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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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RETURN TO THE SUN

Sol woke refreshed and without a headache. She smiled to see Zoisite curled on the other side of Kunzite, wrapped securely in their lover�s massive arm, sound asleep. She slipped out of the bed, showered, dressed, and left her quarters. She had to think, and she couldn�t do that wrapped in Kunzite�s arms and his scent.

Feelings that had been vague for months had suddenly crystallized in her dreams last night. For the first time in a long time, she remembered clearly who she was, and what she was. Her past as a Sailor Senshi swam in her head, along with her present in the Dark Kingdom. During her time here, the four generals had shown her kindness and love. She was certain that Metalia�s hold on their minds was slipping, and that she could reclaim them and once again make them Endymion�s guards. She prayed she could. In the meantime, she would simply have to be Soladite and play the part.

She walked down the hallway, ruminating on her situation. She had to make sure that her behavior did not change, around anyone. It would be no hardship to pretend dependency on Kunzite. She still was more than willing to worship at his feet.

She never saw, heard, or felt the attack coming. The attack was automatically repelled before she was even aware of it.

She spun around in the direction that the attack had come from, to see Galaxite, black energies around his hand, and a baffled look on his face.

�Don�t try the sneak attack on me, Galaxite,� she hissed. �You are still no match for me.�

�You shouldn�t have been able to deflect that,� he said, frowning. �You shouldn�t have known it was coming.�

�You were mistaken,� she said.

�No,� he said. �Something is different about you.� His eyes flicked to her face, and then he disappeared.

Minutes later, Soladite heard Metalia�s voice, summoning her to the throne room.

She entered Metalia�s audience chamber silently as usual, and was relieved to see that no one was present except for the Queen and her son, Galaxite. For the first time, Sol could consciously compare him to Endymion, and the resemblance was startling. They were speaking quietly, but both stopped and turned in her direction.

�Approach, Soladite,� Metalia said. Sol did as she was told, and sank down to one knee, her right hand clenched at her left shoulder, eyes downcast. She always had taken this position in the past, and would continue to do so.

�Come closer, Soladite,� Metalia said, still frowning.

�If this is a bad time, My Queen,� Sol said. �I can return later.�

�I don�t think so,� Galaxite�s voice hissed in her ear suddenly. She raised her head to find his face inches from hers as his hands closed tightly on her wrists and he dragged her up the stairs of the dais.

�It�s changed, Mother,� he said. He grabbed a handful of her hair to pull her head back.

�How did you change the jewel?� Metalia demanded. Sol gazed at her, suddenly frightened. She knew they had to be talking about the jewel in her tiara. She had memories of looking at herself in a mirror and seeing a black jewel. When she had checked her appearance a short time ago, the jewel had been gold.

�Change what, my queen?� she asked, hating herself for the quaver of fear in her voice.

�This,� Metalia said, touching the tiara on Sol�s brow. When her finger contacted the gem in its center, her eyes widened, and then narrowed in anger.

�You will tell me how you did this, Sailor Sol,� she said. �Then I will decide your fate.�

�I don�t know exactly what you mean,� Sol protested. �I don�t know how it changed. I didn�t give it any thought.�

�Liar!� Galaxite exploded, catching her unprepared with the back of his hand, powered by the full strength of his well-muscled arm. For a few moments, Sol�s senses swam in a red haze and she tasted blood, then her head slowly cleared.

�You understood the significance of the change in the color of your jewel,� Metalia hissed. �Do not lie to me, Senshi.�

�I am not lying, My Queen� Sol protested. �I have never lied to you. I do not know how it changed, and I did not give it a second thought when I saw it in the mirror.�

Metalia seemed to consider her words, as well as her posture. Nothing about her body language had changed from the day before. She truly had given no thought to the significance of what appeared to be a minor change. Perhaps the indoctrination and the attachment to Kunzite were more effective than she thought.

Remembering why she had summoned her in the first place, Metalia made the girl�s aura visible, checking for any changes.

What she found displeased her greatly.

�Do you know what the Inflexible Laws are, Soladite?� she asked.

