It has been hundreds - perhaps thousands - of years since Crystal Tokyo was founded. The world is at peace now, with Neo Queen Serenity and her court reigning over Earth. The senshi have slowly pursued their dreams and some have even created families of their own, no longer tied down solely by their duty. 

Princess Lady Serenity is a full-fledged adult, a true lady in her own right, and together with the Sailor Quartet, she has been taking care of senshi duties more and more. A gradual passing of the mantle has been happening slowly and surely from mother to daughter, both in the role of protector of the world as well as queen.

And just in time, too.

The Silver Moon Crystal is weakening, and with it, the queen. No one knows why. Mercury can't figure out what was wrong with it, nothing Mars sees in the flames can explain it, there's no darkness or enemy threatening for Jupiter to deal with, and no matter how much Venus tries to think about what the possibilities of the future, she cannot find a clear answer. Pluto might know, but as usual, Pluto's keeping her secrets.

Perhaps it is simply time. After all, even the strongest Sailor Crystal in the galaxy has to return to the Cauldron sometime, to be reborn anew. The queen has lived for millennia and she, too, is tired of her immortality. At some point, there needs to be a finish line.

No one wants to talk about it, but it's clear that the queen grows weaker with every passing day. First she just excuses herself to go to bed early, then her appetite lessens - which might have been the most alarming thing of all - and for the past month she has spend more and more time in bed. There is nothing physically wrong with her except for her life force. 

The Silver Moon is waning.

At any rate the meaning is clear; soon, the princess will have to officially take over her throne. She has had enough time to prepare for it. Everyone who's not in denial has started preparing for that eventuality.

But that's not the hardest thing of all, of course.

The hardest thing is to say goodbye.

The fifth phase will explore the changing of powers in Crystal Tokyo and the end of Neo Queen Serenity's court's era.

Starting Points:
The girls are currently really, really old. Millennia old. Where they are now in life is up to you to decide - most of them have achieved their dreams and even settled down with a family or partner since their duty no longer became the most important thing. As this event will portray the characters far, far away in the future, at which point their personality would have changed quite a bit from when they first started as senshi, they are all far more mature than they were in the 20th century.

Mercury has noticed the deterioration of the Silver Crystal and, subsequently, its host, but could not find anything physically wrong with either. Mars cannot see a clear future in her fire, neither can Neptune. Mercury has noticed, also, that with the waning of the Silver Moon Crystal, the other senshi's Sailor Crystals seem to dim in response. No one is exhibiting signs of weakness as obvious as the Queen herself, and she has not told anyone else about this, but she knows deep down that when the princess they have protected for so long finally expires, their purpose and their lives would soon follow. The only ones unaffected by this are Princess Lady Serenity and the Sailor Quartet, Sailor Pluto, and Sailor Saturn.

• All out of character discussions must be posted in the OOC Thread or the Skype chat. If you have any OOC questions, please post in either place!
  
• Anyone may post first, following the starting points stated above.
  
• This is an Advanced RP event; please make sure your posts are 100 words or more.
  
• There is no posting order.
  
• Event host has the right to move plot forward if deemed necessary, but everyone should feel free to explore their characters as much as they wish with each other.
  
• Players must post at least once every 48 hours to avoid being replaced by someone more active.
  
• Event ends on September 30th, 2016.
  

Mama...

She felt like a child again, hopeless and lost. Adrift. It was that sensation she had felt wandering in the reaches of Time-Space so many years ago. It came back to her in an instant, washing over her, as familiar as if it had been yesterday.

They all knew this would happen, someday. Even if they pretended it wouldn't. Her dream of so long ago... it was realized now. She was a lady. A lady like her mother, always her idol.

That didn't mean she wanted to replace her. In her dreams of the future, her mother was never absent. Her mother was always there. The beautiful, timeless queen. Ageless in her beauty, renowned in her power. Incomparable. Unbeatable. She knew this. She had been there. So many years of her childhood, adolescence, and adulthood had been lived in the soft warmth of her mother's immensely bright light.

Why did it have to change?

She twisted the soft chiffon of her pale pink dress, twisting it in her fingers, seeking a way to release that tension. It didn't lessen. How long could a thing like this haunt you? How long could it take to find a way to let go?

Why did she have to?

Nothing.

The fires showed her nothing.

Rei sighed, concentration breaking, and the flames before her died in response, leaving the woman in blackness. With a small movement of her wrist, the fire was back, bouncing red light around the largely empty room. Slowly, Rei stood up, ignoring the annoyance that always came from this movement. Sitting in her normal meditation position shot pains in her knees these days - or had it been years? - but she was too stubborn and wrapped up in tradition to try and change it.

She made her way to the door, sliding it open with practiced ease, and walked outside, breathing in the fresh air. The Hikawa Shrine was always bustling, full of people, and today was no different. As she passed them, everyone greeted her with a bow of respect and Rei returned the gesture with a small smile. As always, she thought of Grandpa - he loved to see the shrine so busy and active.

