RECKONINGS
A Sailor Moon Sekkushiaru Roman

By Sailor Mac
	Darien sat in front of his Power Mac, turning the floppy over and over in
his hands, thinking about what was on it.
	Serena had given it to him as she was on her way out of his car that
night, after their last goodnight kiss. . .
	"Oh, I almost forgot," she said, taking something out of her purse and
handing it to him. "Amy and I found a bunch of floppies under a bush where
that Negaverse portal was. . .she took them home and found out that they
were Dark Kingdom spy files! Can you believe it? And she thought you'd want
to have this one, because it's all about the Earth Kingdom.  . ."
	This floppy may hold the key to my past, he thought. The knowledge I've
been searching for as long as I can remember. . .
	Oh, he'd had dreams about the Silver Millennium. . .but the content of
them had been confined to his relationship with Princess Serenity. He had
no knowledge about his family, how the Earth Kingdom was governed, what it
looked like. . .
	Taking a deep breath, he put the disc in his drive.
* * *
	Raye jerked up from the book she'd been studying with a start. Why did she
have that funny feeling, the feeling she got when she was about to have a
psychic flash. . .
	Suddenly, her vision was filled with an image of Darien sitting at a
computer, opening some kind of a text file. What a strange thing for me to
be seeing, she thought. . .
	Then, the vision zoomed in on the words of the screen, and she began to
read. . .and in a flash of shock and horror, she knew *why* she was seeing
this.
* * *
	"The Earth Kingdom," the document read, "has its Royal City on the island
of Atlantis. Its monarch is Queen Cassiopeia, daughter of King Cadmus and
Queen Harmonia. She is the last to hold the title of Sailor Earth, because
she bore no daughters, only a son, Endymion. Through spreading some coin
and liquor among the palace servants, we have been able to obtain a plum
piece of information regarding the queen's son, one which the queen has
desperately tried to keep secret - his father is King Cephus of Mars, who
is married to the younger sister of Queen Serenity and is the father of
Princess Rei, the current Sailor Mars. . ."
	Darien felt his jaw drop. His entire body felt like it was turning to ice.
	Raye. . .and I. . .are. . .BROTHER AND SISTER? he thought.
	His mind raced through the weeks when they were dating. He saw them rowing
together on a lake, holding hands and laughing in Crown Cafe, going to the
movies together. . .
	And then one night. . .one night when things got out of hand, and they
came so close, so close. . .
	"Oh, dear Gods," he said, "we almost. . ."
* * *
	"Incest," Raye whispered. "It would have been incest!"
	She forced herself to stand up, shaking her head violently, trying to
knock the vision out of her sight, as if that would make the truth behind
it go away.
	I don't know where to turn, she thought. I don't know who to talk to about
this. . .I sure as hell can't tell Chad. . .
	She found herself running blindly toward the place where she had always
found the most comfort and solace.
* * *
	Darien was pacing around his apartment, trying to sort out his feelings.
	I dated Raye, in part, because I was running away from my true feelings
for Serena, he thought. But I also felt. . .drawn to her on some level. . .
	He'd mistaken it at the time for the feelings between a man and a woman.
	Something was telling me all along, he thought, that we were connected. .
.somehow. But neither of us figured out just what the connection was. . .
	How did it happen in the first place? he thought. Why do we have the same
father? And the report says that he was married to Queen Serenity's younger
sister. . .that means that Raye and Serena are cousins. . .
	I've got to lie down. I've got to rest for a moment. . .
	He stretched out on his couch, and his eyes drooped shut.
* * *
	Raye knelt in front of the fire, doing her old meditation exercises,
trying to still her mind.
	I can't still it, she thought. I'm afraid that my psychic senses will open
up and I'll see *more* nasty surprises.
	She tossed some more wood on the fire and sat down, her head in her hands,
wondering again who she could talk to about this. . .
	Then, she realized that there definitely *was* someone she should talk to.
The one person she'd always been able to tell anything to.
	But why, she thought, didn't he tell me about this?
