Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Crystal Dreams ❯ Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

As the ship approached Skyhaven, Serin and the others got their first look at a floating city...and their jaws dropped. To say that it was huge didn't do it justice.

The city was HUGE.

Aside from a couple of glowing green spots on the underside of the platform of earth, the entire city looked as though it had simply been lifted on a chunk of earth up into the sky. Serin shook his head, and spoke for the group with one word: "Wow."

Cid brought the airship over the city, passing by once to search for a safe place to land, finally deciding on what appeared to be a type of open plaza. As the airship slowly lowered a rope ladder into the central plaza, everyone on board stood tense and alert for any signs of hostility. The fact that the entire city seemed deserted didn't help anyone, and even Ryuhi began to wonder if they had walked into a trap. A nudge in his ribs got his attention, and he snapped his gaze at Serin, who was grinning.

"Well, this place seems like Deadsville. Let's just hope that it's not an omen."

Ryuhi snorted politely in response, and turned his gaze back to the empty expanse as he began his descent. Once his feet touched the ground, he stood still for a moment, then slowly, and deliberately began walking away from the ladder. Slowly glancing around, he managed to see a flicker of movement from the side of one of the buildings out on the eastern side of the plaza. Narrowing his eyes, he raced off in that direction, and careened around the corner...only to crash into someone standing just behind the turn. Both went down with a grunt and hit heavily. Shaking his head, Ryuhi opened his eyes to see that he had in fact run into a young teenaged girl with green hair, dressed in matching green robes, who was rubbing a bump on her forehead. Scrambling to his feet, Ryuhi took her hand off and was relieved to see that the bump was nothing serious.

The girl, however, snatched her hand away and began crawling back, a look of fear on her face. A large trashcan behind her stopped her progress, however. Scrunching up into a little ball, she turned away, refusing to look at him.

By this time, Ryuhi's companions had arrived, and taken in the scene. "Ryuhi, what did you do to her?" Jupiter asked.

Ryuhi said nothing, but merely turned a strained-patient look at Jupiter, which was enough to convey that he was innocent in causing her strange behavior.

Endymion stepped forward at this point, and placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "It's all right. We're not going to hurt you, because we need your help. Okay?"

The girl looked up with a hesitant, yet hopeful, look in her eyes, as if she was unsure of the king's sincerity. As her gaze passed over the others in the group, she gasped slightly in surprise as she turned to Serin. Pointing at him, she stammered, "Yo...you're the one...the one that the E...Elders and Urawa speak of."

Drawing back in confusion, Serin replied, "Uh, I don't know what you're talking about, but if it has anything to do with crimes committed against you people, I didn't do it."

The girl smiled gently, and quickly got to her feet. "No, it's nothing like that. You must excuse my reaction upon seeing you earlier. It's the first time that anyone has deigned to visit us without our leader Urawa bringing them in." Sweeping an arm around, she added, "Everyone here has fled from Crystal Tokyo and Neo-Queen Serenity. Urawa often goes out to the city, and uses his magic to bring them here safely."

Jupiter blinked, then stepped forward herself, asking, "Where is Urawa? It's urgent that we talk with him immediately."

The girl nodded, then said, "He has been expecting you for some time, Guardian Jupiter. We don't have a moment to spare on idle chitchat, though. Come with me."

Leading them through the main streets, the girl barely spared a glance at the houses as people cautiously peeked out, and then began cheering as they saw who their visitors were. The group began to feel quite embarrassed and confused, as Endymion reached out and tapped the girl on the shoulder.

"Uh, excuse me...I don't even know your name."

Turning and flashing him a sheepish smile, the girl responded, "My name is Kara, Your Majesty. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Nodding, the king continued, "Kara, it's obvious that you know quite a bit about us...but where did we meet you?"

Kara chuckled. "That always throws people off. The fact is that Urawa used to be a carrier of what was called a Rainbow Crystal, which had the side effect of giving him precognition. When his abilities warned him of the coming times ahead, he fled, eventually coming to this place. It was here that the Elders taught him how to control his precognition, so that he receives visions when he wishes, rather than waiting for one. They also taught him the defensive power of White magic, which he wields with great skill."

