A/N: In the middle of trying to get back to finishing "Dreams Can Lie", I had the terrible urge to write a "what if" spin off. So "if" on that night Rei met the mysterious "little one" on the balcony and the Moon survived Beryl's attack (like we all really wish they would, admit it), would her and Terri have stayed star crossed lovers? We shall see with my pet project…enjoy.
Author Tip: Read at least the first chapter of Not Set in Stone if you don't want to be totally confused.
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Title: Star CrissCross
Chapter One
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"Go, find your Princess." The young girl said as she turned to leave the balcony. A pair of eyes stared from within the castle, beckoning her forward. Rei motioned to follow, suddenly bothered that she would be alone. Whether for the factor she did not want to be alone or that this girl leaving her would make her alone, Rei was unsure. The tingling fire under her skin leaned toward the latter.
"Wait! Are you sure you have to leave?" Rei called after, watching the girl searchingly.
The girl with the silver-glinting hair stopped mid step and Rei held her breath. The idea of her leaving made her heart ache, a feeling she did not know the other had as well. The raven haired girl felt the two were tied now by an invisible string.
"I am sorry, I must leave. Be careful, find your Serenity." There was a hitch to her soft voice that Rei felt to her core. The young girl turned and left the balcony, only giving the other a glimpse of her navy eyes.
Minutes passed as Rei stood there on the balcony alone, unable to move. Every cell in her body resonated with loneliness. Each passing second the young girl was away from her intensified this feeling. She had never felt alone until now. She had never known she was alone until now. Her mind could only think of ways to find the girl later or to chase her now. The duty-minded Senshi inside her, however, was itching to find her Princess. Trouble was on the horizon and the Mars Senshi knew she had to find Serenity. Finally, with the full strength of her will power, Rei pulled herself the opposite direction of the young girl in search of the blonde Moon heiress.
I will find you, yet first I must follow my duty.
0
Princess Terressia followed her feline guardian through the palace at a hastened pace. Tears were pressing at her eyes, threatening to fall then as she kept a quick step. Taref had promised she could stay the whole evening to watch over her brother. What could be so important that they retreat now?
Tears continued to prick her eyes as her heart beat with sorrow at leaving the one person she longed for more than anyone on a balcony, alone. Her soft hands wiped at her eyes, trying to remove the wetness betraying her normal calm mask. The Princess of Mars had been mere feet from her and seemingly willing to make the connection that had always been forbidden until this night. It would be years before she laid eyes on that face again and surely someone would steal her love away before her time came again.
"Princess!" A worried voice called from the distance over a slight bit of wind. Her mind had been so distracted she had not noticed they had reached the ship.
Or that the ground had started to rock beneath her feet.
Startled, Terressia looked up and started scanning the ground past the ship. A hand tried to grab her as she ran to the platform's edge. Her eyes widened in shock as she spied the city below. Fighting had broken out in the central parts of the city and her quick mind deduced they would soon meet the palace gates.
The Moon was under attack.
"Princess!" Again the voice called and this time Terressia turned to them, eyes hot with rage.
"Menia, is this why we are leaving so quickly? Am I to be a coward and run from this fight?!" Terressia turned her view skyward and registered the ugly mass hanging over the palace. Her heart started to beat wildly.
"Princess, it is Beryl! You are not ready for this battle! Serenity will handle her forces." Menia wrung her hands as if she were a hundred years old in worry. Her graying head chased the space between her charge and the ship waiting to steal them away.
"I can stop this! The Queen will have the upper hand if I stay…" Terressia went to turn but found her feline guardian blocking her path.
"Your death is not worth the risk. Your mother created you for another purpose." His deep voice rang true in her young ears.
Duty was anchoring her to the spot. It was orders that Terressia make it to her final destination where her powers would grow. Yet, she was a Senshi. Did the duty to her mother and her home out way the help she could give on this moon? Could she let these innocent people die because her life had a predestined plan? The young princess had to make the right choice…
She stared defiantly at Taref and willed him from the spot blocking her way back into the palace. His nails scratched at the stone as he slipped to the side from in front of his charge.
