The 6th Season of the Sailor Moon Saga
((Chapter 1 "The Calling"))

It was a beautiful summer evening, the kind of night when the gentle breeze blows, the stars shine brightly, and the moonlight can bring dreams of romance and love to a young woman's heart. And for a special young woman, the brilliant light of the moon herself, all of her fantasies were finally coming true.

She leans out over the windowsill, gazing at the distant stars, entranced it seemed in their glittering. The moonlight cascaded onto her flowing hair, illuminating it in a way that made her seem a part of the moon, as she was, for she was the eternal Moon Princess.

"What are you thinking about?" A tall young woman with chestnut hair and a beautiful smile queries.

Serena Hart snaps out of her reverie and turns quickly, her "meatball hair" (as some affectionately call them) bouncing up and down jauntily.

"Thinking about? Oh, just how wonderful everything will be, Lita! In only two days from now all of my dreams will come true, everything I've ever wished for — soon I'll be Mrs. Darien Shields!" Serena announces proudly and a dreamy faraway look comes to her eyes.

"I know, I know." Lita Mitchell laughs. "That's why you're staying over with me tonight, so we can finish your wedding arrangements."

"Let's see..." She looks intently at a paper. "All the caterers and florists have been set up, the reception hall has been reserved, the church is ready — Darien did get the license, didn't he? All the guests have been invited and the dresses for all of us bridesmaids are finally ready." Lita rattles off, not noticing Serena's sudden change of mood.

"Don't you like the hat I chose for my bridesmaid dress? It's not too showy, is it, Serena?" Lita asks.

No response.

"Serena?"

"Wha—what? Oh, I'm sorry, I - what did you say?" She says absent-mindedly.

"Serena, what's wrong? You seem kinda upset." Lita asks worriedly, their bond deepened to near sisterhood was able to pick up on her piggy tailed li' sis' mood swings.

"Nothing," Serena lies, unconsciously biting her lip.

"Serena," Lita says with a smirk. "We've known each other too long for me not to know that something is definitely bothering you."

"Now what is it?" The tall brunette stands up to her full 5 foot 9 inch height, placing both disbelieving hands on her shapely hips to perhaps intimidate the truth from her unwilling friend.

"I suppose I sound a bit greedy - because I truly am so happy — I can't begin to tell you how happy I am! I can't ask for a single thing more, but…"

"But?" Lita prompts, green eyes prodding.

"But…I want everything at my wedding to be perfect — I want everything to be as I want it to be, I want everyone I care about to be there — to be part of my happiness."

"And everyone will be there! Who are we missing?" Lita frantically scans the guest list.

Serena returns to the window and searches the dark sky intently, searching for just three little sparkles, three shining lights.

"I miss them, Lita. We became such good friends. I miss them…It seemed so right when they were here, when we were all together…." She trails off.

….Sayer….Terry….Robin…..where are you? I want you to be here with me on my important day.

She looks to Lita, "Then everything would be perfect." The Princess of the Moon loses herself again in its moonlight amidst the starry velvet sky.

Lita was at a loss for words. She would do anything for Serena, but this was something way out of her control.

How could she possibly contact the three of them? They were so very far away.

Across the distant ebony sky a single moonbeam shines down upon a world not its own, reaching through the depths of space to send a special message of hope and love.

A shadowy figure stands near an open window of an elegant palace. His dark handsome features look up towards the night sky, his deep blue eyes pierce through the darkness gazing at the stars, lost in his own thoughts. The breeze blows his hair, softly brushing his cheek.

He looks at the stars, the stars which were so much a part of him, and he finds himself wishing he could be once again shooting across the sky, as free as the wind. He wanted to be able to leave the boundaries of this world, return to another world - another world that his heart longed to be part of once again.

He knew why — it must be why — he felt this longing since the moment he left that place behind — since he left her behind. She was the reason for all of this, her indefinable brilliance made this all possible for him — for all of them to have their princess back, a new planet, and a chance to piece their lives back together.

Yet still, he'd leave behind this new home and his beloved Princess just to return to that world — to that Earth. That distant planet where he'd found his second Princess, and something more. Was this feeling inside what he's only heard about before?

Did he love her?

Is this love? He thinks to himself. How could he ever know? He left her behind to rejoin his own princess and build a new world for his people, galaxies away. And she had him, she had someone else, someone she loved. Loved deeply, unconditionally.

But what if the one she loved hurt her again, broke her heart again, left her to fend for herself again?

Could I be the one to pick up the pieces? The thoughts haunted his dreams, tortured his soul. He left that shining girl behind without knowing anything. She cares for me. I care for her. Could it turn into something more? For all these months he's spent here on his new world he's been tormented by these questions.

