Letting Go

*Wha...*

*Our prince is calling...*

*We are being summoned?*

*Why...?*

The four rose from their resting place, and presented themselves to their liege.

*My lord...*

*He did not summon us?*

*Then how did we awaken?*

*The dreams are troubling him... the ones about the fall of the kingdom...he's grasping at memories of long ago...and called us.*

*What should we do?*

*His princess is linked to him-let her sleeping mind give him peace...*

The four looked at the lady beside him, and concentrated. Soon after, she murmured, and rolled over to the prince, resting her head on his chest. Almost immediately, his restless tossing stopped, and his nightmares were turned into sweeter remembrances.

*That should do...*

*It seems that we have the night before we must sleep again...*

*Enough time to say goodbye?*

*Perhaps...*

And with that, the four separated for the night, each going to say farewell, and to make amends.

Jadeite carefully crept into her dreams, intending to say a quiet and quick farewell to her slumbering consciousness, before he left. He'd never been good at goodbyes... Wha! He suddenly found himself surrounded on all sides by sentinels, who coalesced into one being... Mars.

*Who are you? What do you want?*

*Ah...*

*You!! You're dead! I destroyed you...*

*Wait...*

*I will send your spirit back, to where it belongs... Begone-*

*NO! Please... I just came here to say goodbye, before I return...*

*What? You were one of Beryl's minions... you were my enemy-*

*...goodbye to the former Mars- to the one from the Silver Millennium.*

*Wha... I don't understand... What do you mean?*

It would probably help if she remembered everything...

*Remember.. please.*

*Wha...*

Suddenly, she stiffened, as my mind touched hers.

*Please- let me let you remember.*

Mars slowly let down her guard, and her barriers. My memories flooded her mind...

*No- you must not block them...*

A dais of marble, upon which a woman sat, upon her throne. She welcomes us, the five ambassadors from Earth...my prince... he is walking down the aisle in his dress uniform flanked by us - four men in the gray dress uniforms of guards...no, not just soldiers...the personal bodyguards of the prince of earth...Names... we are being presented...Prince Endymion, the crown prince... Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite, Kunzite...there, beside the throne... the princess... and her famous guards...who's the striking one in red... Mars?

Nephrite strode boldly into Jupiter's sleeping mind, knowing that she would notice him, sooner or later. He was surprised to find how much of her mind was devoted to cooking, and to a mysterious boy...

*So, this is the one she loves in this life?*

He realized how little Jupiter had changed, since she had been reborn. She was still the fighter, relying on her strength to see her through, but also with a fighter's instincts...which had just noticed the foreign presence in her mind. She immediately attacked, to find that there were nothing but shadows, until Nephrite chose to drop his illusion, and reveal himself.

*You! I know you! You're that monster who I destroyed! Why are you in my mind? If you want a fight, let's go!*

She was still headstrong...

*I'm not looking for a fight, Jupiter. I'm just here to say goodbye...and to free you from a hidden burden.*

*???*

*No... You wouldn't remember me, would you? Fine... I know you, and I know you'd just want me to tell you, so...*

Suddenly, she was besieged by memories-

*No... must fight them... an attack!*

But soon, she realized that they weren't-

*I know these memories...but they're not mine..?*

A suite- befitting the highest ranking ambassadors Earth had ever sent... luxurious, with gold, marble everywhere... The princess, here again? Odd... she seems curious...earthlings must be a novelty for her. There's Venus, fetching her back for her lessons...and another... a taller bodyguard- Jupiter?...

Our prince- nervous?...must be because of his responsibilities... there has been tension between our two nations. Jupiter... who is she? Unintentional glimpses of the tall woman during practice... why is she on my mind so much?

*Wha... those were her memories... she is still strong, I see..*

An invitation...for lunch? With who? Going down to the meeting... I am surprised- why so far from the palace? so near the dome... getting ready for an ambush-just in case... What? A picnic...she's here...the princess...and her four guards...how strange...

Zoisite crept silently into Mercury's dreams, wondering how long it would be before she noticed him. Not long... Mercury silently put up her defenses, and asked,

*Who are you? What is it that you want here?*

*I am the one who once was Zoisite.*

*That's impossible! Venus destroyed you! You're dead!*

*Perhaps... but I'm not here to debate whether or not I exist... I'm am here to bid farewell to the Mercury of the past...*

*What...Please explain why you aren't attacking, and why you're speaking about the Mercury of the past?*

*I will help you remember...If you let down your defenses... please*

Mercury looked at him closely, then agreed- letting down her mental shields - before gasping at the memories that came from his mind. Being a guard for the prince...one of the four who guard him always... I'd never needed anyone besides the three other guards- and my prince... but now? Mercury... I'd seen her before, so different than the fierce warrior I'd expected... why am I being curious about her?

A meadow...my prince has asked for a vow of secrecy...why?...we agree... No! It's forbidden... how could they fall in love?... they both know...

The princess and prince walk away, content for the short time they have alone, leaving us, their guards behind. An awkward silence... what can we say to each other... I'm in a daze, until I hear Mercury's voice, attempting to start a conversation, speaking of a new book...

