Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Reunions ❯ Chapter 1

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Reunions
by
John Lauder

July 2001

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or any of its characters, they
belong to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, Kodansha, along with some
other companies.

This takes place several years after the end of the series.

========================================================== =========

"Good journey," a man wished to the woman, in a language that no
one on Earth would understand.

The woman, who was not of the world she stood upon and helped to
restore, understood the words completely. Humbly, she nodded, and
rose up into the air.

She had been given a relatively warm reception on this world.
Though only a handful had gathered to see her off, she took their
well-wishes very seriously, very gratefully. There were countless
other worlds to restore. Worlds that she had destroyed.

As she flew into space, sparkling waves of light trailed behind
her. It made her appear even more angelic, but to her it was only
a reminder of the unfathomable amount of damage she had done.

They were all the star seeds she had stolen, and they had to be
guided to their rightful owners. *Still so many to return,* she
thought.

Less than ten Earth years had passed since she had begun, since
that princess had saved her, and the rest of the galaxy. Not such
a long time for Sailor Galaxia, whose true age made even Sailor
Pluto seem like a infant. It might take a few human lifespans
before the entire galaxy was restored.

Simply returning the star seeds was not enough; she had to make
sure every single planet, every single star that she destroyed
was made whole again.

For some places, like Earth, there was a relatively small amount
of damage done. A few blocks of Tokyo had been demolished, and
some local residents were left homeless for a short while.

She had offered her assistance, but the one known as Sailor Pluto
had clandestinely explained to her that it was unnecessary.
Curiously, the torn buildings had been quickly repaired, and life
had gone on as usual for Earth and its (mostly) unknowing residents.

The process had become fairly routine for Sailor Galaxia. She would
arrive on a planet, and restore everyone's star seeds. After they
recovered, she would seek out the leaders of the planet and explain
everything--who she was, and what she had done.

For the most part, the leaders were understanding, some even moved
by the tale and the intervention of that princess of the Earth's
moon. Then, the leaders decided what to do with the
information--either let the rest of the population know, or
keep it secret, depending on the social standards of that specific
planet.

After that, she would lend her powers to fix the destruction she
had wrought in trying to control the entire galaxy.

Not every world was as lucky as Earth had been, particularly the
one known as Kinmoku. There, Galaxia had left behind a more
global amount of destruction, and its revived citizens were left
panicked. It was quite some time before she felt she could
leave that world. Princess Kakyuu, whose small shoulders bore the
brunt of her people's troubles, had to be the one to reassure *her*
that everything would be okay.

Galaxia had tried to do too much, making sure every starving child
had food to eat, every injured person was healed, every living
thing had some light of hope inside of them.

Kakyuu had thanked her despite her overzealousness, but gently
reminded her that there were many, many more worlds that needed
tending to. Reluctantly, she had left to resume her journey.

Her solitude allowed her to think deeply about things as she
traveled between worlds. After all she had done, she could not
stand the thought of anyone suffering.

But she had to remind herself not to get too wrapped up in it,
lest she begin to have the same delusion as she had that time she
had sealed Chaos within herself. She had to convince herself that
only she alone could not save the galaxy from destruction.
Sailor Moon's words had become a constant reminder. *Why try to
do everything yourself? Without the help of others?*

*Yes, why do I?* Chaos was now in everyone's minds, but then, so
too was the light of hope. She had to believe in that part of
everybody; certainly there would be no way to undo all of the
damage by herself. She had to believe that people would be able to
help themselves.

Her hopes did not go untested. Several planets had been very
hostile, some to the point of violence. On the world called Cl'far,
the tall, silver-skinned inhabitants had called for her death when
their angry lords had told them of her actions.

They attacked her, though they were incapable of doing any real
damage. She just held her ground, and continued to offer her
assistance, but the Cl'farians refused to listen. The only
thing Galaxia could do was leave.