All of a sudden a light catches his eye. It was different from any of the other stars. Something about it made him feel strange but somehow familiar in its presence. Something about it set him afire, caused the ache in his heart to grow stronger. It made him want to reach out and take that glimmering star in his hands, hold it close to him, make it his own. A feeling he hadn't had since…

"Bunhead..." Sayer Starr whispers in disbelief of the longed for sender of the moonbeam shining into the window, her pure radiance, her sweet innocence, her joyful sparkle enveloping him again with those wondrous dreams of endless tomorrows.

Deep inside the crimson palace, on the beautiful new world of Janus, there lies a spacious library, filled to the brim with every kind of book imaginable. The voluminous shelves were stacked to the ceiling every piece of literature, every book of poetry, every novel that the planet and its planetary predecessor had to offer. This would be overwhelming for most ordinary people, but the young man seated at a desk in a corner of the room was by no means ordinary. In fact, he felt quite a home amidst the endless volumes of books.

For the mere word 'intelligent' was not enough to describe him. He was gifted in all subjects, with knowledge beyond his years. More than that he was a genius, and this genius was shown through his poetry. He wrote in every spare moment, the words flowing through him easily. His orchid purple eyes gaze at the sheet of paper in his hands.

"Visions of yesterday,
Haunt my very dreams
My lonely mind wanders,
Time has stopped for me, it seems."

The melodic words take on a melancholy mood, a feeling Terry could not quite rid himself of. Lately, he had been writing poems similar to that one, all on the same sad theme.

What is wrong with me? What is this loneliness? Things are perfectly happy here on Janus. The kingdom is prospering, the people have made a home, and yet—why doesn't it feel quite the same anymore? It was illogical. Closing his eyes, Terry once again finds a pair of mysterious fuchsia eyes gleaming back at him through a mist. He couldn't quite make out her face, but he was sure it was a woman, a beautiful woman, a woman with lovely, timeless eyes.

Who is she? I see her so often. Every time I close my eyes, in every dream, every thought, every word, I see her. Some force calls me to her. I am wretched without her, but is she just a figment of my imagination? The woman of my fantasies? Will I meet you someday, my lady? Dreams and romance are important. I've learned that. So I'll hold onto this dream of finding you. I will wait through all time for you. But I will find you…somehow…some way…I will find you. Terry opens his eyes slowly, always finding it difficult to tear himself away from that entrancing fuchsia gaze.

But then suddenly, a sweet fragrance overtakes him. His heart skips a beat, then settles down quickly.

No it's not her. If it was her, I'd know it. Thinking it Princess Fireball, he stands to greet her, but then he realizes it was not his Princess, it was something vaguely familiar, something that changes his serious mood entirely around and makes him smile.

"Miss Serena." Terry Starr smiles, recalling the young lady who shared with his cool clinical world of knowledge that warm scent of her moonlight.

You're drifting through a sea of clouds, someone is calling to you, calling your name over and over but you can never find who it is. It is a female voice, a familiar voice, a silky voice you've never heard before – no, it's a tender voice I've always known.

Who is it? You can never figure it out.

What was she saying? You can never quite understand. The words are jumbled though she's speaking clearly. You see her shadowy form but cannot make out her face. She is surrounded by light, as a bluish-green aura envelops her.

What does she want? She wants what you want, but you're confused.

How could she know what I want? What do I want? The question so important suddenly.

I've always known what I want — I want to find my Princess — I want to be with my Princess. Why isn't it enough anymore? Why do I still ask these questions?

Suddenly the clouds turn into a rough ocean, you're drowning and you don't know which way to go. Which way is up? Which way is down? Where am I? What do I want? The question still sears through your mind.

Am I dying? I'm scared. Will I ever see my family again? I'm coming…

No! I must find her before I leave. I can't be without her anymore. She's calling my name again, I'm here, I'm listening! Where are you?!

I call out to her. I'm not drowning anymore. I see her on the horizon. Then I suddenly feel something. Something touches my shoulder, I turn quickly. An angel takes my hand and glides upward on pure white wings; we're flying towards my lady wrapped in pale teal lights. The angel's carrying me to her, leading my way amid white flower petals…

A silver-haired young man snaps awake from his dream about his endless dreams, shaking with a fuzzy awareness that something was happening, something was about to happen.

Then Robin remembers the woman in his dream in an aquamarine haze as she always appeared. But then there was that angel in his dream, the angel who touched his arm, who spoke to his heart. He wasn't certain who the woman was, every time he drew near in burning curiosity, her features were shrouded by a mysterious glow, like trying to see through deep waters.

But the angel—the angel he was sure he knew.

"Sailor Moon." Robin Starr speaks aloud the name of the girl who proved love and friendship had power, even for a lonely soul such as his.