Overhearing the conversation, Ryuhi nodded and muttered, "No wonder we couldn't lay a hand on him."

Kara nodded, then started walking backward, addressing Ryuhi directly. "Yes. Urawa had to come to the Desert Fox clan many times just so he could speak directly to you. He knew even then that you would be important to this group."

His head whirling, Endymion held up a hand. "Wait, wait...are you telling me that Urawa knew about all of this?"

Stopping, Kara looked at the king quizzically. "Yes, he did."

"How long ago?"

Her gaze taking a faraway look, Kara responded, "The initial warning didn't come until three years ago. Within six months after that, all the pieces fell into place, so that he knew precisely what he had to do."

Serin blinked, taking all of this in silently, while Sephiroth and Jupiter shook their heads in amazement. Kara then gestured them along, stating, "We don't have much time. We have to get to the castle, so Urawa can tell you more." So saying, she hurried along, leaving the others to try and tail her.

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As the group entered the inner chambers of Skyhaven's leader, the first thing they noticed was the spartan decor. In the entire room, which spanned approximately thirty feet, there were only a few decorations (mostly staffs and carvings) on the walls. This only held their interest for the briefest of moments, as the figure standing up from his chair spoke up.

"Well, it's about time. I wish I could get my visions to give me an exact time and date on occurrences."

Jupiter laughed, and leapt forward to give Urawa a hug, which he returned with a chuckle of his own. Stepping out of her embrace, he looked everyone over, and nodded.

"Just as I was expecting. It's nice to see you all working together."

Ryuhi hmphed, then pointed out, "Do you know how many people I had to check out in the year that passed since our last meeting? Why couldn't you give me a ballpark estimate on when they'd be along, huh?" At that, he shook his head in mock annoyance.

Urawa adopted a look of outrage, and walked over to within two feet of the martial artist, replying, "Oh, yeah? I told you it might be a while, but did you listen? Oh, no, you just had to check out every Tom, Dick, and Harry that showed up."

As a slight smirk appeared on his lips, Ryuhi retorted, "Well, I'll have you know that for most people, 'a while' could be a day or two. Besides, you could have been going senile, and meant that the next person up was the one you were referring to."

Laughing, Urawa clapped a hand on the martial artist's shoulder. "Got me there, pal." His expression then quickly turned serious as he faced the group. "All right, everyone. I know why you're here, and fortunately, we're all in luck: the Paladin is here, in the city."

Complete silence settled over the room, until Sephiroth, in his own direct way, asked, "And we are waiting around for...?"

Urawa smiled, then added, "Well, I wanted to make sure if he was ready to help. So I'm going to ask him now." Turning to Serin, he raised an eyebrow. "Are you?"

The shock that settled over the room then was so sudden and complete, that nothing short of an atomic bomb could have broken the tableau. Blinking, Serin finally recovered, and sputtered out, "M...me?"

Urawa's grin widened, and he nodded. "Yes, you, Serin. You are the next Paladin who will wield the Crystal Sword in defense of the earth. Are you ready and capable of taking that responsibility?"

Serin shook his head, feeling as if his entire world had been abruptly reversed. "Wait, I don't understand this...how the hell do you know that I'm the Paladin that Makoto and everyone else here has been searching for? And out of everyone here, why me?"

Urawa pursed his lips at that, his smile slightly fading. "First of all, I just know that you are the Paladin. As to why...well, let's just say that the answer to that question, and many more, is waiting for you in the tower. Which brings us back to my original question."

Serin turned to look at his friends, seeing their looks ranging from complete and utter shock, to total neutrality, to puzzlement, to hope. Seeing no help from them, he turned back to Urawa, bit his lip, and then nodded.

"Right. Let's do it."

Urawa nodded as if there was never any doubt, and pressed a button on his chair's arm. Within moments, Kara re-entered the room. "Yes, Master Urawa?"

Urawa gestured to the new arrivals and said, "Kara, you know the way to the top of the Tower of Hope about as well as I do. I want you to guide these people there."

Kara's eyes widened, and she looked at the group for a moment, her eyes briefly settling on Serin. "Master, is he...?"

Urawa nodded in reply, which caused Kara to step back, shaking her head.