She had encountered many worlds like that one. Whether they wanted
revenge on her, or were divided into factions and fought amongst
themselves, or waged battles with other nearby planets, she
recognized the look in their eyes. It was the same look Galaxia
had as she was conquering the universe--Chaos.

It was inevitable that some worlds would be more consumed
with it than others. She prayed for these planets the most.

*The light of hope is in everyone's hearts.* It had become
a mantra to her; she would not have been able to go on if she
didn't believe in it. She had to believe in everyone, just
as Sailor Moon had believed in her.

And so she went on, continuing her seemingly unending journey.
The next place she happened upon was unusual--a planet that
contained very few inhabitants, only a very large plant and two
humanoids, but a planet that she had nonetheless plundered.

The tree itself was sentient, and could feel, love and hurt as
easily as Galaxia. This tree, this being had one of the more
brighter shines among the star seeds.

There had also been the two inhabitants in this tree which was
referred to as the Makaiju, she recalled. *No, there were three,
weren't there? Beautiful features, pointed ears, pale green skin,
blue hair on the male, pink on the female.*

Again she was paying the price for the nearly infinite amount
of lives she had taken; it was very difficult keeping track
of all them. After some recollection, she remembered. The
Makaiju only had the two children, and the third one she had
found floating in space, lost and alone.

A twinge of guilt struck her as she remembered taunting that
one, mocking his loneliness as she dangled his star seed in
front of him.

*Should I restore him here? That's not the way things were
before I took their star seeds...*

Carefully, Galaxia released three star seeds back to the
Makaiju, delaying on the potential fourth; she was hesitant to
return him. It might spark the beginnings of yet another
war within a planet, and life on this planet seemed especially
precious, with so few residents.

The tree's drooping branches and leaves immediately began to
strengthen as its star seed was returned. The tree's stillness
was gone, and its branches swayed, as if stretching after a
long sleep. Then, the two children of the Makaiju appeared
in front of the floating form of Galaxia.

She prepared herself; she had been through this a countless
number of times--the disorientation, the blinking and darting of
the eyes, the shaking of heads. Finally, she would be the
recipient of probing, suspicious gazes.

These two, however, did not quite follow the usual procedure.
Once they had become aware, they immediately went to each other.
The blue-haired male put his hands out towards the female.
She reached out as well, and the couple embraced, hands
intertwined, foreheads touching.

*Lovers,* Galaxia recognized. *Of course.* She felt the tears
coming, and fought them off. It was yet another attack of her
guilty conscience. She had done this to millions, no, billions
of others.

The memory of all of those people reaching out to their soulmate,
struggling for one final touch would haunt for the rest of eternity.
*It will all be undone,* she promised herself.

Neither of the couple, who Galaxia would eventually know as Ail and
Ann, took notice of her, an intruder, still relishing their embrace.
A nearby branch of the Makaiju extended out towards them, touching
both lovers gently. There seemed to be an unspoken communication
occurring between the couple and the tree.

Galaxia took a breath as Ail and Ann finally glanced in her
direction; the ancient soul of the tree had alerted them to her
presence. Now things seemed to going as expected, as they looked
at her curiously.

The branch of the tree retracted from the couple, now reaching in
Galaxia's direction. She offered no resistance, just held her
position. As the branch touched her, she could feel an intrusion
into her mind.

At first she felt defensive, but eventually Galaxia relaxed as she
sensed that this was not an attack. Her mind was linked to that
of the Makaiju; both could see into the other's soul.

They had gone through similar struggles, this tree and Galaxia.
Though both seemed to be forces of destruction (Galaxia being
the far greater of the two), they actually led fairly lonely
lives, and had made great sacrifices. The Makaiju put itself to
sleep so its children would not die, hoping they would learn
about love and joy on their own; and Galaxia sealing Chaos
into herself so that the universe might be at peace.

And both had their lives transformed for the better when they
encountered a certain blonde odango-haired princess.

