Part Thirty-Four: Love conquers all! When soldiers blaze together

So warm. Haruka's embrace was so warm, and the blind girl's entire body shook. In earlier lifetimes, she remembered daydreaming about a moment like this, being held in the powerful arms of the woman she loved. As the lifecycles continued she'd learned to discipline these dangerous thoughts, to keep herself from the futile wishes that only brought pain. It had been millennia since she'd dared to entertain such desires, and now the actual experience was overpowering. The situation itself, sitting on the beach with her arms around Haruka, being held and rocked and comforted by the same hands that had burned to take her life only hours ago, was enough to rob her of most of her senses. Unable to speak or even move, she trembled uncontrollably in the racer's arms.
Haruka found herself smiling softly at the tremors that ran through the body of the girl in her lap. It was an incredible feeling of weightlessness that had suddenly come over her, and as the breeze brushed her face and toyed with her thick sandy-blond bangs she felt as if all she needed to do was lift her arms and it would carry her right into the sky with it. She had no idea how long they'd been sitting there together, clinging to one another. She had cried, though. They'd both cried. It was the sweetest feeling in the world, because the tears began in sorrow and ended in joy. She'd meant it, when she said she forgave Shinzui. Amazingly enough, it had been the truth. And she found to her astonishment that the moment she made the decision to let go, all the hate and the fear and the rage that had tortured her for the last few months seemed to drop right down to her feet and sink away into the sand. The resulting freedom and relief was something next to ecstasy. Now she could touch the blind girl and feel only friendship and warmth and an unexpected tenderness. No wonder that Guardian loves her so much, she thought bemusedly. As strong and powerful as she is, she's still vulnerable. Like Sailor Moon. She let her eyes wander down to where one long, slender leg had been exposed by the blind girl's flowered skirt, and the mischievous thoughts that flashed through her mind then made her grin. Michiru's right. I really am hopeless. Not even a day ago I was ready to kill her. She shook her head slightly.
Shinzui had stopped crying, but she'd been quivering all over since Haruka had kissed her. The racer could only imagine what kind of impact this had made on the Sacrificial Soldier. She held the shaking girl firmly, and moved one hand in slow, soothing circles across her back until gradually the trembling subsided. She liked this feeling of strength, this feeling of restless, directionless energy. It was a feeling she hadn't experienced in such a long time…only when she was riding, the wind in her face, tangling her hair, had she ever felt anything akin to it.
The wind. The wind is back. It made perfect sense. This burning, all-consuming desire for speed and power, to lift off the ground and take flight, to become the wind itself, had obsessed her ever since she was a child. She always felt heavy somehow, chained to the ground, fastened to the earth by a force that went beyond gravity. She'd even resented her powers as a Sailor Senshi because ironically they came from the earth rather than the sky that she craved. Gayen…Gayen had been her wind. When he died, she'd longed for him to the point that everything was heavy and grounded without him. Her own hate had, in essence, chained her away from his memory, from the feeling of love and freedom and speed that he had awakened in her lifetimes ago. Now it was back. It's back. And I'm free.
It was dark outside now, the only light coming from the silver moon hanging low over the water. Both girls were startled when the rhythmic rush of the waves was interrupted by a loud and jarring beeping noise. Shinzui pulled back and Haruka punched a button on her wristwatch. The beeping stopped.
"Midnight," Haruka declared quietly. "Happy birthday, Shinzui."
A slow, shy smile spread over the pretty features. She reached out with one hand and ran delicate fingers over the racer's face. "I'm going to say something I've wanted to say for a thousand lifetimes." Her musical voice was impossibly soft. "I love you, Haruka-san."
Haruka gave a low chuckle. "I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not. Your love for me is a curse, isn't it? It's not that flattering when someone is cursed to love you for all eternity." The dark irony in her voice was tinged with amusement.
Shinzui giggled. "I suppose not." Then a darker expression flitted across her face.
Haruka tilted her head to one side. "What's wrong?"
The blind girl sighed. "I was just wishing that this could last forever. That I didn't have to die, this time around." Her voice trembled a little. "What happens in the next cycle, Haruka-san? What happens when you're reborn and lose all your memories of this lifetime? It will all just start all over again." Shinzui took a deep breath. "It's selfish of me. I know it is. I'll always have this, this moment, this night to remember. And it should be enough…but now that this has happened, I don't want to let it go. I don't want it to go back to the way it was."
"I won't let that happen." The racer shook her head firmly. "I'm done with the hate, Shinzui. I'm done with the Prince of Darkness, and I'm done with the past. When I'm reborn I'm going to forget again…Gayen and Jutei and my family, and you, even. But I'm also going to forget the grudge. I refuse to carry it anymore. So don't worry." The warmth in her voice was genuine. "From now on, I want us to fight together as friends."
"Is that possible?"
"Sure. If there's anything I've learned from you in the past few weeks, Shinzui, it's that anything is possible." Haruka made a face. "Hell, I just found out that in a past life I was married. To a man. And had a kid." She shook her head. "If I didn't remember it myself, I'd have said it was ridiculous."
