Forgotten
by
John Lauder (part 3 of 3)

Comments to: jlauder121@hotmail.com or saturn9@mindspring.com

Thanks,
John

---

Within seconds of Sailor Saturn's discovery of the lever, Naru Osaka had
made her own discovery.  "In here!" she called to the others.  When they
arrived at the Witches 5 hideout, they had to split up to find Tomoe as
quickly as possible.  Urawa had seen this place, but didn't exactly have a
detailed map inside his head.

It had definitely been him inside the monitor, although she had only
glanced at it for an instant.  The "don't look inside mirrors" concept
had been drilled into her head.

It had been quite a nightmarish walk to Tomoe's house.  The sky had gone
from daylight to a solar-eclipse-like darkness within seconds.  Streets
were jammed with crashed cars, their drivers now caught within the windows,
or shards of windows in some cases.  Everywhere they turned, they saw more
trapped people inside just about anything--bottles, glasses, rear view
mirrors; the streets were littered with them.

But most of all, they noticed the silence.  When millions of people
suddenly just disappear like that, the difference it made...everything
just stopped.  Petz appeared to be the least nervous, but still was not
very comfortable.  The black moon had been like this place is now, cold
and deathly quiet.

Naru saw the two flashlights rapidly coming at her.  The electricity had
been out all over the city for some time, and Urawa had planned for it.

Urawa looked at the computer very rapidly to make sure, and verified it
as he saw Tomoe's horror-stricken face inside the monitor.  "Yes, this
is the one.  Petz, open the portal.  Now."

His voice was very urgent, and she complied, taking out the silver
ring they found in the laboratory back at Tomoe's house.  Whether it
had been a spare or the same one Neherenia stole was not known.  The
entire room was now illuminated as the portal opened.  "We can't leave
with this evidence lying around here.  There were incriminating papers
all over the other rooms, and at least two computers here.  And who
knows what else?"

"Quickly.  Help me unhook the monitor," was Urawa's only response.

Petz and Naru looked at each other, wondering why he was in such a hurry.
Petz remembered what he said before, about having to get the man out of
here before something happened that could kill him.  She tried to think
of what exactly was down here that could do that...

Her question was answered when they heard a small explosion come from one
of the other rooms.  Naru was surprised, but Petz could sense that the
explosion had come from the section where Urawa had been searching.  She
was immediately suspicious.  "Did you do that?" Petz asked Urawa as they
picked the monitor up.

"Never mind that.  This whole place will be up in flames any second.
Come on!!!"

They rushed back through the portal with the monitor.  The portal
seemed to take forever to close, and they heard the beginnings of a
bigger explosion as it was sealed completely and reverted back to the
silver ring.

"You lied to us," Petz said, trying to catch her breath.  "There was
no danger, only the one you created.  We could've been killed down there!"

"But we weren't.  I'm sorry I didn't mention it before, but each time
I saw us doing this, I could see us getting back here in enough time."
His voice was low and detached.

"Consider yourself lucky, then."  Naru was just as miffed as Petz.

"Again, I apologize," though he didn't seem very remorseful at all.
"Now let's get him to the bedroom."  Naru led the way with her flashlight
as Urawa and Petz carried the monitor up the stairs.  It was still dark
outside, they noticed.  They all were thinking the same thing, hoping
the Sailor Senshi would finish soon...

After setting the monitor on the bed, they went back downstairs and
practically collapsed in the living room.  It had been a long walk to
Tomoe's house, and their recent exertions had cost them quite a bit of
energy.

"Finished," Urawa sighed.

Petz let out a groan as she stretched, and looked at Urawa, still quite
angry.  "I still want to know why you set that fire.  We could've just
brought any evidence back here and disposed of it.  That would've been
much safer."

Urawa fervently shook his head.  "There was too much of it...as you noted.
It would take too long to get rid of it all."  He looked away from her,
and ran a hand through his hair.  "Anyway, it was a horrible place, where
evil things were created, and where an innocent girl was put through hell,
while her father was forced to watch himself do these things to her,
helpless to stop it.  Believe me, no one will miss that place."

The way he spoke, with such unexpected bitterness and passion, was a
little too much.  He had been paying the price for having his special
ability.  It had affected him more deeply than they realized.

"You better hope it doesn't spread out of control," Naru warned.

"It won't, trust me, I've--"

"We know, you saw it in a vision."  There was a momentary silence as they
all relaxed.  Petz looked upwards.  "I hope he'll be okay.  The Senshi will
be here soon..."

When Petz mentioned that, Naru looked worried.  "Urawa-kun, have you...
seen...what the Senshi...what they are..."

"I don't what her name is," Urawa answered.  "But I do know that the battle
is taking place inside a palace somewhere in space.  That's all I know."
It was a lie.  He had seen Usagi let loose a strangled, gasping sob as
the little pink-haired girl she was holding had faded from her arms.  He
didn't want to share that with them.  "They will be...fine..."

The three were now recovered, and Petz stood again as a thought came to
her.  "Urawa-kun, does anyone else know who the senshi are?  I know
Minako-chan once confided in me about a couple of friends of hers who
lived in London who know."