Ail and Ann made no move, just watched their mother and this
mysterious and beautiful woman silently interact. "Who is
she?" Ann asked of Ail. The two children stood in wonder at
the sight, staring in awe at the woman's impossibly long red and
golden tresses.

Ail studied the woman, trying to determine who she was. When
she opened her eyes, suddenly they both remembered. *That was
her. She did that horrible thing to our Makaiju, and then to
us.*

Ann immediately glowered and pointed at Galaxia, preparing to
attack. She hesitated; she and Ail knew this was clearly a very
powerful being they were dealing with.

A branch reached out and held her arm at bay. *No,
child. Do not attack this one,* the Makaiju told her.

"Who are you?" Ail asked Galaxia, his tone hostile. "And what
have you done to us?"

"Please, my children," the Makaiju said aloud. You have just
cause to be angry, but it will do no good." The branch that had
wrapped itself around Galaxia retracted. "Be patient and all
will be explained to you. Now, Galaxia?"

Sailor Galaxia came down from where she had been floating,
standing a careful distance away from Ail and Ann. "Yes?"

"These are my children, Ail and Ann. They are very, very
precious to me." Galaxia already knew that, though. "There
may be several others out there, like these two. I lost them a
very long time ago. I don't know if any of them have survived.
Please, I need to know if you've seen--"

"Yes," she cut in, and looked to the stream of star seeds that
floated behind her. One of them came forward, and flew in the
direction of Ail and Ann. It landed beside them, and there was a
flash. The star seed was gone, and in its place now stood
another blue-haired, male child of the Makaiju.

A deep sound like an ocean wave was heard, and everyone knew it
was the Makaiju sighing. "Fiore," it whispered.

Fiore looked around, unsure of where he was. This place seemed
very strange...yet familiar somehow.

Ail and Ann's eyes went wide in astonishment. Their mother had
told them that some of her children had been ejected into space
during their past struggles, some even unknowingly, before they
were still not fully developed. This one, Fiore, was one of
those lost children.

They approached him eagerly, but Fiore backed away from them,
still uncertain. The last thing he remembered was being the
target of a very vicious attack. Right now he felt very
defensive and fearful.

It was then that a branch that Fiore stood near lengthened, and
brushed against his arm. He winced, and shook his arm away. The
branch only followed his arm, touching Fiore again.

*Welcome home, my lost son,* Fiore heard inside his mind. Now he
did not shy away from the tree's touch--from his mother's touch.
He closed his eyes, and his fear was slowly dissipating. He could
feel the warmth in the branch, its love. He had felt this kind of
comfort only one other time in his life, that first time he landed
on Earth.

*I...am home now,* Fiore realized. Overwhelmed, Fiore sank to his
knees, and wept. Ail and Ann were immediately by his side. He
practically melted into their arms. "Brother," Ann whispered.

Fiore attempted to speak, but Ail and Ann could only hear whimpering
that was unintelligible.

Ail wiped the tears from Fiore's eyes. His face was careworn, and his
eyes had slight wrinkles under them. *This one has suffered so much.*
"You're not alone now. No longer," he assured.

The three stayed in the embrace for a long time, and Galaxia found
herself smiling as she witnessed the reunion. The love, the joy,
was apparent in the embrace. *And now, I have to ruin this moment by
explaining what I have done.*

Ann noticed the lines under Fiore's eyes, and she caressed his face
with the back of her smooth hand. "What has happened to you?"

Fiore cringed. Being a host of the Kisenian flower had
done a substantial amount of damage to him, both physically and
mentally. "Too much," he said.

"I am sorry to do this, but there are other matters to discuss
first," the Makaiju interrupted. Then Ail, Ann, and Fiore turned to
Galaxia. Fiore immediately recognized her, and practically growled.
She had tormented him before attacking, and now dared to just stand
here as if nothing had happened? "Fiore. Ail. Ann," the tree
implored.

