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Diamohns are Forever	By : SailorSol Category: Sailor Moon > General Views: 22490 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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SECONDARY EFFECTS

Aster woke with the sun�s rising, as always. She was suddenly aware that she was not in her bed, she was not with Sean or Haruka, and she was not wearing anything.

She looked up to see Joben gazing down at her, the love in his eyes as steadfast and thorough as if the last ten thousand years had never happened.

�Morning,� he said. �Did you enjoy yourself?�

�Yes,� she said. �I forgot where I was, for a moment.�

�Do you want to forget?� he asked, his hurt reflected in his eyes. Kunzite, even when he was Atlas, had hidden his feelings behind his eyes, until she Bonded to him. For Joben, now and in the Silver Millennium, his eyes truly were the windows to his soul.

�Absolutely not,� she said. �In fact, I�d like to do this again.�

�We could arrange that,� he said, smiling.

There was a sound of movement, and Sakura�s tousled head made an appearance from behind Joben.

�Does that mean all of us?� he inquired.

�Of course, dear,� Aster said, smirking. �Separating you two would be like trying to separate Endymion and Serenity.�

She looked around them, and realized that all nine of the satellite warriors that she had met last night were lying about the room, singly or in couples or groups. Closest to her was Ichiro, with Toriko pressed up against him. Even the body doubles seemed to pair up along the same lines as their counterparts. She saw Midori curled up with Kurano, as well. Akari and Meiko were wrapped around one another, since their �partners� were busy with Aster.

�Is there somewhere that I can clean up?� Aster asked.

Joben smiled and gestured to a door on the far end of the room, opposite the door where they had entered.

Carefully, Aster climbed to her feet. Her muscles ached, but it was the pleasant ache that came from a night of strenuous activity in extremely pleasurable pursuits. She sighed sadly as she wove between couples, careful to avoid hands, feet, and hair.

Remembering the past night�s activities just reminded her of why she was here in the first place. Kunzite had not come to see her, as he had promised.

She entered the bathroom, relieved herself, and then went into the shower. She held onto her tears until the water was running, and then allowed them to fall, knowing that the running water would cover the sounds of her sorrow.

When she finished crying, she cleaned herself thoroughly, and then wrapped a large towel around herself and returned to the other room to find her clothes.

She found the others waiting for her, already dressed. The girls were all toweling wet hair except for Meiko, whose short hair dried quickly and without problems. She was applying makeup.

Smiling, Joben offered Aster her clothing, and they all politely did not look while she quickly dressed.

�We wanted to talk to you, Aster,� Ichiro said. �We wanted to know what we can do to help.�

�Nothing, really,� she said, sitting down. �These creatures are far out of your league. The best you could do, is to be available if we need someone to help us limp home, or something.�

�We are at your disposal, of course,� Ichiro said, smiling. �Now, what about the man that hurt you?�

�That�s between me and Pluto,� Aster said. �It wasn�t entirely his fault, I�m just being a bit on the defensive and unreasonable side. You see, Kishi Pluto Bonded to Sailor Neptune. That left me and Sailor Uranus high and dry. We Bonded to one another. Then, we both Bonded to Kishi Saturn.�

�Ouch,� Eiji said, wincing. �I�m certain Pluto would have been disappointed, if he hadn�t been out of his mind, first.�

�Well,� she said. �He turned up at Usagi and Mamoru�s wedding. He tried to explain to me, but I wasn�t listening. It just sounded like excuses to me. He was supposed to meet me at the Philharmonic. He met Neptune there, and he left with her. No explanations, no note, no phone call. Neptune left a note for Uranus, explaining what happened in simple terms.�

�Where is he?� Joben growled. The looks on Ichiro, Midori, and Sakura were no less angry.

�I�m not telling you,� she said. �I�ll handle it. Now, since the daimohn that appeared night before last, he says he has to stay separate. Uranus and Neptune tell me that he can�t, with his Bond to Neptune.�

�They may be right,� Akari said, her face thoughtful. �If Neptune has to fight, he will NEED to be there, in case she�s hurt. He can�t stay separate, now. It�s not possible. Giving it time might be the right thing, but I still don�t like him hurting you.�

�I can handle it,� Aster said. She handed Joben a card from her pocket. �Call me if you need anything. I�ll summon you if we need help.�

�We�ll give you our numbers next time,� Joben said. �Shall we say next Saturday?�

�That�s a date,� Aster said. �Now, I�ve got to get home. They�ll worry.� She rose to leave, and there was a knock on the door.

The door opened to reveal a slightly older woman.

�Is there an Aster in here?� she asked. �There is a rather dark looking man looking for a woman named Aster.�

�I�m coming,� Aster said, rising to her feet. She smiled at Joben as he got up to follow her.

�Maybe you shouldn�t come with me,� she said. �I don�t want to alarm him.�

�You called me Kunzite last night,� he said. �I don�t mind. Everyone knew that you loved him most of all. I�d rather be his stand-in than any one else, in everything.� He took her hand and kissed it, European style.

