April Writing Contest Winner: Sailor Uranus (Kyralih)
Theme: Transformation


Entry #2


There was no going back.

She knew that with a strange certainty, and yet her hand clasped the light blue rod anyway, knowing with just as much conviction that if she didn’t take it her life would be forfeit.

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As the piano melody danced through the air, its calming voice spinning a tale of awe and regret, the young violinist closed her eyes, her heart threatening to lose itself in the tender tones. But even with the beautiful music moving through her, she could not shake a feeling of suspense. Nervously she approached the curtain from her place backstage and peered through a small opening. The theater was packed, the audience quiet and absorbed with the performance; nothing out of the ordinary caught her attention, but the feeling of foreboding remained.

“Michiru, are you alright?” her benefactor asked quietly from behind her, placing her hand softly on Michiru’s bare shoulder. “It’s not like you to be nervous, my dear.”

She nodded absently and turned to face the elderly woman, “I’m fine, thank you.”

“You’re on next,” she reminded her gently just as the solo ended to immense applause.

Michiru Kaioh, age fifteen, straightened her white gown and checked her bow, waiting for the previous artist to take his bows and leave the stage. She nodded to him in passing – he was another of the talents from her academy of Fine Arts, home to the young musical geniuses of Japan. This was just a concert, one of many used to attract the attention of the city at large, and any possible benefactors for the young students. Already Michiru had collected four; those four would be enough to supply any tuition she may need to advance her musical studies, but her teachers had instructed them to gather as many as possible – who knew when your instrument could break and you may need a new one? Who would fund sheet music, buy gowns and tuxedos, rent performance areas? To be famous and successful you needed three things: Talent, Determination, and Benefactors.

She strode to center stage and positioned her instrument on her shoulder. Nodding to the audience’s initial applause, she set immediately to a particularly tricky tune. It was a favorite of hers: while it was quick and had a good beat, it also brought forth feelings of deceit. The audience wasn’t expecting this tune; usually she chose more languid pieces, soft and slow and beautiful, but today she wanted to show them that she could do playful just as well.

Just as one brave soul started clapping along, the air of frivolity was shattered with a hair-curling shriek. Michiru played on, hoping to calm the audience and give authorities time to sort things out, but suddenly the doors at the end of the auditorium burst open and arched through the air to land somewhere amongst the seats to a chorus of screams. She saw the silhouette of the creature standing in the threshold for only a moment before it shot off into the audience. It was a monster – there was no other way to describe it. Huge, bulking, like a worm upended without limbs to speak of; while her knees started to shake, Michiru played on. Like the musicians on the Titanic, she thought to herself as the room erupted into chaos. What could she do? She was only fifteen, a middle schooler with a knack for music. The police would arrive soon, else those Sailor Senshi the newspapers reported about; someone would come to save these people.

But as the monster approached the stage with a bulking lunge, the teenager wondered if they would come soon enough.

She was knocked aside, her violin and bow sliding across the stage with the force of the blow as someone from backstage pushed her away, saving her from a direct hit. The creature writhed in the backdrop, tangling the heavy red velvet curtain about its freakish mass, momentarily stopping it’s rampage. Michiru turned to see that it had been the pianist that had tackled her, and he now awkwardly struggled to his feet, still unsure of his movements in his white tuxedo. She, too, struggled with coming to her feet, the tight dress not allowing her much movement. He reached down and she accepted his hand, but the pair of them weren’t on their feet for long.

With a strong lurch, the beast pulled the curtain down, its rod and the catwalks above with it. The falling obstacles butchered the stage with sharp metallic pieces, crushing the beautiful piano with a solid blow and littering the wooden floor with fresh shrapnel. She had seen the piece falling seconds before it would have hit them, and this time she dove covering him; miraculously, both of them came out unscathed, but their closest escape to backstage was demolished. To get away, they would either have to jump off stage or directly cross the path of the monster.

They had just managed to get to their feet again when they found that the monster had a ranged attack. Wrapped tightly in the curtain, it had seemingly had enough, and now spat a substance that was similar to fire. The flaming liquid arched out into the audience and immediately found kindling in the seats. The audience screamed anew, but the knot of people at the doorway wasn’t lessening. It was impossible to get out that way, and with the central isles engulfed in flames, the front exits were no option for the captured people. Backstage, artists and their benefactors were evacuating quickly while she spied stagehands hurrying for fire extinguishers. The elderly woman and a middle-aged lady were beckoning for them frantically, intent not to leave them behind, and she shoved the pianist that way.

Thrown off-balanced, he managed to clear the stage at an awkward run, but the monster was free now, and it had her in its sights. With one swipe of its hindquarters, her remaining exit was blocked; with another, she found herself pinned to the ground on her stomach by heavy machinery. The monster loomed before her; the audience screamed in despair beyond her, their desperate attempts to escape futile; the brave stagehands who would have helped were now trapped behind debris. With the theater filling with smoke and flames, there was no hope.

