The way she lit up when she peeked into the bag warmed him from the inside out. She picked out the little stuffed animal and, with a smile that could end wars, held it close to her chest. She was radiant, as always, and the urge to pull her close and never let her go was so overwhelming he couldn't trust himself to move. In that moment he could lose himself and all sense of time, pretending eternity really was eternal, that nothing had to end; pretend that things would stay as they always had been, and they would be together without interruption, without age or death. He could be selfish, and she could be forever... but that wasn't life. Not anymore. Defeated, he relaxed, smiling back at her and welcoming her sincerity as he struggled to try to find peace in this new reality, his eyes only on her as she turned, holding the bag to her chest, and addressed everyone, voicing first the topic that he had considered taboo - her own mortality. Of course she would breach the subject in this way - thinking of others and putting forth ideas that would best serve them behind a veil of selfishness. As she spoke he lost himself in the sound of her voice, but he knew her heart already, so stared instead at the curve of her cheek, the style of her hair, taking her in and for the millionth time memorizing her as his heart pained in the notion of losing her.

Lady should ascend the throne before it happened. He agreed. She deserved to take the position in celebration rather than mourning; she had worked hard for it, and they - her mother and he - should show their full support in her ascension, else she, or the people, believe she only got it because her mother --- He clenched his jaw, refusing to give it thought, else the coffin that haunted his dreams would force itself into his waking hours, as well. 

His gaze traveled to Lady as Serenity made her offer, nodding his head once in support of the idea, while Serenity's words resounded in his mind: and take my rest... Their daughter looked back at her mother, her tone even in her response, but the words she selected were carefully chosen for their etiquette, rather than any true emotion. He empathized with her - this was difficult, perhaps most for her, and she handled it perhaps exactly as he might have, but at the same time selfishly wished she had shown a little more emotion for her mother's sake, and the moment he had processed that desire he felt wrong for it. Lady was doing her best - she always did her best, and she was her own person - something she had fought with and fought for for so many years, thinking that she should be more like her mother was a betrayal of her, especially considering how often they had spoken on just that subject alone. The guilt he felt kept him rooted in place as Serenity went to her, and he made a mental note to make more time to reach out to her.

Caught up in her own thoughts, Mars brooded silently as they all waited for the rest of their family to arrive. Until a flash of gold caught her attention, distracting and beautiful. As Minako arrived upon the terrace, her blue eyes caught Mars's own, and no words needed to be said between them - a hundred different things were said silently in an instance.

It felt good, to have Minako nearby once more.

Mars's eyes narrowed when Serenity spoke her request. A million thoughts rushed through her, condensing and merging together until her mind went strangely blank. She listened as Lady showed infinite grace and as she agreed to her mother's words, and felt a swell of pride for the younger woman - she would be a great ruler - but Mars did not look away from her best friend. She felt as though she had nothing to say - a rare occurance - and, at the same time, so many things to say that she couldn't put to words. If they were put to words, that would make them real.

And she just couldn't let it be real. She'd fight against all of those implications until her last. She couldn't lose Serenity. She wouldn't.

Leave it to Minako to brighten the mood in any occasion. Mars had always admired - and kind of hated - that Minako had that kind of power. It was a gift, but also a curse. It often undermined the true severity of what Minako was truly feeling.

But if having a cheerful celebration was what the Queen wanted, and needed, then who were they to deny that request? Mars pushed away all of the darker thoughts, and focused on something that she could do, here and now. Preparing for a coronation was a concrete goal she could work towards.

"I'll take care of setting up the ball room and the lighting for the event, as well as to start the process of alerting civilians once we have a date and time set in place." Mars paused, running through a mental checklist in her mind. There was suddenly so much to do, and she felt as though there was no time for any of it. A different thought cut through, one she believed Serenity might enjoy. "If you'd like, we could hold a smaller party afterwards, a more intimate gathering after the public celebration is finished."

Like they agreed, the princess' coronation should be a celebration, and Venus played her part flawlessly, alleviating the somber atmosphere with her cheerful attitude. Putting her own feelings aside, not for the first time, and quite possibly not for the last.

Artemis shook his head to himself - it couldn't be helped, that's what needed to be done right now.

He quietly listened to the conversation between mother and daughter. Lady accepted the proposition with utmost grace, and Artemis wished that the queen wouldn't push it further. She was probably struggling to compose herself like that, given the circumstances - what else should she be expected to do? It's not as if she would get a choice for much longer, if nothing changes...