�Yes, My Queen,� Sol responded. �Never disobey the Queen. Never disobey a direct order from someone higher ranked than you, unless it conflicts with orders from someone higher than them, or from the Queen. Never get caught in your plots or schemes for advancement. Never breed.�

�Well done, Soladite,� Metalia said, her voice was as cold as the depths of space. �You have disobeyed one of these Laws.�

�Not knowingly, My Queen,� Sol replied. �I would never disobey you, and I have done everything the Shitennou have told me to.�

�I will not lose so capable a General to birthing,� Metalia said coldly. �Galaxite, see to it that she does not continue to bear unborn life. Use no magics, they are useless against her in her condition.�

***** *****

Kunzite teleported into Metalia�s throne room, in answer to her summons. Zoisite teleported alongside him. Neither of them had seen Soladite when they woke, but they assumed that they would see her when they arrived.

They had never been so displeased to be correct.

Soladite lay in a pool of blood the middle of the floor, before Metalia�s throne. Galaxite stood over her, his knuckles bruised and blood on his boots. Her face was so badly bruised that the only thing recognizable about her was her gold-trimmed uniform and her abundant red-gold hair.

�Stay where you are, Kunzite,� Metalia said as soon as they looked at Soladite. �Soladite has broken one of the Inflexible Laws and she has been punished for it.�

�What could she have possibly done, My Queen?� Kunzite asked, desperate to save Soladite but held in place by his fear for what Metalia might do to Zoisite. Since Tanzanite�s capture by the Sailor Senshi, Zoisite had been more dependent on him than ever.

�She�s bearing a child,� Galaxite said. �She knew that it was punishable by death, but she did it anyway.� He savagely kicked Soladite in the side.

She rolled over onto her back, her shining golden hair turning crimson with her blood.

�You�re just mad,� she said hoarsely. �You want it to be yours.� She coughed, and blood appeared on her lips.

Unable to stand it anymore, Kunzite broke away from Zoisite and knelt next to Soladite.

She looked up at him, her golden eyes still as clear as they had always been. With a start, he realized that the jewel in her tiara, formerly as black as onyx, was now the color of honey. Somehow, she was no longer of the Dark Kingdom any more. Now, she was once again Sailor Sol.

�Kunzite, aisuru,� she whispered as he gathered her into his arms. �Aishiteru, Kunzite-sama. I don�t regret one moment that we spent together.�

�Aishiteru, Hoshiko,� he whispered into her hair, his words for her ears alone. He gently lifted her chin and pressed a kiss to her bloodied lips, ignoring the blood that was soaking his uniform.

�Then send me home,� she whispered. �Don�t make them wonder what happened to me. Send me back to the Senshi.� The last words out of her mouth died away and she became limp in his arms.

Kunzite tightened his arms around her, desperate to keep something of her warmth before he complied with what could be her last request.

The only glimmer of hope in the situation was that she could be detransformed on Earth. The power coursing through her should heal the worst of her injuries and stabilize her. A second transformation could make the injuries mere nuisances.

He closed his eyes and let his tears fall as he spun power around her still form and did as she asked him: he sent her back to the other people she loved, even if it was only to die.

***** *****

Lucinda sat wrapped up in her husband�s arms, watching Aster�s bonded partners cling to one another, and their planet partners. The only good to come from Aster�s sojourn in the Dark Kingdom, so far, was that it had brought Setsuna into the fold, finally.

Sailor Pluto had been drawn by her Planet partner�s anguish, and had stayed. Both Plutos were fully powered, now, for the first time in ten thousand years. Not only could Setsuna stop time in a limited area; in even smaller areas, she could reverse it. Now, she was one of the few people capable of assuaging Takagi�s pain, even for a small time. It helped that she loved Aster as much as he did, once she allowed herself to admit it.

Lucinda turned her head away from Vincent and nuzzled at the golden head of Usagi, who was curled up against her. Mamoru was on Usagi�s other side, doing his best to comfort her. Lucinda�s return had given him the stability that he desperately needed, but Usagi had come to rely on Aster in many ways. The loss of her mentor and general was devastating her.

Abruptly, Haruka, Sean, Michiru, and Takagi all jumped up and nearly ran from the room, heading through the solarium and out the back.

