Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dark clouds were steadily gathering in the sky above the Hikawa shrine as Joe nervously attempted to tie the parchment to the tree. The news had announced that Juban was due for some unexpected rain and Joe was decidedly not dressed for the weather, though that was hardly the root of his current anxieties. Nevertheless, a rumbling sound from behind made him lose his grip on the parchment, a gust of wind almost immediately snatching up the paper. With arcade honed reflexes and a little 'mental push', he grabbed the parchment before it got too far and at last affixed it to the tree branch.

"Let me guess. It's a woman, right?"

Joe whipped around but saw nobody behind him, though he did spot a rather fat turquoise cat lounging beneath the shrine torii.

"Down here, son."

Lowering his gaze, he beheld a bald and very squat old man in shrine robes, a wide mischievous grin.

"How'd you know that?" He asked.

"Years of wisdom, youngster. Plus…" the old man leaned in and lowered his voice, "...I'm a little psychic," he whispered conspiratorially. "Runs in the family"

As the elder began to chuckle Joe began to relax somewhat Joe. "She's this really beautiful girl who hangs around at the Game Center Crown."

"I know the place," nodded the elder, "And you're hoping she'll notice you?"

Joe shook his head. "She's already noticed me. We talk all the time. I like her, but she's also…kinda tall for me. I don't wanna feel embarrassed, but I also can't stop thinking about her. I just don't know what to do."

"Kids today," grunted the old man, though his tone was not entirely harsh. "Nevermind that thing," he ordered, thrusting a finger at the parchment Joe had tied to the tree. "Just look at me!" The old man spread his arms and legs wide, Joe staring at him in utter bewilderment. "See how short I am?" Slowly, tentatively, Joe nodded, the motion causing his glasses to slip down his nose. "If I got hung up on a lady being taller than me I'd never have met the love of my life. Get that nonsense out of your head and grab your chance before you regret it. Understand?"

And then, just like that, Joe finally did. After all, if there was one thing he knew all too well, it was the art of grabbing things.

Although his face was composed with a calm serenity, Bou had to admit he felt a certain amount of trepidation as he watched the bride descend the aisle. It was only thanks to the discipline he'd learned during his teens and twenties that he stopped himself from laughing. After all, it was most unusual for the priest to be nervous during a wedding.

There was a point in most ceremonies where the priest had the opportunity to say a few words about the union between the couple. In the past, Bou had found it easy to be original, despite how little he typically knew about the bride and groom; a fact he liked to attribute to the Almighty. This time though, he'd found himself utterly lost for words, trying in vain to work on his speech all morning. Now, though, he'd run out of time. The afternoon's ceremony was upon him, and the dark rain clouds outside did not seem to bode well.

A part of him appreciated the irony of the situation given how he'd known the young man and woman before him since they were children. Another part of him felt far more nervous than he'd been even during his first sermon.

In desperation, he wracked his memory for some of the other weddings he had officiated, sincerely praying any of their speeches might do if he could just change the names.

Then, all of a sudden, several things happened at once.

The blushing brunette bride reached the altar. An almost unfathomably large (and vaguely familiar) turquoise cat had begun to trot inside the church. Lightning momentarily flashed through the windows. And Bou heard the very faint, very distant, chiming of a bell. A bell quite unlike the ones above in the church rafters, but very much like the kinds he'd heard countless times before. It was then that divine inspiration seemed to strike and he knew exactly what to say.

"During my youth, before I joined the church, I trained hard to become a professional boxer. Those of you who are familiar with boxing might have heard the phrase 'going the distance'. It refers to when a boxer succeeds in lasting all twelve rounds of a match."

Bou took a moment to observe the assembly, many of whom were staring at him, and each other, with mild confusion, clearly lost as to where he was going with this.

"Going the distance is exceedingly difficult. When enduring the pain and hardship of round after round, it is all too tempting to give up."

