Three Senshi, dressed in human clothes, stood on the balcony, the black-haired leader smiling. "Hello, Odango. Had a good seven years?" Mamoru cleared his throat and pulled Usagi back when it became apparent that she was incapable of independent motion at the moment. "Please, come in." The three women exchanged cryptic glances, a move the princess recognized as the most obvious outward sign of a mental conversation. All three stepped to the side, revealing their surprise. Seven girls stood there, all the same age, which seemed to be six. Two had black hair, two had brown, two pale white-blonde, and one red-gold. The last child seemed to be the leader, and she gestured for her sisters to follow her into the apartment. "We did not come for a social call, Odango," Seiya smiled, following the children. "We sensed the return and death of Sailor Moonlight, and we sensed the birth of Sailor Sol, as far away as we were. Her power lit the heavens for a day and night. Close on the heels of her birth came the evidence of the conception of four new Star Senshi, and we knew that the Gathering had begun anew. There has not been one since the Sailor Wars. So we brought the seven Orionis, the Star Senshi of the stars of the constellation you call Orion. They are only children, but they will come into their power as they grow." Usagi slipped out of Mamoru's arms and crouched down beside the girls. "Whose children are they?" "Ours," Taiki answered as she and her sisters in the defense of Kinmokusei took seats on the couch. "Your planet's? Kinmokusei's?" "No," Seiya whispered. "Ours. After we returned to our planet, our princess told us that we had to provide seven children to become Star Senshi. She saw the Gathering coming, I guess. Meika and Amami are mine, Kira and Tara are Taiki's, and Utako and Masako are Yaten's. Aiko our princess birthed, though we all provided power for all of the girls." Usagi looked up at the former idol, light blue eyes clouded. "You're giving us your daughters? Seiya, Taiki-kun, Yaten-kun, I don't know what to say. I can't imagine giving up my children." Seiya smiled as the ringleader, red-haired Aiko, took Usagi's hand. "Usagi-sama, we are ready to stay on Earth and live with you, growing and learning with the other Star Senshi. We've been waiting for this day for years." "She's one of your mothers now, Aiko my love. Call her Usa-mama." Seiya only hid the tears in her voice with a lot of effort. She had known since the girls were conceived that one day she would have to take them to Earth and give them away, but that didn't make the parting any easier. She could feel Taiki and Yaten trying to close themselves off, trying to let the girls go, but they weren't having any more luck than their leader. Usagi smiled at the girls, Aiko's faint resemblance to Chibiusa not lost on the princess, and she nodded at Mamoru. Her boyfriend led the girls into the kitchen to give them whatever treats he kept in his apartment for his eternally hungry princess, leaving the three Starlights and the Moon Princess alone. "I can't tell you guys how much your sacrifice means to me. I couldn't have given up my daughter for anything. I could barely let her go back to the future." "You met your daughter?" Usagi smiled. "She came back in time so that I could save myself. It was a very weird experience. I understand what those girls mean to you. Do you mind if I call the others and invite them over before you leave? I'm sure they'd like to see you again." "Even after the trouble we caused last time? Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto seemed quite determined to kill us." Usagi shrugged as she pulled out her communicator. "Don't worry, Taiki-kun. They're all happily married now. Ohh. Maybe I shouldn't call Mother." "Your Mother?" "Setsuna-san. From the Silver Millennium." Never noticing the shocked stares the Starlight sent her, Usagi tapped a button on her communicator and whispered to the faces on the other side. If she tried hard enough, she could communicate with them directly via the telepathic bond they were busy forging, but it always gave her a headache and the senshi weren't quite comfortable with it yet. "Who did Sailor Pluto marry?" "My other mother, the former Queen of the Moon. She was reborn, and we met her about a year ago at Haruka-san and Michiru-san's wedding." Seiya snorted, amused at the thought. "I always thought those two would go somewhere. Haruka-san was always very protective of Michiru-san, especially when I was around." "It was very beautiful." "What about—" Usagi waved her hands. "Enough questions. You'll see when the girls get here." *~*~*~*~*~*~* Rei cursed as she sat up, pulling her shirt back on and jerking her communicator out of her pocket. "What?" "Hello, Rei-chan. I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I was disturbed, too. We have some allies here in Mamo-chan's apartment that you guys might want to come see." The blonde smiled, and Rei realized that her princess knew how she felt. What had Mamoru and Usagi been up to? "We'll be there in a sec," the miko smiled. The communicator blinked off. Minako, reaching for her own clothes, sighed as she kissed her lover briefly. "We can finish this later." "Should we go as Senshi or not?" Minako grinned as she pulled out her henshin stick. "It's so much more fun to jump across rooftops." *~*~*~*~*~*~* Makoto rolled out of bed and pulled out her communicator, hoping to keep Ami from