"I...I'm sorry, Master, but...I...I really can't, I'm sorry!" So saying, she turned and ran from the room before anyone could think to stop her. Urawa recovered quickly from his shock, and took a couple of steps toward the door before Sephiroth raised his hand, and shook his head.

"You won't get her to change her mind, Urawa. She feels that this is too great an honor to have. It's best to let it go."

Urawa seemed to think it over for a few seconds, before simply nodding and shrugging

"I guess in that case, it's up to me to get you to the top. There is a plus side to this, though, since we'll be able to use a couple of shortcuts that I found in the tower." Walking over to a corner of his room, he grabbed a few staffs, examined them closely, and then finally chose one with an unknown script winding around its length, topped off with a silver crescent moon headpiece. Smiling at the others, he gestured out.

"Shall we?"

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At the entrance to the tower, Urawa whispered several long phrases under his breath, which caused his staff to suddenly pulsate with a visible aura that made everyone's hair stand on end. After he had finished speaking, Urawa rapped the door three times, and then stepped back. After a brief pause, the doors groaned as they slowly swung open, revealing a dimly lit interior. Urawa paused as he strode up to the door, and stated over his shoulder, "There could be anything crawling around in here, so make sure you keep your eyes open. I can't do much in the way of offense, but I'll make sure to keep your strength and defenses up."

After a round of assents, the group began their long trek up the eight floors of the Tower of Hope. With Urawa there to guide them, and point out shortcuts, the party was able to clear the first four floors with a minimum of trouble, especially due to the minimal number of monsters present. Starting at the fifth floor, though, things began to get difficult, requiring Urawa to constantly either heal people, or help in pointing out a particular monster's weak point, since Sephiroth's natural inclination was to blast everything with a particular style of magic, and Jupiter was limited to lightning attacks. This resulted in some monsters absorbing the energy sent their way, and getting in several of their own attacks before the party could retaliate.

By the time they finally reached the eighth floor, everyone was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Fortunately, no monsters were visible, but even though Urawa suggested they take a moment to rest, Serin was determined to press on, seeing an inner room just ahead. Doggedly pushing ahead, he shoved the doors open, and found the room completely empty, save for a sword floating in mid-air within a pillar of light that seemed to be focused in from the sunlight outside. The sword itself seemed to be fashioned as an ordinary broadsword, yet it appeared to have a hole cut out of the base of the blade. Assuming it to be the Crystal Sword that Urawa spoke of, Serin approached it, noting that it shone with an inner silvery light that grew stronger as he got closer. Then, in a day full of surprises, the party got the biggest one of all...

<Welcome, everyone. >

Snapping into their respective combat stances instantly, the group attempted to search for the source of the voice, when they heard it again.

<Please...I mean you no harm. There is no need to draw your weapons. >

Sephiroth cocked his head slightly, and spoke aloud, "Who are you?"

<There is no time for idle chitchat. Now is the time that was foretold several centuries ago. The time is now to once again wield the Crystal Sword, and awaken the power that lies inside of you, Serin. >

Serin, by now getting quite exasperated with the vague hints, shouted, "What power? What do you mean?"

<Take the sword, Serin, and all will be explained. >

Frowning in frustration, Serin nonetheless slowly approached the sword, flexing his fingers as he did so. As he came ever closer, the sword's radiance intensified until it seemed that everyone would be blinded. Mentally steeling himself, Serin quickly reached out and grasped the sword, pulling it out of its resting place before he lost his nerve.

He was rather disappointed when nothing happened.

Suddenly, though, a faint hum began to sound from about the group. As they tried to locate the source of the sound, Ryuhi looked up, and barely had enough time to shout, "Serin, look out!"

The light that the martial artist had seen circling overhead chose that moment to converge on the recipient of the tower's treasure, bathing him in a flash of pure white light. For a moment, everyone had to look away, since the light was so blinding, but when it cleared, and the group dared to take another look, Serin was still alive...yet he was wearing an entirely new outfit.

At first glance, his jumpsuit hadn't changed, but instead of the patches of armor being colored silver, they had a golden glow to them, and also looked as if they were forged with crystal.

