Jusenkyo Productions Proudly Presents
A Sailor Moon Fan Fiction
Long Live the Queen
The beeping sound softly filled the room. It was as if it didn't want to intrude its presence upon the people gathered within. The room was crystal, as most were these days, and brightly lit in that harsh manner that told more than words that this was a place of the sick.
Or the dying.
The bed was placed in the middle of the room, and was surrounded by various equipment, most of it crystal. They hummed and chattered to themselves, not caring about who lay on the bed and struggled for each ragged breath, or the occasional muffled sobs that came from the people surrounded the bed.
The figure that lay on the bed, with a thin cover pulled up over her chest, was old. Many years had passed since she looked at the world with young eyes. Her limbs were thin and the skin almost transparent in the light. Her eyes closed, she slept fitfully, half dreaming half remembering. The once blonde hair had turned a silvery white, following a queen of long ago. Her head turned and she murmured something that ended in a sigh.
A young woman, her face wet with tears, started at the sigh, her hand reaching for the dying woman. She dropped her hand when the old chest rose and fell again. The young woman shrank into herself a bit, and was steadied by the arm of a tall man to one side of her and another young woman clad in a short blue skirt.
"My thanks, Mercury," she said softly.
The young green haired woman gave her a look of understanding tinged with great sadness. The young senshi looked at the other figure that stood silently by the bed, "Pluto, is there anything...?" she trailed off.
The Guardian of Time looked at the other three with her red eyes, and shook her head once. "Nothing can be done, and she wants nothing done."
Neo-Queen Serenity, founder of Crystal Tokyo was dying.
"My Princess," Mercury said, "I'm sorry."
Princess Serenity, once known as Chibi-Usa started to cry, tears falling as her last hope of saving her mother faded with Mercury's simple apology.
The sound woke the dying woman. Her once sapphire blue eyes, now clouded with age and pain, opened to regard her visitors. She turned her head a bit to look at Pluto and back at her crying daughter. Her cracked and dry lips parted and her once melodic voice, now a dry rasp, hushed her daughter. "Shh, Chibi-Usa, don't cry."
She struggled a bit, pulling herself higher in the bed. Senshi Mercury raised a hand in warning and dropped it when the queen looked at her, "I'm dying anyway, let me sit up to look at you one last time." The dry lips quirked into a smile, "I have never met death lying down, just triped flat on my face."
She regarded her still crying daughter, "Don't cry, it is just my time." She stopped to catch her breath, struggling to pull the air in. "They are all gone, Rei, Ami, Minako, Makoto, they have all passed on." Her eyes closed in a remembered pain for a second, "Even my beloved Mamo-chan." She shifted a bit, "So don't cry. You and your senshi are more than ready."
"That's not it!" Princess Serenity yelled, "I don't want you to die!"
The queen chuckled, and gasped in pain, Mercury went to her side, holding out a hypospray, but Pluto blocked her with her staff.
"I remember a time," the queen said, "I remember when you wanted me dead!" she laughed, and then fell to coughing.
The princess blushed a bit, but the tears still fell, "That's not fair, mother."
The queen turned her eyes to Pluto, "You've brought it?" she asked.
The senshi nodded, and held out the Silver Crystal. "As you have wished, my Queen."
Serenity took the crystal in her withered hand; it glowed softly at her touch. She looked into its depths as she had done many times before. Minutes passed, marked only by the soft beeping of the machines and the ragged breaths of the queen.
"Mother?" Princess Serenity asked, afraid of the answer. There was no answer.
Finally, the old queen's head lolled to the side, she looked at a time and place where she was young and strong, fighting and enjoying life with her friends. Her lips parted once more into a smile, "I thought... I told you guys... not to call me..." Her chest rose in one last gasp of air, "Meatball head."
The Silver Crystal dimmed to darkness, then brightened again, but it seemed muted.
As she had done since the founding of the Sliver Millennium, Senshi Pluto rapped her staff sharply against the floor. "The Queen is dead," she intoned, "Long live the Queen."
Queen Serenity cried, and turned to the young man beside her and buried her head into his chest. "Oh, Darien, she's gone!"
He led her out of the room, his arms folded around her protectively.
Pluto beckoned to Mercury, she came and stood respectively, "Gather the senshi, the Queen will need them now."
Mercury nodded, then vanished in a spray of water.
Pluto looked around the room, the machines had stopped, knowing that they were no longer needed. All was still and quiet. Then Pluto leaned down and brushed her lips on Serenity's forehead, "Sleep well, Usagi-chan." She said softly, "You've earned it."
A lone bell started to ring somewhere in the palace. Pluto moved to the window that overlooked Crystal Tokyo and the surrounding area. The news had already passed to the crowds around the base of the tower. She could hear the wails as they were informed that the founder of the Crystal Millennium had died.
Pluto slowly leaned her head against the wall. "Too long, and too many times." She sighed, "I have done this too many times. I was there when the first Serenity passed on. And now I cry out the news of Usagi's passing."
Pluto tilted her head, as if listening to a conversation, "This one hurt the most. All of them have been noble, all kind, but this one... Of all the queens I have served, she reminds me the most of Serenity." Her eyes closed, mirroring the dead queen's pain, "My sister."
"Perhaps it is time for me to sleep as well." Pluto turned, and looked at the young girl who wore a green fuku.
The girl titled her head, her short blue hair brushing the top of her top and smiled.
"Perhaps it is," she said, her red eyes twinkled in suppressed mirth.
Pluto held out the Time Key to the younger girl, who took it.
"So where will you be going?" Senshi Pluto asked, as the older one started to fade.
Sailor Pluto smiled, "That would be telling." With that, she faded away, joining Usagi.
Senshi Pluto rapped the staff against the floor. "Sailor Pluto is dead. Long live Senshi Pluto."
End.
Notes and stuff.
My god, it has been forever since I last wrote something! Sorry about that, real life (Being work, school, and girl friend) doesn't leave me with a lot of time. I have no idea where this came from, just thought about it last night and decided to jot it down. I DO know who is to blame for the series. So, if you'll excuse me for a second. (Deep breath) DAMN YOU BILES!!! Your brilliant stories got me addicted to Sailor Moon of all things!
Maybe it just is the short fukus. (Mmmmm, Ami-chan) Or maybe not. Any case, it's all his fault!
Sailor Moon is not owned by me, and I'll deny that I have anything to do with the show. However, C&C is most welcome, and so is anything else.
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