Setsuna turned wondering eyes to Lucinda and Usagi, and then she joined Nathan, Quentin, and Hotaru in following their Planet partners into the back yard.

They never made it out of the house. Nathan turned toward Lucinda, his eyes wide.

�She�s back!� he said. �They found her in the tree house! She�s been beaten!�

His words caused a complete exodus. Everyone headed across the back door to the old teak tree behind Aster�s house, and the elaborate tree house inside it.

Eager to get matters taken care of, Nathan picked Hotaru up and boosted her to where Sean could reach down from the tree house and lift her into it. Lucinda used her Dark Kingdom powers to levitate into the tree house, ready to help Hotaru.

Aster lay in the middle of the large futon, her hair matted with blood, and her face a mass of bruises. She coughed weakly and blood appeared on her lips. Haruka was carefully peeling her bloodsoaked uniform off of her, intent on getting to her injuries.

Aster weakly pushed at Harukas hands, and then made a gesture that no one understood.

�Lemme through!� Vincent shouted, shoving his way up the stairs and over to the futon. He pulled out his keychain and transformed before he sat down next to her.

�What is it, Sunshine?� he asked. �What do you want?�

Gold met gold as the twin Solar powers became one once more.

�Right,� he said. He reached up a gauntleted hand and tugged off the tiara on her forehead.

Immediately, everyone else had to shield their eyes as power spun itself around her and cocooned her in light for several moments before fading and revealing Aster, clad in the traditional clothing she had worn for the festival where she had been abducted, three and a half months before.

The bruises on her face were faded, as though they had been inflicted some time before. Her hair was clean and unbloodied, as were her lips. She opened her eyes and looked up at Kishi Sol.

�Hey, Apollo,� she murmured. �You look like you�re seeing a ghost.�

�I think I almost did,� he said. He dropped his mace to the floor and closed his eyes for a moment. Vincent bent over and picked up his keychain, stuffing it into his pocket.

�I feel horrible,� she said. �I feel like a herd of elephants ran all over me, and somebody rolled me in the mud.�

�Worse than Kenya?� Thomas asked. He was standing next to Usagi, one arm around her shoulders.

�Much worse,� she said. �We didn�t get trampled there, only dropped from a height.�

�What happened?� Lucinda asked.

�I broke a rule,� Aster said. �I got pregnant.�

�Pregnant?� Vincent said, leaning over her. �You�re pregnant?�

�I was,� Aster said. �I don�t know if I still am.�

�I can check,� Lucinda said. She shouldered her way to the other side of the futon and sat down behind Haruka. She gently laid her hand on Aster�s abdomen, and closed her eyes for a few moments.

�They are fine,� she said. �Your magic chose to protect them, instead of protecting you.�

�I�m a big girl,� Aster said. �I can protect myself. Helpless infants are something else, entirely.�

�Whose are they?� Haruka asked.

Aster lowered her eyes, and flushed in embarrassment.

�Maybe any of the Shitennou,� she said. �Most likely Kunzite and or Zoisite. Possibly Hematite. I really don�t know for sure.�

�Zoisite?� several voices exclaimed in disbelief.

�It doesn�t matter,� Lucinda said. �They are your babies.�

�It could matter,� Haruka said. �It could give us some leverage against the father. Now that Aster�s escaped them, we need to start getting them away from the Dark Kingdom.�

�I didn�t escape,� Aster said. �Kunzite sent me back. I asked him to send me home, so that you wouldn�t wonder what happened.�

�Who hurt you?� Lucinda asked.

�Galaxite,� Aster said. �He attacked me from behind when I was walking down a corridor. My magic repelled the attack without my conscious volition. He became suspicious and dragged me before the Queen. She did some kind of scan, and then told him that she was not going to lose a general to childbirth. She ordered him to beat me until I miscarried.�

�It looks as though he was trying to kill you,� Haruka said.

�He was,� Lucinda replied for her adopted sister.