The three of them looked towards the large central trunk of the
tree. "Please remember. One cannot live being angry and hostile,"
the Makaiju explained. "I have a feeling you know that already, Fiore.
I do want you to get to know your brother and sister here, and to share
your life with them. But before that can happen, I would like for
the three of you to listen to this woman's tale. She has much to say."

They turned back to the woman, heeding their mother's advice for the
time being. Their angry postures relaxed somewhat, and they regarded
her curiously.

Galaxia nodded humbly. "My name is Sailor Galaxia," she began.

----------------------------------------------------------- -----------

When she had finished, she waited for their reaction. The trio had
gathered around her, sitting and listening as if they were small
children being read a bedtime story. Though Galaxia was no storyteller,
they had hung on her every word due to the impossible, captivating
nature of the tale.

They had not cried, they had not shown anger, nor fear. They were
simply too stunned to show any emotion. The magnitude of what
Galaxia had done, and what she now had to undo, really hit home with
them.

"I ask not for forgiveness. I simply want to help rebuild, to repair
all of this. Please--is there anything I can do?" Galaxia pleaded.

Ann was the first to speak. "As you can see here, nothing here needs
fixing. We exist with the tree, and we love one another, and have no
need for anything else," she said, petting the ground. A small root
sprouted from the ground and gently wrapped itself around Ann's
fingers.

Fiore turned to his newfound sister. He felt as if Ann was speaking
to him as well as Galaxia. Ail put a reassuring hand on his shoulder
to emphasize Ann's point. He smiled, feeling more and more at home
here with each passing second.

Actually, he had been quite angered at Galaxia's tale of destruction
at first, but the mention of two words had immediately calmed him:
Sailor Moon.

"Chaos," Ail commented. "Was it Chaos, then, that caused all of
us to fight amongst ourselves? Even when it was sealed within you?"
he asked Galaxia.

She gave a confirming nod. "It was my mistake, not realizing I alone
could not keep it in check."

"And my mistake, to not allow my children to see the light of hope
when things became awry," the Makaiju said mournfully.

"That's what Sailor Moon taught me to do," Galaxia said. "And
because of that girl, I have vowed to teach everyone else in the
galaxy what she taught me. That one cannot exist alone, without love,
without believing in anything. Without the light of hope."

"It's what she taught all of us," Fiore said, and Ail and Ann turned
to him, surprised.

"You know Sailor Moon?" Ann asked.

Fiore nodded. "She saved my life once," he answered.

"We have encountered her as well," Ail added. "She has shown us
much about love and friendship. We would not exist now if we had never
met her."

Ann sighed as she remembered the girl and her kindness. "The galaxy
is a much better place with someone like her in it," she said. Ann
noticed that Ail and Fiore, like her, did not smile. "So why, then,
do I feel so sad?"

"You miss her," the Makaiju answered. "We all do."

"Mother, I wish to see her again," Ann requested. I want to see her,
and Mamoru, and her other friends as well." Ail and Fiore nodded,
sharing her desire to see the ones that had saved them; it had been
so long.

"I am sorry, Ann," her mother answered regretfully. "I wish to see
them as well, but we have traveled far and long to find this place,
our new home. It would take quite a long time to reach Earth from
here."

A tear welled up in the girl's eye. Ail put his arm around her, but
was equally disappointed. Fiore hung his head, his dejected
expression like a child. He wanted to see Mamoru again, to
see how he was doing.

Galaxia went before them, not able to take their disappointment.
"I can take you there, and will take no time at all," she offered.
"Even the Makaiju can accompany us."

The three of them looked hopeful, but were cautious. They turned
to the tree, as if to ask permission. "You have so many other
worlds to restore, it would be selfish of us to take too much of
your time," the Makaiju said.

The golden haired senshi shook her head. "It would be selfish of
me not to grant your request. I said I wished to help in any way
I can. This will take no time at all," she assured.

The Makaiju considered it for a moment. "And we will not be
harmed?" she asked.