* * *
	In his dream, Darien saw himself walking through what looked like a grand
foyer in a palace. There was something that felt very familiar about it. .
.
	Of course, he thought. This is where I must have lived as Prince Endymion!
	Directly in front of him was a throne room, and sitting on the throne was
a beautiful woman with dark blue eyes like his, and waves of thick black
hair. She wore a white gown with a cloth-of-gold cape.
	"Mother?"
	"Welcome, my son." She came down from the throne and embraced him. "Do you
know where you are?"
	"Is this. . .the Earth Kingdom?"
	"This is Atlantis, which in the era you live in now is known as 'the lost
continent.' What you see is only the shadow of the past. . .the true
Atlantis was destroyed by Queen Beryl. You grew up here, Endymion. It was
in this very throne room that you took your first steps. . ."
	"It feels so familiar. . .I wish I could remember more of that time."
	"Some of the memories will come back to you, later." She stepped back to
get a good look at him. "You're so handsome, my darling. . .just as
handsome as I remember. And you have done so well as a Sailor Soldier.
You've exceeded all my expectations for you."
	"I'm far from a Sailor Soldier, Mother. I'm just their protector."
	"You are the defender of this planet, and you have grown strong in magic
and in wisdom. As far as I'm concerned, you *are* Sailor Earth. The witch
who cursed me never to have a daughter didn't realize she was actually
doing me a favor. . .she made it possible for me to have a truly
extraordinary son."
	"Mother. . .there's something I need to talk to you about. . ."
	She sighed. "You found out about your parentage. I never told you about it
during the Silver Millennium, Endymion, and I should have. Whenever you
asked who your father was, I always said he was a great and noble man who
wasn't with us anymore. . .which was not a lie. Your father was the most
extraordinary man I ever met. . .he was the love of my life. But fate was
against us." She sat at the edge of the throne dais, and Darien sat beside
her, looking at her with anticipation as she began her tale. . .
* * *
	Raye knew just how to put herself in the proper meditative state to
contact him. Soon, she was seeing the corridor of fire that she knew would
lead to her guardian deity.
	She walked toward the figure she saw in the distance, her heart pounding
as it always did as he drew nearer and nearer. We are no longer lovers, she
thought, but we will always, always have a very special bond. . .
	When she was next to him, they embraced. "Raye," he said, "it is so
wonderful to see you again. . ."
	And she found herself blurting out the question right off the bat. . .
	"Why didn't you tell me?"	
	He took a deep breath. "You found out, Raye. . .I had always hoped you
wouldn't."
	"But why keep it a secret? It's an important part of my past."
	"I knew what your relationship with Darien had been. I knew all too well.
As you recall, our first encounter was when you were heartbroken over him."
	"Yes, I loved him. I. . .I felt. . .drawn to him. . .and now I know why I
did." She heaved a big sigh. "But the fact that we almost committed incest.
. ."
	"I should have appeared to you the first time then and there, and told you
everything."
	He made a bench materialize, and they both sat down. "Mars," she said,
"who were my parents? The report said that my mother was the sister of
Queen Serenity. . ."
	"Ah, yes, she was. . .but the Princess Phoebe was nothing like her sister.
The wisdom in the family all went to Serenity, and the cunning all went to.
. ." He stopped abruptly, as if he were about to speak of something he
shouldn't. "Anyway, your father was forced to marry her. It was tradition
on your planet that the firstborn of the family, whether male or female,
would inherit the throne. . .and that person was obligated to marry the
child of a political ally of the family. The parents arranged the marriage
while the heir was still an infant."
	"That's terrible!"
	"And it was especially terrible for your father, Cephus. Phoebe was a nice
enough woman, but his heart lay somewhere else. . ."
* * *
	"I met him at the funeral of his sister, who'd been my sister Sailor
Soldier, Sailor Mars," Cassiopeia said. "She'd been killed in battle, and
with her last breath, she begged the god Mars to give her Star Seed to her
brother, so his child could replace her. So it was vital that he get
married. . .and his parents had picked out his bride when he was a baby. He
and I. . .we fell in love almost at first sight. It was a forbidden love. .