"There's a friend of Mamoru-san who knows, but she's associated with the
police, so I couldn't get her involved."  The others nodded, agreeing
wholeheartedly.  "Besides her, and your sisters, there's another friend
of Sailor Venus's that knows.  That's all I've seen."

He softened his expression a bit.  "I'm sorry I seemed irrational before,
but if you had only seen this man, the stuff he's been through."

Petz shook her head.  "We've both been through our own losses," she said,
looking in Naru's direction, "I'm not saying I agree with what you did
now...but I think I can understand."

Naru was saddened as she was reminded of her own loss, and tried to
concentrate on newfound happiness with Umino.  "How do you deal with it,
being able to see into the future, having that kind of knowledge?"

Urawa looked at her and smiled sardonically.  "I start fires."

Naru and Petz glared at him.  "That's not funny."

The smile disappeared.  "I don't know how I deal with it."  He looked
directly at Petz.  "I've seen people get killed, and there's nothing can
I do to stop it, since I have no powers like the senshi."

Petz noted the look.  "You knew about Saffir, then."  It wasn't a
question.

He gazed at the floor.  "Even if I had warned you, it still would have
happened.  What could I have said?  'Someone you love is going to die,
don't let him leave the house, don't let him do anything?'  How would
you have felt?"

She was still a little angry about the fire, but she understood.  She
might have done the same if she were in his place.  After her own
personal experiences, she knew that having those special kind of powers
came at a price.

Urawa continued.  "Someone once told me that the future is something you
make yourself.  I try not to let it control my life, but I have to admit
this time it really had gotten to me.  You know, this is the first time
in a few years that I acted on one of my visions," he informed them, but
after all this he was thinking it was going to be last time he would.
"Only two times before did I do anything about it.  Or tried to, at least.

"But then, sometimes, I can see things that aren't so bad.  "That
unbreakable love between Usagi and Mamoru, a child's laughter and
innocence, the beautiful smile of Sailor Mer--"  He saw the two looking
at him in anticipation.  "Uh, er, we should go now.  Tomoe-san will
awaken soon, and we shouldn't be here for that."

They laughed at him.  "Smooth," Petz remarked.  She looked at Naru.
"We really should get those two together.  What was it, one date, and
that's it?  Come on!!"  Naru laughed, and Urawa blushed so hard he began
perspiring.  "But you're right, we should leave.  I think I can see the
sun coming out again."

The three of them headed for the door.  "I just wanted to thank you both
again," Urawa said gratefully.  "You didn't have to help, but you did."

Naru smiled sincerely.  "It was for the Sailor Senshi."  Relief had swept
over her as the door opened, and the sun's rays hit her.

Petz agreed.  "Yes.  Oh, wait a minute, I think I'm having a vision,"
she announced, an obvious sarcasm in her voice.  She pressed her fingers
against her temples.  "I see Urawa-kun being so grateful, that he buys
us both dinner."

Urawa's eyes went wide.  "Huh...uh...um...well...uh, okay.  I guess," he
acquiesced.  To make up for that whole fire thing.  But it will have
to be tonight.  I'll be leaving the city after tomorrow."  He wished he
could have stayed longer, he wanted to see Ami so much.  But she had
been occupied with the dangers, and he could not risk distracting her
from that.

"Well, that sounds nice," Naru said.  *Geez, Umino gets so insecure,
what's he going to think?*  "But I have to go see if my family's okay."
Her mother and Umino were still in the vault back at the jewelry store.
Poor Umino had been trapped inside his own glasses, while her mother was
inside an emerald brooch.

"Me too," Petz added.  She had left Beruche to watch over Karaberas and
Cooan, who were both stuck in mirrors.  It had been unavoidable, running
a cosmetics shop without looking into a mirror.

Urawa nodded, and silently thought about how he was going to get enough
money before tonight.  He and his parents had been in town visiting
relatives, and his father hadn't minded his being out so much; he had
believed he was seeing some old friends.  "Okay, then, I'll be at the
jewelry shop around 7, then.  Things should be about semi-normal by then."

When they walked outside, the sky was restored to its proper state again.
They could hear the sounds of traffic moving once more.  Everywhere
people awakened, confused, but relieved.  The people had been saved again,
as they always would be.  It was in the afternoon, but a new day had begun.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Souichi woke up, and felt overwhelmed and disoriented.  He sat
upright, wondering why he had been sleeping in the middle of the day.
And why there was a computer monitor in bed with him.

Then, the information that had been learned had come back to him in a
flood.  Almost in reflex, he grabbed the pad from the nightstand again,
and then realized it wasn't a dream.

Automatically, the tears came, though not as violently as before.  He
knew he was descending into an abysmal depression, and knew nothing
would get him out it.  He was helpless.  There was nothing he could do
to change what he had done to Hotaru.

There was noise coming from downstairs.  He heard the sound of several
different voices, but just apathetically lay back and tried to go back
to sleep.  Whoever it was, he didn't care.

The bedroom door opened.  A girl with medium-length black hair walked
in, dressed in a yellow sweater and purple skirt.  She looked to be about
eight or nine years of age.  Souichi hadn't turned to look at her yet.

"Papa."  The voice sounded very worried.

No answer.

She went to the side of the bed, sitting in front of him.  The tears
were still going.  "Papa," she said more urgently.

