The Dawn of Serenity by Jessica Pendragon

Chapter One

The Dawn of Serenity

Pandora Arc


A single light shone through the dark of the apartment. It illuminated the remains of a pink frosted cake and a slue of unwanted, dirty dishes. A mere hour ago, the apartment had been buzzing with music and laughter with the smell of wished upon smoke spreading throughout their cozy home. Left over napkins fluttered with a slight breeze, pushed over like the pages of an open book. The simple curtains that hugged the balcony’s doors joined the slow dance, embracing the cool night air, and gave fleeting glimpses at the vision beyond.

She ran a hand over her smooth skin. Pale and youthful, it gleamed in the light of the full moon. Outside, upon their small space, the city lights fought for dominance, but the moon was not to be out done this night.

"It shines so bright for you, you know…its princess." Warm arms encircled her shoulders, his calming scent filling her lungs. "It knows it's your special day."

"It is beautiful." The words came from her pale lips in a bated whisper.

"You were beautiful tonight." He closed his eyes, remembering the way the candles cast her golden hair ablaze in the dim light. "Of course, you're always beautiful."

She giggled quietly. "Mamo-chan..."

"Did you get everything you wanted?"

"Yeah, although I don't think we needed another toaster," she said, crinkling up her noise cutely.

"Well, your mom knows how you go through appliances, or rather how you explode your way through them."

At his laughter, she huffed. "I've gotten a lot better!"

"I know, and I'm proud of you. Happy birthday Usako," he whispered in her ear, reveling in the softness of her hair. The sounds of the concrete jungle below drifted up to them, filling the silence with the artificial life that had become so familiar. But something about the way she rested against him, stiff as the pavement below, immediately grabbed his attention. He watched her fiddle with her wedding ring, twirling it around her slim finger in slow rotations. "What's wrong? Birthday blues?"

"Everything's so perfect."

"And that's something to pout about?" he chuckled, trying to hide his uneasiness. He had a feeling, deep down, that he knew what plagued her thoughts, for it was the same thought echoing in his mind.

"Aren't you afraid, Mamo-chan? The others hid it well tonight, but I could see."

"Usa..."

"The time has come, and something else is in the air." She looked up to the moon, the bright silver orb filling her cerulean eyes. "I can feel it."

His concerns from the night before flooded back into his mind, but he would never let her see. "And can you feel this?" His strong hand caressed her hair, his hands trailing over her smooth shoulders. His lips stopped whispering into her ear, slipping away to brush against her cheek, leaving a soft trail to the corner of her mouth. "And that?"

"Yeah." She shivered slightly, and he smirked in success. Gently he slipped his hand into hers, and pulled her into the apartment.

"I have something to show you."

"What, Mamo-chan?"

"It's a surprise." She laughed and he covered her eyes as he led her into the bedroom. "Okay."

The newlywed couple had fought eagerly over their sleeping quarters; he pleading to keep the pink lampshades and bunny bed sheet out of their apartment. Somehow, the yin and yang couple managed to find a balance, settling on a colorful comforter and golden accessories with dark, masculine wood for his tastes. Pop star posters were replaced by family pictures and sprawling portraits of far away places. However, something out of the ordinary had caught the breath in the young bride's throat.

A swarm of red rose petals was strewn across the cozy room, littering the bed and floor like fallen leaves in autumn. Soft, golden candles were lit, bathing the room in a romantic glow. His charm would not stop there, however. He exhaled softly, but the effect was much different. A gust of wind stormed through the room and the petals began to dance in the air, forming a delicate vortex before them. She gasped at this, reaching out a hand to have it attacked by soft kisses of silk.

Without fear, she entered the swirling wonder, twirling around in her red cocktail dress. He watched her dance with a small smile, leaning against the threshold. The days had been long that had led them here. Tragic battles and evil plots, separation and heartbreak, blood, sweat and tears, all had left their mark on them. At moments like these however, as she stopped and gazed at him in the midst of the beautiful storm, everything faded away, even the doubts fresh in his mind. Slowly, he approached her, and rested his hand against her cheek.

"I know you're afraid of what is to come; I am too. But we're in this together, always, just as it's always been. Whatever comes, you won't face it alone."

"You promise?"

He grinned as the child still lurking within her pouted, her bright eyes glossing over. "I promise. I love you, Usako."

"I love you too, Mamo-chan."

He kissed her softly, and she sighed dreamily. Their hands danced about each other, taking in everything they could from the intimate contact. The petals circling around the room fell as they dropped to the comforting sheets, the world around them forgotten. With one final gust of wind, the candles snuffed out, and a muffled giggle echoed in the dark.

+++

The sunrise brought nothing more than the start of a new day. Traffic merged as it always had, ushering the river of workers to their steady jobs. Children embraced the warm sunshine, taking advantage of their mother's patience, while teenagers found their ways to the parks and malls, and those places where teenagers are not supposed to go.