And then an object appeared, floating just within her reach…

They took them away.

The Silence, it came and swept the remaining soldiers from the dusty ground; it swept them so briskly into its core, where they dissipated into nothingness. What once stood as matter now reverse exists inside the colourless, intangible Silence.

With a hidden burgundy hurricane it arrived in subtlety, camouflaged with the buildings, the land and the ocean. But soon, the hurricane arose out of its invisible veil and with but a scream of the initial victims as warning, it glided across Earth, destructing, noiselessly and relentlessly, that which developed with the utmost sound, fragrance and intimacy.

Sweep away, and the guardians no longer exist.

Sweep underneath, and the moon is defaced.

Sweep, sweep, into themselves, into the spiral, and Earth is stripped bare. The Goddess of the Ocean, the Sovereign of the Sky, both erased in their entireties and their power converted to dust swirling about the red storm.

Swept off, the layering shields of love, in a vanishing second.

As it approached, Silence halted at the feet of Time. But with a mauve blur Silence destroyed around her, indiscriminately, and loveless, leaving in existence, the fading embodiments of only Time and her spiritual daughter, Rebirth.

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Before the arrival, before the first signs of ill-weather, she had been assigned, created from protection itself for the post she was to adhere to, in eternity and unswayable. She held her keys around her long-matured body, and her weapon on her hand, gripping the jagged pole to the point of bodily naturalisation. She was the keeper of time and so keeper of existence. In order to be such, she became the weight-bearing foundation, the unbreakable diamond, her own burdening ankle-cuff. But for the Silence, she went away, and abandoned her impenetrable gate, breaking her first taboo to sever the chain restricting the preservation of her treasure.

Before the arrival, she slept. For the immense and irreversible nature of her power, she slept hidden, even from Time. It was for the purpose of maturing, to develop her control. But the arrival came so soon, and she was found by the two sacred protectors of Earth, whose fears drowned them in disarray and indulged them in an obsession to prevent, for the ultimate power of the sleeping spirit was contaminated by silence’s ghost. A Mistress dressed in darkness.

Now they, dressed in symbols and blades, run together, parallel but opposing Earth, concerned for the safety of existence, further from humanity.

But for the fragile period of calm, they inside themselves were opposing powers: one possessing destruction, to restore existence to its origin; the other possessing preservation, to halt existence to an eternal standing ground.

For the past everlasting moonlight, their cordial powers were veiled by a human manifestation, a sufficient barricade for the unequalled offensive lying half-dormant beneath their armour.

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And the time to release the darkness of cessation and the lightness of destruction blew in disruptively. It began to erode away Time’s glass cover and Rebirth’s iron encasement. Whilst silence sped fast around them, and the burgundy cyclone torn ligament from ligament and nature’s infrastructure away into a scarlet lightshed, Pluto declared a halt to progress.


“We are left for a reason, Saturn. See the silence, see its trail and look unto its core, do you see your princess?”

“Yes, she is frowning and her eyes frown too, discoloured into greyness. I can smell the silence even through your frozen time; I can smell dust, and putrid rain.”

“We are standing at a frail opportunity, on one side hollows our valley where all will perish and nothing will fall into nothing, on the other side a plains, filled with fertile and empty dirt. Saturn, do not restrain any longer. Do not hold your head in shame nor let fear grip your hair in its engrossing poison.”

“I can feel it, the silence slipping through, it wants to take us. It wants to destroy us.”

“The silence is a formidable entity, it seeps through impermeable material and I myself cannot resist it. Saturn, I have broken the final taboo, this is for you, this is all for you. I have stopped time for you, for you to return Earth to antiquity’s purity; to sever the contagion of Silence. You are the restoration, I have been the protection.”

“… I understand; I revoke my ancient duty. I revoke my memory. I am Saturn of destruction, I am Saturn of life.”

And under the shelter of Pluto’s sacrifice…

And under the livelihood of existence….

And under her dormant, now ripened, infinity…

Sweep downwards, and her glaive purified the Silent gales with the condemned and exonerated yoked into one white vortex.

Artemis had kept to himself for most of the day and given the events of yesterday, it was not a surprise. He had seen Luna again for the first time in nearly a thousand years. His emotions were turbulent and conflicted. It had not appeared as if she had remembered much about him, although she had recognized him. He did feel more than a little hurt and betrayed. Their relationship, although strained, had finally begun to develop before the disaster.

He still remembered the first day that he had seen her. She had been called from Mau to serve as the future advisor to Princess Serenity, who would be due in a few months. He had received his own duties several years earlier and already his experience as the advisor to the future captain of the guard, the princess of Venus, and the heir to the position of Sailor Venus, had begun to grow and mature.