He finally looked at her in the eyes.  It was very slow, but when the
recognition finally came, when at last it sunk in that this was his
daughter, this girl who had been no more than a babe a few days ago,
a look of utter horror crossed his face.  The same girl he had caused so
much pain, it was unbearable.  "HOTARU!!!"  he cried, wrapping his arms
around the girl tightly.

Hotaru accepted the almost violent embrace.  She had expected her father
would not react well to this, but not to this terrible degree.  *Michiru-
mama and Setsuna-mama were right, it's something besides the sudden
growth.  He did find out something.  Something horrible.*

The girl grimaced, but tried to calm herself.  This would take
a lot out of both of them.  "Papa, I'm so sorry you were left alone like
that.  How much do you know?" she asked gently.

He let go of her, and sat up.  "I know that I don't deserve you.  I know
that because of me, horrible things were done to you.  You lived
miserably, and it was all my fault."  He broke down again.  "Please, go
back to whoever it was that took you, before I end up killing you again!!"

The child put her arm around the distraught man, leaning on his shoulder.
"You don't know everything, then.  Sailor Pluto had wanted to spare you
all of this.  But you have to know everything now."

Souichi wiped his eyes.  "Everything?" he asked.  He put his hands on her
shoulders.  "Look at you.  You've grown so...fast.  What did they do, what
did the senshi do to you?  You..you..."

"I will tell you everything, Papa...please," she said, loosening herself
from his grip and taking out a strange looking stick from her sleeve.  She
stood up straight, and held the stick aloft.  "SATURN PLANET POWER, MAKE
UP!"

He watched in awe as his daughter floated in the air, and became
translucent and nude, surrounded by light streams of every possible shade
of violet.  There was a brilliant flash of light, and she now appeared
in the outfit of a Sailor Senshi.  Not only that, she seemed to look
several years older.  There was a pause, and she closed her eyes as her
lips changed color.  She spun around in the air, and struck a pose with
the dangerous looking weapon she now wielded.

Souichi was no longer crying, entranced by the display.  "It's true
then...you are a Sailor Senshi."

"My guardian is the planet of silence.  The soldier of death and
rebirth...Sailor Saturn."

He stared at his daughter.  She was completely different now.  "Death and
rebirth,"  he said miserably.  Whatever that meant, it sounded like a
horrible thing.

"Yes.  But don't think about that."  She raised her hand in the air, and
it began to glow.  She touched her father's forehead.  "Now.  Close your
eyes.  And remember.  Remember all you've accomplished," she said,
placing an emphasis on the word all.  "Remember all that has happened..."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Downstairs, the rest of the senshi, Mamoru, and the three cats waited.
All of them had detransformed.  By the grim looks on their faces, it
was like they were in a hospital awaiting the fate of a loved one in
the operating room.

Makoto, Ami, Minako, and Artemis sat on the same couch that Usagi and
Chibi-usa had waited in when they first visited the house.  In the couch
across from them were Luna, and Mamoru, who had his arms comfortingly
around Usagi, who looked remarkably calm and composed despite having
just gone through having her love stolen from her, walking through a
snowstorm, climbing through thorns, and seeing her future daughter
disappear.

Rei, along with Haruka and Michiru, had chosen to stand.  The couple was
watching the stairs pensively, Haruka's hands not leaving Michiru's
shoulders.  Setsuna had taken the seat between the two couches.

Sitting on the floor was Chibi-usa, who didn't seem to take her eyes off
the floor.  Diana cuddled up next to her, trying to comfort her.

They were there to lend their support to Hotaru, if she needed it.
Worry and concern pervaded most of the group; most of them couldn't
believe it had been Hotaru who would be the first one to have to reveal
to a family member about being a senshi.

It was something most of them would have to face one day.

With this realization, they all felt an unspoken concern for Usagi, who
had probably the most to lose.  Out of all of the senshi, she was the
one who had the closest thing to a normal family.  Mother, father,
daughter, son.  Once she became Neo-Queen Serenity, she would have to
give all that up...

Setsuna, while concerned for Usagi, had other things on her mind.  The
distortion in the timeline had not completely been resolved, she could
sense.  Though she was aware of some events that would occur, some of it
was still potentially left wide open.  She hated this feeling of
uncertainty.  All that work she put into Tomoe and his daughter leaving a
peaceful, normal life, gone with one distortion.

But the family she had become a part of, with Haruka, Michiru, and of
course Hotaru, was an unexpected gift, something she had not foreseen.
Indeed, in her long life, she felt it was the best thing that ever
happened to her.  She still melted whenever she remembered the first
time Hotaru ever called her "Setsuna-mama".

She knew she couldn't have a child of her own; Haruka and Michiru had
other options, but Setsuna, Sailor Pluto, the guardian of time, had a
duty that ruled over everything else.  Caring for Hotaru had been the
closest thing to motherhood she had ever experienced.

She looked upstairs, feeling a little guilty at her selfishness, but
unable to help it.  It would not be easy giving up Hotaru.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

When it was done, Sailor Saturn had nearly depleted her energy.
Performing this feat on a child, with no more than twelve years worth of
memories, had not been difficult.  Her father, on the other hand, had
three times that much which had to be restored.

