Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ All's Fair in Love and War ❯ Tied Loose Ends ( Chapter 20 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

"It's sad to see you go, but have safe trip," Selenity said as she hugged Helen.

Helen squeezed back. "I wish we didn't have to leave yet either, it was so nice being here with you," she said, and then slowly pulled away. "We have some good memories of this trip."

Selenity smiled, knowing what she meant. Paris bowed to her. "Thank you for being so hospitable. You will have to come and visit us sometime soon, along with….everyone else." He had arrived on the Moon that morning, along with Selenity's brother, just in time to take Helen back with him to the Earth.

Selenity chuckled at his well placed pause in his sentence. "I'm sure that…we will come soon. As soon as the fighting is over."

The three smiled at each other. Hera had left the previous evening to go home to Jupiter, and Venus along with Selenity's brother had departed only minutes before. Everyone was preparing for war now, so their visits had to be cut short. Mercury had stopped by on the way home and given them more news as to what was going on, and now everyone was on edge and eager to join in the war to finish it as quickly as possible.

Helen and Paris boarded their ship, and Selenity waited a few more minutes before she turned and went back inside the palace. She had a little time before her training resumed, so she went for a quick walk in the gardens.

She still could not fully remember what had happened in her previous training session. According to her mother, she had managed to unlock some of the crystals power, but she didn't even know she had done it, never mind knowing how. The only thing she did remember was a feeling of some sort of dread. Yokiro told her later what he had told her mother, so she assumed it was the information that Kino was going to war that had worried her. Still, she did not know how she had gotten the crystal to glow as brightly as it had, or so her mother had told her.

She stared up at the sky in the direction of Kino's kingdom. Her face was set in a frown. She didn't like the fact that he had gone off to fight, and she also didn't like the fact that it was Aminiha that he was going to fight. She knew that she had offered marriage to Kino, that was something he had told her. She knew that this war had to have something to do with the fact that he had rejected her, so now she would be coming against him with a vengeance. Please be safe Kino, and come back to me, she begged silently. Don't let her take you away from me.

---------------------------------------

The warmth in her hands was weak, and she knew it. Without opening her eyes, she knew that the glow was not as strong as it should have been. Still, she concentrated and brought the crystal a little higher.

"Good. Now increase the light," Selenity gritted her teeth at her mother's voice, forcing her whole body to give energy to the crystal to grow brighter. "Brighter Selenity," Diana urged, sensing that Selenity was reaching her limit physically.

Diana was frustrated. It had been three days since everyone had left, three days that she had pushed Selenity. Granted, the glow was getting brighter, but it was nowhere near the flash of energy that Selenity had displayed a few days before. So now, she wanted to try a few things out. She had gotten into a habit of talking to Selenity while she was training, teaching Selenity how to keep her concentration on the crystal while also paying attention to things around her.

"Mars and Ares will be coming here soon to discuss the war," she commented, and watched as the glow dimmed ever so slightly, almost not noticeably. She sighed. "And also to discuss the plans for the wedding." The light dimmed again. Diana tapped her chin. "I received news today that Venus is under attack now as well. I am worried about your brother and Venus, they were nearly completely wiped out by the attack," Diana smiled with satisfaction as the glow increased noticeably, but not as dramatically as before. Diana decided to use drastic measures. "My dear, along with the message came the news that….Lord Takahashi could not withstand the attacks, and the entire planet, along with everyone, perished."

"What!" same Selenity's desperate voice, and the room was engulfed in light. Nothing shook this time, but the light was intense.

"Keep focused!" Diana snapped. The glow did not diminish, and for the first time Selenity's eyes were fully open as she watched her mother. She was focusing on her mother, while not losing her concentration on the crystal.

"What do you mean? He…the planet can't be gone. It's not possible!" Selenity silently cursed herself for the slip.

"Aminiha destroyed them," Diana replied calmly, and watched as the crystal rose a little, and little waves of energy appeared around it.

"That's can't be true," Selenity said, but there were already tears in her eyes. Diana noticed that she was shaking from the effort of keeping the crystal so heavily powered, since she was not used to it. Reluctantly she put her hands up.

