Chapter 6: The Return to Cignus

Leda glanced briefly at the surrounding landscape. The land seemed cold and completely lifeless, a feeling she hadn't had since she had left Charon. The sky was a murky gray-brown. Everything was still with a sense of expectancy, of waiting.

'Waiting for what?' she wondered. She gave a shudder and rubbed her arms. Turning around, Leda saw Dido exit the portal and murmur the commands that would close it.

The Guardian gave her a searching look but didn't comment. She brought out the Teardrop Glaive. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Leda turned and stared into Paul's knowing eyes.

With a faint smile, Paul pulled her transformation brooch out of his pocket and wordlessly handed it to her. She studied the jeweled cover for a moment. She hadn't needed it in years but they were facing too many unknowns to take any chances.

She thanked her husband and raised the gilded object above her head. "Jupiter Moon Crystal Power!!"

The light faded and Sailor Jupiter Moon wasn't surprised to see Ganymede and the two Guardians in their battle uniforms. "Which way?" she asked.

Dido pointed slightly to their left with her glaive. "We should reach the outskirts of the city just over those hills. The palace and more importantly the library will be at the city's center."

"But why did you bring us out here?" Ganymede asked. "Why not just take us to the palace or some place inside the city?"

Cassandra shook her head. "We don't know what has happened here since that fateful night," she said gently. "I'd rather approach the city cautiously than just appear there, possibly in the middle of danger."

Jupiter nodded. "That's a good idea, since we don't know what we are up against."

She paused and then turned to the pair. "I want to thank you for doing this, for helping Ilene. I know that this is difficult for both of you."

Dido shook her head. "There are a lot of happy memories here, too."

"Yes," Cassandra agreed. "There are a lot of memories here."

* * * * *

Scylla looked over her shoulder as she heard someone enter the room. Elara smiled softly at the Guardian and proceeded to the foot of the bed. Flipping through the information, she paused and glanced at her sister.

"She seems better," Scylla stated, watching the castle healer out of the corner of her eye.

Elara smiled faintly, her eyes never leaving Ilene. "She seems to have stabilized."

"Is that your doing?" the healer asked, now turning her eyes to the Guardian.

Scylla shook her head. "I don't know. I think you and Dr. Cross are primarily responsible. I have just been giving her reassurance that she isn't fighting this alone. That she has never been fighting this alone."

Elara studied her sister's sleeping form. "Thank you."

"I just wish that my little encounter had happened earlier," the Guardian replied softly. "I checked in with Dido. They are okay. They haven't found anything yet, but they haven't found any trouble either."

Once again, Elara studied Scylla. "The communicators work at such a distance?"

"Not exactly," the Guardian replied with a sly smile.

"What do you mean by 'not exactly'?" she asked, smiling in spite of herself. It was the first time that she had allowed herself to truly smile since Ilene became sick. It was a good feeling.

* * * * *

Dido suddenly stopped, causing the others to stop suddenly behind her. Her eyes were slightly unfocused and she stood perfectly still. Suddenly, she gave a small shudder and smiled.

Now laughing softly, she began pushing some of the buttons on the communicator. Apparently satisfied, she placed the device back on her belt. She flushed slightly when she encountered the others' looks.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I got a flash from Scylla. Our communicators will not work at this distance."

Jupiter Moon found hers and discovered that hers was useless as well.

"It seems you're now our link to home," Ganymede commented.

Jupiter studied the Guardian for a moment. "What exactly is the connection between you and Scylla? Is it telepathic?"

"No," the Guardian of Compassion replied, shaking her head. "All the Guardians have a slight connection with the others. It tells us when someone is in trouble or unable to fight. Since Scylla and I are twins and have some talents in that area, our connection is much stronger. However, it is purely empathetic."

"So how did you know about the problem with the communicator?" Ganymede asked.

Dido smiled. "The flash from Scylla was pretty strong and was filled with frustration and a concern for us. It seemed logical that she would try to contact us."

"Were you able to convey that we are all right?" Cassandra inquired.

The other Guardian nodded. "Yes, Scylla feels a lot better now. She'll try to give us an idea about what's going on their side."

"Good," Cassandra said. She studied the horizon for a moment before turning her attention back to the others. "It will be dark soon. We need to be further in the city before we stop for the night."

"Before we stop?" Jupiter Moon asked.

"The city is rather large, much larger than the capital of Jupiter," Cassandra explained. "We will move as fast as we can but we must be cautious."

