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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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Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all characters and settings are copyrighted by Naoko Takeuchi & her associates. Anything you don't recognize is our own invention, as is the plot and the 'background.' No money is being made here. This is just our way of playing. No offense intended.

OBERON

Aster walked along the festival pathways with her companions, finally beginning to believe that everything just might be over. In the last two months since Choas had been contained once more, the only thing of note that had happened was that some Satellite Warriors had shown up, and Lucinda and Lita had borne their children within half an hour of one another.

With typical efficiency, the government had begun clearing the rubble, burying or burning the dead, and restoring utility services. Every once in a while, the rubble clearing would release a chaos creature that needed to be dealt with, but after everything they had been through, the creatures were easy.

Lucinda's bouncing baby boy had caused a great deal of stir, and an influx of presents that nearly equaled the arrivals when the births of Shinjuko and Ryu had been announced. Everyone related to her husband in any fashion had sent well-wishes and presents to the new heir to the Fushida line.

Wandering along, Aster spotted something unusual in Japan. Two women were standing at a booth that sold musical instruments. Their copper-red hair gleamed in the sun.

Following an impulse, Aster separated from her friends to approach the two women. When she got closer to them, she sensed something that she did not expect. Both women were radiating Planet Power.

More certain of her purpose and their reaction, she approached both of them.

�We�ll have plenty o� time t� look around, Celia,� the older woman told the other in English. �We haveta find Sean an� tell him we got tired o� not seein� �im.�

�An� how are we gonna be after findin� him in this great crowd, Dierdre?� Celia asked in the same language. �We�re never gonna find �im.�

�I might be able to help,� Aster said in English.

�An� how can you be helpin� us?� Dierdre asked. �Ye don� even know who we�re after lookin� for.�

�Actually, I know exactly who you�re looking for, Sailor Calypso,� Aster said softly. �I know both your brother in this life, and the other member of your triad in other lives.�

�How d� ye �� Dierdre�s voice trailed off as she took a good look at the younger woman in front of her. �Of course ye�d know. I didn�t know ye at first, Warleader.�

�Ye know where Charon is?� the other woman asked, her face anxious.

�Yes,� Aster said, smiling. �He usually shadows me as usual, but today he�s shadowing Sean. I�m not being watched, for a change.�

�Then we�ll come with you,� Dierdre said. �We havena seen Sean since he left Ireland, the last time.�

�The Planetary Energy booth is down this walkway,� Aster said, gesturing. �Just keep going, and you�ll see the logo for the company.� She reached into her kimono and pulled out a laminated card.

�Give this to one of the men at the booth,� she said. �They�ll let you into the back area, and you should be able to find Sean. He�ll be happy to see you.�

�Do you � know where Hades is?� Celia asked hesitantly.

�He�s around,� Aster said, waving her hands at all of the milling people. �You�ll find him when you need him.�

�Find who?� another voice, belonging to Chimei, interrupted the conversation.

�You!� Celia cried delightedly. She threw her arms around the muscular man, crying in happiness.

�Cerberus,� he murmured against her shoulder-length red hair. �I�d despaired of seeing you before the disaster. Now, we will be as whole as we were in the Silver Millennium.�

�Better than I�d hoped,� she said, wiping her eyes. �Take us to Charon.�

Chimei nodded to Aster, then he led the two of them away towards their destination.

~*~*~*~

Masato Sanjuin looked around him at the Chrysanthemum Festival and sighed in frustration. He had arrived in Tokyo two days before, and the entire time had been an exercise in frustration for him.

The professionals who accompanied him to Japan were pleased to tell him that the inventory the company owned, kept in warehouses in Yokohama, had suffered no damage whatsoever. The personnel who had managed the warehouses were also mainly unscathed, since they lived in Yokohama.

The office personnel, though, had almost all lived in and around Tokyo. Also, the attack, if one wanted to call it that, had occurred during the day, immediately disrupting traffic. Most of the office personnel were among those people confirmed dead. The rest were on the list of �missing.�

All of the people at the festival had one thing in common: they wore a white armband to show their mourning for the city, and the dead. The entire festival was set up around a large box made of glass and brass, half filled with tiny slips of paper. Each piece of paper held the name of one of the lost. There was a small slit in the top of the box, and small tables with slips of paper and pens around it. People were standing in line to add the name of a friend or loved one who was no more to the memorial.

Masato ran his hands through his abundant auburn hair and sighed again. He had to find the Sailor Senshi, Endymion, and Sailor Pluto in particular. He had to tell them what happened, all that time ago.