She ran through the early morning cool, her pigtail flopping with every long stride she took. She had barely slept last night. After Usagi's party, she had plopped down on the couch with a bag of chocolate chips, and indulged herself in classic black and white movies. Now, she had to laugh at herself. She thought the world was going to end last night; that today they would be fighting and raging against evil once more. She knew the others had been thinking the same way, it was only natural she supposed.

She stopped her jog nearby an abandoned bench, and used it to stretch out her muscles. She then noticed a woman resting against the trunk of the tree before her, her legs hidden beneath a blue skirt. A book was perched in her lap, but her eyes seemed to gaze through the words, lost deep in their meaning somewhere. Makoto smiled, and silently walked towards her oblivious friend.

"Good morning."

Ami’s eyes shot up, and she let out a sigh of relief. "Mako-chan, you scared me."

"Sorry, Ami-chan. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just needed to get out of the house. Would you like to sit with me?"

"Sure thing."

They watched as the late morning welcomed more people into the park, their idle chatter swarming around them. They could hear the beginnings of a baseball game begin somewhere behind them as the sound of a metal bat echoed through the trees. "Can I ask you a question, Ami-chan?"

"Of course."

"Do you ever think about what would've happened to us if we never became soldiers?"

The blue-haired maiden sighed. "I try not to."

"Why?"

"There is no point, really. We cannot change the past."

"Yes, we can." They fell silent, knowing it was true. The time gate that had shown them their alternate future swung both ways. People in the future had tried to change their past already; why couldn’t they do the same?

"If we went all the way back and stopped the Silver Millennium from falling, how do we know something worse wouldn’t have happened? Maybe this is where we’re supposed to be. And if that is the case, would you really want to go back and change our past here, Mako-chan? Change everything we've worked so hard to achieve? Change what she's done for us? "

"No, I was always just running before I met her…always running away."

Ami took her hand, and the two women smiled at each other. "We were given a chance to find each other again, to be happy. And even after all that’s happened, I am happy. I don’t know if we can change the future to come but…at least we’ll face it together, right?"

"Yes, no more running."

+++

She fought to remain asleep, but the city noises relentlessly spilled in through her window, and she reluctantly opened her blue eyes. With an annoyed sigh, she flung the black satin sheet off and viewed the empty side of the bed. The sheets were wrinkled where he had slept and his scent lingered upon his pillow. She smiled sadly, reaching out to caress the smooth fabric. Emotions of amusement and melancholy blended across her flawless features; a feat only the blonde could possibly pull off. Suddenly, a bell rang out and quickly she shot out of bed in surprise. She grabbed the black sheet and it trailed behind her like a ballroom gown as she made her way to the door. As she opened it, bright blue met dark seas, and Minako smiled.

"Good –morning, Rei-chan."

The priestess scanned her friend's attire and blushed. "Good-afternoon, Minako-chan,” she corrected. “He's still here?"

Minako waved her in. "Oh no, come on in. What's up?"

"Who was it?" Rei asked as they sat down.

"Oh, the guy from the tanning salon," Minako smiled wryly as she fished through the fridge. She resurfaced with some juice, and poured two glasses before heading toward the leather couches.

"When are you going to see him again?"

"Oh, I don't know," Minako shrugged, bringing her knees to her chest.

"But don't you like him?"

"Obviously," Minako smiled smugly, shuffling her feet beneath the satin sheets. Rei once more blushed, and rolled her eyes at her flirty friend. Minako then became serious quickly, as she often did, and sipped her juice. "But it's never as simple as that, not since..."

"I'm sorry, don't think about him. I'm sure you had a better night than the rest of us at any rate." They giggled and for a few moments they sat in silence, sipping casually at their drinks. Rei was the only one, besides Artemis, that knew Minako’s complete story about her time spent in London. Minako had been so proud of pushing it all behind her, but one night the secrets became too much, and Rei had been the only one there. She would never forgive herself for her loose tongue, but secretly she was glad to get that burden off her chest, even if she wouldn’t admit it to even herself.

"Can I ask you a question, Rei-chan?"

"Sure."

"Do you ever wonder what our lives would've been like if we had restored the Silver Millennium?"

"Of course."

"Do you ever wonder what we were like? What we did?"

Rei shook her head. "One life is enough to deal with."

"I know," Minako sighed. "I just-I don't remember everything, but I remember enough to make me wonder, and sometimes...wish that we had what we had back then."
Rei understood her friend, and smiled encouragingly. "I don't know if I could've made the decision."

"She made the choice for us, and we must believe it was the right one," Rei said and then added with a smirk, “even if it is Usagi.”