Simultaneously, the three "brothers" recognized Serena's presence, recognized her message, the moonbeam from a galaxy away had accomplished its mission.

They hurry to find each other, eager to share what they each have discovered. Sayer finds Terry first, knowing how he practically lived in that library of his. One look in his eyes, and Sayer knew Terry heard the same message.

"It's her. It's Bunhead. She wants us to come to see her." Sayer simply states, trying to hide his emotions. But he couldn't hide them from someone who knew him so well, his adopted brother, his best friend, his conscience. Terry knew Sayer still had feelings for her.

How hard this must be for him. The tall mahogany-haired young man thinks.

"Sayer, are you…all right with this?" Terry asks gently.

"Of course," Sayer answers a little too cheerily, a little too quickly to be convincing, as he runs his fingers through the continually unruly shock of blue-black curls atop his head.

Terry wanted to ask more, wanted to help Sayer somehow but was, for once, at a loss for words. Just then Robin runs up, breathless.

"Sailor Moon came to me in my dreams, she wants us to come to her wedding." He spills altogether in one breath, purposely omitting the rest of his visions.

"Yeah." Sayer dreamily gazes out the library's massive stained glass window.

"We know," He crosses his arms, eyes entranced with the starscape beyond the glass dome.

Robin exchanges a worried glance with Terry and then both turn to Sayer. Robin also realized what he must be going through. When they were disguised on Earth, Sayer had this thing for Serena Hart AKA Sailor Moon and they had become close - but she was in love with someone else.

That someone else she probably was marrying in a few days, they just got the invitation to witness the wedding thereof.

Did Sayer still think of her in that way? Robin sighs. Why does life always have to be so difficult? It was ultimately Sayer's decision if they were to go or not. They wouldn't push him. Still, as Robin's eyes catch a glimpse of that flickering distant star, he secretly wished that they will go, as if something - or someone - there was calling to him...

What do I say to him? Terry questions himself anxiously. I think I understand his feelings — I know what it's like to be lonely, to have a fantasy of someone—an unreachable goal. I feel like I have to do something, say something that will make it all right. I've always been responsible for him, for both of them, really. Sayer needs to be taken care of in his way. He's my little brother and if he doesn't want to go, I won't protest. But…I believe that if he is ever going to get over his loneliness, he must confront his feelings. The answers to his loneliness lie on that distant star, and strangely, perhaps, I feel right now mine might, too." For in Terry's mind her eyes shine even more brightly than ever.

Sayer stands perfectly still, his gaze transfixed on that star, the one now he was sure was Earth. Emotions churn inside him, though the questions remained the same.

Do I still love her? Is this shock I'm feeling really pain? I really don't know. What should I do? Sayer turns around, looking first at Terry, then Robin, squarely in the eye.

I'm not going to run from this anymore. I'm going to find out once and for all. And I have to see her again to know. I have to make sure she's happy. I can do this.

"What are you two looking at? Let's go ask the Princess for some shore leave!" The man who was truly a Fighter deep down grins that wicked grin of his, Making his brothers smile with Healing relief.

Now clad in their new official looking (but still debonair) soldier uniforms, the three men walk down the long hallway of the palace. Since their time spent on earth, all three had become accustomed to their male forms, actually quite preferring it that way. For they always had felt a certain masculinity, even before when they were females.

When they had arrived on Earth in search of the Princess, and somehow, by fate or by choice, they had been transformed into men, Sayer and Terry were both very pleased. Robin had a harder time accepting it, indifferent one way or the other, his mind totally focused on his absent Princess. But they soon came to discover that, though as the chosen Sailor of their respective stars, feminine in Sailor Guardian form as all Sailor Soldiers must be, their true souls were those of men.

Even their ruler, their beloved Princess, their caring elder sister who had adopted each of these three lost little children as her own family when they were orphaned very young, Fireball agreed that something about their driven, protective souls had always leaned male. And so, perhaps destiny had righted itself when they acclimated to the unique planet called 'Earth', changing their female bodies into male. It was no longer a disguise, no longer a choice. It was who they were now, their new natural forms. And they liked it that way. Even Robin (though he'd never admit it).

Entering the throne room, they exchange nods with the vigilant soldiers stationed at the entrances, ever ready to protect their beloved Princess at a moment's notice. And there, perched high on her throne in her lovely goldenrod, ebony and crimson dress, her fiery red hair looped majestically around her head, the kind Princess Fireball waves for the three of them to approach her.

"What news, my dears? I can clearly see that something has occurred, it's etched on your faces," she smiles pleasantly.

"My Princess, you are correct as usual," Terry bows respectfully as he steps forward.

"We've received a message from Earth," Robin adds in a trancelike state.