You'll never be good enough for any of this. That soft and insidious voice whispered in her ear, slithering to entangle itself around her aching heart. Already, even now, she was letting people down. The queen's reaction made that clear enough.

Her mother's hands around hers should have felt comforting, but all she could think about was how they used to be warmer. They used to feel more solid when they wrapped around her. She wanted to attribute this merely to getting older and growing up, but she knew that wasn't the only reason. The slender hands slowly lost the heat generated by a robust life-force. The princess wanted to cling to them, to warm them with her own until they felt restored... but it wouldn't reverse the slow decline.

It took enormous self-discipline to speak, to part her parched lips and reply without wavering or giving way to tears. In that way, she was less and less her mother's daughter.

How could I possibly not do it for you?

"Yes, Mama," she said, forcing as much emotion as she could muster. Would this be enough? Would it be convincing enough?

"I understand." At least that was true.

She tried to gently slip her hand away from the pair that held it, hoping she could make the action natural. Hoping she could do it without betraying everything that roiled inside of her.

"Thank you, Venus," she said, aiming for a brightness and enthusiasm that seemed appropriate. "And you, Jupiter. With your cooking, it's always a party. And thank you, Uranus. And Mars."

Maybe she could get through this.

Oh, Small Lady...

Diana kept quiet, and she tried harder and harder to channel her own body warmth and weight into something comforting. Her sense of Small Lady's distress had only increased as the conversation continued. With every mention of the upcoming proposed coronation, Diana knew that her charge and companion was overthinking and agonizing to herself. Her body language could have fooled even those who had known her for a long time, but Diana was a cat—she felt these things differently. She was also in such close proximity to the young woman that even the most repressed tremor could still be noticed.

She couldn't mention any of this now. It would undermine the authority that Small Lady so desperately needed to maintain. Diana was so proud of how far the princess had come. She was poised and level-headed even when her own feelings interfered. She had all the grace and serenity that would be needed for this position... if only she could believe in herself!

"If I may," Diana volunteered, hoping in some way to distract from the spotlight on Small Lady, "I believe I can be of assistance with the public relations-related tasks and the details of the guest list. We should be sure to include the many who have been instrumental in the continued prosperity of Crystal Tokyo."

Jupiter smiled at Lady's comment. 

"Just let me know what you would like. Anything is fine."

Jupiter thought back to all the times she had baked with Lady when she was a child, even before the rise of Crystal Tokyo. It was a much less complicated time than now, but Jupiter was grateful for all of those memories.

While she wished for a simpler time, Jupiter knew she would put her everything into making a feast fir for the future queen of Crystal Tokyo. She considered asking Lady in private if she would like to help in the kitchen sometime or for her feast. She thought it might help to ease any nerves Lady was no doubt feeling about her sudden push to take the throne.

The date for the coronation had been set, the citizens informed, and the court had prepared the biggest party of the year. For some, it felt like a futile attempt to drown the sadness and heartbreak behind drinking and merriment, an attempt to believe that the worst wasn’t going to happen if everyone just kept smiling. Either way, everyone gave their all when it came to preparing for this ceremony, because they felt it necessary to bring as much happiness to everyone while they still could.

Today was the day of the coronation. Soon, Crystal Tokyo would have a new queen.

Quote :

Put your character whenever you like! It is now morning and the ceremony will commence within the next hour.

Oh my, there was simply so much to do!

Throughout the hustle and bustle of final preparations for the oh-so-important coronation ceremony, a lithe figure of violet-tinged pale gray darted about. Diana expertly dashed between and around any of those putting the finishing touches on the ceremonial decor within the Crystal Palace. She was everywhere at once, answering last-minute questions and providing updated instructions. The feline carried messages back and forth at a rapid pace, always ready to give someone else a quick moment of her time. She had worked so hard to help make this event a success, and that didn't meant that she could rest now.

Diana understood that this event, the coronation of her dear friend, would stand as a test of Diana's skills as well. She would soon be promoted from "advisor to the princess" to "advisor to the queen". The high standards she had always been held to would be raised higher. Her actions would become uniquely visible in the public eye. Her duties would increase parallel to that of the new queen.

