Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Bringer of Silence ❯ Eternal Slumber ( Prologue )

Bringer of Silence

Prologue ~ Eternal Slumber

~3rd Person~

The dark mists of subconciousness swirled around Hotaru, making her pale skin look even paler. Her short black hair was neatly combed behind her ears, revealing the purple studs that adorned her earlobes. Her lips were pale; her hands were clamped together over her stomach. She looked so peaceful; So beautiful.

Queen Cho stared down at her sleeping daughter with sad, violet eyes. Her eyes had never been as dark as her daughter's, but they were still remarkable. Her long black tresses brushed her thighs as she leaned down to kiss her daughter's forehead, directly over the royal sign that had condemned the poor girl to Eternal Slumber.

The queen cringed at the thought. Eternal Slumber was one of the spells outlawed when the first Lunarian Queen took the throne of the Moon. The one exception to the age-old law had been Cho's daughter.

Eternal Slumber had been outlawed for a reason. The spell caused a person to never, ever awaken. The only people who used it were those of the Dark Kingdom, those who lived under the rule of the evil Metalia. Even the current Queen, Selenity, had been wary to use it on Hotaru.

It had been a difficult decision, one that Cho wished she'd never had to make.

The memory of that day was burned clearly into Cho's memory, as though she witnessed it every moment of her life.

_Every prophet under the rule of Queen Selenity had predicted that Cho's third child would be the Silent One; the Soldier of Silence. The only being that could wield the glaive of Hades. Even Cho herself had premonitions of her coming daughter. But the child had to be born. Only a daughter of the Queen could rule a planet. Cho's first two children had been her sons, Taro and Kiyoshi.

All of Cho's beloved friends, the queens of every planet in their Solar System, had gathered in the palace of Saturn to witness the birth.

It had been painful but quick, and when the child was born, it did not cry out. Queen Akako, who, blessed by Aries, had psychic powers, saw the silence as a sign that the prophets were right. Queen Kiyoko of Mercury, who had delivered the child, had been hesitant to place the still silent child in Cho's arms, but Cho insisted.

The moment the baby was in her arms, Cho began to cry. She knew just by looking in her eyes that the prophets were right; her only daughter was the Soldier of Silence. The child's dark violet eyes were nearly black. The insignia of Saturn glowed purple on the child's alabaster skin, an inch or so above the middle of her eyebrows. Even at birth the child had black hair. It was soft and shining. Cho's tears slid down her cheeks, for even though the child was the Senshi of Death, Cho loved her daughter.

Selenity, who was the only one who was looking at the child without fear, sighed and said, "What shall you call your daughter, Cho?"

Cho smiled weakly at her dear friend and Queen. She was the only one lacking a child. The young Queen had only been married for 2 years. There was plenty of time to produce an heir.

"I will call her Hotaru- Firefly Sprouting from the Earth," Cho said, her voice quiet.

The other queens, excluding Selenity, frowned with worry.

"Do not grow attached to the child, Cho," Midori, of Jupiter, said, "She is the Bringer of Silence. You must remember that."

"Yes," said a voice, "We must all remember that."

Setsuna stepped out of the abyss, carrying her Garnet Rod with her. The Soldier of Time and Space hugged her mother, Ima, and turned towards Cho. She bowed lightly and glanced at the child.

"Something must be done," Akako said, her voice full of concern.

"Such as…?" Cho asked, praying that they would not kill her child.

"I'm not sure, but she cannot stay like this… so… vulnerable," Nami, of Neptune, muttered.

"Vulnerable?" Selenity repeated.

"To the Dark side," replied Yori, of Uranus, said. And then, when Cho began to protest, she added, "She is the Senshi of Death, Cho. Not even you deny that. No one can say for sure that she would not be swayed by the Evil One."

No one said the name - Metalia. It was a curse that rested on their lips, but no one dared say it at the birth of a senshi.

"What do you think, your highness?" Pluto asked, her tone hushed. Cho noticed, despite her fear, that Pluto had once again refused to say Selenity's name.

"I'm not sure. She has not yet awakened," Selenity said.

"We should prevent her from awakening," Yori muttered.

"And how shall we do that, Yori?" Kiyoko asked.

They all looked at Yori, who bowed her head in shame.

"Perhaps… no. Never mind. You'd think me mad," she whispered, regret in her voice.

Cho barely had the willpower to choke out her next question. "What is it, Yori?"

Yori looked up, her navy eyes shining with tears. Cho gasped; Yori had not even cried when her brother had been killed by Metalia's henchmen.