Bou locked eyes with the groom who seemed as bemused as the rest of the assembly. Turning towards the bride, however, he thought he could see the faint dawning of comprehension through the white veil. Well, he reminded himself, she didn't earn her doctorate for nothing.

"However, through years of being separated across whole oceans, not to mention bad weather," a chuckle rippled through the assembly, "this man and this woman never gave up."

He noted, with a small, warm smile, the bride interlace her fingers with her husband-to-be.

"And so, I am very happy, and far more proud, to say that" Bou paused for a single heartbeat, "Reika and Motoki have gone the distance…"

The early evening rain was beating a steady tattoo upon the Juban shopping district. Normally Yumemi didn't like the rain at all, but at the moment, she didn't particularly notice nor care. Even in the bright summer sun, the world seemed a lot less colourful than it used to be. Intellectually, she knew she was just going through a rut, that this current drought of creativity would pass. But neither she, nor most painters she knew, tended to favour their heads over their hearts.

And so she plodded along the streets, indifferent to the veritable shower she found herself in, unfazed by the numbness creeping into her fingers and barely aware of her steadily clouding glasses. That was, until they flew off her face as the world began to tilt upside down.

With her surroundings moving in slow motion, and her own mind at lightspeed, she quickly deduced that she must have slipped on a particularly wet patch of pavement and was now falling backwards. Despite her current hyperawareness, she was at an utter loss as to how to save h-

Her surroundings stilled themselves as a firm hand caught the small of her back. Then the world completely righted itself, bringing into her blurry vision the image of a man with dark hair.

"Here, I caught these before they hit the ground," he said, handing over her glasses as Yumemi took a few steadying breaths.

Putting the spectacles back on brought into focus the kind face of her saviour.

"Wow, fast reflexes," she complimented, astonished that the young man had been able to catch both the glasses and herself. "Thank you so much."

"No problem, Ms. Yumeno," he replied.

"Oh, you really recognise me?" Though far less shy about her appearance these days, Yumemi still rarely encountered anyone who knew her on sight.

The young man gave a slight shrug. "A few years ago, me and my girlfriend went to some of your exhibits."

The adrenaline that had flooded Yumemi's body suddenly left her, leaving her body, much like her fingers, feeling numb. Looking for a distraction, she noticed a sheet of rapidly dampening paper laying at the man's feet. "That must have been back before I dried up," she said, trying her best to sound casual as she bent down to retrieve the paper. As she rose back up, she noted that it was a ranking of the top students in the country, the joint number 1 scores encircled in cool blue ink.

"You'll find your inspiration again," said the man gently, "And sooner than you think." Yumemi was so taken aback she entirely forgot to return the paper. Something told Yumemi his words were more than kind platitudes. There was a distinct steely certainty behind his tone.

With an affirming nod, the stranger turned around and began to walk away. "What makes you so sure?" Yumemi piped up before he got too far.

The man slowed his pace. "Just trust me." Then he stopped completely and threw Yumemi a warm smile over his shoulder. "I know a thing or two about the future. Enjoy the sunshine."

Yumemi stood there confused by the man's final statement that weirdly lacked all sense of sarcasm.

"What sunshine? Hey!" she called after him again. But the man did not stop this time, and swiftly disappeared into the crowd. "Please wait, Mister-" Only then did it strike Yumemi that she had no name for her saviour. Remembering the damp sheet still in her hand, she took a second look at the two encircled names. Gambling one of them must belong to the mystery man she quickly ruled out the more feminine sounding name. "Mister Urawa, hold…on…"

It was too late, he had already vanished.

However, when Yumemi at last gave up scanning through the crowd, she suddenly became aware that the shopping district seemed a lot quieter and a lot warmer than it had been moments ago.

Turning around, her eyes squinted at the golden rays steadily breaking through the dark sky. Lowering her gaze, her eye caught sight of a wall upon which two cats, one a proverbially herculean turquoise beast, were canoodling. And, just above them, as if restoring colour to the world, was a sight that banished all numbness from her body.