"Nothing amiss, I hope, Healer," she asks.

"Oh no, the opposite in fact, Your Majesty. We've been invited to a wedding," Respectful Terry offers gladly, but then his eyes dart over to Sayer, his concern evident.

"Oh yes, Maker, a joyous occasion. The Moon Princess and the Prince of Earth?" She queries. Terry and Robin nod as Sayer lowers his eyes.

"I have noticed the stars in that galaxy shining especially brightly of late." She smiles sweetly. Then she notices Sayer's unusual silence.

"Don't you agree, Fighter?" She pries, the concerned eyes of a big sister very sharp indeed.

When he lifts his gaze, Princess Fireball understands all at once. The confusion, the pain, the caring, the loneliness, the love, all reflect the conflict in his soul. Yes, she remembers, there was something between Fighter and the Princess of the Moon.

"Yes, my Princess," Sayer finally answers after a long pause.

She smiles, as much as she wanted to ask him what was wrong, to take him under her wing, as she always had, for in his immaturity at times, Sayer had always been her especial pet, needing her most caring attentions and dotings, his wild heart often yearning for direction. But she realizes that he was old enough now to resolve these things for himself, to make his own decisions.

She had noticed this unhappiness lately, more and more, not only in Sayer, but in Terry and Robin as well. They were not the same as before, when they were all on Kinmoku, and not just because they were now men. (And quite attractive men at that, she smiles at her proud mind's musings.)

It was simply because they were growing up. She had many soldiers now to protect her, armies of devoted followers, but these three would always be special to her, not only because they were the ones who gave her people back their freedom, but because they were her family. She grew up with them as little siblings, and she loved each of them dearly.

Therefore, it was so very hard to let go.

"Then you may have my permission to leave." She holds back the tears, now welling up in her lovely eyes. For, suddenly, she knew that this was truly 'good-bye'. That her beloved friends would not return to Janus, that the happiness that has eluded them here awaited them on the Earth. They were not even aware of it themselves, but her deep soul felt something from each of them, a longing to return to that place that they had called home for only a short time. A longing for what they could not find here.

She goes to them, hugging each one warmly, kissing each on the cheek. Then returning to her throne, Princess Fireball puts on a brave smile.

"Good-bye, my dearests. I will miss you," As she blinks back her tears, her gaze lingers on Sayer, wishing with all her spirit's powers that he would find joy at the other end of that rainbow, as she lifts her treasured golden chalice filled with Kinmoku's gleaming flower petals, giving the three the energy they required to travel beyond the galaxy of stars.

"Good-bye." They answer in unison, any of them unaware she meant forever, as their bodies transform into three flashes of light that zoom out the window, into the endless night.

"Good luck, my loves." She collapses, weeping uncontrollably on the floor, as a silent figure watches from the shadows, his fists clenching.

First total darkness. Then three small lights shoot across the wide expanse of space, growing closer and closer to their target. The closer they came to it, the surer they were that something awaited them there, something new, something exciting.

Robin had always had, for as long as he could remember, this strange ability to sense things on a higher level than a normal person, to be able to somehow "feel" when something was about to occur. And as his consciousness soared through space, he knew that that intangible "something" was finally happening.

His dream still echoes through his mind. That dream that turned his world upside down.

In a trance, he suddenly realizes that it's been too long, he couldn't see straight anymore.

Are we lost? Fighter and Maker are relying on me. Focus, focus, Healer. It is my job to guide we three wandering shooting stars to the land of the Moon Princess! He fiercely thinks, aware his senses were often far keener than even his brothers', as if his sensitive soul could reach beyond limits of the mind.

I've forgotten how hard star travel is, how much it consumes you. Where is it? Robin's mind struggles, he not having the traces of his Princess' trail to follow this time.

Why can't I find the Earth?! Such a bright star...But it's as if it has a dark cloud over it this time...

We should be seeing it by now! A feeling of dread overwhelms him, of being lost, alone, with no where to go.

Which way is up, which way is down?

I'm drowning, drowning, in my dream again, where I'm all alone. Where am I? I'm lost, I'm never going to get there! I'm losing direction,...all by myself—

The child of the Star Healer suddenly lifts his palest green eyes, sensing another presence on the blurred starry horizon.

There's that bluish-green light! I'll swim through the cosmos towards it!

I'm drifting closer, closer, closer...

It's her! She's saying something to me! I can almost make it out this time…

It's my name!

'Robin, Robin, come to me.'

'I'm here!' He mentally shouts back the calling's response loudly in his telepathic head.

I can see her, so beautiful, so elegant.

I know her, I've always known her, and she's always known me…

She reaches her hand out for mine, and when I take it I'm no longer alone…


© ETLW