The meeting between the advisors-in-training was not scheduled to take place for several hours, so Artemis took it upon himself to lounge in the gardens. The sun was delightful and the company was all too eager to please. Several ladies of the court gathered around the white-haired man and showered him with affection and attention. Although he had been off-put by such attention when he first traveled to the realm of the Silver Millennium, Artemis quickly changed his tune. The culture of Venus was especially flamboyant and overtly affectionate. The culture of the Moon was more reserved, but none the less pleasant.

With a hearty laugh, Artemis waved his hand in the air, “please, ladies, I am all too eager to attend to your desires, but,” he drawled out his voice. The faces of the ladies fell as they anticipated his words. Artemis continued, “I fear that I must depart in order to prepare for a diplomatic event.” The ladies of the court loudly voiced their displeasure, but eventually departed in groups. The Mauian received several promises of later meetings and encouragement to visit at a later date. He smiled and waved as they departed, but sighed loudly once he thought he was alone.

He was not alone, however. One lady of the court had stayed behind to spend a few private moments with the advisor-in-training. She forwardly touched his shoulder, which alerted him to her presence. He whirled around only to be confronted by several forward advances and a wit of tongue. Although he often flirted with the eligible bachelorettes, he had yet to be placed in such a precarious situation as this. Artemis fought down a growing urge to panic and dismissed the woman’s advice, albeit rather nervously and with a rather lack of the smooth manner he had possessed earlier. She did not take ‘no’ for an answer.

Artemis’ mind began to break down as he felt her lips press against his own. His hands hung limply at his side and his eyes widened in panic. A loud gasp broke the moment. Someone had stumbled upon the intimate moment. The lady of the court hurriedly dismissed herself and left Artemis to perform a decent imitation of a blushing fish. The intruder seemed just as surprised and immobilized as Artemis. At the same time they both blurted out an excuse, then paused as if neither knew what to do next. Artemis stepped forward, which apparently took the black-haired woman off-guard. With nothing to say but a small squeak of embarrassment and surprise, the woman in the yellow and black dress quickly turned and left.

Although another thought or action may have been more appropriate, Artemis could not help but dwell on how beautiful the black-haired woman in the yellow and black dress had been. He had never seen her before.

Later that afternoon, Artemis waited in the appropriate meeting hall for the arranged introduction between himself and the future advisor to Princess Serenity. He had since recovered from the disaster in the gardens, although he was very nervous about seeing either woman again. At the head of the table sat Queen Serenity, who was in the more advanced stages of her pregnancy. A knock came at the door and the attendant introduced Lady Luna, the future advisor to Princess Serenity. The look on the Mauians’ face was nothing less than priceless.

Queen Serenity quirked a smile at the beginnings of this introduction. Obviously, she was not privy to all of the information concerning a prior relationship between these two. She motioned for Artemis to rise and properly introduce himself to the woman who he would no doubt be working very closely with for many years to come. After a jerky start, Artemis bowed and took Luna’s hand. He paused for a moment before he placed a chaste kiss on the front of her hand. Luna blushed brightly and wondered if she could reclaim a sense of decorum.

Queen Serenity instructed the two to sit at opposite sides of the table on either side of their queen. Artemis wondered if he could possibly look at Luna and keep a straight, calm face or if all hope had been lost. He was still very young and not entirely certain as to how to approach the situation. As soon as Queen Serenity began the meeting, Luna recovered her decorum and propriety. Artemis silently marveled at her behavior and her beauty. She often interjected questions and words that held wisdom and intelligence unusual for her young age. He felt as if he lacked something important.

Once the meeting was dismissed, Artemis cautiously approached Luna. With a shy smile, he asked if perhaps she would meet him for lunch in order to discuss their future together as diplomatic partners. The suave manner he had been cultivating for months seemed to disappear around Luna, but maybe she would not mind? His smile broadened as she hesitantly accepted his offer and prefaced that she would prefer to meet in a public setting. Hope springs eternal for young love, as Artemis found he was beginning to understand all too well.

Dawn crept softly across her room, streaming through the thick green leaves to create blotches of shadows on the carpet and hardwood, the rays creeping ever closer to her bed. This was one of her favorite times of day. It used to be right about now that Dad would be turning on the coffee maker in the kitchen, pattering around as he sleepily fumbled for the pre-ground beans. The Mom would pop into the kitchen, tease him quietly for not knowing his way around her kingdom, and playfully push him back towards their room to get ready for work. Then she would measure out the coffee and put it into the machine, the beans sliding into the filter with a quiet shhh and then she’d press the button. The maker would bubble and steam and the smell would seep through the hallway and hit her immediately.

She would already be awake, watching them through the crack in her open door, but when her mother walked down the hallway to wake her up, she’d hide back under the covers and pretend to be asleep. Being woken up by Mom was always nice; she would sneak in quietly, look around the room with a smile when it was clean, and then get really close and kiss her on the forehead. “Wake up, Mako-chan! ” she would say, “The day is ready for you!”

