By Meredith Bronwen Mallory
The Black Moon emissaries stomped angrily from the dinner hall. Even Prince Demando was fed up, though mostly with King Endymion. However, kind to a fault, the Queen was doing her best to prevent an all out war. It wasn't working. Standing behind her supportively, the four Inner Senshi did their best to hide their disgust. They were GLAD the Black Moon family was leaving. Frankly speaking, the Four Sisters looked just as eager to leave. The group had almost reached the doorway, when a voice stopped them. Clattering down the marble steps came one very upset Dia, red in the face with anger.
"Mother..." she whined, "Chibi-Usa took my doll and she says she won't give it back and... tell her that she MUST give it back, Mom!" Dia stood on the seventh step from the landing, nearly red in the face. She went on, "Mom, Chibi-Usa is always..." then she stopped. Endymion watched in horror as the color fled from her face and her posture became stiff and ridged Her hands fell to her sides and she locked eyes with someone across the room.
That someone was Demando, who had turned to see who had caused the disturbance. Silence fell over the room, so complete and suffocating that you could have heard a pin drop. No one moved, no one breathed. Esmerude's mouth was agape as she stared at the child and her Prince. At such a close range, not seeing the resemblance between the two was impossible. The White Prince and the White Princess stood there staring at one another, when Dia raised her chin just slightly, as though answering a challenge. The two continued to stare, while Endymion watched slack-jawed, Serenity turned a shade lighter than white and the Inner Senshi gawked. Then Chibi-Usa came running down the steps, shouting at the top of her lungs:
"Whatever she says I did, Mom, I swear I didn't DO it !" Then she too stopped abruptly The young princess looked between Demando and Dia, then back again. "Um, Dia?" she tugged on her sister's sleeve. Dia would not look at her, "Do you.. want your doll back?" Nothing. No response what so ever. But something must have happened, because suddenly Dia's violet eyes filled with tears and she broke away from Demando's gaze. A large 'whoosh' filled the room as everyone let out the breaths they'd been holding.
But it wasn't over yet. You could almost *feel* Demando's sense of triumph as he gazed on the subdued child. Then, suddenly, Dia sprang into motion and rushed to her mother's side, hugging one of her legs tightly. To the Inner Senshi, who stood to the left of the Queen, it looked as though the Princess had buried her face in her mother's skirts. But Endymion stood at the right, and he saw Dia's face as she looked at Demando, still hugging her mother's leg. Dia's smile was acidic and sickly sweet all at once, and again she and the Prince locked gazes. Whatever passed between them must have been important because made Demando go positively ashen, and he quickly stormed out of the room, followed by Esmerude, Rubues, and for very confused Sisters.
As soon as Demando was out of sight, Dia began to shake. Worried to say the least, Serenity knelt beside her daughter and gave her a hug, rocking her gently as she tried to decipher what had just taken place.
"Dia?" the Queen asked as she smoothed her daughter's hair, "What's wrong, what happened?" The little girl didn't answer, she merely whimpered and continued to shake, staring over her mother's shoulder . Endymion followed her gaze, to see Saffir, still standing at the doorway, looking at Dia with an expression of pure horror. The King wasn't the only one who noticed this.
"Kami-sama.." Mars whispered. Her eyes rolled back, and Jupiter barely caught her as she went down. Saffir took that as is cue to leave, rushing from the room in a blur of blue and white. Now Dia began cry in earnest, burying her face in her mother's gown. serenity could only hold her daughter and look up at Endymion with an expression of pure worry on her beautiful face.
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Endymion looked up from his musings, feeling more worry than when he began. Mars had refused to speak to him about what she'd seen, and Serenity felt only worry for their eldest child. Of course, she didn't know of the other things that had happened that day, and indeed, it seemed his wife was blind to the looks of hate Endymion occasionally received from Dia.
Without warning, a huge flash of light rocked the palace to it's core, shaking the crystal beams in their moorings. Endymion looked up in fear. The flash was followed by another, and another, and each time the ground shook harder than before. Chibi-Usa bolted from sleep and began screaming.
"What's going on?" She looked around wildly, hiding under the covers when another flash occurred The palace shook, and Serenity sat up abruptly. She was wide awake as she looked at her husband, sitting across the room, a look of terror on her face. Propelled by their link, Endymion rushed to her side and put his arms around her. She buried her face in his shirt as he rocked her gently. The King fought down the wave of hatred towards the White Prince that was currently washing over him. He watched as Dia sat up, wide awake as well. She looked out the window as the flashes came more quickly each moment, disapproval and something like self-hatred in her violet eyes.
