Title: Time Makes the Heart
Fandom: Sailor Moon
Pairing/Characters: Sailor Star Fighter/Neo-Queen Serenity
Genre/Category: one-sided love, futurefic
Rated: PG
Word count: 1088
Warnings: None
Spoilers/Setting: Set in Crystal Tokyo, spoilers for the Stars Season
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon doesn't belong to me.
Summary: She treasures these visits to the crystalline capitol of Earth. But most of all, she treasures the brilliant shine of its queen.
A/N: Many thanks goes to smnwaters211 who was kind (and awesome!) enough to beta read this. All remaining mistakes are mine. Feedback is greatly appreciated!
Star Fighter jumped silently onto the sill of the open window, annoyed and pleased at the same time that she was able to cross the palace grounds unnoticed.
She leaned against the window frame and peered into the room, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dimness inside after the bright morning sun.
Her heart sped up as she made out Queen Serenity's form, sitting in front of her mirror and brushing her silver hair with her eyes closed, a serene smile on her lips and humming a vaguely familiar tune.
Fighter's breath caught at the beautiful sight before her.
The Queen's eyes flew open at the small sound, and she stopped brushing as she gazed at the reflection. A radiant, welcoming smile blossomed on her lips as their eyes met in the mirror, brighter than the sun itself.
"Sailor Star Fighter!" she cried with delight, and her lovely voice felt like a caress to the senshi.
Carefully, Fighter entered the Queen's chamber, and walked towards her, coming to a stop a respectable distance away from her. She bowed low, trying to fight the happy grin that tugged at her lips.
"Neo-Queen Serenity," she intoned respectfully, "I hope you are well this morning?" She lost her battle, and as she straightened she grinned mischievously at the Queen, winking at her in response to her amused laugh.
"I am, but it seems as though an intruder has managed to invade the palace." Her eyes sparkled with amusement.
"Really? How unsettling. But please, don't worry; I will protect Your Majesty with my life," she replied softly, and what should have been a joke fell flat as she gazed at the Queen seriously.
She would gladly give her life for Queen Serenity, and they both knew it. Not even centuries were enough to dull Star Fighter's love for this woman.
The Queen's smile turned tender, and Fighter could see something akin to longing flash through her eyes, making Fighter's heart race even faster.
The moment was broken when the Queen resumed her brushing, breaking eye contact. "Am I right to assume that Princess Kakyuu will arrive shortly?"
"Yes, You Majesty," Star Fighter replied stiffly, berating herself for letting her inappropriate feelings spoil the playful mood. "She should have arrived at the gates by now."
Queen Serenity nodded, and started to braid ribbons into her hair. She caught Fighter's eye in the mirror again. "Would you mind lending me a hand? I'm afraid I didn't expect visitors this early, otherwise I would have hurried with my morning routine."
"Of course not, Your Majesty," Fighter replied, blushing faintly. She took the ribbon offered to her and braided it into her hair, the silken feel of the silver hair making her fingers tingle and stomach flutter. She ruefully shook her head; she didn't remember being this smitten when they first met.
The Queen started humming again as Fighter reminisced about the early days of their acquaintance, long before the girl of her affection had become a queen, before she had known about that girl's destiny and secret identity as a Sailor Senshi; back when she was just a girl Seiya had fallen in love with.
Tsukino Usagi.
Neo-Queen Serenity.
It figured that instead of getting over her ill-placed feelings, Fighter just had had to fall even deeper in love with the Queen over the centuries.
"Thank you," Queen Serenity said as Fighter finished, and regarded herself in the mirror. "What do you think?"
"I think you look beautiful," Fighter replied, and regretted it as soon as the words had left her mouth. Flirting with the human girl whose boyfriend was overseas was one thing; displaying her feelings this plainly when the Queen was happily married and had a daughter...
"Thank you," the Queen said again, and gestured towards her sleeping gown. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll have to get changed," she added with a playful wink, and Star Fighter wondered when their roles had reversed so that it was now she who was left floundering whenever their playful flirting became too intimate.
Probably around the time her Odango had married and become an inter-galactically known and respected sovereign while Star Fighter drowned in her unrequited love.
She laughed self-deprecatingly. Yaten was right; she really was a fool in love.
"What's so funny?" the Queen asked as she returned, now properly dressed, and Star Fighter raised an eyebrow at the casual speech pattern. Luna would be displeased if she heard her charge – because they all knew that Luna still thought of the Queen as her charge, never mind the centuries that have passed – forget all the painstakingly ingrained speech lessons. Serenity rolled her eyes. "I figured I should use the short reprise before I have to face the world as Neo-Queen Serenity, Sovereign of Crystal Tokyo again." She mimicked the pompous tones of announcers all through the galaxy, complete with elaborate hand gestures, and Fighter burst out laughing, falling head over heels all over again.
There was a knock on the door, and as Fighter's laughter wound down to small chuckles Serenity called for the person to enter. Small Lady stepped into the chamber hesitantly, but her eyes instantly lit up as she saw her mother's guest.
"Star Fighter!" she cried enthusiastically, barely refraining from launching herself at Fighter like she had done when she was a child. "There you are!"
Star Fighter bowed, exaggeratedly, and Small Lady giggled.
"Kakyuu and the others are here," she explained to her mother, who had watched the scene with obvious amusement. The Queen raised an elegant eyebrow, and her daughter amended, "Princess Kakyuu and her Sailor Senshi have arrived. Your Majesty," she added, with a cheeky grin, and was rewarded with a gentle cuff to the back of her head.
"Go," her mother commanded, trying to sound stern but failing. Small Lady's grin widened, and she fairly skipped out of the room, waving cheerfully at Star Fighter.
Her mother shook her head in fond exasperation, before looking at Fighter with a smile. "Shall we?" she asked, offering her elbow.
"Of course, Your Majesty."
Arm in arm, they stepped outside the chamber, but as Star Fighter surrendered Serenity to the rightful embrace of her husband she knew that the Queen's touch would linger on her skin, making her heart ache with all that she desired but that was never meant to be.