"Bring down the crystal Selenity, and then we'll talk," she said. Selenity brought the crystal down, and the glow diminished. Her whole body was shaking and her clothing was plastered to her body with sweat. "Come and sit. And don't worry, no one was destroyed. Neither was Venus attacked."

Selenity came and sat down next to her mother, breathing heavily. "Why did you say that then?" she asked, an edge of annoyance on her words.

Diana handed her some water. "Because when Yokiro came a few days ago and we were talking, something that he said triggered you, and you were able to unlock more of the crystals powers. I didn't know for sure what it was, but I had to try."

Selenity nodded a little, embarrassed now for having shown her emotions so strongly. "That's a relief, that no one is hurt," she said.

Diana studied Selenity. "I want to ask you something, or rather, point something out to you. When I mentioned Mars and Ares coming to visit, the light from the crystal dimmed slightly. When I mentioned Venus being under attack, it got noticeably brighter. When I mentioned that Kinotsu could be dead, you unleashed power," Diana paused, watching Selenity's face. Selenity was looking down at her hands in which she held the Silver Crystal. "Why is that?" Diana asked.

Selenity felt like all the walls were closing in around her. She had figured out that thoughts about Kino made her feel stronger, whether they were good or bad. How could she explain that to her mother though? Something made her want to fight for Kino and protect him, and when she was thinking of that, powering the crystal was so much easier and she didn't have to concentrate as much. But explaining that….."I-I don't know," she mumbled.

Diana knew that it was hard for Selenity to say what was on her mind. "Selenity, your thoughts of Kino make you power the crystal in a way you have not been able to do in a year of training. You turn eighteen next week, and you should know how to control the crystal by then, even if only for short periods of time since your powers are still growing. However, at the rate it's going, I can't see you advancing to that point anytime soon," Diana said and stood up. "Stand in the center again," she directed, pointing to the place Selenity stood while training. Selenity did so, unsure of what her mother was going to do now.

She held the crystal out in preparation. Diana motioned for her to start levitating it. Selenity did so, closing her eyes in concentration. "Selenity, I want you to think about Kinotsu," she commanded, surprising Selenity a little. She did as she was told however. She pictured his face, his gentle smile when he was happy. She pictured his laugh when he heard something amusing, and that look in his eyes when he glanced at her when he knew no one else was looking. She felt the warmth of his skin against hers, and the reassurance that he would always be there for her.

"Think of your love for him," she heard her mother say, and she nearly dropped the crystal from shock. She didn't however, but instead did as her mother told her.

Kino….the only man had loved her, and the only man she knew she would ever love. Her heart began to beat as she was surrounded by warmth, the same kind of warmth that she felt when he embraced her. She felt as though she was in a soft haze, and as she glanced around her fog covered world, a figure emerged from the mist. The light pouring out from behind the figure caused it to be a silhouette, but she knew that it was him. He stepped closer to his, his arms crossed over his chest, a grin on his face. The light surrounding him was almost blinding, but he didn't seem affected by it. His eyes twinkled with desire, a bright fire burning with passion. He moved closer to her and started to walk around her, watching her.

She felt his eyes on her, as though he was reading all her thoughts. Still, she did not care. He spoke to her even though his lips did not move, and she could hear his voice, gentle and reassuring, comforting. The whole planet seemed to have disappeared as she stopped in front of her, his arms hanging by his sides now. He reached out as if to tough her with one of his hands, but as soon as he came within an inch of her skin, she heard her mothers voice again.

"Imagine him disappearing." the words were almost a whisper, but they shook the whole world. Selenity saw the smile on his face grow smaller a little and he closed his eyes, lowering his head at the same time. His body slowly dissolved into the mist. She wanted to cry, but she knew that it was only a vision. She wanted to reach out for him, but didn't, even though it was breaking her apart inside.

"Open your eyes Selenity," Diana instructed gently. Selenity didn't want to, since the vision of Kino still lingered. He opened his eyes again and tilted his face up and looked at her, his grin broadening. The light grew so intense that she could no longer see him, and so she opened her eyes. The room itself was filled with light, and swirling, glowing mist. It took her a moment to realize that her feet were no longer touching the ground.

"Imagine him coming back," Diana whispered. Selenity's head snapped back, her eyes wide, and the room exploded in light, causing the very walls to shake. As the glow faded, Diana stood before Selenity, her hands on her daughter's shoulders. Selenity was breathing heavily, and there was sweat streaming down her face. All of her muscles were quivering, and there were tears running down her face.