Dido touched Jupiter's arm. "Lady Ilene is still holding on strong."

"We will need to move on at first light," Leda said.

The others agreed. Jupiter and Ganymede quietly followed the Guardians through the lifeless streets of the royal city. 'Now matter how lifeless Charon was,' Jupiter thought, 'Cignus seems much, much worse.'

* * * * *

Cassandra stopped the group outside a simple two-story building as the sky turned a gray-red. Dido followed the Guardian, gesturing for the other two to stay outside. With a sigh of frustration, Jupiter scanned the area around. There was no movement except for a slight breeze.

Ganymede gently rubbed her arms, soothing away her frustration. "They still feel the need to protect you, especially now," he whispered. "Try to understand."

"I'm surprised that the Guardians let me come at all," she muttered. Yet, they both knew that her mood was improving.

Ganymede gave her a smile. "Well, Cassandra picks her battles."

Jupiter laughed in spite of herself. "Yes, she definitely does that." She looked up and stared contently at his face. "Thank you for coming."

"I promised you a long time of ago that I would be there for you. I would never dream of letting you face this alone."

The two Guardians came out of the house and were amused to find the Prince and Princess of Jupiter in a slightly compromising position. With a smile, Dido discreetly cleared her throat. Reluctantly, the pair parted and turned to the others.

"Say hello to your abode for the night, Your Majesties," Dido said in a rare joking tone.

Jupiter raised an eyebrow at the formal title but silently followed the Guardians into the house. The dying light shrouded the interior with shadows. However, there was sufficient light for Jupiter to make out a table still set for a meal. She fought the sudden urge to cry as she noticed a doll slumped in a corner.

Ganymede noticed and wrapped a comforting arm around her. "The room we are going to use is upstairs," he murmured, steering her to the flight of steps. "You need to rest."

"We all need to rest," she replied. She was grateful that they had eaten a quick meal in the streets. She wouldn't have been able in this house.

As they entered the room, Jupiter focused only on the bed, not wanting any more surprises. She stretched out on top of the blanket, not bothering to turn the sheets down or detransform. Ganymede stretched out beside her, drawing her against him with one arm. Using the other, he draped his cape over both of them.

He kissed her cheek and pillowed his head on his arm. Jupiter slowed her breathing, listening intently to his heartbeat. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep.