After his passing, Rei had turned the duties of running the shrine to others rather than taking it up fully herself. It was time to move on, though she often visited. Hikawa Shrine was still the one of the very few places that allowed her to relax and feel at ease - after all these years it was still home - and it was the best place for meditation and fire reading.

Well, usually.

She didn't know what to think about the blankness within the flames. The future had never been so closed off to her before - even when she didn't know what the flames said, she at least knew that they were saying something. Emptyness did not suit the fires.

A traitorous part of her wanted to make a connection, between the flames and her fading best friend, but... No. She refused.

She would just have to try harder tomorrow. That was all.

With that determined thought, Rei turned her amethyst eyes towards the crystalline palace, sparkling and beautiful. In an instant, she had transformed into Sailor Mars, as easy as slipping into her favorite warm and worn-out jacket. Although she hadn't necessarily been needed for a long time, Mars always felt a pull towards the Palace after having been away for a while. So she began to make her way back - and if anyone dared to ask, she would have insisted that her pace was definitely the same as it had always been.

It was not something that she could deny, nor would she make any attempt to. At least, that's what all the signs pointed to. The Queen...

Of course, this would sadden Saturn just as much as everyone else. She adores their Queen. She, along with her daughter, had saved her in so many ways, after all. They both are the light in everyone's lives.

But perhaps, as the soldier of death and rebirth, she could comprehend this a little better than the others. That nothing comes without an end. And not even the brightest star in the galaxy is an exception to this.

This probably made it easier for her to accept what was happening. But in any case, dealing with what seemed to be inevitable was not the hardest part for her.

The hardest thing was that her best friend probably needed her the most right now. And she really had no idea what she could do. How could she possibly console her if...

She has to be there for her. She wants to be there for her. To support her. Like she always did as well.

But how?

It's ironic, really. The long fulfilling life that the Queen and the others have had... It's definitely something that they could have never even dreamed of before they awakened for the first time on Earth.

But even so, even still... no one is ever ready to say goodbye. No matter how much time they were fortunate enough to have.

Artemis sighed, lost in his thoughts. His job as the royal court advisor had never been harder than this.

Neither Mercury nor Mars have managed to figure out what could possibly be wrong. Physically or not. But the Queen was growing weaker by the day nonetheless - that much was obvious.

It would be an extremely delicate subject to bring up, but they could ignore the truth only for so long. It cannot continue like this. The queen was evidently no longer able to continue governing over Crystal Tokyo. Soon, they would need to begin the preparations for the princess to ascend the throne.

Either way, and as much as everyone would want to delay this as much as possible, he believed it would be for the best. It would be much easier for Lady Serenity to take on the responsibilities of her duty while she still has her mother by her side, rather than... be suddenly forced to.

But how can he possibly bring this up? They would probably label him as cold and insensitive, and that's far from the truth. But it's his job to maintain a clear head, even in times like this.

"Lady?"

Only her own voice echoed back. She frowned slightly, a glint of light across the wide ruby eyes, and ducked back into the hallway. Her soft paws padded gently against the smooth crystal floor, even though she moved quickly. There was no hurry, of course, but she couldn't bring herself to be idle.

Another room, another question.

"Lady? Are you in here?"

Again, she was wrong. Diana frowned again. The once-tiny kitten was now a full-grown cat, although still rather on the small side. Her soft lavender fur was the same colour, and she still wore the collar with a round golden bell that announced her arrival with a faint jingle. But she was different, even though she was the same. She was older now, well-trained by her parents and growing more into her role as advisor every year.

Now, particularly, she felt the duties of that role heavy on her shoulders.

The princess had been so quiet lately. So withdrawn. She forced a smile when anyone asked, insisted she was fine, or perhaps she was just under the weather for a moment. But Diana caught the gleam of sadness in the young woman's carmine eyes. She noticed the pauses. The way the fingers tried to grip at nothing, only for the princess to press them together behind her back.

She turned another corner, and thought she saw a figure up ahead. Perhaps one of the others wandering the palace. From the back it looked like Sailor Saturn, although Diana was far enough that she could have been mistaken.

"Excuse me," she called politely, hoping that it was Saturn—her charge's dearest friend might be an excellent ally in her search. "Have you seen the Princess?"

Neo Queen Serenity was tired.

She was tired a lot, these days. And her appetite wasn’t as ferocious as before. She had chalked it up to old age, tried to laugh it off when she turned down second helpings of cake for the first few times, even wondered if her stomach was just upset, but things had only progressed further from there.

She didn’t really feel it as much as she knew it. Like she knew the sky to be blue or the grass was green.

If asked to pinpoint her symptoms, she would not be able to really say. Beside the loss of appetite, she seemed to find it harder to get out of bed—and not just because she was sleepy much more often these days. Sometimes she’d walk to the garden and feel exhausted from the minor effort. She could no longer dance for too long with Endymion at balls without losing her breath and having to excuse herself. It was the little things. The little things that told her that something was wrong… and deep down Serenity already knew what that was.