"I will have no regrets, Taref! My brother will not be sacrificed!"
With a surge of power, Terressia felt her body transform as she ran full force in the Moon Palace.
In her wake was a stunned guardian, unable to stop his charge.
He prayed to the Goddess that he was not reduced to ashes right then.
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Mars felt like a complete idiot. Had she not succumbed to her delusional feelings of love for Serenity, the blonde would never have escaped her protection. She would not be fighting her way back into the throne room right this moment with everything she had.
The raven haired Senshi grunted tirelessly as she slashed down another monster in front of her. It was wave after unending wave of dark creatures with disgusting faces drooling over one another to kill whomever got in their unfortunate path. In her peripheral vision, Mars spotted her fellow Inner Senshi fighting side by side as they worked their way back inside to where they could all now feel Serenity's presence.
The end is coming near! I can feel the tides turning against us…will this be our last stand?
The Senshi all had similar feelings as they had finally reached the main door. The four of them nodded to one another, each with a look of sheer determination on their faces. Four pairs of hands reached for the doors and forced them open, preparing for another onslaught.
What awaited them was far more deadly…
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Senshi Teres ran as quickly as she could. No demon stood in her way as she released her dragons, swallowing them whole. A smirk appeared on her pink lips as the demons died in a rage, screams of despair echoing behind her. None would stop her getting to the Queen.
She charged quickly through another batch of monsters as she dodged and sliced down a corridor, gaining on the Queen's energy signature. Teres prayed the Queen felt her coming to her aid and did nothing hasty to end this sneak attack.
The dark haired Senshi slowed her pace as she rounded the corner that turned her onto the back door that led to the throne room's private balcony. It was exactly where she had faced Rei earlier. Thinking of the other girl forced her to suppress true fears of Rei's demise before this ended. She swallowed hard as she realized this bravado was to save Rei as much as it was to save her brother. The regret of not taking every chance to tell the Mars princess her feelings would kill her as easily as an enemy's blade.
Peaking around the corner, Teres spotted the last foe stopping her from reaching the Queen. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins like fire. Her mind was running different scenarios at speeds she had never experienced before. Her ears heard all and her eyes saw all. Nothing escaped her senses. Taref had warned her of this feeling, the invincibility of battle. She could not lose.
He told her to fight against it, to use her wisdom.
"I am fourteen, who the hell has wisdom at fourteen?" She muttered to herself as she confidently strolled around the corner in direct sight of the giant demon guarding the doorway.
"Listen, I am going to kill you and then so help me, I will end this and start living my life, got it?" Teres proclaimed loudly for any to hear.
The demon merely cocked his head at her. Like it understood. Like it cared. Not. Two seconds later it opened its jaws to roar in a rage at the insolent soldier stalking it from the down the hall. Teres smiled to herself as she watched its feet twitch.
Get ready…
The demon hunched itself over, growling loudly.
Get set…
It took one step and pulled a ten foot battering club from behind its back.
Go!
Teres held her ground as the demon started to tear after her in a dead run. At most it was ten yards away from her, swinging the club at a vicious speed. If it were to hit her now, they would be scraping her off the wall with spatulas.
The demon drooled excessively as it ran for her and Teres mildly wondered how it did not slip and die. It just wants to be more trouble. Holding her breath as she counted the seconds it took to reach her, Teres held up twin blades in both hands poised for attack. The wide, metal blades lunged forward as the creature approached.
She struck air.
A quarter-second blink of time had Teres confused as her mind caught up to her body. She cursed in her head as she realized she had undermined the agility of the demon because of its size. Her body was ready though. Strong arms had already struck upwards, crossing swords above her head. Teres let out a grunt as the demon's club came crushing down over her swords to smash in her head.
Both of their muscles strained as Teres fought to keep her arms up, mind racing to figure out how not to become a puddle of goo on the floor below. With arms screaming, Teres managed a thought besides pain and started to manipulate the bit of floor space between them. The stone shot up in a pillar and cracked the demon in the face. It howled in pain and was knocked back as its prey stumbled forward. One inelegant trip towards the door and Teres turned, landing on her backside.