And then they would pick out her school clothes and get dressed together, and go back into the kitchen and make breakfast for Dad. She always got to stir and taste-test, but Mom had only recently let her near the pans on the hot stove. She got to walk the plate over to Dad, who would ruffle her hair and say “Good Morning, little girl! You’re so pretty today!” And they’d eat breakfast together. Then she’d help Mom collect the dishes and Dad would get his shoes on and grab his briefcase. She would jump into her shoes and grab her bag and lunch and they would kiss Mom goodbye, then she and Dad would walk to school. His work was in another direction, but he always took the train so they could walk together and talk about sports and classes.

But that was before.

Her alarm went off after the sun had almost filled the entire room, and she shut it off with a sharp tap on the top, glancing at the date again as if by staring at it, it could change. It was 5 December, and she was fourteen today.

She pulled off the sheets and got out of bed, peeling off bedclothes and folding them nicely, putting them under her pillow just as her mother had done. She made her bed and looked around the room until she found their picture on her dresser, allowing herself one more minute of remembering them – their smiles, their warmth, and their happiness – before hardening the sensation of loss and locking it away. She went to the closet, pulled out her school uniform, and stepped first into the long skirt, then slid the long-sleeved shirt on over her head, taking a moment to push the sleeves up over her elbows despite the snowfall on the ground outside. She brushed out her hair, looking at herself in the mirror, and tied it quickly into a high ponytail with the green-bauble hair elastic her father had given her as a going-away present. She ruffled her bangs and offered a smile that, even to her, looked false. A grimace looked more at home, and it was that grimace she was known for now.

Picking up her book bag, she went into the main hall and exchanged the bag for a watering can and took a few minutes to water her plants and sweep the apartment again. She put her lunch by the door, then turned on the coffee maker, listening to its clicks and pops and breathing deeply its aroma as she stood, waiting for some water to boil for breakfast.

…….

She arrived back at her apartment just after dark, having stayed after school for cleaning and a club meeting. When she got in she put her school bag away and started water for some tea, then changed clothes into something more comfortable. When she finished the water was ready, and she made some rose tea as she washed her lunch container and got out some pots and pans to make tomorrow’s lunch, tonight’s dinner, and a small cake for herself, wanting to try a new icing trick she had learned earlier in the week. She smiled as she cooked, loving the sounds and smells as she multitasked, busily going from pan to pan, tweaking seasonings as she saw fit, stirring sauces and flipping shrimp and little hotdogs to make sure they cooked evenly, even as she preheated the oven and mixed together a quick cake recipe.

As the cake baked and tomorrow’s lunch cooled, she had dinner. Making mental notes on her food as she chewed, she concocted new ways to make the dish better, or in a different style, keeping herself busy with exciting new combinations. Once dinner was finished, she arranged her lunch in her bento box and put it in the refrigerator to cool and keep for tomorrow. She took the cake out to cool, then started washing all of the dishes; her hands never stopped moving, the smile never left her face.

Everything was put away, even the implements used to make the icing she piped onto the cake, making tiny roses on top. The more she made, the better they got, but by the end the entire top of the cake was covered in tiny red flowers and there was no room for a birthday message. She smiled and piped a message in sugar pink anyway, spelling out “Happy Birthday Makoto!” on top of the delicate flowers.

It was then that her smile finally faded. When everything was finished, and she cut into her birthday cake alone.

Usagi Tsukino sighed as she sat at the window glumly, watching the beautiful flakes of white drift down, with piles of it already all around. The trees branches were heavy with white, and everything glistened in the light of the full moon. The beauty was lost on her, as she could only think thoughts as gloomy as the past week had been.

It seemed like it was only a few days ago it was summer, and she was at the beach with her friends in her cute new bathing suit, all pretty and pink and perfect. Splashing in the warm ocean, feeling the sun on her skin and not a cloud in the sky. Enjoying a nice cold ice cream and struggling to eat it all before any dripped on the ground and was wasted. Chibiusa had come to visit, and spent time with them.

They had always been doing things, the three strange family and their friends. Usagi smiled to remember when they had all gone bike riding and hiking in a park together, finding a camp site and grilling food. Mamo-chan had even brought some fishing poles to try catching something in the lake. Chibiusa getting chased by some of the ducks and needing to be rescued by her and Mamo-chan. Usagi chuckled softly at the warm, sunny memories.



Then fall had come and it still wasn't so bad. Fall meant Thanksgiving and tons of food and cute sweaters for the cooler weather. Perfect weather for a date walk through the park with Mamo-chan. Chibiusa sadly had decided it was time to go home, back to the 30th century to spend the holidays with her parents.

