Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Against All Odds ❯ Chapter Sixteen ( Chapter 17 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

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Against All Odds

A Sailormoon Fanfiction
by dejanatalis@aol.com

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Chapter Sixteen

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It was the end of an era. For more years than most of the population could number, the Moon Kingdom had known nothing but peace and prosperity. Now, from the physical structures of the city to the idyllic hubris within its citizens' minds, all was being destroyed. The world that had known only light now knew only darkness. The stars had been chased from the sky by thick black clouds, and an army from nowhere had the entire city under attack. It was utter chaos. The Moon Knights had been mustered and sent out, but the enemy seemed endless. All the training grounds were soon emptied and common citizens were taking up arms. The Moon needed every soldier it could get.

It was for that reason that Sailor Mercury had slipped away from her comrades and was hurrying down the long staircase at the heart of the Moon Castle. It was easy to cling to conventions of right and wrong during peacetime, but in war, the greater good overruled all. Perhaps the blue-suited soldier would share her leader's fate for what she was about to do, but if she did not act, there might not be a kingdom left to judge her.

Mercury was thrown against a wall as the castle shook, a deep rumble rolling from its towers to its deepest foundations. A few stones dropped from the ceiling and bounced down the staircase, disappearing into the darkness. There wasn't much time.

As soon as the floor stopped pitching, the lone Sailor Soldier hurried on, leaping down the stairs two or three at a time. Deserted corridors flashed past, lit briefly by what few light crystals were still working. Assorted debris was scattered across several hallways, odds and ends dropped by fleeing servants. The doors to the massive armory stood open, the chambers beyond nearly emptied. Countless loyal citizens had risen up to defend their kingdom, most of them sadly inexperienced. Sailor Mercury could not let one of their most powerful warriors sit idle when so many brave civilians were fighting and dying. At least down here she couldn't hear the screams.

Finally, the blue-suited soldier reached the bottom of the stairs, the deepest and most secure level of the Moon Castle. A transparent wall of shining energy filled the doorway at the foot of the staircase. Sailor Mercury charged straight through, her status as a Sailor Soldier granting her instant access.

Just being in the dungeons was enough to make the Mercurian shiver. In a sharp contrast to the alabaster marble halls above, the lower levels of the castle were built of dark stone. At this depth, the chambers were far from the warmth of the sun, and the natural chill of the Moon sank into the skin within seconds. There were few lights. The mere thought of being imprisoned in this cold, dark place drove most of what few citizens were foolish enough to break the law to plead forgiveness and agree to any penance. Those whose hearts were too hard for remorse were usually exiled. Although the dungeons were vast, they were rarely used. At the moment they contained only one prisoner.

Sailor Mercury ran down the long passage between the rows of empty cells, the dim glow of distant light crystals barely illuminating her path. What a horrible place! Even a few moments here seemed like an eternity. Truly no one had sacrificed more for the Moon Princess than Sailor Venus. Only Venus had given up everything for Serenity, and she was the one who had been branded a traitor. Mercury could only hope that loyalty would overwhelm any desire for revenge, deserved though it would be.

At the rear of the main chamber, a small stone staircase descended a passage into darkness. Mercury paused beside the wall and pressed her palm against a nondescript brick at shoulder height. After a heartbeat, the gray rock shimmered and vanished, a mere illusion. A small alcove was revealed, in which a ring of iron keys were hung on a hook. Mercury yanked them from their place and leapt into the descending passage, trusting her instincts to guide her steps as the light faded away behind her.

There were no guards. If the sort of prisoners kept on the second level could not be contained by magic and iron, no Lunarian soldier would stand long enough to sound the alarm. Despite the lack of surveillance there was little to fear. No one had ever escaped from the Moon Castle's dungeons.

From the sound of things, their current occupant was determined to be the first to succeed. As Sailor Mercury ran down the stone staircase, her path was momentarily lit by a brilliant flash of gold from the chamber beneath. The electric rush of power being gathered whistled through the air, followed by a thunderous crash.

In the sudden darkness that followed, Mercury had to reach out for the wall. In the absence of her interrogators, the prisoner was far from silent. Try as she might, however, no one could break free from this place. The blue-suited soldier herself had had a hand in designing the safeguards that secured it. Widespread wards weakened all magical power to the point of uselessness, and the bars were too strong for even Sailor Jupiter to break.

Another transparent barrier glittered across the foot of the stairs, and again the Mercurian soldier passed through it as if it were harmless light. Turning a corner just inside the doorway, she at last came into view of the high-security cells. They were small and isolated, each one separated from the walls and from each other by the length of several strides. Sailor Mercury could feel the weight of the wards on her, sapping away her energy, but the bars on these cells were simple solid iron. Within the central cell, a flash of gold and white vanished into darkness.

As Sailor Mercury stepped closer, two light crystals of nearly blinding brilliance fired up on either side of the cell, leaving no shadows to hide in, no potential for secrets. Even so, Sailor Venus leapt back from the bars she had been attempting to break and pressed herself against those at the rear of her cell, putting as much distance as possible between herself and her potential interrogator. For a moment, Mercury could do nothing but stare, her heart flooding with pity and horror.

The leader of the Sailor Soldiers had been reduced to a level beneath even the most impoverished resident of the Lower Quarter. Her orange and white uniform was so filthy that its colors could barely be distinguished, and her long blonde hair was dusty and disheveled. The only thing about her that was still a proud soldier was her face, which was yet as alien to Mercury as her disarrayed appearance.

The gentle, empathetic expression the soldiers were accustomed to seeing on their supposed leader's face was gone. The eyes that focused on Sailor Mercury now were cold and fierce, unwavering and unbroken. Her jaw was set, her lips thin with restrained fire. Venus crouched against the back of her cell, but betrayed no weakness, and the display of power Mercury had heard and sensed as she approached was proof it was no ruse. The change was unnerving, but understandable; in Sailor Venus' situation, everyone was an enemy.

The castle shuddered again and Sailor Mercury snapped back to the task at hand. Raising her arm, she let the key ring dangle from her fingers. Venus relaxed visibly at the sight of the symbols of her freedom. Mercury had not come as an interrogator, but as a liberator. She straightened up and approached the door of her prison.

"Queen Serenity is quite forgiving in times of need, I see," the blonde soldier commented as Sailor Mercury searched the iron ring for the correct key.

"Not Queen Serenity," Mercury replied quietly. She did not meet her comrade's eyes as Venus stared at her in growing realization.

"Mercury!" the gold-suited soldier burst out finally when the other woman did not say more. The Mercurian warrior had always been quiet and reserved, never one to stir the waters, fierce only in her devotion to duty. Sailor Venus could not bear to think of this gentle soul sharing her traitor's fate. "I beg you, consider what you are doing."

"I have considered it very carefully," the blue-haired woman replied evenly. "There are times when certain duties outweigh others. Besides," she added grimly, at last selecting a key and fitting it in the lock, "at this rate there may not be anyone left to punish me."

Venus' heart skipped a beat as her stomach filled with the icy chill of dread. "Is it that bad?" she asked hoarsely. The captive Sailor Soldier had felt the castle shaking all the way to its foundations and knew the situation was serious, but no known power in the galaxy was stronger than Queen Serenity's. Still, Sailor Mercury was not the type to exaggerate. The blue-suited soldier's face was deadly serious as she turned the key and the cell door swung open.

"We need every soldier we can get."

Venus did not waste any more time on questions. Lunging forward, she took her first step outside the cell in days. So eager was she to escape this place that Sailor Mercury found herself running to keep up. Only when they approached a security barrier did the blonde soldier pause to let Mercury take the lead; the blue-suited woman's hand on Venus' wrist was the only thing that would allow the prisoner safe passage through the shimmering energy. For the rest of the journey through the dungeons Venus set the pace, climbing the stairs in leaps and bounds until the sprawling dark chambers were far behind her. Despite her imprisonment, the thrill of escape and the pressing demands of duty gave Sailor Venus fresh energy.

"Tell me about our enemy," she demanded, years of training snapping a polished professional manner into place. "Who are they? Invaders from another system?"

Mercury caught her breath briefly even as her limbs pumped forcefully to propel her up the stairs. This was the news she had been hoping to withhold as long as possible. The Mercurian could scarcely believe it herself, and she had been there to see it with her own eyes. Even now, speaking it aloud seemed too impossible to be anything but a lie. Despite all that had happened over the past few months, the Moon Kingdom had never expected this.

"They're Earth children, Venus," Sailor Mercury finally said. The orange-suited soldier's steps faltered at this shocking news, but she caught herself in an instant and ran on.

"The Golden Kingdom?" she asked incredulously, shooting a glance back at the Mercurian. "Are you certain?"

"There is no mistaking it," the warrior in blue answered. "They-" Mercury stopped short as the Moon Castle trembled violently and the quaking staircase threw her against the nearby wall. Several of the light crystals on their path flickered and went out. Dust cascaded down upon the two soldiers as the stone blocks above their heads ground against each other. Sailor Venus steadied herself against one of the light crystal mounts as the tremors died away.

"Surely no force on Earth is capable of THAT!" she protested, staring at Sailor Mercury with dread. The quakes were getting stronger. Whatever was causing them was gathering strength. The blue-suited soldier's serious face was eerie and unnerving in the dimming light.

"They've been joined by a higher power," Mercury informed her colleague, pushing past Venus to continue her run up the stairs. "A creature of darkness, unlike anything anyone has ever seen. Its eyes... like fire in the clouds..."

Venus was silent for a moment, putting all her effort into running as her mind raced. There was no doubt that the Earth children resented the Moon Kingdom. It was only awe and fear of Queen Serenity's supernatural powers that turned that resentment to reverence. With strong magic of their own on their side, the Earth children's headstrong belligerence might indeed prove dangerous. Venus gritted her teeth, cursing the hubris of the Silver Alliance. The nine kingdoms believed they would always be superior to the Earth. None of them were prepared for a rebellion of this scale.

"The allied kingdoms!" the orange-suited soldier burst out suddenly. "Surely, with reinforcements from the other eight worlds-"

"There are none," Mercury interrupted, placing her steps carefully as they ran through a stretch of complete darkness. "The teleportation centers were the enemy's first targets. Ships have been launched, but that technology has not been used in ages." For a moment she was glad of the darkness; she did not have to see the horrible realization creeping over the blonde soldier's face. "They will not reach us in time, Venus."

Sailor Venus shivered in mid-stride. She did not have to question Mercury further to grasp the seriousness of the situation. The population of the Earth was many times greater than that of the Moon. Even with the power of all four Sailor Soldiers, if the enemy had the entire Earth on its side, the advantage of numbers was too great. All they could do was hold out as long as possible and trust the Silver Crystal to save them.

"Tell me what happened," she said at last.

"The Earth Prince disappeared two days ago," Sailor Mercury began. "We can only guess that he must have gone to Earth in the middle of the night." Her mind still reeled at the thought of the chaos that had reigned since the following morning. Hour after hour, the Mercurian had slaved over security logs and sensor records, searching for the slightest clue. Eventually she had been forced to conclude that Prince Endymion had left the Moon of his own free will. The entire castle had been in an uproar, as had the nobility of the Golden Kingdom when the Prince failed to check in with Kunzite at his regular time.

"The Queen was addressing the full court in the Great Hall this evening when Artemis and Luna rushed in, running as if a legion of demons were chasing them." Mercury's lips twitched briefly in an involuntary smile at the irony. They had been attempting to gauge public opinion on whether or not the marriage contract between Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion should be officially cancelled. The arrival of the Mauans had rendered the entire discussion meaningless.

"A moment later, we were under attack," the blue-suited soldier continued. "A company of Golden Kingdom soldiers burst in on us, led by Prince Endymion himself. He had brought them through the castle teleportation chamber, and he... he was... different."

How could she find words to describe the frightening change in a man she had known only to be quiet and reserved? The eyes of the Earth Prince had flashed with an unnatural light, his face had been wild and hungry, and the way he took his sword to anyone within range had been nothing short of horrifying. Mercury shuddered to remember it, every shadow of the twisting staircase reminding her of the darkness that had descended on the Earth-born man. Although her lips moved, she could not bring herself to speak even one more word about it. Fortunately, her fellow soldier did not ask her to do so.

"Continue," Sailor Venus said crisply, focusing on the all-important goal of getting the most information in the briefest time. So, the Earth Prince was now an ally of darkness and an enemy of the Moon. How long had he been so? Had this outcome been his intention since the beginning? The soldier's blood boiled as she imagined Princess Serenity's heart having been broken for such underhanded trickery. If Prince Endymion was truly guilty of such a crime, it would be unforgivable. Now was not the time to consider such things, however.

"It was... a slaughter," Mercury forced out, the word sending a wave of nausea through her stomach. "They cut down innocent men and women as if they were nothing. And they... they..."