Yumemi changed course at once, eager to get home and start her new painting. A bright smile broke across her face. A smile almost as bright as the rainbow that hung in the sky above.

Chapter Text

Amidst the stifling warmth of the gala venue, Koan drank in the party.

Calaveras clinked glasses of golden champagne with the Ralph Lauren and Estée Lauder marketing representatives.

Berthier was chatting away with the runway models around the ice sculptures.

Petz laughed huskily whilst posing in front of the gigantic poster proudly displaying a logo that read 'Spectre' in a luxurious black cursive-style font.

Koan huffed out a tiny laugh and shook her head. "All those years struggling to make ends meet and now we've finally made it." She turned her gaze upon the man to her left and smiled warmly. "Thanks to you."

The blond gentlemen held up a hand politely. "Please, what's a marketing man without a good product to sell?"

Koan shook her head again. "We had a good product for years. You were the one who woke people up to us."

The blond man gave a humble shrug. "I suppose I do have a knack for knowing how to work people's energy up about the latest thing."

"Speaking of which," Koan began, nonchalantly tracing her finger tip over the rim of her glass, "My sisters and I have been dreaming up a new fragrance for next year, Phantom."

"I like the name."

"As do we. But my sisters are a little busy finalising it and managing the day-to-day stuff, so I wondered if you and I could hash out specifics for Phantom's launch. Say…over dinner?"

Jadeite smiled.

"How about breakfast?"

"Sounds good to me."

Koan began to move off, but shot a glance over her shoulder. "Make sure you don't oversleep."

"I won't," Jadeite called after her, "Believe me, I've had enough sleep to last me a lifetime."

As she made a circuit through the venue, Koan gathered up her sisters one by one. Together they observed the gala and raised their glasses in unison.

"To Spectre," said Caleveras.

"To us," added Petz.

"To second chances?" queried Berthier.

"Yes," replied Koan, "and above all, to our friend who gave them to us."

With Koan's final word, the sisters drank heartily.

A young woman with bold, braided red hair and spiked shoulder pads stood at the centre of the ring, her voice carrying throughout the massive tent.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the White Moon Circus is proud to present the Amazing Amazoness Quartet!"

An entire pride of lions could not have roared louder than the crowd as three more young women appeared almost out of thin air and began their performances.

From one of the middle row seats, Souichi adjusted his glasses, the better to observe the bright faced woman in blue who was simultaneously juggling whilst riding atop a giant ball. His vision clearer, he spotted the delighted expression on the ball balancer's face, a delight reflected in the features of the girl sitting next to him.

"How does she not fall off!" exclaimed Hotaru.

"I can explain the science for you on the way home," said Souichi, raising his voice as another round of applause broke out.

The applause was swiftly replaced by gasps as another of the quartet leapt from the centre of the tent and landed in the middle of a tightrope suspended high above the ring, executing several aerial flips en route. As Souichi watched the green clad acrobat proceed to cartwheel up and down the rope, he silently prayed his daughter wouldn't ask about this performer. Even his considerable scientific acumen was at a loss to explain her agility and balance, especially with the indescribable (and surely not aerodynamic) hair style she sported.

"Wow," Hotaru breathed out. "I wish the other kids at school could see this." She let out a gasp that was clearly not derived from the circus performers. "Papa, maybe we could arrange a field trip here?"

Souichi half-frowned, half-chuckled. "I don't know if circus trips are in line with the Infinity Academy's curriculum dear. And besides…" Souichi's voice grew quieter, "...I'd like it if this could be something just you and I do together."

A confused, inquisitive expression possessed Hotaru's features. "How come?"

Souchi smiled a sad smile. "Because it was at a circus like this that I…" he swallowed slightly, "...that I first met your mother."

The final member of the quartet passed by overhead upon a swinging trapeze, scattering a multitude of vivid purple flower petals into the air.

As the petals fell, as the crowd stood up, as cheers erupted under the big top, father and daughter remained seated, embracing one another in blissful silence.

One!"

