Cosmic Destiny - CH2 - princesses

I: Haruka, princess of Uranus

Haruka sat down on the decorative marble stoop and waited. She didn't like to just sit around and do nothing. Haruka was a woman of action and not very comfortable in relying on others besides herself and Michiru. Michiru was her friend, more than a friend she was like a sister. Yes, besides Michiru she didn't like to rely on others, but then again that's all she had been doing. She'd been doing that for years now. Then again, over the years she had grown close to her pseudo adopter, Setsuna, and her young protégé, Hotaru. True, the four of them were supposed to be united, because of the princess, but they never really came together until the queen's growing insanity caused her to try to kill the small princess. She had never really cared, or even full filled her guardian duties until that night, that night that Setsuna had called them all together. The night she and Selene almost lost their lives…

Setsuna had called them to coven but Haruka didn't go. She had thought it pointless and a waste of her time and life. Why should she give her whole life just to protect one little girl? She'd meet the queen and had hated her. Upon meeting her daughter she hated her too, she looked just like her mother and assumed she acted just like her. Haruka had also met the inners and had hated them as well, they were totally dedicated to a queen who used them horribly. Michiru had gone to meet with her, leaving Haruka to wait in Michiru's palace. As she sat, and waited she was ambushed by the inners, blindly following the queen's orders. It seems that the queen had finally lost it and decided that since the outers were her daughter's guardians they couldn't be trusted and should be killed instead. Against all four of them she was no match so she used her voice to try to convince them to stop, but they wouldn't listen.

"She's using you, can't you see?"

"Our queen is all knowing!"

"She would never use us!"

"Why should we believe the guardian of the betrayer princess?"

They were so blindly loyal to the Queen they couldn't see what they were doing was wrong. The four inners cornered Haruka and prepared to finish her off. Haruka stood defiant, but bleeding, and prepared herself for the worse. Just as the inners released their attacks a black door appeared from behind Haruka, opened, and a hand from the darkness grabbed and pulled her through it. Setsuna had used her powers to save her. Even after her refusal to meet with the rest of the outers she still saved her…

She was instructed to wait while Setsuna secured Charon Castle and checked the other outer palaces. So she sat on the cold floor, knees drawn up to her knees and a steadily growing pool of blood around her. Then she heard it, faint crying. Haruka slowly struggled to her feet and started toward the crying, her slow feet making a hollow clunk noise throughout the hall. Upon rounding the corner she saw her, Selene. The sound of her boots on the marble floor drew the attention of the little princess and she snuffled her cries, and slowly lifted her head to stare at Haruka. Haruka stared back. The little girl sat on the floor with her knees drawn up to her chest and arms wrapped around her legs. Blood and tears streaked her face and beautiful deep sorrowful, blue eyes stared at Haruka's dark, crystal blue ones. This made her heart ache; she now realized the devotion the inners and generals had. She now wanted to prevent this girl's pain. To protect her and punish those who had caused this pain. She walked up to her and dropped down to her knees and held open her arms to the little girl, something she would never have thought she would do in a million years. Selene stared back at her, the tears began to flow again and her lip quivered. She fell into Haruka's arms and they stayed like that until Michiru and Setsuna came back to them.

"Reminiscing?"

Haruka was snapped out of her past by a man who had approached her from behind. She casually turned to face the man in an annoyed way, a frown plastered on her face and her eyes glaring from underneath her messing blonde hair. "Hello, Jadeite…"

Jadeite had the smuggest smile on his face as he approached Haruka.

"What do you want?" Haruka asked rising to her feet.

Jadeite jerked his head down the hall, toward Setsuna's throne room. "There's a meeting. Setsuna wants us all there so we all decided to gather you three for her." He began to walk down the hall toward the throne room but stopped and turned and looked back at Haruka. "Are you coming?"

Haruka let out an annoyed sigh, rolled her eyes, and joined Jadeite.

II: Michiru, princess of Neptune

Michiru pulled her hand from the crystal clear pond, and shook it to rid it of some stray water droplets. This pond was strange, Michiru could not connect with it, could not control it, the water-acted dead. It never casting a ripple, or allowed one to see its bottom. Michiru's planet allowed her the control of water yet she couldn't command the water within Setsuna's castle. This frustrated her, yet fascinated her as well. Michiru turned her back to the water and gathered her hands in her lap. Michiru had aqua green eyes and sea green wavy hair like most of her people. She wore her light green royal princess dress, it was thin and delicate and fastened as an ancient roman goddess's toga.

"You can't mastered it you know… The water."