Usagi had tearfully given her a little bag full of the different colored leaves to take with her. Her future daughter had been delighted with the gift and thanked Usagi with a hug before she disappeared in a flash of light. And then she and Mamo-chan enjoyed a nice stroll through the mall to avoid the slightly chill winds that had begun to blow and to help cheer the melancholy blonde back up.

Then there were times where she would scoop leaves together in a pile in the park and jump into them. Mamo-chan would sit near by on a bench and watch her fondly, and pick the leaves out of her hair when she was done. Then they would go and get some delicious roasted yams to enjoy, so warm and sweet. She had been able to find anything to do whenever she wanted, but now she couldn't do anything at all. It was winter. How she hated winter.



Usagi leaned a little closer to the window, blowing her warm breath on the glass and watching it fog up as she began to idly doodle on the smooth surface. Here she was, bundled up in a thick sweatshirt and jeans, thick socks under her fuzzy slippers and wrapped up in a blanket. It was warm, but the sight of the snow outside just made her feel chilled and mopey.

She had already done all the silly winter things. Made a snowman, had a snow ball fight, and caught snow flakes on her tongue. She was mentally checking off everything she had done, and now nothing was left. Three more months of winter and gloom and snow, and nothing to do. It would even still be a full month and a half before Christmas, and she would have wonderful new fun things to do.

It had seemed like an opportunity for fun and private couple time when Mamo-chan asked her to spend a few weeks with him in his family's cabin, an inheritance he had kept. She had accepted, as soon as her father had grudgingly given his permission after thousands of promises from both of them to behave and a brief scolding from her mother to her father.



She briefly thought about getting up and making a cup of hot chocolate. The idea almost cheered her, until she thought of how chilly most of the house felt. They had to save money and couldn't keep the house as warm as she would like it. But at least it was better than being outside in the swirling snow.

So she contented herself with turning in her spot, and looking at the fire dancing and crackling cheerfully in the fireplace. Mamo-chan was so sweet, always going out and braving the ice to get firewood so she wouldn't be too cold.

At least the fire had something to do, munching away at wood and turning it into ashes. That would need cleaning eventually. Usagi was so bored, she almost toyed with the idea of cleaning. But her true nature won out and she repelled the idea immediately.

Usagi sighed and thought once more about how much she hated winter. You could only do so much in winter! She turned again and looked outside, squinting as she tried to watch for her boyfriend to come back. Maybe she should make that hot chocolate. Mamo-chan would certainly appreciate it after the cold. She nodded and finally dragged herself up, shivering at the slight chill. She went to the kitchen and began heating up the water while she searched for the instant packages.

She let out a squeak of delight as she found them and came back to the stove. She savored the heat as she poured the hot water into mugs and dumped the powder in. she stirred vigorously as she watched the water turn a delicious brownish color. And it smelled so delicious and sweet. She raised the cup up to take a sip when she felt arms wrap around her from behind.

Usagi blinked then smiled happily, leaning back.”Mmm, Mamo-chan...” she murmured happily, savoring the warmth radiating from him. A wonderful, warm, cuddly teddy bear. She could hear him whisper, “Usako” in her ear before he picked up his mug and gently led her back into the living room, where they sat together in front of the fire, facing the window. They watched the snow fall together as they contently and innocently snuggled and sipped their hot chocolate.

The fire was warm, and adding that to Mamo-chan's heat, it was wonderfully comfortable and sleep inducing. Now the snow looked beautiful and peaceful, drifting outside the window. The moonlight made it glow gently and added to the beauty for Usagi's enjoyment as she listened to the gentle crackling of the flames near by. Usagi let out a little sigh of contentment as she laid her head on Mamo-chan's shoulder. How she loved winter.

The Park

The day was spetacular. Sunny, hot, welcoming everybody out of their houses and into the daylight, the warmth. And she was specifically more beautiful than ever that day. After school, she decided to relax for a bit in the park. Her long blond hair wasn't in it's usual odangos shape. As it was such a pretty day, she wanted to let it loose. Of course, since it went almost to the floor, she had to use a ponytail. But a change was nice. I loved seeing that change.

- Mamoru! What are you looking at?
- Nothing. You are just so beautiful. Your hair, the sun, the grass.
- What? You're just crazy. - she said while blushing and looking away. I find this shyness of hers so sweet and sexy at the same time. It's one of my favorite parts of her. How she is always talking to everybody, but when I say something like this, she just gets shy.

I just loved coming to the park with her. It was our spot. I mean, we would always be together at the Crown as well, but there no one knew of our true relationship. For them, we hate each other. But here, no one knew us and we could be a couple in love. Like we are.

- Come here for a moment, please. - I said, standing up and helping her standing up. We then held hands. We strolled around, hand in hand through this beautiful day. Since it was a hot day, the grass of the park was being wet every 30 minutes, so they were bound to make us wet. I took her to a favorite part of the park.

- See, Usako? The moving fountain.
- Oh My God, Mamo-chan! It is. This is so perfect.
- You're perfect.