All eyes in the bar turned to the tall, lean man with a mane of fiery orange hair standing upon the countertop, a glass raised in his hand.

"Two!" This time his cry was joined by half the patrons of the bar.

"THREE!" The entire bar joined in the cheer as another man with spikier fuchsia hair rang a bell. Before the echo of the last chime had faded into the air, the counter was swarmed by patrons.

As Hawk's Eye began pouring out drinks (and setting more than a few on fire), Tiger's Eye leapt from the counter, spun in the air and landed catlike upon the stage on the opposite end of the bar. Scooping up a guitar, he and his bandmates began playing, the music intermingling with the cacophony of cheer the establishment was already brimming with.

The infectious merriment was so raucous that Fish Eye wondered if the true owners of the hotel might actually ask them to tone it down. But then again, the Eclipse Bar was not so wild compared to other parts of Vegas. Nevertheless, the bar was wild enough that Fish Eye could hardly fail to notice the one patron who was not caught up in the party.

Whoever he was, he was clearly not from Vegas, or Earth for that matter. Fish Eye watched as the stranger slowly sipped his drink from his tiny table at the back of the bar, his piercing eyes travelling across the other patrons queuing at the counter. Fish Eye had the politeness to quit staring before the stranger's gaze reached his own seat. However, his curiosity getting the better of him, he took advantage of the bar's mirrored ceiling to continue watching the stranger from above.

Two minutes later, after hopping back and forth over the counter, Fish Eye strode up to the stranger and placed another margarita on the table.

"You know they call it happy hour for a reason right?"

The stranger gave a small smile. "I am happy. Really. It's just…It's been a long time since I was on Earth. A lot has changed since I was here last."

"I can relate," said Fish Eye taking a seat, "Me and my friends were 'away' from Earth for a long, long time. By the time we got back, the place was hardly recognisable, especially Tokyo. Or, Crystal Tokyo I should say."

"I haven't been there yet," said the stranger, momentarily lost in his drink, "When I was here last I sort of upset an old friend of mine and… well lets just say I didn't exactly make a good impression on his new ones."

"Oh, tell me about it," chirped Fish Eye, "The only people I really know on Earth live in Crystal Tokyo, and me and my friends gave them a lot of trouble when we were here last. But you know," Fish Eye leaned in, locking eyes with the stranger, "you'd be surprised what people are willing to forgive and forget about, provided you are sincere of course. My friends in Tokyo certainly did. Maybe yours will too?"

Fish Eye's warm smile was met with a stoic silence from the stranger. He was clearly contemplating something and Fish Eye wondered if perhaps he had made a mistake in dishing out personal life advice; or by even coming over at all. But then, thankfully, the stranger returned the smile.

"I think maybe they will."

Fish Eye's face lit up. "Then let's drink to it!"

The stranger gave an affirmative nod. "Lets!"

The pair gripped their glasses.

"One. Tw-"

"Why are you counting like that?"

Fish Eye was taken aback by the stranger's interruption. "Come again?"

"You are counting up to three? Aren't you supposed to count down?"

Fish Eye giggled. "Sorry, force of habit from an old job."

The stranger shook his head. "I like it, let's do it your way."

"Alrighty! One. Two. Three!"

The pair knocked back their drinks, banged the table as they went down and chuckled in the not entirely pleasant aftertaste.

"I think that calls for another round," said Fish Eye, "Come on!"

He led the stranger back to the counter with the other patrons and hopped over the counter.

"Are you allowed to do that?" asked the stranger.

"I'm friends with the owner, so you can put that away," Fish Eye nodded towards the cash in the stranger's hand.

"Please I-"

"Forget it…er…" Fish Eye giggled, "Jeez, I must have had one too many. I'm usually really good as getting to know strangers but I totally forgot to introduce myself or even ask your name. I'm Fish Eye."

He held out a hand to the fellow blunette.

"Nice to meet you, Fish Eye. I'm Fiore."

Chapter Text

The circus tent was silent.

