Chapter 24: Tsukikage {Moonbeams}
There was an oppressive silence in the corridors of Time...a silence so heavy and so poignant that it seemed as if the quiet would never be broken. Out of the blue, however, issued forth a silvery chime. Setsuna Meiou jerked awake from a deep sleep, and she ran hastily towards the sound, pausing only to grab her staff.
More chimes began to sound, teasingly, drawing her towards them. As she neared the source of the beautiful, hypnotic tinkles, the sound grew louder. Setsuna's mind was foggy, but her memories were slowly returning to her. She gasped in startled astonishment as she rounded a corner and came upon a hallway full of glowing spheres, each the approximate size of a basketball. They were crowded together in the narrow enclosure, bobbing about in distress. Each time one collided with another, a silvery chime was given off.
Tears spilled out of Setsuna's garnet eyes as her lips moved soundlessly, counting the spheres: one silver, one gold...a cluster of three together: royal blue, aquamarine, and light purple...a group of four: yellow, green, blue, and red...another group of four: gray, azure blue, navy blue, and green...and a handful of marble-sized balls she hadn't noticed before. There were fourteen in all. She assumed that they were the guardians.
They all floated towards here, glowing brightly, as if they sensed that they had finally reached their intended destination.
"Come along, now," she ordered, mock-sternly, herding them along, "I've been waiting for you–and so has the world." She gestured towards a pristine, blue-green globe floating peacefully in the sky, restored to its former glory when they had defeated Metallia.
The souls swarmed around her like guilty little ducklings who had wandered away from their mother. Some of them still had the tendency to go astray: every time Setsuna turned her head, trying to assure if all of them were still with her, she noticed the azure-blue sphere trailing behind. When she tried to grab it, it slipped away from her deftly with a merry chime as it brushed against the gray sphere that had also been trying to retrieve it. Sighing, she touched the gray-hued soul gently to initiate mind-to-mind contact. ‘Try to keep all your brethren in order, General Kunzite. Especially that one.'
She received the equivalent of a stiff nod. ‘I apologize on Jadeite's behalf, Lady Setsuna.'
A smile quivered on her lips. ‘He wouldn't be Jadeite if he wasn't always being difficult, would he?'
At last, they reached a small stream. Previously, it had been trickling along sullenly. Now, its pace picked up, and it gushed along cheerily. Setsuna smiled as she noticed the twelve spheres that had lined up in two groups of four and one group of six. ‘You go first,' she told them, ‘to make sure your charges reach it safely.'
They rolled into the ‘water' readily. The Outer Guardians went in first, followed by the Shittenou's guardians...then Luna and the five Inner Guardians vanished into the brook as well, to be carried back to the Earth.
Setsuna turned her attention to the souls still left with her. Unfortunately, they were not as neatly assembled as the guardians had been. She touched the globes of her oldest friends carefully, placing them at the edge of the stream. They would meet each other...soon...
And then she turned her attention to the remaining twelve spheres. A fond smile crossed her face. ‘What am I going to do with you?'
The yellow sphere drifted over to the gray one, and as they touched, a strong, solid chord sounded. Other pairs came together: the azure blue with the red, the green and the navy blue, and the medium blue with the green. Their notes were different but equally beautiful. At last, the silver sphere brushed against the gold one, and they chimed a perfect C together.
Brushing away a stray tear, Setsuna dipped her fingers into the stream. It always felt icy-cold, and it always left her with an urge to dive in and join the living world. She shook her head and drew away. ‘It's time,' she told them. The Inners and the Shittenou separated reluctantly, and each group went to their liege. ‘Don't be sad. This time, your paths will–hopefully–be less difficult. You have suffered enough, and you will meet again, someday..'
And once again, the senshi of Pluto was left alone to guard the Gates of Time. Their universe had not been extinguished; on the contrary, it continued on with a strong, steady pulse. Its ceaseless beat was the rhythm that ten hearts pounded in unison to...for the process of rebirth had begun again.
~*~*~
Paths of Thorns