�You need some rest,� Haruka said. �Let�s get you inside so you can sleep.�

�No,� Aster said. �I need time with everyone. I feel adrift, as though I have no anchor. I think all my Planetary links are broken.�

�We�ll take care of that,� Vincent said. �Why don�t everybody leave me alone with my partner, and get the big house ready for a party? We�ll be along shortly.�

�Take me over there now, Apollo,� Aster insisted. �I already reconnected with you. The other Planetary links are necessary, now. If I transform again, it will probably fix the rest of the damage.�

Vincent picked her up and followed the rest of the warriors back across the back yard and into the large house.

Inside, Vincent put her down on one of the couches, and she laid her head back, breathing deeply, her face tight with pain. Finally, her breathing evened out and her coloring returned to normal. She pulled out her henshin wand, looked around, and beckoned to Usagi, who was waiting in the doorway to the kitchen.

Usagi crossed the distance between them, and raised a hand to the locket that never left her person, even when she was not wearing it visibly. Most of the time, she wore it clipped to the neckline of her clothing.

She stood in front of Aster, smiling at her in relief.

Aster stood up so that she was facing her princess. Usagi was somewhat shorter than her, even after a recent growth spurt. The top of Usagi�s head reached just below Aster�s eyes.

In unison, the two Senshi transformed.

�Moon Prism Power Makeup!�

�Solar Cosmic Power Transform!�

When the bright flare caused by Sol�s transformation cleared, everyone could see Sailor Moon and Sailor Sol gazing into one another�s eyes. After a long moment, the two of them embraced, Sailor Moon tucking her head under Sol�s, and Sol resting her chin on Moon�s head, closing her eyes.

Taking their cue from the two, the other Senshi transformed one at a time. Because they were indoors, they removed their footgear so that they would not mar the floor.

Sailor Moon stepped back from Sol, and then she detransformed and became Usagi again. She smiled at Sol, and then went back into the kitchen.

One at a time, the other Senshi approached her. Uranus and Venus waited until the others had approached her before they came forward. While the Senshi detransformed, the Kishi pulled out their tokens and transformed. After all of the transformed Senshi had rebonded with Sol, the Kishi came forward to reassert their own bonds.

When they were all finished, Sol looked up to see a lone female figure in the doorway that led to the Solarium. She didn�t say anything. She did not expect Sailor Pluto to approach her.

To her surprise, Setsuna pulled out her henshin wand and transformed in front of her.

Sol watched, mesmerized and hardly daring to hope, as Sailor Pluto walked towards her.

Pluto stopped less than a foot away and carefully raised her eyes until they met the other Senshi�s, ruby to gold.

�Welcome home, Sol,� she whispered.

Wondering if this was a dream, Sol moved forward until they were close enough that her body heat met with the slight chill than Pluto always exuded. Trembling with overwhelming emotion, she reached up to cup the other Senshi�s face in her gloved hands.

�Pluto,� she said softly. �I�ve been waiting ten thousand years for this.�

�Then wait no longer,� Pluto said. She leaned forward the bare inch left between them and pressed her lips to Sol�s.

Sol leaned into the kiss, deepening it and parting Pluto�s lips so that she could explore the orifice beyond. She mapped it out very carefully, reveling in the feel and taste of the other Senshi. She wrapped her arms around Pluto�s torso, molding the two of them together as if she was trying to memorize every line and curve of Pluto�s body.

Through it all, they never stopped staring into one another�s eyes.

Sean was the first one to realize what was going on, beyond Primary bonding to Satellite.

�Well, now,� he said, looking down at Haruka. �I think our pyramid�s gone and grown an antenna.�

�That would explain why Aster was so obsessive about Setsuna,� Haruka said. �If she somehow sensed the incomplete bond, it would have driven her to try and complete it.�

The two Senshi pulled away when a sleepy baby voice intruded in the silence.

�Mama?�

Sol looked around, surprised, until she saw a face peeking over a barrier gate that had been erected, closing off the annex.

She reached up and removed her tiara, becoming Aster once again. Followed closely by Sailor Pluto, she padded over to the barrier and looked down at the black hair and sparkling turquoise eyes.

�Shinjuko?� she asked.

�Mama!� the cherub cried, throwing up her arms in a wordless request to be picked up.

Aster bent over and lifted her daughter into her arms, looking her up and down in amazement.