"You really…need to die." She huffed in annoyance and regained her composure on her feet.
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Mars was back to back with Jupiter as they fought their way inside the ballroom. All five were thinking the same thing. How the hell did this happen? When had Beryl escaped her supposed "banishment"? The amethyst eyed warrior was certain that "banishment" meant gone for good. Or had somebody changed the rules?
"Damn it, where are these things coming from?" Jupiter growled out behind her. The taller guardian was whacking at demons left and right with her thunderous hammer.
In answer to Jupiter's question, orange and blue flashes of light started striking upwards towards a giant hole in the ceiling. The skylight, it figures. Mars grimaced to herself as she aimed upwards with her bow to take out some of the incoming surge. Next she spotted four other Senshi on the opposite side of the huge throne room fighting the onslaught.
The Outers were joining the party finally, moving in from the only other main entrance. It had been Uranus and Neptune attacking the ceiling. No doubt both were thinking of ways to plug up the hole to slow the enemy down. Mars glanced around as she hacked down each demon in her path, gaining more than a couple of scratches on her way.
"Inners!" Venus's soprano rose over the growls as she gained the attention of her team. Mars barely registered that her blonde hair had moved closer.
"We're taking the center! Don't get separated; don't back us into a corner!" Venus's hard face pointed forward to the center where not hours before everyone had been twirling around and enjoying the night. Well, not everyone.
"Mars! Focus!" A sharp directive came from their leader as they struck down forces coming at them from all sides.
Mars shook her head. Inside her mind, she was distracted. Regrets were bubbling up from beneath the surface. Surprisingly, they did not have much to do with Serenity, whom before that fateful meeting on a balcony she could do little to stop herself from thinking about. It registered that the Outers were making their way slowly but carefully to them in the middle and that Mercury was goggle's out. The blue haired genius scanned whatever was popping up in her vision as she sliced at the enemy bearing down on them.
Her raven hair shook as she tried to keep focus. All her thoughts were starting to return to the girl on the balcony, desperately wondering if the beauty had made it out of this mess. Hopefully she was not somewhere fighting for her life…
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Teres had had about enough. This had to end. She had been facing off with this monster for what seemed like eternity. The Senshi could feel energy starting to peak on the other side of the door that she frantically wanted to get to. The Queen had to know she was coming, risking everything to be at her service. It was her duty.
And yet, the thing stopping her just would not die.
Her face twisted into a grimace as the drooling demon wound its way back up to her. It did not seem to matter how many times she sliced at its hackles or its legs. The stupid thing just stood back up, smashing the air with its club. I guess they are making you guys heartier these days in the Negaverse.
She had one chance left and it had better work. Time was running out. Stepping back, Teres let her body relax for a moment as she started calling up her black dragons to assist her. Multiples appeared around her and it seemed enough to at least make the demon stop and think. The dragons shot forward towards the demon, surrounding it in darkness. The demon started to howl in pain as the dragons ripped at it, great black mouths opening to snap down on its flesh.
To be sure, Teres ran and jumped on its back, gaining access to its neck. She found purchase and drove her sword through its skin, feeling it separate tendon and muscle all the way through to under the chin. Not taking chances, she took its distraction and swung her other sword from right to left, uncaring of the resistance she met from thick bone as she sliced the monster's head off.
Finally, the darkness cleared and Teres could see her victory. The head rolled oddly as the body twitched with last bits of life pumping out all over the once beautiful stone. She kicked the fallen body a little and set it ablaze with dragons to make sure nothing was left and headed for the secret door at the end of the corridor.
I am here, Queen Serenity. Wait for me.
She hoped her desperate thoughts reached the white haired queen as her gloved had turned the doorknob…
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The Senshi had made it to the middle of the ballroom, but barely. Pluto had appeared from out of nowhere to lead the Outers in the battle against Beryl's minions. The garnet haired warrior had managed to fix herself next to Venus and the two were talking strategy while fending off attacks from a smaller but far more deadly group of demons. Each glowed with a faint, fiendish color. Mars assumed it showed their rank or breed. The thought made her cringe. Breeding demons? From what did they come from and for what purpose other than death? Mars did not care for the full answer. What she did know was that she set them on fire and they eventually died. Good enough for her.