She removed her hand from his forehead, and was forced to detransform.
She staggered, and her father immediately caught her.  "Hotaru!"  He
picked her up and placed her on the bed.

"You remember now," she said weakly.

"Yes," he acknowledged.  The doctors had told him his memory would most
likely never be recovered.  Even so, he had always imagined himself in
this moment, when it all came back.  He would picture himself laughing,
picking up Hotaru and hearing her laugh.  Being something he had wished
for, had longed for, he did not imagine the bad parts of it.

What he felt now, it was far from the fictional laughter he imagined.
Had he not discovered the worst thing he had done before, he might have
had a more vocal, outburst of a reaction.  It was a bit anticlimactic.

He was still confused, it had not all been processed yet.  Everything
was so jumbled up--moments of joy, hurt, love, horror, fear,
disappointment, anger, wonder, curiosity were all mixed around in his
head.  Souichi didn't know which he was to feel now.

"Then you know it wasn't your fault," Hotaru told him.  He was so
internally occupied he had almost not heard her.

"No," her father disagreed.  "I shouldn't have brought you there that day
to that demonstration.  I had taken every single precaution with that
experiment, but it was no excuse.  That's where it all started, when I
ruined your life."  His voice was barely above a whisper.

"You told me it was going to be a very important day in your life, Papa.
You wanted me to be there to share it with you.  You always made sure you
were with me in some way, especially after...Mama..." she couldn't
finish the sentence.

"Mama," Souichi said.  The memories were easy to access now.  He
remembered a building on fire.  The cold, detached, voice of a doctor.
*We're sorry, but she suffered too many internal injuries.  We weren't
able to...*  He bit his lip, not wanting to cry now.  Hotaru didn't need
to see that.  *Is that going to be the only response, tears?  There were
good times, too...*

"I remember where she is buried now, Hotaru.  I--we can visit her
anytime.  There's...so much to remember with her..."

*It's a girl...oh, Souichi, she's so beautiful!  We must name her
Hotaru...*

Some women loved butterflies.  Others liked hummingbirds.  Keiko, she
had loved fireflies.  Souichi had laughed at her when she revealed that
to him.  But then, she had taken him to a place where there were an
endless amount of them.  The air had been uncomfortably hot and humid.
The mosquitoes were making a meal out of him.  But it was there he had
discovered he was in love with her, with this woman who was chasing these
fireflies around, like a carefree child.

"Papa, you're smiling," Hotaru noticed.  It was infectious, and Hotaru
couldn't help but do the same.  This was the scene Urawa had pictured,
and indeed, he would have enjoyed it.

"I guess I am.  It's weird; I have all these different things running
around in my head.  It is wonderful, remembering your mother, remembering
you, but I can't help but think about the bad things.  Six women--no,
seven women lost their lives because I had corrupted them with promises
of power.  I caused the Sailor Senshi much pain and suffering.  I put
the lives of many innocent students, the whole PLANET, in danger."  He
let out of awful sounding sigh.  "And you...because of me, you were
killed twice."  He was unable to look her in the eye.

"Papa, please don't feel bad.  It wasn't you.  Once that monster let go
of you, you wanted to save me.  You came right to me, even though you
were hurt badly."

Souichi smiled uneasily, remaining unconvinced.  "It was during that time
that I met Chibi-usa-chan," she continued, although she was now feeling
her eyes grow heavy.  "And the princess.  Usagi-chan.  Because of them,
and because of you, Papa, I knew I was loved.  It was the only way to
fight Mistress 9."

His smile disappeared when she said that.  It was a reminder of who she
was, of the life ahead of her.  *The soldier of death and rebirth.*
Another crucial memory stirred inside of him.  From a pile of rubble he
had watched Hotaru--no, Sailor Saturn.  The world was about to be
destroyed, and she had been so strikingly calm.

This was what he didn't want to face.  "It was Sailor Saturn that fought
Mistress 9," he remembered.  A worrisome expression came over him.  "Is
that your life will be like?" he asked.  "To always have to face danger,
facing death?"

"Papa, it is my duty," she said coldly, not at all sounding like a child.
"There was a danger to this planet, and that made the spirit of Sailor
Saturn reappear and make me grow so fast."  She paused, trying to soften
her expression.  "None of us asked to be Sailor Senshi, but no matter how
hard it gets, we still do it.  We protect this planet."

"But I don't want this for you, Hotaru," he pleaded.  "After all you've
been through, I want you to have a normal life, to be happy."

"I am happy.  The Sailor Senshi have been wonderful to me.  Chibi-usa-chan,
Usagi-chan, they're both Sailor Senshi, remember?  You knew how they
refused to let me die.  And the other Senshi--Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.
They took good care of me in the last few days."

Souichi looked a little less upset, but was still ill at ease.  "Papa,
it's all worth it.  It is worth being a Sailor Senshi, to protect this
planet.  And to protect the princess.  She's our light of hope."

He put his hand over hers.  "Hotaru, you should rest," her father told
her.

"Not until you promise to stop blaming yourself," she urged, now
fighting her exhaustion.  "The others are downstairs, with the
princess.  She's the one I dreamed of, that day when I was taken from
you.  Oh, Papa, you have to talk to her.  She embraces everything, and
she is what we fight to protect.  If you still feel bad, speak to her.
I know...she...can..."