Masato was about to use some of his Dark Powers to make a search for Planet Power when he felt a flare of Dark energy. He immediately headed towards the source, certain that it did not bode well.

When he arrived at the site of the power flare, he was confronted with a sight out of his worst nightmares that froze him in his tracks.

Nephrite had bound Sailor Pluto in her civilian form, his beloved Setsuna, with Negative energy and was running his hands all over her body. She was trapped under him on the grass and struggled to free herself as he manhandled her.

Her screams were muffled by his powers, but Masato launched himself at his copy, intent on stopping him, no matter what the cost. His attack caught Nephrite off-guard and the two of them rolled away from Setsuna and into the edges of the small clearing.

Masato lost track of time. All he could think of was that this was the man who had made the others think he had betrayed his oath as Endymion�s guard, who had tried to turn Kishi Phobos to the Dark Kingdom, who had seduced and betrayed Sailor Ariel, and who had now added further injury by trying to violate the woman Masato loved above all else.

While the two of them grappled and fought, landing blows on one another in an attempt to do enough injury to disable their opponent, Masato was vaguely aware of the arrival of other people. He ignored them until an attack of planet power with the distinctive �flavor� of Sailor Uranus knocked them apart.

The two of them were ringed by Sailor Senshi. Sailor Moon stood forward, her face gathered into a scowl that would frighten nearly anyone. Behind the ring of Senshi, Masato could see a blonde woman lift Setsuna to her feet, and lead her away, followed by several other people.

Nephrite smirked at Sailor Moon.

�We meet again, Tsukino Usagi,� he said. �Did you forget that I knew who you were?�

�Nephrite!� Sailor Moon growled. �Why did you attack that woman? She wasn�t doing anything to you.�

�I know who she is,� he said. �I could feel her power from a distance. I could use that power under my control.�

�Never!� Masato cried. He yanked his token, the star ring that never left his hand, and in that act transformed for the first time in ten thousand years. Where Masato Sanjuin had once stood, was now Kishi Oberon. He flicked his wrist and suddenly held four throwing stars in his right hand. He manifested a ball of black energy in his left.

�Over my dead body,� he said quietly. Nephrite smiled.

�That will not be a problem,� he said. �I told the Queen she should have killed you. She wanted to hold you against Sailor Jupiter. She should have known better.�

�Nephrite!� Endymion�s voice, full of authority, startled both of them. �You will have to face us all before you get near her again!�

�Not today, princeling,� Nephrite said. �Your turn is coming, though.� He disappeared in a flash of light.

As soon as Nephrite had disappeared, Oberon turned to Endymion and dropped to his knees without taking a step.

�Endymion,� he said. �It was not me. I did not betray you. Metalia made a copy of me and it did her bidding. I never disavowed my Oath.�

�Let me see,� Sailor Jupiter stepped forward and looked down into Oberon�s eyes. Green bored into amethyst for an eternity.

Each of Endymion�s guards had a unique ability that made them essential to Endymion, and to the fighting unit that was the Senshi and Kishi. Oberon was the mystic of the four of them. He read the stars like some people read the morning paper. He could predict many things. He had known something was coming for months, before they were captured. The stars had never shown the exact nature of the threat. Oberon favored the direct approach in fighting, but often lost his cool during a fight and followed through with his temper leading the way.

After what seemed forever, Sailor Jupiter�s expression softened and became sorrowful. She threw herself into Oberon�s arms, crying. Kishi Sol stepped forward protectively, but Kishi Jupiter put a hand on his arm.

�She�s crying for him, Sol,� he said quietly. �For all he had to endure. He did not betray us, and he suffered a terrible fate for it.�

�Sometimes telepathic bonds are a disadvantage,� Sailor Mercury mused, standing next to her partner.

�Yes,� Kishi Jupiter said. �At least Higashi is complete, now.�

After their emotions were under control, Oberon and Jupiter stood up together. Endymion smiled at him and offered him his hand.

�Welcome back, Oberon,� he said. �We�ll relay to Sailor Pluto�s protectors that Nephrite and you are not the same person.�

�I�ll take him there myself,� Sailor Uranus said, stepping forward with her partner right behind her. �As soon as we take care of some business.�

Uranus reached out and grasped Oberon�s chin with deceptive gentleness. She drew his head towards her until their eyes met. Both felt something connect in the back of their minds.

�My turn,� Kishi Uranus nudged his partner aside and gazed into Oberon�s eyes himself.