"You've really changed since then." The tinkling voice was apologetic.
"Yeah. But it hasn't all been bad, you know." Haruka was quiet for a minute. "I was just thinking. What if the old Orion hadn't killed Gayen? What kind of person would I be right now? What kind of soldier? If Gayen was here, Michiru and I wouldn't be…" she ran a hand through her hair. "And I wouldn't be…" her face reddened a bit and she broke off. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think I like the way things have turned out, now. I really do. I'm not alone, like I thought I would be. And I'm happy."
Shinzui was surprised. "You are?"
Haruka nodded. "I like being the person that I am. I'm not sure I'd want to change that, even if I could." Her grey eyes glinted with the reflection of the moonlight over the water. "I realized something tonight. You didn't hurt me, Shinzui. The man who committed all those crimes died eons ago, when he gave up himself to become…well…you. But because I couldn't let go, I was changed. Just like he wanted. Even after he was gone, he still managed to defeat me." A wry grin crept over her face. "But I'll be damned if I'm going to let that bastard win. I'm strong now, just like he wanted. I'm a soldier. But it stops there. I'm not going to be a murderer like he was, and I'm not going to let anger and hate drive me to kill. I'm going to take the strength he gave me and use it to protect the people I love from people like him."
Shinzui blinked her vacant eyes. "It's strange you should say that, Haruka-san. That's the same vow I made when I was brought into the Posiverse…that I would use every bit of strength that remained in me to protect this place from the monsters wanting to destroy it."
"Michiru told me once that you and I are a lot alike," the racer mused. "Funny how things work out, isn't it? You became softer because of the Prince, I became harder, and somehow the two of us managed to meet up in the middle."
There was a moment of silence as both girls considered these words. Finally Haruka spoke again. "Michiru has been the best thing that ever happened in my life. She's been more than a friend, more than a partner. She's been my soulmate and my liferaft. Sometimes this life, being a Senshi and all that, seems so surreal, like I could wake up tomorrow and find that it was all some bizarre dream. In the beginning I wished it was, but not anymore. I can't imagine my life without her in it. I still don't remember the past as clearly as you probably do, but I do know that throughout everything she was the one person to hang on to me, force me to face life, and to share my pain." There was a definite note of awe in her voice. "If it wasn't for the Prince of Darkness, I might not have that. I truly am happy with my life the way it is."
The blind girl sighed wistfully. "Oh, I wish I could believe that."
One sandy eyebrow lifted. "You calling me a liar?" the racer bantered playfully.
"No, no, that's not what I meant," Shinzui replied hastily, with a bit of a giggle. "I just…I can't help feeling guilty for what I did to you and your family. And if it really is true, that you're happy now, it would make me feel so much better. But you have no way of knowing what your life would be like if Gayen was alive, so I don't dare to imagine that you really could be happy now."
"Why not? Afraid you might finally have to let go of the past yourself?" Haruka inquired pointedly. "You know, it's a very uplifting experience. You should try it."
A smile flitted across the older girl's features, but she shook her head. "I don't think I can. It wouldn't be right. Somebody has to pay for the lives of those people, Haruka-san."
The racer shook her head. "Well, I'm not like Michiru and odango and the other pie-in-the-sky, glass-is-half-full types. I'm not going to tell you what to do or how you should feel. That's entirely up to you. But what I can tell you is that a thousand lifetimes of guilt and sacrifice is enough penance as far as I'm concerned. I saw…I felt what you go through, and it was enough to convince me it's time to let go." With one hand she reached out and brushed a strand of silvery hair away from the blind girl's face. "So maybe someday you will too." Regarding the pretty tear-streaked face, a few flirtatious comments rose to her tongue, but she held them back. Somehow it just didn't feel right. There would be something oddly sacrilegious in flirting with Shinzui. She wasn't like other women. Somehow she was different.
To Haruka's surprise, Shinzui turned her head and for a moment it seemed as if the sightless dove colored eyes could actually see right into the racer's mind. It was unsettling, but a sweet smile curved Shinzui's lips. "Thank you, Haruka-san." Haruka wasn't sure if she was being thanked for what she had said or what she hadn't.
"Stop with the -san business already," Haruka replied with a grin. "We're friends now, and you're older than me, for god's sake."
Shinzui's tinkling laughter echoed far across the glittering water.

**********

A large hand suddenly interrupted his vision, and the Book of Balance was closed gently. "That's enough, Demetrius. You should let them be. This is a very personal moment for the Child."
Guardian Brother looked up, his eyes wet with the tears that were streaming unabashedly down his face. "It's just so beautiful, Neophilus…I wish you could feel it. The forgiveness. So beautiful."
Neophilus lifted one heavy white brow ironically. "You seem to be taking it well."
Demetrius blew his nose loudly in a blue handkerchief that disappeared up one sleeve of his golden robe. "I can't help it. I've wanted this for her for so long."
"And it doesn't hurt that she's one step closer to breaking the Curse either, I'm sure."
