Racing Against Time: Save the King and Queen!

[GS Tiger Eye]

"Chuh chuh chuh......chuh chuh...." He didnt mean to be insensitive but he got stuck in a trance when he heard what miaka said. "Chuh chuh.....chuh chuh....." He noticed Setsuna take his arm and watched her close. "S-setsu...are you ok? Setsuna?" He put his hand to her cheek that started looking pale gently turning her face to look at her. "Setsuna."  

[Crystal_Sailor_Jupiter]

Neo-Queen Serenity let go of Queen Makoto and tried to reach for Ayami, who backed away. Neo-Queen Serenity sighed and turned to King Endymion, who guestured to the doors.

"I think it's best if we move this discussion elsewhere." He turned to Setsuna, noting how pale she was and gave her a quick, gentle hug before holding out a hand for her to take. "It would be best for you to rest now, Setsuna. You've been through too much. Let us all head to the living area. There are plenty of seats for us all."

Queen Makoto did not look over to them, but simply took Neo Sailor Moon's arm and steered her from the room. Neo-Queen Serenity held out a hand to Ayami, but she only glared at Neo-Queen Serenity before following Queen Makoto and her best friend out of the room. Neo-Queen Serenity lowered her head and closed her eyes for a minute before she too left the room to join the others.  

[Crystal Sailor Pluto]

The thought of rest washed over Setsuna in a daze, as though it were a memory that she longed to become reacquainted with. She could not help her thoughts, however, as they continued to linger upon the thought of two babies within her womb. She had admittedly only ever imagined having twins, and now that such a thing had become reality was something she had trouble believing.

Her attention was turned to Tiger once he touched her face. Her Tiger, while vibrant and healthy for his age, was still getting older, and it was never easy raising a child. This time, there would be two.

She resigned from further speculation as she opened her mouth to speak to her husband, only to find herself blushing like a childish teenager, remembering that he had lost his suit in the battle. He was wearing practically nothing, save the...what she assumed to be...a piece of tablecloth around his waist.

She balled up her fist, coughing into it once with a clear of her throat. "Tiger. You should get dressed. It is only polite." With this statement, she moved to follow her friends to their living area, accepting a gentle hug from Endymion, then taking his hand as he offered it. "Thank you." She observed Makoto, Serenity, Ayami, and Rina, beginning to feel great sorrow within her heart, wishing that she could do something to help them.


* *

 

[GS Tiger Eye]

"Get dressed?" He scratched his chin. "Nah. I'm good." He grinned and followed them but he didnt like another man touching Setsuna even if he was a friend. He guessed he could shrug it off this time but considering the history he didnt worry about it anymore. He kept an eye on Setsuna's stomach wondering if there really was two cubs or if miaka was just messing with them.  

[Crystal_Sailor_Jupiter]

King Endymion led Setsuna and Tiger into the spacious living room and over to the two-seater couch and guestured for both of them to sit before turning his attention to Ayami and Neo-Queen Serenity, who stood in front of the unlit fireplace.

"Why did you do it? Why did you lie to me all these years?!" Ayami screamed, her hands balled into fists and her eyes red from crying. Neo-Queen Serenity tried to pull her into a hug, but Ayami shoved her away and turned to Queen Makoto, who stood at the far end of the room looking out the window.

"I need answers! If I really am your granddaughter and a princess of Jupiter, then why was I raised here by them?! I've spent my entire life thinking they were my real parents, that I had no other family other that Rina and her parents! Where is my real mother? Why was I given away, while my so-called 'sister' was raised on Jupiter?! Tell me!"

Queen Makoto's eyes widened and her lips tightened at the mention of her late daughter before closing her eyes and turning to face Ayami.

"Ayami....Your mother's name was Nebula Kino, my only child, and the former sailor senshi of our family. Her powers were separated into two parts when you and Miaka were born. Please, let me finish." She said quickly as Ayami opened her mouth to speak; waited until Ayami nodded. "Your mother was a very skilled, intelligent, and beautiful woman. She never gave you away. I was the one who made the decision to let Her Majesty Neo-Queen Serenity raise you here on Earth."  

[GS Tiger Eye]

He was still trying to get the news through his thick skull about more than one cub in Setsuna. "Cmon Setsu." He didnt wanna push her too much but he at least wanted her to sit down and try to relax. "Sit down and rest." He said to her gently and gently pushed her to the couch. He kept an ear open hearing waht was being said.  