The end was coming. And to be honest, a part of her felt some kind of relief from it.

A thousand years was a long time to live. In that time, she had fought as a soldier and saved the world numerous times, then went on to govern it. Sure, she had slowly handed over the reign to her daughter little by little, especially when she noticed these things happening to her. She’d taken the princess aside for more lessons, gave her more impromptu advice during their walks, and would impart as much of her knowledge as she possibly could, now that she knew time was running out.

The truth was, she wanted to retire and die in peace. She wished to see her daughter crowned before she left this world. She wished to see Lady Serenity as a queen, knowing she had left Crystal Tokyo in capable hands.

It was her last wish. That and to not go alone, but rather surrounded by all her loved ones.

She was sure it wasn’t too much to ask.

She had managed to pull herself out of bed today—for it seemed to be one of her good days—and she walked along the palace corridors, savoring the energy she still had. Making her way toward the gardens, Serenity wondered where everyone else was. She knew Rei was at the temple, but hopefully she’d be back soon.

Serenity leaned against one of the many crystalline pillars as she stood on the terrace, looking out toward one of Endymion’s beautiful rose gardens. A small smile formed on her lips as she thought about her long-time husband.

Surely, if death parted them again eventually, they’d find each other again.

They always did.

It may have taken over a thousand years, but time was finally running out. Mercury knew that logically, the Silver Crystal could not be infinite, but that did not mean she wished to accept that reality. She had grown used to what felt like an endless lifetime, and after the Sailor Quartet came into their own to protect Lady Serenity, it felt like Mercury's entire world expanded beyond her duty.

She had written books on countless subjects that caught her interest, studied and researched in hospitals and medical centers around the planet, and even had her own myriad of scientific breakthroughs in her studies within Crystal Tokyo. And as she slowly but surely aged, she found herself not quite consuming herself in her projects, but taking them at a leisurely, mellow pace, and sometimes even setting them aside for periods. There was no need to rush when she had years and years ahead to finish whatever she wanted. And after a while, her eyes did start to grow tired from reading, even with her glasses.

Ami Mizuno had, to quote her friends' light teasing, "settled down". In between her mostly self created work projects, she had struck up contact with Ryo again, and after a dating period that would have been extremely long if they weren't living extended lives, had two children together.

They were both adults now, with their own lives and jobs, but they always made time to return to Crystal Tokyo and see her.

And now it was coming to a close, and Mercury wasn't sure she was ready. She almost couldn't fathom living on while Queen Serenity, her princess, was no longer there. And if she was still reading this data right, her own crystal might not fathom it either. Almost all of Crystal Tokyo's original court was fading in sync, if at a much slower rate than Usagi, but Mercury could tell they were beginning to weaken. Even if no one wanted to point out their slight grimaces when standing or sitting, or their somewhat muted reaction times, it was still happening. Her own eyesight was troubling her enough to need to increase the font size on documents to read them more accurately, though she did her best to hide it. 

It would soon be their time to move on, but.. Mercury just wasn't sure what to tell them.

Restless now, Mercury got out of her office chair and decided to check on Serenity. She couldn't bear to stay away from the palace for too long these days, worried that Serenity might falter even faster if someone wasn't there to watch her. It wasn't difficult to locate her, as there was always at least a faint connection between the Queen and her Sailor Senshi.

She emerged on the terrace, the one with the best view of the back gardens, and her eyes fell on Serenity. Mercury smiled in slight relief, taking it as a good sign that she was still walking around.

"I see you're feeling better this morning," she said, moving to stand beside her.

Jupiter had rosen early. She had been noticing the changes in Serenity's condition and her slow loss of appetite. She had been up late the previous night looking for recipes for some type of cake or bread, something that wasn't too strong, but would still taste good. She hoped that she could still cheer up the queen with her cooking.

Jupiter would never forget the day she met Serenity, it was so long ago. She was just Makoto, a girl who had transferred to Juuban Middle School and Serenity was just Usagi. She remembered Usagi's friendliness and her strong appetite.  Jupiter hoped that this small gesture could put a smile on Serenity's face.

As Jupiter made the tea, she could hear the footsteps of her children. She had set out a basket of muffins for  them. 

Jupiter walked around carrying a basket with a treat and some tea for the Queen. Soon enough she found her in the gardens. She quietly sat beside her.

"Good morning Serenity. How are you feeling today? I made some tea and some bread if you would like to try some."

Jupiter poured a cup of tea and handed it to Serenity.

Saturn was still considering several options on how to best approach her dearest friend. She was not much for conversation after all, which was understandable given the circumstances. But she was keeping to herself too much, and Saturn was beginning to get concerned.

Leaning against one of the palace walls, a faint jingle caught her attention. Right before she turned, she heard Diana's voice.

"Hello Diana," she said with a soft smile, as she bent down and rubbed the little kitten on the head. Well, she was hardly a kitten anymore, but still part of her still saw her like one.