"None of you would agree, and I'd never forgive myself. `Tis against all moral laws. Especially commit such a crime against a senshi!" Yori cried, shaking her head fiercely.

Selenity placed a comforting hand on Yori's trembling shoulder and coaxed, "Yori, nothing you say shall be held against you. You and the others were once senshi yourself. None of us will remember it if you wish us not to."

But Cho knew that whatever Yori wanted to say would be remembered by everyone.

Yori's eyes were sad as she said, "Perhaps we could… break the law that Selenity I made."

Everyone's eyes widened, excluding Sailor Pluto, who simply gazed at Yori with cold, uncaring eyes.

"You mean… put this child under E-Eternal Slumber?" Nami questioned.

"Yes. It's an option. She will bring destruction. We all know that. She would be shunned by everyone she comes in contact with. It would not be such a bad thing."

Cho's eyes filled with tears. They were not, however, tears of betrayal. Her tears flowed freely because Cho knew that Yori had solved their problem correctly. Hotaru would be shunned by everyone. They could not hide a senshi from the people. Chaos would erupt if Hotaru were known as Sailor Saturn.

Cho looked up to see that her dear friends were looking at her. They all would do whatever she deemed correct for her child. Cho sobbed for a moment.

"Yes," she choked out. "The spell is the only solution."

When Kiyoko said she would get the King and princes, Cho cried out in protest.

"Only I shall suffer the pain of lost love. I will not allow my husband and children to fall in love with Hotaru, only to have her ripped away. Only I shall suffer that."

Selenity's eyes had welled up with tears as Cho kissed the symbol on Hotaru's forehead. Cho placed her only daughter in Selenity's arms with great care, and looked away as Selenity performed the spell.

It was only then, at the last word of the spell, that Cho looked into her daughter's eyes. There she saw understanding. She saw that Hotaru understood why her mother was condemning her, and she forgave her as she fell into a deep, dark slumber._

Cho wiped her tears away. She looked again at her now 18-year-old daughter. The child had grown in her sleep, as predicted. She had become more beautiful everyday. Cho sighed as she stood up.

The room she was in was called the Chamber of Slumber. The room had been built on the holiest place on Saturn, and Cho had made the room into Hotaru's chamber. It was decorated with dark purple and lavender drapes and canopy, and the rug on the floor was black and violet. The furniture was dark wood, nearly black, and elegantly designed. The windows would have given Hotaru a perfect view of the dawn of the sun and Moon… if she'd been awake.

The bed was a large, queen-sized canopy bed with deep violet sheets, blankets, and pillows. The headboard had angels on it. Cho had thought it fitting because no matter what Hotaru was, she was Cho's angel.

Cho turned to the door to leave, but her oldest son stood there, his piercing violet eyes staring at her.

"Taro, how long have you been standing there?" Cho asked, smiling gently at her son.

Taro brushed his hand through his dark brown hair. He'd gotten it from his father, as had Kiyoshi.

"Only a moment, Mother," Taro said, his deep voice filling the otherwise silent room. Taro was now 22-years-old, and he was prepared to take the throne… if necessary.

They stared at each other before Taro walked towards the side of his sister's bed, where they had long ago placed a comfortable armchair.

This was a daily ritual for them. In the mornings, before Cho went to breakfast, she'd say good morning to Hotaru. Taro would watch her, and they'd go to breakfast together. In the evenings, just before bed, Cho would say goodnight to her sleeping daughter, but this time Kiyoshi would lead her to her room.

Neither child had been angry with their mother for her decision. They cried during their childhood. But they'd been supportive. The King, however, had been devastated. The two had fought constantly, and eventually the King killed himself. Cho and her sons had grieved, but it had been so early in the children's lives that they couldn't grasp it. The marriage had been arranged, and Cho had never truly loved her husband, but she still grieved for him.

Cho watched as Taro did something he rarely did. He sat in the black armchair besides Hotaru's bed and reached for her hand. His sister's skin made his own look tan, although he was naturally fair. He leaned his head to her hand and kissed it briefly. His eyes were on her face. Taro and Kiyoshi had always ignored the reason their sister was as good as dead.

Taro looked up at Cho, and her vision blurred with tears. When everything cleared, Taro was besides her, and Hotaru's hand was in place, over the other hand.

"Shall we go down to breakfast, Mother?" Taro asked.

As soon as Cho regained her composure, she nodded and said, "Yes."