Galaxia did not take offense to its cautiousness. After what
she had done, she had expected nothing else. That, and she was
dealing with a mother here. She had known all too well the dangers
in angering such a being. "No, not at all. Please, trust in me."

Again, there was a long pause as the Makaiju came to its
decision. "Very well."

Fiore, Ail, and Ann stood up, looking to Galaxia for direction.
The powerful senshi reached out to Fiore and Ail, who both took
her hands. Ann joined hands with Ail, and two roots sprung
from the ground, and took the hands of Ann and Fiore, completing
the circle.

"You have enough power to take even the Makaiju?" Fiore asked.
The answer was known to them already, as the swarm of star seeds
gathered around Galaxia, forming a translucent cloak of pink,
orange, and gold.

The powerful sailor senshi looked skyward. "SAILOR TELEPORT!!"
Galaxia cried. The three children, and even the Makaiju itself
were astounded by the amount of sheer energy they felt coursing
through them. They were afraid to open their eyes, or make the
slightest movement.

Once the energy began to fully envelope their bodies, they
became more at ease. They felt fully secure in the warmth of
Galaxia's wave. All five members of the ring glowed with
a red and golden light, and once it hit the peak of its
brightness, it shot outward into space, and was gone.

------------------------------------------------------------ ------

They arrived a few minutes later, but not on Earth. The group of
five now found themselves standing on Earth's moon. They were still
enveloped by Galaxia's ring of energy.

"Why have we landed here?" Ail asked, immediately recognizing their
environment.

"I got the strangest feeling right before we landed," Galaxia
explained, turning around. "So I brought us--"

Her sudden gasp made the others turn and face the same direction.
One by one, the others, including the Makaiju, let out the same cry.

The planet Earth, which they all remembered as a sphere of mostly
blue, was now almost completely white.

"Oh, oh, no," Ann whimpered.

"What has happened?" Ail asked in disbelief.

Both the Makaiju and Galaxia studied the now-alabaster planet, trying
to get any clues they could. "I do sense life signs coming from
there."

"But all of them are very weak," the Makaiju added. Galaxia nodded
in agreement.

Fiore felt a sickening feeling in his stomach. "Mamoru-kun," he
whispered. He shook his head fervently, refusing to acknowledge
the dire situation. "We have to go down there and see what
happened. Perhaps we can help them." He floated into the air,
intending to head for the Earth.

Galaxia's shield kept him from going to far. "No, you cannot,"
she said.

She received an angry glare in response. "Did you know of this?"
Fiore questioned, very furiously. "Do you make us watch this just
to torment us some more?"

"Fiore," the Makaiju called. "She is right. You don't know the
dangers that might exist there. I do not wish to lose you again.
Please, come down," it pleaded.

He was still quite angry, but returned to the surface. Galaxia,
to his surprise, came before him. "Fiore, you have to believe that
I had no knowledge of this."

"You...you..." That lonely, rejected part of him didn't want to
believe it, but the woman seemed so genuine, so sincere. "Perhaps
you did not. But someone with your amount of power--"

"Even I have my limits, as I have found out over these last few
years," Galaxia admitted. Then, to his amazement, the powerful
senshi knelt before him. "I never did apologize for what I did
to you. I offer my apologies now, for causing you all that agony."

Fiore could only look down at her, jaws agape and at a loss for
words. He softened his expression and nodded, silently accepting
the apology.

Ail and Ann looked on; their brother had obviously undergone an
abundant amount of trial and suffering. No doubt they would
spend a lot of time listening to him speak of his rather
difficult life. They went to him and tried to comfort him, but
it was futile, given the situation. "So, any guesses as to
what happened down there?" Ann asked.

"It may be ecological," the Makaiju theorized.

"Yes," Galaxia said, "or...well, yet another manifestation of
Chaos, I fear," she guessed, unable to withdraw her eyes from
the Earth.