They reveled in it. Try as she might, Sailor Mercury could not tell her fellow soldier of the horrors she had witnessed in that room. Her running steps slowed, and her vision clouded as her nose was once again filled with the smell of blood and a wave of red rolled through her memory. The Earth men had smiled. They had grinned as their blades sliced through cloth and flesh and sent sprays of blood across the tiled floor. They had laughed at the screams of fear and the gurgles of the injured and dying. Their eyes had shone as they hewed a path through the panicked crowd, leaving carnage and destruction in their wake. Prince Endymion, a man who had never said more than two sentences together, had whooped and hollered and cheered his butchers onward as if each murder gave him a fresh burst of energy.

The memory was too horrific for words. Sailor Mercury felt her hands trembling, and the stairs beneath her feet pitched although there was no tremor. Setting her jaw, she clenched her fists and jerked her head sharply, forcing the images out of her mind for what felt like the hundredth time. She couldn't think about that now. She was a soldier. She had duties that were more important than her feelings. Steadying herself, Mercury took a deep breath. When she spoke again, her voice was strong, steady... mechanical.

"We tried to fight them," she explained, once again keeping step with Venus, "but the hall was too crowded for us to safely use our powers, and without weapons of our own, hand-to-hand combat was impossible."

Sailor Venus nodded to herself, understanding the predicament and carefully ignoring the internal struggle that had taken place beside her. Although they were soldiers, all their years of training had been peaceful. No simulation could fully prepare a warrior for battle, especially during the Silver Millennium, when death was more a distant nightmare than a reality. Sailor Mercury had had her first exposure to the horrors of the battlefield. She needed time to come to terms with what she had witnessed, but unfortunately, the current crisis would not afford her that time.

Under the circumstances, Mercury had no choice but to seal away the emotions warring inside her. Venus felt her own senses growing numb as she subconsciously prepared to do the same thing. How would she react to her first taste of war? Sailor Venus could only cling to her businesslike manner and hope she would prove to be as strong as Mercury.

"Queen Serenity ordered everyone to clear the area," the blue-suited soldier went on. "Everyone fled through the main gate, but when we got outside we found things were even worse out in the city. The war was everywhere, and the sky was darker than a Day of Shadow. The creature..."

Even with her emotions sealed away, Mercury found she could not speak of the evil that had filled the sky and blotted out the stars. The mere thought of it made her blood run cold and her legs shake beneath her, threatening to break the dam of self-restraint altogether.

"It's dreadful, Venus," was all she was able to say. "You'll have to see it for yourself. Whatever the enemy is, it has the power to teleport Earth children to the Moon. The city is full of them, and more arrive every minute. The Moon Knights have been mustered, but even if every common Lunarian took up arms I fear it would not be enough. As soon as I saw the situation, I had to come for you, Venus. Crime or not-"

Sailor Mercury stopped short as the orange-suited soldier suddenly veered away from their path. A flickering light crystal revealed the room she had entered was the armory. The entrance stood open, and Mercury quickly followed her colleague inside.

The floor of the cavernous chamber was strewn with discarded blades, armor plates, and loose arrows. The soldiers' footsteps echoed in the absence of much of the inventory. Despite the grave situation, Mercury felt her heart stirred by a faint warmth. No matter what the Earth thought of them, the Lunarians still had enough pride in their Moon Kingdom to fight to protect it.

Even so, an untrained rabble could not stand long against the entire population of the Golden Kingdom. The Sailor Soldiers needed to get back to the surface quickly. What mundane armaments could Sailor Venus possibly need?

As the blonde soldier ran to a secluded alcove at the far end of the armory, Sailor Mercury's question was answered. A sinking feeling stole over her as Venus thrust aside the thin curtain that concealed the alcove's contents. The Mercurian had known the situation was serious, but somehow this act made it even more real. This was now a battle for the very existence of the Moon Kingdom.

Pausing at the threshold of the alcove, the same thoughts ran through Sailor Venus' mind. Her eyes traced the length of the stone sword hanging proudly on its braces, symbol of a period of violence no one had ever believed would return. With this blade, Queen Serenity had carved out the foundations of the Moon Kingdom, forging an era of peace from a vicious war. It was rumored to have powers no one fully understood, and an edge that could penetrate any substance without ever growing dull.

As leader of the Sailor Soldiers, it was Sailor Venus to whom the Moon Queen had entrusted the sword, along with the charge to always defend the royal house. It was to be used only in times of direst need, when the survival of the royal line itself was at stake. She had not touched it since the day it was installed in the alcove.

Stepping forward, Sailor Venus reached out and wrapped her hand around the hilt of the sword. There was no security here. Not even the most senior general would dare touch this weapon. The hilt was cold and smooth under her hand, a symbol of unshakeable strength. Was it Venus' imagination, or was the hard stone tingling?

She lifted the sword from its braces and stood for a moment hefting its weight in her hands. There was no sheath that could hold this blade. With the burden of this weapon came the weight of its responsibility. For a heartbeat, her hand trembled. Was she strong enough for this duty? The symbols etched into the blade blurred before her uncertain eyes. Was she ready to bear this burden?

Without a sound, Sailor Mercury approached and laid her hand on Venus' shoulder.

The moment of uncertainty passed. Sailor Venus straightened up. Her hand steadied and tightened on the hilt of the sword. She wasn't alone. Although she'd been branded a traitor, and both worlds she called home had turned their backs on her, there were still those who believed in her. The power of this sword belonged to Venus and Venus alone, entrusted to her as the leader of the Sailor Soldiers. She was the most powerful warrior of the Silver Millennium, and she would fight for those whose faith in her had never died.

Not Queen Serenity. The ancient monarch had chosen a path that had led her people to destruction at the hands of the Earth. Sailor Venus had sworn her loyalty to another, one who understood the importance of matters of the heart. With that one on the throne, the Moon Kingdom was still a realm worth saving. It was for her and only her that Sailor Venus would fight.

She turned to face Sailor Mercury, her eyes once again cool, collected, and confident.

"Where is Princess Serenity?"


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Several stories above, on the surface of the Moon, Endymion was wondering the same thing. As he struggled to maintain his balance on the trembling ground and dodged falling stones, the urge to panic was mounting. It didn't help that a blanket of chaos had transformed his former home into an alien landscape.

Endymion had emerged from the teleportation chamber to find the Moon Castle being shaken to pieces. Corridors that had once awed him with their majesty now lay littered with debris and supported by cracked pillars. Entire rooms had collapsed, and the exiled man had to navigate a labyrinth of toppled columns and shattered marble. It was shocking how easily the structure seemed to be coming apart, as if the entire legacy of the Moon were being dismantled from the ground up. Although Endymion passed through countless chambers, he encountered not a single living soul.

Not knowing where else to look, the former stable hand tried to head for Princess Serenity's chambers, but it was not long before he found his path impossibly blocked by crumbled masonry. With the castle shaking above him, it seemed too dangerous to remain beneath untold tons of unstable marble. Choking on the rising clouds of dust, Endymion stumbled out through a door in the outer wall as another tremor rolled through the ground beneath him.

The castle grounds were an equally dreadful sight. The pathways and gardens had all been torn up, and the broken flagstones beneath Endymion's feet were covered in scattered petals and shards of rock. To the exiled man's horror, the sky was as black as pitch, just as it had been on Earth.

Off in the distance, Endymion could hear the roar of battle. From the sound of it, all the survivors were at war down in the city. Lord Marton, his former mentor, was most likely there fighting with the rest of the Moon Knights. If the situation was as bad as it seemed from the state of the abandoned Moon Castle, Prien, Misa, Miss Amaris and the rest might very well be down there fighting for their lives as well.

Endymion closed his eyes for a moment, steeling himself against the urge to join the battle. The Lunarians were no longer his people. The Moon was no longer his world. It was not the Moon Kingdom he wished to save, but the Earth. To do that, he had to do as the planet's mysterious winged guardian had asked and protect himself. Endymion was already doing a risky thing by coming to fetch Serenity.

A low rumbling brought the former stable hand back to reality. It was an odd sound, as if the Moon itself were grumbling. Strangely, it seemed to be coming from above. Endymion looked up.

Directly above him, the black sky was torn into jagged glowing rips in an eerily familiar pattern. As Endymion watched, the crimson gaps shifted and bent into the same sneering face he had seen above the Golden City. Somehow, the creature of evil that had poisoned the population of Earth had reached the Moon. The great red eyes rolled, searching the satellite's surface.

Endymion was seized by terror. For an instant, everything - the war, the winged horse, the Princess he was seeking - vanished from his mind, leaving nothing but an overwhelming desire to not fall under that demon's gaze. The Earth man ducked his head and ran, his legs pumping with all the strength he could muster. With his body now accustomed to the heavier gravity of his home world, and the strange new energy he possessed filling him with power, Endymion ran faster than he had ever moved before. The ground trembled beneath him, but fear spurred him onward, driving him past burning flowerbeds and around broken stones until the castle's remaining towers stood between him and the dreadful face in the sky.

Finally, Endymion was able to get a grip on himself. What good would he be to Princess Serenity if he could not face their mutual enemy? He straightened up and squared his shoulders. He was no longer a servant boy whose role in a crisis was to scatter and hide. He was an armored and armed warrior, ready to fight for the freedom of both the worlds he had called home. He had a Princess to save, and blood or not, he would be her Prince.

Of course, he still had no idea where to find her. Something in his heart was tugging him forward; could his instincts be trusted? Endymion resumed his run toward the wing of the castle where Princess Serenity lived, keeping as close to the building's crumbling walls as he could. He had not gone far, however, when he felt eyes upon him. Cringing, the Earth-born man frantically searched the skies above him, but there was no sinister red face in the clouds overhead. From the distant roar of battle, the war seemed to have moved to another part of the city.

There was someone watching Endymion, though. He whirled around, combing the scattered wreckage with his eyes. Finally, his gaze fell on a tall man in a gray uniform standing on a toppled pillar. His clothing was unfamiliar, and as Endymion knew the style of all the various Moon Kingdom uniforms, he immediately realized this man had to be an Earth child. The former stable hand drew his sword and crouched into a defensive pose, but the man did not move. He was silent and still, yet radiated an aura of restrained strength waiting to be called upon.

"Who are you?" the stranger asked at last. His voice was faint and distant, as if fighting its way through levels of resistance. Endymion straightened up, but kept his grip tight on the hilt of his sword.

"A soldier of Earth," he answered. He wasn't here to fight; maybe the ruse that had gotten him safely to the Earth Palace would work on this man as well.

"Not in that armor, you're not." The man's silver eyes swept over Endymion from head to toe, as if he could see something the exiled man himself could not. "That aura... Is that how you were able to possess it? Or are even our most sacred relics losing their strength?"

Endymion had no idea what the white-haired man was talking about. By the look of him, the speaker barely knew himself. The man's eyes strayed to the ground and his lips moved absently as if he hovered on the verge of sanity. Endymion's heart pounded in his chest. He knew he should take advantage of the Earth man's distraction and flee before he could react, but something held him rooted to the ground. Something within him yearned to know more about this officer - by the cape flowing from the older man's shoulders, Endymion guessed he might even be a general - no matter the consequences. The white-haired man seemed inexplicably familiar.

"Who are you?" the stranger demanded again, visibly dragging himself back from whatever darkness held him. "Your presence pulls a general away from the battlefield, why?"

With a giant burst of willpower, Endymion forced himself to remain calm. The man was indeed one of Earth's top generals. The former stable hand did not dare get his hopes up, but it seemed the silver-haired man was somehow fighting the evil shadow's control. Perhaps all was not yet lost. If this man could be freed, together they might free others as well. At the very least, rescuing the Princess would be far easier with two than one, and then Endymion would have more time to discover what it was about this man that called to him.

"You are a general of Earth," he said carefully. "Why are you involved in this?" For a moment the man looked blank. He blinked, puzzled, as the sounds of the battle went on in the distant city behind him. Endymion's blood was racing in his ears. He was wasting time, precious time - but he couldn't leave this man, not when there was a chance he might be saved, even if he didn't know why. The general stiffened suddenly, and something in his expression changed.

"I should be the one asking that," he replied. Endymion shifted his sword warily. The man's tone had lost its uncertainty and had become cold with resolve. "You are as human as I am, and you stand in defense of the enemy. How can you support the underhanded methods of the Moon Kingdom, a realm that sends spies to inspect its supposed allies? We've had enough orders from the Lunarians!"

Now Endymion bristled as his dormant loyalty to the world that had raised him reared its head. The Moon was far from perfect, but he could not bear to hear it insulted based on lies and mind control.

"When did help and guidance become orders?" he burst out. "Lunarians may act superior, but they never wanted to destroy the Golden Kingdom! Look at this madness!" he cried, indicating the ruins surrounding them with a sweep of his arm. "How will destroying the Moon Kingdom help the Earth? Don't you see what's going on here? You're being used by that - that thing!"

As if in response to Endymion's words, a roll of thunder crackled through the dark clouds above them. A cloud passed over the stranger's face as well. He blinked and swayed, once again fighting his own internal battle. Then his silver eyes narrowed and his expression became sharp and fierce.

"You lie!" he bellowed. "Metalia needs the Silver Crystal to save our world! Die, traitor!"