Saturn and Mercury had been working on shielding them to at least some degree while Jupiter was chanting in the middle of them underneath the hole in the ceiling. If it did not get plugged soon, they would be overrun again. Uranus and Neptune were aiming their attacks at the hole in tandem while taking pot shots at the advancing demons. Mars felt a sudden surge of air behind her at the same time she thought Jupiter was exploding.
"Yes!" A happy cry rose up from Jupiter as she looked skyward and then joined Uranus in frenzied attacks.
"Neptune! Now!" Pluto's voice rang out above the mayhem.
Mars took a moment from notching another flaming arrow to see her fellow guardian place her gloved hands on a giant Oak tree that had not been there a moment before. Her amethyst eyes widened as she realized what had excited Jupiter so much. The Amazonian sized girl had started a forest in the middle of Queen Serenity's throne room.
"Nothing like a little redecorating, right Jupiter?" Mars called out as a demon tried to take her but was met with a fist of fire instead before being stabbed with a short blade.
"Well, since the dancing ended, I need to do something!" Jupiter risked a smirk to her fellow warrior while smashing a few heads in with her hammer.
There was a chill in the air and both fighters looked skyward as their flesh raised due to the temperature drop. Mars smirked, Mercury must have conceived this plan. Neptune had reached the base of the tree while it had been forming. Her slim form was attached to the tree, hands invisible beneath a torrent of sea water. The water was rushing up and around the oak tree. In seconds the tree was encased in water. Mars could only imagine that it looked like a fountain springing out of the roof of the palace. The aqua haired warrior was steadfast in her job as Mercury came to lay a hand on her soldier.
If it had been cold before in the ballroom, it was now arctic.
Mars felt her internal temperature enflame as her magic assisted her naturally to keep out the freeze. Ice was traveling over Neptune, coursing up the tree and wrapping it in a thick sheet. A cracking sound distracted the creatures as it surged upward, freezing the water and using the tree as a support for a solid and strong magical plug on the skylight. Numerous creatures were caught in the act and struggled before being trapped in a death-pose.
"Senshi! We're moving to the Queen!" Venus pointed to the balcony with force, "Saturn, clear this room out, now!"
The blonde leader did not hesitate after her order. Her body turned automatically and went for the door. Every Senshi followed without pause. Saturn remained, setting her sights on the specific demons giving them more trouble than they were worth. The dark haired girl could not clear them all, not without dying. She could buy some time, however, and give her teammates at least a few seconds to reach the balcony.
"Hope it hurts, demons." Saturn whispered.
The demons perked up at her words. They seemed feral enough but cocked their heads at her wish. Some even had the good sense to try and shield themselves as the Senshi of Death began to glow increasingly dark….
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Queen Serenity had felt the panic rise to her throat the second Beryl entered the Moon's atmosphere. The whole night had been so full of beauty and happiness she could scarcely believe the surrealism of what was happening now.
The moment she knew, Queen Serenity gave her orders to lock the palace down. To find her daughter and activate the Senshi. It just had been too late. Beryl had already infiltrated the city and the explosions were enough to rock the capital to its foundation. Worse, one of her soldiers reported being unable to locate the princess.
Her blue eyes shut in fear. Every thought raced as she fought the panic and focused her energy on the young Serenity. Her heart began to ache as a void filled the space that her daughter should have filled. Endymion, as well, was cloaked. Both energy signatures were masked.
Eventually, after being herded into the palace, Serenity was told her daughter was sighted moving towards the balcony off the throne room earlier with the Prince of Earth.
This did nothing to assuage her fear.
They were hidden from her and there was only one dark soul who would think such a trick would work.
Out on the balcony, Princess Serenity was holding in her fear as much as possible. Even with Endymion wrapped securely around her, Beryl's presence was striking her to the core. Never had she experienced such a dark power, not even as she had trained with her mother. The blonde princess knew her love's sword would be not be enough to protect them.
"You should leave here, Beryl! The Moon will not be yours!" Princess Serenity found her voice surprisingly firm. "No Guardian of this Universe will let you hold a seat of power!"