.which made it all the more alluring. We met whenever we could get a few
hours, a few days away. . ." She paused, her eyes seeming to mist over.
	Darien took his mother's hands. "I understand," he said. "It must have
been very painful, knowing you could never marry the man you loved. . ."
	"It was. The relationship was agony and ecstasy. And the night you were
conceived, he even told me he was willing to defy convention for me. . .but
I had to tell him no."
	The Queen of Earth sat still for a moment, tears rolling down her cheeks
as the memories flooded through her. . .
* * *
	Princess Cassiopeia placed the last of the roses in the vase. She made one
last check of every room in her wing of the palace, making sure everything
was just perfect.
	She'd given her guardians and servants the night off. She knew they were
whispering behind her back, but she didn't care. Nothing mattered, nothing
at all, but the fact that she was going to be seeing Cephus again tonight.
	He's late, she thought with a small frown. The sun set a long time ago,
and I see the moon rising. . .
	Then, she heard a voice behind her. . . "Are you looking for something,
beautiful lady?"
	"Cephus!" She wheeled around, and there her love stood. "I didn't hear you
at all!"
	"It seems my teleportation skills have improved, my lady," he said, giving
a deep bow. "And from the way you look. . .it was well worth the effort."
	She opened her arms to him. "Thank you, sir. . .and you look wonderful as
well. Shall I reward you for coming such a long way?"
	Then, all royal decorum was dropped in a flash as they flung themselves
into each other's arms, their mouths clashing, moving, seeking, finding as
their hands slid over each other's bodies, feeling the warm flesh under the
satin and velvet.
	The kiss broke, and they clung to each other, breathing heavily. "Aaahh,
Cassie," he sighed, "I feel like only half a man when we're not together."
	"Don't say that," she whispered. "You know that the day will come soon
when we can no longer do this."
	"I never want that day to come. You are all I ever wanted. You fulfill
every need I ever had, Cassiopeia of Earth. I love you so much. . ."
	"Cephus. . .I love you, too."
	She took his hand and led him to a long table, on which were a bottle and
two silver goblets. "Would you like to try some wine? My vintners have
assured me that this is the best bottling they've ever done. . ."
	"I can't see how it could be sweeter or more intoxicating than looking at you."
	She blushed and smiled as she poured the liquid, then handed him a glass.
"A toast. . ."
	"To a wonderful future."
	"Yes. . .a wonderful future." They clinked glasses, then entwined their
arms as they drank.
	I know I'm inevitably setting myself up for pain with this affair, she
thought. . .but I love him so much. . .
	They sat side-by side, and she just rested her head on his shoulder for a
moment. Then, he spoke. . .
	"Cassie. . .I've been doing some thinking."
	"Really?" she said teasingly. "That could be dangerous."
	He kissed the top of her head, then said, "I have decided that I'm going
to buck the tradition of my people and marry the woman I love. I don't care
if they throw me off the throne. . .I'd rather live with you in a shack
than without you in a palace. I want to spend the rest of my life with you,
Cassiopeia."
	Tears came into her eyes. These were the words she most wanted to hear in
the world. . .but at the same time, they were the words she was most
dreading. Because she knew she couldn't accept his proposal.
	"Cephus. . .I love you, I want to live with you too, but. . ."
	"But?"
	She heaved a deep sigh. "You know about the curse I carry. I cannot give
you the daughter you need."
	"Our planet has been without a Sailor Soldier for a generation before. .
.we can have sons together, Cassie. And those sons can pass on our Star
Seeds."
	"Cephus. . .you know that once my parents abdicate and give me their
throne, I can no longer serve actively as Sailor Earth. If there is no
Sailor Earth to take my place, and no Sailor Mars. . .our solar system will
be without *two* Sailor Soldiers. We can get by without one. . .but without
two, the defenses of the Moon Kingdom will be severely threatened. There's
too much disturbance in the universe, too many enemies about. . .we can't
risk it."
	"Cassie. . ."
	"I wish it didn't have to be like this. I wish it with all my heart." She
began to cry. "But. . .but we have to think of the future, of our planets.