Maybe much like how she would still call her friend with the name she got to know her ages ago. Even though she certainly was no longer small either.

Saturn frowned at Diana's question. "I'm sorry, I have not seen her either." Where could she have run off to now? "I assume you have already checked her room?"

Diana meowed happily at the initial contact from the dark-haired woman, but frowned at Saturn's reply to her question. The little girl she had grown up alongside was now a capable young woman, but habits like these... they weren't good. Everyone knew and understood that the queen's decline carried a deep sorrow, like a shadow that dimmed all light in the Crystal Palace. It was natural to worry. It was reasonable to grieve. It was not smart to shut oneself off from others.

She wanted to give Lady her space, but the princess's isolation was becoming worrisome.

"Yes, she was not there. Nor did I find her in the garden," the pale feline continued, her eyes distant as they mused over her other options. Lady knew the twisting corridors of this palace almost too well. When she wanted to be alone, she knew exactly how to ensure that she could be so.

"Have you seen Pluto recently, Saturn?" Diana inquired, trying to work through this problem. Not only was she worried about Lady's well-being, but she had important changes to a recent trade agreement that needed to be reviewed. These kinds of tasks were among the many that had been gradually transferred from the queen to her heir. Lady was never remiss in her duties, but lately her focus was not as it should be.

"Perhaps she sought quiet in that wing of the castle. Would you be inconvenienced by accompanying me?"

Mercury’s soft voice came from behind her, and Serenity turned to greet one of her oldest friends with a smile. Truly, even as she saw the millennia old sailor soldier in front of her now, she could also still see the girl behind it, the one that she found first among everyone else. The genius Ami Mizuno who had that haunted look of loneliness in her eyes when Usagi first came across her. When Serenity, too, was just a girl whose biggest worry was school.

In those days, she never imagined that she would live this long. She never imagined she would even live half this long. She had pictured herself meeting a good man, marrying him, start a family, and grow old together. Instead, though she was definitely growing old, her body had stagnated at twenty-two, the Silver Crystal preserving the youth as if she were frozen in time. A collection in a crystal museum that would never change.

It unsettled her sometimes, to see herself wearing the same face for hundreds of years. It felt unnatural.

She wondered sometimes if long lives weren’t all it was cracked up to be.

If she wanted to be honest, it wasn’t like she hated this life, exactly, but this certainly wasn’t the life she dreamed of either. She was happy, but it was not her idea of a perfect future.

After all, Usagi Tsukino never had dreams to become a queen. All she had ever wanted was to be normal, and this was anything but.

“It is indeed a good day,” she said at last. They never spoke about her condition—not in so many words, anyway—and Serenity could feel everyone tiptoeing around the subject. No one wanted to be the first to admit out loud that the queen was dying, but they all knew it. Serenity—who was sometimes more perceptive than most people gave her credit for—had seen the worried glances, the nudges, and the way everyone seemed to crowd around her every time she stood up or moved to walk somewhere, as if they were worried she might fall over at any moment.

Death was coming.

But not today.

When Jupiter came with treats as she almost always did, her smile widened. “Much better now, thank you,” she said, accepting the cup of tea and sipping it carefully.

“Have either of you seen Mar—Rei and Minako?” she asked.

She had started to slowly call her friends by their given names again, as if not wanting to forget who they were. Not now when it mattered most.

She had returned as soon as news had reached her that the Queen's health was fading. She cursed herself for not being around more, maybe, just maybe, if she had been, they would have seen this sooner and they could have done something about it. 

A part of Uranus knew that nothing could exist forever, and that everything had to die, but it didn't stop her heart from clenching. Why did it have to be her. Out of everyone in this forsaken universe, why her. The Guardian wondered what she had done to deserve to out live the one special person she had sworn her life to protect. But wasn't this just a fulfillment of her duty, that she had done it so well that she was dying naturally? As if anything about this was natural, but when had anything in their lives been? 

She kept her composure as she made her way through the hallways towards the Gardens where the wind had brought snippets of voices letting her know where her Queen was. If this truly was the end then Uranus vowed to be by her Queens side for every remaining breathe. 

"Koneko," she let the wind carry the softly said nickname, one she hadn't used in quite some time, but it felt just so right to use it today, to the Queen's ears, alerting her to the wind guardians presence.

"I'm afraid I haven't seen them around the palace today..." Mercury said, watching Jupiter pour the tea out. Knowing Mars, she was just as engrossed in helping Serenity as she was, so she was most likely meditating in a quiet corner, looking for answers in her own way. But no matter how stubborn Rei was, she would eventually accept what was coming. Venus was less predictable, but she was usually not too far from Serenity, even if she wasn't visible.

It felt odd hearing their actual names spoken aloud, like a burst of nostalgia. No, she hadn't forgotten that she was once not a senshi, but Ami Mizuno and Sailor Mercury were so tied together as identities that her mind substituted one for the other without a second thought. The difference had faded for her, but now it was highlighted again, if only for a moment.