[Crystal Sailor Pluto]

Setsuna had followed the party into the living room, then uncharacteristically slumped into the couch, feeling the weight of great fatigue wash over her. She did not succumb to it, but continue listening in on the conversation, her brow furrowing in deep sorrow at the look on Ayami's distraught face. It broke her heart that such a thing had transpired, but Setsuna knew that there would have been trouble no matter what they had decided.

"We only did what we thought was right..." Setsuna added when there was a pause. "Ayami...please believe that we love you beyond your knowing." She hoped that somehow she could take some of the burden off of the young lady, but she feared that just wishing wasn't enough.

Setsuna found herself folding her arms in a ladylike manner, leaning them upon the arm-rest as she started to relax. Finally, she lay her head down upon her folded arms, feeling the weight of the world start to rest upon her eyelids. She fought this fatigue for as long as she could, for fear of being rude, but it was no use. She felt herself drifting off, and there was nothing to do but let it sweep her away.

Her breath was quiet and soft as she slept, and her dream was calm, as far as she could tell.

* *

 

[Crystal_Sailor_Jupiter]

Neo-Queen Serenity finally grabbed Ayami's arm and held onto her when she tried to pull away. "Ayami, I think it would be best to take this conversation elsewhere." She looked over to where Setsuna had fallen asleep on the couch. "I will explain everything. Endymion." She guestured to her husband, who nodded and quietly opened the door and together the three of them left the room and closed the door.

Moments of silence passed before Queen Makoto finally spoke, just loud enough to be heard, but quiet enough not to wake Setsuna.

"Tiger." She turned to him, her eyes pleading for answers. "I need the truth. What did Miaka say to you? Why were you going to take her life? Why would you and Setsuna betray me? I thought....I thought I was your friend."  

[GS Tiger Eye]

"We didnt want to." He huffed and pointed to himself. "Miaka asked me to kill her if things got too crazy." He crossed his arms and looked down at Setsuna sleeping on the couch. "She didn't want to." He didnt know what else to say to her.  

[Crystal Sailor Pluto]

Setsuna felt her dreams taking her away into an unknown world. It was glittery and peaceful with soft pink clouds overhead, and a faint purple coloring upon the ground. There were many things scattered about, making it look somewhat like a pastel, tropical forest, upon which many assorted fruits grew.

She approached a nearby bush, which had leaves of blue and yellow, and had what seemed to be ice-cream shaped fruits on waffle cones, growing right out of a strange-colored plant. She picked one, and then tasted it. "...Ice cream?...This can't be real..." She did, however, continue to eat the piece as she went along, looking for any signs of Helios, for it was entirely possible he was messing with her. "Alright...Helios. Did Tiger put you up to this? You're making me start to realize what Usagi's dreams must look like on a regular basis."

She felt her hunger grow, and she picked whatever odd, candy-fruit she came across, and ate it. From cotton-candy apples to coconut-milkshakes with straws. She ate it all, simply assuming that her baby was causing her such unusual cravings. "You two must be hungry, arent' you?" She suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, dropping the coconut to the ground as she looked down at her belly. "Wait, two? There are two of you?"

The world suddenly started spinning around her, and it kept on swirling and swirling, opening a vortex of emptiness beneath her feet. She fell.

"Two? Two babies?" She held her head as she screamed, falling into the endless blackness, fearing that the end would soon come. She started hearing voices around her, which kept getting louder, and louder until she could understand them. She heard the voices of Tiger, Nagisa, Makoto, Small Lady, and Miaka start to say things to her. They scoffed at her, and ridiculed her, but soon she heard a new voice that grew to be much stronger than the others.

Her own.

"Tiger isn't getting any younger, you know. You might be immortal but he isn't. You should have been more careful getting pregnant like that. It's hard enough handling one baby. But two? You should have been more persistent with your birth control. Now you're going to wear him out because of those babies. He's not going to want them. Or you."

"Nagisa, too. She is better off at that school and she's much happier there. She'd rather be furthering her studies than be stuck at home with a needy mother."

"Makoto will never trust you again. She saw you as a friend once. Perhaps even as a sister. That's all over now. She'll never forgive you for conspiring to kill her granddaughter."

"And what about your beloved Small Lady, the current Queen of the Earth. Perhaps the first friend you ever had. She won't forgive you for allowing her and Helios to get captured. She will no longer see you in a loving light ever again, and she'll forget all of your memories together."

"Miaka should die. She's the one causing you all this trouble. Why didn't you just give in and give the order for her execution? Wouldn't it have just made everything better?"