The screams of the dying floated up to the palace from the city below, and sirens began to wail. Serenity pried herself from her husband's embrace, and in her crystal blue eyes Endymion saw the strength and determination that had made her such a wonderful Senshi.
"We have to go," Serenity said as she stood, "Oh, Endy this is all my fault!" The King shook his head.
"No it's not," he said, placing his hands on his wife's shoulders, "You did everything you could to prevent this..." The Queen nodded, and a look passed between them. Without another word, they hurried from the room, their footsteps joining those of the frantic Senshi and panicking staff.
Chibi-Usa continued to cower under the covers while Dia rose from the bed and went to the window, her eyes cold as she gazed out at the ensuing destruction She placed a fist against the cool glass, body stiff with hatred. Another, much powerful blast ensued, and sent Chibi-Usa flying from the room, screaming as her Luna P trailed behind. Her older sister seemed not to notice as she stood there, looking so beyond her mere seven years. Eventually, her eyes softened and she looked down, hugging herself as she shivered.
"This is all my fault," she whispered to no one, "All my fault. She'll never forgive me, never ever." She cried silent tears, gazing at the Black Moon ships, illuminated against the dawn. It was grim future indeed.
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Later the King, Queen, and eight Senshi stood in the tactical room, discussing strategy, all of them worn and weary, baring the length of their lives on their deceptively young faces.
"At least the palace shields are still up," Mars considered, "At least we have something to work with there." Neptune nodded grimily. The attack had come without warning, though now the Senshi realized that years of peace had made them more than a little lax. The debate went on; Where could they even begin their offensive, how much longer could the shield hold up, and what were they to do when it could no longer function? Uranus struck her fist against the table in frustration.
"MAMA! PAPA!" Dia rushed in the room, white hair flying about her face, eyes wild with fear, "Chibi-Usa is gone! I can't find her anywhere! What if she went outside? Oh, Kami-sama, I can't find her!" Serenity's blue eyes filled with horror, and without another word, she fled the room, calling for her youngest child. Dia and Endymion raced after her, followed by the Inner Senshi.
Like all hell was at her heels, Serenity rushed out into the courtyard, heedless of her own danger, searching for her youngest daughter. Chibi-Usa stood at the bottom of steps, wailing at the top of her lungs. She ran towards he mother as soon as she saw her, thankful to find a sanctuary in the sea of uncertainty. The others entered just as Chibi-Usa reached the safety of her mother's arms, only to bare witness to a scene they would never forget. With the speed of a hawk swooping in for the kill, a deadly green mist swept over the city, covering those still alive with it's shadowy death. Another blast occurred, this time too close to the palace for comfort. The force of the blast threw reached Serenity and her daughter, throwing them both backwards. The Queen was dashed against thewall like she was nothing more than a rag doll. Endymion ran to her side, but it was to no avail... she did not open her eyes. The cloud of gas raced towards the palace, and the Senshi knew what they had to do. Uranus wrenched the King away from the Queen, the surprise of her actions aiding the ease at which they were completed. While Endymion wrestled to free himself from Haruka's grasp, the Inner Senshi surrounded the body of their fallen Queen. Pluto pulled Chibi-Usa away, whisking her off to the time-gate, disappearing in a flash of black smoke. Dia watched, eyes filled with sadness, as the fibers of quartz wrapped themselves around her mother. Endymion froze, pushing Uranus off as he gazed at the crystal now imprisoning his love of three lifetimes.
"No!" he cried, looking at the Senshi with betrayal in his eyes, "What have you done? SERENITY!!!"
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The palace was still, Crystal Tokyo was in ruins, the Senshi were emotionally and physically wounded. Their leader lay sleeping in her crystalline coffin, and the King was too overwhelmed with grief to function. The poisoned gas was seeping through the weakened shield and into the breathing air. They all knew they would succumb before long. Rei stood in the shadows of the main hall, watching Endymion, tears spilling from her eyes in silent pain. The King stood beside the slab of quartz, his hand pressed against the heavy rock as though he hoped to reach Serenity somehow. Rei shook her head... the future was in shambles, only Chibi-Usa, safe in the distant past, offered any hope to the weary Senshi. Minako entered from the foyer, her blue eyes filled with pain as she gazed on her King and Queen, the grieving man and the corpse of the woman he loved. They knew not if she was still alive within her prison.