Unlike the new queen, however, Diana couldn't mask her evident enthusiasm to take on these new tasks. After all, this was what she had trained her entire life for. She wanted to prove to her beloved parents that she was willing to carry on their legacy as guardian cats of the White Moon, but there was another part of the young cat that looked forward to her promotion. She wanted to forge her own path; to show that not only was she the daughter of Luna and Artemis, but that she could be excellent in her own right. This would be the opportunity to step forward from that shadow and become her own feline.

She had done her best to comfort and encourage Small Lady in the time leading up to this event, but for now the princess would have to excuse her brief absences this morning. Diana was hard at work, ready to prove to Crystal Tokyo that she was not only born into her role, she deserved it.

She knew that she could do this. She would have to. It simply wasn't an option. She would stride confidently forward into that room, with so many pairs of eyes fixated on her, approach the dais, recite some words, bow her head, and receive the crown. In practice runs, she had never visibly faltered.

She absolutely did not want to do this. How could she possibly take on the public face of these responsibilities? All of the negative feelings of her childhood—that sense of isolation, fear of mockery, conviction of worthlessness... she had been smothered in their mire since the moment her mother made that request on the balcony. But she couldn't run like she had all those years ago.

Diana tried to provide support, and Lady tried to brace herself against it, but she couldn't bring herself to admit her feelings. They choked her like thick tar, oozing unbidden inside of her. She could barely eat anything in the last few days—her mouth was too dry and her stomach churned like the sea. She found herself constantly coming up with excuses, trying to keep others from prying about it. On some level, the princess feared that if she admitted how she felt, she'd have to acknowledge those feelings. In a way, that felt like validation. She didn't want to confess her weakness; it only made her feel worse.

But she didn't feel very good right now.

Lady stood before a tall mirror in her bedroom, ruby eyes critically reviewing her outfit. She wore a new dress, and this contributed to the sense, as she stared at the reflection, that she was not seeing herself. She felt like the small child with fluffy short pigtails in the blue sailor uniform. This person she saw was taller, slender, with the waist and bust of a woman. The long hair was a soft shade of pink, almost with a silver sheen to it. Delicate facial features. And a long gown that merged several shades of darker and lighter rose tones like watercolours.

It was so similar to that which she usually wore, but there were slight differences. It was not the formal attire of a child anymore; it was an elegant dress of a young lady. The curves of her sleeves and the hem clearly evoked the peony shape of her Pink Moon Crystal. It fit her form perfectly, made only for her. She wished she was wearing something else.

Glancing away, trying to keep her nerves steady, her wandering gaze fell on something else that stirred up emotions. The soft aquamarine and gold-detailed orb of the Stallion Rêve... Lady pressed her lips together, hard, smudging the soft pink lipstick.

Would he be here, today? Would... Helios attend? A certain grown-but-still-small former-kitten had been very particular about mentioning, in a sidelong way, a specific realm that kept safe the dreams of Earth and someone who toiled there... Lady did her best to stay vague and steer the direction elsewhere. If only her friend wasn't so determined!

He was busy. He was always busy. She was busy. She was always busy. Wouldn't she annoy him, constantly begging for his attention? That wasn't the way a "maiden" would act, was it? She wasn't a child now. She wanted him to acknowledge that... or did she? Did she really want him to acknowledge that? Had he already? What if she wasn't his "maiden" anymore, now that she was grown? Wasn't that what had happened all those years ago? He still looked the same, sounded the same. It seemed different for him, in Elysion. Was she only special if she was still young and innocent and full of promise? What about now? What about when she would be queen, the minutes ticking away until that moment?

Lady felt her hands twist the soft chiffon of her dress and forced herself to relax them, fearing damage. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. If only this day was over...!

If the effort put by everyone was any indication, the coronation would certainly be a day to remember. Saturn glanced around the decorations and the bustle of activity. Everyone was so busy putting up the final touches and making sure everything was in place as scheduled. She smiled to herself as Diana rushed right past her -- she was so focused on her duty that it was a wonder she hadn't bumped into anyone yet.

There wasn't really much for Saturn to do, actually. Diana and the queen's senshi had it all covered, for the most part. Well, there was one thing she could do. Or at least try to.

No matter what, she could see that Chibiusa was not ready. Not emotionally prepared for this. She knew her friend well enough, after all, and as much as she did her best so keep it to herself, she could spot those little signs. Her lack of appetite, first and foremost, that usually resembled that of her mother's.

She still didn't know if there was anything she could do, but she would certainly try to help her through this. She promised that much, she would be there for her, she wanted to be there for her.

And so, Saturn made her way through one of the palace's main corridors.

