Four tall men knelt in front of another one, a scene quite unusual even for the polite 20th century Tokyo. People would have been wondering at this behaviour, had anyone been around to see it. But magic was at work, so the park remained blissfully empty under the watchful afternoon sun. Three young women stood a little aside, close enough to one another to draw warmth from their company. It was supposed to be different, for there were two among their midst that were missing, and their absence was felt dearly, but it wasn't to be changed. Usagi had left countless messages on Minako's answering machine, but her friend had decided to stay away. It had fallen to Makoto to inform Rei, but the meeting had not been a pleasant one. After the priestress had told the cook in very clipped words that she had no intentions whatsoever to see four men make vows that they would break within two weeks time, Makoto had begun to defend Hiromasa and an argument ensued that shook the whole shrine and nearly left Rei's grandfather deaf on one ear. Fuming, Makoto had left.
Once the tallest of the group began to pledge his loyalty to his prince, Mamoru lifted his hand, interrupting the silver-haired solemn man. The air shifted and instead of a snow-covered lawn, their eyes beheld the lush green gardens of Elysion. Instead of bundles of warm clothes, the men were dressed in their uniforms. The brunette and the blue haired women were wearing long flowing dresses in colours that would be impossible to see in a world without magic, but the biggest change has transpired before all of them. Their prince had become their king. And next to him stood once again Serenity, who was so very unlike her 20th century counterpart. It was as much a coronation as it was a meeting among old friends.
“I will accept your friendship and your service, but not in the same way it used to be.”
Four faces fell. They had always known that their betrayal was unforgivable, but they had hoped to prove themselves.
“Pledge your loyalty to me, your lives. But not your hearts, for I could never give mine to anyone but her, and I strongly suspect that you feel the same way. So let us not begin our new chance by starting with a lie. Give me what you can, but make no false promises.”
Next to him, Serenity smiled. The man Mamoru, the orphan, might have wanted his friends all for himself, but the prince Endymion was a different matter. He now knew that loyalty could not bloom where a full live was forbidden. Jupiter's face had lit up upon hearing his words, and when Nephrite was the first to speak, her world was whole.
“My king, I vow to protect your life and your happiness above everything else. I will die for you, if it is necessary and I thank you for what you are so graciously giving us.” When they had made their first vows to the prince so long ago, the words had been different. They had pledged heart, soul, and body to their prince, but meeting the princesses of the inner planets had turned them into traitors long before the witch-queen clawed her cruel fingers into their souls.
Jadeite was the second one to find his voice, depressed and delirious at the same time, for he was unsure whether he would ever be truly allowed to make use of the chance his prince had offered him. Mars' friendship wasn't easy to attain, her love even less so and her forgiveness seemed to be impossible to get a hold of. But he had met his fellows again, and he was grateful for the sense his live now made.
“My king, I vow to protect your life and that of your queen in all the years that are to come.”
The birds twittered, and on a hill in the far distance, a unicorn grazed, unbothered by the visitors to these holy lands. They had a right to be here, they always had as long as their hearts were pure. Zoisite felt deeply touched by this. He remembered his last visit to Elysion well, it was minutes before he left to attack the moon and everything he held dear. The birds had shot in the darkening sky then, trying to put as much distance between this monster he had become and themselves. All he had heard of the unicorn had been the violent sounds of its hooves hitting the ground in a symphony of fear as it sped away.
His voice was softer than Jadeite's and Nephrite's, but the benevolent wind brought it to Endymion's waiting ears.
“My prince, my king. I promise you my friendship first and my loyalty second, for one cannot live where the other doesn't exist.”
Kunzite knelt deeply, a statue of calm in this peaceful land. He belonged here as much as Endymion did, and the place offered him peace he had not found anywhere but in her arms. Once upon a time, he had wanted to be a priest, but the path chosen for him had been a different one. Despite being reborn, he could still feel the blood on his hands and the stains on his soul. He would speak the old vow, the one that forbid a life outside of the king's presence, making him the most efficient general he could be. He would not stray again, he had to atone for his sins.
His green eyes opened and he lifted his thoughtful face to meet his king's, but he met the shimmering eyes of the moon princess first. Hers was a silent plea not to waste away their mutual friend's only hope at happiness and his own at that.
He sighed. The rumours about the people of the moon had been true then, they really did have a special hold on everybody's hearts, and the princess was the epitome of this power.
“My king. I will be all you desire me to be and your life and your queen's will come before mine at all times.”
“So be it.”
As soon as the words were spoken, they found themselves in the park again, the snowflakes dancing around them, inviting them to see their future. Hiromasa got up first, and immediately held out his hand to Makoto, who took it gratefully. Gloved fingers entwined, they approached Mamoru. They were not to be separated, and they didn't need to hear 'until death do us part', when it was etched in their very souls.
The brunette hugged Mamoru tightly, and Hiromasa soon followed her movement. It was strange, she mused, that despite all they had gone through together, this was their first embrace. A whispered “Thank you” reached his ears, and Mamoru knew his decision had been right.
*
Her answering machine had been blinking for hours, but Minako knew what it would say and didn't care to be around when he would be taken from her yet again. Only after her neighbours had shouted angrily through the walls that it was enough laundry and that the resonating rumbling of her washing machine drove them round the bend, did she stop it and got herself up from her coveted spot on the floor. A shower couldn't wash away her memories, and the scent of him clung to her every pore. Ever since he had touched her, her mind was a swirling vortex. She remembered everything. Glances, words, touches, all that had been hidden in the past was brought to daylight and she knew that there was nothing in this world to help her make sense of it all.
The last night had been everything and nothing. She yearned for more, but he had stolen out of her bed like a thief in the night and the sound of every step of his away from her had wounded her deeply. Love was violent.
But there was a place that could offer her some consolation. So her steps lead her once again to the shrine that Rei called home. The priestress didn't welcome her with open arms, but she didn't send her away either. They sat next to each other on a hard bench, one being swallowed by the loss of the one person she had always missed, the other consumed by angry disappointment over the one person she had ever chosen to share her heart with. Letting the senshi in hadn't been a choice, they just appeared and claimed what had always been theirs. Without them, she wasn't complete.
Rei took Minako's icy hand, and together the girls waited for the darkness to eat up their pain.