<He's here...the one I had noticed before...perhaps I should talk to him? Literature... a safe enough topic.>

I can't believe it...I just said that I didn't like the author... I had never been good with small talk... but she doesn't go away? She stays and we start talking.

Walking under a few trees... we talk about everything...our favorite books, plays, music... the others are splitting up too...

Kunzite stopped before he went inside Venus' consciousness, and gave her the equivalent of a knock. Her mind rose out of her dream rapidly, and called out mental challenge.

*What! You! How is it you're alive? We destroyed you!*

*I'm here to say a final farewell to you... the leader from the past, Venus.*

*I don't understand...*

*You don't remember anything... then let me help you remember the past...and us.*

*Us?*

*Remember...*

The rest of the guards had split up into pairs, leaving me with Venus... We were both the leaders of our separate units, and couldn't risk seeming unguarded... at least, to each other. Memories...of me noticing her when Serenity had been around our suite...my gentle teasing had put a blush on her face... I had hoped that we could get to know each other...at least as colleagues...

<Kunzite... the earth guards' leader... I had hoped to speak with him sometime... I'd seen him around... But I'd always been with my princess... He'd always been with his prince... I'd felt something... but it was forbidden- until now?>

We all knew that it was a bad time for Serenity and Endymion to fall in love... there had been a lot of tension between the Earth, and the Moon, as some of Earth saw the Moon as an overbearing parent, choking the Earth of its freedom. There were some of the Moon, who felt that Earth was getting "rebellious" and that perhaps, they should be taught a lesson.

These views were why we were here... When people saw that the heir to the earth had been sent, it was to put to rest any doubts about the good relations between the two nations. However, everyone knew there could be trouble from mixing people from the two nations... challenges against the loyalties of both people in the relationship... so it was taboo to have such...

But still... if our lieges felt that they could fall in love... could we? But what was I thinking... I don't even know anything about her... except that she's strong, beautiful, intelligent... and now, we're talking - maybe it's possible?

*I see... I think I'm starting to remember... We had great arguments about everything... but Jadeite, you were so charming that soon, we would be laughing, not fighting... We were so in love... We even told each other our true names...*

*You remember that? I was shocked at how easily we told each other our true names... After all, telling someone your true name makes you vulnerable... but it also makes them closer...*

*We were so happy... even when the rumors started flying about the prince, and the princess, and their guards... Of course, no one officially believed them, but soon, all of you were called back...*

*We walked off together, talking about fighting techniques, and strategies, with me arguing for stealth, and you for strength... Then we discovered our mutual love for cooking...*

*Oh... I remember... I was so shocked that you... the big, strong Nephrite was the one who also loved to cook... I remember you teaching me some of your Earth recipes... I was so happy for those short weeks... before you had to leave the moon...*

*Of course, we knew that we couldn't really be together... even if we loved each other. Even though all we wished was to be together... We even exchanged true names...To have revealed our relationship would have been to go against the Queen's wishes, and would have increased tensions between the two states... Only our Princess dared to go to Earth, for secret meetings, when you left. I, as Mercury, one of the four guards, had a duty, to try to distract her from Earth... but I kept thinking back to it, myself...*

*Until that day, when our Prince came back...*

*Though we'd only known each other for a short while... we were so in love... we revealed our true names to each other...it felt right, because the names we used- Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury... had been held by the former guards of the crown princesses for so long, as had your names. Kunzite, Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite... named after elements of the Earth, as we had been names for the protectors of the Moon.*

*When we came back, to the Moon, we never had a chance to say anything to each other, before the attack came... That's why we came to say goodbye...*

*We?*

*All of us are saying our true goodbyes, before we have to go back...*

*I came to say goodbye, Mars, because we'll never meet again... at least, in this lifetime... There was so much I wanted to tell you, that we never got to say... because of Metallia...*

*When she attacked, using your Earth people... we were all so shocked... and when...*

*When Endymion was killed... and Serenity committed suicide...*

*I think that when we saw what had happened, all of the things that I'd wanted to tell you, before the battle, vanished... all I could see was my prince, dead...*

*Nephrite... I know... All I could see was my poor princess... dead... and something inside of me broke... All of our full powers were unleashed against the Earth people, against Metallia...*

*I remember... that awful day, when we all fought as if possessed, even you and me, Mercury, though we'd never been fighters...*

*Yes...but we fought singly, not as a team. We should have...*

*I remember being overwhelmed by too many for me to handle... I remember regretting that I never said goodbye...*

*So now... all of us- Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite and I- came back to truly say goodbye... because we'd never let you go... our unresolved feelings are affecting your real lives... We want you all to love again, and not let those old memories weigh you down... and to do that, we have to let you go... we want you to have a chance to love, in this life, as we never had a chance to do...*

*Farewell...*

Mamoru woke up a little shaken, by the strange dreams he had had last night... before his princess had banished them. He looked down at her sweet, innocent face...

*Somehow, this just feels right...Even we feel right... Chiba Mamoru ...Earth Protector... I'll always protect you, my love... my little rabbit of the Moon...my princess.*

---Finis---