"For Serenity's Sake"
By: Isis @}->--
isis@moonkingdom.com
Rated: G
Disclaimers: Please do not copy.
AN: Never give up hope, all is not lost until each of us looses faith
in ourselves, in each other, and in the purpose to which we were
called. Dedicated to those you continue to fight when odds are
stacked against them. (There is a saiya-jin in all of us! ;) *Note
this is a Dragon Ball joke and not intended for any who have not
seen at least part of that series.
Chapter 10
@}->--
With a massive sweep of bent reality, both the forms of Endymion
and Styx were swallowed whole and taken from the scene of the
attack.
Rei had never trusted the gentile, soft-spoken, red-eyed witch. She
had known all along that there was something wrong with her, and
now it seemed that her instincts had been right. Though what good
it would do her now she did not know, although she would wager
that Serenity had been ripped away likewise.
Unfortunately she did not have the time to put all of the pieces
together. Their opponent was visibly weakening, yet with his
irritating ability to remove himself from their snares he was
proving more and more illusive to capture, and capture seemed the
last thing on his mind.
Though weak enough that it appeared he could not transport
himself far enough out of their reach to escape, he was making it
difficult to follow as he bound through the gardens. His powers
were enough to fry Lita the first time she went up one on one with
his firry electricity. Since, they had been attempting double and
triple teams, aligning themselves with the four Earth generals.
Jadeite was still picking himself out of the bushes behind her as he
had gotten in too close when she let go of her last barrage. Mina
and Kunzite angled in from opposite corners with Ami having laid
down a cover of a freezing mist that appeared to have quite an
adverse effect on this enemy's sunny disposition.
But the object of their attack faked again and was gone a second
before the two hit, leaving them instead to wrap around each other
and spill onto the rock pathway, attempting to avoid their own
attacks.
Lady Mercury's fog allowed them the surprise factor, but it also
left them partially blind as well. Rei swept her gaze around the
area in search of the landing point for this poltergeist, yet it was
not until she was hit from behind and forced to acquaint herself
with the ground rather intimately, that he showed himself.
A bright blast of snaking orange light filtered over her and
whatever dead weight had landed upon her back. She heard Ami's
cry for her Mercury power of an icy blast and felt the effects
through the tatters of her gown, which now lay mostly around her
lower back. How she wished she could get her comfortable
practice garments… of course, part of their duty was to be able to
fight in skirts and heels.
She rose herself and dislodged the lump that had landed on her, but
was surprised when it groaned. "What the…?" She turned to see
Jadeite lying next to her on the stone of the path, attempting to
clutch his left shoulder blade area that had apparently gotten
smoked by that blast that went over them. Pieces of his jacket had
fallen away to reveal a tangled mess of his armor.
He levered himself up with is good arm and looked back to were
Ami's attack had succeeded in knocking their adversary off his feet
and against a rock wall. He sighed once and looked back to Rei,
"Some thanks I get for saving you."
Her jaw worked a bit before she found her, rather indignant, voice.
"Save me? You tried to crush me!"
"Yeah, well, I do not see you burnt to a cinder."
"Oh I can show you a cinder," she added, the goddess of fire
knowing that threat well.
"You already have," he mumbled, attempting to gain his feet.
"You are supposed to spare the people on your side, not fry the
whole lot of us." In his attempt to get up he swatted at the remains
of her skirt, knotted around her legs improperly, and stumbled a
bit.
Rei huffed an outraged cry and stood, smoothing what was left of
her skirt mockingly, and marching after her inexplicably evil ally.
They walked over to where the others were gathering around the
fallen prey and Rei caught up easily. "If you were not in my way,
you would not have gotten burned," she huffed. "Maybe next time
you will attempt to be productive in a fight."
"Productive?" he said sarcastically. "Humorous coming from
someone I saved."
"Oh," she stated, stopping and facing him full focus. "Forgive me,
your Lordship. Please, allow me to pat you on the back," she said,
swatting her hand across his melted metal clad shoulder.
She was rewarded with a holler of pain before turning to see that
their captive had once more escaped their grasps. "Oh, by the
Divine Fire…"
"You are what?"
She laughed at the reference. "I am what shall be known as the
guardian of space."
"Space has a guardian?" Serenity asked, still snuggled in
Endymion's arms.
The woman, or the figure of one anyway, nodded to her gently.