"King, please," she said venturing closer, "Your wounds, you must allow Mercury to treat them!" Rei watched the color flood from Minako's face as the King looked on her with dead eyes.
"No, I will stay with Serenity," he said softly. The Venusian Senshi looked about to say something else, but Endymion turned from her roughly, fixing his eyes on Serenity. "Leave me." he ordered. Always obedient, Minako curtsied and left, a flurry of blond hair and short orange skirts. Somewhere in the palace, a lonely little girl had begun to cry. Knowing Endymion was too filled with grief to offer his daughter any type of comfort, Rei hurried down the hall.
All around, the vibrations of death and pain resonated in the halls of the palace, nearly choking Rei. She paused at the door to Neptune and Uranus suite, tears forming yet again when she saw they had already succumbed to the poison. Haruka lay still, as though sleep, with her head in Michiru's lap. The aqua-haired woman's head lolled against the back of the couch they rested on. Rei watched as Hotaru flew past her and into the room, searching for her adoptive parents. The Senshi of Saturn let out a sob of pure pain when she saw her parents. She rushed to their side, shaking each in turn.
"Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama! Please, open your eyes, wake up, don't leave me!" Hotaru cried in earnest But her pleas were lost on her sleeping parents. Unable to watch anymore, Rei turned and fled. Why was it that everywhere she turned she was met with pain and death? Where was the bright, sun filled Crystal Tokyo of only yesterday? Somewhere down the hall, the child continued to cry.
Further down the hall, Rei saw Makoto leaning in the threshold of her son's room, holding a stuffed toy she recognized as belonging to the little boy. The tall amazoness'' eyes were filled with pain as tears streaked silent paths down her cheeks.
"Mako-chan," Rei began, voice filled with sympathy.
"Why?" the Jupiterian Senshi asked, "Why did they do this... the people, the children, my little boy, all innocent..." Through the open doorway, Rei could see the little boy, laying still on the bed, covers pulled up around him as though he was sleeping. Her eyes went back to the boy's mother, her friend, who hugged the stuffed toy harder, as though she wasn't sure whether to be filled with grief or rage, "Bastards," Makoto went on, her voice taking on a hard edge, "Evil bastards... how could they do this? Don't they have a conscience? Any human compassion at all?" Rei started to go to her friend, but a gentle hand on her shoulder stopped her.
"Let me," Ami said, blue eyes filled with compassion, "Dia needs you." Rei nodded silently, watching for a moment as Ami went to embrace her friend in a gesture of support, then she turned and hurried towards the Royal Suite.
She found Dia sitting on her mother's side of the bed, dressed in one of her father's old shirt's and hugging a bunny that belong to Chibi-Usa. It would not have surprised the priestess in the least to know that Dia had purposely gathered the items belonging to her family, seeking comfort in the familiar.
"I want my MOMMY!" Dia wailed uncontrollably She had yet to even register Rei's presence. Slowly, the Martian Senshi approached the little girl, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder, taking a seat beside her on the bed.
"Oh Rei-chan!" Dia cried, instantly hugging the woman, "I'm so sleepy and scared and, and and... is my Mommy dead?" Rei's heart broke at the look in the child's violet eyes. She pulled her strength and took a deep breath.
"We don't know, sweet pea, but we hope not," she replied. Dia only hugged her harder, wailing into her Senshi fuku. Rei merely smoothed the girl's white hair, as she had seen Serenity do many times before. Dia pulled away, laying back against the pillows.
"I'm so tired, Rei-chan," she said, her lids slipping closed. The Martian woman's heart clenched NOT DIA TOO!! Her Queen in a coma, the grief stricken King, a little pink haired demon hiding away in the past... All those that Rei loved and vowed to protect were leaving one by one. Suddenly, Dia grabbed Rei's hand with surprising strength.
"He's going to die soon," the child whispered, "Pray... pray for him please." Then her breathing slowed and her eyes closed all the way, her grip on Rei's hand relaxing. Rei couldn't fathom what the child meant.
"Mars," a commanding voice interrupted her musings. she turned to see Endymion standing in the doorway. His eyes were hard and cold behind his mask, and the priestess felt a chill snake it's way up his spine. "Come, the other Senshi need you... there are things to be done." All she could do was nod, then the King was gone. Rei shuddered, recalling the look in Endymion's eyes. He was out for blood. Specifically? Demando's.