I loved seeing her blush. She looked like a goddess. My goddess.

- And you make me feel so beautiful. Because that's how you see me. There's nowhere else in the world I'd rather be than by your side. I swear I'll always be there for you, to cherish and protect you, Usako. I love you.

I just had to kiss her. Her lips were so captivating. That light pink tone. So sweet and lovable. After the kiss, the moving fountain stopped. But for us, it felt like the whole world had stopped as well. For that kiss was everything I wanted at that second. After we parted, I took her hand and we got back to our place, running and laughing. Then she fell, rolling on the sultry grass. I was so worried. But she didn't mind and actually made me roll on the grass with her. We were the happiest couple in the world. When I hugged her again, I felt complete.

As most marriages are between high-status families of this day and age, our marriage was arranged. We, inexperienced children, could not be trusted to know what would be the best and most advantageous arrangement. Love was never an explicit requirement, just a by-product, if we were lucky. I heard about him long before I actually saw his face. This gave my imagination ample time to flourish.

When my beauty began to blossom, a court painter was sent to record my loveliness as a memento for my suitor and proof of my worthiness to my future in-laws, the king and queen of the Golden Kingdom. Oh, I was so nervous and worried. Could a painting ever capture what they wished to see? Nay, could I ever hope to achieve or embody their desires for their son’s future wife? There was little I could do, but I took some comfort in the knowledge that soon his painting would also be sent to my parents and me.

That day came and went. The painting was placed in an advantageous place within the manor. Everyone, including me, needed to realize the importance of my future husband. His painting served as a constant reminder to my future. His eyes seemed to find a way into my soul and my heart. Sometimes, I imagined I could feel his face against my cheek and his lips against mine. Oh, how little I knew of the consequences of love…

As I grew older, our eventual meeting could no longer be stalled. The day was held in prominence and I, oh, I dreaded and anticipated every hour as it loomed closer. All of my hopes, all of my dreams, everything would be decided by our meeting. Nothing would seem like a fantasy, it would all seem too real.

Then, it happened. We met for the first time. I am not entirely certain what I expected from that first meeting, but I knew exactly what would happen. Every action had been pre-planned by our parents. When he took my hand in his for the first time and placed the ring upon my finger, I looked desperately in his eyes for something unexpected. Both he and I found it, that something that could not be planned by our parents.

Although the planned day seemed far away, every day was spent in preparation for our union. Of course, there were the arrangements for the event, but there were also political and economically arrangements to be considered. Our union would also unify two lands, two cultures. We spent little time in each other’s company, but what little we did receive was enough.

I learned things about him that a painting could have never taught me. Paintings do not speak, paintings do not touch, and paintings do not feel. Love, where once duty only lay, was beginning to blossom. Understanding and appreciation began to thrive.

Then, something changed. At first, I thought perhaps the change was caused by a sense of duty or some other feeling I could not comprehend. No, it was not that. That feeling we had both shared changed him or… at least I thought we both shared.

Love for another woman.

Surely, our arranged union could not be allowed to end so soon before the very day we would become man and wife! But… She had more power than I could have ever dreamed of. The moon, no, all of the planets and the stars were at her side. Anything she wanted would be hers. Time was also on her side. My Endmyion, please, don’t leave me for her.

As the days passed, I could not tell if our union was closer or further away then ever before. Of course, the physical calendar progressed.

One night as I watched my love torn away from me by the moon, a voice came to me. The voice did not promise great power, but rather a chance to leave things, as they should be, as they were meant to be. If I accepted Metalia’s strength and wisdom, fate would not be changed by the power of the moon. I was hesitant at first, because surely the princess of the moon could not intervene in a union planned since birth? She was still only a child, blissfully ignorant.

The power of that voice grabbed a hold of my doubt, as if it were a chain around my neck. Before I could even consider my own desires, I had laid waste to several kingdoms and destroyed all that I had once held dear. As a power much stronger than my own washed over me, as I bathed in a purifying, silver light, I wondered what had become of me? How could a maiden’s hopes, dreams, and desires become so corrupted? In the end, fate had been changed and my love never came to be realized.

Was… Was it ever love? Did I ever truly hold Endymion’s heart or had my desires blinded me? Perhaps, my dividing line between love and obsession had never been clear.

trumpeted fanfares echoed on crystalline walls, Juno fought the urge to fidget with the knowledge that every eye in the throne room watched her and her sisters.

The throne room had been decorated with banners depicting the colors of the newly appointed Guardian Senshi, but Juno didn’t pay attention to them. Her eyes were drawn towards those who stood in front of her.

The Queen and the King were striking in their formal clothing, and they were flanked by the original Guardian Senshi, two on each side. They were never far from their Queen.