The man flung out his hands. Darts of violet energy materialized in his palms and launched from his fingertips, hurtling toward Endymion with blinding speed. Despite all his training, Endymion had no defense against magic. Not knowing what else to do, he pulled the red-lined cape of his stolen armor in front of him and waited for death.

Shockingly, none came. The deadly bolts glanced off the black cloth as if they were mere light, leaving Endymion startled and astonished but very much alive. He straightened up just in time to see the Earth general launching himself at him, sword drawn, fingers blazing with energy, and eyes glowing with a light that was far from human. Endymion raised his own blade, but he was too slow, far too slow-

A blast of golden light struck the general from the side and sent him tumbling to Endymion's left. The exiled man whirled around, and his heart sank clear into his boots. Two Sailor Soldiers had appeared on the scene. The blue-suited one was headed toward him at a full run, while the one in orange prepared another blast of energy from atop a nearby rock. Endymion crouched into a ready position and willed his legs to stop shaking. There was nothing he could do now but focus on surviving as he prepared to do battle with two of the strongest warriors alive.

Once again, he was stunned by surprise as the blonde soldier on the rock launched her next attack, which missed him by a wide margin. The blue-suited one dodged around him as she summoned up her own energy. Endymion turned just in time to see the short-haired woman release a burst of icy vapor that froze its target in its tracks - the Earth general Endymion had momentarily forgotten.

After a moment of startled gaping at the block of ice that had formed around his now-incapacitated attacker, the former stable hand raised his sword and prepared to become the Sailor Soldiers' next target. However, the greeting he received was far from a battle cry.

"Are you all right?"

Endymion blinked. "What?"

"We don't have time for this nonsense," the blue-suited soldier sighed impatiently. "There's a war going on out there! People are dying! Do you need medical assistance or not?"

"What? I - no," Endymion stammered, lowering his weapon hesitantly. He had expected the Sailor Soldiers to be his enemies; why were they helping him? Perhaps they didn't recognize him in the stolen Earth armor. Even so, he clearly wasn't Lunarian. The destroyed tattoo burned on his neck. If either of the soldiers noticed it, there was no telling what they might do. He backed away nervously, holding his sword in front of him and wishing he had a shield.

"It's all right, Endou." The orange-suited soldier appeared at Endymion's elbow, a soft but sad smile on her face. "We are not all as petty as Jupiter and Mars."

Now Endymion recognized that these two women were not the ones who had branded him. Neither were they quite the same soldiers he had met in the garden on the night of his exile. The blonde beside him - Sailor Venus, if he remembered correctly - was dirty and tattered, and the other soldier wore a haunted expression unlike anything he had ever seen.

"Class should not divide us; we are all dedicated to the Princess," the orange-suited soldier went on. A sick jolt struck Endymion's stomach. He still had no clue as to Serenity's fate, and here were two of the soldiers that should have been protecting her.

"Where is Sere?" he asked Venus, trying not to dread the answer.

"A question traitors need neither ask nor answer," said a new voice.

The trio turned to discover the other two Sailor Soldiers striding toward them from the direction of the castle's residential wing. The fear returned to Endymion with a vengeance, gripping his heart in ice-cold talons. These were two faces he would never forget, for they haunted every one of his nightmares that wasn't consumed by darkness. Jupiter and Mars, the very spirits of prejudicial cruelty. Endymion shrank back automatically, withering under the soldiers' disapproving glares. There was something alien in Jupiter's eyes, but the exiled Earth-child was too terrified to notice it.

"He is not our enemy," the blue-suited soldier asserted boldly. "Nor is Sailor Venus."

"They are traitors, as are you for helping them," Mars replied coldly. "Stand aside, Mercury."

"There are more important things to worry about right now!" Sailor Venus burst out. "Anyone who would defend the Princess is an ally! How could you leave her unprotected? And you call US traitors!"

"We are following the Queen's orders," Sailor Jupiter growled, now incensed. "We are needed most urgently at the heart of the battle, and Princess Serenity is far from unprotected. The Queen's magic will shield her as long as she does not step outside. Now, we are wasting precious time!"

"Agreed." Sailor Venus turned to Endymion, who stood transfixed by the rift between the soldiers. "Endou, the Princess is in her chambers. Go to her. Keep her safe." Endymion did not need to be told twice. Before Venus had finished speaking, he was off and running over the uneven ground.

"How dare you?!" Sailor Mars leapt forward, set to chase after the exiled stable hand.

"Mars." Venus did not raise her voice, but something in her tone stopped the red-suited soldier cold. Mars turned slowly to see the blonde's arm pointed directly toward her, a deadly glow intensifying on her fingertip.

"You wouldn't dare," Mars scoffed, but as she searched her former leader for signs of hesitation, she found none.

"Do not assume what a traitor would or would not do," Sailor Venus said evenly.

"Trouble in the ranks? How splendid! Our task will be all the more simple, then!"

All four Sailor Soldiers whirled around. Three uniformed figures stood on the toppled pillar that isolated the section of courtyard, a trio both familiar and alien. They were the same generals of Earth in body, but the Sailor Soldiers did not need Mars' muttered curse to detect the new air of malicious power about them. Sailor Mercury was particularly unnerved; Zoisite's cool demeanor of sheltered intelligence had vanished into a sea of sadistic glee. The smile he beamed toward her was reminiscent of the stories told to Mercurian children to warn them against the evil creatures of the universe.

"Don't let us stop you," Nephrite said smoothly. "If you destroy each other, we'll be able to return to the battle much sooner. On the other hand, that would deprive us of the pleasure of ending your lives ourselves." His casual air sent shivers down Sailor Jupiter's spine. This could not be the man who had renewed her faith in his gender. He spoke so lightly of killing the woman he had treated so kindly...

"The Sailor Soldiers will always stand together against a common enemy." Venus said the words, but could not banish the worry that they might turn out to be untrue. Had the rifts between the soldiers grown so deep that not even the most desperate situation could unite them? She stepped forward boldly, but the air at her back felt unnervingly empty.

"You would be foolish to challenge us," the orange-suited soldier continued to distract herself from her insecurity. "Even two of us were able to make short work of one of you!" Venus could not bear to look back - whether it was the unsupportive soldiers or the sight of Kunzite that pained her, she could not say - but she gestured toward the frozen general with a sweep of her arm.

The response was a peal of jeering laughter from Zoisite, and a smirk on the faces of the other two men. Jadeite took a step forward on the pillar, but Venus screwed up her courage and stood her ground. The Sailor Soldiers were stronger than these men, no matter what had happened to them. No Earth-born mage could rival the power of the Silver Alliance's legendary warriors.

"We do not fear you anymore," the Far-Eastern commander announced. "You are no match for the power of Metalia!"

"Venus!" Sailor Mercury said urgently. The blonde soldier turned to see Kunzite breaking free of the ice prison Mercury had forged, very much alive. In the moment she stood frozen by shock, the ice binding the Middle-Eastern commander's arms shattered, and she could see his trapped legs straining for their own freedom. Kunzite's silver eyes were glowing with an unnatural light, and they were fixed on Sailor Venus.

An Earth child had surmounted the power of a Sailor Soldier. Before any of the women could grasp the magnitude of it, the other three generals had leapt from their perch and were upon them.

Sailor Mars was ready. She met Jadeite with a blast of flame from her hands that sent him flying into a pile of crumbled rock. He was up again in an instant, and retaliated with a wave of dark energy Mars was barely able to block with her gloved forearms. The force of it nearly pushed her over; it was unlike any power the Sailor Soldiers had ever encountered and reeked of the taint of darkness.

"I told you!" she yelled out as Jadeite lunged at her with fists flying. "I warned you all, but you wouldn't listen!"

"This isn't the time, Mars!" Sailor Jupiter was having a far more difficult battle. It was easy to dodge Nephrite as he slashed at her with a pair of long knives, but her mind was reeling. What had happened to the gentle stargazer she had met on Earth? Was this cold enemy hiding inside him the entire time? By the smirk on Nephrite's face, he was merely toying with her...

The green-suited soldier's suspicion was confirmed as the North American commander thrust out a hand and struck her full in the stomach with a bolt of energy. Jupiter swallowed a scream as she tumbled backward, automatically curling into a ball as pain burst in her abdomen. The earnest anticipation on Nephrite's face as he struck burned in her mind.

~Not a match for your home planet, I daresay, but I hope it pleases you.~

~I was eager to hear about the Jovian spring festival.~

~On the other hand, that would deprive us of the pleasure of ending your lives ourselves.~

Was this the consequence of opening her heart to a man?

With hot tears stinging her eyes and a cry of rage burning her throat, Sailor Jupiter raised her arms and summoned a mighty lightning strike from the turbulent clouds. It stuck Nephrite full-on with an intensity that should have melted him to the paving stones, but after only a moment of agonized twitching, he got to his feet and charged at her again. The cruel smile on the general's face only grew wider.

Nearby, Sailor Mercury was suffering a similar internal battle. No matter how many barriers of ice she threw up between her and Zoisite, the European commander tore through them all as if they were liquid water. He charged at her relentlessly, but she could not bring herself to deal a more deadly blow. Zoisite's manic laughter ran in Mercury's ears, so unlike the reserved man she had known.

"What happened to you?" she burst out as a hail of crystal shards tore into her blue and white uniform. Zoisite paused in his laughter just long enough to answer.

"I finally have everything I ever wanted." The declaration was punctuated by a fresh shower of razor-sharp crystals from the general's hands. Sailor Mercury's expression grew focused even as the shards bit into her skin. If that was the way it was, she would harden her heart.

Yet there was no heart on that battlefield as hard as that of Sailor Venus. Kunzite was free and furious, and all his efforts were focused on the soldier who had stopped his assault on the mysterious Earth man. It was fortunate that Venus had retrieved the legendary blade from the armory, as Kunzite's weapon of choice was his sword. Sparks flew as the orange-suited soldier blocked the general's powerful thrusts. Every strike jarred Venus clear to her shoes.

The months of distant admiration, the Golden Kingdom's ball, the encounter in the garden were farthest from Sailor Venus' mind. Whatever Kunzite had been, he was now an enemy, a threat to the Moon Kingdom and its Princess. It was her duty to defeat him, regardless of her feelings.

The tears would have to wait until later.

Mercury had been right; there was clearly some greater power at work here. The legendary stone sword should have cut through Kunzite's blade on the first strike, but somehow the Earth man's weapon was still holding up. The man himself was definitely possessed of an unworldly power. Sailor Venus had been researching the Four Generals for a long time, and she knew them better than anyone else in the Silver Alliance. Dedicated and calculating as Kunzite was, he would never have behaved this way. Everything about him now screamed malice and vile ambitious greed, and the strength behind his blows was far beyond the capability of any Earth child. Metalia, whoever that was, had changed these men to suit a dark purpose. Kunzite was no longer the man Sailor Venus had admired, and it was that knowledge that freed her to treat him like the enemy he was. Even so, she could not bring herself to look at his face as they fought, could not bear to see his silver eyes tainted by evil.

With a sharp shout, Venus took the offensive and brought her sword around in a mighty blow. Finally, the legendary blade lived up to its name. With all the Venusian soldier's strength focused behind it, the weapon bit into Kunzite's sword and sliced it cleanly in half.

For a heartbeat, the Middle-Eastern commander paused, staring at the broken blade in his hands. That moment's hesitation was all Sailor Venus needed. Tossing her own sword aside, she reached down and whisked off the golden chain she wore around her waist. The flash of the polished links in the darkness caught Kunzite's attention, but by then it was too late. A mere flick of the soldier's wrist had the shining chain wrapped tightly around the Earth man's torso, pinning his arms to his sides.

Stronger men than Kunzite had been brought to justice by Sailor Venus' Love Chain. It was a sacred treasure of the Venusian royal house and was said to be a piece of the chain that had held the planet's first islands together. Once it bound an enemy, there was no hope of escape. Venus straightened up, holding one end of the chain securely in her gloved hands.

The only question now was whether or not she would kill him. Her mind raced. Even had she been given a million years, it would not have been enough time to make this choice, and she had only seconds. The other soldiers needed her.

Sailor Venus' thoughts were derailed by a grunt from Kunzite. By the time she looked up it had become a chuckle, which escalated into a torrent of rolling laughter that made the Venusian bristle from her head to her toes. She yanked harshly on the chain, which should have tightened it to the point where her captor could barely breathe, but the general's laughter only became more defiant.

Kunzite flexed. His brow furrowed, his laughter stopped, and his muscles rippled visibly beneath his uniform as he strained against the chains that bound him. It was Venus' turn to chuckle; no man could break these bonds, and certainly not an Earth child.

Suddenly a chill rolled over the Venusian soldier, as if all the warmth had been sucked out of the air. Kunzite threw back his head and roared, veins bulging in his neck as he drew on all the power he possessed - both natural and unnatural.

The Love Chain shuddered in Venus' hands. Then it snapped.

Bits of gold went flying in all directions as several of the chain's links shattered. The coils of metal dropped uselessly to the ground, leaving Kunzite free and triumphant, his expression wild with the adrenaline of his victory.