"Indeed, though I am much different from the identity of the
planetary guardians." She paused and turned slightly to Styx still
behind them. "Are I not Lady Pluto?"
"Pluto?" they both echoed together.
Styx finally raised her eyes and walked forward, carrying her staff
in hand. "Indeed we both are." Stepping up aside Space she
bowed a bit. "I am sorry for having deceived you, Endymion."
Serenity looked up at her husband but could not tell what he must
have been feeling.
"My guardian planet is not Earth, but Pluto; a planet long dead and
forgotten by those who had attempted to settle its hostile
environment. Yet just as the inner planets have powers so too does
the icy planet of death, and I am the only one to tap those powers."
"Yet, you controlled a piece of Earth's crystal?" he asked.
"I did so by my abilities to understand the mysteries of my own
crystal," she said looking up towards the orb that sat atop her staff.
"Note that I did not control it at all well compared with you and
Kallisto."
He nodded again and Serenity was getting a headache from all of
this information, and from having to look up at Endymion. She
could not place why, yet she felt no hostility from these two…
even if she did not understand them. "How did you become the
guardian of a dead planet?" she asked instead.
"I do not know," she confessed.
"None of us do," Lady Space added.
"None?"
She nodded, turning slightly she called the orb of light over to her
and it floated between them at her arm's length. "There is more
than one planet that was unable to be habited."
The orb grew to a flat disk within the space between them, and a
little revolving Solar System showed itself to the group. The inner
rocky planets showed up with their solar symbols prominent as
well as Jupiter's bulk dotted with the floating cloud cities and the
colonies on its outer moons that allowed habitation. Yet the other
outer planets were dark and seemingly lifeless, yet they also
glowed with symbols.
"Each of the other planets still has a single guardian remaining,
holding the powers of once sought for livelihood of those that had
attempted to train these worlds for life. As they are uncalled on
now, and unneeded, the others remain asleep, awaiting a day that
will come when their strength is needed." She looked towards the
guardian of Pluto, "And it is then that we will call."
Pluto raised her eyes again. "This is not my first life, nor shall it
be my last, I am the keeper of Time, and my duty is eternal
vigilance and unrest."
"As is mine," Space added. "Though I myself have no power to
influence physically the events of these worlds, I am eternal in
vigilance and undying. Were I ever human, I know not."
"Yet you control space," Endymion stated.
"I control nothing. I am not God, nor am I able to fight on one side
or another, but I shall remain forever committed to seeing the more
outstanding win. That is why I was intrigued by your cause," she
gazed at the two of them. "The two of you shall begin history
again and again."
Serenity looked up to see Endymion looking back to her, yet
neither of them understood.
"This will be the first of many problems that you shall be in need
of overcoming," she sited as she turned and retreated a ways away.
"But this is the one that I am helping you with," she smiled and
seated herself again on the figment of a thrown.
The little model Solar System folded itself up and with a motion of
her hand it returned to her side and a silver staff materialized that
held it in much the same style that Pluto's did.
"Then you are apparently not the one that we have been fighting
against," Endymion ventured.
She smiled, "No."
"No," Serenity interjected very softly, "I know who is."
The other three turned to focus on her as she looked up to the man
that she had come to know as her whole. "Your opposer, High
Council Loki…"
He looked at her insanely, but Space interjected, "You are right,
and you have come far, Princess. Loki is not who you think he is.
He is truly the only living descendent of the former Sun Kingdom
that was destroyed before your births. The cause of its power was
whipped out by the natural power that could never be harvested by
a crystal. Yet Loki survived and with a power that intense has
remained alive and bitter. His powers are great, but he is old and, I
am afraid, senile."
The mater-of-fact tone of her voice almost implied a boredom, yet
Serenity could think of only the fact that she had heard it in his
voice when he threatened her. She had known her High Council
member and, with enough pause to think back on it, she knew for
sure that he was the one hunting her life, attempting to show the
Earth as being to blame.
It seemed that she truly did pick the most inappropriate time to
create a backbone for herself with him… "Yet, was he also the
one that attacked us on Earth?"
She nodded, "It was up to 'Lady Styx' to make sure that he did not
succeed, but he struck before we had anticipated… after all, even
guardians are fallible."
"Then he is the one that must be brought to justice," Endymion
said quietly.
"Were that possible, yes. Yet Loki is too old to care for his life, he
would rather allow himself death now and do what he seems to feel
is right."