The little girl stood at the very heart of the ring.

The ground beneath her was silver glass that reflected the golden spotlight beams over and over again.

Then it began to crack.

The fractures multiplied and spread ever outwards like twisting spider webs. As the cracks reached the circumference of the ring, they transmuted into true webs that crept their way up to the stands, ensnaring first the crowd and then the performers, their screams breaking the eerie silence beneath the big top.

For a moment the screams grew muffled, the victims disappearing from sight beneath layer upon layer of webbing. Then, as one, they burst forth from their cobweb cocoons, mutated into surreal parodies of themselves, jabbering, jeering, and cackling as they invaded the splintered ring. They began encircling the little girl, juggling, breathing fire, backflipping, and otherwise performing for her amusement. Except she was not amused.

In horror and revulsion, she tore her gaze from the twisted creatures and dropped to her knees, burying her face in her hands. Through the gaps in her fingers, she saw yet another of the freaks. This one was making no noise and was keeping perfectly still. She was simply copying the girl's posture and gesture, staring intently at her through the gaps in her own, considerably more withered, fingers.

In rage the little girl removed her hands and screamed at the freak to stop it! Her vision no longer impaired, she drank in the pale blue face, illuminated as it was by the light of a bizarre flaming eyeball, fluttering upon feather wings. The face was old. Beyond old even, weighed down by unfathomable age and an insect-like 'crown'. She was so taken aback by the creature's appearance that she did not immediately notice that it was once again copying her, except when it had yelled out, there had been no sound. It had been as if the little girl had spoken for the both of them.

A terrifying thought entered the little girl's mind. It was a terror that only grew when she noticed a fear in the freak's eyes that matched her own.

Slowly, shakily, she began to reach a hand up to her cheek. The freak, in perfect synchrony, made the same motion. The little girl and her reflection screamed again, first in fear and then in fury.

The cry further splintered the glass beneath her before it shattered completely. Both the girl and the surrounding circus freaks fell through the ground itself into a pitch black void.

Tumbling through the darkness, the little girl found herself looking up through the hole where the ground once was. In the distance, she saw the ceiling of the Big Top, now a mess of webs. And yet, there was something shining through them.

It was a circle of dim silver and gold light. And it was growing ever larger. Soon the dimly lit circle was replaced by a great shining orb. The light of the orb pierced the webbing, the tangled sheets disintegrating. The orb was growing closer and closer…or perhaps the girl was growing closer to it.

At last, the girl and her fallen companions were drawn up from the darkness and back into the ring. Applause and cheers erupted from the stands, now filled with the restored crowd, and not a single crack nor web could be seen.

The little girl, now fully grown, looked skywards at the orb again, only to find it had vanished. And in its place was an angel.

An angel whose hair somewhat resembled her own. Except it was less curvy, less untamed and rather than ebony black, it was…

Curly strands of ebony hair obscured kind blue eyes as Nehalennia sat up in her four poster bed. Half goraning, half yawning, she pulled back the bed sheets and padded over to the window that overlooked the palace gardens.

Despite knowing what she'd see, her heart nevertheless sank at the sight that greeted her. Where once lush red roses bloomed, now there were but a few scant blackened petals and meagre crops of corn, wheat and other foodstuffs. The gardeners and farmers attending the weak yield looked downcast and exhausted, but nothing like the workers from the less fertile lands across their asteroid world. As she stared forlornly down at them, one of the workers happened to look up and wipe the sweat from his brow, catching sight of her. She gave him a friendly wave and the warmest smile she could muster this early in the morning. The farmer returned her friendly gestures and continued with his work, perhaps seeming a little less fatigued than he'd been before.

Nehallenia moved away from the window and began making herself presentable. It was a process that, over the years, she had come to regard as rather tedious. She understood that a degree of glamour was necessary in her role as ruler, but even so, she lamented the time she lost in front of the mirror. It was as she was arranging the first of her twin hair buns that she spotted the door of her chambers opening within the mirror. Through it stepped a tall, elegant, yet powerfully built woman with hair and armour like the sunset.