Venus stood numbly staring, clinging helplessly to the fragment of chain wound between her gloved fingers. It was impossible. It couldn't be. The legendary chain that bound worlds together could not be broken by a mere mortal.

But Kunzite was not a mere mortal, was he? From the beginning, he had been a mage, one of Earth's strongest. He had become possessed by powers of darkness no one had ever seen before, that none of them could understand. He had stolen the heart of the unattainable Sailor Venus, had defeated her glamour, and had set her off-guard time and time again. Now he had broken her strongest weapon, an ancient treasure of her people, and in the end it was he who stood unscathed and Venus who was worn and helpless. She was defeated.

Kunzite had won.

Sailor Venus dropped to her knees, the sharp shock of the marble tiles barely registering in her mind. The entire universe disappeared, from the shadowed sky to the battle continuing around her. The soldier's blue eyes remained numbly focused on Kunzite, the elation in his silver gaze holding her frozen and helpless before him. For the first time in her life, Venus had been beaten.

Kunzite's hands came up. A violet glow began to gather around his fingers and his eyes sparked with anticipation. The orange-suited soldier could not even bring herself to bow her head.

"Venus!"

Sailor Mercury barreled into the blonde Venusian from the side, shoving her clear as Kunzite released his deadly blast. The two soldiers rolled to safety behind a fallen block of marble.

"What are you doing?!" Mercury demanded, seizing her leader by the shoulders. "I did not free you just to see you give up! Think of the Princess!"

The Princess...

Truly, Princess Serenity had faced more trials than the well-prepared but rarely-used Sailor Soldiers. She had entered a betrothal in which there was no love. She had maintained that contract even after falling in love with another man. She had never lost that love, no matter what obstacles arose to prevent it. Time and time again, the constraints of her birth had thrown seemingly insurmountable barriers between her and her heart's desire, but Princess Serenity never forsook her love. No matter what happened, no matter what danger threatened, the Princess never gave up.

It was Sailor Venus' duty to strive to be worthy of protecting such a courageous heart.

She stood up. She strode out from behind the marble, toward the man smirking in anticipatory mockery of her next move. Her hand came up.

"CRESCENT BEAM!"

An explosion of energy unlike anything Venus had felt before raced down her arm and burst from her fingertips. Kunzite whisked his cape around himself, but when the blast struck him he was flung several steps backward. As he lowered his arm, his face was momentarily twisted by shock and pain.

Leaping back, Kunzite rose smoothly into the air, his wide silver eyes locked on Sailor Venus. "Nephrite! Zoisite! Jadeite!" The other three generals broke away from their battles to join him, leaping into the air out of the Sailor Soldiers' reach. Of course, their magical attacks could have bridged the distance, but at the moment they were all too startled to continue the fight.

"How did you do that?" Sailor Jupiter demanded, jogging over to where Venus stood staring at her own hands.

"I don't know," the orange-suited soldier confessed, her voice distant and soft with awe. "It just happened."

"What were those words you shouted?" Sailor Mercury asked, wearing a familiar inquisitive look. Mars had her eyes on the sky, watching for another attack, but she leaned closer to hear Venus' response. The blonde raised a hand to her throat, as if only now realizing the strange phrase had come from her own lips.

"Crescent Beam..." she whispered absently. Even now, the words had a strange power about them and tingled on her lips as if filled with untapped energy. "I don't know where it came from. I was just thinking about the Princess... and suddenly it was there."

"If we could all do that, we'd have a chance against these enemies," Jupiter observed, grinding her fist into her palm. Even in these frantic moments, Sailor Venus took notice of the Jovian's avoidance of the generals' names and titles. When Venus looked at her, the pain was clear in her green eyes - an oddly distant pain, the eyes of grief set aside. To Sailor Jupiter, Nephrite was already dead.

A brief stab of heartache welled up afresh in Venus' chest, and she swallowed it firmly. It would be best if she regarded Kunzite in the same way. She was a soldier, this was her duty -

"Some leader you are," Sailor Mars muttered.

"What is the meaning of that?" Venus demanded, whirling to face the soldier in red. Suddenly she was filled with rage. After everything she had suffered and sacrificed, Sailor Mars still doubted her. At this hour, when their kingdom crumbled and she was forced to seek the death of the only man she had ever loved, Mars insulted her!

"Just what I would expect from a Venusian," the red-suited soldier snapped. Even as her tongue lashed acid, her eyes stayed locked on the blond man hovering above her. Just like her, his eyes stayed locked on his adversary while his comrades hurriedly conversed. Mars stared at Jadeite and burned with guilt and shame. How could she have let him get to her? How could she have let him make her doubt herself?

"Flighty as always," Mars went on, her clenched fists trembling at her sides. "It was your job to investigate the Four Generals, to discover if they were a threat, and here they are attacking us!" The Martian knew she was going too far - the evil force that had corrupted these men was as visible to her as stars in the sky - but she could not stop the angry words. "Now you possess the power to combat them, and you refuse to share it with us!" All the frustration, all the pain, all the outrage at what had befallen the Moon Kingdom poured forth from Mars in a tirade against the woman she had called her leader and friend. "One might think you were plotting against the Moon from the beginning, derailing the kingdom's stability by encouraging the Princess to break her betrothal vows!"

"When will you learn that Serenity's love for Endou is not evil?!" Sailor Venus shouted, unable to contain her frustrated fury. "We were wrong to oppose it! Endou was safe on Earth, yet he returned to protect the Princess, while the man she was to marry became our enemy!"

"He wouldn't have attacked the Moon had his fiance been faithful to him!" Despite her words, Endou's face fixed itself in Mars' mind. In the midst of attack, he cared only for the safety of the Princess, just as any of the Sailor Soldiers would have done. Just as any of them SHOULD have done, anyway - only Endou had actually rushed to Serenity's side, while her sworn guardians stood arguing about things that no longer mattered. Sailor Mars' resolve faltered and her eyes slipped from the hovering Jadeite. A tiny doubt that had been lurking inside her all along rose to the surface. Was it possible she had been wrong about Endou?

"In the end, love forges stronger bonds than duty," Venus said firmly, noticing Mars' moment of weakness.

The red-suited soldier stiffened. If she had been wrong, then... Memories flooded her mind, of her harsh words to the Princess, of the time Mars had almost struck her, of Endou writhing beneath her fiery touch. If she had been wrong, she was a traitor of the worst kind. No. It couldn't be. Everything Mars had done was for the good of the Moon Kingdom. It would all be for the best in the end. She couldn't be wrong when everything she had been taught told her she was right! The tragedy she had foreseen had come to pass because Mars had failed to hold Princess Serenity to the right path. Because Sailor Venus had failed to help her!

"Have you no-"

"This isn't the time to argue!" Sailor Mercury cried. Mars whipped around to protest the interruption, but the blue-haired soldier's eyes were on the sky. Their enemies had seized the moment to make their move. Mars had only time to brace herself before Jadeite was upon her, unleashing an energy blast that pushed her backward into the dust. The red-suited soldier gritted her teeth against the pain and rolled to her feet, her mind still churning in anger and indecision. If only Venus would share her secrets. If only Princess Serenity hadn't betrayed her mother and her kingdom.

Nearby, Sailor Mercury held her ground against Zoisite's storm of razor-sharp flower petals and fought the tears that were stinging her eyes. They were failures, all of them. Despite all their training, the first time the Sailor Soldiers were tested they fell apart. They had lost sight of what should have been most important to them. None of them loved the Princess as deeply as Endou.

Even their best hope, Sailor Venus' new power, was useless to them if the soldiers could not stop fighting long enough to learn the skill from her. Mercury struggled on, absorbing far more blows than she dealt, trying not to think of all the innocents lying dead in the Great Hall at her back. The Sailor Soldiers had failed to protect them, as they were failing to protect the Princess now. All Mercury could do was hope to hold out until Queen Serenity used the power of the Silver Crystal to save their world.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Queen Serenity could not be certain if it was the ground or her legs that were trembling. A strong arm reached out to steady her, and she managed to give Artemis a brief smile of thanks before hurrying on. Only the two Mauans were at the Moon Queen's side now; she had dismissed all the attendants to look after themselves and their families. It was good to have Artemis back. Serenity wished it were under better circumstances.

How had it come to this? She had had warnings of darkness on the horizon, but what Queen Serenity was facing now was nothing less than the complete destruction of her kingdom. Hers was the strongest world of the Silver Alliance; if it fell to this evil, there was no doubt the rest of the Solar System would be at risk. The Earth, which the other planets viewed as little more than a pet, was on the verge of enslaving its masters.

Of course, none of that would have been possible were it not for the entity of darkness that had engulfed the blue-green world. Truly, the mysterious evil force Artemis had labeled "Metalia" was the real master here. The Earth children were just as much slaves of Metalia as Serenity's people were destined to be. They needed her help as much as the Lunarians.

Whatever the cause of the current crisis, the ultimate solution was clear. Queen Serenity hurried through the small waiting room and out into the courtyard that held the Crystal Tower, the two Mauans hot on her heels. Within the small sanctuary they could almost forget about the war raging outside, but the dark clouds overhead and occasional rumble of the ground reminded them of the need for urgency.

Queen Serenity hurried across the grass - and was thrown to the ground as the turf pitched violently, the entire castle shaking to its foundations as an intense strike of dark lightning pounded down from the sky. The dense scent of dirt and grass filled her nose, and Luna and Artemis flung themselves over her, shielding the Queen with their own bodies. The Moon shuddered and cracked, a thundering rumble deafening the three of them as blocks of marble broke and tumbled to the ground. In the open space around the Crystal Tower, they were safe, but ancient structures were turning to rubble all around them.

At last, the dreadful attack stopped. The weight on Queen Serenity's back lifted, and strong arms raised her to her feet. She glanced up - and nearly collapsed again as she beheld what remained of the Crystal Tower, a broken stump barely half the height of what it had been. Luna clutched at the Queen's arm, protocol forgotten in the face of the tragic shock. The small courtyard was choked with broken stones, the temple that had housed the crystal spire reduced to a scatter of timber and torn cloth. The tower itself was little more than a stub emerging from the pile of rubble. True to its ethereal nature, the broken half of the crystal had vanished entirely.

The Moon Queen stared up at what remained of her greatest strength and nearly gave up right then and there. Metalia had destroyed the very symbol of everything Queen Serenity had created, everything she had hoped to preserve. If not even the Crystal Tower could stand against the evil force, what hope was there that it might be defeated? Was Metalia truly stronger than the power of the Ancients after all?

"My Queen?"

The voice seemed a long way off, muffled into the roar of the wind and the rumbles of distant destruction. It faded into the imagined screams of her people that were ringing in the monarch's ears, consuming everything, until her legs trembled from the sound. Her vision was filled with the stump of the broken tower, jutting out from the debris like a shorn-off limb. Her kingdom was in ruins, and even this, her last resort, was gone, gone, gone-

"My Queen." The voice was sharper now, and although it still spoke words of reverence, its subordinate tone was gone. For the first time since the rise of the Moon Kingdom, Queen Serenity heard a voice without a trace of fear or deference. The last person who had ever dared speak to her that way had been... him.

He was dead, and even in her shock she knew that, knew the voice was not the same, but the memory of him was enough to bring Serenity out of her daze. She turned to face the speaker, anguish showing plainly on her face for the first time. Artemis stood staring back at her, solid and stern.

"Your orders, my Queen." Not a question, but a statement of fact; there was no doubt in the Mauan's mind that there would be orders. Artemis still believed in her. Luna's weight was firm on Serenity's arm. Luna still believed in her. For the belief that she could build a kingdom worth saving, Serenity's lover had fought to protect her, and for the preservation of that kingdom, he had died. Who was she to give up now, when so many still placed their hopes in their Queen?

Shaking Luna off, Queen Serenity whirled around and strode purposely toward the broken tower. Her jaw was set, her stride firm, her steps unwavering even as the ground trembled anew beneath her feet. There was always hope, as long as there was the Silver Crystal and someone to wield it.

The Mauans cried out in warning as the Moon Queen began to pick her way across the sharp shards of rock, but she did not let their concern hinder her. Soon she was at the base of what remained of the Crystal Tower, hauling away slabs of stone with hands far too delicate for such work. The tower was only an extension of the power within. Her mission had been altered, but not diverted.

Before long, the cracked face of the crystal lay bare before the Queen, its treasure plain even to the eyes of the Mauans standing at a distance. The Crystal Tower had gone dark and cold, but the Silver Crystal still sparkled, shining through the pillar as a beacon of hope in the darkness. Stilling her mind for a moment against the chaos reigning in her world, Queen Serenity took a deep breath and stretched out her hand.

The seemingly solid surface of the Crystal Tower parted like water beneath her fingers, rippling aside to allow the Queen to reach into the pillar's depths. Her hand closed around the solid lump that was the Moon Kingdom's greatest treasure, and emerged dry, the tower resolidifying as if it had never been penetrated.