�That�s more like it,� he said. He smiled at Oberon as he released him.

�We�ll take you to her now,� he said. �She needs you, more than she knows.� He beckoned Oberon into the bushes, where he dropped his Saracen sword and picked up a penknife to put in his pocket. Oberon followed his example, noticing with some amusement that he appeared completely different than in his transformed state.

�Follow me,� a voice at his side said. He turned to gaze again into the dark blue eyes of his female primary, now dressed in casual men�s clothing. He nodded mutely and followed her through the park.

~*~*~*~

Aster kept one arm around Setsuna while she steered the other Senshi towards her parked Rolls. She could feel Takagi right behind her, and then the Plutonian satellites behind him.

At the car, she fumbled for her remote and unlocked the doors. She opened the door with her spare hand and helped Setsuna get into the car.

Inside, Aster pulled several plastic containers from underneath one of the seats and opened them on the seat next to her.

�Let�s get you cleaned up,� she said.

�Th � that was � Oberon,� Setsuna stammered. She had wrapped her arms around herself, and she was shivering, as if she were cold.

�We knew they returned from their defeat by the Inners,� Aster said as she opened a package of moist towelettes and started dabbing at abrasions on Setsuna�s knees. The other woman hissed in pain and looked down at the injury.

�Why would he do something like that?� Setsuna asked, sounding very childlike at the moment.

�Well,� Aster said as she dabbed some disinfectant on the abrasions and moved on to a scratch on Setsuna�s face. �I�ve seen evidence that Kunzite remembers things from the Silver Millennium. We also know that Nephrite dealt with Phobos on a regular basis, and he ran into Ariel when they were attacking Tokyo. That could have awakened some things, but not others. He may remember the bare basics of the relationship that you shared, without remembering that he felt anything except desire.

�I have been informed that most denizens of the Dark Kingdom believe that love is a liability,� Aster continued. �It isn�t in the case of Kunzite and Zoisite. Their feelings for one another make them stronger. I know that Jadeite believes the liability myth, except where it relates to my brother, Yoshi. I find myself wondering what Jadeite thinks now that he has Yoshi there. At any rate, Nephrite may be a bit confused.�

�What about the other man?� Setsuna asked. �They looked exactly alike, and I felt Dark power in both of them.�

�I know,� Aster said, spraying liquid bandage over the scrapes. �That has me confused, as well. They both felt like Nephrite. I hope that the others get it out of at least one of them. I�ll deal with Nephrite myself, later.�

�Can you do that?� Setsuna asked. �I mean, will he pay attention to you?�

�I can�t imagine Kunzite condoning that kind of behavior,� Aster said. �I�ll let Kunzite deal with his junior Tennou. I�ll just report the incident.�

�What should I do?� Setsuna asked her.

�We�ll try to jog his memory,� Aster said. �You used to send him ice roses, right? There�s a magnificent glass blower that could make something that looked like an ice rose. Or, we could get an ice sculptor to make a rose out of real ice, and keep it in the freezer.�

�How would we give it to him?� Setsuna asked.

�We�ll figure that out later,� Aster said. �Let�s stick with the glass idea, for now.�

�I�m afraid,� Setsuna said softly. �How do I deal with that?�

�I can give you the same advice I�ve given two other women,� Aster said. �If you let fear keep you from Oberon, you will regret it for the rest of your life. Courage isn�t a lack of fear, it�s continuing in spite of the fear. Why are you afraid, anyway?�

�My grandfather,� Setsuna said quietly.

�Your grandfather loved you,� Aster said. �How could he make you afraid?�

�You remember that I became Sailor Pluto long before my brother became Kishi Pluto,� Setsuna said quietly.

Aster nodded sadly.

�That was the worst day of my life,� Aster said. �Until the battle on the moon. We were always so happy, Bara, and it all stopped when they called you away.�

�My grandmother couldn�t hold on anymore,� Setsuna said. �She was dying. She died when the power was transferred. My grandfather was there. The partners have to be there. The power has to be balanced, or it will kill the people involved.�

�I didn�t know that,� Aster said quietly. �My brother was there. He had his power before me. I thought he just � wanted to be there.�

�He had to be,� Setsuna said. �Now, put yourself in my place. I was five years old, I was suddenly Sailor Pluto, my grandmother had just died in front of me, and my grandfather was the only other person there.�

�You � looked at him,� Aster whispered. �The planet call! You were five!�

�Yes,� Setsuna said. �I was five, and he was bereft. When the fever died down, he went into limbo. He did not come out until my brother was of age. Then, after my brother was Kishi Pluto, he told my brother to take him to limbo and leave him there. I think he died there � except � �

�Except what?� Aster asked. �We used to tell one another everything. Why didn�t you tell me? Why didn�t you come to me?�

�You were too young,� Setsuna said. �You were still innocent. If I had told you, you never would have let a man touch you.�

�If you had told me,� Aster said. �You might not have lived your life in fear. My brother and I might have been able to show you that your experience was not normal.�

�I think it is too late, now,� Setsuna said.