"But I'm sure they're close by. Did you want me to call them?" she asked.

"Now that you mention it, no, I haven't seen Pluto in a while," she responded to Diana. How typical of her Setsuna-mama -- whenever they needed answers the most, she would be cryptic as ever. But Saturn could understand. Sailor Pluto's knowledge is dangerous to share.

Whatever their destiny, it will come on its own time. Simply gaining that knowledge could alter the path that fate has carved for them, with unpredictable consequences.

She paused for a moment as the cat-advisor asked her to accompany her in her search of the princess. Right. This was why she was here anyway. Though perhaps she was subconsciously stalling herself.

Saturn glanced outside a nearby arched window. It seemed to be a beautiful day. Normally, at a time like this, she would be at the children's hospital. With the Queen's court taking care of senshi duties, her powers were not really needed at that time, and she pursued her own dream of becoming a nurse.

She had requested a few days off, though really she had been meaning to leave that job for some time now. It's not that she did not like it, or that she stopped liking it. She enjoyed helping children, and she was glad that she was fortunate to be able to follow her own dream. But she could feel that calling of duty again. It was time for Saturn to return, at the side of her most important friend.

Perhaps that was another dream of hers in its own right. But the way this was slowly coming to be... It felt wrong. And the unsaid implication of her quitting... Maybe it wasn't the appropriate time for that.

"Yes, she could be there," she finally agreed. "I've been meaning to talk to her as well, so it's not a problem at all. Shall we go?"

Artemis continued pacing around the palace's control room, considering his options.

It honestly wouldn't be out of place for him to raise the subject directly to the royal couple at their next meeting. But that didn't make it any easier. He actually thought Serenity would understand, but it was the king who would be most unpredictable at a time like this. Artemis wasn't so sure which would prevail, his logic or his emotions.

In any case, this was probably something he should be discussing with Luna first. But that wasn't any easier either. Luna had always had a special bond with the queen, and it was no surprise that she was not taking this well at all. He had no desire to make this even harder to her. She needed her time too.

Still. This issue had to be addressed. They all knew it. It was only a matter of who would be brave enough to actually say it aloud.

On that moment, the answer became clear in his head.

It needs to come from the queen herself.

Instead of formally raising it as one more political issue, perhaps it would be better for someone to subtly see where the queen actually stands on this. The way the princess had started to handle more and more matters, he was positive that the queen was ready for this too, actively preparing her daughter for what was to come.

Perhaps she only needed a small nudge to make this official.

And even though he felt guilty for this, he knew the best candidate for this job.

He had to look for Venus.

Jupiter was glad to see Serenity had at least a small appetite this morning.

"I am glad to hear it. I was up looking for the perfect tea to make when someone does not have an appetite, I hope it is not too strong."

When Serenity asked if she had seen Minako or Rei, Jupiter had not seen them. She knew Rei had been meditating more and more in the shrine, and assumed that's where she was now.

Minako on the other hand, Jupiter knew she was around, but did not know where she was at the moment.

"Serenity, I believe Rei is meditating this morning, so she will likely be at the shrine, as for Minako..I have not seen her."

Jupiter was grateful for Mercury offering to call, not that she wouldn't have, but it was nice that after all these years the senshi were still so quick to help their leader.

Returning to the Palace, Mars barely had to concentrate at all to sense where the Queen was - and she could tell that Jupiter and Mercury were with her as well. The connection she had with her friends had only strengthened through the years, and what had once been a useful ability for battle was now simply a navigation tool.

She was glad to find that Serenity was out on the terrace overlooking the gardens, rather than inside of her chambers - the fresh air would do her some good.

As she came out onto the terrace herself, Mars did a compulsive psychic feel of Serenity, reaching out with her abilities to sense the beautiful aura that surrounded her best friend. The warm light had been dimmed for a while now, but it felt as though that light had strengthed today and Mars allowed herself a moment of silent relief.

Of course, she hadn't been worried. There was nothing truly wrong with Usagi -- Serenity. There couldn't be.

As she approached the others, Mars glanced to Serenity directly, quickly - not because she was worried, it was just because she always kept an eye out for her Queen - before noticing that her own whereabouts had been part of the current topic of conversation and added her own voice into the mix.

"I was, yes," Mars said after Jupiter had finished speaking. "I've not seen Venus yet today, though I'm sure she's getting into trouble somewhere." The familiar grumble in her voice had come easily - more easily than she would have expected considering the general air of heavy trepidation that hung like a dark cloak over the palace recently.

But it was easier to fall back onto her usual grumpiness than to let herself be weighed down by other emotions.

In Venus’ mind, she had already looked past the inevitable.

She had already planned beyond Serenity’s death, her funeral, what flowers would be used, how to break the news to the citizens, things they would need to prepare for Usa’s coronation. How she would then completely turn over her job as the head of the palace’s PR department to Ceres and plan her own retirement. And by retirement, of course she meant following her queen’s footsteps.