Doing her best to ignore all the giggling and squealing from behind her.

"Girls," she addressed the four senshi accompanying her, "Chibiusa-chan is probably stressed out enough as it is. Let's avoid making a fuss, okay?"

"Of course!" Vesta reassured her.

"Pallas is always subtle!" Pallas chimed in.

And the giggling and squealing resumed. "Oh I sure hope she has put on the perfume I picked out for her!" Ceres remarked.

Saturn sighed. They mean well anyway, she thought to herself, as she went on. Before long, they were outside Lady's bedroom. Saturn exhaled deeply, and knocked on the door.

She startled slightly at the knock, but it was a welcome distraction from her thoughts. Lady turned towards the door, feeling the layers of her new dress swish around her with the motion. It was just unfamiliar enough to be slightly unwelcome, but she took another deep breath. She'd have to get used to this. She was going to be queen very soon, with even more responsibility and even less margin for error. All she could do was move forward.

"Yes? Come in!" she called, but then decided instead to open the door herself.

It was only surprising to see the entourage that waited outside because they were doing their best to be on their best behaviours. It was almost comical to see Pallas try not to fidget or Ceres hold her tongue with some comment on Lady's appearance. In front of them stood Saturn, steadfast as always. She was the one Lady felt the most relief upon seeing.

"Saturn! Pallas! Vesta! Ceres! Juno!" she greeted, nodding and giving a smile to each in turn. She was glad to see them, after all. Even despite her concerns, that much was true. "Ready for the ceremony?"

She had thrown herself into working on preparations, partly because she too thought that Lady deserved a grand ceremony for her coronation while the city wasn't under a shadow of mourning, but also because it didn't give Mercury time to think about her other discovery.

Mercury had been calculating numbers for how much food would need to be served, how many decorations were required, security protocols, and exactly how many people could fit into the designated ceremony room, and now the Crystal Palace was almost set. In an hour, they would have a new queen.

And then the wait for the end began. Mercury gave an exhausted sigh and set down the tablet she had been using to keep track of things. She'd been so good about not thinking about it, and now she was stuck on dark thoughts again. This wasn't the time to be worrying about death, this was supposed to be a positive event.

Restless and in need of another distraction, Mercury left the room she'd been using as a place to work from, and walked down one of the long hallways. Maybe someone would need her assistance somewhere else?

Serenity looked at herself in the mirror in her private chambers; the tired lines around her eyes, the visible “aging” despite her unchanging youth. The shine in her eyes had dulled, just like her crystal’s with each passing day. She felt better about it now at least, that Lady was going to ascend and she could rest in peace, knowing that they had a new capable queen who would be able to fill the void. Her gaze moved towards the tiara sitting atop her head, its weight more discernible over the past millennia, and found herself looking forward to the time when she could finally take it off of her head, and take that weight off her shoulders.

Done with her preparations, she turned to look at Enydmion behind her and smiled at him. “How are you feeling, my love?” she asked teasingly. “Our daughter is going to be queen today. I could not be prouder of her.” She slipped herself easily into his arms—movement that she’d done a thousand times it felt like second nature by now—and leaned her head on his chest. This warmth and comfort… being with him, was all she’d ever wanted. If the time ever came for things to end, this was how she would want to go. Together with him as she had been all her life. Serenity didn’t like to think about leaving him, because she knew how hard it was every time he had to go away. Truthfully, she didn’t want to leave anyone. That was honestly the hardest part of this. Not dying. Just… saying goodbye to the people she loved.

But today wasn’t the time to be thinking about that. Today was a time to think about the future for Queen Lady Serenity and her successful reign.

“Move that up a little bit! Can’t you see it’s crooked?” Venus directed the staff putting up the lengths of white ribbon decorating the throne room, cocking her head skeptically. She was having an unusual bout of perfectionism, and she could see everyone she was directing being jittery and nervous because she kept telling them to move things inches away.

It was just…

Venus looked over the entire room again, feeling as if no matter how hard she tried to be objective, it still didn’t look good enough.

It was just not quite perfect.

And she knew what was really bothering her, but she refused to admit it. She had too much work to do. Too many things to take care of that could not fall apart.

She needed a break, though. Almost everything was in place, and the ceremony was still quite some time away. Feeling restless, she left the room—and heard everyone’s collective sigh of relief—to try and look for Mars. Whenever she felt like this, she found that Mars helped ground her the best. Right now she needed Mars’ rock solid conviction that everything was going to be just fine.