"And that is to kill me," Serenity murmured.
"The Councilor sees you as a defect to the stability of the System.
He also believes that you, Endymion, will spread ruin to the
Moon's rule. He is paranoid over loosing power as he once did
with the loss of his kingdom."
Serenity disentangled herself from Endymion and took a brave step
forward. "As the over-seer of space… Do you believe that I am
fit to rule?" she asked, voice wavering only once.
There was a surprised silence in this void without sound, yet Space
gazed at her quietly before responding. "No."
The princess nodded and turned her gaze away from them.
"It is a blessing then, that you were never meant to rule alone."
She looked back up to her as she felt the prince wrap his hands
around her arms. Gazing up she caught his eyes and knew that her
words were true. Slowly she closed her eyes again and leaned
back into what had become fully her strength and her help.
"Neither of you were meant to be individual on this path. I dare
say that I had the utmost of doubts once this started," she paused
looking that the two, "but I have come to other conclusions."
Serenity smiled at the reference and she felt Endymion brush a
slight kiss on her forehead before straightening his height. "You
have to return me," he stated. "There must be a way to defeat
Loki."
The lady of Night looked up to her companion who nodded back.
"Very well, but be cautious. And," she said rising once more,
"remember."
The blinding light of power shone enough that Endymion did not
notice the blackness close in on them until he found himself
standing behind a still raging battle with Serenity no longer by his
side, which again hurt as the ache in his shoulder and rib cage
returned to their whining.
One flash of the orange light, of what he had come to know as the
Sun's descendent power, lit the dark scene, and by now the area
was crawled over with the palace guards unable to do much but
watch the eight warriors that were tossed away from the elderly
figure hiding behind the cloak of black. The group fell back again,
unable to gather themselves close enough, though it seemed the
other was not moving more than he was attempting to forestall
their on slot.
Endymion pressed forward and came up next to Kunzite, hunched
down and holding a gash across his right thigh as well.
"Endymion?" he questioned, seeing his prince alive and with them
again.
The prince only nodded, not taking the time to explain his state.
Taking a quick survey around the perimeter group he could see
that no one, man or woman, had escaped injury. And their
opponent was no exception. Tears and cuts were visible even in
the shallow light given off by the crackling orange electricity that
now constantly encircled him.
Growing in strength, the flashes grew more insistent, and their
adversary took to his feet once more, seemingly hauled there by
the force of the tide traveling through him. Endymion had the
growing sensation of tragedy as he noted how Loki's body was
merely being subjugated to the whims of his insane mind… "Loki
is too old to care for his life, he would rather allow himself death
now and do what he seems to feel is right."
"He will not stop," he said to himself.
"We noticed," Mina stated sarcastically from her position as she
hurriedly attempted to bind Kunzite's wound with what had been
part of her gown, much against his protests.
"No, I mean he will destroy the entire palace, himself with it, if
allowed." He continued to gaze at the insane Nobleman as the
power striding around his battered body concentrated ever more.
A surprise attack hit from opposite sides as Lita and Nephrite both
crashed into view, rolling as they unleashed their powers to
remove themselves from danger again. Yet the attacks deflected
from the glowing static ball, the body inside of it rocking only
slightly.
"He is no longer there," Endymion breathed, staring at the body
held upright only by the river of energy that pulsed around it.
Loki, with his bi-location was no longer within the shell of his
existence. As a man abandoning a dying ship, he was preparing is
own death pyre and was intent upon taking the rest of them to hell
with him.
Endymion stood from his place and screamed for his guardians.
They had to dislodge this power before it was released with its
purpose. The others stood to face their threat, invoking no
response from the apparition other than the growing power of
nuclear fusion.
Serenity found herself placed into the same row of roses that she
had been tripped up in. The swelling of the black of night closed
quickly behind her as it receded away. Not a second after she was
left to her surroundings did an insistent ache at the side of her head
cause her to fold at the knees and brace herself against the ground
that she believed should not have been spinning. She heard a shout
come from somewhere in the pain-induced reality that she had
been thrust into, yet before she could rise to see what was
happening she felt two hands attach themselves to her arms and a
body fall to the ground beside her.
She snapped her head back in fear and only managed to make her
mind swim enough that she nearly passed out. But the arms that
had wrapped themselves around her carefully laid her back and a
voice sounded in her ears again. Insistent, worried, commanding,
though she did not recognize it.
