Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, Toei Animation, and DIC. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Future's Hope
by Sailor Chronos

Chapter Ten: Descent into Despair

Sailor Moon sighed softly. Her entire body was aching; her arms most of all, as she was suspended from her wrists by a pair of ceramic manacles. "Ceres..?" She was barely able to manage a whisper, and cleared her throat. "Pallas?"

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauties." Pallas's attempt at humor elicited tired groans from the rest of them. "Hmph. Never thought I'd end up being trussed up like a turkey."

"That's because you behave like one half the time," Juno grumbled, yanking at her restraints. The sound echoed off the metal walls.

"At least I'm not a prickly pear like you," was the retort. Sailor Moon realized that from the tone of her voice, this was old banter.

"Enough," came Ceres's voice from the left. "Okay, so we're all here. Does anyone remember what happened?"

Vesta coughed before attempting to speak. "It happened pretty quickly. Let's see... our teleport bubble faded out after we destroyed the missile. We weren't as focused as we should have been."

"Or we just didn't use our energies efficiently," said Ceres.

"We were falling," Moon recalled. "Then suddenly we weren't in the sky any more, but in a room."

"This room," Juno said. "Someone must have teleported us here."

"Only we hit the floor at the same velocity as we would have if we had hit the ground," Ceres continued. "It seems that the Syrollan teleport device does not compensate for momentum."

Vesta kicked out and tried to find some footing but her toes were dangling a few centimetres off the floor. "We were probably knocked out instantly. Then they came and shackled us up."

Sailor Moon looked around as far as her sore neck would allow. The five of them were being held in a bare room. There were a few other sets of shackles and a bench or two, and a heavy airlock-style door on the opposite wall from where they were. "What I can't figure out is why. We saved their Captain, didn't we?"

Abruptly the door hissed open, and the rotund figure of Second Commander Joslen appeared, grinning. "I hope you ladies are comfortable?"

"I must protest," Ceres said sharply. "We are the official envoys of Crystal Tokyo. This treatment is barbaric!"

"Don't bother," Juno sighed. "I'll bet he just came to gloat."

"Good guess," Joslen said. "I suppose I should thank you for rescuing Dorani and allowing him to continue on his so-called diplomatic mission, but you see, there are those of us that would prefer that the people of this planet would bow down before us like nice little subjects, like the rest of the planets that we occupy have."

"We will never submit to you!" Moon cried.

Vesta scowled angrily. "If you want a war, then you'll get one."

The commander laughed heartily. "Your missile weapons and so-called magic are no match for us. We have the capability of wiping out cities." He turned to leave.

"Don't underestimate us!" Ceres called after him.

"Brave words from someone in your position," Joslen said. "I suggest you make yourselves at home. There are going to be a few changes around here soon, and I regret to say that you aren't included." The door slid shut.

"So much for that." Pallas was resigned. "He didn't even offer us breakfast."

Sailor Moon groaned in exasperation. "Don't remind me of food now!"

In an impressive display of agility, Juno swung her legs up and used her feet to hold onto the chains that she was suspended from, giving her arms some slack and enabling her to examine the manacles more closely. "It looks like ceramic, but whatever this stuff is, it's as strong as steel." She let herself down again. "If one of you could get enough slack so you could use your arms? Then you could blast the chain."

"That's a good idea," Vesta said, and tried the same maneuver without much success. "Drat, I'm not as agile as you. Even if one of us could, there's no guarantee that our powers would affect it."

"I wish that Tuxedo Kamen would show up and get us out of this," Moon said to herself softly.

"He won't, and wishing won't make it so," Ceres admonished.

"And don't expect your boyfriend to come charging to our rescue either," said Juno bluntly. "He likely won't even know that we're here. Which reminds me, we need to talk to you about him."

Vesta paled. "This isn't the time for that, Juno!"

"Do you have something against Soldeen?" Sailor Moon demanded. "If that's true, I should know about it."

Ceres sighed. "It's obvious to us that you're smitten with him. Think carefully before you get involved. A relationship between the two of you won't be the best thing right now."

Moon shook her head. "But when he's with me I feel that it's... right, somehow. Like destiny or something."

"What do you know about destiny?" Juno exploded.

"More than you!"

Vesta cut in. "We just don't want to see you wasting your time. Are you forgetting that we may at war soon?"

"No! But what can be so wrong about finding some happiness in the middle of such hard times?"

"This isn't about happiness, it's about your duty as Princess," said Ceres reasonably. "Just think about it."

Sailor Moon opened her mouth to reply but Pallas was quicker. "Hey, everyone, chill out! We have to find a way to get out of this!" As if on cue, weapons fire sounded from other side of the door. They all were silenced briefly.

Vesta gulped. "Joslen wasn't kidding. Sounds to me like there's a mutiny in progress!"

"Whatever it is, that's not our concern," said Ceres.

Moon sniffed, on the point of tears, and launched into a tirade. "I can't stand having to be concerned with everything any more. I've lost my mother, my father and my best friends. Lia-chan has been trying to help, but all you guys seem to be trying to do is stop me from doing what I believe is best!"

"For heaven's sake!" Juno shouted.

"STOP IT!" she screamed back, and the gems in her hair flared, emitting a powerful sonic pulse that shattered all the chains and manacles. The five of them dropped to the floor.

There was a moment of silence, occasionally punctuated by sounds of distant clashes. "Sound off..." Pallas whispered. The others stared at their leader, uncomprehending.

Sailor Moon got stiffly to her feet, smiling ruefully now. "I thought I could do it if I let myself get upset enough. Let's get out of here."