As she moved along the corridors, however, she ran into Mercury instead.

“Mercury,” she paused, halting the other girl as another thought occurred to her. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

She looked around, made sure there were nobody else nearby, then indicated that Mercury should follow her to one of the unused rooms along the hallway.

She needed to have a private conversation with her to confirm one of her suspicions.

As the door opened, Saturn found herself pleasantly surprised at the Quartet's behavior. The giggling and squealing stopped and they greeted their friend with a smile -- a drastic change from the situation mere seconds ago. Perhaps she was worrying too much.

Well, that did not last for long, though. As Lady greeted them somewhat enthusiastically, it seemed to undo all kind of reservation that Saturn might have implanted in them, and soon they were all over her, going over how gorgeous she looked, how beautiful the dress was, how excited they were for the ceremony.

Saturn just stood by the door and watched in silence for a little bit, letting out a small sigh, but smiling at the scene. Maybe it wasn't all that bad. Maybe that cheerful attitude, that positive energy of them, would do Chibiusa some good too, after all. Perhaps she needed it.

She waited only for a short while before addressing the girls again. "Would you mind if you gave us a moment alone?"

"Aww, but--" Juno began to protest, but Saturn's stare made her reconsider. "O- of course! Well, we'll not be far, so if you need us anything, give us a call!"

As the Quartet excused themselves and closed the door behind them, Saturn approached her pink-haired friend.

"You do look stunning," she remarked with a soft smile.

It was finally time.

For the coronation of the new queen. But not only that.

Artemis had been busy sp-- observing his little kitten again during the days leading to the ceremony. Granted, she was not a kitten anymore, but she'd probably always be one to her father's eyes.

This was the final test, after all. And she had passed it with flying colors.

He was already positive that she was prepared for this, but he deemed it important to evaluate how she would handle herself with quite possibly the biggest event she had ever had to assist in organizing. Which would also mark her first event as a queen's advisor, after all. Ensure that the pressure would not get to her.

Ultimately pleased with her efficiency and resolve, he had discussed with Luna and they had decided that it is time for them to officially step down too. There is no need for a whole litter of moon cat advisors, anyway.

He figured that maybe she suspected so, but it was the time to talk to her about it as well, and ask her if she felt prepared too. Perhaps having that talk so close to the ceremony wasn't the best -- but he wanted to do so before it.

He wanted her to be aware of her own shift in her duties along with her queen's.

All that was left was to actually manage to talk to her! He spotted what seemed to be a lavender-colored blur as Diana was running around for the last-minute touches, and he went after her. She sure was so agile!

Who knows, maybe he was just getting old, he thought to himself.

Makoto rose early. She slipped into some comfortable clothes to begin preparing the food for the coronation. She walked into the kitchen and found her team of chefs hard at work. They were busy preparing salads, breads and other main course dishes. 

Some other chefs were preparing deserts for the guests. The aromas of all the food made Makoto smile. 

She slipped an apron on over her head as she began to pull ingredients to make a cake for the royal family and the other senshi. She had looked through her cookbooks for hours, trying to decide on a cake to make. She had finally decided on a white chiffon cake with a chocolate buttercream icing with berries on top. 

She could have gone extravagant, this was an extravagant occasion, but something about this cake seemed right.

She stirred the ingredients and poured the cake into the pan. When the timer she took the cake out and waited for it to cool before decorating it. 

After putting the finished touches on the cake, Makoto smiled, before returning to her chambers to change for the ceremony.

She walked into her room and found her green dress hanging near her closet. It had been some time since she had worn it, but she would wear this gown with a smile today. She would support Lady Serenity as she took the throne and she would support Serenity as she passed the crown to her daughter.

Mars paced her room, back and forth, glaring daggers at anything and everything as they all failed to give her a proper distraction. She had worked as much as she could, threw herself into every single detailed preparation, but now, there was nothing left to do. Anything else needing to be seen to had already been claimed by the others. Her own list had been complete for a while now.

And there lay the problem. Without something to do, she was useless.

First, she had tried sleeping - sleep was hard to come by these days, and she could always do with a bit of rest. But sleep would not come.

Then, she had attempted to meditate. She had her own separate room that she liked to use for such purposes, but even that gave her no peace of mind.