"Are you ready, my queen?"

Nehalennia sighed.

"For the last time Asteri, you don't need to call me that. I understand everyone else can't break the habit, but you at least weren't raised in this kingdom."

Asteri chuckled. "I might have adopted this asteroid as my home, but it is my home nevertheless. That makes my monarch as much as anyone else's here. At least until I move on."

Nehalennia paused mid-way through tying her second hair-bun.

"You're…leaving?" she said, trying to retain a degree of serenity in her voice.

There was a soft clinking sound as the warrior crossed the bedchamber and stood behind Nehalennia. The act had surprised the ebony-haired queen, and she lowered her hands to stare quizzically at her bodyguard in the mirror, squinting slightly due to the glare off the armour.

"No," said Asteri, gently taking a hold of some of Nehalennia's hair. "Not so long as you need me," she fixed a clip into the ebony locks completing the second hair bun, "...my queen."

Asteri's hand was resting upon her shoulder, and within the mirror, Nehalennia saw her own hand raise up and place itself upon her guard's, giving it an affectionate squeeze.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Now, how about we get you out of here so you can get thanked by the people who need you?"

Nehalennia rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh of exasperation. "What do they have to thank me for? I can't do anything to help them."

She felt a comforting pressure upon her shoulder. "You know that isn't true. Putting aside all the relief efforts you've organised, just seeing you in all your radiance gives them a much needed boost of morale."

Nehalennia gazed at herself in the ornate mirror, zeroing in on the few grey strands amidst her mane of black hair, the odd wrinkle about her eyes and forehead. Then she thought of her subjects. The farmers who'd had to work all the harder in recent years. The healers whose jobs were like fighting a hydra. Even the members of her court who, following Nehalennia's example, had willingly sacrificed their rations to help feed the ever hungry children of the kingdom. Children who had no servants to read stories or sing them to sleep as she'd had growing up.

"If it'd help my people, I'd sooner give up every trace of my beauty and become a withered old…"

The steel that had laced Nehalennia's voice rapidly vanished as she trailed off.

"What is it?" asked Asteri.

Nehalennia shook her head. "Oh, nothing. I just remembered a strange dream I had last night."

Her bodyguard raised an eyebrow. "What was it about?"

Nehalennia shrugged. "Something about a circus, my people mutating into monsters, and my becoming a bizarre insect creature. Do you think it was some kind of metaphor for the current crisis?"

For a moment a very strange and unreadable expression came over Asteri's face. "It was just a dream, my queen. I wouldn't worry about it. And if it is portentous of anything bad, I will soon put a stop to it."

Nehalennia was half-tempted to pursue the subject but decided she had better things to do with her time than interrogate her own bodyguard. "You're right. Although, now that I think about it, it all seemed oddly familiar. Especially the endi-"

BANG!

Asteri immediately moved to cover Nehalennia as the doors of the chamber slammed open. She relaxed however upon seeing the palace servant bolting into the room. Nehalennia's heart sank yet again noting the dishevelled appearance of her long suffering advisor. The embroidery on his blue waistcoat was frayed and his tiny moustache, much his periwig, was unkempt.

"Your Majesty!"

"Yes Madrahund?" Nehalennia said lethargically, dreading whatever the latest bad news was about to be. "What is it?"

Madrahund took a moment to catch his breath before barrelling on. "We've received a transmission, a message from just outside our asteroid's atmosphere."

"What did it say?" Asteri asked firmly. Nehalennia suspected she was preparing herself for a potential fight.

"It said they come in peace and wish to send a dozen of their representatives to meet with our leader as soon as possible."

Nehalennia locked eyes with Asteri. "What do you think?"

Asteri narrowed her eyes. "It's risky, and a little too convenient for my liking."

"I remember my people and I accepted another stranger long ago," countered Nehalennia, pointedly meeting Asteri's eyes. "That worked out for the best."