Beryl's smile widened and she laughed mirthlessly.
"Child, I am not alone! The Moon will be mine. As will your death and your Prince."
Beryl pointed her hands toward them and a ghastly yellow light began to build from her fingertips. Endymion raised his sword before them as deflection but Serenity knew it would never hold. She delved down into her innate magic to raise a shield, however that too would never hold. It could only buy them time. Time for her mother to find them. Serenity had no access to the crystal at this point in her life. The pairs only hope was that the Queen find them quickly and use the crystal.
Her blue eyes focused on Beryl. Something felt different, it felt off. There was another presence, one behind Beryl. One feeding her intense beam smashing into Serenity and Endymion right now.
Her eyes widened at the realization that Beryl was not working alone.
She had a master.
A powerful one.
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Teres yanked the door open but her view was blocked by a pillar. She gritted her teethe in annoyance but reconsidered the unfortunate obstruction to her vision. Now she had a moment to assess. The Senshi lowered her signature to cloak her presence and slipped into a shadow.
What she saw was a nightmare.
Everything was happening quickly. She was forced to watch as the Princess's shield failed finally in protecting herself and her brother. The yellow beam smashed into the couple, disabling them from attacking Beryl again. Electric sparks snapped and curled around their bodies causing both to scream in pain as the beam started to tractor them away from the balcony and into the sky.
Think, Teres! You have a second to save them…how? One touch of that light and I'm a gonner…where is the Queen?!
Teres had sworn she was there, on the balcony. The young Senshi stealthily adjusted her view and looked to the main entrance of the balcony. Her navy eyes tracked across and spotted the Queen, already preparing an attack on Beryl. The Silver Crystal was singing between her exposed hands. Its bright light gave Beryl's attack a run for its money.
But it was taking too long.
Teres could see the strain on Queen Serenity's face. The crystal was the reason she could no longer feel the Queen's energy signature, it had been absorbed into the crystal. The young guardian could feel the truth before it reached her mind. Without help, the crystal would kill the Queen and there was no assurance it would completely take down Beryl before her beam killed the Endymion and her daughter. This is why she came back, Teres was the helpful edge the Queen needed.
The tractor beam wielded from Beryl's terrifying form was still the problem. Its power was formidable. Almost invincible. Teres stared on, tracing the beam from her brother to the evil Queen. Almost invincible. It was energy, as was everything. What else was her purpose in life? To build…and to destroy! She was born for such reasons, hidden away exactly for that reason. If there was a time to prove herself, she had found it.
Now was the time to reveal herself. As soon as her dragons started building mass, Teres would be exposed as the enemy. She could only hope Beryl would notice too late and that no more of her army was hanging around the balcony.
Teres shut her navy eyes and focused. She wanted five dragons of the most terrifying size. They devoured energy, destroying something that she could then build upon its absence. If she so chose. This was a destroy mission and it would weaken her but it was worth the life of her brother to try. The dragons rolled in a deep smoke around her, deepening the shadows and curling around her as they grew in size.
You may not want them to know I exist mother, but it no longer matters. I no longer matter.
Her universe would fall apart without her family, without Rei. Protection of her loved ones and this world that meant everything to the very fabric of their universe is all that counted. She was a Senshi, the Moon Kingdom had to be protected. Nothing else could come before that mission.
Sense of duty was building under her skin, ready to burst.
The dragons released themselves and Teres could hear Beryl's immediate reaction as they soared towards her.
"What is this?! There is no power that can threaten the Negaverse!" Beryl struggled with keeping hold of her captives. The redheaded Queen's hair seemed to stand more on end as she watched the dragons snap towards her position.
The brunette charged after without a break. Ignoring the draw on her energy, she ran towards the floating lovers in the darkened sky. Her plan had to work. Even if she died. Serenity and Endymion were her future. The future of everyone.