. .You have to marry Princess Phoebe, Cephus. Marry her, and have a
beautiful, strong daughter. . ." She buried her face in his chest as she
shook with sobs.
	"We'll go to the priests in your temple," he said. "We'll have them remove
the curse!"
	"Cephus. . .Osiris himself appeared to me, and he said that even he can't
remove it. There is no way I can ever have a daughter."
	He held her as she continued to cry, as tears began rolling down his own
face as well. They were still and silent for a long moment.
	Finally, he tilted her head up and kissed her lips. "All right," he
whispered. "For the good of my planet and for the Moon Kingdom. . .I'll
marry her. But every time I'm with her, I'll pretend that I'm with you." He
pulled her closer, as if trying to merge her very flesh with his. "I don't
want to think about that day coming. . ."
	"Then don't. For now, let's just enjoy this moment."
	She brought her mouth to his, and she kissed him, hard, deep and wet. He
made a low sound of desire in his throat as his hands slipped over her
shoulders, down to her breasts. . .He cupped and squeezed them, and she
sighed deeply. Her lips left his and kissed down to his jawline, where she
began to leave a line of small kisses, nibbling softly. . .
	No words needed to be spoken. They both knew what was going to happen next.
	With one swift motion, he picked her up and carried her up to her
bedchamber, lying her gently on the bed. He brought his mouth to hers
again, as her hands began tugging at his clothes. Together, they rid him of
jacket and shirt, boots and trousers. . .She let her hands roam over his
body, moaning softly at the feel of the hard muscles and hot skin. When she
leaned over and drew a nipple into her mouth, he moaned loudly.
	"Aaah, you witch," he said as he reached for the fastenings of her dress.
She pulled away from him and stripped it off. . .and her petticoats and
stockings. . .and her underwear.
	"Do I meet with your approval, Your Majesty?" she said teasingly.
	"You are the loveliest creature in heaven or earth, Your Majesty," he
replied. He rid himself of his last garment, and then they were on the bed
together, tangling arms, tangling legs, tangling mouths, rubbing their
bodies together as if trying to strike sparks.
	As he rolled her on her back, as he kissed his way down her neck to her
breasts, she felt as if a great tide of magic was forming in the room, as
if something momentous was about to happen. . .
	Then, his lips were on her nipple, and he was sucking, and she felt heat
running over every bit of her body. . .Cassiopeia uttered a feline purr,
stretching like a cat, glorying in the way this man was making her feel.
His lips came away, only for his tongue to flick over the hardened tip,
once, twice, three times. . .
	"Ohh, my love," she moaned, "that feels sooo good. . ."
	"There's more to come, my darling," he whispered, and then his mouth was
at her other breast, suckling the other nipple as his fingers gently
squeezed and stroked the first. Her mouth was wide open, uttering ragged
pants and low noises of delicious joy.
	I want to share this feeling, she thought. I want to give him as much
pleasure as he's giving me. . .
	She rolled him over on his back, kissing his lips deeply as her hand
slipped down slowly, rubbing teasing circles over his stomach, going lower.
. .lower. . .
	He let out a small cry as her hand grasped him, the fingers moving quickly
up and down its length, like a master flautist playing her instrument.
Then, she began to stroke it with rapid up-and-down-motions. He moaned her
name, over and over. . .And all she wanted was to make him moan more.
	When she took her hand away, he groaned. But the sounds became moans of
pleasure once more as she mounted him, rubbing the outside of her womanhood
against his manhood again and again. . .She quickened her thrusts, shifting
her hips a bit so he would rub right over her jewel, moaning as the heat
rose and rose within her. . .and as the magic level in the room seemed to
rise as well. . .
	Then, she slipped up, and down, and he was inside her. Both of them
gasped, as they felt complete, more complete than they'd ever felt before
in their lives. . .She began to move, feeling him fill her, leave her, then
fill her again. . .Harder and faster she pumped, not able to get enough of
the luscious sensation, the solidness of him at her core, the small
shudders of ecstasy that passed over her body. . .His hands came up to her
breasts, stroking the nipples, gently pinching them, rubbing them with his
thumbs, making her groan deeply.
