Crystals of Love: Destined Couple
Title: Crystals of Love: Destined Couple
Author: kazeko
Show: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
Chapters: 5
Complete: yes
Multipart: yes
Series: Crystals of Love: Tales of the Heart from Crystal Tokyo
Couples: Haruka/Michiru
Timeline: "A Child of Darkness and Light", "The Last Sacrifice: The End of the Silver Millennium", "CAS 1: The Trouble with Love is the Lovers", "CAS 2: To Defy Destiny", "Every Cloud", "Crystal Shards", "CAS 3: Unwilling Accomplice", "Our Past 1: The Reason We Fight", "CAS 4: Princess of Light", "Our Past 2: The Reason We Still Fight", "Our Past 3: The Reason We Fought", "CAS 5: One Last Shining Star", "In the Darkest Forest", "Destiny or Duty", "Desperately Searching", "Kazeko", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi 1: The Gathering", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi 2: Castle in the Sky", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi 3: Queen of the Moon", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi 4: Separation Anxiety", "Crystals of Love: Betrayal", "Crystals of Love: Forsaken", "Chronicles of the Star Senshi 5: Black Moon Family", "Crystals of Love: Destined Couple", "Horoscope"
Time: 1000 years after "Kazeko"; during the Black Moon crisis
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the songs I'm using. All of the songs are from the anime or the Musicals. Note: I am only writing the songs as translations since putting the Japanese and the translations in would be a pain and possibly annoying. The translations are the important part, anyway, since we don't all speak Japanese fluently. Anyway, enjoy.
Chapter 5: Ai wo Shinjiteru
Queen Serenity opened silvery blue eyes filled with wisdom, slowly sitting up from what might have been her deathbed. She stared at her hands, wondering, shocked that she was awake again. The last thing she remembered was a mass of black power coming straight at her, then Rei's voice screaming her name, then . . . nothing. Nothing. And her past self . . .
"How did I wake up?"
"Usako!" Serenity squealed in a very childish way as Endymion scooped her into his arms, ignoring the crystal under her feet, tears staining his cheeks. "Usako," he breathed, his voice full of emotions he could not voice. "I thought you would never wake up."
"The Black Moon Family? Are they gone?"
"Yes, Usako. They're all gone. That's why I woke up. Chibiusa succeeded in her mission. Did Usagi from the past call you to her?"
"Yes. I sensed you there, as well. Our daughter did so well!"
"She really did. I don't know when they're coming back, though."
Serenity slipped free of her husband's arms, waving her hand at the pieces of crystal on the floor. They vanished, the bed gone, as well, and the queen headed for the control room, husband at her heels. She glanced at the display, shocked to see that it was Valentine's Day, ignoring that piece of information as she stared out across her city. She could see that her citizens were waking up, freed from the spell the evil put them under, the craters in her land healing as she watched. A great power was covering the land, colored in gold, aqua, and garnet, and the queen shook her head. "What did this? Who did this?"
"We did."
Usagi froze, blue eyes widening, sensing her husband spin around. She turned more slowly, tears spilling from her eyes as she spotted three figures in the doorway. Her gaze passed over her mother, noting her amused garnet eyes, stopping at the pair standing so casually, so naturally, in the center of the room. The blonde and her soulmate grinned, Haruka's calm manner, mischievous emerald eyes, and cocky stance a far cry from the broken, lost, and suicidal woman who ran away from the palace eight hundred years earlier. Michiru was as collected and elegant as ever, the love in her aqua eyes no change from her younger years. "Hello, Odango."
"Haruka," Usagi breathed, jumping into the blonde's arms, letting the woman embrace her as they had when she was still just a princess. Michiru leaned over and kissed the queen's forehead, wiping away her tears. Setsuna bowed briefly and vanished, off to the Time Gate and her other self.
"Do not cry, Usagi. We're okay, really."
"I . . . Michiru, you died! Haruka . . . I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"I wanted to go, Usagi. Everything worked out alright, in the end. Setsu-chan has gone back in time to bring the other Senshi and your daughter back to the future. We started the healing process but we need the ginzuishou to finish it."
"The ginzuishou is missing," Endymion sighed, staring out across the city. "It went missing at the same time the Black Moon Family attacked."
"I know where it went," Serenity whispered, mind flying back to the battle with Wiseman. "It was inside Small Lady. It was inside me. With two of them we defeated Wiseman."
"Our daughter had the crystal all along?"
"It sensed the coming storm and hid inside the only person it could," Haruka explained, paraphrasing what Setsuna had told them before she returned to the Time Gate. "I'm sure Small Lady thinks she did something wrong for the crystal to go into her, but the truth is that if she had not gone into the crystal's room that day, we might not have had a world to return to. We owe everything to your daughter."