Diana pulled Selenity to her and hugged her tight. "You now have the key to unlock the power, and it's up to you to learn to use it," Diana said as she held her daughter.

Selenity wrapped her arms around her mother's waist, burying her face in the crook of her neck. "Mama please…." she begged, her words stopped by her choked sobs. Please cancel the wedding now.

Diana sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. "You know that I can't," she replied, as though she had read her daughter's thoughts. Selenity kept crying. It wasn't a sadness that she would not be able to be with Kino, but rather she knew that it would hut her mother that she had hidden her marriage from her, and that she had lied to her.

-------------------------------------------------

Th at night at dinner, Diana looked grim. "Prepare yourself for a trip, Selenity, we're leaving for Venus," she said at dessert.

Selenity looked at her mother curiously. "To Venus? Why? They were just here."

Diana nodded. "I know. We're going there for a coronation though. Venus and your brother will be crowned as King and Queen within the week."

Selenity gasped. "What? King and Queen? But Aphrodite….what happened?" Selenity felt the all-too familiar prickle of tears in her eyes. She knew that Aphrodite would not step down from the throne in favour of her daughter, since she had no need to, and Venus did not desire to be Queen so strongly to ask it of her mother.

"Aphrodite is no longer lives. A few days after Venus and your brother got back home, there was an odd raid on the castle. Both Venus and her mother were targeted. Venus was lucky enough to have your brother by her side, since he saved her. Her mother, however, was not as fortunate."

Selenity felt a shiver run up her spine. Venus attacked. So her mother had been telling the truth earlier that day, even though she had not known it. Even Diana had tears in her eyes. She and Aphrodite had been friends, and she mourned her death. "No one knows how the attackers got into the castle unnoticed. It was carried out the same way as the attacks on the other planets though, so they expect Queen Aminiha had something to do with it. None of the attackers escaped, but none of them remained alive either to give any information."

Selenity stared at her plate, soaking in everything that her mother was telling her. She wanted to be there to give Venus a hug right now, and comfort her. At least they would be leaving the next day to go and see them. It would take them less than two days to arrive.

-----------------------------------------------

" How do you feel?" Selenity asked as Venus sank down onto the bed, rubbing her neck.

"No different really. In a way I feel more free, but in other ways more restricted. I can do anything I want now, but I have so much more responsibility now that there is so much I can't do," she sighed. "It's something I was hoping to avoid for quite a number of years yet."

Selenity sat down next to her friend and placed a hand on her shoulder. The day had been a long one. A special service had been held the day before for Venus' mother, and now Venus was crowned as Queen, and Selenity's brother as King. Venus had been sad the day before, and shed many tears. She and her mother had been incredibly close. Her whole demeanour had changed, although granted it was still not long after her mother's death so she was still grieving.

The door opened and Selenity's brother walked in. "Oh, I didn't know you two would be in here," he said as he shut the door behind him, his left arm hanging limply at his side.

Venus looked at him. "We just got here. You don't have to leave, we weren't talking about anything private," she said. He nodded his head and walked over to the walk-in closet, closing the door behind him. Venus turned her attention back to Selenity, her eyes bright with tears again.

"Oh Venus," Selenity said as she wrapped her arms around her. After a few moments, Venus pulled away, her eyes dry again. "I'll be fine. I'm starting to feel better about it. I'm just glad that I wasn't alone. I feel awful though that he got so hurt….." her voice trailed off, and Selenity nodded in understanding. Her brother's left arm had been severely injured at the shoulder, meaning that he would never be able to use it again.

The door to the closet opened and the new king stepped out. He had changed into some more casual clothing, and came and sat down on the bed next to Selenity, nudging her playfully. "It's not going to be often that I get to do this," he said cheerfully, although his voice didn't lose its serious edge.

Selenity smiled at him. "I suppose that you'll be pretty busy from now on," she commented. Both of them nodded their heads. "Well, you know where to come if you ever need a vacation. Mama would be more than happy to accommodate the King and Queen of such a beautiful planet."