The Silver Crystal was cold, chilled as a chunk of rock, which was odd; normally the stone's light was as warm as sunshine... but it still shone brightly, brimming with the power to turn fate itself around.

"Queen Serenity... you can't..."

Luna's hesitant voice brought the world back to Serenity in a deafening rush. She turned to look at Luna, and found on the dark-haired Mauan's face the same knowledge the Queen held in her heart. The Silver Crystal had to have an amplifier. Without the Crystal Tower, it was Queen Serenity's body that would provide a base for its power. Defeating Metalia was no small feat. It was likely to take a longer burst of energy than Serenity could sustain.

If she used the Silver Crystal, she would die.

The two women stared at each other for a moment. Luna's expression was frantic, conflicted, torn between her devotion to her Queen and her knowledge of the reality of the situation. By contrast, Queen Serenity was filled with calm acceptance. Even in this secluded sanctuary devastation surrounded her, and she was acutely aware of the vicious battle happening somewhere beyond earshot. It was clear what had to be done, and the Moon Queen was the only one who could do it.

As long as Princess Serenity survived, all could yet be saved.

The Queen raised the Silver Crystal over her head. Luna gasped, but did not speak, unable to protest the inevitable. Artemis moved to stand at his fellow Mauan's side, and they clutched at one another, the decorum that had governed their public behavior for so long as distant as a fading dream.

There were no farewells to be said, no final orders to be issued. Luna and Artemis would survive, and Queen Serenity had complete faith in their ability to guide her daughter. The only person the monarch had words for could not hear her.

She closed her eyes, focused on the stone in her hands, and wished - wished with all her heart for the evil to be destroyed, for the world she had sacrificed so much for to be saved. She thought of everyone who stood to lose if Metalia won, from the Moon Princess to her lover's countrymen on Earth to the lowliest shoe-polisher in the kingdom of Pluto, and wished for them all to continue living in safety.

Nothing happened.

After a desperate moment of confusion, Queen Serenity lowered the Silver Crystal before her eyes and stared at it in disbelief. The stone had been resisting her lately, but every wish she had ever given it had come to pass. Now, when the very existence of everything it protected was threatened, it remained still and cold in the Moon Queen's hands. It shone as brightly as always, boundless energy sparkling just beneath the faceted surface, but although Serenity shouted her orders until her voice was hoarse it would not obey.

The Silver Crystal would not release its power.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


It seemed as if the Moon itself was crumbling. The ground shook repeatedly as the darkness in the sky sent tendrils of rot into the soil. The clouds twisted, tainted lightning flashed, and towers toppled. Fires raged in the city, and here and there a scream managed to make itself heard over the storm of war.

Princess Serenity had a clear view of it all from her balcony.

She had been ordered to stay inside her chambers, out of sight, but somehow she found herself outside the wards her mother had set. When the entire population of the Moon was risking its life, the Princess could not sit idly by in safety. Still, there was nothing she could do to help her people. She stood trembling in the shadow of the darkness that had devoured the sky, staring numbly over the living nightmare that had consumed her world. The shock of all she had seen that evening was nearly too much to bear.

The sudden storm gathering overhead, the clouds darker than anything in nature. The ground trembling, sending Serenity tumbling to the flagstones. Sailor Jupiter, bound to accompany the Princess on her melancholy stroll through the gardens, shielding the white-robed young woman with her body as loose stones tumbled from a nearby wall. And then, the panic.

Detached as she was from the world she had come to despise, Princess Serenity had felt only a dim interest herself, but the panic was tangible in the air. Jupiter had pulled her to her feet and they were running before the chaos could even register, fountains cracking and statues tumbling around them. Then Sailor Mars was there, looking so haunted and pale Serenity scarcely recognized her. And then...

Then the Earth children came.

Not soldiers, but ordinary people, faces Princess Serenity had seen on the streets of the Golden City. They were men and women and children, people of all ages from all walks of life. They seemed to materialize out of nowhere, and wandered around corners acting disoriented at first, but when they saw the Lunarian Princess and her guardians, they all had one thing in common. They were all consumed by hatred.

The memory of the battle that had ensued caused Serenity to shudder. Sailor Jupiter had moved reluctantly, and only after the Earth children proved to be hostile, but Mars had laid into them as if they were deadly foes. Only Serenity's frantic lunge to seize the red-suited soldier's arm had stopped the Martian from dealing a killing blow. The eyes Sailor Mars had turned on her then still chilled the Moon Princess to the bone, eyes that had seen death and were desperate to prevent more at all costs. Eyes like those Serenity had seen in her strange dreams. Mars had calmed quickly, but it was clear that their world was already irrevocably changed.

At that point, the two soldiers realized they would never be able to fight properly in Princess Serenity's presence. Before she knew it, the Lunarian had been rushed back into the castle where her mother's power prevented the enemy from teleporting inside. The Princess was taken to her chambers and left with strict orders to remain there. Guards were posted outside the doors, special wards were set on her rooms, and she became one of the prizes of the mysterious wargame.

From her balcony, Princess Serenity looked out on a world in collapse. The marble trembled beneath her feet as dark energy made rubble of another section of the castle. Somewhere out there, the women who had been her lifelong companions were fighting for the survival of the Moon Kingdom. Serenity, on whose shoulders the bulk of the responsibility had always seemed to rest, was left alone and helpless.

War was a horror beyond anything the Moon Princess had ever imagined, but she found herself wishing she could join in the fight. In her dreams, she had freed a man from the monster possessing him. If she were a soldier like the other women, maybe there would be something she could do to help the people of Earth.

Princess Serenity seemed to be the only one who noticed the Earth children were not themselves. She had walked among them in the Golden City, had seen they were kind people like any of the races on the supposedly more civilized worlds. They had spoken of rights and independence, but none of the people Serenity had encountered were ready to wage war. The people in the garden had been wild, frenzied by a strange, irrational hatred. An evil had consumed them and their planet.

A fear was settling in Serenity's stomach, a fear that had nothing to do with the war raging on her world. If the Earth had been taken over by evil, what fate had befallen its royal family? What of Prince Endymion and his lover?

What of her own beloved Endymion?

A shudder ran through the Moon Princess, and she clasped her hands together over her chest and squeezed her fingers tight. No. She wouldn't think about that happening to Endymion. He was faithful and strong-willed; surely, even if an evil power got to him, even if he'd broken off his relationship with Serenity, he would never attack the Moon... would he?

Somewhere close, a particularly strong blast of dark energy struck the castle. The entire structure shuddered violently, and the cracking of stones coming loose and tumbling to the ground was nearly deafening, but Princess Serenity squeezed her eyes shut and held her balance. If the world was ending, if everything was to be destroyed and nothing could be done about it, she hoped at least her beloved would be safe. The Silver Crystal was far away now, most likely being wielded against the enemy by the Queen, but the Princess focused her will and pleaded with the unseen jewel to protect the man she loved. Even if she never saw him again, she could die content if Endymion still had a chance at happiness.

An electric whine cut through the rumbling of the collapsing castle. Princess Serenity's eyes flew open to see a burst of red light coalescing in front of her, hanging in midair over the edge of her balcony. In a moment, the light vanished, and Serenity stepped back involuntarily with a gasp of horror.

A woman was hovering where the light had been, cloaked in a dress the color of evening and clutching a long scepter. Her cloud of red hair and ornaments were unfamiliar, but the rebellious Moon Princess recognized her face instantly. It was the woman she'd encountered on the streets of the Golden City, the unknown enemy who'd pulled off the Princess' disguise and sneered at her with malice before leaving her to be overrun by the Earth children. There was no mistaking the string of white flowers hanging from her waist, nor the scent of jasmine that came from them.

Yes, it was the same face... but Serenity was hard-pressed to believe it was the same woman. She radiated a power that had the Princess' skin crawling, and it had clearly changed her. Her face had become pale and drawn, her hair and eyes red as blood, her fingers sinewy claws. She smiled wickedly as her gaze fell on the Moon Princess, and the teeth between her thin violet lips were sharp fangs.

"So, I have found you at last," she announced. "Princess Serenity!" Her voice, too, had become harsh and sharp.

The Moon Princess stumbled backward, every fiber of her being screaming at her to get away from this woman and the power that was like acid on her skin. Was this what happened to the people who were consumed by the evil force? No, the Earth children in the garden had seemed normal, aside from their blinding hate. Serenity's eyes fell on the crown on the woman's brow and the scepter in her hand. Her words to the Princess on Earth rose in her memory.

~Long live the Queen.~

This was the leader of the invading force. Princess Serenity's stomach dropped clear to her toes. She had crossed her mother's wards, and the enemy had found her, and the Sailor Soldiers were nowhere nearby. Serenity was no warrior. With a pounding heart, she knew this was the end. At least, perhaps, if the war ended now with her death, Endymion, wherever he was, would be safe.

"Who... who are you?" the Princess managed to gasp through a throat that seemed filled with sand. If she was about to die, she would at least have her enemy's name and the reason behind all this.

"I am Queen Beryl." The woman seemed smug at first as she delivered her new title, but when Serenity showed no reaction, her eyes narrowed. "Do you not know who I am?" she demanded, her voice rising. "After all I have done, after everything you have done to me, do you still not know who I am?!"

"I... I know you are of Earth," Serenity stammered, her mind racing over countless social events and stuffy introductions. She was certain she had never met this Beryl before that day in the Golden City. How had Serenity wronged her? Was it possible that all of this, all this destruction and death, was due to some unknown personal grudge?

Beryl's face twisted. Rage boiled up until her eyes flashed and her lips curled, and her claw-like fingernails drew blood from her own palms.

"You shatter lives, and don't even bother to remember whose dreams you've broken!" she roared, pointing her scepter accusingly at the Princess. "Vile temptress! I will destroy that pretty face of yours!"


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Endymion had never run so hard in his life. The Moon Castle seemed impossibly huge, and it took even longer to get anywhere when the ground kept shaking and was littered with debris. Through it all, his heart pounded harder and harder in an earnest that had nothing to do with his running. He had a dreadful feeling that Princess Serenity was in mortal danger, despite whatever protection she was supposedly under. With every passing second, the feeling grew stronger, until it took all his willpower to resist the urge to start calling out Serenity's name.

At last, Endymion rounded a corner and the Princess' balcony came into view, still familiar despite the cracks in the marble and the broken trees littering the ground. He'd planned to find an entrance here and then find a way up to Serenity's chambers, but as soon as his eyes fell on the balcony, he saw his worst fears confirmed.

To Endymion's horror, Princess Serenity was outside, and she wasn't alone. A towering woman he had never seen before was looming over the crystal-haired Princess, and her posture was far from friendly. A sick jolt struck Endymion's stomach as he realized the woman was hovering in midair. Clearly, she was a servant of the evil force darkening the sky overhead.

He forced his aching legs to pump harder, but the balcony seemed impossibly far away. He shouted, but the mysterious woman was yelling as well, and amid all the destruction no one heard him. Suddenly the woman lunged toward Serenity, tearing the sky apart as she dove for the Princess' throat. Endymion wasn't going to make it in time. With all his newfound power, he could never run fast enough. If only he could distract the enemy, just for a moment - if only he had something to throw - the sword was too heavy - but -

Groping inside the breastplate of his borrowed armor, Endymion's fingers closed on a familiar thorny stem. He drew out the rose Princess Serenity had given him when they were children - the flower he'd treasured all his life, the symbol of the bond they shared - and threw it with all his might.

A silly gesture, really; a rose couldn't possibly fly that far that fast - but somehow it shot from Endymion's hand to the balcony in the blink of an eye, and rocketed directly between the possessed woman and the Moon Princess.

Then it exploded.

The energy of years of tenderness and devotion burst out of the rose, flooding the balcony with crimson light. Serenity and her attacker were both thrown back by the stored power as velvet petals flew everywhere. Endymion didn't waste a moment wondering how the miracle had occurred. Gathering the energy that had been growing stronger in him ever since he was banished to Earth, the exiled man reached the foot of the balcony and leapt upward. He cleared the railing in one jump and landed smoothly on the trembling marble, the power of his home world tingling throughout his entire body.

For an instant, Endymion's eyes met Serenity's. There was a chilling moment of fear - did she hate him for what he had done? - but the Princess' face flooded with joy and relief almost immediately, a rush of happiness sweeping her own terror away. Endymion's heart leapt with new strength. If she still cared for him, all his efforts were well worth it. He longed to run to her, to hold her in his arms, but there was still a threat to be dealt with.

The creature menacing the Princess turned toward Endymion, still hovering just over the balcony railing. His knees weakened at the sight of the strange woman, twisted and alien and radiating the same chill he had felt from the monoliths on Earth. Was this the incarnation of the thing in the sky? Endymion was in far over his head; he had only wanted to find the Princess and take her somewhere safe. What power he had was no match for this woman and the destructive force she commanded.

The former stable hand drew himself up. He was a servant by birth, but this woman had no way of knowing that; in the armor he'd taken from the palace on Earth he might pass for a great warrior. At the very least, if he got the alien talking, it would give him time to come up with a plan.