Return to Cignus Leda glanced briefly at the surrounding landscape. The land seemed cold and completely lifeless, a feeling she hadn't had since she had left Charon. The sky was a murky gray-brown. Everything was still with a sense of expectancy, of waiting. 'Waiting for what?' she wondered. She gave a shudder and rubbed her arms. Turning around, Leda saw Dido exit the portal and murmur the commands that would close it. The Guardian gave her a searching look but didn't comment. She brought out the Teardrop Glaive. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Leda turned and stared into Paul's knowing eyes. With a faint smile, Paul pulled her transformation brooch out of his pocket and wordlessly handed it to her. She studied the jeweled cover for a moment. She hadn't needed it in years but they were facing too many unknowns to take any chances. She thanked her husband and raised the gilded object above her head. "Jupiter Moon Crystal Power!!" The light faded and Sailor Jupiter Moon wasn't surprised to see Ganymede and the two Guardians in their battle uniforms. "Which way?" she asked. Dido pointed slightly to their left with her glaive. "We should reach the outskirts of the city just over those hills. The palace and more importantly the library will be at the city's center." "But why did you bring us out here?" Ganymede asked. "Why not just take us to the palace or some place inside the city?" Cassandra shook her head. "We don't know what has happened here since that fateful night," she said gently. "I'd rather approach the city cautiously than just appear there, possibly in the middle of danger." Jupiter nodded. "That's a good idea, since we don't know what we are up against." She paused and then turned to the pair. "I want to thank you for doing this, for helping Ilene. I know that this is difficult for both of you." Dido shook her head. "There are a lot of happy memories here, too." "Yes," Cassandra agreed. "There are a lot of memories here." * * * * * Scylla looked over her shoulder as she heard someone enter the room. Elara smiled softly at the Guardian and proceeded to the foot of the bed. Flipping through the information, she paused and glanced at her sister. "She seems better," Scylla stated, watching the castle healer out of the corner of her eye. Elara smiled faintly, her eyes never leaving Ilene. "She seems to have stabilized." "Is that your doing?" the healer asked, now turning her eyes to the Guardian. Scylla shook her head. "I don't know. I think you and Dr. Cross are primarily responsible. I have just been giving her reassurance that she isn't fighting this alone. That she has never been fighting this alone." Elara studied her sister's sleeping form. "Thank you." "I just wish that my little encounter had happened earlier," the Guardian replied softly. "I checked in with Dido. They are okay. They haven't found anything yet, but they haven't found any trouble either." Once again, Elara studied Scylla. "The communicators work at such a distance?" "Not exactly," the Guardian replied with a sly smile. "What do you mean by 'not exactly'?" she asked, smiling in spite of herself. It was the first time that she had allowed herself to truly smile since Ilene became sick. It was a good feeling. * * * * * Dido suddenly stopped, causing the others to stop suddenly behind her. Her eyes were slightly unfocused and she stood perfectly still. Suddenly, she gave a small shudder and smiled. Now laughing softly, she began pushing some of the buttons on the communicator. Apparently satisfied, she placed the device back on her belt. She flushed slightly when she encountered the others' looks. "I'm sorry," she said. "I got a flash from Scylla. Our communicators will not work at this distance." Jupiter Moon found hers and discovered that hers was useless as well. "It seems you're now our link to home," Ganymede commented. Jupiter studied the Guardian for a moment. "What exactly is the connection between you and Scylla? Is it telepathic?" "No," the Guardian of Compassion replied, shaking her head. "All the Guardians have a slight connection with the others. It tells us when someone is in trouble or unable to fight. Since Scylla and I are twins and have some talents in that area, our connection is much stronger. However, it is purely empathetic." "So how did you know about the problem with the communicator?" Ganymede asked. Dido smiled. "The flash from Scylla was pretty strong and was filled with frustration and a concern for us. It seemed logical that she would try to contact us." "Were you able to convey that we are all right?" Cassandra inquired. The other Guardian nodded. "Yes, Scylla feels a lot better now. She'll try to give us an idea about what's going on their side." "Good," Cassandra said. She studied the horizon for a moment before turning her attention back to the others. "It will be dark soon. We need to be further in the city before we stop for the night." "Before we stop?" Jupiter Moon asked. "The city is rather large, much larger than the capital of Jupiter," Cassandra explained. "We will move as fast as we can but we must be cautious." Dido touched Jupiter's arm. "Lady Ilene is still holding on strong." "We will need to move on at first light," Leda said. The others agreed. Jupiter and Ganymede quietly followed the Guardians through the lifeless streets of the royal city. 'Now matter how lifeless Charon was,' Jupiter thought, 'Cignus seems much, much worse.' * * * * * Cassandra stopped the group outside a simple two-story building as the sky turned a gray-red. Dido followed the Guardian, gesturing for the other two to stay outside. With a sigh of frustration, Jupiter scanned the area around. There was no movement except for a slight breeze. Ganymede gently rubbed her arms, soothing away her frustration. "They still feel the need to protect you, especially now," he whispered. "Try to understand." "I'm surprised that the Guardians let me come at all," she muttered. Yet, they both knew that her mood was improving. Ganymede gave her a smile. "Well, Cassandra picks her battles." Jupiter laughed in spite of herself. "Yes, she definitely does that." She looked up and stared contently at his face. "Thank you for coming." "I promised you a long time of ago that I would be there for you. I would never dream of letting you face this alone." The two Guardians came out of the house and were amused to find the Prince and Princess of Jupiter in a slightly compromising position. With a smile, Dido discreetly cleared her throat. Reluctantly, the pair parted and turned to the others. "Say hello to your abode for the night, Your Majesties," Dido said in a rare joking tone. Jupiter raised an eyebrow at the formal title but silently followed the Guardians into the house. The dying light shrouded the interior with shadows. However, there was sufficient light for Jupiter to make out a table still set for a meal. She fought the sudden urge to cry as she noticed a doll slumped in a corner. Ganymede noticed and wrapped a comforting arm around her. "The room we are going to use is upstairs," he murmured, steering her to the flight of steps. "You need to rest." "We all need to rest," she replied. She was grateful that they had eaten a quick meal in the streets. She wouldn't have been able in this house. As they entered the room, Jupiter focused only on the bed, not wanting any more surprises. She stretched out on top of the blanket, not bothering to turn the sheets down or detransform. Ganymede stretched out beside her, drawing her against him with one arm. Using the other, he draped his cape over both of them. He kissed her cheek and pillowed his head on his arm. Jupiter slowed her breathing, listening intently to his heartbeat. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep.


Chapter 7: Midnight Confessions Jupiter's Gone