The youngest Guardian blushed. "That's part of it. I love her, you know that. But even if the Eternal Curse is never broken…" he looked down at the leather bound volume on the table. "At least now it might be endurable. Unrequited love is always tragic, but if Uranus doesn't hate her anymore, that will relieve so much of the pain."
"I must admit, I'm starting to wonder just how eternal the Eternal Curse is going to be, myself." The giant Guardian pulled out a chair next to Guardian Brother and sat down. "Which poses some very interesting questions. What if it isn't eternal? If the Curse can be broken, then perhaps the Eternal Sacrifice is not truly eternal either."
Demetrius shook his head passionately. "It's only eternal if we give up, Guardian Father. So we can't. We must never give up until we find away to seal that Gate without the Child."
Guardian Father smiled fondly at his friend's enthusiasm, but his voice remained grave. "Much easier said than done. And the vernal equinox is less than two weeks away." He sighed. "We have yet to find the Silver Dagger, Demetrius, and time is drawing short. You know as well as I that the success of the sacrifice hinges on that Dagger. Without it the Child's soul will be severely weakened in death. It is not likely she would have the necessary strength to seal the Gate."
"I know, I know." Guardian Brother ran a hand through his shock of white hair. "We know that the Dagger is in the blood of a human, and that human has to be in Tokyo. We also know that it is most likely in the blood of one of the senshi. But the Sacred Child says she has tested them all except Sailor Moon, and that none of them carry it."
Neophilus nodded. "And now Lady Slipper has been going after Sailor Moon with a vengeance, which leads me to believe that she must be the one."
"But I was with her, remember? When the Child brought her to us after Uranus'…episode, with that broken arm and all the cuts and bruises. She was bleeding all over the place but I didn't see any silver."
"Did the Child use her Fire Opal over the cuts?"
Demetrius shook his head a bit frustratedly. "She refused. I pointed out that it wasn't the same as cutting the Princess herself, since she was already bleeding, but the Child wouldn't hear of it. 'A promise is a promise', she said, and that was that."
Guardian Father nodded, perfectly aware of Orion's stubborn streak. "I know she loves Sailor Moon with all her heart, but sometimes I think perhaps it's too much for her own good. If Sailor Moon does carry the Silver Dagger in her blood, we are eventually going to have to retrieve it. If the Child cannot do it, we will have to do it ourselves, and you know what that means."
Demetrius sighed. "I get to hold her back again. I know. Which means she won't speak to me for a few lifetimes." He made a pouting face. "Why can't Oberon be the bad guy for once? Why does it always have to be me?"
"You know the answer to that."
Guardian Brother rolled his eyes. "She's a Soldier of Soul, I'm the Guardian of Soul, I know. Which automatically means I get all the dirty work when it comes to the Child. Sometimes it really sucks to be me."
This comment caused Guardian Father to laugh, great peals of merriment that reverberated through the library. "I think you've been spending too much time in that hospital, Guardian Brother. You're starting to pick up human phrases." He laughed again, so hard that tears came to his eyes. "I never thought I'd hear something like 'it sucks to be me' from a Guardian of the Balance." His laughter was contagious, and soon Demetrius was chuckling too.

**********

A hiss of displeasure escaped from between the teeth of the rose haired woman as she stalked down the sidewalk. One week. It had been an entire week that she'd been stranded here in the Posiverse, and she could feel the nauseating toxic atmosphere beginning to eat away at her. It just wasn't right, to be exposed to this much Posiforce for this long. She was beginning to feel rather disheveled. She hadn't had a proper night's sleep in days, not to mention the fact that this Japanese food made her want to throw up. What good was meat when it was cooked through and through? Or vegetables that didn't have a healthy coat of the dirt they were grown in? These humans' eating habits were truly disgusting.
She hadn't been able to comb and braid her hair for days, and the frizzing of her rosy braid was testimony to that. Her skirt was wrinkled, the flowers on her halter top were limp and fading, and she needed a good bath. Not to mention the fact that she was worried about her lab back home. There were some very delicate plants there, and she just knew that by now they were probably all dead; years worth of hard labor destroyed because of one Sailor brat.
That meddlesome Guardian had interfered again. She'd been so close this time. Usagi had been in her grasp. Uranus had just about taken care of Orion for her. It was all going so well, and then he had to show up with his blue flashy lights and ruin it all. It was enough to make her feel like screaming.
Orion wasn't dead. Lady Slipper would have sensed it if she was. And what was even more unnerving, there had come a sudden strange feeling of release, a rush of sugary sweet ickiness that Lady Slipper couldn't explain, and could mean only one thing. Her wretched ex-husband was happy. She hadn't felt that kind of happiness from Orion since…well, suffice to say it had been a few thousand lifetimes since the last time he'd really been happy about anything. That was just the icing on the cake, then. This had to be the worst day of her entire life. It just couldn't get any worse than this.
She passed by an electronics store, and suddenly turned to stare at the news report that was being run on a television in the display window. She couldn't hear what the reporter was saying behind all that glass, but it didn't matter. She was busy looking at the date up in the corner. March 12. Orion's birthday.
