Senshi: the Gathering of Five Out of the darkness, into the light.
Rei spoke up, her voice sounding oddly loud in the near silence of the large chamber, "So what do we do now?"
Of course, that was when the caves roof began to fall in. As the portals that were spaced around the chamber flickered out the young senshi fled, bolting up the passageway and then outside the rapidly collapsing building. As they left the dark haired woman slid from her concealment in the shadows, striding to a still open portal.
"They did well," Setsuna Meiou murmured to herself softly as she stood in the gateway, "but this is merely the beginning." With that she stepped into the portal and was gone.
The apartment was in a good part of town, chosen for convenience and comfort. There was a shimmer of light in the living room, and Setsuna's two house guests looked up to see her emerge from the portal. It winked shut behind her, a weak displacement of air the only trace it had been there.
"What happened?" Haruka demanded. She sat on one of the chairs, her boyish blonde hair going with the man's shirt and jeans she wore.
"Are you all right, Setsuna?" Michiru asked. She gave Haruka a glare before the green haired woman added, "You were gone longer than we thought."
"Sorry," Haruka apologized for her impatience.
"Things went better than I had anticipated," Setsuna noted, "it seems our young princess succeeded in resisting her mother's call."
"There's still hope the prophecy might be fulfilled," Michiru noted softly.
"As long as she's not working for the Oni, I'm happy," Haruka said dryly. She smiled grimly, "The odds are long enough against us, without her being turned."
"You're too much of a pragmatist, daughter of storms," Michiru gave her another glare, "just like your father, may his soul be at rest."
"All that water's gone to your brain," Haruka muttered. She looked over at Setsuna, ignoring the furious look on Michiru's face, "There was something I wanted to ask you."
"Yes?" Setsuna prompted her after Haruka fell silent.
"How did the princess end up with the Tsukino family in the first place?" Haruka asked. A slight smile, "I kind of doubt Serenity just gave the child up for adoption."
"Shortly after the child was born a champion of the light snuck into the Negaverse," Setsuna said simply, "and spirited the baby away."
Michiru's eyes widened as she considered that. "It must have taken real courage," she finally murmured softly.
Haruka nodded her agreement, "That must have taken real balls." She tilted her head to the side, "Who was it?"
Setsuna found herself smiling at the word Haruka had used, not to mention the look on Michiru's face. "I was," Setsuna said softly.
A long moment of dead silence then both women blurted, "What?!"
"Someone had to do it," Setsuna said mildly but a slight smile teased at her lips, "and I couldn't ask one of the others to take on the task."
"How did you manage to do that?" Michiru asked softly.
Setsuna walked over to the cozy little kitchen, putting on a kettle for tea. Quietly she said, "It's a bit of a long story."
"One I'd like to hear," Haruka said firmly.
"It's not all a pleasant story." A small drink of tea, and Setsuna looked up to meet their eager eyes, "All right. It began nearly fifteen years ago..."
"Milady," the young woman who knelt there had black, curly hair that flowed down her back in waves, "are you certain?"
"I am, Luna," Setsuna said softly, "it's time and the place, I think." She tilted her head, "And is little Luna ready?"
"She will be," Luna the elder nodded. "When it is time, she will go to the child's side, her guide and guardian."
"I will be back, hopefully in a day or so," Setsuna rose from where she knelt by the other woman. She noticed a black haired little girl peering around the corner and smiled. The little girl blushed furiously, her form shifting, and a black kitten ran away.
The village was quiet, secluded, and that was all to the good, as far as Setsuna was concerned. The cat-people had lived here in peace for centuries alongside their human neighbors, and hopefully would continue to for years to come. She made her way away from the homes into the dark forest, eventually reaching a clearing.
The curved blade that she raised up to the moonlight was well balanced, held loosely in her hand. A crescent shape, shining in the dim light almost like the moon itself, with a inscription in some dead tongue along the curve of the blade itself. Holding it in her left hand she swiftly brought it across the palm of her right, letting the dark red blood pool there in her cupped hand.
Before her an ancient stone obelisk rose up, more of that same long forgotten language written on it's black surface. Murmuring softly she pressed her bloody palm to the stone face, a sullen red glow rising up, shining through the roughly engraved lettering.
"Open," Setsuna's final word rang out into the silence. With a sound of stones grinding together the obelisk split down the center, a shining, scarlet gateway blazing in the moonlight, She stepped through, and was gone along with the portal itself.
The youma mostly populated the halls as Setsuna strode with an air of supreme confidence. She had discovered early on that such a manner confused the lesser servants, and those closer to power feared challenging one who seemed closer still. She reached the queen's private chambers, hesitating before commanding a servant to announce her arrival.
"You return," Serenity greeted her softly, her white-gold hair flowing down her back. She was paler than normal, something Setsuna noticed almost immediately, and moved awkwardly.
"Are you well?" Setsuna asked, moving over to stand at Serenity's side. She offered her shoulder for support, something the queen was all too willing to take.
"It was not an easy childbirth," Serenity answered, "though I must thank you, wise woman, for the knowledge you brought us." She hesitated before adding, "I fear things would have gone much worse, otherwise."
"I do all I can, my queen," Setsuna said, raising her hand to gently cup Serentiy's face.
"The passage here cost you, my beauty," Serenity murmured, seeing the cut and dried blood on Setsuna's palm. With surprising gentleness she brought the wound to her mouth, delicately licking all the redness away.
"Thank you," Setsuna finally said, her voice husky.
"Am I still beautiful to you, dark one?" Serenity asked her softly, drawing the hand down to the front of her pale gown.
"You are lovely," Setsuna said, looking into those dark, almost bottomless eyes.
"Prove it," Serenity murmured with a wicked little smile.
"What of the child?" Setsuna asked as they walked into the bed chamber together, the queen swaying her hips enticingly.
"She sleeps the sleep of the dead in her nursery," Serenity said with a smile, "she won't be disturbed by whatever we do."
"Good," Setsuna gently drew her over to the bed, laying Serenity down there with a smile. Softly she added, "I have much planned for this evening."
Serenity laughed softly, laying there beside Setsuna. "Your imagination never ceases to amaze me," she whispered, "and your vigor."
The kiss was gentle, tongue teasing that mouth, tasting the traces of her own blood there. "You have yet to see my best," Setsuna finally said, and went to work...
Later that night Setsuna slipped from the bed, leaving Serenity sleeping the rest of the utterly exhausted. She slipped from the chamber, moving silently into the nearby nursery, wishing that things could be different. But Serenity would not change, and she was bound by her duty.
Setsuna gently picked up the child from the cradle, pausing a moment to look down at the innocent little girl. Her return trip through the halls was more covert, sticking to the shadows with her precious burden. The throne room was dark and silent as she entered, walking past the great thrones. Hanging there on the wall the sword rested, a katana of ancient power and unknown destiny. With a single move she pulled it down, striding off to walk into one of the shining portals.
The living room was quiet as the two young woman digested the tale. "You," Michiru finally murmured, "and Serenity?"
"So you left the child with the Tsukino family," Haruka filled in the final blanks, "and the sword with Luna's people. Does the princess know the origin of her sword?"
"Not yet," Setsuna said calmly, "though after what she has learned of her origins she will ask such questions." She took a drink of her now cold cup of tea, "Questions that will lead her to me."
"And us," Michiru agreed.
To be continued...
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