Soldeen was on the bridge when the report came that fighting had broken out on the lower decks. "There's a missive from a group calling itself the War Front, saying that they intend to take over and begin an all-out invasion as we should have done from the beginning." The officer reading the data module sounded badly shaken.

"Thank the Light that the Captain isn't here," the Second said with relief. "I hereby issue a Command Code Two. Secure the bridge!" Heavy blast doors slid into place across the exit. Then he turned and sighed. "First Commander, you should teleport out of here. With the Captain absent, you'll be the first person they'll kill if they get in. Don't worry about us; in such a situation, we're expendable."

"What about the others?" Soldeen asked him in a low voice.

The Second shook his head. "They know what to do."

With a sigh, Soldeen activated the transponder on his belt. He knew where he had to go now.

When the Senshi returned to Earth, Serenity took the first opportunity she had to separate herself from the others and high-tail it to the Syrollan bunker. For some reason she felt that she needed to be there. The Senshi could explain what had happened just as well as she could, plus she wanted to be alone for a while.

When she reached the bunker, however, someone was there: Soldeen. Apparently he had been waiting for her, since he approached her with a broad smile. "Serenity! You've no idea how happy I am to see you. Every time I think about you, I care for you more. I feel a need to see you and touch you; perhaps to convince myself that you're real."

It took quite an effort to not hug him; this was going to be more difficult than she had thought. "We need to talk about that, Soldeen," she said in a low voice.

He regarded her sagely. "This sounds serious."

"It is." She took a slow, deep breath, dreading what his reaction might be. "I have to tell you that we can't see each other any more. Our peoples are at war and-"

Soldeen interrupted her angrily. "The Senshi put you up to this, didn't they?"

"No, they only offered me advice. This is my decision; besides, the the ruler shouldn't become involved with an outsider. The last time that happened, the consequences were dire indeed." She glanced down at the road as she remembered the story.

He grabbed her by the shoulders, a look of deep hurt on his face. "Serenity, how can you say that? How can you stand there and be so... regal... when you feel this?" He pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately.

Serenity's heart raced. Overwhelmed by emotion, she closed her eyes and reached up to hold his shoulders in order to keep her balance. Soldeen was right. How could she give him up when she cared- no, loved him so much? Now she understood what her mother must have felt when she had first fallen for Prince Endymion back in the Moon Kingdom. Love was truly a powerful thing, especially when it felt so... right.

They broke the kiss and smiled at each other. Then Serenity abruptly noticed her guardians approaching and disengaged herself from his embrace. "Oh no..."

"Stay away from the Princess!" Ceres said severely without any preamble, punctuating her words with a pointed finger. "She is not for you."

"Hey, take it easy," Soldeen said, raising his hands in apology. "Don't you think I've thought about that? She's too special to me to-"

"Save it!" Juno snarled.

Pallas sighed, a little sadly. "I don't know about your people, but with us, it's customary for at least a year to pass before a relationship can be formally recognized."

"What you're doing is wrong and it cannot continue," Vesta stated pointedly. "We want you out of Princess Serenity's life."

Serenity was struck dumb at the vehemence with which her Senshi spoke. Faced with such opposition, Soldeen could only stare at the ground, speechless as well. After a few moments he sighed and began to walk away.

Furious, the Princess finally found her tongue. "How DARE you! What right have you to interfere?"

"The same right that Chronos and Mara had to interfere with your mother's relationship with Endymion!" Vesta informed her.

"Like that got anywhere," Pallas said with a slight smile. "We wouldn't be here today if they had been successful."

"I don't need this!" Serenity exclaimed in disgust and strode off in the direction that Soldeen had gone.

The Senshi followed. "Do you have no respect for your position?" asked Ceres. "You are royal; he is not. And by spending time with him, you're sending a conflicting message to everyone. Do you want people to think that you're... what's that archaic term?"

"Fraternizing with the enemy," Pallas supplied.

"I AM NOT!" Serenity shouted, stopping and whirling to face them. "You've never been in love, have you? You don't know how it feels to have your heart soar and your body burn when you're with someone..." She fought back tears. "I want to be with him. If that's wrong, then how can I ever expect to be happy?"

Vesta put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. "Princess, please try to understand, we're just doing our job. It's the duty of the Senshi to protect the Princess and her Kingdom."

"If you can't accept that, then perhaps you should relinquish your authority," Juno suggested with a grim expression. "That might be better for all concerned."

"You're just enjoying the sight of me suffering," Serenity grated out. "I can't give him up and I won't be forced to. Not by you, not by anyone. Now get out of my way!" She took a few steps forward but the others kept pace. Up ahead she could see Soldeen standing next to a tree, watching, and she desperately wanted to speak to him before he decided to teleport back to his ship. "I said... GO AWAY!" The crescent moon on her forehead flared, startling them, giving her the chance she needed to run toward him.

He gazed down at her with a forlorn look, saying nothing. Hoping to reassure him, she took his hand and held it tightly. "It'll be all right. Please don't worry."

Nodding, he said quietly, "I had hoped that it wouldn't happen this way; I never wanted to come between you and your duty. You take care of yourself."

"Will we ever see each other again?"

"That's up to you," he replied as he removed his hand from hers reluctantly. "I love you, Serenity. I believe in you, and I'm sure that we will be together someday." Taking a few steps back, he activated his teleport device and was gone.

"Princess-" Ceres began.

She wasn't going to listen to them now. "Leave me alone," she whispered and ran down the street, feeling like part of her soul had vanished along with Soldeen. Why did life have to be so difficult? She was only fifteen, she shouldn't have to be forced to grow up so quickly. Unfortunately she had no control over that, she could only deal with it as best she could.