"You got lucky," Asteri replied bluntly. "There are many people across the galaxy who aren't just looking for a fresh start and aren't so friendly either."

Nehalennia frowned and began pacing her chambers in thought.

"On the one hand, we are weak and vulnerable. On the other hand, these visitors might be able to help us."

"And on the other other hand," Asteri interjected, "even if they're not dangerous they might be looking for us to help them. We don't have enough food to get us through the rest of the year. With more mouths to feed we'll be condemning ourselves."

"Maybe…" pondered Nehalennia. "But…would it be right to condemn them in return?"

"Begging your pardon, Your Majesty," piped up Madrahund, "But our priority must be to our own people first and foremost."

"True," replied Nehalennia, "But our people are living on borrowed time as it is. All our attempts to end the famine and grow our crops have failed. The light of hope is the only thing we can realistically cling to." She locked eyes with her guard again, cool blue meeting warm red. "This is worth the risk. If we are to be doomed then let us at least meet our end knowing we remained kind. And if they are invaders-"

"They won't get far." Nehalennia might have been annoyed by Asteri's second interjection if not for the absolute steely reassurance in her voice.

"Well, then," Nehalennia raised herself up to her full height and summoned up that indefinable aura of regality she always adopted for her duties, "Let's meet these visitors."

With Nehalennia leading the way, the trio exited the bed chambers and made their way to the castle courtyard where a group of a dozen men and women were gathered, none of whom resembled the asteroid's native residents.

"Greetings, I am Queen Nehalennia. I believe you had something urgent to speak with me about?"

A male and female alien, clearly the heads of the delegation, stepped forward and bowed in deference.

"Greetings, Your Majesty, I am Ailigiv," said the female alien. "We are ambassadors of the Eneiru people."

"And I am Omada," said the male.

"We sensed that the life energy of your asteroid and its people were dwindling."

Nehalennia maintained a polite and engaged expression, but inside she was steeling herself, trusting Asteri to act if the moment came. As if reading her mind, the guard's hand inconspicuously moved over to her sword.

"And we wish to help."

Relief momentarily sparked within Nehalennia at Ailigiv's words, but from the corner of her eye, she noted Asteri hadn't released her weapon.

"With the utmost respect, how might you be able to help us?" Nehalennia's gaze zeroed in on the pair's faces, expertly scanning them for any kind of subtle tells. Their expressions were kind and open, but that might not mean anything.

Both Omada and Ailigiv cupped their hands together and extended them out. Nehalennia remained stationary but dropped her eyes to the open hands before her. Within them were mounds of round, tiny, silver seeds.

"These are morpheus seeds, cultivated from a tree on our home world," explained Omada.

"They are fueled by the beautiful dreams of those that plant them and contain vast quantities of life energy that can replenish your world," added Ailigiv.

Despite herself, Nehalennia felt an overwhelming urge to grab the seeds and begin planting them in the courtyard herself. But, digging deep, she found the resolve to stay on the alert.

"Apologies, but what assurances do we have that you are telling the truth?"

Internally, she primed various arguments and phrases that might diffuse anger or indignation on the part of the ambassadors. To her pleasant surprise, though, the visitors chuckled.

"We get that a lot," said Ailigiv. "A demonstration, perhaps?"

"Very well," said Nehalennia, Asteri casually advancing nearer to her.

Omada's eyes seemed to light up, and a small hole in the ground between himself and Nehalennia appeared, the grass and earth having been moved by invisible hands.

"Telekinesis?" asked Asteri.

Ailigiv nodded as Omada engaged his mental powers once again, levitating and then dropping a single seed into the hole before replacing the grass and earth. With a nod over his shoulder, another of the ambassadors began playing a beautiful melody upon an ocarina. Even after the music concluded, the song seemed to hang in the air.

"I should warn you," began Nehalennia, "the earth in this courtyard isn't particularly fert-"

She half-leapt back, her eyes wide as a tiny tree sprang up in front of her, rich red apples hanging from its branches.