He threw out an arm in what he hoped was a confident way and tried not to look at Serenity as he announced, "I will not forgive you if you lay a single finger on the Princess!" The twisted woman looked both shocked and confused.

"Who-"

Endymion leapt, still riding the wave of energy coursing through his blood. He soared across the balcony and came down in front of Serenity, landing lightly and flinging the cape of his armor protectively in front of her. He hoped he looked braver than he felt as he stared into the furious red eyes of the alien.

"Go back to whatever dimension you came from!" he commanded. It was odd how easily an authoritative voice came to him, despite spending his entire life in the lowest class of society.

Not surprisingly, the enemy's response was a peal of horrid laughter. Endymion's cheeks began to burn; she knew he was no warrior, she could see right through his act-

"Dimension?" the witch cackled, as if the very suggestion was hilarious. "Is my home as distant as that to the citizens of the Moon? Can you no longer recognize a human?"

"She says her name is Beryl," the quiet voice of Princess Serenity said behind him. "She is - was - an Earth child." Endymion couldn't stop his eyes from widening in an incredulous stare. The wild-haired, fanged thing in front of him was human? In a swift sweep, he took in the claws, the tapered ears, the horns sprouting from the woman's shoulders. Was this the fate of all those taken over by the evil force, or a consequence of trying to harness it?

Meanwhile, Princess Serenity was caught between terror and elation. She could barely resist the urge to fling herself against Endymion and throw her arms around him. She drank his scent and felt her spirits lift despite the chaos that surrounded her. He had come for her, he had not forgotten her. It was possible... although she barely dared entertain the thought... that he still loved her.

Yet, there was a strangeness about Endymion that sent a nervous thrill through Serenity's core. This was not the same man she remembered. He was stronger, bigger somehow, filled with a power unlike anything the Moon Princess had ever felt before. His aura shielded her from the tainted energy radiating from their hovering enemy, and Serenity felt invigorated, as if there was nothing she could not do with Endymion there to support her.

The eyes of the creature calling herself Queen Beryl narrowed as she glared down at the lovers. "You are of Earth," she observed, her eyes roving over Endymion's dark hair and tanned skin. "Why do you protect the Princess of the Moon?"

Heartened by the fact that he was still alive, Endymion took a deep breath and decided to make one last effort. Maybe the woman would listen to a fellow human.

"Beryl," he announced in a firm, clear voice, keeping a tight grip on his sword, "you have been misguided by the evil energy of Metalia. Do you really believe the destruction of the Moon is in the best interests of Earth? Wake up! Rid yourself of the evil mind!"

A tentative hand crept up Endymion's back and squeezed his shoulder tightly. He longed to spin around and make sure Serenity was all right, but he had to stand firm, had to resist any hint of weakness...

The self-proclaimed Queen chuckled coldly. "With the power of Metalia I shall have all that I ever wanted - all that is rightfully mine! All that she stole from me!" Beryl ranted, with a fierce glare at the pale white face behind Endymion. "What would you know of such things, you... you..."

The fire-haired witch trailed off and her eyes narrowed. Endymion's heart hammered in his chest and his mouth ran dry, but he could not think of a thing to say as he watched the slow realization dawn across Beryl's face. Her gaze darted from Endymion to Serenity, to her hand on his shoulder, and the woman's eyes widened as they blazed like rubies in the darkness.

"YOU!" Beryl roared. Endymion nearly staggered. He knew she had guessed but had not expected as violent a reaction as this; she couldn't possibly recognize him...

"Filth of the streets, and a thief besides!" the menacing creature shrieked, her avenging anger turning to rage. "You dare question me after what you've done? I will kill you too, traitor!" She thrust an arm forward, pointing her scepter straight at Endymion's head. He couldn't help wincing and taking a step backward, but at least he would die protecting his beloved Princess Serenity...

Nothing happened. Endymion looked up at a strange sight. Beryl was trembling, the clawed scepter now held loosely in her hand, and had turned her head to the side with her eyes tightly shut. Her violet lips moved as she muttered words Endymion could not hear. For a moment, he feared she was casting a spell, but Beryl's arm jerked as she appeared to struggle to keep it pointed at the lovers. She seemed to be arguing with herself, fighting against an unseen force.

Scarcely believing his luck, Endymion reached back with his free arm, and warmth flooded his body as the Moon Princess immediately put her soft hand in his. All was not lost; as long as they had each other, there was hope. For Serenity, he was prepared to do anything, fight anyone, but at the moment it was wisest to run away.

Endymion whirled around and ran toward the doors of the Princess' chambers, pulling Serenity along with him. Behind them Beryl shrieked with rage, yelling out words Endymion could not make out over the roaring of his own blood in his ears. If they could get into the castle, the Moon Queen's barrier would protect them -

A bolt of dark lightning stopped Endymion in his tracks. He pulled Serenity to his side as an armored figure materialized in front of the double doors. It was hidden in shadow and Endymion could not see its face, but he could sense the corrupt energy radiating from it like the stench of rotting flesh. Truly this was the darkest enemy save Beryl herself.

Thinking only of securing his beloved's escape from that place, Endymion turned again and ran for the far edge of the balcony, away from both threats. He had scarcely taken a few steps, however, when a rush of wind swept past him and the new arrival again blocked his path. Endymion skidded to a halt as the castle shuddered under him. Serenity gasped in his ear, and her hand both tightened and trembled in his.

"Prince Endymion..."

The exiled stable hand's eyes locked on the Prince of Earth for the first time. He hadn't expected him to be so young. Endymion had always heard the Prince who shared his name also shared his age, but this man had to be at least a year his junior. He wore his aura of evil like a mantle, relying on power to make up for the traces of boyhood still clear on his face. His grin was hauntingly manic, and the corona of auburn hair on his head reminded Endymion painfully of a certain woman lying dead on the distant planet. He gritted his teeth.

"Yes, this will be a more fitting end," Beryl jeered from her perch in the air. "Destroy those who would keep us apart, my love, and we will rule the universe together!"

There was an echoing crack. Endymion did not dare turn around, but a lessening of the heaviness in the air told him Beryl had disappeared. He risked a brief sideways glance at Princess Serenity - and was shocked to see her face wet with tears.

"You... and Beryl?" she asked softly, taking a step toward the Earth Prince. "Prince Endymion... I..." Her grip on her beloved's hand slackened.

"Sere, no!" Endymion cried out as the Prince's eyes flashed. This was hardly the time for sympathy. The auburn-haired man thrust out an arm, and Endymion barely pushed Serenity out of the way in time. The blast of dark energy carved a trench in the balcony between them and crashed into the Queen's barrier with a deafening thunder.

Staggering to remain on his feet, Endymion thought only of getting the Prince away from his beloved before her compassionate heart got her killed. Before the corrupted Earth man could react, Endymion launched himself at the Prince with a roar, and they both toppled over the balcony's railing.

The two men separated in midair, both equally eager to break contact. The Earth Prince's touch was like poisoned needles that sent Endymion shuddering. They pushed away from each other and tumbled toward the ground, Princess Serenity's scream tearing the air around them.

Endymion's newfound power served him well. He twisted upright and landed on his feet, his unusually strong legs automatically bending to absorb the jolt. He pushed off the ground with one hand and was standing in a heartbeat, drawing his sword in the next. His opponent seemed to be gifted with similar agility, and the two men found themselves facing each other across the small courtyard beneath the balcony.

Above them, the Princess was yelling something, but Endymion was fully focused on his opponent and the shining sword in the Prince's hand. Everything he had ever learned from Sir Marton came rushing back to him, crashing over him in waves with each beat of his pounding heart. He was so focused on correcting his stance and grip that he almost missed what was said when the Earth Prince finally spoke.

"That armor," the auburn-haired man said slowly. "How did you... when I never could...?"

Endymion wasn't sure what the Prince was talking about, but his mind flew back to the dark room where he had found the mysterious armor. Already it felt like it had happened years ago, when it had scarcely been an hour. The Earth Prince was eyeing the suit hungrily. Perhaps it was a treasure of the Golden Kingdom's royal family, an enchanted heirloom that chose its own master... but why, then, had it chosen Endymion? Because there was no one else untainted by evil?

"It was waiting for a wearer who was worthy of it," Endymion said aloud. He didn't know if the words were true, nor did he care; they had the desired effect. Prince Endymion bristled and his sword arm shook. The two men began to circle one another, their steps sliding smoothly across the flagstones as their gazes remained locked together.

"How dare you?" the Earth Prince snapped, tightening his grip on the hilt of his weapon. "Peasant scum! How dare you insult the legacy of my house? Who is more worthy than the Crown Prince?"

"It is you who insults it," Endymion shot back boldly. The words were unimportant, even if they happened to be true. What mattered was the Prince's reaction. When his lessons first began, Sir Marton had often gained the upper hand by riling up Endymion's emotions. An angry opponent was a foolish one. "Is this how a Prince serves his people? By selling them into slavery and bending to the will of an evil force?"

"There is no standing against Metalia!" the Earth Prince spat. "The Earth will be stronger for it in the end! It was this or be destroyed!"

Endymion felt the man's tainted aura crackling over his skin. The Prince's rage would drive him to make mistakes, but it also made the darkness that ruled him stronger. Endymion had learned much from his mentor, but he had no idea what skills the Crown Prince of the Golden Kingdom was taught. Would the strange armor and his mysterious powers be enough to save him?

It was time to find out.

"Coward."

The word was calm and quiet, barely audible in the rumbling of the city, but the Prince's reaction was an explosion. He lunged toward Endymion with a roar of rage unlike anything the former stable hand had ever heard, sword hurtling forward in a single straight thrust. Endymion parried, swinging his own blade to knock the Prince's aside. The auburn-haired man was thrown off-balance, but recovered quickly, and whirled around to aim a swipe at his enemy's back. Endymion was already spinning away long before the blade neared him, turning to face his opponent and beginning an attack of his own.

Princess Serenity was yelling something again, but over the crash of blades Endymion could not hear, and to glance away even for a moment would mean death. He was fighting what he now realized was his most hated enemy, the embodiment of everything that had limited his life. Here was a man who, simply by being born to the right parents, was entitled to everything Endymion desired whether he deserved it or not - his training, his respect, his beloved, even his name. At last Endymion had the chance to fight all that he hated on even ground, and to prove he was worth as much as any Prince - no, that he was worth even more.

"Hypocrite!" Prince Endymion shouted accusingly. He pushed back from the dark-haired man and they broke apart for a moment, both gasping for breath. "For your lover, you would have done the same! Admit it!"

"Never," Endymion snapped, his blood boiling indignantly for a moment. "I would never choose the path of evil - nor would my beloved ever give me cause to do so! True love is a force of creation, not destruction!"

"Do you doubt my love?" roared the auburn-haired Prince, his eyes flashing. "If you knew all I have done, all I have sacrificed-"

"I would tell you it was all worth nothing!"

The Earth Prince charged again, his pale face now violet with fury. He seemed to know magical attacks were useless against Endymion's enchanted armor; this battle was a match of swordsmanship alone. Endymion danced backward, blocking the impassioned swipes with the Jovian Silver Wall technique. The Prince was skilled, but his anger made him clumsy, and he was facing a man with the ancient teachings of nine worlds behind his blade. It all came back to Endymion so easily, flashing from his memory to his sword arm with barely a thought... Uranian Feint, Selene's Star, Titan Two-Hand, Crown of Venus... everything he needed to defend when necessary and attack at all the right times. If he ever saw Sir Marton again, Endymion resolved to give him a night on the town... if there were any towns left.

The former stable hand was tiring, however, while Prince Endymion's energy seemed boundless. Every crash of swords sent a painful jar up to the dark-haired man's shoulder, and he found himself resorting to more and more two-handed techniques. Finally, there came an attack he was barely able to block in time. The two men locked swords in a duel of strength, their faces barely a half-arm's length from each other. The Earth Prince pushed against Endymion's blade with what seemed the strength of ten men, and the exiled lover found himself staring into the deep blue eyes of what he was growing to fear was his death.

They were so like the eyes of his enemy's mother, the Queen. All that differed was the light within them; these eyes glittered with taint and malice, while Elana's had shone with love and pain. She had died believing the best of her son, and here the Prince was fighting with monsters on the side of evil. A pang of sorrow on the Earth Queen's behalf twisted within Endymion's heart.

"Your mother is dead, do you know that?" he spat harshly, half hoping to jar the Prince back to his senses with the news of the direst consequence of his actions, but hoping mostly to hurt him. Endymion's arms were shaking as his muscles screamed in agony, but somewhere he found the strength to hold on. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Princess Serenity finally tear her gaze away from the struggling men and disappear into the chambers behind her.

"I know," Prince Endymion replied. A terrible grin spread across his face, and for a moment, the former stable hand feared the man would transform into a true creature of nightmare. "I killed her."