He pulled the covers over her after she went out.  All he could do now
was to heed Hotaru's advice.  It would be difficult, not being so hard
on himself, but he would try.  There were some very terrible things that
had happened.  But there were also a lot of good memories too.  He
thought of them, and clung to them, wrapping them around him like a
blanket.

However, this whole Sailor Saturn thing would be something he didn't know
if he could ever accept.  Inside his mind he had heard the words of the
soldier of death on that fateful day.  *The reason I'm called
the sacrificing soldier is because I received the power to destroy.  But,
when the time comes, I myself...*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Tomoe-san!  Is Hotaru--"

"She is sleeping.  Restoring my memory made her exhausted," he answered
Usagi.

Most of them gasped in surprise, except for the outer senshi.  What
they all noticed, was the very grim look on his face.

He looked around at them all, and paused when he saw Setsuna.  "Thank
you for bringing her back to me...Sailor Pluto."  She had not flinched
when he called her that.

"You know who we all are, then," Rei concluded.

Souichi nodded.  "I remember everything," he said.  "First, I must
apologize for all the damage I caused to--"

Usagi interrupted him.  "No, Tomoe-san, please don't.  We should thank
you, for help bringing Hotaru into this world."

"You...you're the one that Hotaru called the princess.  She spoke so
wonderfully of you...yes, it was you.  You saved my daughter back in
Mugen.  You believed in her, you refused to give up on her.  And you,"
he said, looking at Chibi-usa, "Chibi-usa-chan.  You befriended her when
she most needed it."

Haruka and Michiru tried their best to not appear uneasy.  Usagi had
believed in Hotaru, but they...they had come very close to murdering the
girl.

They still stood behind their actions, but that didn't mean they were
incapable of feeling guilt.  Those first few days they spent with her
recently, when she had her first rapid growth spurt, had been especially
difficult.  She was so innocent, so bright with spirit, and so accepting
of them all, of her Michiru-mama, Setsuna-mama, and Haruka-papa.  It was
not easy looking into those little violet eyes and knowing they had tried
to kill her.

Souichi turned to them, noticing their discomfort.  "Please don't feel
guilty, Haruka-san, Michiru-san.  I'm in no place to judge, after what
I did.  I have no idea what being a Sailor Senshi is about, but I may
very well have done the same thing."

They nodded.  "Your daughter is an absolute joy," Michiru said.  "The
last few days with her have been a wonderful dream."

"The three of us," Setsuna explained, indicating herself, Michiru and
Haruka, "have taken care of Hotaru.  I'm sorry I just took her away so
suddenly and with no real explanation.  But there were dire circumstances."

"I realize that.  But just know that this is going to take a while for me
to accept," Souichi remarked, sitting down.  "I know it's difficult for
all of you, but Hotaru, she's worse off.  Sailor Saturn's powers are
quite different from yours.  She has power to destroy, but will be killed
herself if she uses it.  Is that her fate, to repeatedly sacrifice
herself and be reborn?  And then grow rapidly again?  She will never grow
normally, will she?"

None of the senshi could answer his question.  Usagi, the princess,
seeing the pained look in his eyes, went to Souichi's side,
sympathetically placing a hand on his arm.  "Tomoe-san, you're right,
it is a lot to accept.  But Hotaru, she accepts it.  I spoke with her
about it not too long ago.  She says she does not see her power as
something hopeless, not an ending, but a chance for rebirth, renewal.
And hope."

Souichi had remained silent for what seemed forever.  He watched this
girl, this one that everyone called the princess.  Hotaru was right,
her eyes were so compassionate, so unwilling to see anyone unhappy.
"She sees things very brightly, doesn't she?" he said, referring to his
daughter.  "I...will try to see things like that as well, then.  I have
to."

"I promise I won't let any harm come to her.  I won't let anyone of my
friends suffer.  You have my word," Usagi assured him.  The other Senshi
were again amazed at her benevolence, and her vows.  It was their duty to
protect her, but did not doubt she could carry out her promise.

Souichi nodded.  It might have been acceptance, but part of Souichi
couldn't help but believe he was sealing his daughter's fate.  He looked
around, noticing how young they all were.  "I will try to accept this.
But tell me, do any of your parents know about you being Sailor Senshi?"

It was a question whose answer none of them seemed to like.  "I didn't
believe so," Souichi observed.  "Then you all know this is not an easy
thing to deal with for a parent."  He paused, letting the magnitude of
what he said sink in for them.  "Tell me, how did you know to come here?
How did you know I found out?"

All eyes in the room slowly turned to Setsuna.  "I knew you would be
anxious to see your daughter again.  But Neptune's mirror also revealed
something about you, something very grim by the looks of it.  So we all
teleported here."

"Yes.  It was that woman.  With the long dark hair, and moon symbols
on her forehead.  She appeared in the computer monitor and laughed at me.
That was the last thing I remembered before I woke up.  She was who you
were fighting, right?"  The senshi affirmed Souichi's conclusion with nods.
"I have to thank you for bringing me back up here from that place."