All of them exuded a sense of power and wisdom that left Juno feeling smaller and younger in comparison. But despite the battles they had all faced, the Queen’s smile was still just as warm, and the King’s eyes twinkled as he stood proudly by his love. Sailor Venus continuously poked at Sailor Mars in an attempt to get a rise out of her, while Sailor Jupiter rested her hand comfortably on Sailor Mercury’s shoulder. Battle-worn, perhaps, but never broken.

Juno fidgeted again, feeling the weight of expectations that she didn’t know if she would ever live up to.

A pair of amused ruby eyes caught her own, and Juno found herself staring at her princess. Usa looked almost out of place in her flowing white dress with jewels in her hair and a serene expression instead of a cheeky grin and dirt on her knees. She looked beautiful and far older than Juno remembered from just yesterday.

But amusement sparkled in Usa’s ruby eyes and Juno could see her trying not to laugh at Juno’s uncomfortable predicament. Juno would need to remember to get revenge on the princess after this ceremony was over.

It made her feel a little more at ease, however, to see that even despite all of this refinery and formality, things wouldn’t ever change between them.

Although things had changed, and would change, but Juno knew that their friendship was strong. And Mercury had once told her that friendship was all that they would ever truly need in order to get through the hardships they would face now that they were to be the official senshi of Crystal Tokyo.

The fanfares died out, and a strange silence fell over the throne room. No one moved until the Queen’s smile widened, and she invited her own Senshi to begin the ceremony.

The four original Guardian senshi stepped down to stand in front of the new Guardian senshi. Mars and Vesta, Mercury and Pallas, Venus and Ceres, Jupiter and Juno.


Each of the original senshi held a crystalline key within their hands. The keys opened most of the doors in the palace, but it was more symbolic than anything else.

They handed the keys over to their successor, and said in one voice, “Do you vow to defend the Queen and King, Crystal Tokyo and the world against anyone who would do them harm? Do you vow to always protect your princess no matter what?”

As one, the new Guardians replied, “We do. Even to our deaths, we will protect.”

It was then that the Queen spoke to her daughter, a key in her hands as well that she gave to Usa. “Princess Serenity, do you vow to uphold yourself as the senshi of love and justice? To lead your own Guardian senshi, and to protect this planet with all of your heart?”

Usa did not hesitate. “I do. Even to my death, I will protect.”

And then everyone was clapping, and Venus and Jupiter were cheering out loud. Usa turned around to face her senshi, a bright smile on her face and she jumped down to them, throwing her arms around Juno. Vesta, Pallas and Ceres came closer, everyone hugging each other. They were all talking at once, but not one of them could hear each other over the clapping and the cheering.

But it didn’t matter, everyone was smiling and laughing, and Juno felt such a connection to these girls that her heart beat quickened.


Juno drew upon the strength of her best friends and she stood a little taller, and held them all closer, focusing on nothing but the happiness of this moment. She knew that they had challenges awaiting them when this moment ended, but it was okay.

She was ready to protect them all, no matter what.

She didn't belong here.

It was obvious from the gold in her hair and the vibrance of her personality. Often, Setsuna would find herself staring at her recent student. She watched how Minako giggled with the servants and carelessly tossed her current task aside in order to saunter up to a handsome guard, a flirtatious smile playing on her lips.

Setsuna did not know how she would ever be able to teach a flighty teenager how to be a proper senshi. And this girl was to be the leader of the Senshi who would be charged with protecting the Princess? It seemed impossible. What could Queen Serenity possibly be thinking to entrust the training of this girl to her? Setsuna knew nothing about how to train another Senshi.

It is a good match, the Queen had assured her with a small smile. You will both teach each other many valuable lessons.

Seeing Minako trip for the second time this morning, Setsuna couldn't imagine needing to learn anything from her.

~~~

"Again."

Venus sent her another glare, but she said nothing as she raised her hands in a combative position. She struck out her right hand, fist connecting with the padded body of the training dummy.

"You're still lowering your shoulder, it gives away your intention," Pluto told her. "An enemy would be able to counter your attack before you've even completed it." She continued to circle around Sailor Venus in a slow pace, watching everything the other girl was doing. Pluto reached out and pushed on Venus's hands, raising them up even higher until they were level with her face. "If you keep your hands too low, it gives your opponent a chance to strike at one of your most vulnerable places."

Pluto did not miss the frustrated sigh that came from her student.

"I think we're done for today," Pluto said, her own frustrations getting the better of her. "We'll continue tomorrow."

"No! I can do this."

The words were said with conviction but Pluto had already made up her mind. "Your concentration is gone, and I need a break. We'll continue tomorrow." And then she left the room without a second look.

~~~

It was strange, sometimes, to walk through Charon Castle and find little reminders that someone new and different was now living inside the black walls. A loose and bright ribbon lying on the ground, or an opened book full of pictures meant for amusement.