waking up. "Yes?" "Hi, Mako-chan. Sorry to wake you up. Can you and Ami-chan come to Mamo-chan's apartment? We have some new allies that want to see you." "I hate to wake her. She doesn't always sleep so well." "Michiru-san promised that it would get better. It's just one night and they really want to see you. You really want to come." "Okay, we'll be there." Ami whimpered as she rolled over, blue eyes clouded as she tried to sit up. "Mako?" "Time to get up. Usagi-chan needs us." *~*~*~*~*~*~* Haruka ran her fingers through Michiru's long aqua hair, smiling as her wife strained toward her, even fast asleep. Kazeko, having finished her meal an hour earlier, stirred in her sleep, little golden head resting against her mother's breast. Michiru jerked as her communicator beeped, and Kazeko gurgled. Haruka quickly took the watch-like device and flipped it open, sighing at the blonde who faced her. "Yes, Usagi-chan?" "Hey, Haruka-san. I hate to wake you, especially with Kazeko there, but we have some friends here at Mamo-chan's apartment who want to see you again. I won't be so rude as to interrupt my mothers on their wedding night, so I'll let you decide if you want to bring them along. Do bring Hotaru-chan, though. I'll be waiting." Michiru opened cloudy sapphire eyes and looked up at her wife. "Ruka? Was that the princess?" "She says she needs us at Mamoru-kun's apartment. I'll go get Hotaru, Ailan-san, and Setsuna-san. You get yourself and Kazeko ready. We might as well go as Senshi—it's faster." Michiru nodded and Haruka left. *~*~*~*~*~*~* Setsuna ran her fingers through Ailan's long silver hair, amazed at the length and beauty of the silver strands. She had never been able to let herself relax when she and Serenity were married in the Silver Millennium, but now she didn't have anything to worry about. "It's just like the night we first met," she whispered, resting her head on Ailan's bare shoulder. She waved her hand and transformed their room into a reasonable replica of the bedroom of the Jupiter palace where they had spent their first night together so long ago. The lavender dress young then-princess Serenity had worn hung on the closet door, tiny jeweled flowers sparkling in the moonlight. Setsuna's black dress hung beside it, shimmering garnet in the light. Ailan looked up and raised an eyebrow, smiling when her lover let the image fade. "No," she whispered, "because we aren't afraid anymore. There is nothing standing between us and eternity. Now we aren't just lovers anymore. You're not my husband, hiding from the world behind a façade, you're my wife, Meiou Setsuna. And these two are our daughters, and nothing will keep us from raising them together. I'll never let you leave again." "And I would never go," Setsuna purred. "How are those twins doing, anyway?" Ailan rested a hand on her flat belly and smiled. "They're just fine, and you already knew that. We haven't even begun to think of names for them yet." "We have seven months, love. Give it time." Ailan shook her head, wiping the tears from her eyes. "A year ago I knew for sure that I would never speak to you, never see you again. I had promised myself when I saw you nine years ago that I would stay away from you. All I ever did was cause you pain and leave you alone for centuries." "Ailan . . ." "Shh, Setsu-chan." Ailan placed a finger on Setsuna's lips, smiling. "Let me finish. For years all I wanted was to stay away so you could have the happy life you deserve. And now I see that by denying my feelings, I was keeping you from really being happy. We broke every rule in the Silver Millennium because we love each other so much that we can't survive alone. And it took Haruka and Michiru's wedding to show me that, but I am so glad you happened to call Moonlight Fashions eleven months ago. I don't know where I'd be right now if it weren't for you." She took Setsuna's hand and placed it on her belly. "How can I ever thank you for your love and for them?" Setsuna grinned evilly as she leaned over her wife, dark green hair covering them both like a cloak. "I have a few ideas." A knock on the door interrupted their kiss, and the red-eyed senshi groaned as she rolled out of bed and fumbled for her robe. "Do you mind? We're busy in here." "Not too busy," Haruka laughed from the other side of the door, "if you have the breath to answer me. Usagi called and wants us to go to Mamoru-kun's apartment and meet some new allies." "Are you kidding? You have no idea how to get there. The only time we've ever been to that part of town is as senshi." "And that's how we're going now. Michiru is getting Kazeko ready and Hotaru's all set. You two should find some clothes and join us on the porch. Besides, it's not like Michiru and I had a normal wedding night, either. Someone felt like she had to return all of our memories to us and ruin the beginning of our honeymoon. Just call it payback." "Haruka-san, if I ever get my hands on you . . ." Ailan placed a hand on her wife's shoulder. "Put some clothes on first," she smiled, handing the taller woman a dress. "Then we can go out there and kill that upstart princess." She smiled as she slipped into her own dress. "It's never a dull moment with you senshi, is it?" Setsuna shrugged. "It's not exactly the kind of job that comes with vacation time."
Back to The Chronicles of the Star Senshi 1: The Gathering Index - Back to Sailor Moon Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction