AN: Just uploading some old stuff

...

"Why?! Why do you think this time will be any different?!" Luna choked on her words, her grief intense as they both stared at the blonde in odangos sitting and laughing in the park, surrounded by friends. They had found the Moon Princess once again, and again fate had already reunited her with one of her guardians.

"We have to believe," Artemis's voice was low and compelling, his green eyes focusing on reborn Venus; they would awaken her first – maybe if they didn't awaken the Princess it would be different this time. Maybe if they kept her in the dark they could find the Silver Crystal first, could keep her identity a secret, and she could survive to face the evil that already stirs to combat them.

"It's pointless!" Luna cried, turning her head aside as tears fell to the dirt beneath their paws.

Artemis watched her silently, wishing he knew better how to comfort her; she had always been closer to the girls. While both their places had been at Queen Serenity's side, he served in official capacities as direct advisor, ambassador, and, occasionally, valet, while Luna's place had been beside the Princess and her guardians, preparing the next generation for their turn. This chain of events – of finding them, attempting to prepare them, and inevitably losing them was taking its toll on her. If he could spare her this pain… But he needed her, and she him. It was cruel to expect her to face this fate time and time again, but she knew things about these girls' souls that he did not. She knew how they thought, how they would react, how to gently persuade them; his understanding only scratched the surface. While they found them together, introduced themselves together, returned their memories together, it was she who watched after them as he researched the enemies steps and movements, and when the day came that the girls were overcome, she alone knew all the differences between this reincarnation and the last, and mourned the girls rather than the chance. He had noticed these past few times that she had been pulling back from them, afraid to love them as she had on the Moon; she was losing hope that they would overcome the enemy and live fulfill their destiny. Maybe she was beginning to believe that this was their destiny – that Queen Serenity's final wish had been overruled by Beryl's curse, and the girls were doomed to find each other and die, over and over, the Moon Kingdom left to weather and crumble with age, never again to know life. But he couldn't believe that – he wouldn't believe that. Queen Serenity's willpower was stronger than Beryl's, her cause greater, her death nobler – in the end she had to win the day. In the end, her daughter would ascend the throne of the Moon, and set this wrong to right. Their kingdom would be rebuilt and Metallia would be a thing of the past; his Queen would be honored as the heroine she had always been, and remembered. He refused to accept that the only people to remember her were the two of them, when she deserved so much more. Hardening against Luna's distress, he turned his gaze back to the girls on the bench – the others were leaving; now was their chance. "It's only pointless if we have given up before it has begun," he stated with finality, and broke through the cover of the bush to approach the two blondes.

"Oh look!" the princess cried happily, her white-gloved hands grabbing Venus's frill-covered elbow excitedly, "It's a white cat! Look at his little crescent mark! How charming! Come here, kitty!" her smile filled him with familiar warmth – the smile was her mother's. He continued toward her, but turned his gaze to Venus, who watched her companion fondly.

"Look there, Bunny! A little black kitty's coming over to see you, too," Venus commented, her lighter blue eyes focusing behind him.

This time would be different. They'd adopt a different strategy, and this time they would survive.

…

"Mars?" Artemis asked as Luna approached, her light gait resounding in his ears.

"She accepts, but does not like the idea of disincluding Serenity," Luna replied, her tone disapproving, but not of Mars. "None of them do – I don't. It's just odd, Artemis! Like we're all keeping a secret from her. She deserves her memories! She deserves to be part of this!"

Artemis's mood fouled. "We've talked about this, Luna. This time needs to be different – if the Princess does not know who she is, she could survive longer. Especially with everyone else watching over her. Remember last time? She went to face an enemy alone, to spare her guardians - it could have just been that incarnation, that culture of pride that had been nurtured into her from those birth parents, but that cost us! The battle was lost ere it began and the guardians fell soon after. We can't have that happening again!"

"Then let us train her!" Luna barked back.

They both froze, staring at each other; neither could believe what she had just said. A beat passed. Artemis needed to figure this out – either to convince himself that it could be done, or convince Luna that it could not. "Train her with what? She does not have the powers of a senshi and we have not found the Silver Crystal yet!" but… maybe…

Luna stared at him, her blue eyes vibrant, "There are other ways to fight!"

Artemis scoffed, "Like what? Martial arts? Could you train her to be proficient with a sword within the next few weeks, Luna? Could you train her with a bow and arrow before the enemy engages?" his sarcasm was hurtful, but he had to convince her to follow this plan – there was no other way. Unless… no. Not in this lifetime. He sighed deeply, "The last guardian has been found – the enemy will not hesitate as it has been doing!" his statement ended in him snapping, "Keep the Guardians on alert, keep Serenity in the dark; she may live longer."

Luna stayed silent, seeming to bite her tongue. Without another word, she turned and ran off.

…

Luna stopped directly reporting to him after that, in protest and hurt, no doubt. Every time someone came up on him his heart swelled with hope that it was her, that he could apologize, and then sunk as he placed the footsteps as human rather than feline. She had been sending Venus, who, apparently, was the only guardian not to hate him for his decision. On the contrary, she almost supported it. She agreed with him that, based on their retellings of their previous incarnations, keeping Serenity out of the fight was the way to go unless they somehow met her when she was younger to start her training then. Without the powers of a senshi, putting her anywhere near danger would risk not only her life but the lives of her guardians, who would undoubtedly be distracted by her involvement.

They spoke quietly whenever they met; she would report on their training, on their morale; when Luna and Artemis had awakened them, they had regained all memories of their time on the moon, and while it made them feel complete, Venus reported that memories of their own demise depressed them, made them worry ever-more for Serenity, made them mourn their old lives, and question their new. It cast a shadow over their dealings, and having been told of their previous incarnations and how they had failed to protect her over again, there was a touch of hopelessness among them. Artemis listened closely; the more they met, the more he got to know and respect Venus; while she reported that the others were weighed down by the knowledge of their past, she seemed to be strengthen by it. Their conversations turned to his duties, and the difficulties of monitoring and researching without connection to the Moon's supercomputer.

As battles became more frequent, their conversations became more candid. In Venus he found an ally who understood him and their goals, who could distance herself from the immediacy of their situation to see the big picture. She saw that, without the Silver Crystal, ultimately they would lose, but the other side would not win, either. It was a stalemate – time after time, when they had died in their previous lives, the Dark Kingdom faded when they could not find the Silver Crystal they needed to resurrect Metallia.

Then it happened; the Princess died, killed in the crossfire, and in the aftermath the senshi followed her into death. Artemis could only watch as the cycle restarted, but already ideas for the next opportunity simmered in his mind, based in conversations between himself and the leader of the guardian senshi. He and Luna traveled the world, her grief palpable; she didn't have to say it – he knew she did not agree with his choice to leave Serenity in the dark. Next time, though, it might not have to be that way.

All he needed was for humans to develop computer technology; then he could move forward with this plan that he and Venus had cooked up together. This time, Serenity wouldn't be left in the dark… Luna would. With the Mauan mind connection, he could erase her memories of the past, even make the Silver Millennium foggy. He could use a computer to interface with the Moon's supercomputers and fabricate a transformation device for the Princess that would give her senshi-like powers, accessing remnants of the Silver Crystal energy that must run in her blood. Luna would train her and the other senshi without knowledge of their past, so their morale would not start out so low, and the Princess would be trained to defend herself so as to be an asset rather than a distraction. And Venus would serve as her decoy, as she suggested. She alone would receive all of her memories from the Silver Millennium; she would work with him in foiling Dark Kingdom plots, giving the others time to mature and grow into powers they, without their memories, would be discovering 'for the first time.'

Maybe this time…