"Well, what do you know," she murmured with a sudden cruel glint in her eye. "It's birthday party time. Those Sailor brats are sure to throw a party for her…and their little princess wouldn't miss it. I'll have another chance, and this time I'm going to get that Dagger." She stared in disgust at her reflection in the window. "But first, I need to get cleaned up a bit. I can't show up to a party looking like this." With that thought in mind, she turned back. There was a beauty shop across the street. A fresh look and a new outfit would do her a world of good; and then it would be time to go party crashing…in style.

**********

Luna pounced on Usagi's head for the fourth time that morning, receiving for her efforts a heavy and poorly aimed slap in her general direction. She was able to dodge the flying hand with an indignant huff. "Usagi-chan, for heaven's sake will you get UP already? It's Monday. You're going to be late for school."
The blonde under the covers mumbled something incoherent and rolled over so that her bottom was sticking up in the air, and pulled the pillows over her head. Luna sighed impatiently. "Okay, fine. You leave me no choice." She spread her claws then and pounced on the protruding rear end, sinking the sharp little points through the blanket. "WAKE UP!!"
The tactic produced the desired effect, as Usagi sprang about a foot into the air, howling and clutching her behind with one hand. This squeal of protest quickly dissolved into one of shock as she caught sight of the alarm clock. "Luna, I'm going to be late!!"
The black cat rolled her eyes and watched her mistress rush around the room in a frenzy, tossing clothes this way and that, and hopping on one foot as she tried to put a shoe on with one hand while whipping her hair up into its odangos with the other. "I tried to tell you, you know."
"I'm going to have to stand in the hall again," the small girl wailed as she hurriedly finished her morning toilette. "And my algebra homework…aaah! I was so busy worrying about Shinzui-san last night that I forgot to do it. I'm gonna be in so much trouble."
Luna made a face. "Sure. Blame the homework on Shinzui. You wouldn't have done it even if you HAD remembered, and you know it."
Usagi stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry at her cat. "You're so mean, Luna. I really was worried about Shinzui-san last night. I hardly slept a wink."
"That's not what it looked like this morning," Luna retorted smoothly.
Usagi opened her mouth to argue, but the cat shook her head. "No time to discuss this now, you've got to get to school. Don't forget to get Shinzui-san a birthday present after class today. There's a party over at the temple, remember?"
Usagi nodded. "Of course I remember. But…" a shadow crossed her face. "I wonder what kind of a birthday it's gonna be for her. I mean, Haruka-san took off so fast last night, and we didn't hear from either of them. I really wanna know what happened."
"We all do," Luna replied, for a moment dropping her usual chastising tone. "But until one or the other of them decides to tell us, we just have to wait. And you, young lady, need to get to school."
The petite blonde scrunched up her nose with distaste, but nonetheless made a hasty exit.
It was a typical day at school. She was indeed late for class, and had to stand out in the hall during morning exercises. Her absent algebra homework cost her a severe scolding and the threat of a letter home to her mother. Usually she managed to cry her way out of such a penalty, but today she was too distracted to really notice. She couldn't help wondering what had happened with Shinzui and Haruka the night before, and the thought obsessed her mind to the point that everything else just seemed like a big daze.
She loved them both, so much. Haruka was the coolest person she knew, so strong and powerful. And Shinzui…they'd only met a few months ago, but Shinzui was possibly the sweetest and kindest person in the world. Usagi felt strongly attached to both of them, as if they were big sisters, and seeing the tension between them hurt her deeply. The memory of the previous day, when the situation had angered her to the point that she'd actually hit Haruka, seemed almost unreal. She found herself repeatedly staring at her own hand in shock. She'd hit Haruka. A girl twice her size, with twice her strength. The last time she'd slapped someone it had been her own precious Mamo-chan, because she'd thought he'd forgotten her birthday…and that had been different. She'd been mad then, offended, even, but it was nothing like yesterday. Yesterday she'd been so furious that even the Crystal felt it.
When she tried to think over the events of the past couple of days it was enough to give her a headache. So much information. Such a complicated and frustrating story. It was so sad, what had happened to Uranus's husband and family. And it was sad, what had happened to Orion. The way he'd asked her to kill him, and then ended up joining them, and ultimately becoming a Sacrifice for them all. What she'd said yesterday to Haruka was true. The sacrifice shouldn't be on Orion's shoulders at all, it ought to be on hers. She was supposed to be the princess of the Posiverse, the one to protect everybody. And here she was letting someone else do it for her. Some Sailor leader she was.
This was all her fault. If she'd only had the guts to face her responsibilities herself, instead of asking Orion to do it for her, maybe none of this mess would be happening. But she was a coward, a big baby. She couldn't even stand the thought of letting Shinzui prick her finger for a drop of blood, let alone strapping herself to an altar so that someone could plunge a dagger into her heart. And all these years, Shinzui had quietly and uncomplainingly stepped up to do it for her, taking all that pain and fear that was rightfully Usagi's and enduring it herself. What kind of a life was that? Usagi had been the one to insist that Orion live. She'd been the one to give Orion her new life in the first place, and then condemned her to an existence of sheer hell. What kind of a selfish, sick person did that to somebody else?