Setsuna frowned at them, but left them where they were.

~~~

One night, after coming back from guarding the Time Gate, Setsuna saw Minako in the training room. She was alone, and she was focused. Setsuna could see it in those sky-colored eyes. Determination and resolve.

Minako looked like an entirely different person.

When Setsuna realized that she was staring, she tore herself away and left Minako to her training.

~~~

The first time Minako came up to Setsuna's favorite balcony, Setsuna almost ordered her to go away. But she didn't, and she wasn't sure why.

Minako came to stand beside her, her arms resting on the banister as she leaned in forward. Setsuna stood still as stone next to her and wondered why they were so close to touching one another. Then she wondered why she had even noticed such a thing.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Minako's voice was soft, contemplative. There was a small smile on her lips as she stared out at the dark sky. "In a gloomy kind of way."

"Hm." It wasn't quite an agreement, but it seemed to please Minako.

She grinned and turned her attention onto Setsuna herself. "You don't say much, do you?"

Their eyes locked, and Setsuna saw a brightness in Minako's expression, and she looked away. "No, I don't."

~~~

After that conversation on the balcony, Minako seemed to have made it her mission to get Setsuna to talk as much as possible. During training sessions, throughout dinner, even when they ran into each other in the halls, she would constantly be asking questions.

At first it annoyed Setsuna to no end. She was not used to having her personal thoughts barraged with questions at every corner.

But as the days went on, she surprised herself by indulging a little more information with each question.

Sometimes these questions led to long discussions that brought the two of them up to the balcony. With the cool wind on their skin, they would talk late into the night.

Setsuna found herself missing these conversations when she was forced to go a few days without them.

~~~

Venus was getting better. Her moves were quicker, more agile, and she reacted in a more experienced way rather than on base instinct. When Pluto sparred with her, Venus was a worthy opponent and sometimes she even won.

More and more, Pluto saw the focused woman instead of the flighty teenager.

Venus was becoming a warrior fit to protect a princess.

~~~

"Hey, Setsuna?"

"Hm?"

They were on their balcony. In the distance, the glimmer of the sun twinkled and gave off a vague sense of warmth. With Minako standing close to her, golden and bright, the sun paled in comparison.

"Do you ever get lonely?"

Setsuna frowned at the question and didn't know how to answer. She hesitated, before saying, "Sometimes."

A moment passed in silence. Minako moved in even closer against her and Setsuna could feel the warmth of her skin.

"Me too," Minako said in a soft voice.

Setsuna placed her hand over Minako's, and they stayed like that in silence for the rest of the night.

~~~

It was quiet in the main hall. Servants were packing away the suitcases and bags, but everything else felt incredibly still.

Setsuna stared at nothing in particular as Minako squeezed their clasped hands even tighter.

"You'll love the princess," Setsuna said, breaking the silence. "She's pure and bright. She almost reminds me of a more innocent you. Although I'm not sure who could be counted as being the more clumsy one."

Minako laughed, though it was short-lived and slightly forced. "Not funny," she said. She gave Setsuna's hand another squeeze. "Will I be able to come visit you sometimes?"

Setsuna hesitated. "I don't know." Another pause. "I will be spending more of my days at the Time Gate."

"Oh."

Setsuna turned to face her, taking in the sight of Minako's golden hair and clear blue eyes. "I will try to come up with a plan." The words felt hollow, but there wasn't anything else that could be said.

Minako nodded anyway, though her expression made it obvious that she did not believe the words either. "I'll be busy watching the Princess, anyway." She looked up at the taller woman, and smiled. "I had fun here, with you."

"So did I," Setsuna told her, and it still surprised her to know that it was true. She looked into Minako's eyes and Minako looked back.

A million things were said without a single word passing between them.

~~~

The Silver Millennium was ending in a bath of blood and death. Sailor Pluto watched from her solitary post at the Time Gates, and could do nothing to help.

Even as she caught sight of tangled golden hair and the torn red ribbon, the familiar orange and blue fuku dirty and bloody, Sailor Pluto did nothing.

Her heart broke into a hundred tiny painful pieces and her hands shook in anger and frustration and sorrow, she cried until the tears simply wouldn't come any more.

But she couldn't do anything to help the ones she loved.

~~~

On the crowded streets of London, talk of the famed Sailor V went through the city like wildfire. She protected the innocent and she helped those who could not help theirselves. She was beautiful and powerful and brought justice to the world.

But no one talked of the shadow that followed Sailor V everywhere she went. The shadow did not interact with the famed warrior, nor did the shadow ever made its presence known.

But it was always there, watching and helping in subtle unseen ways, content to protect instead of burdening Sailor V with memories of the past.

Waiting patiently for that one possible day when the two of them could continue where they left off.

The winners for all of the writing contests of 2012 have been posted. Please read and enjoy the talent of your fellow members on the Galaxy Cauldron. It has been a wonderful year bursting with writing creativity and talent.