And so here she was, pacing like some sort of caged animal. Mars would have felt indignant about it, if she wasn't so focused on putting one step in front of the other, her heels clicking in a methodic rhythm. Eventually, even that was not distraction enough. But to stop was to allow herself to think, and Mars couldn't let that happen. Her own mind had been traitorous recently, bringing up thoughts that were not true, and couldn't possibly be.

She wasn't going to sit idly by and let her own thoughts trick her into thinking anything of the sort.

The answer to her problem came with sudden clarity: Minako. The golden haired woman was a comfort to her, warm and bright, and a beautiful distraction. Being with Minako was unlike any other kind of experience Mars had ever had, and she often wondered how it had taken them so long to fall into this comfortable relationship with one another.

For the longest time, Mars had been completely content to be on her own. She had tried dating both men and women in the past, but none of them had lasted long. It seemed that accepting Mars's heart belonged first and foremost the Serenity, and that she would do anything for her above and beyond any sort of lover, didn't sit well with most people. And to think, she'd found something complete, something good and equal and passionate, with a blonde who had been a thorn in her side for the longest time.

She should have simply gone to Minako in the first place - being away from Minako for too long always left her feeling off balance as it was. That must be what was causing all of these pent up emotions and dark thoughts.

It couldn't possibly be because of anything else.

With this stubborn thought, Mars exited her personal rooms and made her way out into the hallways.

She deftly settled a (minor) dispute concerning the number of chairs that should be arranged for the ceremony and whipped around, her sensitive ears immediately picking up another call. "Diana! Diana!" seemed to ring throughout the halls. So far not a single request had gone unheeded. Some were surprised by the skill of the "kitten", so sure that she couldn't possibly be grown... they remembered when she fit into the palm of their hands! Others nodded quietly to themselves, now witnessing on a grander scale the kind of prowess they had already seen before.

Mid-dash, Diana spotted Artemis almost instantly. After all, this was her cherished father! She could have picked him out of any crowd of white cats, and here he was one of few feline forms. There was something about the determined look in his eyes. He breathed as though he had also been running, but there shouldn't have been much for father or mother to attend to.

"Father?" she halted herself and greeted him politely, but with evident question. "Is something the matter?"

She could take a brief pause in her the immediate duties to address other things. Somehow, she sensed this was very important.

"Oh! O-of course..." Mercury wasn't sure why she was surprised to see Venus, but she was instantly more on edge when she was led to have a conversation in an empty room. She was amazed it'd taken Venus so long to start grilling her for information, but it was about time the full truth came out.

"...You want to talk about our own Sailor Crystals, right?" she asked, once the door was closed. There was no point in small talk now. They no longer had infinite time to dance around subjects until they were comfortable. Despite not physically ageing, Mercury looked tired.

Now standing alone in the room with only Saturn, Lady felt as though she had passed through a tsunami. The Quartet were her dear friends and companions, but they had certainly not grown out of their child-like enthusiasm for all things! Perhaps they never would—their unusual origin in the Amazon made them very much unlike other residents of Crystal Tokyo. Their position as her guardian soldiers, destined to fight alongside her, only contributed to their uniqueness. Still, they could be overwhelming at times. They felt overwhelming right now. Thank goodness Hotaru always seemed to understand how to handle the four.

She tried to smile at the compliment, even though she didn't quite feel it. No, she had to make more of an effort. She couldn't sulk anymore. She had to walk forward.

"You look uniformed," she teased back, not at all surprised to see that the dark-haired young woman had opted for her sailor soldier form rather than a pretty dress. She'd probably be distinguished from the other sailor soldier's of Neo Queen Serenity's court this way. For some reason, Sailor Saturn continued to maintain active duty even when the others chose differently.

No, that wasn't fair. Lady knew why.

Because they were friends.

And she was so glad of it. Facing any of this without Hotaru... She didn't know how she could have bore it. If she had to be a princess... or a... (The word seemed to stick in her throat, almost suffocating, but she couldn't let it overcome her.) queen... At least she could do it with people she cared about at her side.

What about someone else? Someone else... important?

This was not the right time to dwell on that. In a sense, she wanted to tell herself that she'd handle it later. She knew in her heart that if she could delay doing so, she would. It was so much better, so much easier to just set aside. So much easier to avoid than to face. If she could, she would certainly avoid it.

Isn't that what you've been doing all this time?

She simply had to get her thoughts back on track!

"How is it, out there?" she asked. So far she hadn't had the nerve to check.