At this point, the voice spoke again. <Now, you seek answers...and I shall give them to you. Your past is now revealed, Serin. > And with a flash of light, he, Jupiter, and Endymion were whisked away.

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About 3000 years ago, during the Silver Millennium...

"Are you sure of this, my Queen?"

Queen Serenity turned to smile at her advisor's concern. "Yes, absolutely. TroYa is correct: to insure that the Silver Imperium Crystal's full power can never be accidentally unleashed, we must take a portion of it out. I had been thinking about what to do with that portion, and his suggestion was the best."

The advisor rose to his feet, bowed, and stated, "I understand, my Queen. I will say nothing more."

Serenity smiled again, and widened it as she looked over at her chamber doors. "TroYa, how nice to see you."

The advisor turned to see the ambassador and leader of Lunaria standing in the doorway, dressed in the purple cloak of his office. Though his short hair was snow-white, as if he was well past middle age, he was in fact very young for his race...only about 2000 years. He was also smooth shaven and very handsome, despite the fact that he did not have the beetled eyebrows and stern visage that was common to Lunarians. Smiling gently in response, he replied, "I'm terribly sorry, Your Majesty, but I had some of our weaponsmiths draw up some diagrams of what we think the sword should look like, and I wanted to go over them with you." Pausing for a moment, he added, "That is, if you're not busy..."

Serenity realized at that moment that she had been staring, and shook her head, grateful that the motion hid her blush for the moment. "No, not at all! Talcus, you may leave now."

Talcus bowed to both leaders, and silently exited the room. Once he was gone, TroYa quickly pulled a scroll out of a pocket in his cloak, and spread it over one of Serenity's tables.

"Well, this is the best design that our artificers and blacksmiths could come up with, but before I turned it over to your people, I was hoping you would have some input on it."

Serenity quickly walked over, her curiosity getting the best of her, and carefully perused the design of the sword that was being proposed. After a few moments, she looked up at TroYa, and was briefly shocked at how close the two of them were to each other. For what seemed like an eternity, the two of them gazed back and forth, almost touching...

Then, the spell was broken, and with a cough from both parties, they each looked away.

"Well, I'd say that the designs look magnificent. And the blade seems to be sketched masterfully. I can only hope that the final product turns out just as well." Pointing to the hilt guard, she asked, "What does this writing here say?"

TroYa looked at the indicated spot, and smiled. "That's the legend of Lunaria. It inspires hope in every generation. In the village that we founded on Earth, Mysidia, we instruct the people to pray for this legend, especially in times of dire need."

Serenity glanced back up at TroYa, and blinked in astonishment. "What does it say?"

"One to be born from a dragon, hoisting the light and the dark, arises high up in the sky to the still land. Veiling the moon with the light of eternity, it brings another promise to mother earth with a bounty and mercy."

Serenity opened her eyes upon hearing the legend, to see the Lunarian leader grinning at her. Blushing fiercely, she averted her gaze back down to the designs, and asked, "Is there anything going on the other side of the guard?"

"No. I insisted that it be left open, in case you had any legends that you wished to be inscribed there." Cocking an eyebrow, he asked, "Do you?"

Shaking her head, the queen replied, "No, unfortunately not. At least, nothing as inspiring as yours."

Chuckling, TroYa began to roll up the scroll. "Well, some of us get inspiration out of it...but some say that it is a prophecy for a cataclysm, and that we should not circulate it."

Frowning, Serenity asked, "Who would think that?"

TroYa's face, for the first time, showed great bitterness. "One of our younger council members, Zemus. He was also against having any contact with the Moon Kingdom, or Earth, believing that no one was ready to meet with us yet." Winking at the queen, he added, "I'm certainly glad that he was wrong, for a number of reasons."

Smiling mischievously, Serenity stated, "If I didn't know better, TroYa, I'd swear that you were trying to seduce me."

Blinking, TroYa then blushed fiercely, and began to walk out. "I...apologize for being so forward, Your Highness." Stopping at the door, he turned slightly, and said, "It's just that...I have never met one so beautiful as you. I feel...drawn to you somehow." Laughing softly, TroYa added, "You don't suppose that it's because of the Imperium Crystal, do you?"