So lost in thought was she that she walked right into the superintendent, who was just stepping out of his office and into the hall. There was a soft oof! as she connected with the giant man's leg, and looked up…way up…into the friendly amethyst eyes. Her own blue eyes widened. Oh yeah…I forgot that one of the Guardians is working at Juuban.
Oberon looked down at the tiny girl with concern. He could tell that something was wrong; her confused thoughts had reached him from within his office, disturbing him from his work. He should have known it was the princess. No one else gave off such powerful positive energy, even in her current disturbed state. When he spoke, his whispered tones were gentle. "Come, my child. Let us talk." He drew Usagi into his office and closed the door.
An hour later, the door opened again, and a much more serene Usagi stepped out into the hallway. She turned back to smile at the giant man. "Thanks, Oberon-sama. I feel much better now. You're so much easier to talk to than the other adults around here."
Oberon gave a nod, and a slight smile toyed with one corner of his mouth. The little blonde enthusiastically threw her arms around his leg, the only part of him that she could reach, and gave him a quick hug. "You know what? You make a really good superintendent, Oberon-sama." She turned to go, but then remembered something and turned back. "Can I ask you one more thing?"
The giant Guardian nodded again.
"It's Shinzui-san's birthday today, and I don't have a present for her yet. Do you know of anything she might like?"
A slow smile spread over his face, and he bent almost double to whisper in her ear. Usagi's eyes widened. "Are you sure?" Oberon nodded again as he straightened up, and a thoughtful look hovered on the girl's features as she considered it. "Okay, then. If you say so." The big man gave her a wink, and then handed her a white slip of paper, a pass that would excuse her tardiness from class for the past hour. Usagi made a petulant face. "Guess that means I have to go back to class."
Oberon lifted one eyebrow and folded his arms in response, and she sighed. "Oh, all right. But thanks again…for everything." With that the small Sailor leader turned and went back down the hall towards her classroom. The Guardian watched her go with a twinkle playing in the depths of those amethyst eyes. She was really something else, their princess.

**********

It was a beautiful spring afternoon, the perfect sort of weather for a party. The winter cold had finally begun to give way to a warmer, milder breeze, and with the solid cloud cover broken the sun was able to reach through and make everything cheery and bright again. The shrine was buzzing with activity when Rei arrived home from school.
Her grandfather met her in the courtyard. "Rei-chan! We have many visitors today. You should get into your robes quickly and come to the souvenir stands. The girls there could use your help."
The pretty raven haired priestess shook her head. "I'm sorry, Grandpa, but I can't today. It's Shinzui-san's birthday and we're giving her a party, remember? I have to get everything ready."
Grandpa Hino's monkey-like face scrunched up into a mass of good natured wrinkles. He liked the tall, beautiful blind girl who had begun to spend so much time at the shrine with Rei. There was a powerful aura about her, something that whispered of an evil that had been overcome with purity. He didn't know the entire story surrounding her and he didn't need to. What he did know was that she had a very strong and good spirit, that one, not to mention a remarkably lovely young face. The little man nodded. "Oh, that's right, I remember. Well, I guess I'll just go help all those pretty tourists myself." A lecherous grin spread over his face as he waddled off towards the shrine visitor center.
Rei rolled her eyes toward heaven and offered a quick prayer of protection for those poor girls who were about to experience her grandfather's…helpfulness. Then she turned and headed for her bedroom, where she proceeded to toss off her private school uniform and don a pretty red party dress. First things first, of course, she had to make sure she looked like the perfect party hostess. Once she'd done her hair and freshened her makeup, it was time to get the room cleaned. Rei did her best not to think about the mess that it would be in once everybody left; she knew the kind of damage Usagi and the rest of the girls could do in a matter of minutes.
A very soft scratching at the door startled her, and she slid the rice-paper door back to reveal two cats and golden retriever sitting on the porch. Centauri was carrying a basket in his mouth. Rei's violet eyes widened. "Centauri! Luna! Artemis! I wasn't expecting you here so soon." She looked up, but caught no sight of the three animal's mistresses anywhere in the courtyard. Artemis shook his head.
"We decided to come early and help you decorate," he told Rei. "Minako-chan is still in school, and so is Usagi, so Luna and I really didn't have anything better to do."
"It was Centauri's idea," Luna added, looking up at the golden retriever by their side.
Rei nodded, looking intently at Centauri. "How is Shinzui-san?" she asked anxiously. "And Haruka-san, too. They disappeared last night and no one heard anything."
The big dog carried the basket into the room and set it down before replying. "I'm not sure," he said quietly. "She didn't come home last night."
"What?!" The priestess spun around to stare at him. "But surely, after everything that's happened, Haruka-san wouldn't have…"
He shook his head quickly. "No, she hasn't been killed. I would have felt it if she were dead. In fact…I don't know exactly what happened, but I think that whatever it was, it was something good. I just have a really good feeling about the whole thing. I'm not worried. Shinzui will show up when she's ready to."