Setsuna perspired heavily as she lay upon the couch, only making slight uncomfortable noises as she rested there, still not waking up as the voices continued to echo within her mind.

* *

 

[Crystal_Sailor_Jupiter]

Queen Makoto looked at TIger for a moment before closing her eyes and turning away. "I don't know if I can handle this." She turned back, looking over at Setsuna. "If she gave you the order to kill her...would you have done it? Is she the only reason why you didn't attack her when you had the chance?"


Rina looked up as she heard Setsuna's moan. "Setsuna-Sama?" She got up an walked over to sit next to Setsuna, gently shaking her in an attempt to wake her up. "Setsuna-Sama, wake up!"

The little crystal glowed again, and Sailor Evolution's image appeared beside them.

"Don't worry, your highness. I'll help her."

Sailor Evolution's image disappeared and a small green light disappeared in Setsuna's head.

 

[GS Tiger Eye]

"Look. I couldn't do it okay?" He crossed his arms and snorted. "Setsuna wanted to find any other way to help her and only if we had no other choice."
He noticed Setsuna sleeping and having a nightmare. "Setsu?" He watched Rina try to wake her. "Setsu? What? What's happening?" He knelt in front of her and tried to gently wake her. "Setsuna. Oh my god..." He started to panic even when evolution showed up. "Please help her!"  

[Crystal Sailor Pluto]

Setsuna still didn't wake up, and tears squeezed from her closed eyes now as she slept in the chair, continuing to mutter incoherent words. She started tightly clutching the fabric of the sofa, unable to hear the people who tried to wake her.

***

Within her dream, she continued to fall, her long-evergreen hair flowing all around her as she held her hands over her ears. "No! Stop! Go away! Please! I have babies! They can't take this!!!" She tried to cry out these words, but her inner voice kept swirling all around her in the chaotic vortex, drowning her out completely.

"After all the stress you've placed upon your children, who knows how many complications you'll have! After all this, they may not even live!"

"Tiger will never forgive you for losing his babies! He'll blame you for not taking care of yourself!"

"Nagisa is growing up, just like the others have. She's not ever coming home again!"

"Makoto hates you! She hates you!"

"Small Lady is lost. You'll never see her or Helios ever again!"

"MIAKA SHOULD BE DEAD ALREADY! HER SOUL IS FOREVER LOST AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO!"

Setsuna couldn't stop the tears that leaked from her eyes and poured upwards in the current. "No...please...leave me alone..."

She suddenly felt a gust of what seemed to be warm air, which slowed the current gradually, bringing everything to a stop. Even the voices.

All was silent now, and she gently landed on her feet.

"What...who's there?" She called out, looking towards a soft, green light that pierced the blackness. "M-miaka...is that you?"


* *

 

[Crystal_Sailor_Jupiter]

Sailor Evolution's image appeared from the small green light; she walked over to Setsuna and placed a hand on her cheek.

"Setsuna-Sama, don't let these thoughts get to you. I should never have put you in this position. I'm so sorry."

Her eyes lowered and she smiled sadly. I can't do much for you in this state, but I can promise you one thing: My grandmother doesn't hate you. She's upset, yes. And very confused. But she doesn't hate you, or Tiger-Eye Sama. She still loves you both very much."

She looked up, noticing the little green light was beginning to fade. "I don't have much time left. I can only stay like this for so long." She gripped Setsuna's hand, placing her other hand on her belly. "Your babies are just fine. I can connect to them with their auras. If at anytime you need reassurance, just call out to me. I'll be right here."

"Now, I need you to do me a favor. Wake up. Everyone is worried about you. Can't you hear them calling?" She looked up again.

"Setsuna-Sama? Can you hear me? Please wake up!" Rina's voice suddenly echoed.

"Setsuna-San. Please open your eyes!" Queen Makoto's voice echoed.


Sailor Evolution's image released Setsuna's hand, backing away slowly as she too faded along with the green light. "My time's up. I promise you, I will do everything I can to help bring Queen SL Serenity and King Helios back, along with Neo-Sailor Moon. We'll find a way."

Sailor Evolution's image disappeared.  

[GS Tiger Eye]

"Damn it! Damn it all!" He cursed and looked at the other ladies in the room. "Why isnt she waking up? Come on! Somebody tell me!" He panicked and knelt in front of Setsuna and kept shaking her but was gentle with her. "Come on! Come on Setsu!"