Serenity joined him in his mirth, and both laughed for a good long time before TroYa turned, and gallantly kissed her hand. "I look forward to seeing you again, my Queen."

Almost inadvertently, Serenity blew a kiss at the Lunarian while replying, "I look forward to it, as well."

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About 2980 years ago, during the Silver Millennium...

Serenity gasped in pain as another spasm shot through her. She'd heard about childbirth from many of the nobles, but had no idea that it would hurt this much. The healing magic that TroYa was using didn't seem to help much, either.

"Very good, Your Highness. I think one more push should do it; get ready..."

Squeezing her hand gently, TroYa prepared another Cure spell if it proved necessary. "Hang in there, love. It's almost over."

Shaking her head, Serenity corrected her companion. "No. Not over, just...agh!"

"That's right, Highness, push now! Keep pushing...there!"

Abruptly, the pain faded, and the sound of a baby's wailing could be heard. Crying with tears of joy, Serenity managed to ask, "What is it?"

The doctor gently placed a wrapped bundle in her arms, a smile on his face, though his eyes betrayed his shock. "Congratulations, Your Highness...it's a boy."

Serenity blinked in shock of her own, but nevertheless smiled at the angelic face that stared up at her with wide blue eyes as he calmed down. A hand covered her own as she stroked the baby's face, and she smiled up at TroYa, whose eyes shimmered with his own tears.

"So...have you decided on a name?" the doctor asked.

TroYa and Serenity each glanced at the doctor, then each other, and chuckled. "No, not yet...give us a second..." Serenity giggled. After a few seconds of private conference, both parents smiled at their new son, and TroYa declared, "His name...is Serin."

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About 2500 years ago, during the Silver Millennium...

"But why? Why must you leave?!?"

TroYa sighed, and hugged his lover close as she cried into his shoulder. "Because of that security scare, love. Thanks to Zemus' crime of attempting to steal the Imperium Crystal and the Crystal Sword, we Lunarians are no longer welcome anywhere. It's best for everyone if we just take our world-ship and go."

"But you don't have to! Why do you have to leave with everyone else?! KluYa is staying on earth! Why can't you stay here? What about our son?!?"

Smiling sadly, the Lunarian leader gently brushed away Serenity's tears. "I go because I must. They are my people, and I have to help them keep Zemus in check. And...I wish that I could stay here to watch our son grow. But it's best for everyone if we leave now. We tried to talk KluYa into going with us, but...he adamantly refused. And since his office is of a lower position than mine, nobody is really pushing to force him to leave with us. If I were to stay, the entire upper echelon of the Lunarian council would be thrown into disarray." Kissing her forehead gently, TroYa asked, "My love, I have a request to make of you." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "...I need to ask you for the Crystal Sword."

Serenity frowned. "Why?"

"Because Zemus was strong enough to keep nearly half of the council at bay with his power. Even in the seal we've placed on his prison, he can continually develop his psychic powers. If he should break free of his confinement, we may very well need the Crystal Sword's power."

Lowering her gaze at that thought, Serenity nodded. "Very well, TroYa. You may take it. Keeping the sword and the Imperium Crystal apart will prevent any dark forces from completely enveloping the universe in darkness, too."

TroYa frowned at that, but decided to let it go for the moment. Pulling her close to him, he kissed her, promising, "In time, I will return. But..."

Serenity looked up at him, to find concern on his face. "But...?" she asked, fearing the worst.

"In the unlikely event that I do not return in fifty years...I do not want you to live your life pining for me. I want you to move on, and enjoy life."

"But I don't want to! I love you!"

Hugging her close again, TroYa simply said, "I love you, too, my Queen. But...I want nothing more than for you to be happy. Please...do this for me. And never forget that I will always love you."

All too soon, the embrace ended, and the Lunarian leader was escorted out of the queen's chambers, leaving behind his weeping lover...

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About 2200 years ago, during the Silver Millennium...

Serin smiled, and gestured at himself as he stood in front of his mother and sister in the audience chamber. "So, mother...how do I look?"