�Look how you�ve grown!� she declared. �You�re so big! You�re talking! Are you walking yet?�

�Na,� Shinjuko replied, smiling at her mother. She looked around, and her eyes settled on Setsuna, who had also detransformed.

�Puu!� she cried out, reaching out with one hand.

�She likes activating our planet symbols,� Setsuna said, leaning forward so that the chubby hand could be placed on her forehead.

�Dat!� Shinjuko said in a satisfied tone as she withdrew her hand.

Aster turned to look at Setsuna, and smiled to see her green planetary symbol glowing on her forehead.

Something grabbed at Aster�s kimono, and she looked down into the golden hair and dark cobalt eyes of Shinjuko�s twin brother.

�Ryu?� Aster said. She bent down and gathered the other toddler into her arms.

�I�ve missed so much,� she said. �I can�t believe how much they�ve grown in seven months.�

�It wasn�t seven months, Kochou,� Setsuna said. �It was three and a half.�

�No,� Aster said. �I know it was seven months.�

�Time doesn�t flow the same in the Dark Kingdom,� Lucinda spoke from where she was sitting with Mamoru and Vincent.

�That�s true,� Aster said speculatively. �But look at how they�ve grown!�

�They�re Chaos babies,� Lucinda reminded her. �They were growing at twice the normal rate. They still are.�

�Oh,� Aster said, looking back down at her adopted children.

�Come over here,� Setsuna said. She took Aster by the shoulders and guided her to where Takagi and Haruka were sitting. She guided Aster to sit between them, and then sat in Takagi�s lap herself.

Aster took in her position with wide eyes.

�Is there something going on that I should know about?� she asked.

�Setsuna came to us the day you were abducted,� Takagi said. �She took me up to the second floor, and I don�t think the two of us came out for at least a day.�

�It was two and a half,� Haruka said. �We couldn�t believe it, but we left them alone. The two of them went to her apartment on the third day and moved her stuff over here. She hasn�t left since, except for outings with some of us.�

�I never understood why my grandmother insisted on keeping in touch with her contemporaries,� Setsuna said. �Now, I do. She had planetary bonds to keep up, and she needed the help of her friends. If she hadn�t become ill, I wouldn�t have been Sailor Pluto until I was of age. It would have been handed over like everyone else�s was.�

�So now all we have to do is finish collecting the satellites,� Aster said. �I know who at least two of them are. We have to find out what happened to them.�

�Which ones?� Setsuna asked, sitting forward.

�Two of Usagi�s friends,� Aster said. �You really should pay more attention to events, Setsuna. When the Dark Kingdom was attacking before, Nephrite became illogically attached to Osaka Naru. He even took the step of rescuing her from some of Zoisite�s youma. Zoisite wasn�t really expecting it.�

�What was Zoisite expecting?� Setsuna wanted to know.

�He was hoping that Sailor Moon would rescue her,� Aster said. �Zoisite was hoping that they could get Nephrite �killed� in a fight with the Senshi. He knew that Sailor Moon came to Naru�s rescue before, when Jadeite had replaced her mother temporarily with a youma. He didn�t expect Nephrite to feel compelled to rescue Naru.

�The Osa P was destroyed,� Ami said from her seat. �We found Osaka-san�s car. It was covered in jewels. They found the chopped up remains of a person inside the car. They still don�t know who it was. They never found a sign of Naru or her mother.�

�I�m afraid that I know who was in the car,� Aster said. �We need to find Naru as quickly as possible.�

�We�ll start looking for her in the morning,� Setsuna said. �Who is the other one you are sure of?�

�Someone who had a terrible crush on Usagi when she was in Junior High School,� Aster said, smiling.

�Gurio!� Ami and Makoto declared at the same time.

�So we have two people to look for,� Setsuna said.

�You and I have an advantage, Setsuna,� Aster said. �We, and our partners, can tell when we meet another planetary power. Satellites are harder to spot, but not impossible. I think, after what has happened in the last year, the satellites will be drawn to Tokyo. We should be able to find them. It�s to our benefit that Setsuna and I both look exactly like we did back in the Silver Millennium. If they see us, they might approach us on their own.�

TBC
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Diamohns are Forever