"Perhaps it is," came another voice. The four of them looked
around; it was not the Makaiju that spoke. A few feet outside
of Galaxia's protective sphere, a figure appeared.

None of the children of the Makaiju (nor the tree itself)
recognized her. She was a sailor senshi of this solar system,
judging by her garb. The first thing they noticed was her dark
green hair, which rivaled Galaxia's in length. Her expression
could only be described as calm; not a serene kind of calm, but
more somber.

"Sailor Pluto," Galaxia greeted.

"Sailor Galaxia," the guardian of time replied. "It is good to
see you again. And you, Makaiju, and your children." She received
confused looks from them. "Neo-Queen Serenity--known to you as
Sailor Moon--told me about you," she explained. The three of
them nodded their heads in deference, as they could sense great
power coming from this strange senshi.

"What has happened here?" Galaxia asked urgently.

"What happened to Sailor Moon? And Mamoru-kun and the others?"
Fiore added anxiously. "Are they...are they..."

"They are still alive," Sailor Pluto replied.

Ann shook her head. "But...the Earth is..." She looked to the
planet yet again, sensing that nothing down there could possibly
be alive.

"...completely frozen," Ail completed. Sailor Pluto nodded
her head slowly. The mouths of the three children dropped
in horror, and they stared helplessly at the Earth.

"How did this happen?" the Makaiju asked. "Was it
environmental? An invasion?" it continued, its voice becoming
frantic. "Surely there is something we can do to help."

Galaxia gazed upon the home of Sailor Moon, which now seemed to
be in ruin. *Environmental? Maybe. Invasion? Perhaps.* But
it all led back to the same thing in Galaxia's mind. *Chaos.*

Again it had won out, and this time it had taken something
very precious, something incomparable.

Her hands balled into fists at her side. This was impossible;
she refused to acknowledge this. She raised her right arm, aiming
it in the direction of the Earth. It might drain her completely,
perhaps to the point of death, but she did not care if it meant
saving the life of that princess who saved her.

"There is something I can do," Galaxia said, almost defiantly.
The five others felt a strong thrumming beneath their feet; the
three children cringed in fear at the power that was being built
up inside Galaxia, and the look of fierce determination on her
face.

Then, to the surprise of everyone, Sailor Pluto stood directly in
front of her, wielding her key-shaped staff in an attack position.
"No," she said calmly. "You will not."

Sailor Galaxia narrowed her eyes, regarding her would-be
assailant with more curiosity than disbelief. She knew about
the nature of Sailor Pluto's powers over time. This lovely
green-haired senshi was powerful, but still not a match for
Galaxia. "And why not? I am to just let that girl--"

"Yes," Pluto cut in.

Fiore's anger was welling up in him again, but he held back.
These were two powerful beings about to engage in combat here,
and if anyone was caught in the middle...

He looked to Ann and Ail, and they appeared to be as equally
flabbergasted. *Mother, what should we do?* Ail projected
to the Makaiju.

"Galaxia," the tree said as soothingly as possible, "this woman
must have an explanation for this. Do you?"

The guardian of time nodded, relenting her offensive position.
"It was the Queen that instructed me to not let any outside
interference affect the Earth during this time."

"And just how long--"

"Please, let me finish," Pluto said, trying to sound as polite
as possible. "She left a message for anyone who did arrive.
I bring that to you now," she finished, and raised her staff
into the air.

The Garnet Orb began to glow, and pulsated several different
shades of red. The others, even the Makaiju, backed away
from her. They stood in a scattered ring, with Sailor Pluto
at the center.

Several moments passed, and a holographic image was slowly
manifesting itself next to the guardian of time. Once the
image was fully formed, the circle of five looked upon what
could only be described as an angel.

It was Sailor Moon, without a doubt. She had kept the same
hairstyle, blonde hair worn in two long ponytails. The
outfit she wore was one that none of them recognized.