"Princess Serenity?" it said again once her ears were freed from
the blocking cotton of pain enough. Looking up carefully she saw
a torch barer standing over her and the man crouched beside her
was her own captain of the guards, her handmaid's husband.
"Balder?" she choked, coughing slightly. He did not respond but
instead helped her to a sitting position and gentle lent her a hand in
keeping her up right.
"What happened?" she asked quietly.
"You appeared from no where and seem to be hurt," he stated,
motioning the torch over farther. "We feared the worst out here,
Highness, but we must move you to a safer place."
"Loki," she breathed.
"What, Highness?" he asked peering into her wide eyes with his
own dark colored ones, attempting to find what injured her.
"High Council Loki, he is the one attacking us," she stated
frantically, causing her head to hurt just that much more.
"Whoa, whoa," he said attempting to get her to calm down once
more. "The Councilor? Why should he have reason to attack you,
Highness?"
"He is—"
"Captain!"
The other snapped his attention to the man calling his title and
motioned the younger recruit over. In this youngster's hands lay
the body of a black cat, one that held the symbol of a golden
crescent moon on the fur of its forehead…
"Luna!" she cried, tearing from the arms of Balder and bitterly
fighting back the wave of blackness that surrounded her. "Give
her to me!" she commanded as she crawled forward to her teacher
and friend.
The man, after a bit of hesitation, did as he was told and gently laid
the limp body in her arms. The tears had already started, yet the
princess did not notice them as her mind desperately fought the
thoughts that continued to run through it.
The fur on one side of the feline body was matted, and with a soft
touch her fingers came away with a dark stain that appeared almost
black in the dim torchlight… "Luna?" she questioned the little
body so softly that the men surrounding her could never have
heard.
One of her tears dripped down her chin and off again as it landed
in the fur of the neckline of this squatted soul. Distantly she heard
an echo in her mind… "Serenity please, you know how terrible my
fur looks when it gets wet!"
"Luna!" she cried again, cradling the form in her arms and
hunching over her. "No!"
She closed her eyes tightly and kept on whispering, "no, please
no." Yet something lit inside of her as the seconds ticked on. She
had to do something, there had to be something to be done…
And as she prayed for determination, the others still gathered
around her would later swear that they saw an aura of silver
overtake her shape.
"Stand together!" he cried. "We only have one shot at this,"
Endymion commanded the assembled guardians. The nine of them
stood, surrounding their opponent and building their energy for one
last effort to disrupt the intent of this madman.
The other bad thing about insanity was that it seemed to increase
power levels.
The scene, had it not been quite so dire, would have been rather
spectacular with the growing auras of five different colors as the
guardians pulled power from the crystals of their homes. His four
generals stood closer by and a gilded glow lit from the group as
they concentrated. Ami stood bathed in the blue light of Mercury,
Mina likewise was wrapped in the sunshine yellow of Venus, Rei
was clothed in the red of Mars, and Lita excreted the green of her
home, Jupiter.
Yet they were running out of time as the orange of their opponent
flashed once, and then again, and lit itself into a solid ball
surrounding the mindless body inside. Flashes showed the
unstable balance of this makeshift sun, and they were about to be
the closest spectators to ever stand witness to a supernova.
The group was fully prepared to act not as much as a deterrent, but
as a defensive line in order to block the wave from the rest of the
Moon's capital. Endymion opened his eyes for the last time in
order to watch their assassin. This was very possibly their last
stand, as the energy may not get passed them, yet it could very
easily burn through their own defenses…
"Space, was this in your little crystal ball?" he asked himself,
thinking of nothing but Serenity and strengthening himself all he
could in order to protect her… To protect his life, should he die
here.
He closed his eyes again, feeling the swell of power and the
beating of his heart… along with a small ache.
The moment did not last as the on slot started much before he
would have wished. The ball flared out and the connection of the
powers surrounding it was the only thing that contained it within
their boundaries. Yet that was only the final flash. With the speed
of light the ball imploded again to a pinpoint as the body that had
once been Loki dissolved into the fray as the energy collided with
an ear shattering snap and sprinted out in a shockwave.
Endymion braced himself to hold off this massive attack as long as
his body was capable… yet it did not come.