Venus had to admit; she did not expect Mercury to just come out and say it. From the way she’d obviously been keeping this to herself, Venus would have thought she would try harder to hide it. But perhaps after a thousand years, she’d simply known better than to try to fool Venus.

“Yes,” she answered, just as direct. “I know that you know something. I’ve felt it too…” She looked toward the door as if she might be able to see all her other friends. Even now she could feel how her energy was tethered to Serenity’s, and how that light that was once so bright had dimmed considerably.

She found that with time finally catching up to them after they’d evaded it for so long, there was no more reason to beat around the bush.

“We are going with her, aren’t we?”

"It is... very likely, yes." Mercury said. "I've been keeping tabs on us the same way I've been watching the Silver Moon Crystal, and I can't deny it any longer. We're fading in sync with it." She looked away from Venus. "I just... I wasn't sure when was a good time to bring it up, with the coronation going on."

It was already bad enough that Serenity was leaving them, and this was just icing on a cake no one really wanted in the first place. "Do you think the others know already?" she asked? If not, they needed to be told at some point, no matter how much it hurt to hear.

Saturn gave her a glare for the remark about her uniform, playfully pretending to be offended.

If she had a choice, she would have preferred to be in her uniform either way, admittedly. She didn't mind dresses that much, but she preferred more casual clothing. She did consider to wear a dress just for the occasion, but seeing how the coronation would also signify the change in their duties as now officially guardians of the queen, she found it more fitting that they attend in their senshi forms.

Much to the Quartet's dismay.

"Oh, you know how it is, just as we'd expect," she replied to the woman, her tone light. "Chaotic. Everyone is rushing around working on the final touches -- moving this thing one inch to the left, adding another seat there, and so on. No one will settle for anything less than absolute perfection. Venus, especially, doesn't look like she'll settle for perfect either!"

There was a short pause, and she continued, looking a little more serious. "So how are you feeling? Are you prepared?"

"We all believe in you, you know. All that's left is for you to believe in yourself," she added, sensing her friend's insecurities. She has lived in her mother's shadow for oh so long. It is not an easy change, even disregarding the much more heart-breaking reason behind this shift. But there is nothing more to be said about that, and it would only dampen her spirits again.

Oh thank goodness she noticed him. He didn't think he could keep trying to catch up with her any longer.

"D-- Diana..." he barely managed to speak while trying to catch his breath. "I just wanted to talk to you for a moment."

He slowly examined his surroundings before addressing his daughter again. "Everything looks to be in order. You have really performed exceptionally in preparing for the princess' coronation. I hope you know how proud of you I am. Well, both your mother and I," he corrected.

"You probably understand this already, but with the coronation, you will officially become advisor to the queen. With that... I have discussed with your mother, and think it is our time to be relieved of our duties."

Looking at her straight in the eyes, he continued. "We both think you are more than ready to become a full-fledged advisor to the court. But we wanted to make sure that you also feel prepared. I mean, we'll still be around when you need any help, but you understand... Just like for the princess, it is also quite a big change for you too. We need to know you are okay with it."

Makoto sat at her dressing table to put on some make up. She pulled her hair back. As she put on her make-up, she couldn't help but notice the dark circles that seemed to be more apparent lately. She tried to cover them, but was only semi- successful. 

Makoto had never been big on wearing lots of make-up, but as she looked at herself in the mirror she noticed how tired she looked. She had been busy lately, that was true, but this was a different kind of tired. She wondered if it was related to Serenity's illness. She pushed the thought away. She never liked to dwell on the negative for very long. 

She finished her make-up and slipped into her dress. She styled her hair into her traditional pony tail. She left her room and wandered the halls on her way to the ceremony. She hoped she would find one of the other senshi. She made a note to talk to Ami about a check-up, she hoped this lethargy was just due to how busy she had been and not something else.

Venus felt an almost palpable relief after hearing the confirmation. It was sad, yes, but… the thought of continuing on to a time limit that seemed to not exist without their princess, their queen, their friend, was simply unbearable. She had tried to think about life without Serenity—without Usagi—and she just couldn’t. Every time, it hurt more than anything she had endured in her long lives.

The senshi had always lived and died for the queen. When she was gone, what other purpose did they have?

“After the coronation,” she decided. “They all deserve to know… to have time to prepare.” She thought about those among them who had children, families, other duties and obligations. She thought about Rei, and again felt grateful that they would go together, so that neither had to endure living without the other, even if she wished Rei could survive longer. But Rei probably didn’t want to, either, what with Serenity being gone.