The senshi were confused.  "You...were upstairs in bed when we arrived,"
Minako informed him.

"What is this place you're referring to?"  Mamoru asked.

Souichi explained the whole thing, the dream about the hidden laboratory
in the house, the silver ring, the Witches 5 hideout, and the information
he found there.  He was trembling when he told them of his discovery,
and the taunting woman with the long hair and moons on her forehead.

"Neherenia did that to you," Artemis said sorrowfully.

Their confusion turned to concern.  "You must show us this place," Luna
urged.

The urgency in their voices made Souichi not think about the fact that
they were talking cats.  He explained about how Neherenia had taken the
ring, but Setsuna asked him to check again.

The outer senshi transformed, and Sailor Pluto asked Ami to do so as
well.  The four of them went with Souichi to the lab, where they found
the ring, and the other strange equipment.  Souichi turned over all the
remaining Death Busters equipment over to the Outer Senshi.  Whether
they would destroy it or not was their decision.

When the portal was opened, they were greeted with waves of heat.  It had
taken a while for Neptune and Mercury to completely put out the fires.
With the help of Luna and Artemis, they had checked out the entire
complex, and they discovered that the place was totally destroyed.

"Where exactly are we?"  Uranus asked.

"I'm not sure," Souichi admitted.  "We're either somewhere below the
rubble of Mugen Gauken, or in some underground complex beneath my house."
He concentrated hard, trying to remember the details of the construction.
Those initial few months he was under the daimon's possession were still
quite vague.

"Please don't push yourself," Michiru cautioned him.  "It is not
important, now that this place is destroyed."

"Who did this?" Mercury wondered.

"Someone we should thank," Michiru answered.  "If the wrong person had
found this place..."

Uranus was still worried.  "But the wrong person may have come anyway
and taken any information from here and--"

"No," Pluto corrected.  Their expressions begged for an explanation.
"We are not in any danger of exposure," she said vaguely but assuredly.

Uranus looked at Neptune, for confirmation.  Neptune took out her Deep
Aqua Mirror, and gazed into it.  Nothing happened.  "Whoever did this,
then, was not of any evil origin," she concluded.  The Mirror would have
seen it if that was the case.  The other senshi accepted it, knowing
they wouldn't get any more information from Pluto.

Souichi, on the other hand, still wanted to know more.  "This Neherenia
woman took the ring.  I would've been trapped down here.  Whoever did
this saved my life.  I have to know..."

Sailor Pluto considered him for a moment, then looked at Sailor Mercury.
"Perhaps Neptune and I are not the only ones who can see into the future,"
she said strangely.  She opened up the portal and went back to the house.

Neptune and Uranus looked at Mercury curiously.  "What did she mean by
that?"  Neptune asked, eyeing the younger blue-haired senshi almost
suspiciously.

Surprisingly, the answer didn't come immediately for the "brilliant"
senshi.  That had seemed many worlds away.  It took a while for it to
finally dawn on her.  "No, it can't be," she remarked.

They were still curious, especially Souichi.  But much to his
disappointment, Mercury didn't say anything else; so they
returned through the portal.  She did the same, thinking of a certain
prophetic boy she would have to send a rather interrogative email to.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

By the time they had returned to the house, Hotaru had reawakened, and
she and Chibi-usa were taking turns playing with a string with Diana.

"Papa, you're back," she said happily, jumping into his arms.

He grunted as he caught her.  "You've gotten...so big..." he smiled, and
for the first time let out a laugh.  The others laughed along with him.

Souichi had then asked about their history, not expecting to get many
answers, but instead ended up learning a huge, grand story that spanned
over thousands of years.

He learned quite a bit about these young people, and took comfort in the
fact that he was not the only one that had endured pain.  Mamoru and
Makoto had both lost their parents early, Rei really had only her
grandfather, Ami a child of divorce, Minako had sacrificed herself for
two friends of hers...they all had suffered pain, they all knew loneliness.
He didn't enjoy the fact that they had known loss, but he no longer felt
like he was alone.  And most of them were all so young, yet they still
endured; he found himself feeling lucky for having had a privileged,
relatively normal upbringing.

They had told him just about everything, from the Silver Millenium to
Crystal Tokyo, ending with the recent attack with Neherenia.  He had
learned of an ancient kingdom on the moon.  Of the love between a prince
and a princess that would last for millennia.  Of a tragic fall of a
civilization, and a mother's sacrifice.  Of a rebirth, of both good
and evil, and a girl who saw her friends and her true love die for her.
Of a future kingdom, and the pink-haired girl from that time, of a solitary
soldier who guarded the gate of time.  Of--well, okay, you get the idea.

Haruka and Michiru tried to hide it, but the story of their battle with
Queen Beryl had been very moving.  They had not known the princess had
watched as her friends gave their lives over for her, as her prince tried
to kill her.  She had gone through all of that, and still maintained such
innocence, and a belief in everyone, a love for all...

That was what Souichi had noticed as well, and admired the most.  Usagi's
strength of spirit.  How could anyone face such adversity, to struggle so
much, and still be capable of such love?  This girl, who refused to
entertain any thought of any person being unhappy.  Even him, who had
done so much against her.  When she looked at him, at anybody, her serene
expression always said the same thing.  *I believe in you.*

She was worth fighting for, and it made him feel better about his own
daughter being a senshi.  They fought to protect, to preserve that
innocence, that love.  He still had a lot of adjusting to do, but
eventually he would accept the idea of having the senshi of destruction
as a daughter.

