyes, Kakyuu embraced her dearest friends in a bittersweet farewell. "It is time for you to follow your hearts."