Because Venus knew that was happening. She might not have Mercury’s data or Mars’ premonitions, but she was observant enough to figure this out.

In her heart, she had already mourned Serenity’s death. Not because she was heartless, but because later, she couldn’t afford to do that. Later, she’d have to be the one who knew what to do in the chaos left by the hole in their hearts, had to be the one who stepped up and made sure things were taken care of so her friends could mourn properly. So that everyone didn’t have to figure out trivial things like the perfect crystal casket or the details of the ceremony to crown their new queen.

Someone needed to have a good head on their shoulders while all that was going on, and that someone would have to be her, the leader.

So Venus had cried. Days ago. She’d locked herself in her room and just cried herself to sleep and let all of it loose, tearing down the walls of denial that everyone still surrounded themselves with. She accepted the reality, and attempted to move on.

Her only comfort was the knowledge that she would soon follow her princess and queen and that she would not suffer for long.

As she walked along the palace corridors that morning, Venus noticed the congregated energy of her friends and Serenity’s out on the terrace, and was making her way there herself.

But as she walked past the palace control room, where she knew Artemis would likely be, she paused.

She suddenly felt the dire need to talk to her longtime partner and advisor.

Artemis had always been there for her. If Venus were the senshi’s anchor, then Artemis was hers. He was the one who kept her strong when she needed to be for the others. And she yearned to see his comforting face now.

She opened the door to the control room and peeked in, and sure enough, the white cat was there.

Venus smiled and waved. “Howdy, partner,” she said with her trademark smile, a façade perfected over thousands of years.

Serenity heard a voice she hadn’t heard in a while, and turned quicker than she had ever moved these past few months. When she saw Uranus, her face brightened. “Haruka-san!” she cried, walking quickly toward the taller senshi and instinctively embracing her. Even after all these years, she still couldn’t call her casually—it just felt weird to her. And it seemed like it had been a long time since they last saw each other. Serenity deeply wished for Haruka and Michiru to achieve their happily ever after, and so always encouraged them to pursue that, but she did miss the two a lot.

“How is Michiru-san? Well, I hope?” she asked. She only got news from them sporadically, but dearly hoped they had settled down with a family of their own, now that Hotaru was all grown up and Pluto was back at the gate. If she recalled correctly, Michiru quite enjoyed being a mother and had once mentioned that she wished to be someone’s real mother someday.

She turned back to her other two friends with a smile. “Yes, please, call everyone here, Ami-chan. Usa too, please,” she said brightly. “I have a bit of an announcement to make. Well, a request, really.”

As Mars appeared, Serenity’s mood lightened up even more. Soon everyone would be here… and she could tell them all her plans. She was sure—well, hoped really—that everyone would agree it was a good idea.

Well. He still had to figure out what to say to Venus though. It's not as if that would be any easier either. He sighed again - why did this have to be so difficult?

He continued pacing around, when she entered the control room and greeted him. Guess he no longer had to look for her.

Even he could not tell if her smile was sincere. It's not as if he had seen her cry or something -- well, the truth was he hadn't seen much of her at all, recently. She was keeping to herself a lot these days.

He wasn't sure if this was just an act, or if she had come to terms with the inevitable.

"Good morning Venus. You seem quite energetic today," he said, offering an uncertain smile back and attempting to maintain the pretence that everything was alright.

He had already failed, though. To this day, whether she was in senshi form or not, he would still call her "Mina" when they were alone. Using her senshi name usually meant business.

"Have you seen the queen today?" He continued, still uncertain if he should go through with his plan right now.

She did look better. Might as well go ahead and ruin it, right?

She had done an excellent job this time. Although she didn't reference a clock, the way the sunlight streamed through the windows made it clear to the princess that several hours had passed. Brooding in here without interruption... it felt luxurious and also disobedient. There were so many places perfect to sequester herself, especially here in the wing that housed the forbidden Time-Space Door. She had learned them so well during the 900 years of her childhood.

They still came in handy, even now.

Her mind still whirled with thoughts of her mother, the way that light that should have been eternal slowly dimmed. It shouldn't be this way. Princess Lady Serenity, now acting ruler of the known Solar System, still imagined herself to be less suited for the task than her mysterious and amazing mother. It was different to make important decisions and serve and protect this kingdom when it belonged to her mother. It was another thing to take on not only the responsibilities, but also the title.

She should have had so much time to come to terms with this. But she hadn't. She didn't want to. In some ways, it was like her prolonged immaturity as a small girl. Perhaps this was one more circumstance where she held herself back, refusing to accept that she had grown in knowledge and power. She didn't want to step away from that safety net.

But soon, it wouldn't be her choice.

She felt better with Saturn's company. The youngest of the soldiers who protected the far reaches of the Solar System had always been special to Chibi Usa, and for that reason Diana had spent enough time in Hotaru's presence to feel comfortable—even if her formal habits were too ingrained to lessen. In some ways, the soldier of ruin was almost like a talisman herself—the feline guardian felt convinced that her chances of successfully intercepting the princess had increased now that Saturn had joined her.