“I don’t know if the others have noticed, or who all are affected. Saturn seems fine, and Pluto is… well, Pluto, so maybe they’re not affected. But our symptoms aren’t as obvious as Serenity’s, so perhaps we will stay yet, for a little bit, after she’s gone. To help the transition of the court.”

She sighed, suddenly feeling very tired.

“Thank you, Mercury. We’ll get through this together, like we always do. Not a word until after the coronation, okay?”

The uncertainty of what awaited beyond was certainly scary, but knowing what they knew about the Galaxy Cauldron, she also knew this would only lead to a new beginning.

And, gods willing, they might find each other again in the next life as their Sailor Crystals were reborn anew.

When the date for the Coronation of Small Lady had been set, Uranus had sent word to her still wayward partner, hoping that she would make it in time. 

There was a feeling in the air that didn't sit right with Uranus, mostly coming from the other senshi. Of course the grief of loosing Serenity was in the air, but there was something more, something that Uranus couldn't quite put her finger on. She wished that Neptune was here with her mirror, maybe then she would be able to figure out what it was she was feeling. 

She had kept her feelings locked up tightly, not wanting to cause the young Princess any alarm. She deserved to be happy on this day, not dealing with everyone else emotions on top of everything.

She felt like a kitten all over again. She no longer had to look up to see her father and mother's faces, but in this moment Diana did not feel that her perspective was that of a full-grown feline, an adult descendant of Mau. Her deep red eyes stared up at Artemis with reverence and love, eyes that filled slowly with hints of glistening tears as she listened to him speak.

"Father!" she exclaimed, her voice choked slightly with emotion. "I am so honored!"

It was like one of her life-long dreams was finally coming true. So much of her daily existence focused on the princess and learning to guide this oh-so-special young woman through her own turbulent life. Diana never regretted or disdained her position—instead, she felt truly thankful to have this opportunity. She saw the rich lives of her own mother and father, having devoted themselves to the Queen and Sailor Venus, and desired that same future for herself. And here, right now, she was being told in no uncertain terms that they were proud of her and believed her well-qualified to succeed them.

It wasn't that she had felt she was not worthy of or trained for the position. It was just wonderful to hear it confirmed by someone she respected and loved so deeply—by one of her beloved role models.

Diana sniffled, trying to dash away the tears with her paw, unwilling to cry so soon before this important ceremony.

"Yes, I am so very happy to guide our beautiful future queen. I feel privileged to take on these responsibilities and stand by her side."

Lady couldn't stop the wistful, almost melancholy smile that rose at her friend's serious comment. She couldn't find the right words to explain how terrified she was of failing everyone—of letting them all down if they believed in her so much. So much of her life felt like she was balanced on the rim of a massive crater, with every step a possible opportunity for the ground to crumble below her, where at that false step she would tumble into the abyss. Her mother's poor health sent tremors through the earth below her feet, increasing the risk of such a thing. Would they still believe in her days and months from now, when they realized just how unable she would be to live up to such an amazing person?

These were the thoughts that had plagued her almost from childhood, now reaching a fevered crescendo as the minutes ticked away to the leaden weight of a heavy crown placed ominously on her head. Lady was an "adult" now—she had technically appeared to be one for decades now—but she still didn't feel mature. She didn't realize that her own insecurity was the only thing holding her back. Others, like Saturn, could see it, but it was something she could only learn to let go of on her own... and in due time.

Hopefully she would do so before she could regret it—before some day when it would be too late.

Yet, there was something in the indigo-uniformed young woman's violet eyes that seemed so honest... Lady knew that Hotaru wasn't lying to her. They were best friends, almost like sisters—"Chibi Usa & Hotaru Friends Forever" inscribed secretly on the crystal walls of the palace. Hotaru knew her better than anyone else, equal perhaps only to Diana. She saw something in the pink-haired girl who worried too much and blamed herself for everything that Lady couldn't see. But that didn't have to mean it wasn't there.

"I'll try," she replied, softly.

But it's so hard.

She reached out to grasp Sailor Saturn's white-gloved hand, glad that currently there was no need for her friend to carry the ominous Silence Glaive.

"Thank you, Hotaru-chan," Lady whispered, managing her emotions. There was so much expected of her so soon from now. She had to stay focused and ready. She was so, so thankful that she didn't have to do this alone. She had friends who cared about her. They'd be watching, and they believed in her.