"Yes, I know." The two friends smiled at each other, and Rei grasped the other girl’s hand tightly. "What are you doing here anyways?"

"To show you, you're not alone."

+++

He walked the busy streets of Tokyo as the sun shone down brightly. The noon sun had drawn many workers from their buildings to sit and eat outside on this warm sun splashed day. He found the selection in the vending machine less than tempting, and quickly switched out of his scrubs.

He found an open table outside and gratefully sat down. He needed some time to think, some time to breathe away from his duties-- all of them. With a cool glass in hand, he absentmindedly watched the crowds, getting lost in the sea of endless faces. Soon they would look to him and his powerful queen, soon they would be led into a new world; but how soon, and to what extent? Unexpectedly, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd, and felt the urge not to be alone anymore.

"Hey, Setsuna-san!" The crimson eyes flashed in his direction and her high-heeled feet stopped in mid-step. She stared at her future king with a hesitant expression until he smiled and waved her over. "Hello, Setsuna-san."

"Good afternoon, Mamoru-san."

"Where are you off to?"

"Oh, just back home."

"Care to join me for a little bit then?"

"Join you, well I-All right." Setsuna blushed slightly, before leveling her face once more with a placid smile. She sat down stiffly and Mamoru watched as the wind from passing cars played with her long hair.

"How are you and the others?"

"Quite fine, it has not been long since we were together, what with Usagi-chan's party and all."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. It just seems like I didn't get to talk to you as much as I would've liked." Mamoru mentally berated himself and his weak attempts at small talk. He was never very good at it. They fell silent after the waiter arrived at their table, each staring into their respective laps.

"Why did you call me over, Mamoru-san?"

He sighed. "You're my friend, aren't you? So why not? Besides, I decided I needed some company."

She smiled genuinely, and he couldn't help but smile back. "Are you having a busy day?"

"No, not really. I just, well, had things to think about and I thought getting outside would help.” He stopped for a moment, watching her absentmindedly tap her long finger against the checkered table cloth. Setsuna was always so quiet and reserved, so much more mature than any of the Senshi. She wasn’t known for nervous habits, which made him wonder what she was thinking at this moment. “Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Mamoru-san."

"We are friends…right? In the future?"

Her eyes shifted away and peered at the unfocused silhouettes of cars flashing by. "Yes, we are friends in the future."

"I couldn't understand it back then, when we first went through time. I didn't understand how we would come to be close, but now I do."

"How so?"

"We are both dark and mysterious and brooding. We take comfort in that I think, in the solitude. But the truth is we're not alone, and we never really wanted to be in the first place. We were only waiting for someone to reach out to us." She relinquished the sharp breath she had unconsciously taken, and he smiled at her encouragingly. "Usagi rescued us."

"It was not Usagi that rescued me," Setsuna whispered to herself, her eyes cast down in her lap.

"What?"

"Can I ask you something now, Mamoru-san?"

"Sure, and please, it's just Mamoru."

"Would you do anything to ensure that the princess was happy?"

"Yes."

"Even, if for a moment in time, it made her unhappy?"

"If, in the long run I could make her life better, then yes. What is this about?"

The mysterious senshi sighed and took a long sip of her wine. "Just remember, Mamoru-san, the future is not stagnant. Time flows and ebbs like the rivers. The end might be the same in some way, but the paths we take can change." She stood up and deposited some change from her purse upon the table.

"Setsuna-san, what is this about?"

"You will see. Good-day, Mamoru-san."

+++

The door to the two-bedroom apartment swung open upon polished brass hinges, ushering in the man of the house. Habit led him to toss his jingling keys on the table and remove his shoes, and experience led him to brace himself for the oncoming attack. Usagi usually appeared to attack him, or her robust voice echoed his name through the small apartment excitedly, but the air was still today. With confusion, he opened his eyes, viewing the empty apartment.

"Usako?" he called, noticing her purse on the couch. His feet padded quietly across the floor, his eyes scanning first the kitchen and then the bathroom. The door to the guest room was left open and dark. He came to a stop and gazed at the last closed door before him. "Usagi?"

Gently, he opened the door to their bedroom, and with a sigh, found the object of his affections cross-legged upon the bed. A multitude of picture-laden books placed around her, spread open to reveal happy sunny days caught forever in a moment, and pictures of family and friends. She viewed them with an enraptured expression and looked like she had never gotten out of bed. Her hair was undone, falling about the bed in sinuous rivers, and his dress shirt draped over her delicate frame.

"Didn't you hear me call you?"

"All these memories..."

"Usako?" Reaching out, he grasped her chin, pulling her eyes to his. He had seen this look before, on the families of his patients as they waited for news. It was a sad reflective expression as they prayed for things to be all right, and reminisced about those times past when they were fine. "Honey…what is wrong?" He watched as her eyes became glossy, and felt the jerk as she moved out of his reach.