Rei made a face. "Well, let's just hope that she's ready by the time everybody gets here for her party. It would be a little ridiculous to throw a birthday party without the birthday girl."
Centauri met the violet eyes calmly. "You senshi mean more to Shinzui than anything else in the world, Rei-san. She'll be here."
Something about the certainty in his voice touched the priestess, and she nodded slowly. Then a grin spread over her face. "Well, in that case, we better start decorating. We want to have it done before she gets here."
In response, Centauri nudged the lid of the basket open, revealing a rainbow of streamers, flowers, balloons, glitter, glue, scissors, tape and other party decorations. "I borrowed these from Shinzui's collection at the Banpuku center."
Rei rubbed her hands together. "They're perfect. Okay, everybody, let's get to work!"

**********

Michiru had just stepped out of the shower, wrapped in a big white bathrobe, when she heard the apartment door open and close. "Haruka," she whispered, coming out into the kitchen. Sure enough, it was her sandy haired partner, in rumpled clothes but wearing the biggest grin Michiru had ever seen. The violinist stopped short with a bit of surprise. "Haruka?"
Haruka charged towards her with a laugh, lifting her up off the floor and twirling her around in the middle of the kitchen. "It's over, Michiru. It's really over. I'm free." The racer laughed more, spinning around like a delighted child, and Michiru flung her arms around her partner's neck for dear life.
When the world finally stopped turning in circles and Haruka put her back down, Michiru gazed up into her beloved partner's face with a mixture of startlement, wonder and joy. "Haruka, what…what happened out there? I've never seen you like this before."
The racer laughed again, a delicious rich laugh that warmed Michiru's heart. "Like I said, it's over. All that mess between me and the Prince of Darkness."
"You mean, you…"
"I decided to let go. I forgave her, Michiru."
At this, Michiru's aqua eyes lit up, and she threw her arms around her partner's neck for a second time. "Oh, Haruka, I'm so glad! I knew you would, I just knew it."
The racer couldn't resist lifting her up for one more little twirl. "It just feels so…god, I can't even describe it." She put Michiru down again, this time siezing her hands and bringing the fingers to her lips.
Michiru watched her partner's face with a smile, paying no attention when the towel that was wrapped turban-like over her turquoise hair came loose and fell to the floor due to all the spinning around. "You don't have to describe it. I think I can see the results for myself. I am so proud of you, Haruka." She tilted her head to the side. "So you were with Shinzui all night?"
The racer nodded, lowering their hands. "We talked for hours, about all kinds of things. Fighting and honor and love and what it means to be a senshi…she's a really amazing person, and we both feel the same about so much. It was incredible, but once I'd made the decision to forgive her, it was like I could suddenly see the real Shinzui, the one who is so much like me, just like you said." One sandy eyebrow went up coquettishly. "What's the matter, are you jealous?"
Michiru batted her eyes. "Maybe." Then she became serious again, as one hand came up to cup her partner's face. "But I'm happy for you. I truly am."
Haruka gave her another tight hug. "Thank you, Michiru. For believing in me. For helping me through this. I don't just mean now…I mean in all those lifetimes that we can't even remember. I know you were there, and I know I wouldn't have been able to make it to this point if it wasn't for you. So…thanks."
Michiru returned the hug briefly, then playfully swatted the racer away. "All right, all right, enough of that. Shinzui's birthday party is in less than a half an hour, so you need to get dressed."
"So do you," Haruka retorted merrily, staring pointedly down at where the bathrobe had fallen open during their hugs. A blush crept over Michiru's cheeks as she quickly pulled the edges of the robe close to her neck. Haruka chuckled and headed for the bedroom, pulling off her tie as she went.
A little while later the two arrived at Shinzui's apartment door. Haruka raised her hand to knock, but the door was opened before she even made contact with it. There was Shinzui, in a pretty peach colored sundress with a soft white sweater, and a happy smile. "I'm so glad you offered to give me a ride to the temple," she giggled as she closed and locked the apartment door behind her. "It seems Centauri's gone off somewhere without me."
Haruka took the blind girl's elbow and guided her down the hall towards the elevators. Michiru couldn't help looking from one to the other with a combination of curiousity and amazement. For two girls who had just spent the entire night without sleep, going through what must have been a massive amount of emotional turbulence, they both seemed remarkably rested and well. Maybe that's what forgiveness did to a person, after millennia of hate and anger and fear. Looking at the two of them now, chatting away like old friends, it was hard to imagine that only yesterday Haruka had wanted to kill her. But Michiru had known all along that this day would come, eventually. Haruka wasn't as tough and cold as she pretended, and no one knew better than Michiru how deep and intense the racer's true emotions could be.
As they stepped out of the apartment building, Shinzui suddenly paused in mid-sentence and stiffened.
"What's the matter, Shinzui-san?" Michiru inquired curiously as the blind girl tilted her head to the side as if she was listening to something.