Instead of the sailor fuku and short skirt, she wore a flowing
gown of the purest white. Wings like that of a butterfly
sprouted from her back. *Messiah,* Sailor Pluto thought
as she looked upon the princess who had become their queen.

The eyes, so innocent, so young and carefree before, were now
those of a grown woman now, a woman who had seen countless
struggles, and who apparently had to witness the fall of her
own planet.

Yet somehow, those blue eyes of hers still managed to convey
a capacity for love that knew no bounds.

"Hello, friends," the image greeted in a too-formal
sounding voice. Still, her smile seemed warm and genuine.

"If you're watching this, then," she hung her head down,
the words already becoming difficult for her. Galaxia knew
that this was not a rehearsed speech, then. "Then the Earth is
going through a time of great change. We are all still alive,
but in a state of cold sleep.

"I must beg of you, do not try to awaken us. This season of rest
was written in destiny long ago." She smiled. "Rest assured,
eventually I will awaken this planet, and all will be restored.

"Until then, I'm afraid I will not be able to see you. I regret
not being able to say my good-byes to you..."

And it was then that she named all of the different people she had
met from other worlds, that had come in and touched her life
in some way. Ail, Ann, the Makaiju, Galaxia, the Sailor Starlights,
Princess Kakyuu, Neherenia--hell, even the Amazon Trio...

"You have all made a difference in the life of this ditzy, clumsy,
crybaby teenage girl. It's my hope that I've somehow done the same,
however insignificant it may seem."

Galaxia smiled, and looked upon the people who were gathered here with
her, just to see her, this "ditzy, clumsy, girl". *However insignificant.
Indeed.*

The image of Sailor Moon looked upwards, and by the expression on her
face, Ail and the others knew this message would soon come to an
end.

"I'm afraid I must go now. Let me say once again, thank you for being
a part of me. May your lives be filled with love, and please, please,
never give up hope. I look forward to the day when we may see one
another again." She bowed her head, and they could now the tears
flowing from her eyes. "Goodbye, dear friends..."

Galaxia approached the image and reached out, futilely attempting to
wipe away the tears the girl shed. As her hand touched the image,
it dissipated.

The group stood there, unable to react. After a few moments of uneasy
silence, Ann finally spoke up. "Is there nothing we can do?" she
pleaded.

Ail put a comforting arm around her. "I'm afraid not. You heard her;
we must not do anything to disturb them now."

Fiore could not contain himself. "But how LONG? How long will they
remain that way?" *How long before I'm able to see the only being
I've been able to call a friend? HOW LONG?* Slowly, they all turned
to Galaxia, thinking she had the answer.

She had known about the phenomenon of cold sleep. The truth was, she
did not know how long it would be. Some planets only required a short
time, less than a decade, while others took several centuries; others
still...well, not all planets recovered from cold sleep.

Galaxia looked at their eager expressions, and thought of Sailor
Moon's words of hope. *She's right. One cannot live without hope.*
"You all know her. You know she doesn't break promises. We will see
her again. But for now, we have to take care of our own lives."

Sailor Pluto stood silently through it all, the stoic expression
never leaving her face.

"We must leave this place now," Galaxia said, and the others could
only reluctantly agree. They all took one final look at the frozen
Earth, and offered their farewells to the guardian of time.

"I am sorry you had to find out this way," Pluto offered. "I hope
the next we meet, it is under different--happier circumstances."

Galaxia managed to control her emotions, but Ann and Fiore found it
difficult to hold their tears back. They were both crying as they
once again formed the teleport ring, and still even as they teleported
back to their original position in another part of the galaxy.

Sailor Pluto watched them leave, then let out a sigh. She shook her
head at what had transpired. *So many friends she has,* Pluto thought.

It would be like this for several centuries. Watching over the still
planet Earth, while on occasion ensuring any outside visitors were
dealt with. She didn't mind the solitude; it was her duty. She had
seen and experienced much more than any human would ever dream of.