Serenity smiled in return at her son, nearly grown up now, dressed in full armor after a full parade of the entire Moon Kingdom's military. After reaching the age of majority, Serin had immediately enlisted in the Imperial Guard, due to his natural talent with the sword, and inability to adjust to royal life. Though he knew of the possibilities he had being the firstborn of the queen, he had shown no interest in disrupting custom, preferring instead to officially distance himself from the royal family, and let his sister, Princess Serena, be groomed for the throne. It had also helped matters that the Queen had sworn the few who knew of this matter to secrecy.

Serenity thought back to both of her children's fathers, one lost and the other dead. She often wondered what had happened to TroYa, but took his words to heart and did not pine her life away wishing that he would return. Five years after TroYa's own deadline, she had met and married an upstanding noble in the court, giving birth to her daughter, whom she had named Serena, only a year later. Her two children got along well as they grew up, even considering the bouts of sibling rivalry they had. Once they matured, their interests turned from annoying each other to pursuing their futures...which brought her to where Serin stood now.

"So, mother, what do you think? Do I look like a true Guardsman?"

As the queen nodded in agreement, the princess slowly walked around her brother a few times, giving every indication of inspecting his armor for the slightest fault. Finally, she stopped in front of him, and smirked mischievously.

"You look like a fine warrior, Serin...but will you enjoy having to be ordered around by your younger sister?"

The queen watched with growing amusement as Serin stuck his tongue out at his sister, then playfully bat her hands away as she mock-threatened to fight him hand-to-hand. Finally, Serin turned back to his mother, and bowed formally, as if he were a noble not connected in any way to the queen. "I need to report for duty, mother. Hopefully, I'll have enough free time later to stop by and see you. Take care of yourselves, okay?" And with a wave, the guardsman easily walked out of the throne room.

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2010 years ago, during the Silver Millennium...

Outside the walls of the castle, a figure in the distance began to approach, taking extra care to stay in the shadows. After pausing and glancing furtively around, the figure quickly moved forward again. At the sound of marching footsteps, however, he jumped back into the shadows and crouched, becoming so still that he seemed a part of them. A few moments later, several soldiers garbed in full armor strode purposefully around the corner, never giving a second glance to the shadows where the intruder was hiding. After the guards had passed, the intruder swiftly removed himself of his cover, heading toward a particularly well-lit balcony. Before he got within range of it, however, another figure sprang out of the bushes next to the first one, and quickly clapped a hand over the first's mouth. It was at this point that the struggle put them within a beam of light from a nearby window, revealing Serin and Prince Endymion. Endymion was dressed in his usual tuxedo garb that he frequently favored, and Serin was dressed in the full gray armor of the Moon Kingdom's soldiers, though the helmet was nestled in the crook of his other arm.

Serin leaned over to whisper in the prince's ear, "Quit struggling. I'm not gonna kill you, although I am interested in what you're doing here in the first place."

Endymion instantly stopped struggling as the voice registered, and he turned to look at his captor as Serin dropped his hand. The prince smirked at Serin, and shrugged.

"I would be lying if I said that I came here for any other reason than to see your sister, Serin."

Serin shook his head in mock irritation, and blew out a short breath. "What, tomorrow's not soon enough for you? Everybody knows you're gonna dance together for the entire ball, and you just have to sneak in and risk capture by the guards so you can see my sister now?"

Endymion gave a small shrug again, and nodded. "You know our feelings for each other. Would doing me a small favor hurt that much?"

Serin sighed again, and shook his head. "You know, you're going to end up owing me a year's worth of favors at this rate. How many times have I smuggled you into her quarters? Twenty? Thirty?"

Endymion chuckled. "I lost count after thirty-five."

Serin looked back at his sister's balcony for several seconds, and then his shoulders drooped as he shook his head.

"Look, understand that I'm only doing this because the two of you are engaged to each other, and I don't want to see my sister unhappy. But this time, you pay me back by doing me a favor. Okay?"

Endymion cocked his head. "First, you must tell me the nature of your request."

Serin blushed, and then muttered, "I want you to see if you can set me up with Princess Jupiter."

Endymion blinked, and then tilted his head even more. "You like her, I take it?"