"Why couldn't it hide in me like it did when I was fourteen?"
"Because, Serenity, your body isn't exactly for rent at the moment. It's occupied."
Usagi's eyes widened at Michiru's words, one hand straying automatically to her belly. "How did you know? I haven't told anyone."
"Because you knew that Chibiusa was an only child at the time of the Black Moon crisis. This meant that they were coming and there was nothing you could do to stop it."
Serenity nodded at Haruka's words, glancing at her husband. "I don't know if she made it through this. Setsuna once told me that Neo-Queen Serenity only had one child."
Endymion took Serenity's hand and placed it on her belly, concentrating his power until he could sense the life glowing from deep inside her. "Still alive," he whispered, smiling. "You didn't tell me, Usako."
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't know if she would live long enough. I can't believe I'm pregnant. Small Lady is going to have a sister."
Endymion pulled Serenity into his arms, grinning at Haruka and Michiru over her shoulder. He turned to face the screen as his wife released his neck, settling one arm around her slender waist. "Let's go gather our people to welcome our daughter back properly, shall we?"
Setsuna followed the four Senshi and the young princess into the Mists of Time, pointing at a spot of gold and silver in the distance. "Let's go see our children, shall we?"
Chibiusa reached up and tugged on Setsuna's skirt, red eyes still full of tears. "Are you really my grandmother?"
"Yes, I am. I am your grandmother Ailan's wife, though we never told you for fear of disrupting the timeline. Everybody in our time knows, of course, but if you go back in time again, you can never tell the young Senshi about this. Okay?"
"Okay. Can you carry me, Puu? Just for a little while?"
"Just for a little bit." Setsuna easily lifted the young princess, glaring at the Senshi as they let out a synchronized "awwwwww!"
"Is Serenity okay, Setsu-chan?"
"Better than okay. We shattered her crystal and woke everyone up. The Star Senshi of this time returned as soon as they heard about the attack, which was just about the time Wiseman completely took over, but they couldn't break through the barrier emanating from Nemesis. Now that Wiseman is dead, Nemesis is gone and they were able to enter about the same time Serenity woke up. They'll be there when you step through." As they reached the door, Setsuna placed Chibiusa on the ground. "Well, I have to jump forward a day and rejoin my timeline, but the Setsuna from your time will be with the Star Senshi." She smiled as she vanished into the mists, leaving the four Senshi and the tiny princess to return to their time. As they stepped onto the grass, their eyes widened at the huge crowd Serenity had managed to assemble since she woke up.
Glad to have finally returned to their time, four smiling Inner Senshi and a tiny princess marched into Crystal Tokyo among cheering from people who had been in stasis during the Black Moon Family's attack. The Star Senshi were gathered near the castle, Setsuna and Ailan standing close to their daughter. They met the smiling Queen and her King, two very familiar senshi by her side. The Inners gasped as Uranus and Neptune stepped forward, arms around each other, smiles on their faces. "We heard our princess call," Uranus whispered, "and Pluto needed Neptune to donate some blood. I found Michiru and brought her back with me. Did you have fun in the past?"
Rei, Minako, Makoto, and Ami embraced the pair, tears in their eyes as their old friends finally came back home. All sound ceased as Chibiusa approached her parents, stopping in front of them. She bowed gracefully, the crescent moon on her forehead glowing. Looking up, she held out her hands, the ginzuishou sparkling happily in her palms. Neo-Queen Serenity called the crystal to her, smiling as familiar power filled her. She sent the crystal back to its pedestal inside as she crouched down and pulled her daughter into her arms. "I'm so proud of you, Small Lady. I love you so much."
"I love you, too, Mama." She looked around, smiling at the senshi gathered around and behind her mother. "I'm so glad to be home."
Cheers filled the air for the little princess who, against all odds, traveled to the past and saved the future.
Haruka reached up and wiped a tear away. "I can't believe how much she's grown. She's a little lady now."
Serenity stood, Chibiusa happily nestled in her arms. "Small Lady, meet Haruka, Sailor Star Uranus, and Michiru, Sailor Star Neptune. They helped me when I was pregnant with you."
"Where have you been? The other Senshi live here."
"We've been gone for a very long time, trying to heal our planets. We're here to stay now, Small Lady. I'll bet you already know some of our Star Senshi daughters."
"Mama? Papa?"
Haruka and Michiru looked up as the last of the Star Senshi gathered in front of the castle, led by Hotaru and Shioko. Sailor Star Saturn stepped forward, unable to believe her purple eyes, as Uranus stepped forward and held out her arms. The last of the Planet Senshi jumped into her father's arms, holding back her tears as she turned to embrace Neptune, as well. "I'm sorry, Hotaru, that I had to leave," Haruka whispered. "I had to bring your mother back."