And, though she may not admit it, Pluto was one of the "many" friends
of Sailor Moon, of Neo-Queen Serenity. Of Usagi Tsukino. She did
not smile, she rarely did, but this thought would nevertheless provide
her much comfort.

She raised her staff into the air, and was gone.

------------------------------------------------------------ ---------

They arrived back at the small planet, and the Makaiju once again
settled its roots comfortably into the ground.

Fiore and Ann still wept, while Ail and the Makaiju did their best
to ease their pain. Ann slid to the ground, her pain was so great.

Galaxia looked out into space, then back to the others. There really
was nothing left to do here. "I'm afraid I must leave now."

"Thank you for coming," the Makaiju said somberly. "Good luck."

The senshi looked upon the Makaiju's children. Her instinct was to
blame herself for this, but that would not do any good. Even if she
hadn't brought them to Earth, their friendship with Sailor Moon
would have led them there eventually. Either way they would have
found out this terrible news.

She went over to the trio and crouched down next to them. There
was much she wanted to say to try to comfort these three. She
thought long and hard, and decided to just keep it simple.
"Remember, you all have each other," was all she offered instead.

Galaxia stood, and then went over to the Makaiju's main
trunk. She placed her palm against the tree, and the tree knew it
to be a gesture of friendship. Perhaps they would meet again
sometime...but that was probably not going to happen.

With that, Galaxia began to float into the air, and her figure began
to glow as the star seeds she had yet to return surrounded her.

Now that she had known Sailor Moon's fate, Sailor Galaxia was even
more determined to resume her mission to return every single star
seed she had stolen. She took off into space, the image of Sailor
Moon--no, of Neo-Queen Serenity her source of inspiration and
strength.

Fiore, Ann and Ail watched until Galaxia's trail of pink and orange
light was no longer visible. Fiore then heard Galaxia's voice inside
his head. *You're not alone anymore,* she said. He looked to Ann and
Ail, and judging by their expressions, Galaxia had communicated to
him alone.

By that time, Ann had cried herself out, and she slowly stood
up, wiping her eyes. "What are we to do now?" she asked to no one
in particular.

"We go on," the Makaiju answered. "We live." It was then that
she realized just how green (pardon the pun) her children were.
This was the first time they had really experienced a significant
loss. Well, the first time for Ann and Ail, anyway--she knew
Fiore was probably a different case.

"Sailor Moon is gone, but she is not dead. We may not be able
to see her for a long time, yes, but that doesn't mean we just
stop everything. My children, this is not the last time you will
experience grief. But remember Galaxia's words. All we can
do is just keep on living, and cling to each other."

Ann took in her mother's words, and nodded in understanding. It
will be a while before she would really recover from this. She
petted one of the tree's branches. She looked behind her, and
Ail was there, as she knew he always would be. It wasn't until
that moment that the meaning of Galaxia's final words hit her.
Ann went to him, and Ail took her hand. They went to their
newfound brother.

There really had been no time to deal with this new situation
Fiore found himself in. *Would I be welcome here?* he thought,
though the answer was pretty obvious.

"Fiore," Ail called to him.

Their smiles were warm and inviting. Once again he felt the longing,
that longing for others. He had been tired from travelling so much,
and now it looked like he had a chance to be with others. And
belong.

*I'm...not alone,* he realized, and his spirit slowly lifting, and
he was unable to do anything but return their smile.

"You're home now," Ann assured him again.

"And we'd like to hear your story," Ail said. "We want to know
all about you, Fiore."

"We want to know all you've suffered through, my son,* the Makaiju
added.

Fiore nodded, then took a breath. Drawing strength from his new
companions, he sat down. He drew his knees into his chest, and
was silent for quite a long time.

"I never knew when or where I was born," he began, looking out into
the stars, his former home. "I was always alone, wandering aimlessly
through space. Eventually, I was tired and had to land on the
planet known as Earth..."

======================================================== ==============

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