Serin blushed even more fiercely, and nodded. It was at this point that Endymion smiled again, and then nodded. "I will work with your sister, and see what we can accomplish. Beyond that, all you can do is pray."

Serin chuckled. "Like I haven't already. I've gone to the Royal Chapel more times than I care to remember, and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. That's why I figured that I'd bring you and my sibling in on this."

Endymion nodded, and was about to reply to that, when the sound of marching footsteps sounded on the stone walkway from around the corner. Serin grabbed the prince's arm and jerked his head in the other direction.

"Come on, I know a way around the patrols!"

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2009 years ago, in the Silver Millennium...

Fidgeting in his formal wear, Serin turned to the prince once more and asked, "Are you certain this is going to work?"

Sighing, Endymion nodded. "For the thousandth time, yes. She has expressed interest in you, and all you're doing is asking her for a dance, right?"

Pressing his two pointer fingers against each other in a show of unease, Serin pressed, "Well, I just...you know, she's...I mean..."

Letting out a short breath in annoyance, Endymion forcefully turned the guardsman around, and shoved him towards the area where the princess' ladies-in-waiting were standing around, chatting and laughing. This quickly stopped as Serin stumbled in their general direction, and he turned back to shoot a forceful glare at Endymion, who grinned broadly in response.

The giggling behind him brought Serin back to the present, and he coughed, then turned to face Princess Jupiter. After giving himself a five count to calm his rapidly beating heart, he managed to gallantly extend his hand to her and ask, "M...may I have this dance, m'lady?" The unfortunate part about this was that his voice cracked on the last two words, which set off a new round of giggling, especially from Princess Venus, making Serin blush fiercely. He was, therefore, rather surprised when Princess Jupiter stepped forward, and softly placed her hand in his, replying, "I'd love to, kind sir."

Just as they arrived on the dance floor, a new song began, which Serin recalled as a popular waltz from Earth. Frowning in suspicion, he glanced around for Endymion or his sister, and was unsurprised when he saw them dancing together near the stage. Turning his attention back to his partner, he smiled weakly, and whispered, "I can't lead."

Jupiter giggled again, and whispered back, "Don't worry. Most of the men who ask me to dance can't lead, so I had to learn really fast. Ready?" And with that one warning, she launched into a fluid dance that Serin was able to keep up with, but not very easily.

'She's good. I'd better not be caught slacking,' Serin thought. As he kept up with her movements, he found himself slowly relaxing, managing to listen more to the music than his inner doubts. As the first song wound to a close, Serin noted that his partner was not even attempting to leave the floor, which gave him the courage to ask if she would like to continue dancing with him, to which she agreed. As they danced to the second song, both parties began asking about the other, and learned a great deal. Before they knew it, the partygoers slowly disappeared until they were the only ones left on the dancing floor. It wasn't until the queen came up and tapped her son on the shoulder that either of them saw that only they, Endymion, Princess Serena and her court, and the queen were still here. Both blushed fiercely as the princess and her court began mercilessly teasing the pair about their obliviousness, and making comical notes about their 'romance'. Eventually, the humor died down, and Serin, acting in his capacity as an Imperial Guardsman, offered to escort everyone to their chambers. Predictably, the princess and Endymion declined, and bid everyone good night. Queen Serenity also declined the offer, as she stated that she had some business to go over with several delegates about the official announcement of her daughter's engagement to Endymion. After she left, Serin escorted the remaining ladies to their chambers, taking a route that would leave him and Princess Jupiter alone for a few brief moments. Along the way to her chambers, Serin stammered, "I...I...really h, had a good time tonight, princess."

Jupiter smiled at him sidelong, and nodded. "So did I. You dance quite well for someone who feels they can't lead."

Blushing fiercely again, Serin remained quiet until they reached her chambers. As the princess was about to close her doors, Serin blurted out, "Princess, may I call upon you tomorrow?"

Smiling again through a blush, she replied, "Tomorrow I have several ceremonies that I must go with Princess Serena to...but the next day I'll be free."

Nodding stiffly, the guardsman said, "Then...the day after it is. Shall I call upon you at noon?"

Jupiter agreed, and Serin quietly walked away until he heard her door close. Then, with a terrific leap, he vaulted into the air, and came down with a heavy crash.

