Diana

A Sailor Moon fanfiction by Shadra

Sailor Moon and its characters are the creation of Takeuchi Naoko. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

 

Artemis sat alone in the room, his only company being a potted plant in the corner. He had been pacing back and forth for what seemed hours, his mind on two people he cared for deeply. He couldn't stand the suspense at all. It was lonely in that room… very lonely. Artemis sighed. Looking at the potted plant in the corner, he said,

"Hmmm… So, meet anyone interesting lately?"

The plant didn't respond. Artemis continued.

"Being stuck in the corner like that doesn't give you much opportunity to be social, I suppose."

The plant tumbled some chloroplasts and ignored Artemis.

"What? Do I have something stuck to my face? Am I not interesting enough for you? I have rights to be myself, uninteresting or not! I AM SOMEONE!"

The plant remained mute. Artemis narrowed his eyes.

"So, you still ignore me? Fine! I don't have to talk to the likes of YOU! Go suck on some dirt you palmacious poltroon!"

The plant divided its cells. Artemis growled and left.

After a few minutes, he ran back into the room and prostrated himself in front of the plant.

"I apologize, Plant-sama! I am simply under a great deal of stress; surely you can understand…"

Plant-sama relocated nutrients and was silent. Artemis' whiskers twitched violently.

"So, you continue to disrespect me? Prepare to meet your NYAAOW!"

The plant may have prepared to meet its 'nyaaow', but Artemis never found out. Instead he found his tail supporting a great amount of pressure and weight.

While Artemis cried, Sailor Venus cheerfully announced, "Artemis-chan! You can come in now! … Artemis?"

She glanced down at her foot, which just so happened to be on top of Artemis' tail.

"Sorry!"

She removed it, much to the cat's relief. After he regained the feeling in his tail, Artemis followed Venus to the small room next door. She let him in and stood outside the door. Artemis paused and said,

"How is she? How is the--"

Venus cut him off, saying,

"She's waiting for you. Hurry." and motioned him inside.

"Aren't you going to come in?" he inquired. Venus shook her head. Artemis thought he saw a look of pain in Venus' eyes, but decided he was imagining things. Venus spoke seriously, saying,

"No, this is for you, and you alone. I will be out here."

Artemis nodded and entered. The room was warm and cozy, and the scent of lavender permeated the air. Sitting on a pillow in the middle of the room, Luna was lying down, her back to the doorway. Artemis barely made it over to her under his own power, the blood rushing to his head making it almost impossible to have coherent thought. Stumbling to her side, Artemis nearly burst.

There, cuddled next to Luna's chest, a tiny gray kitten lay sleeping. Artemis marveled at how tiny its paws were in comparison to Luna's, and how much it looked like her. His heart filled with pride, and his eyes with tears as he observed his child.

"Artemis…"

Luna's voice was barely a whisper. Artemis tore his eyes away from the kitten and gazed at Luna's face. She looked at her kitten and continued.

"Look what we have done. Look upon this child and know that this is the result of all my love for you… the love I stifled out of fear for the longest time. I was afraid… I was afraid of being hurt. I never knew how you felt… I never knew how *I* felt. Artemis… how long has it been? How long have I been cruel to you? I was so cold… so self-centered and thoughtless." Tears began to form in her eyes. "But look. Look now and see what I kept inside me. This child represents our love… our hope… our future. One day, Artemis… one day she will carry on our legacy. Then she will start her own legacy, and on that day… on that day will I see what our love has brought forth into this world… However, this child… "

She fell silent. Artemis began to speak, but was silenced as he noticed something amiss. The crescent moon which adorned both Luna and Artemis' heads was not present on the kitten. Luna spoke again, her words choked and somewhat forced.

"This child, Artemis, will not be one of us… She can never know what we know, and we will live to see the day she leaves this world… but this child, is, and will always be, ours."

Artemis lowered his head and sobbed until a gentle hand was placed on his back. Looking up through tear-filled eyes, he saw Neo Queen Serenity shrouded in white light, Small Lady clinging to her leg. She spoke.

"This child…"

Another figure stepped out from behind her, a tall woman with short white hair and a crescent moon on her forehead. Artemis gasped.

"Mama…" he whispered. She spoke.

"This light…"

Another woman appeared behind Neo Queen Serenity, her long black hair blowing in an unfelt wind, and a crescent moon shining upon her brow. Luna whispered,

"Mother…"

The woman spoke.

"This hope…"

The three women looked at Small Lady and spoke as one, saying,

"This is everyone's child."

The kitten mewled and opened its eyes. Small lady crawled towards the kitten, and their eyes met. She reached out and touched the kitten's forehead, and as her finger touched the kitten's brow, she spoke her first word.

"Diana."

As light enveloped the kitten and Small lady, the three women said,

"This is your child."

The light receded, and a golden crescent moon appeared on the kitten's forehead. Neo Queen Serenity took Small Lady in her arms, and the black-haired woman stepped behind her, saying,

"This is your hope."

The white-haired woman stepped behind the queen and said,

"This is your light."

Neo Queen Serenity vanished as she said,

"This is your child."

Artemis and Luna looked at their kitten who had fallen asleep again. Luna wept. Artemis licked her tears and nuzzled her. They sat together for a long time, listening to the quiet breathing of their child. Together they said,

"This is Diana."

 

Image (C) Shadra 1999

 

***

Shadra - 11/26/1999