"Everything is going to change, and this," she motioned to the photo albums, "this will be a fantasy. At least being Sailor Moon, I could disappear back into my normal life, but now…now I will be her all the time, and there’s no dark alley I can de-transform in anymore. Oh Mamo-chan!"

In an instant, she buried her face into his chest, and seconds later, his arms were tightly wrapped around her. He closed his eyes to collect himself and pressed his face into her soft silken hair as he fought to find the comforting words he sought. But what could he say to this? In the end, he allowed his embrace to suffice, and smoothed her hair as she cried soundlessly in his arms.

"I don't want to let them down either. If I quit now, does that mean everything we went through was pointless? I want to protect everyone but I, I just want to be myself too. I don’t know if I can make this decision." she revealed finally in-between bitter sobs.

"It wouldn’t be pointless, and you could never let us down Usa, it's not possible. When the time comes to make a decision, you will be ready."

"But I'm not ready! I'm not sure I’m ready to let go of our life, Mamo-chan. I'm so happy now, and so is everyone else. I'm definitely not ready to be a ruler. I don't know the difference between a republic and a democracy; I'm not even really sure what we are anyways."

"It took some time for you to grow as Sailor Moon, and I seriously doubt you would learn to become a queen overnight. But the future is proof that you will excel at it. And we're a constitutional monarchy."

"See! I'm hopeless, and she, she was perfect. I felt her during the Black Moon crisis. It was me, but it wasn't me."

"Of course it was you, Usako. You're unique penmanship showed that," he chuckled, trying to free her smile once more.

"No, Mamo-chan." She looked directly into his eyes, a dark light in them he was not used to seeing. "There was something else. She was something more. You felt it too, didn't you? With him?"

The earnestness in her eyes caught him off guard, and he stumbled upon an answer. "Well, I..."

She returned to her pictures, running a hand over them with reverence. "How can we become who we were meant to be, if we cannot remember who we were, either?"

"I don't understand?"

"I remember bits and pieces from then. Sometimes, if I concentrate real hard, I can remember whole conversations and places. But our pasts remain locked away somewhere. She too is a mystery to me. But they, she, him, all of them, they are us! Don't you ever wonder how we first met, Mamo-chan? For the very, very first time? Don't you wonder what it was like?"

With a sigh, he finally sat down on the bed, picking up a few scattered photographs. "Of course I do. I think about what my parents were like, and I have thought about what the Shitennou were like before everything changed. Friends and family, they all died long ago for me. But Usako, we don't need them anymore. We have now, and all these memories that I know we will never forget."

"So, even if you could, you would never want to remember our past?"

"I don't know, Usako. I worry how it will change us. Besides, what has the past to do with the present, or our future? All this jumping around in time is crazy, Usako, you need to calm down."

"I know, I'm just-"

He smiled reassuringly, reaching out to catch her hand. "I know. We will be with you Usako, and I will be beside you, all the way."

The Dawn of Serenity

The pages of the book began to blur. The day had been long, and his strength was beginning to wane. With a sigh, he closed the book and placed his glasses upon it. With a whimsical smile, he then focused upon the sweet head crowned in a corona of gold in his lap. Blonde hair pooled over the couch and his dark slacks, shining in the light of the television. She had fallen asleep watching it, and his leg had fallen asleep long ago as well. He gazed at her parted lips, and felt every breath that passed through them.

His thoughts traveled back to his mysterious conversation with Setsuna, and the things Usagi had revealed to him a few hours ago. What could have Setsuna been talking about, he wondered. Usagi's concerns tonight furthered his theories about the timekeeper’s cryptic words. Perhaps Crystal Tokyo was not going to happen in this time frame, and perhaps Usagi's true wishes would be finally honored. It would make sense, as Setsuna had said something about Usagi being happy. That was what his wife wished, just to be happy; happy and normal.

"Breaking news, just in." The dramatic music and enthusiasm in the newscaster's voice brought his eyes to the television screen. "History has been made in only the last few hours. Scientists at the U.S. National Observatory at Kitt Peak have stumbled upon the greatest find this decade, and perhaps this century."

As the blurry image flashed upon the screen, every part of him tensed as the blood began to rush to his head. Images from the past, present, and future stormed across his memory, every sensation burning within. His theories engulfed in flames, disintegrating like ash before him.

"Scientists were surprised by its sudden appearance, and think it may have an irregular and large orbit that finally let it pass into our view this month. They are not sure what to make of it yet, and they are still unsure as to what to name it, but all that they know will be revealed during the press conference tomorrow. Even though Pluto has been recently demoted to a dwarf planet, scientists are calling this new discovery the tenth planet. How exciting for astronomers everywhere."

The name escaped his mouth like a curse. "Nemesis."

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