"I missed you both so much," Hotaru whispered, tears staining her pale cheeks. "Please don't ever leave again."
"We won't, Hotaru," Haruka whispered.
"This mess will take a long time to clean up."
Haruka stared out across the city. The buildings and streets were perfectly fine, but trees that had stood proudly for hundreds or thousands of years were splintered and dead, their gnarled branched withered and ready to fall. They had been unable to survive the evil ravaging the planet, and Serenity did not have the power to bring them back. "We can replant the trees, Serenity. Be glad that none of your people perished. They cannot be replaced."
"I am glad," Usagi whispered, one hand on her belly. She turned from her window and walked to her throne, sitting very slowly and deliberately as her confused husband joined her. "I have an announcement to make."
All of the Senshi in the room, Star and Planet alike, turned to face the queen instantly, alert for any danger. The little princess ran to her mother's side and stood by her throne, waiting for Serenity's words. Kazeko, Kotori, Kaichou, Emi, Aya, Masako, and Michie gathered near their mothers, whom they had not strayed far from since Haruka and Michiru returned to Earth, the women sensing that the Senshi of Uranus and Neptune knew what the queen's announcement would be when even Pluto and Moonlight were clueless.
"I don't really know how to say this, so I'll be blunt. I have been keeping a secret from my husband, my mothers, and my sister Senshi for a month now, and I'm ready to tell you what it is. Just before the Black Moon Family attacked, I discovered that I am pregnant."
Silence filled the room as the Senshi struggled to digest the information, Rei slowly stepping forward with tears in her eyes. "Pregnant," she whispered. "Usagi . . . after all this time . . . I'm so happy for you." She embraced the queen as Serenity descended to the floor, Ami, Makoto, Minako, and Hotaru following suit.
Ailan and Setsuna also stepped forward, facing their daughter as the Senshi of Pluto cast a curious glance at the smug Senshi of Uranus. "We're proud of you, Usagi," Ailan whispered. "I was hoping you would have another child soon."
"I am wondering how Haruka-san and Michiru-san managed to find out about this before you told the rest of us, though." Setsuna glanced over at the pair as the Star Senshi moved to congratulate their queen.
Haruka grinned. "You told us, of course."
"Me? I don't . . . oh." Understanding blossomed on Setsuna's face, and she smiled, shaking her head. "Three of me in the same timeline. It always gets confusing at three."
"But, Setsuna-san, you always told us that Queen Serenity only had one child. That's why Chibi Chibi couldn't have been her other daughter."
"True, Ami-chan, but I was only in this timeline until Haruka and Michiru came back. I only remember now because it already happened and I can't ruin the timeline. A thousand years ago I had only seen one daughter. Now I know that, though Chibi Chibi is not Usagi's daughter, there will be two princesses."
Chibiusa looked up at her father and tugged on his hand, her mind searching for the meaning of the word "pregnant." As the princess of Earth, she was very well-educated, and her pink eyes widened when she found it. "Am I going to have a sister?"
"Yes you are, Small Lady. In just a few months you're going to have a sister."
"Then I better start growing up."
"It's great that Usagi's going to have a baby. I was hoping it would happen eventually."
"Now that she's very established and confident as Queen, I know that she will be a magnificent mother. Now that we're older and the Black Moon family is gone, many of the Senshi will begin to have children again in this new world." Setsuna slipped into her robe and smiled as she straightened the bed she shared with her wife, sitting down as she watched Ailan get undressed. The former queen's eyes were thoughtful, filled with mischief, and Setsuna raised one eyebrow as her wife looked up.
"What about us?"
"What?"
"What about us, Se? Why can't we have children again?"
"After so long? Our children are grown, they have children of their own . . ."
"And we're older, without the threat of the Black Moon Family lingering over us, and we're established in this new world. I've been thinking about this for a long time, and I asked Haruka and Michiru what they thought. They seem to think that secretly you also want children again, that you miss having a baby of your own to hold." She caught Setsuna staring at her arm, knowing that the older woman was remembering. "You love our daughters, Se, but sometimes you wish that Akiko, Akari, Shousha, Junko, Rika, and Setsuko were still babies."
"Sometimes . . ."
"Can't we have another, Se? Can't we please have another child?"
"She might not be a Star Senshi, Ailan. There might not be enough fresh power left now that the Council of the Star Senshi is established to create another Star Senshi."
"I don't care if she has power or not, Se."
Setsuna stood and pulled Ailan into her arms. "It's your turn, Ailan."
Finished