Shinzui's lips tightened. "We have to get to the temple, now. Lady Slipper's after the Princess again."
Haruka didn't need to hear anything more. She helped Shinzui into the back seat of the convertible, made sure that Michiru was in the passenger's side, then leapt into the driver's seat without bothering to open the door. The convertible started up with a roar, and the tires squealed as she pulled away from the curb. Once in the car, Michiru pulled out her mirror and gazed intently into it, trying to confirm Shinzui's prediction. Sure enough, the reflective surface was filled with dark shadows, the kind that always meant trouble. But she couldn't see anything else.
"Perhaps I should use the communicator and warn them," the violinist said, opening her purse to locate it. Shinzui reached forward and put a hand on her wrist, stopping her.
"Not yet," she replied quietly. "We still might be able to stop Lady Slipper before she reaches them. I don't want to put the girls in any more danger than is necessary. If they know she's coming, they're likely to go out looking for her."
Michiru nodded. "You're probably right." She gave the blind girl a sympathetic smile. "It's a shame your birthday has to be interrupted by something like this."
Haruka chuckled low in her throat. "Actually, I was just thinking the opposite. No party's complete without a good fight." She glanced in the rearview mirror at Shinzui's face. "Am I right?"
A slow, amused grin curved the pretty lips. "I couldn't have said it better myself."
Michiru looked from one to the other and burst into laughter. "You know what? I feel very sorry for Lady Slipper at the moment."

**********

Amazing what a set of clean clothes and a good hairstyling can do, Lady Slipper mused triumphantly to herself. Despite the failures of the past few days, and the fact that she'd been virtually kicked out of her own universe until she'd found the Silver Dagger, she was in rather light spirits at the moment. After getting her skirt, leggings and flowered halter top dry cleaned and pressed, and having her hair washed, combed and rebraided in a little beauty salon across the street from the dry cleaners, she was feeling much better. Her rose colored braid now cascaded smoothly over one shoulder again, and her clothes were crisp and wrinkle free. The one thing she couldn't seem to fix was the atrocious smell of humans that insisted upon clinging to her skin and hair. But that would have to wait for later.
Giving herself one last approving look at her reflection in a store window, she nodded. Now she'd at least be presentable when she appeared to fight her former husband and all the senshi. It would never do to appear so bedraggled and unkempt in front of the enemy. Of course, with any luck, she'd be able to get to their precious little princess and retrieve the Dagger from her blood before any of them had the chance to stop her.
After checking to make sure no one was looking, Lady Slipper ducked into a narrow alley between two buildings. It would cause quite a stir if she were to teleport right in the middle of the street. As much as she enjoyed the attention, she couldn't afford to do anything that might tip Orion off to her location. Orion probably already knew that Lady Slipper was on her way to the birthday party, anyway. It was an irritating side effect from Orion's life in the Negaverse, that she could sense the presence and intention of her former colleagues from miles away, just as she had when she'd ruled as the Prince.
Lady Slipper closed her eyes and concentrated on the Shinto Shrine where she needed to be. In a moment, she felt her body flicker in and out of phase as her teleportation powers took over. When she opened her eyes, she was standing at the base of the steps leading up to the shrine. A snide smile spread over her features. It looked like Orion hadn't arrived yet.
She climbed flight after flight of stone steps, and by the time she had reached the top she was panting for breath. Honestly, what were the humans thinking when they designed such torturous methods of travel? It boggled the mind. She could hear loud giggling and music coming from the left side of the building, and her small sharp knife materialized in her hand. She carressed the slick blade lightly, and hissed between her teeth. She was so close now, she could smell the blood of that simpering Posiverse princess already. Lady Slipper began to cross the flagstones.
"World Shaking!"
A golden planet of light ripped through the ground by her feet, and Lady Slipper scarcely had time to leap into the air and away before it crashed and exploded into the stones where she'd been standing. The Negaverse woman landed, catlike, on her feet, and turned to face her assailant. Her face fell a little with disappointment when she discovered Sailor Orion, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune all glaring at her from atop the shrine's impressive archway. This would certainly make her job more difficult. But she wasn't going to let them beat her this time. She needed that Dagger. She wanted to go home.
Tilting her head to the side, she puffed out her lower lip in a mock pout. "Now, now, Orion, is that any way to greet one of your party guests? I only came to wish you a happy birthday."
Sailor Orion lifted one pale eyebrow. "And that knife you're holding is my present, I imagine?"
Lady Slipper looked down at the small blade in her hand and giggled. "Why not? If you come down here, I'll deliver it to you right now." The sea-green eyes widened with amusement. "Deliver it straight to your heart where it belongs." She drew her arm back and threw the knife, end over end, right at Sailor Orion's face.
With a movement like lighting, Uranus' hand snapped out and caught the blade mere inches from Orion's nose. The Sacrificial Soldier's silver eyes slid towards Uranus and she smiled. "Thanks."
"No problem," Uranus grinned back, holding up the little knife and looking down at Lady Slipper. "Yours, I believe," she quipped, throwing it back at her in the same end over end fashion.