This sense of optimism was rewarded when the pair made their way into the wing of the castle that remained most silent and still, away from the usual bustle. Almost immediately, Diana knew that her wayward charge was near. She could feel it.

The golden bell on her collar jingled as she pushed open doors unaccustomed to opening, eyes searching for that undeniable glimpse of pink. She found what she sought only a few doors down, so close to where the assembled group knew Sailor Pluto would be.

"Lady!" Diana exclaimed, bounding into the dark room. The only light came from a single narrow window. In here, the furniture was draped in white cloth, ghostly and silent. There was a thin layer of dust that made the former kitten sneeze as she disturbed it. Cleaning was much more lax in this wing of the Crystal Palace.

"I am elated that we located you! I have some business, if you please, Lady."

Princess Lady Serenity startled, guilty, when the door creaked open. She knew it would be someone looking for her even before she heard that familiar voice.

"Time to put the mask back on," she told herself, greeting the pale cat with a forced smile. Then her eyes caught sight of another—this figure lean and somber. The ruby eyes widened for a moment, surprised somehow by Sailor Saturn's presence.

Saturn... Seeing her best friend there almost crumbled some of the self-salvaging fortress she had been so carefully constructing. She pushed back the longing to rush to the indigo-suited soldier, as she might have when they were mere children in the 20th century, and wrap her arms around someone who cared about her. But she couldn't do that now. Now she wasn't "Chibi Usa," she was "Princess Lady Serenity" and she had to be... she had to try and maintain her mother's overwhelming legacy. If she let herself dwell on how suffocating it felt, she wouldn't be able to keep going.

"Thank you, Diana. Hello, Saturn," she greeted her friend. She tried to smile at the short-haired young woman, as well, but she couldn't quite get the expression to reach her eyes.

His left hand trailed at his side, gloved fingers brushing dead branches that slowly bloomed with new growth with his passing. The head of his staff hovered just above the ground before him, his right hand sweeping it back and forth gently before him as he released Golden Crystal energy gently into the earth and surrounding greenery damaged by an unexpected fire, healing it from within. He did so without actively thinking of the task at hand, despite the intention of the activity; his mind stubbornly empty, his eyes blind but for the path ahead, his ears deaf but for the small, stubborn voice that pointed out how much good he was doing here, and how very little he had been able to do for her. The little voice that wondered if he was running away by being here, the one that questioned his motives in coming - was it to do good within their kingdom to lessen her worries, or to escape seeing her slowly falling apart? His hand tightened on the crystalline staff.

She had slept well the night prior, though, as was becoming usual, her body was cooler in his arms than it had ever been before. They were losing her - he was losing her, and no matter how much energy he subtly gave her while she slept or while they held hands and talked when she was awake, her overall condition continued to deteriorate, and that his was not matching hers tore him apart inside. The idea of her leaving him shook him at his core, awakening a fear in him that he had not felt so strongly in ages, and the knowledge that he was able to be there for her when she needed him, and help her through this, was less comforting than it probably should have been. Yes, he could carry her when she felt weak, he could make her smile when she seemed too tired to even think, he could make her laugh, he could love her, but it - but he - 

He didn't want her to go alone.

He didn't want to be alone without her.

They had been through so much together, how could fate separate them now?! Was it karma, finally coming back to make him suffer as he knew she had suffered for him?! Repayment for how he had left her before, when Galaxia had taken his Crystal during her takeover of the Galaxy? Sometimes he wondered if that really were the cause: that each Crystal had its own internal clock, theirs matching hers, but as hers wound down theirs still had hours, days, weeks, months left from when they had left her back then and traveled to the Cauldron without her, so that when finally she left, they would have to spend that time without her as she had without them, before they would join her. ... He wouldn't wait that long - he couldn't wait that long - 

And yet... 

Could he do that to Small Lady? Could he willingly deprive her of both parents at once, knowing that he could still be of comfort to her while her world changed beneath her feet? 

He came to a standstill, his own feet stopping at the edge of a precipice that looked out over a great valley below him, mountains looming around him in an idyllic landscape that sparkled with sunlight off of the stream that snaked between the rocky giants and pooled in the valley below. He had reached the edge of the pass, and as far as the fire had gone. He turned, looking back on the fresh green buds and new grass that slowly spread back from the path he had found, renewing what had been burned and lost, and felt only small satisfaction in knowing that this place would fully recover with time. He knelt, the motion still so easy despite his wishing it otherwise, and placed his right hand and staff on the rock of the cliff, closed his eyes, and searched... and found nothing. Nowhere within a thousand miles needed his attention. No where left to hide, the small voice whispered, and he set his jaw. He wasn't hiding.

Rather than the site of a recent disaster that could use his attention, King Endymion found something else and, with a technique mastered through years of concentration and training under the tutelage of some old friends, he teleported away.