Michiru turned her head toward the speaker. "Nephrite…" she said as she slowly rose to her feet. Nephrite was dressed in his general uniform, sword at his hip, and his wavy brown hair just gracing his shoulders. Nephrite smiled and walked toward her, holding out his hand. Michiru smiled faintly and gave him her hand. He bent down on one knee and kissed it then rose to face her. "You may be right but I'll never give up."

"Princess Neptune, how long has it been?" Nephrite asked. He turned and offered hee his arm.

Michiru hooked her arm in his and they began to walk. "Too long I'm sure. I assume that the king and your entourage have been busy with the queen and inners?"

Nephrite let a grim smile grace his face. "Yes, things just seem to be getting worse, a war is brewing and I assume you know why…"

Michiru nodded and sighed. The princess was coming of age… it wouldn't be long now.

They walked down the hall and entered Setsuna's throne room.

III: Hotaru, princess of Saturn

Hotaru knelt down on the richly carpeted floor. Her scythe was in her lap, a sharpening rock in the other. She slowly and carefully went to work on the scythe's long blade. Her bare feet shifted uncomfortable. They were falling asleep because of the position she had taken. She rose to her feet and carefully placed her Scythe back on its wall, right below where Setsuna's Time staff should be. It was gone. "Hm, that seems strange, I wonder if something is the matter." Saturn wondered vaguely. She smoothed out her long black dress, setting its folds just right and gazed in to her blade. Her face reflected even paler than it was. Her purple eyes shown brightly and her thin short black hair neatly framed her face. Her hair seemed to even more accurately point out the paleness of her skin. She saw another face in the scythe now, standing at the doorway. "Hello, Zoisite."

The young curly haired blonde man shifted uncomfortable. "Um, hello… Saturn…" He said while looking toward the floor. Hotaru turned to look at him. "He is always so tongue tied, even for shy me at times," she thought as she approached him.

"Setsuna's staff isn't here, is something wrong?"

Zoisite shifted his feet and nodded, "Yes, Kunzite fears the war will start soon, we're… we're all are suppose to meet in her throne room." He stepped aside and gestured for her to exit the room. The two of them walked in silence to Setsuna's throne room.

IV: Setsuna, goddess of time and the reunions

Setsuna sat wearily down on her throne. She set her staff on the side of her chair and balanced her chin on her hands. "I always knew this day would come and now that it's here…" Setsuna's ancient mind was stirring with all the possibilities, calculating. Her Crimson eyes focused on the three men in front of her, the king, the head general, and the king's advisor. All of them looked troubled.

Mamoru sighed and nodded in agreement. "Yes, I know what you mean. I always feared this day. The day I would be forced to choose between my daughter and wife…" Mamoru drew his hand to his forehead and shook his head. The king's vivid blues eyes were clouded with doubt and sadness. The choice he had to make was to be the hardest of his life.

Artemis watched his king with understanding, he two faced the same problem, siding with the queen would mean siding with his wife but going against his daughter Diana. Something that would break his heart to do, but if that is what his king thought was best to do then he would follow orders. A chill ran down Artemis's back just at the thought of watching his beloved daughter being attacked or worse, being forced to attack her himself.

His commanding general, Kunzite, looked at his king worriedly. He was leaning against on of the many marble pillars that framed Setsuna's throne room. His arms were crossed across his chest; his blue tinted white hair falling across his shoulder. "Whatever you choose, we will stand behind you Mamoru."

Mamoru looked toward Kunzite and smiled. Kunzite was his most trusted general and a very dear friend, but… There was Setsuna. If Mamoru chose to stay at his wife's side he'll be fighting against her… something he did not wish to do. Not just because she was a strong and skilled senshi but because the two of them were so close- The king was brought out from his musings by the opening of the throne room's door, and the entrance of Nephrite, Neptune, Zoisite, Hotaru, Uranus, and Jadeite. The six of them assembled around the room.

"PAAAAAA PAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" A blur of gray fur streaked into the room and Diana latched onto her father's waist, her tail wagging back in forth. "Oh, papa! I missed you so much! Why were you away for so long!" Artemis smiled and detached his daughter from his waist. The king smiled at the father and daughter.

"Oh, Diana… you know why I was away." He said gently. Diana did know. Her smiled faded and her tail dropped. Something was going on….

The pounding of feet was heard coming down the hall. The princess entered the room; her long hair flying behind her and her cheek's flushed with her haste. As soon as she noticed her father, her face lit up and she ran up to him, embracing him warmly. "Father! I missed you so much!"

"I know, I know Selene. I missed you too…" The king replied as he wrapped his arms around his child, holding her tightly and securely. The whole room seemed to lighten and smiles graced the guardians' faces. Setsuna grabbed her staff and stood up from her throne, drawing the attention of everyone.

"It's time to begin."