�It�s only too late when you give up,� Aster said. �Do you want to be afraid forever?�

�No,� Setsuna said. �I�m still afraid.�

�I�ll help you,� Aster promised. �Come home with us after the festival.�

�I�ll consider it,� she replied.

~*~*~*~

Masato and his escort came out of the park at a parking lot, and he saw three men and two women standing near a small limousine of a very strange color. As he approached, Masato tried to make up his mind whether it was silver or gold.

�Its electrum,� Sailor Uranus told him. �My name�s Haruka again, by the way. You have to run the gauntlet to get to Setsuna, though. That�s her partner and satellites there. Charon isn�t exactly the forgiving type.�

�I well know that,� Masato said. �Setsuna is in the car?� She nodded, and then whistled shrilly. The three men looked up, and Masato could almost see them tense for a fight. Makoto smiled at Masato and then turned and walked back towards the festival.

�He�s not Nephrite,� Haruka said as she led Masato to them. �Nephrite was a Negaverse-born copy.�

�So we have been informed,� Washino, said. �I do not know if the Warleader is convinced. You know how she is about any of the other Senshi, particularly her neighbors.� Next to him, Celia folded her arms and scowled at him.

�Hai, wakaru� Haruka said. �Let me try to explain it.�

�No,� Takagi said. �Not right now. Setsuna�s hasn�t come to terms with the Planet Bond. Forcing this after what happened today could destroy her.�

�His presence could help her,� Haruka argued. �You know how stabilizing a soul bond can be.�

�Yes,� Takagi admitted, and then sighed. �I will talk to both of them.� He turned around and opened the door of the limousine and slipped inside. Washino and the two with him stood between Masato and his seeing inside the car.

An agonizingly long time later, the door to the car opened again. Takagi came out, followed by a blonde woman that Masato had no trouble recognizing.

�Warleader,� he said, bowing to her. She inclined her head, but her entire manner was unfriendly, as if she regarded him as a threat.

The third person to climb out of the car was the green-haired, ruby-eyed goddess that Masato had been searching for. He took an involuntary step forward and froze at the sound of a blade being unsheathed. The Warleader now held a bare tanto whose edge looked to be razor sharp.

�I mean no harm, Warleader,� he said. �I have waited so long for this moment. Please, I will not hurt her.�

�You�re right,� the blonde replied, lowering the blade but not resheathing it. �You won�t. My name is Fushida Aster. Use it.� She turned and looked over her shoulder at Setsuna, whose eyes were fixed on him in hope and distrust.

�You don�t have to, Setsuna-chan,� she murmured. Masato would have been jealous if he had been paying attention. The confidence between the two women was almost tangible.

�I have to know,� Setsuna whispered. Aster nodded reluctantly and stepped to one side, the naked blade held in her hand with a deceptive casualness that spoke of skill.

Masato stepped forward again until he was an arms� length from Setsuna.

�I did not break faith with you,� he said. �Loyalty and duty above all else, even love. I stayed true to my Prince, and true to you.�

�How can I believe you?� she asked. He knelt at her feet and gently took one trembling hand into his.

�Look into my eyes, Setsuna,� he said, gazing up at her. He saw a look of longing flicker across Aster�s face, but she kept her silence and he promised himself that he would speak to Setsuna about it later.

Hesitant and afraid, the ruby eyes slowly moved to meet his. When they did, everything either of them knew was passed between them.

As Sailor Jupiter had before her, Setsuna dropped to her knees, threw her arms around Masato, and began sobbing. She pressed herself against him as if she were trying to make them one person, so that they could never be separated again.

Masato felt, more than heard, five of the six nearby people leave. When he looked up, the only person standing nearby was Kishi Hades. His eyes met those of Setsuna�s constant companion, and Masato nodded slightly. He knew Hades loved her. He would try to show her how many people loved her, and that she did not need to be alone.

TBC
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Diamohns are Forever