	And she felt the magic in the room swelling and swelling, rising with her
level of pleasure. . .
	Suddenly, she felt the whole world seem to explode, and she shouted his
name as the heated spasms shook her over and over. . .and as her ecstasy
peaked, he cried out with her and filled her with his seed, and she felt
all the magic in the room sucked into her womb, filling her and touching
off another climax, much more intense than the first. . .
	As they collapsed to the bed together, she felt a warm glow that seemed to
originate in her womb and spread all over her body, and she knew it wasn't
just the afterglow of lovemaking.
	She knew their son had been conceived, and she would have something of
their love with her forever, even after he had gone to fulfill his duty.
	He kissed her, and whispered, "No matter what happens in the future,
Cassiopeia. . .I love you."
	"My dearest Cephus.  . .I love you, too."
	And they drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.
* * *
	"Mother?" Darien said. "Are you crying?"
	Cassiopeia took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her face. "So many
memories. . ." she whispered. "My time with Cephus was the happiest time of
my life. For once, I knew I was more than a princess, more than a Sailor
Soldier. . .I was a woman."
	Darien knew exactly what she meant. He had never felt truly like a man
until Serena came into his life. . .He leaned over and embraced his mother,
and they clung to each other for a moment.
	Finally, she leaned back and said, "You were born nine months later.
Nobody ever knew who your father was, nobody but a few servants. But there
were whispers, believe me, there were whispers. . ."
	"And what about Cephus?"
* * *
	"Your father returned to Mars right after Prince Endymion was conceived,"
Mars told Raye. "And then, he married the woman he had been betrothed to.
It took a couple of years after that for them to have you."
	"Did he keep seeing Cassiopeia?
	"They saw each other on a friendly basis, but they were never lovers
again. In body, that is. . .their hearts were linked forever."
	"And my mother. . .what was she like?"
	The god considered what to say for a moment, then replied, "Queen Phoebe
loved you a lot, Raye. Nobody could say she wasn't a very good mother. .
.even though you took more after your father than her."
	"I didn't ask what kind of a mother she was. I asked what she was *like.*
You know. . .as a person."
	Mars sighed. "As I said before. . .Phoebe wasn't at all like Serenity. She
never bothered to study the magical arts or spiritual matters. . .and she
wasn't much on learning history and culture, either. She was sweet enough
in temperament, a charming hostess and an impeccable dresser. . .but her
interests in life were confined to parties, gossip and spending money. She
simply had. . .no *fire.*" He smiled. "All the fire went, literally and
figuratively, into her daughter."
	"Something tells me that in the Silver Millennium, I was a 'daddy's little
girl.'"
	"You most certainly were. You worshipped your father, and he adored you.
So much, that he. . ."
	"He what?"
	"He wanted to protect you. . .from getting hurt in love like he had. So
instead of betrothing you to the son of an ally, as was expected. . .he had
his priests perform a ceremony giving you to the god of your planet as his
bride."
	Raye's mouth was hanging open. "So that's why. . .you and I. . ."
	"Yes, Raye. That's why. But when you found a love of your own, I released
you from that bond so you could find your own happiness. . .the happiness
your father truly wanted you to have."
	She was silent for a moment, letting all this information sink in. If only
things had worked out for them, she thought. If only my father had been
able to marry the woman he loved. . .how different would all our lives have
been?
	In a small voice, she said, "I said before that I felt drawn to Darien
from the minute we met. Maybe drawn isn't the right word. I felt like we
were. . .*connected.*  For awhile, I mistook that connection for something
it wasn't. . .and so did he."
	"I know, Raye. I know all too well. . ."
	"You stepped in and kept us from doing something. . .wrong, didn't you?"
	"Yes. I couldn't let that happen."
	She sighed. "It kind of got crazy that night. . .I'm still not quite sure
what happened. We'd just gone to a movie, it wasn't even anything romantic
or sexy, and then we went back to his apartment and were talking, and
suddenly we were all over each other. . ."