Venus smiled, the first smile that Selenity had seen since she had arrived. "I think it will be a little while before we can visit together, unless it is on business. You can come and visit any time though. You know we'll be happy to have you."

Selenity nodded and smiled at Venus. "I know," then she paused. "Although now I suppose I have to show you more respect than I used to, now that you're a Queen and all."

Venus raised her eyebrow. "You used to show me respect?" she asked teasingly. Selenity giggled.

"You know, come to think of it, she never really showed me much respect either, the little brat," Selenity's brother joked. She and Venus laughed. Selenity was happy to see that Venus did still have the ability to laugh.

--------------------------------------------

"Reme mber what I said, you are always welcome here. Please come and visit soon." Venus stood before Selenity and Diana, bidding them farewell. They were still waiting for things to be ready.

Diana inclined her head. "We will come and visit again soon, once things have calmed down here and you are comfortable in your new lifestyle."

Selenity's brother chose that moment to come up to them, followed closely by Mercury and a petite woman with flowing light blue hair. "My Ladies, I thought that you would be happy that I found someone," he said, and motioned for Mercury to step forward.

Mercury grinned at them. "It's good to see you again," he said, and then turned to the woman beside him. "I would like you to meet my wife." Selenity could sense Venus stiffen a little, but the new Queen smiled warmly at the woman and clasped her hand.

"It is so nice to finally meet you. Mercury spoke so much about you on his visit to the moon, and it is an honour to finally meet the woman who seems to surpass all the gods, according to him."

The petite woman blushed. Her cheeks were very round, almost plump. "Thank you for your kind words, although I can assure you, I am nowhere near as perfect as he may paint me." Her voice was gentle and soft, having a very soothing tone to it.

Selenity's brother smiled at her. "I think that Mercury is a fairly good judge of character, so I do not think he is far off." The woman blushed again. Selenity noticed that she was short too. She had to be just less than five feet tall. Beside the tall, lanky Mercury, she looked even shorter.

Mercury placed his hand gently on his wife's shoulder. "Come, I think that our ship is ready," he said, and then looked to the rest of them. "I regret that we could not spend more time together. You will have to come and visit us shortly. We would be more than delighted to have you," he said, and only Selenity noticed the secret, sorrow filled look that he and Venus exchanged. Again, everyone accepted the kind offer, saying they would come as soon as they could. Following that, they all said their good-byes. Selenity hugged her brother, and then quickly hugged Venus as her mother was saying good-bye to her son.

Venus leaned her head a little so that she could whisper in Selenity's ear. "NOW I can discuss the matters of the heart without direct permission," she whispered, "and I'm telling you now, Kino loves you more than a sane man should love a woman. Don't ever let him go Selenity, no matter what, and let him know that you love him just as much too. Protect him with your life."

Selenity smiled at Venus, her heart going faster than it had. "I know. Thank you though." With those words, they parted. Selenity and Diana boarding their ship, and leaving soon after.

Selenity sat at one of the windows, gazing out into the starry expanse. I wish there was something I could do to help Venus. I know how much she must be hurting now. I'm just glad that she has my brother. I can see that he loves her, and she has some love for him in return. I'm just glad that she and Mercury can be in the same room and still be friends, without hurt feeling ruining the mood of the room. Selenity sighed.

"What are you thinking about?" Selenity's head snapped up as she looked at her mother who came and sat next to her,

"I-I was just thinking about Venus. I'm so happy that she didn't get hurt."

Diana nodded. They discussed Venus for some time, then Diana switched the subject. "Selenity, I told you before that Ares and Mars are going to be coming to visit us soon. I think that we need to start discussing wedding plans."

Selenity stared down at her hands. "Mama, please, do we have to do that now?" She didn't feel ready to tell her mother.

Diana sighed. "There's no point to putting it off my dear."

"What if there was no wedding?" she asked.

"Selenity, we've been though this before, there is nothing that I can do without causing more war, and we have enough fighting on our hands as it is," Diana said, looking at her daughter sympathetically.

"Mama, please…"

"Selenity…."

Selenity stood up, her hands clenched at her sides. "I'm going to go and lay down for a while. I have a headache," she said, and walked out of the room. Diana stared at her daughters retreating form, until the door closed behind her. She then sighed, and looked out the window. This was going to be a long trip, and an even longer few months until the wedding.