Unfortunately, there was another thing he noticed, something that would
change the lives of five people forever.  But for the better.

He had listened intently as the senshi had told him their story, but he
couldn't help the way Hotaru was with the Outer Senshi, her caretakers
of the last few days.

There was such a camaraderie with those four.  There was a spiritedness
in Hotaru he knew he couldn't bring about himself.  With them she was the
daughter he had always dreamed of seeing, a younger version of Keiko, with
a little of that curiosity that was him mixed in there.

He was really thinking about it now, and knew where this was leading.
She had everything with these three--a tireless playmate in Haruka-papa,
a wise educator in Setsuna-mama, and a mother figure in Michiru-mama
(Souichi felt she bore the most resemblance to Hotaru's own mother).

Souichi thought about the sacrifice Queen Serenity made so that her child
could live happily.  What he would do now would not even compare to that,
although without question he would go that far if necessary.  Just as
Sailor Saturn, or any of the Senshi would give their lives for the
princess.

The next words would be the most difficult thing he would ever say.  He
went to Hotaru, kneeled in front of her, so he could look her in the eye.
His warm hands found her small shoulders.  "Hotaru, I want you to live
with them.  With Setsuna-mama and the others."

The facial expressions around the room were variations of shock and
sadness.  "Papa?"

"You are a Sailor Senshi.  You belong with them."

Her eyes watered, and she began trembling.  "But you're my father.  I
don't want to leave you!"

"You won't be leaving me.  You can see me anytime you want.  But I want
them to take care of you."

"Papa, please.  Soon Chibi-usa-chan will return to the future.  I don't
want to lose you too!!"

"Hotaru, you won't lose me.  But if you stay with me, you will feel
isolated again, because you are a senshi.  They will understand you
better.  I've seen the way they are with you, and how you are with them.
You will be very happy living with them.  You have four parents now, and
the other senshi as friends.  You have all these people who love you..."

It wasn't just Hotaru that was sad.  "Are you sure this is what you want,
Tomoe-san?"  Usagi, always hating seeing anyone else sad, looked like
she was about to cry.

"You're very kind to be concerned, Usagi, but what I want is what is
best for Hotaru.  As Sailor Senshi, they can provide protection for
Hotaru that I can't."

Hotaru's tears had fallen to below her cheek.  "Papa, I don't want you
to be alone!"  She threw herself into him, burying her head in his chest.

Souichi held her, using every effort to keep from weeping himself.
"I won't be," he said, his voice not faltering at all.  "This isn't a
goodbye, an ending, this is just a beginning, a chance for hope, renewal.
Usagi-chan told me you said something like that, and I believe it now.
It's not that far from here to Setsuna-mama's house, right?  We can
visit each other anytime."

Hotaru continued to cry.  It was beginning to affect the others;
Chibi-usa, Makoto and Usagi were already tearing up.  Considerately,
they all left the room, so the father and daughter could be alone.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Later, Hotaru, Chibi-usa, Usagi and the cats were playing and running about
the front gate of the Tomoe house.  The other inner senshi watched with
amusement each time Usagi tripped and fell.

Mamoru and the outer senshi were speaking with Tomoe.  Souichi was
surprised to learn that Mamoru had taken an interest in a similar field
as him.  He wished him luck in his studies abroad.

"You haven't told her yet," Michiru said, looking at Usagi.

"No," Mamoru answered.  "But she knows I love her more than anything, and
will return."

"She has gotten a little more mature," Haruka observed.  "I think she
will--"

"Maaamo-chaaaan!!!" Usagi wailed as she tripped yet again.

Haruka, Michiru, Mamoru, Souichi, and Setsuna all sighed in resignation.
"Not again," Mamoru groaned as he went over to her.

"That is our future queen," Souichi observed amusingly.  His smile
indicated he wasn't concerned about her not being so graceful.

"Don't worry.  She's not...always...like that," Haruka commented, seeing
the odango get right back up and resuming the chasing that butterfly with
the others.  "So what will you do?" Haruka asked of Tomoe.

Souichi shrugged his shoulders.  "There's plenty of things I can pursue,
although I'm in no need of income.  There's always teaching; I'm sure
there's at least one school somewhere that will take me.  I could also go
back into lab work, but nothing too radical.  Maybe I can even start
writing.  Or I could just enjoy a nice retirement.  I would like to see
at least one car race, and one violinist concert," he added with a wink.

Haruka thought he was kidding, but Michiru smiled.  "I'll look forward to
seeing you," she said.

Souichi nodded, looking back at Hotaru.  *So much like her mother,* he
noticed as he saw her running around.  "Eventually, I'd like for her to
go to school, where she can meet friends her own age.  I want her to
have some normalcy, I don't want her feel different."

"We all want that for her," Michiru agreed.

"The public records state that Hotaru is still only an infant," Setsuna
said.  I'll have to have that changed."  *Again,* she thought, but didn't
speak of it.  "In the meantime, we'll still teach her at home.  Oh, by the
way, at my house, I have a box full of pictures I think I should return
to you soon.  I'm sorry I took them, but..."

