Renaissance
Tokyo
Azabu Park
The sun blazed like a yellow flower in the azure skies, I could feel it caressing my bare neck and shoulders and luxuriated in the sensation of warm air on my legs. I smiled at the peaceful setting, brushing a loose lock of hair out of my eyes.
Birdsong mingled with the laughter and conversation of children. I stood in front of the stand, looking up, the girls and boys who had spent so much time making and preparing the food for sale and of course, a host of free samples was singing and having the time of their lives as the concert for the people of Juuban Prefecture would soon be underway.
My nine-year-old son, Ryoko squeezed my hand, his younger sister Yuki licking her lips.
“All right, guys. Steady on. There is plenty for you to choose from, take your time. Let’s not eat too much before the evening meal, okay?” Jad said, catching my eye and I opened my shoulder bag, pulling out some yen handing it to my husband.
“Yes, and you’ll want some for tomorrow, you know,” I put in, looking for Usagi and the girls who would, with their menfolk any moment.
“Okay mom, ad, you got a deal,” Ryoko agreed, grinning at his giggling sister.
“Oh, mom, I want some of those sugary bonnie and kitties, please?” she pleaded, and I sighed, smiled and kissed my little girl on the cheek and nodded.
“That goes for you as well darling, I know your sweet tooth gets the better of you sometimes,” he said, his eyes flashing with amusement, the sunlight giving his fair locks a golden sheen.
I arched an eyebrow, knowing just how much he enjoyed sharing the exotic chocolates with me in front of the holo-imager while necking after the little ones were in bed fast asleep. I sighed, and smiled.
Luna and Artemis, having assumed their human forms sat on the edge of the stage; Diana playing her flute, and wasn’t half-bad at it either, she’d won a small audience of children and adults alike.
I was recognized, of course. I didn’t mind the attention in the slightest and signed some autographs for a group of fans who bowed politely and rejoined their parents and or friends. I dropped the pseudonym, Estella, taking my birth name: Hino Rei. Estella had died after the death of the shadow Nehelenia and her evil overseer, Metalia; each purged of all wickedness.
I was surprised to discover that Beryl was related to Mamoru; his sister as it turned out. She had been taken from the hospital after their parent’s deaths to another orphanage in Mejai Province. Sadly, her foster parents were tangled up with the murky world of the Yakuza. She was thrown out of home and inducted into a crime gang, to survive she Turned to prostitution at the age of fourteen. Beryl had joined a Yakuza bordello; thankfully, those days are long gone now.
She is the senshi of Mother Nature, Sailor Terra, and Earth Princess. She would be Chibi-Usa’s Aunt and friend in years to come. We all loved her.
Beryl decided to live here in Tokyo with us until Usagi, or Bunny was twenty-one years of age. At that time, she and the rest of us would travel through the Time Gate to Crystal Tokyo for the engagement of Prince Helios and the crown princess, Serenity Dawn, the afore mentioned Bunny. Setsuna was very forthcoming on this, and besides, she owed us one.
I had recorded two albums and produced a holo-pod this year and going on tour once more, peacetime was now a global annual event as the planet had held its own against Metalia’s forces, but when the dark Lizard Queen fell, her armies were sent into disarray and it didn’t take long before these were defeated. The Shachihoko were all-but wiped out by the youma and Japanese military, with a little help from yours truly and the guys.
All of us were present during the international war crimes trials in The Haig. We all contributed our testimonies. It lasted two years and was a pain in the ass as I was six months pregnant at the time of my testimony, but it had been worth it.
I was relieved that those having hurt my family, friends, my country and world were finally brought to justice and punished. Thank the kamis.
“Mamoru,” I breathed, Jad looking up at his friends as Motoki, Reika, Unazuki, Kunzite and Minako; holding hands, the blonde looking very pregnant as she waddled along raised her hand in greeting: Makoto, Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru in tow.
I could make out the others in the distance. Usagi was carrying a huge pink plushy bunny almost twice her size. The very human girl, Tetis close on her heals with her husband and their two children.
Mamoru caught up with the small group, his face alight as he greeted his friends, and embraced both his wife and the bunny who was probably as pleased to see the tall handsome young man in a business suit if it were sentient. Tetis, after her transformation from a youma to human girl took the name, Yumiko. She looked great in her knee-length black skirt and purple angora jumper; her long dark hair adorned with tiny anime figures, these suspended upon tiny silver chains tied to the ends of her glossy locks.
Yumiko smiled and waved excitedly as she bounced like Usagi on the spot. Between them, Miro and Ashailia, their twin daughters, Ace sticking a candy into his girl’s mouths and laughing as Umiko gently chastised him for sticking one in his own.
“Oh, sorry my love, here’s yours!” he laughed as her cheeks bulged with the candy treat.
“The kids are great. Any moment now, the showstopper performance will begin. The patroness of the event is putting in a special appearance; Yoko Ono who is sponsoring the orphanages represented here today,” Zoisite grinned.
“Got to go do my thing, honey,” Ami said, dressed in a cute fairy-princess costume with shimmering wings. She kissed his cheek and rushed up the steps and stood onstage then blew a conch, not unlike that of the mermaid princess Sunedra who we missed a lot since she and her kind returned to their world.
I knew the future would be good for all of us, a challenge, yes, but whatever came our way, we were ready and as my daughter climbed, up into my lap and waved at Yoko, who beamed a smile back at her and winked at Jad, and me… all was right with my world.