Without a split second he opened his eyes to behold the twisting
ball of flame and nuclear energy stalled into a frozen fixture still
well within the confines of their circle. He looked around him to
the others also in dismay of what was happening only to find that a
solitary figure shadowed him from the main emphasis of the
power. A figure clothed in a scandalously short skirt, long black
hair shimmering green and a silver staff raised high and emitting a
multi colored light towards the explosion.
"Guardian of Time…" he muttered, the implications clicking into
his mind.
"Attack, while it can still be dissipated!"
"Attack now!" he added as the others were prompted into action.
The powers that had been used to support the front line were
turned in towards the now jerkily expanding mass. The others
began their assault, yet he could not since Pluto's frame was still in
his line of fire and still attempting to hold this force back.
But the other's attacks seemed to be working as the energy poured
into the core of this explosion, distorting the balance of its eruption
and sending the less powerful shockwaves out in more measurable
busts. And yet, the woman he had come to call a friend, remained
in his path until she was no longer able to hold the ball's advances.
The final explosion was diminished enough that once they saw that
the explosion was emanated, the re-linking of their powers was
more than sufficient to block the devastating effects of its powers.
The gradual release of its energy passed mostly into the darkened
sky above, almost harmlessly, away from them. This level of the
gardens would never be the same, but the circular artificial clearing
was prevented just short of tearing down the balcony of the palace
proper over thirty meters away.
Yet the effort took its toll on those involved as each member
slumped to the ground, a few falling unconscious and others
simply unable to catch their breath that had been taken by the blast.
Endymion had one more thing on his mind before he allowed
himself to cave in… The Guardian of Time may have saved their
lives, and that of possibly a hundred others within the radius that
this would have wiped off the face of the moon, but she had not
faired well either. The final explosion had flung her backwards
and now her body lay only a meter away from him.
On hands and knees he crept closer to her and a meter or a hundred
would not have made difference for what he felt like. Coming
closer, he could make out in the darkness very little of her in the
wavering light of the onrushing guards. Slowly he leaned over her
and rolled her gently over unto her back. Styx lay there, dressed
again in her gown of state tattered as it was, and her hair loosely
sprayed out about her.
"Styx?" he questioned, his cut lips did not pronounce the word
well, but she slowly opened her eyes in the torchlight that was now
beginning to circle around them. The same red eyes that he had
believed that he knew so well...
Carefully she turned her head enough to look up at him, and he
could just see that she managed a smile. Her lips moved slightly
and he lowered his ear to hear her. "Endymion…" she breathed,
"do not hate me… for what I had to do." She coughed a few times
and he knew her injuries were more sever than he had imagined.
He promptly wrapped a hand under her neck and prepared himself
to concentrate his healing powers on her. She mumbled again and
he bent lower once more. "Do not…" she said. He looked at her
and with the look in her eyes he knew that she had other plans.
"This is my penalty," she said slowly between breaths.
He shook his head, not understanding her. Yet her only response
was a slight smile as she closed her eyes again. Endymion realized
too late what was happening and moved closer to her, but heard
her speak again, "Time goes on…" He only sat with her body
cradled in his lap and face centimeters from hers, only able to
watch her slip away. "Endymion…" she repeated, once, then
twice, and one final time she mouthed the word before her head
limply lolled in his embrace.
He sat for a moment, still gazing at her. "Styx…"
Swallowing hard he gently moved her body to the ground, but
paused before regaining his feet. Looking once more at her, he
closed his eyes, "You are beyond time and space, Guardian Pluto."
Opening his eyes once more, he looked out instead to the darkness
of the sky above them, "How could I hate you for what you have
done for me?"
The others had gathered around him, yet he doubted that any
would have heard his words. As he began to stagger up one of the
palace guards wrapped his arm over his shoulders and helped him
to stand as others began an examination of the injuries… And two
went to care for Lady Styx's body.
"Serenity."
The guard that had attached himself to Endymion's side nodded
and answered, "She is safe and caring for the feline councilor
Luna."
Luna, so the little savior cat had survived. He laughed slightly to
himself, had all but one of them escaped this with their lives?
Again he looked up to the sky as they slowly made their way back
towards the palace entrance…
@}->--_____________
"When two people love each other, they don't look at each other,
they look in the same direction." - Ginger Rogers
"When women are depressed they either eat or go shopping. Men
invade another country." - Elayne Boosler
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geocities.com/element_sprite)