"You did it for mine and Hotaru's sake, you don't have to apologize.
Setsuna-san, I never did thank you for all that you did after what
happened at Mugen Gauken.  I appreciate it," he said gratefully.  "But,
as for my own identity, I don't think that I'm listed in--"

"I will take care of that as well.  It is actually less difficult than
you would believe," she commented.

Michiru chuckled, and Haruka rolled her eyes.  "She's just bragging.
She's been at this for what, over a thousand years?"

"Speaking of that, I do have a question for you.  Or a question for
Sailor Pluto, anyway," Souichi said, and continued when Setsuna nodded.
"If you're here, who's watching the time gate?"

Setsuna's expression was stoic.  "I am."

The look of confusion on Souichi's face was expected.  "O...kay," he said,
furrowing his brow.  "Well, at least tell me this.  You called me about a
week after Pharaoh 90 appeared in Mugen.  But from what I've heard, you
no longer were here at the time, because you used the time stop.  How is
that?"  Setsuna just looked at him blankly, and didn't answer.

Souichi looked like he was going to ask more, but Haruka and Michiru
stopped him.  "One thing we've learned in the last few days, it's that
she will be as vague as possible about her duties as the Guardian of Time."

"It's just best to live in the present, and enjoy whatever comes your way,
right Setsuna?"  Michiru put in.  "That's what she's drilled into our
heads, anyway..."

Setsuna cleared her throat.  "The point is, Tomoe-san, we will take good
care of your daughter.  That I can answer clearly."

"I have no doubts of that."  He sincerely believed that.  He would most
likely get some odd looks when trying to explaining this to others, how
his daughter lived with three women, two of which were in love.  *But
I guess that's the point.  Love.*  It felt a bit awkward for him since he
wasn't used to seeing it.  But it would work out, he knew.

They all looked back at the others, enjoying the sights of Hotaru's and
Chibi-usa's last time playing together.  *Okay, just one more question.*
"Will she ever see Chibi-usa again?" Souichi dared to ask.

He expected another cold answer, but instead heard something different.
Next to Hotaru now, she had been the second closest person in her life.
"I hope so," she answered warmly, a rare smile manifesting itself on her
face.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

There had been no good-byes between Hotaru and Souichi; there was no need.
She promised to call every day, and had already planned to come over in
the next week.  She would need him soon, as it was the very next day when
Chibi-usa-chan and Diana would take their leave.

On the way back to his home in the country, he had finally brought forth
the tears he had been holding back.  The tears were for several things--of
sadness and loss in having to let Hotaru go, of relief for his finally
getting his life back, of sympathy at learning the eternal struggle of
the Sailor Senshi.

When he finished crying himself out, he knew he would be okay.  Like
with Neherenia, this was not an ending, but a new beginning.  Both had
suffered greatly, but both were given another chance, thanks to the
Sailor Senshi.

He could begin a whole new life now, he could do anything.  He wondered
about where he should live, in the city house or the countryside house;
it really wasn't important now.

A rush of excitement bubbled up in him, and it felt so good after such a
long absence.  He wanted to do so much, to work, to discover, to fall in
love again, to see Hotaru would grow, maybe even have another child.

So how did his life turn out?  Well, unfortunately, he died a horrible
hideous tragic death.

But then, so did everyone else on the planet when a certain legendary
Sailor Senshi named Galaxia arrived.

After that, though, he was fine.  There were his good days, and there were
days he wanted to hide from the world.  He would experience the entire
gamut of emotions, just like most people.

He would laugh as his daughter would show him some tumbling tricks with
Haruka-papa, while Setsuna-mama looked like she was having a heart
attack.

He would know terror as the city became dark and violent once more, as
he witnessed his own star seed being stolen from him.

He would feel pride as he watched his daughter hold her own playing a
violin duet with Michiru-mama.

He would cry, as he and Hotaru would visit Keiko Tomoe's grave.

He would feel sympathy and a shared concern, as he comforted the parents
of the princess, when the time came to reveal herself.

He would know triumph each time the Sailor Senshi would save him and the
rest of the world.

But most of all, he would know joy from having Hotaru Tomoe be a part
of his life.

---

End notes:

Yeah, I know, it got a little WAFF-y at the end.

Although the story was based from the Sailor Moon anime, I did use a
couple of background things from the manga (like Hotaru's mother)
I hope that wasn't confusing.

Yes, Hotaru's age.  She looks around 8-9 to me in Stars, after Saturn
appears and causes her final growth spurt.  Definitely younger than S,
after re-watching episodes of her in both S and Stars about fifty
gazillion times.  But as Sailor Saturn, she looks a bit older...confused?
I am...

Okay, if you got this far, you either finished this story (thanks!!!)
or you read through some of it, and puked your intestines out.  Sorry...

Seriously, this being my first fanfic, I will welcome any comments,
criticisms.  Anything that was hard to understand, or any noticeable
mistakes as far as grammar, content, characters/events go, etc.  You
can send them to:  jlauder121@hotmail.com or saturn9@mindspring.com.

Again, thanks for taking the time to read...

John


________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com