For one heartbeat Endymion nearly faltered, the shock sending a brief pause of weakness from his fingers to his toes. In the next, blinding rage redoubled his strength. The Earth Prince was gifted with so many things Endymion could never possess, and he had squandered it all with his inexplicable greed for more power. Now Endymion found the man had destroyed the very thing the former stable hand craved the most, and the most unattainable - a loving family, a mother and father who treasured him. Had Queen Elana known the identity of her murderer? Had she known, as she begged his forgiveness with her last breath, that the beloved son she believed in so strongly was responsible for her end?

Endymion charged forward with an anguished cry, fresh energy flooding his limbs. Where the Earth Prince let anger shake him, Endymion focused his into strength. His sword, not an heirloom gift but a tool he had worked and saved for, flashed blindingly as it slashed and thrust at its wielder's loathed enemy. If Queen Elana's own son had repaid her loyalty with betrayal, Endymion would avenge her.

The Earth Prince seemed startled by his opponent's sudden fury, and it worked against him, slowing his steps and hindering the motion of his blade. He stumbled backward against a pillar, and this time, when their swords locked together, it was Endymion who had the upper hand.

"How dare you?" the auburn-haired man hissed, glaring up into Endymion's charcoal eyes. "I am the Prince of Earth!"

"I am more a Prince than you'll ever be." Endymion flicked his wrists, and his opponent's sword flew out of his hands. Without hesitation, the former stable hand raised his arms and plunged his blade down the neck of Prince Endymion's armor. The Earth Prince gasped, eyes wide, and his body went rigid as disbelief flooded and then drained from his face. Endymion pulled his sword free as the Prince slumped against the pillar, and watched the blood drip from its blade as the younger man collapsed and lay motionless at his feet.

Endymion had never killed before. A shadow of sorrow touched his heart, but before he had time to feel it, a blood-chilling shriek stripped him to the bone. He whirled around to see Princess Serenity standing in the castle doorway beneath the balcony, utterly stricken with horror. Her wide blue eyes were focused on the lifeless body of her former fiance, her pale hands were pressed to her mouth, and she was screaming as if her very soul was being torn in two.

The sound of it ripped into Endymion's heart like a thousand needles. Throwing his sword aside, he ran toward his beloved, but she backed away from him as if he were the face of evil itself. She stared at him with a mix of utter despair and revulsion, and Endymion was suddenly filled with a remorse so deep he wished he were the one lying dead in the courtyard.

"Serenity," he croaked in a voice full of sand, "I-"

"How could you?!" the Moon Princess screamed, choking on budding sobs. She launched herself at Endymion and began beating him with her fists, her blows landing harmlessly on the enchanted armor as tears poured down her cheeks. "How could you?!"

"I had to," Endymion answered numbly, feeling as though the chill inside him would be with him forever. "He would have killed us both."

"Couldn't you tell he was being controlled?" Serenity demanded, her fists still raining on her lover's chest. "We could have helped him, we could have saved him! We could have brought him back! And now you... you..."

Blood was appearing on Serenity's fingers. Endymion seized them gently, looking down at her with genuine regret. For her, he had defeated the enemy, but that was not the kind of victory his Princess wanted. Despite all the pain Prince Endymion had caused her, Serenity had still wished for his salvation over his death.

"I am sorry," the exiled man said quietly, knowing that no words could never be enough. "I saw no other way."

"There is always another way," Princess Serenity said fiercely, looking up at him with desperate indignance in her eyes. "Promise me you will never take another life!"

With the Moon Kingdom collapsing around them, it seemed an impossible request. How could Endymion protect his beloved if he could not fight their enemies? Surely no warrior had ever been bound by such a restriction. As he looked into his beloved's eyes, however, Endymion knew he could not refuse. Throughout his entire life, he had strived to become a man worthy of the Moon Princess, a man she could love. He could no more deny her this than he could change the color of his hair.

"I promise."

Serenity crumpled against him in relief, and Endymion held her for what felt like the first time in years. He leaned down to press his cheek against her soft colorless hair, closing his eyes to let the warmth of her seep into his skin as her tears soaked his breastplate. She felt smaller in his arms than he remembered, more fragile. Had her skin always been so pale?

For her part, Princess Serenity was utterly overwhelmed. Since leaving Earth, she had been numb to the world around her, immune to its joys and sorrows, caring little if she lived or died. Now that Endymion had returned to claim her, all the walls that surrounded her heart had shattered into dust. Scent and color were restored to the world, and new life flooded her veins with fresh energy. Only now did she fully realize how cold and empty her existence had been. The thought of ever returning to that darkness was dreadful. In that moment, Princess Serenity resolved never to be separated from Endymion again. Wherever he went, even if he ordered her away, she would follow.

The Moon trembled. Serenity opened her eyes as the last of her tears slipped away. Fresh fear was sinking into her now that her reason for living had been restored, but she felt ready to face any danger as long as Endymion was by her side.

"What do we do now?" she asked, not yet raising her head from Endymion's chest, not yet ready to put any distance between them. Endymion breathed her sweet scent and felt her soft skin, and could not imagine leaving that place without her.

"Come to Earth with me."

Princess Serenity turned to him, and Endymion got his first good look at her since the day she came to the Golden City. His mouth went dry. Serenity's eyes were still the same, clear and blue like pure water, but she was thin and pale, nearly ghostlike, with hollow cheeks and faded lips. Endymion had suffered during their separation, but Serenity seemed to have literally wasted away without him. He had thought he was doing the right thing by ending their relationship, but looking at the Moon Princess now, he could not imagine what she had been through. Endymion's grip tightened on his lover's thin frame. It had been wrong to turn her away. He would not make that mistake again.

"Please, Sere. Come away from here with me."

"To Earth?" The Moon Princess bit her lip. She had Endymion back, but nothing had really changed; her duty to her kingdom was still the same. To make matters worse, her world was still under attack. How could she leave when the Moon needed her most?

As she looked around the ruined courtyard, however, Princess Serenity found it hard to believe it was her the kingdom needed. She had no powers like the Sailor Soldiers; what could she do to fight this evil? Queen Serenity had the Silver Crystal; surely it was only a matter of time until all the darkness and destruction was swept away by its light. The role of the Princess had been to secure peace through marriage to the Earth Prince. With Prince Endymion corrupted by evil, and now killed, what more could Princess Serenity do for the Moon?

Her sad eyes turned from her beloved and fell on the lifeless body crumpled beside the broken pillar. Despite all the pains of their betrothal, Prince Endymion had been honest with Serenity before he left her. He had died because he had gone to seek his love, and had fallen victim to the evil that had already taken Beryl... but wasn't it better to die following your heart than to live denying it? After all she had been through, the Moon Princess was beginning to think so. She had followed the rules and tragedy had struck, but if they had all been honest about their feelings from the beginning, together they might have averted it. It seemed a dishonor to Prince Endymion's memory not to follow her heart now.

"All right. I will go with you."

As she said the words, Princess Serenity felt a strange strength enter her heart. This wasn't like her previous attempt to flee with Endymion, a mere lover's fancy half-entrenched in doubt. This was a life decision, a firm conviction she could proudly stand on without trembling. Serenity had finally decided once and for all that her future lay with Endymion, and wherever that took her, she was prepared to follow.

Despite the chaos raging around them, they kissed.

The destruction of the world where Serenity and Endymion grew up faded into the background, ever-present but secondary to this moment. From different worlds and opposite ends of society they had found each other, and nothing mattered more than that miracle, than the unity of two hearts beating in time. Princess Serenity felt only peace, Endymion's arms steadying her against the shaking of the ground beneath her feet and his warmth warding off the growing chill in the air. With this heart and these arms and these kisses, she could survive anything, and anywhere would be home. Even if they died right there in one another's embrace, Serenity's life would be complete.

~Until we break and shatter, just keep holding me.~

It was Endymion who pulled back first, reluctantly, fighting the urge to lean back for another taste of his beloved's lips. Although he felt as if nothing could harm him as long as they were together, the danger was very real. He gazed longingly into the pools of Serenity's eyes but forced himself to speak.

"There will be plenty of time later," he said, reminding himself as much as Serenity.

"Yes," his beloved replied, taking his rough hand in hers. "The rest of our lives."

Princess Serenity averted her eyes while Endymion retrieved his sword and wiped it clean on the grass. He sheathed it when he was finished, nodding to acknowledge his lover's silent plea not to use it. He could only hope they would make it to a place of safety before Endymion's promise was tested.

A moment later they were running, hand in hand, clumsily navigating the labyrinth of detritus scattered by the crumbling castle. Serenity could not help but feel a slight unease - why was her mother hesitating to use the Silver Crystal? - but none of that mattered now.

"How will we get to Earth?" the Princess asked as Endymion helped her across a rocky stream spewing from a broken fountain. "The teleportation centers are so far..."

"The castle platform is still active," Endymion told her. "When I arrived, it was unguarded. With luck, it will be that way still."

He squeezed Serenity's hand, the touch of her soft skin warming him from head to toe. It seemed unbelievable. Endymion's mission had succeeded, he had found the Moon Princess, she was safe, and they were always going to be together from now on. A distant piece of him was saddened by the state of the Moon and worried about the friends he had had here, but it was all overwhelmed by the happiness bubbling inside him. Serenity was coming to Earth. They were going to have a life together. Perhaps when they were out of harm's way, the winged horse would reappear and explain all the lingering mysteries to him. With his beloved by his side, Endymion would be ready for anything it had to say.

The Moon Princess was excited as well, if a bit fearful of the unknown, but it was not as easy for her to push her other emotions aside. They were running around the outside of the Moon Castle, as most of the passages inside were choked with debris, and Serenity found herself bidding a silent farewell to the only home she had ever known. There had been happy times here, when she was younger, and seeing the gardens she had loved reduced to rubble brought stinging tears to the Princess' eyes. In these courtyards she had played with her guardians, the Sailor Soldiers... They had been at odds, but it was a pity she would not be able to see them one last time... to show them once and for all that she would not be separated from Endymion, if nothing else.

Suddenly the world shuddered as a wretched scream filled the air. It howled in Serenity's ears like the shrieking of the very soul of a planet, making her heart leap into her throat and her muscles convulse in shock. She tripped, and Endymion caught her, but from the terror on his face Serenity knew she wasn't the only one to hear the terrible sound. They huddled together for a moment, trembling, as the scream cut into their bones and made them feel they would never hear properly again.


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In the heart of the castle, Queen Serenity heard it and hurried toward the sound, fearful of what it might mean. The two Mauans shifted into their feline forms and ran ahead.

In a ruined garden, the Sailor Soldiers heard it and likewise ran toward the source despite their protesting hearts. Their opponents, the Four Generals, also heard it and knew instantly what had happened. Filled with a fresh rage, the tainted mages also began to seek the cry's origin.

The scream went on and on, seeming to stretch into forever, rending the sky apart with anguish. In the city, Lunarians and humans alike paused in their struggle, unable to do more than suffer beneath the onslaught of the sound.


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When it stopped, everything fell eerily silent. The ground stopped shaking. The dark clouds stopped rumbling and flashing. The Moon went black, but nothing made a sound, nothing moved except Princess Serenity's heart, which pounded so wildly she thought it would burst from her chest. She was filled with a terrifying sense of frantic urgency. Something was coming, something terrible, something filled with rage and pain and rapidly drawing closer...

In unison, the lovers leapt to their feet. Serenity felt Endymion's hand sweating in hers and knew he sensed it too, the need to flee, the overwhelming darkness bearing down upon them. They did not pause to speak or ask questions but immediately began running, hearts pounding together as they fled their approaching foe. In an instant, the last corner of the Moon Castle was behind them and the great front staircase stretched out before them, rising from the lovers' feet to the grand double doors high above. The pair did not hesitate to rush up the marble steps, but something deep inside them wailed that there was no hope, cried out that this was as inevitable as the fates they sought to escape.

"YOOOOOOU!"

The Moon Princess stopped short and pulled Endymion back as a familiar red glow erupted at the top of the staircase, between the lovers and the grand entrance to the castle. Endymion shielded his eyes from the blood-red brightness, but Serenity clung to his arm as the tall shape of Beryl materialized before them. The force of the woman's fury nearly sent Serenity stumbling back. Her angular face was twisted with anguish, and she seemed caught between screaming and sobbing.

"You killed him!" Beryl shouted, her talons drawing blood from her own palms. "You killed him!"

"You set him on us," Endymion croaked defensively. His hand went to the hilt of the sword at his hip, but he remembered his beloved's tearful face and left the weapon in its sheath.

"You monster!" the woman calling herself Queen roared. "I'll kill you!" Beryl took a step forward, and Endymion backed down the staircase, pushing Serenity behind him, hoping his armor would protect them both... but the dark Queen stumbled to a stop and her hands jerked convulsively.

"Why do you stop me?" Beryl cried to no one in particular. Her head rolled on her neck, her tiara sparked with crimson light. Suddenly her entire body jerked violently and then stilled. Beryl raised her head. She smiled sweetly, fangs curving over violet lips. She blinked at Endymion as if seeing him with new eyes.

"Why do you choose that girl?" Beryl asked in a voice that was not quite her own. It shivered with a tainted echo that whispered of shadows and tangible nightmares. Her hair seemed eerily redder, the horns protruding from her shoulders longer. "Join me, child," she implored in a tone that was more a hiss than a purr. Endymion was struck by the sudden sense of countless years, of an ancient presence far older than the woman standing before him.