A smirk climbed her lips as she leaped into the air, ignoring the gasps from her brother as his own blue eyes shut. Teres was invincible again, her mission coating her in an unbreakable armor of surety. Beyond her, her dragons did as ordered. The black masses attacked the beam, devouring the energy and instead of using it to build, took her extra energy to destroy the demonic light. She could feel the pull weaken, the electricity snap at her already tortured skin less. One arm scooped around Princess Serenity's waist and cinched her close for a hard landing. With a last burst of energy, one small dragon whipped up under Endymion to soften his fall.
Her smirk never left her face. The ground was rushing up and the blonde princess was all she could focus on as the stone balcony cut into her skin….
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Senshi Mars slowed her harsh breathing as their team raced through the balcony doors. It was caught again at the sight before her.
Could they be too late?
Her amethyst eyes widened as the Queen was pushing everything she had into the crystal. Beryl was crying in outrage as mysterious dragons attacked her own vicious onslaught. She watched as Venus moved to the Queen without thought and laid her hand upon her shoulder. Orange sunlight glowed around the blonde leader of the Senshi and the others followed in line to give their strength. Mars turned to the silver haired queen but caught something out of the corner of her dark eyes.
A demon! It escaped Saturn's attack!
Mars felt a growl emanate from her throat as she watched it sneak buy, headed for the masses falling back down to the balcony. That's when she noticed them. Three bodies dropping from the sky. One was Prince Endymion, held up by one of the mysterious dragons. Another was Serenity, Mars said a silent prayer for this, and beneath her…
A Guardian? Another Senshi!
The raven haired warrior stopped in her tracks and raced for the pair. She could only catch one. The soldier was not her top concern. Her white gloved hands reached for the blonde but another pair was faster. Purple blurred past her, as fast as ever.
Saturn grabbed Serenity before she hit the ground completely while the unknown guardian landed with a harsher impact next to them. Mars understood without thinking. She turned, hands blazing. Fire reached into the thin air and grabbed the demon that had wasted its opportunity.
"No, demon. You are the last. You have failed!" Mars felt a tingle of joy as it screamed a little with pain before going to ash from her flame.
Her attention went to the wounded guardian. She ran beside her and knelt down. Gently, she pulled the young girl to her lap. Moving her hair aside, Mars leaned close to check her breathing. A wave of relief swept through as the girl showed life. In the background, she felt a tug of need from the others and began to glow as her powers were lent to the others.
Queen Serenity was giving a final farewell to Beryl as her screams raged at being torn apart. She did not hear the threats of a master, nor care.
Her focus was on the face in her lap.
It was so familiar, so beautiful. The tingle of connection from earlier sang beneath her skin as she cradled her more securely. There was movement all around her but Serenity was in capable hands already. It would take another foe with a blade at the blonde's throat to tear her away now.
"What is she still doing here! Taref said they were getting her off the Moon!" Endymion was suddenly besides her, rasping and broken. She hazarded a look at her future king. He was full of panic, it was on every inch of his face. Tears were welling on his lashes.
"Prince Endymion, what are you talking about? Who is she?" Mars asked with bated breathe.
She already felt the truth.
"Teressia! You fool, what have you done!" Endymion stroked the girl's face with such love that Mars felt a slither of jealousy.
Endymion's gentle caress over the Guardian's face was sincere. So much so that his battered hand was enough to relax her features. A black light fell over her and left behind what Mars had known instinctively.
Glinting silver hair. Tanned skin. Long lashes and long, dazzling frame. In her lap was the girl from the balcony. The 'Little One'. The one whom Mars knew she could not be complete without ever again.
"My lord?" Rei searched his eyes, having transformed back, sensing a lack of danger now. Endymion stared back.
"My sister, Princess Rei." He turned his head back to Teressia's unconscious form. "Little One, you are not to be here…but please do not go now."
Rei looked back down, her own breathing shallow. Teressia, a name finally, was starting to breathe in an odd rhythm. She was becoming unstable. Rei felt the tears coming to her eyes as well. Someone was tugging at her, saying something she could not hear. There was a warning from her own lips when someone tried to take Teressia away. Whoever it was backed away as they took it to heart.
No, don't go now! I finally have you, please don't go. Not now…
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A/N: Ok, it's not over. Is it ever? Of course not, don't be silly! One more chapter to wrap this up. Hope you all enjoyed! ~BR