Aster blushed while everyone else whistled and cat-called. She scowled at them, and then walked over to the door. She put her shoes back on and then walked out, with one last look back at Joben.

In the reception area of the club, Washino stood stiffly in his black suit while people worked around him, cleaning and straightening things up.

�You didn�t have to follow me, Kage,� she told him as she approached. She turned to the woman at the counter and asked about the bill for the party she had been with.

�They are not charged for their rooms or drinks,� the woman said. �You were part of their party.�

�Very well,� Aster said. She took a card from the reception desk, and smiled at the name of the club �The Senshi House�.

She turned and followed Washino out of the building and to where she had parked her car. She unlocked the car and climbed in, allowing him to take the driver�s seat and handing him the keys.

She allowed her thoughts to drift while Washino drove through the early morning streets. He brought the Ferrari to a stop in the driveway of the House of the Sun. Before Aster could open her door, it was opened for her by her partner.

�You got a heck of a method for gettin� to a fella,� he said. �Did you do that on purpose?�

�Not a chance, Taiyono,� she said. �I was enjoying myself. I�m sorry if it distressed you.�

�I jus� don� understan� how you can get so much pleasure out of somethin� like THAT,� Vincent said, following her up to the door, and then into the house.

�When done properly,� Aster said. �With enough preparation and stimulation, it can be quite pleasurable. I refused to let Takara�s abuse stop me from being what I should be. Why are you letting your brother win?�

�How did y�all know it was my brother?� Vincent wanted to know while Aster hugged Hotaru in greeting and then dropped down on the couch next to Haruka.

�Kunzite mentioned a sibling,� she said. �You�re not afraid of women, so that only leaves brothers.�

�I never thought about it that way,� he said. �I promise I�ll think about it, honey.�

�If you doubt me,� she said. �Ask Nathan and Quentin what sex with a man is like. I�m sure they�ll wax poetic, given half a chance.�

�No doubt,� Vincent said. �Ah�m glad you�re safe, honey. I�ll tell Akari you�re okay.�

�I�ll be over myself shortly,� Aster said. �I have something I need to talk to her about.�

�By th� way,� Vincent said. �I went to the tree house t� find ya, an� I found this.� He handed her a thornless pink rosebud, and a note.

�It was on the futon,� he said, then turned to leave.

With shaking hands, Aster unfolded the note.

Dearest Hoshiko;

Something has happened. We are unable to open gates to your world sufficient to visit it. We intercepted a message from Takara telling Beryl that his powers seemed to be waning.

Something is happening in your world that is affecting ours. You mentioned a growing cold and a shadow on the sun. These could be signs of whatever this is.

I suddenly fear that I will never see you again. If that happens, then neither of us needs to wonder what will happen when we face one another on the battlefield.

I will always love you, saiai, and if this is to be our final communication, then let this be the last thing I say. I have loved you, no matter what. Nothing, not even death, will still what I feel for you.

Kunzite

Aster felt hot tears sliding down her cheeks. She collected her thoughts and decided to test the theory. She formed the image in her mind of what she wished to create: a rose of flawless pink-tinted crystal. She put down the note and cupped her hands, and focused her attention and her will on creating the rose.

The air in the space between her hands started to glow, and then shimmer, and took on a pink tint. A small crystal started to form, but then the glow died and the crystal disintegrated into nothingness.

She closed her eyes and began sobbing quietly while she picked up the note and handed it to Haruka. She heard a rustling of paper as her lover read it, and then she heard Haruka lift the receiver of the phone and dial a number.

�It�s me,� she heard Haruka say. �You two had better get over here as quickly as possible. Something�s come up. I don�t want to discuss it over the phone. I�m taking Aster over to Moon-Face�s house, and calling a general meeting. I do have the authority. Right now, the Warleader is incapacitated. She�s too upset to talk. Right, half an hour. We�ll be waiting.�

Aster let Haruka help her to her feet and lead her through the house. She let Haruka put garden shoes on her feet for the walk over to the house she and her sister had given Mamoru and Usagi. She let Haruka take the shoes off of her at the solarium, and then let Vincent pick her up and carry her when he met them at the door.

Through it all, she could not stop crying.

She could not shake the conviction that the Shitennou were going to die before she could get them to come back. She was never going to see Kunzite again, and she was never going to hear Zoisite�s laughter again. Nephrite would never make her crystal sculptures again. Jadeite would never bring her another dragon.

Vincent sat her down on a couch in the main room, where she was immediately embraced by Usagi on one side, and Akari on the other.

She stopped stifling her sobs and let them go, wracking her body even more than when Takagi had first left her. That was only unfaithfulness. This was the end of something that had started ten thousand years ago, perhaps forever. No one knew if the spirits of the Shitennou would be able to escape the Dark Kingdom.

She didn�t know how long she cried. She only knew that her eyes were burning and swollen, her throat was sore, and she couldn�t breathe through her nose.

She was blowing her nose when she heard the footgate squeal, and moments later the door opened and nearly slammed shut.