"For the record," began Omada, "my beautiful dream was that you would accept our help."

"That's a dream we all share," Ailigiv said with a wink.

Between the fruit, the leaves and branches, Nehalennia spotted the pair's satisfied, and slightly smug, expressions. However, given the circumstances, Nehalennia felt they were quite entitled to their moment of self-indulgence.

Tentatively, she reached out and took one of the argent seeds. "Madrahund, if you wouldn't mind?" Obediently, Madrahund fetched a trowel and dug out a patch of earth at Nehalennia's feet. Bending down, the queen's hand hovered just above the hole, the morpheus seed pinned between her thumb and index finger. However, she hesitated as the nightmare from the previous night repeated in her mind. It was only upon remembering the angel who had appeared at the end of the dream that she, shakily, dropped the seed into the ground and stepped back.

Nothing happened.

Guilt and despair began to gnaw at Nehalennia. Was this confirmation that she did not possess a beautiful dream? Or worse, that these visitors were indeed frauds with malicious intent? Her aura of regality faltering, she turned, almost childishly, first to Madrahund and then to the ambassadors.

"Don't worry," reassured Ailigiv, "without the aid of our instruments, the morpheus seed just takes a little more time to-"

A rose bush popped up from the ground in a shower of sparkles.

"-do that," chuckled Omada.

"Why help us?" The bluntness and mild accusation behind Asteri's words served to abruptly recentre Nehalennia, immediately banishing all sense of awe and wonder from her. Nevertheless, within her core, a tiny flame of hope had ignited. Asteri's scepticism ensured that flame was kept in check, but Nehalennia was now positively dying to let it out.

"It is our people's mission to go out into the universe and help those in need," Ailigiv said simply.

"To help spread love and kindness wherever and however we can has been the way of our people," added Omada. "It has been so since the sapling of the Life Tree was planted over five hundred years ago."

"Love was the guiding principle handed down to us from our ancestors."

"Their teachings speak of how they learned the true meaning of love from a warrior angel who resided in this very Solar System," said Omada, casually brushing a strand of pink and, more predominantly blue, hair out of his green face.

"...An…angel…" repeated Nehalennia. For the second time in under five minutes, memories of her nightmare replayed in her mind. Only now she wasn't so sure it had been a nightmare.

"It's funny actually," began Ailigiv, tilting her head slightly and causing pink and blue locks of hair to fall into her own face. "Based upon all the writings and artwork left behind by our ancestors, Your Majesty somewhat resembles the angel they spoke of."

"Yes, except in father Ail and mother An's paintings, the angel was blonde."

A soft gasp resounded across the party.

It took a moment for Nehalennia to realise the noise had escaped from Asteri. Once again, cool blue eyes met warm red ones that seemed so much softer than Nehalennia had ever seen them before. Though Nehalennia didn't understand the change that had come over her guard, nor the tiny tears welling in her eyes, there was no mistaking the nod of affirmation Asteri gave her.

Not bothering to conceal her own tears of joy, Nehalennia turned back to Omada and Ailigiv. "Then, on behalf of my people, I am very happy to make your dreams come true."

Nehalennia and Madrahund wasted no time summoning the palace servants, guards, farmers, gardners and anyone else who could carry the vast quantities of seeds. Many hours later, Ailigiv, Omada, and their entourage set about explaining how best to stimulate the seeds' growth. For her part though, Asteri was standing apart from the proceedings, quietly observing one of the seeds at the centre of her own palm.

Turning her gaze skyward, peering through the glittering stars dotting the now night sky, she zeroed in on an object far in the distance. Like the seed, it appeared small, silver, and perfectly round.

The sight of it made her feel, for the first time in a long time, truly worthy of the name she had once borne with so much unearned pride. The name she had discarded when her previous mission had ended and she adopted a new one upon this humble asteroid.

And, far from the first time, she felt an overwhelming wave of gratitude to her.

"Thank you again…Sailor Moon," said Galaxia.