"Join me and fight against those that would keep you down." Beryl began to descend the stairs toward the lovers. She moved jerkily, like a puppet. Endymion stepped sideways as he backed away, not willing to be driven further from their goal but not wanting to be any closer to this creature. She allowed them their space, descending at a distance until they stood on the same stair.

"I will not listen, demon." Endymion squeezed the Princess' hand and judged the distance to the top of the staircase out of the corner of his eye. If they ran, could they make it? Did the Queen's protection cover this section of the castle, or would they still be vulnerable inside?

"The Moon is not your friend, child," the thing that was not quite Beryl continued. It clutched its scepter awkwardly, as if it had never had hands before. "It made you a servant when you should have been a King. It kept you from your proper place for all these years. Join me, and your title will be restored to you. Your true name, Endymion - I know it well. You are the true Prince of Earth."

Endymion's heart skipped a beat, but an automatic chuckle of disbelief burst from his lips. He tingled from head to toe, his fingers went numb and he could no longer feel Serenity's hand in his - but it was such an obvious ploy. He had proven himself to be a skilled fighter, and now the enemy sought to secure his allegiance with promises of power.

"You lie," he spat easily. Something inside him was burning, but Endymion pushed it aside and shook himself until he could feel his beloved's warmth again. There was no response from Beryl. She was once again trembling, her eyes tightly closed, fighting an internal battle against something no one could see. Endymion had just made up his mind to run when Beryl let out a sudden shout.

"Metalia!" This cry was in Beryl's own voice. Her eyes opened and they were hers again, but her attention was focused somewhere inside herself. "What is the meaning of this?" the Earth woman demanded fiercely. "I do not want this - this scum!" she hissed, gesturing at Endymion with disgust. "How dare you give him my Prince's name! You promised Endymion to me, Metalia - you promised if I joined with you, we could be together!"

A flash of indignant pride flared within the elder Endymion, fueled by a sense of self-worth he had not realized he possessed. He might not be a Prince, but he was as good as one, better in fact than the man who lay dead beneath the Princess' balcony. He was protecting his true love, which was more than the Earth Prince had ever done.

"I AM Endymion," he said sharply. "Grant me that, at least."

"Yes." Beryl shuddered again, and the false smile returned to her face. Her eyes became glassy and empty as the fire within them was replaced by shadows. Something in the expression became searching, hungry. "You carry the light the other one did not," the thing said. "You are the Earth Prince Endymion. You must know it to be true, the power is within you."

"You lie," Endymion said again, but this time he was not so sure. He had never known his origin. Being on Earth had given him powers he did not understand and could not explain. Beryl - or the thing that had possessed her - knew that, and his true name. Could it be possible?

"Join me," the lips of Queen Beryl insisted, sensing his uncertainty. "Leave her..."

"No." It had to be a trick. Even if it was not, he would never ally himself with this dark creature. Endymion would learn about his powers and his past on his own, with Serenity by his side. She was all he needed. "I will never join you. Sere is more valuable to me than anything - even a crown."

Endymion tried to back away from Beryl, but met resistance. Princess Serenity had not moved. She held her beloved's hand as if it were a lifeline, but her gaze was focused on Beryl, and her clear blue eyes were wide with horror and tears. For love Beryl had given herself over to evil, for love she had sacrificed everything she had, for love she had even surrendered her own body. Metalia had promised her nothing more than what the Moon Princess wanted for herself, and now not even Beryl's mind was fully her own. Was Serenity really all that different? Were she in Beryl's place, might Serenity not have done the same?

Although Endymion tried to pull her back, the Princess took a step forward. Her face shone with concern and sympathy. The thing that was both Beryl and Metalia looked at her oddly, as if unsure what to make of her.

"It's all gotten out of hand, but it's not too late," the Moon Princess said gently. "You can still escape." Her eyes roamed over the twisted body of the self-proclaimed Queen, the chain of white flowers around Beryl's waist a sad remnant of the beautiful woman she had been. "Look at you. Prince Endymion wouldn't have wanted you to come to this."

Metalia did not have to fuel Beryl's reaction. Her face contorted in a rage that was all her own, her red hair sparking with dark lightning as her eyes flashed.

"How dare you?" she hissed. "How dare you presume to know what my beloved would have wanted?! Foul creature! How dare you speak his name?!" Beryl reached out. Dark clouds gathered between her hands and solidified into a black blade steeped in shadow. "Because of you, all this has happened. Because of you, I have lost everything! How dare you offer me mercy? Me, who will be Queen of all the worlds?"

Endymion tugged at the Princess' hand in alarm, but she would not move. He drew his own sword with his free hand, but what could he do? Even were he not bound by his promise not to take another life, Beryl was protected by more magic than he could fathom. If they ran, they would never reach the castle doors alive.

A foul wind was beginning to blow, and the Moon rumbled afresh beneath their feet. A wild grin slowly spread across Beryl's face. She hefted the sword in her hands. A dark mist began to gather behind her, as if the sinister clouds overhead were pouring down from the sky. Violent red rips appeared in the mist, forming a grin that mirrored Beryl's. Endymion's breath caught in his throat and his heart pounded until its rushing in his ears was louder than the wind.

"I will have my revenge, on one if not the other!" Beryl declared, her fangs glinting and her eyes glowing. "If we must have this stable boy as Prince, I will at least take his beloved from him as he has taken mine!"

Beryl raised the sword over her head, eyes locked on Princess Serenity, murder in her heart. In an instant, Endymion made his decision. He was forbidden to kill, but neither could he let his beloved Princess die, not when anything could be done to save her. He could only hope she would have the sense to save herself when it was all over.

He squeezed the soft hand in his and yanked it toward him. As Beryl lunged, Serenity tumbled into Endymion's arms and he pulled her around, putting himself between his lover and her would-be murderer. With his back to the oncoming strike, he gazed down at the pale and startled face of the Moon Princess and etched every feature into his memory, from the crescent moon on her forehead to her parted rosy lips.

The blade hit him like the crushing blow of a horse's hoof. White-hot pain ripped into Endymion's spine, and he threw his head back so Serenity would not see the agony on his face. His lungs tried to gasp, but his muscles refused to obey, his entire body seized by the shock of the strike. A chilling numbness swept from his neck to his feet in a sickening wave and his heart choked in his chest. The Princess' warmth was still pressed against him, but it was fading, as were the light and the air.

Endymion found himself staring at the darkening sky above him. It was choked with sinister clouds, but somewhere past them was the Earth, and the answers to all the questions he would never hear. Somehow none of it mattered anymore.

It was fitting, really...

As he had lived for her, so he died for her...

The last thing Endymion heard was Princess Serenity's scream ringing in his ears.


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Serenity clung to her beloved as he went limp in her arms, his hands falling away from her, his legs crumpling beneath him. She dropped to her knees as his weight bore her to the ground, his head lolling limply to the side.

"Endymion." The Moon Princess seized him by the shoulders, touched his cheeks, stroked his hair. "Endymion! Open your eyes!"

A deep chill was spreading within Serenity, flooding outward from a place in her heart that was suddenly empty and cold. Beryl was standing over her, once again struggling with the force that controlled her, her body shaking with spasms as she was punished by something unseen. In the distance, the four Sailor Soldiers were running across the flattened gardens toward the Moon Castle. Behind them, the Four Generals hovered frozen in midair, stopped in their tracks by the sight of the body on the stairs. Princess Serenity noticed nothing but the deep red liquid dripping down the marble staircase, and the face in her lap that was paler than it had ever been.

"No! No, no, no, no, no!" Serenity was seized by nausea, and the Moon spun around her as she grasped at her beloved's motionless form. This couldn't be happening. Endymion had come for her, and they were going to Earth. They were going to live on Earth together, away from all this, and be happy. It was a trick... Endymion was only pretending, to fool Beryl. "Endymion! Open your eyes!"

Even as she pleaded with him, the crystal-haired Princess knew somewhere within herself that Endymion could not hear her. He was gone, not only from the body in her arms but from somewhere inside her, somewhere that could never lie. Even the scent of roses that had surrounded the Earth-born man as long as Serenity had known him was fading, borne away by the rushing wind. Serenity shuddered all over, the cold inside her deepening and spreading until she felt it would utterly consume her.

"NO! ENDYMION!" The scream tore at Serenity's throat as she pressed her hands to her head, as if she could stem the tide of emptiness inside her, as if her beloved would hear her cries and come back to her. Tears stung the corners of her eyes, but the pain was too much to feel, too intense even to weep from. The most precious part of her life was gone, and with it the most precious part of herself. She was alone.

What was left for Serenity now? She looked up at the world around her with clouded eyes. Her kingdom was broken and shattered. Her friends were nearly strangers to her. Her mother had sacrificed love for duty and expected the Princess to do the same. None of them could ever understand, and the one person who had...

Serenity gazed down at the broken and lifeless body on the stairs. Her eyes roamed from Endymion's pale face - so serene, as if he were merely asleep - to the sword that lay beside him. As if in a dream, she reached out and caressed the hilt with her fingers. Such a dreadful thing, a weapon that caused such pain... but also an instrument of change, a tool that made things happen. There was no one else to act for Serenity now. The Sailor Soldiers were drawing nearer, running and calling out, but for the moment Princess Serenity was completely on her own. What should she do?

Her fingers closed around the hilt of her beloved's sword and pulled it close. She looked up at the woman who had taken Endymion's life. She was still caught in her struggle with Metalia, not even watching Serenity. Clearly, Beryl expected nothing from the pampered Moon Princess. Serenity regarded her numbly for a moment. She could have the blade through Beryl's chest before the Earth woman even noticed she had moved. But what would happen then? The cycle of revenge would continue, and while it turned, Serenity would be locked back into a life of duty and responsibility, a life that was not her own. She could not face that without Endymion.

The face of her beloved was so peaceful, so tranquil. Endymion was free, safe from all this, far from the anguish and the choices and the fighting. Serenity wanted that peace, hungered for it, longed for freedom from the aching numbness in her body and the screaming of her heart. She could have it, if that was what she truly wanted. Her grip on Endymion's sword tightened.

It was said that souls could be reborn, that people could live new lifetimes again and again. If only they had been born on the same planet, they might have lived happily together. Perhaps next time, Endymion's life would be happy... but Serenity did not want him to start a new life without her any more than she wanted to continue hers without him.

Someone was calling her name. Through swimming eyes, the Moon Princess saw her mother standing at the top of the grand staircase, the cats Luna and Artemis at her feet. Opposite them, the Sailor Soldiers had reached the bottom of the steps and were racing upward, fear and determination on their faces. When they reached the Princess it would all be over, her moment to make her own choice would be at an end. She had only a moment to decide - her kingdom, or her lover?

It was not really a choice. Princess Serenity had already resolved to follow Endymion to the end of her days, wherever that might take her. Her duty to him had long ago surpassed any other, and she could no more go on without him than she could live without air.

She lifted her beloved's sword in both hands and rested the point against her chest. The blade was well cared for and sharp; a bead of crimson blood welled up as its point bit into the Princess' flawless alabaster skin.

"Endymion."

Princess Serenity firmed her grip on the sword's hilt, closed her eyes, and thrust.

For a moment, the pain was more intense than anything Serenity had ever felt. The sword cut into her as if she were little more than smoke, and for a dreadful instant she struggled against the desperate instinct to pull it out. Blinding agony flooded her chest and stole her breath away, but Serenity bore it without crying out, determined to be as strong as her lover had been.

Her ears were filled with screaming, but none of it was her own. Princess Serenity swayed as her life's blood poured out over her white dress, taking with it all her energy but also all the pain. A blessed numbness stole over her, and she tipped forward, her head landing on Endymion's motionless chest.

Through blurred eyes she saw Sailor Venus charging toward Beryl, her face streaked with tears, the legendary stone sword of the Moon Kingdom raised in her hands. The air was filled with cries and strange words, but all of it seemed muted, muffled, far away. The Moon and its struggles were none of Serenity's concern anymore.

The Princess closed her eyes as the world began to darken and her heart and lungs struggled in her chest. The sword stuck out awkwardly, but she couldn't feel it anymore. It was all over, all the struggle and pain and suffering. Wherever she was going, Serenity and Endymion would go there together. No one could separate them anymore.

~Endymion... Next time, we will be reborn on the same planet, and we will be happy.~

With her last thought, Princess Serenity focused on the Silver Crystal, wherever it was. As her mind slipped into silence, she prayed it would hear her last wish.

~Protect us, and next time, make us happy.~


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End of Chapter Sixteen

*An epilogue will be posted next week.*

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"Against All Odds" fanfiction copyright 2007 by dejanatalis@aol.com
Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon and its associated characters and canon belong to Naoko Takeuchi and Kodansha. The text of this creative work was created by dejanatalis@aol.com and is her exclusive property. Not to be used without permission. Sailor Moon Says: Don't steal! ^.^