�Where is she?� Takagi demanded. �What is going on?�

�What do you care, Pluto?� Aster asked bitterly. Her voice was rough from her crying, but she was absolutely certain that she didn�t want him there. She became aware that Sean was leaning on the back of the couch, stroking her hair to try and help her calm down.

�I never said I didn�t care,� Takagi said, approaching her. �I said I had to remain apart. You said you understood.�

�No,� Aster said carefully. �I said I respected your decision and I would abide by it. I also said that I thought we could change with the times. I never said that I understood, or that I agreed. If all you�re going to do is justify your mistakes, then go away.�

�We came here because we were summoned,� he said. �We were told that something had come up that could not be discussed over the phone.�

�We only want to say this once,� Haruka said.

�Are you stepping in as Warleader?� Takagi asked. �Is Aster stepping down?�

�Uranus is my Second,� Aster said. �I�m not in any shape to tell everyone. She and Venus are in charge, right now.�

�What happened?� Takagi demanded.

�I got a � note � from Kunzite,� Aster got out, before she remembered the contents of the note and started sobbing again.

�You know,� Usagi said, more than a little irritated. �You are getting as good as your partner at cold and cruel. Are you taking lessons from her?�

�That was uncalled for, Princess,� Takagi said coldly.

�I disagree,� Mamoru said. �I think she is absolutely correct. You are being very callous, Pluto. You haven�t even inquired about why Aster is upset.�

Takagi was saved from answering by the entrance of the other Kishi. They all filed in, greeting Mamoru by name, and then they draped themselves into one seat or another, Nathan and Quentin together, the other Kishi with the girls they were seeing, and Thomas next to Akari.

�Well, everyone is here now,� Takagi said.

�Not yet,� Minako said. She came into the main room with Hana and Toshiro behind her.

�Now everyone�s here,� she said.

Toshiro went straight to Aster, pulled her out of the couch, and then sat down where she had been, and pulled her into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her shuddering torso, and then looked at Haruka.

�Tell us what happened to do this to her,� he said. �If it�s Takagi, I�ll have a discussion with him outside.�

�She was supposed to see Kunzite last night,� Haruka said. �She thought he stood her up, so she went elsewhere. This morning, Vincent found a note for her in the tree house where they were supposed to meet.�

Everyone was silent while Haruka read the note, except for Aster�s renewed sobs.

�That means they�re trapped, doesn�t it?� Makoto asked in the ensuing silence.

�Yes,� Haruka said. �It could mean that they die.�

�No!� ChibiUsa cried out, and then ran across the room to climb into Aster�s lap.

Toshiro let out a grunt as the extra weight settled onto his lap, as well.

�I saw them!� she insisted. �I saw them downstairs in the palace! They�re there! That means they don�t die!�

�Small Lady!� Takagi called out. �You can�t tell anyone things about the future!�

�Shut up, Pluto!� ChibiUsa cried. �She has a right to know! You need her, and you don�t even know why! You�re just being stubborn!�

�Leave her alone, Pluto,� Aster said, her voice hoarse. �You�re just being a jerk, right now.� She folded her arms around the young girl, and buried her face between the pink odango.

�Takagi, we have to stay,� Michiru said. �You can�t stay separate from the others, because of me.�

�It�s what we were taught,� he said. �The timekeepers stay separate. It�s always been that way.�

�It�s always been the way that Uranus and I Bonded to one another, and to no one else,� she argued. �Now, I�m Bonded to you, and to her. She�s Bonded to Sol and Kishi Saturn. Sol�s Bonded to both of them. Things are changing. Or is it because of the Bond with Saturn that you don�t want to stay?�

�I won�t deny being disappointed,� Takagi said. �I always wanted to be Bonded to her. I never expected to be Bonded to you. I don�t regret it, Michiru, but I can�t help but wonder why.�

He turned towards Aster, and took a few steps in her direction.

�Nikkou?� he said. �It was supposed to be you. You know that, don�t you?�

�I hated you,� she said, her voice muffled by ChibiUsa�s hair. �Some unreasonable part of me thought that you�d done it on purpose. All I knew was that you hurt me, and you hurt a woman I loved deeply. It was never like that before, Korio. The times they were in our lives, we all lived together. I put everything away and locked your room. I never wanted to see it again.�

�What about now?� he asked, his voice breaking. He was beginning to realize what Hosyu had meant about her not liking him much.

�I don�t know,� she said, lifting her head to look at him. �I don�t want to get hurt again. I don�t want Haruka hurt. Beyond that, I can�t find it in me to care much. You left me, twice. You may not have decided to the second time, but you did the first time. You decided to leave, when I really needed some moral support. I�m sure you thought that you were being noble and giving us some space, but you never asked me what I wanted or needed. You kept saying that you love me, but you never asked me what I think I need. You just decided for me.�

She hugged ChibiUsa once more, and then encouraged the girl to get out of her lap. She hugged and kissed Toshiro, and then got up from his lap.

�Do what you want, Korio,� she said finally. �Stay if you want, go if you want. I�m not going to expect either. That way, you can�t hurt me again. I may trust you again, one day, but right now I can�t see that day coming any time soon.�

TBC
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Diamohns are Forever