	The god chuckled. "And that's when I stepped in and made it physically
impossible for him to do anything else."
	"And now. . .I'm glad you did. But at the time, it was horrible. . .I went
home crying, wondering if there was something wrong with me. . .But I'd
*never* admit that to anyone, of course. Except you."
	"And while you were crying, I was resolving to myself that you would never
know about your family ties. But sometimes. . .the will of fate is even
stronger than the will of a god."
	"It's all right. . .I'm glad I know now. Ever since my father sent me to
live with my grandfather, I've felt rootless, like I've had no family. .
.but now, I know I have a brother. And it's a wonderful feeling."
	He embraced her. "I'm so glad. . .and now, I have to send you back. You
must prepare yourself, Raye. . .you're going to be facing new enemies soon.
*Very* soon."
	"Whatever it is.  . .I'll be ready. Goodbye. . ."
	"Goodbye, my champion and priestess."
	And then, the corridor of fire faded away. . .and she opened her eyes, and
found herself back in the temple again.
* * *
	"Son," Cassiopeia said, "we have to part now. . .you're going to be needed
at the side of your Serenity. The two of you have some very trying times
ahead. . ."
	"I know, Mother. I've already started having premonitions. . .but we'll be
able to deal with it. We have each other, and our friends. . ."
	She embraced him. "I'm glad we had this time to talk. . .and I'm so glad
you know everything now."
	"So am I." He kissed her. "Goodbye, Mother. . ."
	"Goodbye, my dearest son."
	And then, Darien found himself on his couch again. . .and there was a loud
knocking at his door. He opened it to find. . .
	"Raye?"
	"Darien. . .I. . ."
	She knows too, Darien thought. Her mind is radiating like a beacon. . .
	"Come on in."
	She sat down on his easy chair, uncertain of what to say.
	Finally, he broke the silence. "You know about. . .our mutual father?"
	"Yes. Mars told me. Oh, Gods, Darien, if we knew back then what we know
now. . ."
	"It's all right, Raye. Nothing *did* happen, after all. And if we hadn't
been boyfriend and girlfriend then, we might not be such close friends
now."
	It's true, she thought. Darien and I have always been friends, much better
friends than he's been with the other Sailor Soldiers. . .
	She smiled. "You *are* my friend. . .and I am *very* proud to be able to
call you my brother now."
	"And I'm proud to be able to call you my sister."
	She got up and went to him, and they hugged. . .not the passionate embrace
they had once shared, but a warm, family-type hug. And it felt good and
right.
	She chuckled. "You know. . .in a way, this is *so* 'Return of the Jedi'. . ."
	"It sure is. . .and I just got a very funny mental picture of you with
those ridiculous Princess Leia buns on the side of your head. . ."
	"No *way*. One Sailor Soldier with a ridiculous hairstyle is enough!" They
both laughed, then. . .
	"Darien. . .should we tell her?"
	"I think. . .somebody has already told her," he said, as his mind filled
with an image from the dreams Serena would have that night, involving a
visit by her own mother and Guardian Deity. . .
	"It's late. . .I have to go back to the temple. . ."
	"I'll walk you."
	As they strolled down the sidewalk, she remarked, "It's unusually warm for
this time of year."
	"It sure is. Hmm, I think I'll take Serena rowing tomorrow. . ."
	And they walked the rest of the way in silence, just savoring the
wonderful knowledge they'd gained that night. . .that neither one of them
was without a family anymore.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Several months ago, I had discussed with Artemis and Luna
the possibility of doing a story in which Darien and Raye turned out to
have been siblings during the Silver Millennium. That idea eventually
evolved into this story. I'd like to thank L&A TONS for the idea, and for
all the help and support.

Coming soon: "Secrets of the Sexy Slippers," a multi-author project I am
organizing. The stories involve a pair of magical high-heeled bedroom
slippers sent into the past by Neo-Queen Serenity, and the *very*
interesting effects they have on everyone who touches them!

Standard Sailor Moon disclaimers apply. These characters ain't mine, I'm
just borrowing them for a little while.