Tired of playing games, Lady Slipper extended one arm and knocked the flying blade away from her with a blast of rosy negative energy. "Enough." She glared up at Orion. "I want that Silver Dagger, Orion. Why don't you be a good little Posiverse girl and stay out of my way while I get it?" She fired off another spherical pink attack, causing the three senshi to leap down from the archway in order to avoid it. Orion did a somersaulting fall, landing in a crouch on the ground in front of her former wife. She rose slowly, silver eyes sparking.
"Because I made a promise."
Lady Slipper turned to Uranus and batted her eyes. "Come, Miss Uranus. Help me out a little here. Orion's no friend of yours either."
Uranus gave a low chuckle. "Ah, but she is." She came up behind Orion and placed one strong brown hand on the taller soldier's shoulder firmly. "She's a very good friend."
Lady Slipper gaped, staring from one to the other in disbelief. "But…your planet…and family…" She blinked in surprise as realization hit. "So that's what happened. You got over it." After a second she shrugged. "I suppose it's about time. You should be proud, though, Miss Uranus. You hold grudges as well as any Negaverse citizen."
There was a shout from across the yard and Lady Slipper suddenly found herself encircled by Senshi as the other girls ran out of the shrine to help their friends. Orion gave the rose haired woman a dangerous grin. "Well, my love, what are you going to do now? I can promise you that none of your jaki will live long enough to get close to the Princess."
Lady Slipper's eyes traveled to Sailor Moon, and fixed on the small white throat hungrily. The blood that ran silver with the Dagger was pulsing there, just under the surface, and she was so close…yet with all the senshi thus united, and Orion so much stronger than she'd been in the past few days, it was impossible. She turned back, where Uranus had fixed glowering steel eyes on her, and she swallowed a little too hard. The Magnificent Soldier turned to Orion. "I'll take care of her for you, right now," she growled. "She'll see just how well I can hold grudges."
Orion gave Uranus a small smile, but shook her head. "As much fun as that would be," she replied mischievously, "it does happen to be my birthday today and I'm in a generous mood." To Lady Slipper she said, "I'm going to let you go this time, Lady Slipper. Consider it my birthday present to you. But I want you gone from here and I don't want to see your face again for the rest of the day, understand?"
"And if I refuse to go?"
Sailor Jupiter cracked her knuckles. "You really want to die today?"
Lady Slipper's shoulders slumped. Jupiter was right, with this many senshi all together, and with her powers weakened from her long estrangement from the Negaverse, she wouldn't have much chance. She glared at Orion. "This isn't over."
"It never is."
With another long glare, Lady Slipper closed her eyes and vanished from their midst.
It took about two seconds for it to register that they were all safe, and then the Senshi converged on Orion and Uranus, peppering them with questions. With shy smiles and reassuring nods, it was explained how the relationship between the two girls had changed, literally overnight. Sailor Moon was so ecstatic that she couldn't refrain from doing a little dance in place, flying from one to the other with enormous, choking hugs and squealing at the top of her lungs with delight. It took quite a long while to get everyone settled down.
The girls eventually detransformed and went into the shrine, where Makoto and Rei served punch and cake, and presents were passed around and oohed and ahhed over. But towards the end of the party, when everyone was feeling happy and full and pleasantly sleepy due to all the good food and games, Usagi slipped up next to Shinzui shyly.
"Shinzui-san, I haven't given you my present yet."
The blind girl shook her head. "Princess, I don't need a present from you. Just being able to spend the day with you like this is present enough."
Usagi blushed, but shook her head. "No, no, I have something I want to give you, but…" she looked around a bit nervously. "I want it to be just us. Can we go outside for a minute?"
Curious, Shinzui nodded, and allowed the tiny Sailor leader to guide her out of the noisy party room, onto the long porch. Once the rice paper doors had been closed behind them and it got a little quieter, Usagi turned to Shinzui. "Okay, you have to promise not to laugh."
"Of course I wouldn't," the blind girl replied gently. "Never."
Thus reassured, Usagi nodded. "Well, okay, then." She put her hands behind her back and was very quiet for a moment. Then, to Shinzui's surprise, she started singing very softly, almost timidly.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Shinzui-san,
Happy birthday to you."
It was a very soft voice, not boisterous or giggly like Usagi was generally prone to be. She wasn't showing off, and she wasn't trying to be the center of attention. She was simply singing for her friend, as sweetly and sincerely as she knew how. And Shinzui's keen musical senses could read from those few notes exactly how much love she was putting into every word. Tears came to Shinzui's vacant eyes and she pulled the tiny girl into a tight hug. "Thank you, Princess. Thank you so much."
Usagi blushed a little. "Well, Guardian Friend said you'd like it. I wasn't so sure. It doesn't seem like much of a present."
"You couldn't have given me anything better," the blind girl asserted fiercely as she released Usagi from the hug. "You know something, Princess? I've lived a thousand lifetimes, had thousands of birthdays, and I can remember every single one. Between you and Haruka both, this birthday has been the very best of them all."