“I’m always energetic,” she replied nonchalantly, pouting a little to pretend as if she were insulted he dared to insinuate otherwise. She closed the door behind her as she entered, her gaze roaming the screens that showed every public part of the castle to make sure nothing was amiss. She twitched when he addressed her by her senshi name, though did not call attention to it.

When he asked if she’d seen Serenity, she turned to look at him and shook her head. “No, but I’m on her way to see her. I think she’s in the garden.” Centuries of being someone’s guardian had allowed her to sense Serenity’s energy like a homing beacon. It was useful and practical for sure.

Still, she suspected the question was loaded with more than just an innocent query about the queen’s whereabouts. “What’s on your mind, Artemis?” she asked, sitting casually on one of the available chairs, continuing to monitor the screens half-heartedly.

Saturn followed Diana quietly as she led the way towards that quieter wing of the castle. Sure enough, she was there.

She could see that look in her eyes when her friend greeted her. That look of someone who is trying to be strong, but they're hurting a lot inside. Her heart ached; she could be there for her all she wanted, but this pain was not something that she could easily take away.

"Hello, Chibiusa-chan," she said softly, with a subtle smile. At that moment, in a flash of purple light, Hotaru stood in Saturn's place. Her attire was mostly purple -- she still had a preference for the darker colors, even if she did no longer choose them exclusively.

Somehow, Hotaru felt as if she were able to understand things better in her senshi form. Able to think more deeply. Perhaps, even after all this time, Saturn and Hotaru were not exactly one and the same.

But it was not the warrior of ruin that her friend needed right now.

"Making poor Diana look for you all over the palace... that's not very nice of you, you know," she said, her tone obviously teasing.

But then her expression turned more serious, as she chose to ask a simple and complicated question at the same time.

"How are you?"

"Woah, hey there," she said smiling, embracing the other girl. Serenity had moved much faster than Uranus had expected. Maybe it meant that she was on the mend. As much as she wanted to keep herself in the land of denial, Uranus knew deep down that she was soon going to start having to face reality - they were loosing Serenity and there seemed to be nothing they could do about it. 

Could she live in a world without her Princess? Her Queen?

"Michiru is well, she was busy preparing for a new concert in a near by system, I'm sure she'll join us as soon as she is able to," she said, replying to the Queen's inquiry about her better half.

Artemis gave Venus a dubious stare as she claimed that she was always energetic, but he didn't say anything. Sure, that had been true before, but as of recently...

Well, no matter. Whatever she may say, she did look better, and he did not want to destroy that. Not yet anyway. Okay, the issue at hand was urgent, but not that urgent; surely it could wait for a day or two.

But he was busted already. "Wh-what? What makes you think there's something I wanted to talk to you about?" he said as he began to laugh awkwardly.

And then he froze as he realized that he just blew the entire thing up by himself. What she said was not quite the same as what he blurted out.

He let out a silent sigh -- there was no going back, so he might as well just go for it at this point. "The truth is... I wanted to talk to you about the queen... and the princess..."

He averted his gaze, looking at a nearby computer screen, his expression somber. "We have a situation in our hands. We both know it, so I guess I shouldn't beat around the bush..."

Seeing Hotaru, not Sailor Saturn, almost made a strangled sob catch in Princess Lady Serenity's throat. She managed to keep herself under control, betraying very little except for her evident comfort at seeing her very best friend, the one she had been through so much beside—the one that she had fought so hard for, and who had fought so hard for her. Saturn was right in thinking that it was Hotaru the acting ruler of Crystal Tokyo needed right now—the princess needed to feel like Chibi Usa again. A woman, with emotions like everyone else. Not a sovereign controlling an empire, as removed from flaws as possible.

Even hearing the name stirred something inside, cracking her well-constructed defenses. Lady (Or was it still Chibi Usa even after all this time, even now that she was grown?) blushed at Hotaru's teasing comment. Her eyes glanced down at the lavender cat, no longer a kitten, and she did feel slightly guilty. Diana was only doing her job. It wasn't fair to make that harder for her... after all, Princess Lady Serenity had many duties now.

"Sorry, Diana..." she murmured in apology, her cheeks still slightly pink from Hotaru's gentle chastisement.

For just a moment, she considered replying to the question with one more lie. If she had been here with Sailor Saturn, easier to think of as one of her mother's soldiers and thus someone to avoid burdening with her own silly concerns, maybe she could have done it. But this was Hotaru. She swallowed hard, looking at those deep violet eyes, understanding that they knew her too well to be fooled by the act she put on—as good as it was. It took a moment to find words to express herself, but even then she wasn't sure they were the right words.

"My... my mama is dying..." she choked out, finally feeling tears prick her eyes. It hurt so much to finally say those words aloud, yet she also felt a poignant sense of relief at the acknowledgement. "I..."

A strained sob escaped her lips, and she wavered for a moment, but she kept herself from weeping. She caught herself on the edge of a draped chair, pulling herself upright. Lady sniffled, and gasped for a deep breath. At least if anyone saw her like this, it was two she trusted the most: Hotaru and Diana.

"I've been better."