"YES!"

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2000 years ago, during the Negaverse's assault...

Serin ducked under several lances tossed his way, and charged at the throwers. As he came within range, he slashed furiously, cutting them down like wheat. Glaring every which way, he saw that for the moment, he was alone, and leapt up, with tremendous effort, to a nearby rooftop. As he touched down on the roof, a Dark Priest of the Negaverse materialized nearby. Serin didn't hesitate, but stabbed at the enemy's gut before the creature could even hope to react. Yanking his sword out with a fluid motion, Serin began hopping from rooftop to rooftop, dispatching as many Negaverse warriors as he could while at the same time attempting to reach the castle.

'I can only hope that my mother and sister are okay...'

Just as he got within the grounds, the Negaforce, which up to this point had been hovering malevolently over the entire moon, roared with malicious glee, and unleashed a blast so powerful that the very ground seemed to tremble. Despite his best attempts, Serin found himself collapsing to the ground, and almost immediately found a sword at his neck. Remaining absolutely still, the guardsman slowly looked up at the weapon's owner, who gazed amusedly at him from behind his dark-blue, hate-filled eyes, the gust from the explosion barely ruffling his short, blond hair.

"Well, well...what have we here? A little fish who's soon to have no home?" the warrior mocked in a slightly raspy, yet suave, voice.

Serin smirked, and said, "Actually, it looks like a paramecium pretending to be a man with a sense of humor."

Jadeite growled loudly in response, and drove his sword forward, but only succeeded in scratching the side of Serin's neck as he rolled to the side with lightning speed. As he came to his feet, the guardsman smashed the hilt of his weapon into the Negaverse general's temple, which resulted in his opponent dropping like a sack of potatoes.

Shaking his head, Serin gave a mock salute as he said, "The smarter they think they are, the easier it is to fool 'em."

"Hahahaha...puny humans, your pathetic attacks mean nothing to me!"

Serin's head snapped up as the Negaforce then unleashed another blast at the roof of the castle. His eyes widened and his face hardened in anger as he heard several distinct screams echo off the top, and began furiously looking around for a quick way up. As he began searching, several pieces of falling debris caught his eye. A brief flash of apprehension crossed his eyes, and then he leapt up to the lowest piece, immediately hopping up to the next highest one, continuing upward in this manner until he was finally able to hop onto the roof. Once he got there, his eyes widened in shock as he saw the five Senshi sprawled on the rooftop. A quick check revealed that four of the five Senshi were already dead, which made Serin grit his teeth in rage. His gaze then slowly wandered over to the remaining Senshi he hadn't managed to check on yet.

Stumbling over as his eyes began misting with tears, Serin dropped to his knees beside the still form of Sailor Jupiter. His voice cracked as he said, "Princess...please say you're all right."

For a few moments, the only sound that answered him was the roar of the Negaforce, as well as the cries of the Moon Kingdom soldiers who fell beneath the hordes of the Negaverse. Then, Jupiter suddenly groaned softly, and stirred. Serin took in a sharp breath, and gently helped her up. With a slight wince, the warrior-princess opened her eyes and smiled gently at her rescuer.

"H...hi, Serin..."

Shushing her, Serin voiced his concern. "Hey, sit still. I'll see if I can find a healer, okay?"

Weakly shaking her head, the warrior-princess replied, "It's...too late...for me. Please...you have to...save your...sister..."

Shaking his head furiously, Serin said, "No! I won't leave you! I can't!"

Seemingly getting a burst of energy, Jupiter roughly shoved Serin away, and shouted, "GO! You have to protect the princess!!!"

Torn between the two decisions facing him, Serin glanced back and forth between the woman in his arms, and the chambers of Princess Serena. Finally, he bit his lip, and nodded. "All right. I'll...protect my sister, but immediately after that, I'm coming back to help you. Just...stay safe, okay? If...anything were to happen to you, I..."

Jupiter smiled again, and lifted one of her gloved hands to gently stroke his cheek. "I...understand...Every...thing...fading..."

Blinking back his growing tears, Serin leaned down, and gently kissed his beloved just as a blinding flash of light engulfed the entire kingdom.